Campus spooked by false alarm

Transcription

Vol. CXXVII.
The College of New Jersey, October 10, 2007.
No. 8.
Campus spooked by false alarm
Teenager arrested after false report of shooting in Travers Hall
By Brandon Lee
News Editor
A Trenton teenager was arrested early Sunday evening in
connection with a hoax 911 call to
Campus Police reporting a shooting in Travers Hall that morning.
Michael Larkin, 19, was arrested by Campus Police and has
been charged with False Public
Alarm. He is being held in the
Mercer County Corrections Center in Hopewell. Larkin’s bail is
set at $25,000.
College President R. Barbara
Gitenstein notified the campus
community about the arrest via email at 7:16 p.m.
Gitenstein said in the e-mail,
“In the event that Larkin, who is
known by police to have a gang
affiliation, is able to post bail, he
has been ordered to have no contact with the College.”
During a meeting with Travers
Hall residents, Sgt. Michael Bell
said that the campus community
will be notified in the event that
Larkin is released and that necessary security measures will be
taken.
Patrolman Jim Lopez said
that the state’s gang task force is
“keeping (Campus Police) in the
loop.”
According to Matt Golden,
director of communications and
media relations, Larkin has not
posted bail as of press time.
The prosecutor’s office could
not be reached for comment as of
press time.
It was learned at Residence
Education & Housing staff and
general meetings that Larkin
made three 911 calls from his
personal cell phone and had a
past romantic relationship with
a female resident of the seventh
floor of Travers Hall. Larkin was
an uninvited guest to the campus
and was not signed in as a guest
by a resident. Campus Police did
not comment on Larkin’s intent
due to the ongoing investigation.
At 12:45 p.m. an e-mail was
sent confirming that the 911 call
was a hoax and a message appeared on the College’s main
Web site.
According to Golden, Campus
Police received a 911 call shortly
before 6 a.m. Golden was in-
formed at 6:25 a.m. and sent out
an e-mail to the campus community at 6:38 a.m.
Another e-mail, sent at 7:43
a.m., confirmed that Campus Police were looking into the situation and urged residents to stay
in their current locations. At 8:01
a.m., a third e-mail said the reported shooting took place at
Travers Hall. A fourth e-mail, sent
at 10:01 a.m., said Campus Police
could not confirm if a shooting
had occurred.
Another e-mail sent at 12:09
p.m. said law enforcement “thus
far found no evidence to corroborate that a shooting took place. Investigation of the matter continues
aggressively, and (the College) has
implemented additional security
measures, but the investigating
agencies believe the original report may have been inaccurate.”
“I felt good about the overall
handling of the situation, but as is
true in every such circumstance,
we have learned other ways to
improve our processes,” Gitenstein said, via e-mail interview.
Cuckoo Clock
mtvU gives Signal editor
his ‘shot’ with interview
By James Queally
Arts & Entertainment Editor
Devon DeMarco / Photo Editor
The first of three new clocks in Brower Student Center was mounted
last week in the food court. The clocks are a gift from the class of 2006.
Among the concerns raised about the clock in a Campus Activities
Board meeting was that it is hard to read. The board recommended that
student opinion regarding the clocks be evaluated after a month.
SPORTS IN BRIEF
Women’s Tennis — 9-0 (W)
Women’s Soccer — 4-0 (W)
Football — 10-7 (W)
Allison Singer / Sports Editor
Campus Police officers descended on Travers Hall after a
shooting was reported on the seventh floor.
see SAFETY page 5
There’s something about sitting in a
TV studio that is inherently terrifying. The
fear doesn’t reside in the compact room itself, staring into the mechanical eyes of a
few cameras and the wandering pupils of
a small gathering of people, but rather in
the implications of what stands to
come next. Every movement you
make, every word you say, will be
sent out over the air, open for the
public to watch, criticize, playback,
rewind, fast forward and
do whatever the hell they
want with. That kind of
fear stands in any TV studio.
When that TV studio belongs to mtvU,
that fear is only amplified.
That fear can paralyze you when the
band that very well could be the next incarnation of The Strokes or The Arctic Monkeys is sitting across the studio from you,
and unfortunately paralysis isn’t the best
thing to come down with when the producer says, “Whenever you’re ready.”
Of course, luck of the Irish, it was me
A taste of Ewing, page 14
Students, organizations and vendors gathered on the Loser
lawn all day Saturday to celebrate Community Fest.
seated across the room from that band last
Wednesday afternoon, placed in front of
a camera in a studio owned by the most
iconic organization in the music industry,
hoping, wishing and praying that after
three years as one of the College’s resident
music snobs, I’d be able to channel everything I knew about genres, guitars and
garage-rock to shoot the breeze for a scant
30 minutes.
On Wednesday, Oct.
3, I was filmed on an episode of mtvU’s “My Shot
With…” and given my
first real opportunity in the
world of music journalism:
an interview with Canada’s
dance-punk wunderkind, Tokyo Police Club. The band has toured with
Cold War Kids and currently is playing a
few dates with Bloc Party. They’re on the
verge of making their big break in this
country.
Somehow, I was sitting across from
them. Me. My only brush with music greatness was opening for Dog Fashion Disco,
see TV page 18
INSIDE
Editorials, Et Cetera
Opinions
Features
Arts & Entertainment
Funstuff
Sports
8
9
14
18
25
36
page 2 The Signal October 10, 2007
ISA to gets its Garba College a capella group recognized by SGA
on in Cromwell Hall
By Kelli Plasket
Staff Writer
By Megan DeMarco
Opinions Editor
The Student Finance Board
(SFB) fully funded the Indian
Student Association (ISA) last
Wednesday, unanimously awarding its request of $484 for the festival of Garba.
Garba will take place in Cromwell Hall lounge on Oct. 12 and
will include dancing, music and
Indian food.
$350 will go toward food for
the event, which equates to about
$8 per person.
Although about
40 students attended last
year,
ISA
is hoping for a bigger turnout this year
because itʼs free, according to
Jasen Sood, ISA organizational
representative.
“We want to get more than just
Indian people to come out,” he
said.
ISA members said they are
expecting about 60 students to attend. In a Facebook group set up
for the event, there are 30 people
who say they plan on coming.
Some SFB members expressed
concern that ISA was underestimating the amount of people who
would attend and might run out of
food.
Others, however, reassured
SFB members that there would be
enough food for everyone.
Club
ISA
“Some people are hungry,
some people arenʼt,” Student
Government Association assistant representative Sheil Naik
said. “If they have enough food
for 60 people they could probably
feed like 70.”
“I think they just want a little
taste,” sophomore representative Darling Charles said. “They
should be OK.”
In addition to the cost of dinner, drinks, dessert and utensils,
the money will cover sticks
used for folk dancing, new CDs
with modern Garba
music and a
centerpiece.
“Everyoneʼs willing to help
out,” Natasha Nayak, ISA president, said. “Itʼs a really good
atmosphere.”
Last week, the Asian American Association (AAA) received full funding for its
request of $12,987 to have comedian Russell Peters perform
during Experience Asia month
in November.
The request of $12,987 was
granted after AAA initially asked
for and was denied $25,000 a
few weeks ago. Petersʼ agent
declined AAAʼs request to lower the price and Peters will not
perform at the College. AAA is
currently looking for other comedians to fill the void.
Event
Garba Festival
$ Amount
$484
The College i-Tunes, International A capella Group, received
club recognition from the Student Government Association
(SGA) at its last meeting on
Wednesday.
“I want to start a multicultural
a capella group to represent the
diversity of (the Collegeʼs) student body through various types
of cultural music,” Reka Magge,
sophomore open options science
major and founder of the club,
said, speaking on behalf of the
group.
“While there are two
other a capella groups
on campus, the
Trentones
focus
on western music
and Voice of Hope is
a Christian a capella group,”
Magge said. “I think this would
be a unique a capella group to
start.”
By receiving club recognition through SGA, the group
will be able to perform at campus events, particularly at other
multicultural events such as
Mystique of the East, and eventually enter competitions, Magge said.
There was some concern from
SGA that the club would be unintentionally affiliated with iTunes,
the Apple brand. “i-Tunes stands
for something … so as long as
we make sure to say ʻinternational tunesʼ I donʼt think there will
be any confusion,” Magge said.
She added that they will be sure
to include the clubʼs full name on
any flyers and promotions.
“I think they are just a great
idea to promote diversity on campus. Iʼm excited to see what they
have to offer,” Stephanie Cwynar,
SGA vice president of Student
Services, said during semi-closed
discussions.
“They will give other people
opportunities who want to be
involved (in a capella groups),”
Dan Eckrote, junior class president, said. He added that the large
turnout to auditions for the few
open spots in Trentones every
year shows there is a strong interest on campus.
The group was approved for
club status by a unanimous vote.
Cwynar spoke about meeting with Jamie Hightower, executive director of Student Financial Services, to discuss the
recent registration problem at
the College with students being unregistered. Cwynar said
she learned in the past
few years that no
student had been
unregistered who
hadnʼt paid his or
her bills, so the high
number of these students,
most of whom no longer attend
the College, were being filtered
down. Hightower will hopefully
attend a future SGA meeting to
answer more questions, Cwynar
said.
Jenna Klubnick, SGA student
trustee, reported from the recent
Board of Trustees meeting. The
provost position will hopefully
be filled by February so that he
or she can officially start on July
1, Klubnick said. The College is
also searching for a dean of the
School of Engineering.
Meanwhile, Klubnick learned
that the School of Art, Media and
Music will undergo a name change
to the School of the Arts and Communication and will now include
the communication studies program, she said.
The junior class council announced that Battle of the Bands
is scheduled for Nov. 15, SGA
senator of business Dan Eckrote
said. In addition to bands, they
are now looking for talent show
participants, such as comedians
or magicians, to perform short
acts between bands for entertainment, Sarah Ross, junior
class vice president, said. Any
interested bands or acts should
e-mail the junior class council at
class09@tcnj.edu.
The junior class council is
also holding a fundraiser on the
evening of Oct. 11 at Applebees,
Eckrote said.
The freshman class council
gave its first report of the year.
The council is working on designing class t-shirts and researching
places for the freshman formal,
tentatively set for Oct. 24, Gina
Baxter, freshman class president,
said. They are also planning a
“Battle of the Towers” fundraiser between Travers, Wolfe and
Cromwell, Matt Daley, freshman
class vice president, said.
The basement of the Business
Building on campus now has
wireless Internet access, which
can also be accessed from the
back porch area, Brian Skwarek,
sophomore senator of Business,
said.
SGA approved one new associate member, Melissa Zielinski, freshman psychology major. She was sworn in by SGA
executive president Christine
Cullen. Cynwar announced that
Michele Velluzzi, sophomore
senator of Business, has been
appointed as the dining services
liaison for the Student Services
committee.
There are currently three
seats still vacant in SGA for a
senator of Art, Media and Music, a senator of Education and a
sophomore class secretary, Cullen said. Any student interested
in one of these positions should
contact SGA.
The “Student Gripe Session”
has been renamed the “Student
feedback forum” and was held
yesterday at 7 p.m. in the library
auditorium.
Board of Trustees to discontinue six graduate programs
By Michael McGee
Correspondent
The Board of Trustees has officially
moved to discontinue six of the Collegeʼs
graduate programs in a resolution that passed
unanimously in an open meeting of the board
on Oct. 2. The programs that will no longer
accept new students, but will continue for the
current class, are Speech Pathology, Learning Disabilities Teacher Consultant, Elementary Education (elementary supervision), Elementary Education (master teacher), Early
Childhood Education and the post-masterʼs
Certificate in Substance Abuse and Addiction Counseling.
According to the resolution, the masterʼs
in Speech Pathology has been unable to recruit faculty members in order to maintain
a sufficient level of quality. The Elementary Education and Early Childhood Education programs have been under-enrolled.
The masterʼs in Learning Disabilities
Teacher Consultant is redundant with an
already-existing certification program and
the post-masterʼs certificate in Substance
Abuse both has its courses offered through
the masterʼs program in Community Counseling and is under-enrolled.
During the meeting, College President
R. Barbara Gitenstein said these were “difficult but necessary decisions” reached
after receiving “extensive input” from the
campus community.
College President R. Barbara Gitenstein (left) and chair of the board Stacy
Holland (right) announced plans to discontinue six graduate programs.
Gitenstein said in an e-mail interview that
the decision to discontinue the programs was
in response to the “dramatic budget cut,” but
only after the board “had exhausted all our
efforts to dramatically reorganize all other
aspects of the College.” Also, the Collegeʼs
mission states that the College is a “primarily undergraduate residential” school and that
the board “turned (its) attention to graduate
programs,” Gitenstein said.
The recent audit results of the Collegeʼs
financial status, conducted by the audit and
finance committees, were also discussed at
the meeting. Anne McHugh, member of the
board, reported that the College “passed
with flying colors” and is in “sound financial health.” The Collegeʼs financial situation is “a lot better this year than last year,”
McHugh said.
Part of that success comes from an increase
in the Collegeʼs endowment, which rose from
$4 million to $16 million under Gitenstein.
Stacy Holland, chair of the board, attributed
the upsurge in donations to Gitenstein and
during the meeting characterized the president as an “outstanding professional.”
The board unanimously awarded Gitenstein with “a one-time payment of 8 percent
of her base salary,” a resolution read. Holland
clarified the resolution, saying the clause for
a bonus has always been in Gitensteinʼs contract, but this was the first time the president
has been awarded such a bonus.
Also discussed, and approved, at the
meeting were waivers to vendors the College
has recently done business with, including
the Collegeʼs subscription to The Wall Street
Journal for $42,000 and a $1 million payment to Cedar Crestone, a consulting firm
used by the College to help implement the
PeopleSoft Student Administration System,
according to the resolution.
The Board of Trustees also approved a
budget request to the state of New Jersey
for the 2009 fiscal year, totaling $62.1 million. The budget includes $40 million for
the new education building. The budget
request extends projections to the 2015 fiscal year and includes more than $27 million for the new academic building and $19
million for science lab renovation.
Holland also announced that the Strategic Initiatives Plan will be presented to the
College later this month. The plan outlines
the “next step or phase of growth” for the
College, Holland said.
According to Holland, the Board of Trustees will hold another public meeting in December, in order to showcase how the board
makes decisions, to explain the chain of communication in the Collegeʼs governance, as
well as the responsibilities of the board.
October 10, 2007 The Signal page 3
Sister act returns: back in the habit
Pablo Moretto / Staff Photographer
Sister Helen Prejean speaks about life experiences that influenced
her to write her book ʻDead Man Walking.ʼ
By Anita Rao
Correspondent
The Collegeʼs eighth annual Community Learning Day featured guest speaker
Sister Helen Prejean, author of the summer reading book “Dead Man Walking,”
in Kendall Hall on Wednesday afternoon.
Prejean spoke about her childhood, what
led her to write her story and her feelings
about the death penalty. This speech was
later followed by a panel discussion titled
“Religion and Public Policy.”
Prejean spoke about growing up in
New Orleans and later moving into the St.
Thomas housing projects, where she first
realized there were two Americas. She
worked at Hope House, which sought to
educate young people who did not finish
high school. Poor kids were “doomed into
a spiral,” Prejean said, because there was
no way to escape poverty.
“It is a human right to have healthcare
and a decent education,” Prejean said.
Prejean also spoke negatively about the
prison system, which she claimed was
a way of “throwing away poor people,”
since 90 percent of prison inmates are
poor.
She later grew up to have ill feelings
toward the justice system. “Pat Sonnier
dying in the electric chair galvanized and
changed my life forever,” Prejean said, alluding to the character in “Dead Man Walking,” who was the impetus for her role as
spiritual adviser to death row inmates.
A common self-critique of the authorʼs
was that she did not initially visit victimsʼ
families. Prejean responded by saying she
thought they were mad and did not want to
talk to her. “I donʼt just take (the readers)
on highs but also troughs,” Prejean said,
which is why she included those passages
in the book.
Much of the speech was reserved for
her feelings on the death penalty, specifically highlighted in “Dead Man Walking.”
“The death penalty is imbalanced because
it depends on the victimʼs race and status,”
Prejean said. She said the death penalty is
another example of the state using violence
to exercise authority, which brings about
empire.
She also spoke about the inequality
present in the legal system. “(Authorities)
donʼt care about black-on-black crime
even though that is 90 percent of the murders in New Orleans … 80 percent of
the executions happen in the south, and
most there are poor with weak defense,”
Prejean said.
Prejean urged the New Jersey community to put an end to the stateʼs use of capital punishment.
“New Jersey is so close to stopping the
death penalty,” Prejean said. “It is up to the
citizens to give legislators the courage to
stop it.“
“I really liked the end of (Prejeanʼs)
speech because it made her experience more
real. I wasnʼt just reading words on a page,
but rather I was listening to someone who
had witnessed first-hand the result of our
legal system,” Mara Herling, freshman elementary education and history major, said.
After the speech, a panel discussion on
“Religion and Public Policy” took place
featuring Khalid Blankinship, associate
professor of religion and coordinator of
the masterʼs program in religion at Temple University, Rev. Dan Bottorff, associate minister of the First United Methodist
Church in Westfield, N.J., Michele Tarter,
associate professor of English at the College, and Prejean. The panel discussed
such issues as the stateʼs interference with
religion, the culture of violence in society
and rights for prisoners.
“We wanted to broaden the topic past
the death penalty, and talk about the intersection of religion and the public arena,”
Celia Chazelle, professor of history and
moderator for the panel discussion, said. “I
thought it was great that all the panelists
spoke with each other as well as with the
audience.”
In addition, Tarter was hoping to initiate a letter-writing program to prison inmates. “The prison is an odd machine. I
donʼt think what they do is moral or ethical,” Tarter said, adding that prison programs could help change the lives of the
inmates.
The panel also explored the effectiveness of the First Amendment in separating
church and state, as well as the issue of
President George W. Bush invoking God
in the name of war.
“The best issue was violence and religion. I think what Iʼve begun to see is
the connection between religion and war,
but Iʼve never really thought about it until
Sister Helen spoke about it. Hearing her
make that connection and have a nun be
so politically active was inspiring,” Ashley
Reichelmann, senior womenʼs and gender
studies major, said. “I thought what was
best about the panel was the diversity of
religion on it. Their different areas of expertise made it very interesting.”
College receives grant for interactive journalism camp
By Myles Ma
News Editor
The National Science Foundation awarded a $600,000 grant
to support a proposed program
intended to increase interest in
the computer sciences.
The program will involve
rising eighth graders from
Fisher Middle School in Ewing, who will be introduced to
computer science through interactive journalism.
“Some of the characteristics that you need to be a good
computer scientist are the same
characteristics that you need to
be good journalists, artists, people who are creative,” Monisha
Pulimood, assistant professor
of computer science, said.
Pulimood, Ursula Wolz, associate professor of computer
science, and Kim Pearson, associate professor of English,
are in charge of the grant.
For the first two years, the
program will be comprised of
two week-long summer camp
experiences at the College as
well as an after-school program at Fisher Middle School.
The 18 children attending
these events will be publishing an online journal using a
programming language called
Scratch.
“Theyʼre not going to just create
text,” Wolz said.
“Theyʼre going
to create little interactive videos
using Scratch.”
Scratch was
designed
by
Mitchel Resnick,
head of the media
arts and sciences program at
the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology. Resnick, a classmate of Pearsonʼs at Princeton
University, designed the program with middle-school students in mind.
Fisher faculty will be
trained on how to use the
language before the program
takes place.
Pearson said while collaborations between the College and
the Ewing public school system
have happened before, “Using
journalism to teach computer
science is new.”
Among the problems the
principal investigators hope
to address with the program
is the lack of
people going
into the field
of computer
science.
“The primary goal is to
attract young
people to computing careers
who may not have
thought of them as an option,”
Pearson said.
“We want to work with kids
who may not necessarily be top
scorers in math and science,”
Pulimood said.
Pearson said she hopes the
children “gain an appreciation”
for the journalism field through
the program. She added that
possible content for the proposed journal included local
reporting as well as simple eco-
nomic reporting.
Among her ideas is a database comparing prices of popular childrenʼs items at different
stores.
The method for selecting
the children has yet to be determined. Pulimood said determining an appropriate method
could pose a challenge.
“I can see people getting
worried about why their kids
arenʼt in the program,” Pulimood said.
Mary Switzer, gender equity diversity specialist in the
department of technology studies and program manager of
the grant, said, “We want to
have equal access for all the
students involved in the grant
with particular focus on underrepresented groups,” meaning
women and minorities.
“Women and minorities tend
to move away from computer
science for various reasons,”
Pulimood said.
After two years, the program
will be evaluated on whether its
goals were realized.
If life gives you
bleach, donʼt
make lemonade
By Megan DeMarco
Opinions Editor
A Campus Police officer was dispatched
to Wolfe Hall on Sept. 26 at 4:40 p.m. on
a report of a poisoning attempt. The victim
said between 12:30 p.m. on Sept. 24 and
3:20 p.m. on Set. 25 someone had put bleach
in a lemonade bottle in her refrigerator.
The victim said she and her roommate
had been having problems throughout the
semester. She said there were several incidents where her roommate drank some
of the beverages in the refrigerator, so she
placed a lock on the refrigerator.
On Sept. 24 she did not fasten the lock.
When she went to get a drink at 3:20 the next
day, she noticed the bottle had been tampered
with. There were scruff marks and gouges on
it. She smelled the bottle before she drank it,
and it had the distinct odor of bleach.
The officers then spoke to a Residential
Education & Housing administrator, who
was aware of the situation and that the girls
had been to mediation in the past. She had
spoken to the roommate, who denied putting
anything into the bottle.
Leggett spoke to each student about the
incident. At the end of the meeting, she felt
there was no evidence to indicate who put
the bleach in the bottle. She said she is allowing one of the girls to look for another living
space. The student who filed the report said
she may sign a complaint against her roommate for harassment in the future.
The officers collected the bottle as
evidence.
There is no further information at this
time.
...
A portable DVD player was stolen from
a room in Travers Hall on Sept. 24 at 7:40
p.m. The victims told Campus Police they
left their room locked at 5:15 p.m. and when
they returned the room was still locked.
When they entered the room, they found that
the room had been ransacked and a portable
DVD player was missing. Other items of
value in the room, including laptop computers, cell phones and cash, were not taken.
One victim said $40 had been taken
from his wallet while the room was locked
on another occasion.
The gray Sony DVD player was valued
at $100.
time.
…
On Sept. 27 at 10:40 a.m. a Campus Police officer was dispatched to the New Library on report of criminal mischief. Debra
Bailey, head of circulation, said that she
received a report on Monday Sept. 24 that
the word “Negros” was written in blue ink
on the wall to the right of the elevator on
the fourth floor. She said the word was six
inches long and three inches high
Bailey immediately notified Paula Rainey,
program assistant to the Dean of the New Library. The two took pictures of the word and
then immediately cleaned it off the wall. Ms.
Bailey said she was upset about seeing the
word written so boldly in such a public place.
time.
College organizations join the Drupal club
By Jeffrey Roman
Correspondent
The College’s Web site implemented a new feature this
month known as Drupal, an
organizer application for all
the clubs and organizations on
campus.
The application is basic, utilizing easy-touse tools to
set up an organization’s
Web site in a
timesaving manner. The interface
makes operating and managing
the site simple, resembling a Web
site such as Facebook, which is
very user-friendly.
In order to start up a club on the
Drupal page, the user must click
the link at the top of the screen
and follow the tutorial step-bystep. Once a member of Drupal,
clubs can post events, create forums and polls and utilize other
interactive media.
Matthew Winkel, the College’s Web designer, spearheaded the project when he realized
student groups had no idea how
to maintain their organizations
online and Web masters were not
updating their sites. Being one of
the first colleges to implement
Drupal, Winkel started from
scratch, learning the program
and setting it up so clubs and organizations could be on the same
Web site in an easy-to-use atmo-
sphere that would allow for various features.
“Drupal is becoming a mainstream solution,” Winkel said.
With more and more colleges
switching to Drupal for help on
their Web sites, it’s no surprise
that Winkel began using it for the
College.
Drupal’s plug-in style application
makes
it
possible
to upgrade
the system
Photo from groups.tcnj.edu
constantly
with new features.
When describing the many
features of Drupal, Winkel was
pleased with its ability to keep
track of multiple pieces of information. “Say a club had an event
which was posted on Drupal.
After the event you could post
the attendance and keep track
of how well the turnout was and
how many club members were
there,” Winkel said.
Club presidents and users of
Drupal also see the potential for
the site and its various applications. “I really like the Drupal
Web site. It feels like Facebook
but for clubs. It definitely has potential,” Jen Woodring, president
of the Student Chemist Association, said.
The interface was also very
important to members of the online community. “Once you post
an event it goes on the club’s cal-
endar. I think members need to
see visual things like that,” Woodring said.
The simplicity of Drupal is
also a factor that gets various
opinions from organizations.
“Right now, it’s very plain and
there’s not much to do with
it … but it has potential to be
something more for those Web
masters who don’t know a lot
of code to properly maintain a
site,” Crystal Kan, president of
The Society for Creative En-
deavors, said.
One of the main objectives behind Drupal’s interface is for it to
be as simple as possible for those
who may not have a solid background in Web design. Everything about the site is presented
in an easy-to-read, easy-to-learn
format.
“It’s still young, and not many
people know about it, but it definitely is growing,” Winkel said.
Each semester, he plans on upgrading the system and incorpo-
rating new features which will
make the Web site more accessible and approachable to those
interested in hosting their club on
a Web site. “We hope users will
adopt it and it will be another tool
usable by the students,” Winkel
said.
Any interested clubs can visit
groups.tcnj.edu to set up a Drupal
account and try out the many
features offered to keep them in
touch with their members and
other clubs.
Photo from groups.tcnj.edu
A number of College student organizations are already using Drupal. Among its
advertised features are its simplicity and customizabilty.
Safety / Police respond to threat Cromwell residents
unfazed during fire
Timeline of events on Sunday, Oct. 7
6 a.m. — Campus Police receive 911 call reporting shooting in Travers Hall. Police begin searching the dormitory.
6:38 a.m. — First e-mail sent warning students of the possible shooting.
12:09 p.m. — Law enforcement officers have found no
evidence of a shooting.
12:45: p.m. — E-mail announces 911 call was a “hoax.”
7:16 p.m. — Campus is notified that Michael Larkin has been
arrested and charged with False Public Alarm.
continued from page 1
According to Golden, the College achieved its goal of informing people that a shooting was
reported.
The College has not yet implemented a new campus notification
system and is still working with
NJEdge to select a system from a
list of vendors, Golden said. The
new notification system will send
emergency alerts via cell phone
text messaging.
“I will be glad when we have
the electronic messaging system up and going just as another
method of communicating with
campus members,” Gitenstein
said. “It should be fully operational during this semester.” She
also commended residence hall
staff, students and Campus Police
in dealing with the situation.
The College’s campus was not
on lockdown but Campus Police
urged students to be vigilant and
safe. Building Services employees were allowed inside Travers/
Graphic by Myles Ma / News Editor
Wolfe halls to work.
Campus Police officers were
checking students’ bags at the
Towers security desks as students
entered and left the building on
Sunday.
According to a student who
did not want to be named, he was
woken up around 6 a.m. by six
law enforcement officers armed
with shotguns.
According to Kristen Randolph, freshman psychology major who lives in Cromwell but
was staying in a friend’s room in
Travers, the police knocked on
her door and warned her about
the reported shooting while giving her safety instructions.
Campus Police also accounted
for Travers Hall residents, asking them the whereabouts of their
roommates if they were not present
during Campus Police’s rounds.
Another resident of Travers Hall
detailed Campus Police’s warning.
“They came pounding on my
door at 7:45 a.m. and said there
was a possible shooting,” Katie
Ryan, freshman open options major in the school of Culture and
Society, said
On Monday, Campus Police
and College administrators held a
forum with Travers Hall residents
and answered questions about the
incident. Jim Norfleet, vice president of Student Affairs; Magda
Manetas, assistant vice president
of Student Services; Bell; Lopez; Armond Harris and Wayne
Evans, senior security officers;
Melanie Hinds, residence director
of the Towers; and Kawanna Leggett, assistance residence director
of the Towers held the forum with
Travers Hall residents.
Students were concerned
about the security in the Towers
and said Campus Police officers
should still be stationed at the
Travers Hall security desk. Students also said Campus Police officers should be roving residents’
floors and that hall security workers should check student identification cards along with room
keys.
Campus Police officers and
College administrators listened
to students’ concerns and have
considered further security implementations. They also urged students to be vigilant and stressed
locking room doors to prevent
unwanted visitors.
According to Campus Police
officers, Lt. Jim Lopez, no relation
to patrolman Lopez, left orders to
make hourly checks around the
floor on Monday night.
— Additional reporting by Kelly
Duncan, Joseph Hannan, Kristen
Lord and Allison Singer
By Megan DeMarco
Opinions Editor
An electrical fire in one of the
dryers on the first floor of Cromwell Hall caused a fire to start
in the laundry room on Tuesday,
Oct. 2 forcing students and staff
to evacuate the building.
The fire alarm went off at 2
p.m. and students were allowed
to re-enter the building between
3:30 and 3:45 p.m.
Re-entrance to the building
was delayed because the fire department had to ventilate all the
smoke that had collected in the
hallway of the first floor.
No one was in the laundry
room when the fire started, and
there was no permanent damage
done to the laundry room. How-
ever, the room was shut down for
24 hours while the faulty plug
was replaced.
According
to
Elizabeth
Spohr, Residence Director of
Cromwell Hall, the response
time of the students evacuating
the building was surprisingly
slow.
She said most students used
the center stairway instead of the
emergency exits closest to their
rooms.
“We were pretty surprised at
the response time of the students,”
Spohr said. “When an alarm goes
off you have to assume that it’s a
real fire.”
“In the future, we would like
to see students exit the building
much more swiftly using the appropriate exits,” she said.
Brandon Lee / News Editor
The first floor laundry room of Cromwell Hall was
undamaged after an electrical fire.
Nation & World
Iraqi report demands Blackwater ouster Pistol-packing
BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi authorities want
the U.S. government to sever all contracts
in Iraq with Blackwater USA within six
months and pay $8 million in compensation to each of the families of 17 people
killed when the firmʼs guards sprayed a
traffic circle with heavy machine gun fire
last month.
The demands, part of an Iraqi government report examined by The Associated
Press (AP), also called on U.S. authorities to hand over the Blackwater security
agents involved in the Sept. 16 shootings to
face possible trial in Iraqi courts.
The tone of the Iraqi report appears to
signal further strains between the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki
and the White House over the deaths in
Nisoor Square, which have prompted a
series of U.S. and Iraqi probes and raised
questions over the use of private security
contractors to guard U.S. diplomats and
other officials.
Al-Maliki ordered the investigation by
his defense minister and other top security
and police officials on Sept. 22. The findings, which were translated from Arabic
by AP, mark the most definitive Iraqi positions and contentions about the shootings
last month.
The report also highlights the differences in death tolls and accounts that have
complicated efforts to piece together the
chain of events as one Blackwater-protected convoy raced back toward Baghdadʼs
Green Zone after a nearby bombing, while
a second back-up team in four gun trucks
sped into the square.
The Iraqi investigation, first outlined on
Oct. 4 by the AP, charges the four Blackwater vehicles called to the square with
shooting without provocation.
Blackwater contends its employees
came under fire first.
The government, at the conclusion of its
investigation, said 17 Iraqis died. Initial reports put the toll at 11. It said the compensation — totaling $136 million — was so high
“because Blackwater uses employees who
teacher to sue
Oregon school
AP Photo
An Iraqi traffic police officer inspects a car destroyed by a Blackwater
security detail in al-Nisoor Square in Baghdad, Iraq, on Sept. 20.
disrespect the rights of Iraqi citizens even
though they are guests in this country.”
The U.S. military pays compensation
money to the families of civilians killed in
battles or to cover property damage, but at
far lower amounts.
The United States has not made conclusive findings about the shooting, though
there are multiple investigations under way
and Congress has opened inquiries into the
role of private security contractors. Last
week, the FBI took over a State Department investigation, raising the prospect
that it could be referred to the Justice Department for prosecution.
The Iraqi government report said its
courts were the proper venue in which to
bring charges. It said Blackwaterʼs license
to operate in Iraq expired on June 2, 2006,
meaning it had no immunity from prosecution under Iraqi laws set down after the
fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003.
The government report also challenged
the claim that a decree in June 2004 by
then-Iraqi administrator L. Paul Bremer
granted Blackwater immunity from legal action in incidents such as the one in
Nisoor Square.
The report said the Blackwater guards
could be charged under a criminal code
from 1969. U.S. Embassy spokeswoman
Mirembe Nantongo said the diplomatic
mission would have no comment on the
report. Iraqʼs Interior Ministry spokesman,
Abdul-Karim Khalaf, said the document
was in American hands.
The report found that Blackwater
guards also had killed 21 Iraqi civilians
and wounded 27 in previous shootings
since it took over security for U.S. diplomats in Baghdad after the U.S. invasion.
The Iraqi government did not say whether
it would try to prosecute in those cases.
The State Department counted 56 shooting incidents involving Blackwater guards
in Iraq this year. All were under review as
part of the comprehensive inquiry ordered
by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) — High school
English teacher Shirley Katz insists she
needs to take her pistol with her to work
because she fears her ex-husband could
show up and try to harm her.
But Katzʼs district has barred teachers
from bringing guns to school, so she is
challenging the ban as unlawful, since Oregon is among states that allow people with
a permit to carry concealed weapons into
public buildings.
“This is primarily about my Second
Amendment right and Oregon law and the
simple fact that I know it is my right to
carry that gun,” Katz, 44, said while sitting
at the kitchen table of her home outside this
city of 74,000.
“I have that (concealed weapons) permit. I refuse to let my ex-husband bully
me. And I am not going to let the school
board bully me either,” Katz said.
In Oregon, a sheriff can grant a concealed-weapons permit to anyone whose
criminal record is clean and who completes
a gun-safety course.
Thirty-eight states, along with the District of Columbia, prohibit people from
taking guns to school, according to the National Council of State Legislatures.
But it is unclear how many offer an
exemption for people holding concealedweapons permits, since the council does
not track such exceptions.
Superintendent Phil Long insists employees and students are safer without guns
on campus at South Medford High School,
where Katz teaches. The district plans to
make that argument when the case comes
before a judge on Thursday.
Oregon had a school shooting in 1998,
when student Kip Kinkel killed his parents
at home, then drove to school and opened
fire in the cafeteria of Thurston High School
in Springfield, killing two.
Wisconsin shooter completed deputy training
CRANDON, Wis. (AP) — An off-duty sheriffʼs deputy
killed six young people when he fired 30 rounds of ammunition after he burst into a home where friends had gathered, investigators said Monday.
Tyler Peterson, 20, who later died after exchanging
gunfire with law enforcement officers, had been in a relationship with one of the victims, authorities said at a news
conference.
AP Photo
Gunman Tyler Peterson in an undated photo
taken from the Crandon High School yearbook.
“They were in a relationship for a few years,” Police
Chief John Dennee said. “They had broken up and gone
back and forth.”
The rampage raised questions among residents of the
remote northern Wisconsin community about how Peterson could have met requirements to become a law enforcement officer.
No psychological testing was performed, but he had
undergone other background checks and completed all required training by the state, authorities said.
“We had no idea, obviously, that anything like this
would ever occur,” Dennee said. “Once we realized that
he was our suspect, he was no longer a cop.”
Killed in the rampage were six people who were either
students or graduates of Crandon High School. They were
at the house to share pizza and watch movies during the
schoolʼs homecoming weekend. After Peterson burst in,
an argument ensued, officials said.
He left to get his rifle, then forced his way back in and
opened fire, J.B. Van Hollen, the stateʼs attorney general,
said. Peterson fled and was later found at a residence in
the nearby town of Argonne. In phone conversations with
law enforcement after he fled, he identified himself as the
shooter, officials said.
Though he exchanged gunfire with officers, it was not
clear how he was killed, Van Hollen said. An autopsy was
being conducted Monday, and authorities hoped it would
tell them more.
The rifle used in the shootings is the type used by the
sheriffʼs department, but investigators had not confirmed
that the rifle he used came from law enforcement.
Classes at the high school were canceled Monday, and
about 100 people, mostly teens, went to a local church to
meet with counselors.
Many walked in with their arms around each other for
support; some were crying.
The victims were identified as Jordanne Murray, Katrina McCorkle, Leanna Thomas, Aaron Smith, Lindsey
Stahl and Bradley Schultz. Autopsies were scheduled to
be completed Monday.
The lone survivor, Charlie Neitzel, 21, was upgraded
to serious condition and was improving Monday at St. Josephʼs Hospital, hospital spokeswoman Karla David said.
Schultz, 20, was a third-year criminal justice major at
the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee who hoped to be
a homicide detective, said an aunt, Rose Gerow. He was
home visiting friends and appeared to have died trying to
protect one, said another aunt, Sharon Pisarek.
“We still donʼt have many details, but from what theyʼve
told us, there was a girl next to him and he was covering
her, protecting her,” Pisarek said, sobbing. “He was loved
by everybody. He was everybodyʼs son. Senseless.”
Murray loved children and hoped to be a daycare provider, Sally Maxon, whose daughter had been best friends
with Murray since they were in kindergarten, said.
“Sheʼs a very, very wonderful person, the nicest girl
youʼd ever want to meet,” Maxon said, adding that her
daughter was “a nervous wreck” after the shootings.
In a statement read by Praise Chapel Community
Church Pastor Bill Farr, the deputyʼs family reached out
to the victimʼs families, saying they felt “a tremendous
amount of guilt and shame for the acts Tyler committed.”
“We may never receive the answers we all seek,” they
said. “Like those close to Tyler we are in shock and disbelief that he would do such terrible things. This was not the
Tyler we knew and loved.”
Editorial
College responds well to
report of shooting
Recent events have brought home the reality that our small
College community is not immune to outside threats.
Although it ended up being a hoax, the report of a shooting in a College dormitory disrupted the norms on our secluded campus. Despite having heard about the tragedies
at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and
Delaware State University, the possibility became startlingly real for most of us when we read or heard about this
reported shooting. Frantic calls from parents, a lockdown
in Travers/Wolfe halls and the appearance of various media
outlets resulted almost immediately.
The only positive aspect of the hoax was the response of
the College.
E-mails were sent quickly. The College kept students informed, even when there was only a sentence or two of new
information to put out.
Campus Police officers were posted in the Towers and
hall security workers began checking the IDs of students
entering and leaving the buildings.
Signs were posted around the other residence halls encouraging students to be vigilant. Even students who had
not checked their e-mail that morning likely realized either
through these signs or word of mouth that something was
going on.
The actions taken by the College as the news of the
“shooting” developed are reassuring. We now know that
if an emergency situation really did occur on campus we
would be notified quickly. Students who were oblivious to
the events on Sunday will be aware in the future that they
should check their e-mail if something potentially threatening seems to be unfolding.
Moreover, the response seemed calm on the part of the
College. Perhaps we’ve learned from other schools or even
events at our own. Either way, the College’s actions immediately after the report of the shooting seemed to be carried
out in an organized manner.
This alone is enough to suggest that there really is a
“contingency plan” of some sort and that it was executed
as planned.
Of course, there is always room for improvement when it
comes to campus security.
The Signal reported in August that the College is looking
into using text messaging to communicate with students in
crisis situations, mimicking the crisis plans of schools like
Montclair State University. Adopting a crisis management
notification system via cell phone would greatly enhance
the College’s current system of notification. E-mails and
alerts on the College’s Web site are great, but some students
simply will neglect to check the Internet before running out
the door in the morning.
Fortunately, this editorial is being written about what
could happen in the future, not what should not have happened on Sunday. We’re writing with relief and increased
awareness of just how real the events that occurred at Virginia Tech last year were, but we’re also writing with a revitalized memory of the horrors that occurred there.
Though an actual emergency situation could unfold differently than the events that occurred Sunday, it is good
to know our school is prepared to defend the safety of our
community. We’re taking the right precautions — now we
can only hope we never have to make use of them.
Editorial Content
Unsigned editorial opinions are those of the Editorial Board,
which consists of the Editor-in-Chief, the Managing, News, Features, Arts & Entertainment, Opinions, Photo and Sports editors
and the Business Manager, unless otherwise noted.
Opinions expressed in signed editorials and letters to the editor
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Allison Singer / Sports Editor
Campus Police officers were stationed in Travers Hall after a report of a shooting in the
building that turned out to be a hoax.
The Weekly Poll:
How would you grade the
College’s handling of the
hoax?
•A
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cast your vote @
signal-online.net
Oct. 4 results:
Who do you think will win
the World Series?
• 36% Yankees
• 17% Red Sox
• 9% Cubs
• 0% Angels
• 19% Phillies
• 13% Rockies
• 6% Indians
• 0% Diamondbacks
Quote of
the Week
“I felt good
about the overall handling
of the situation, but as is
true in every
such circumstance, we
have learned
other ways to
improve our
processes.”
— College President R.
Barbara Gitenstein
on the College’s response
to the hoax
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Hoax highlights many security problems at the College
In lieu of the horrific events of Sunday morning,
many of my initial fears concerning personal safety
at the College, or on any Campus for that matter,
have been profoundly re-instated.
While discussing these issues with other residents
on my floor in Travers Hall, I was astonished
to learn that some had not even heard about the
shooting at Delaware State. I liken this lack of
awareness to the awful fact that campus shootings
are almost becoming expected occurrences. It is as
Jillian Polak
if every time there is another school shooting it is in
the media for less time; the media loses the focus and lives that have been
lost (or at the very least altered) do not appear to be as valuable as those of
previous tragedies.
I often have family and friends from home come to visit me at school.
By becoming more familiar with the guest sign-in process, I have become
very hesitant concerning the aptitude of such a process, which is intended
to eradicate potential harm. It is assumed that campus authorities know the
names of all guests within the residence halls (at the very least between
8 p.m. and 2 a.m.), but how can we be so sure that all people are being
properly accounted for?
Who is to say I will not simply stay within the building after 8 p.m.
without ever going down to the desk to sign my guest in? Thus, that guest
would be unaccounted for, completely unknown within the building.
Hypothetically, my roommate could bring a guest into the building without
proper identification. Itʼs not uncommon for someone to forget their license
in the car or even at home and have no identification to leave at the desk as
collateral during their stay. In such a situation, the student is asked to leave
their school I.D. as collateral instead, simply providing the name of their
guest without the guestʼs proper identification. Whoʼs to say that the name
given is truly the name of that guest and not some sort of alias?
Also, students living on campus must use their I.D.ʼs to swipe into the
residence halls. Although this can be considered a campus-wide precaution,
one swipe can facilitate entry for a countless amount of people. If a
system similar to the one which keeps track of our meal plan points was
implemented to keep track of who swiped in and out of the residence halls,
students could be required to swipe before coming or going.
I feel that it is a bit naive to live within buildings that do not have metal
detectors at their entrances and exits.
On a campus of 3,600 students I feel that metal detectors would serve as
a necessary precaution. That does not go to say that metal detectors could
definitely prevent situations such as the fears created by Sundayʼs hoax, but
they would stand as deterrence to such crimes.
My final concern is chiefly a proposal to heighten campus security. I
personally receive ABC Updates alerts via text message on my cell phone.
These messages are charged to my phone according to the text messaging
rate of my bill. I recommend a similar text message alert system at the
College, only to be used in the case of emergencies, as another means of
alerting students and faculty of occurrences on campus.
On Sunday I was awakened at 7:38 a.m. by Campus Police and informed
of the reported shooting. An e-mail had already been sent out but I would
not check my inbox for hours to come. I believe that an alert program via
text messaging would further facilitate campus security as those with text
messages would be aware of campus news earlier, hence they would be
able to inform those who do not have text messaging and may not have
checked their inboxes.
Letters
College handled hoax well but
has a long way to go
I would like to applaud the College for
the way it handled the recent shooting hoax.
Although I am no longer a college student, emails regarding the hoax were forwarded to my
new e-mail account from my still-functioning
College e-mail. I was happy to see that the
College learned something from the Virginia
Tech tragedy and treated the hoax like a real
emergency.
Despite this however, I have always
maintained that the College has much to
accomplish in terms of safety. During my four
years, I never felt completely safe on campus, so
I can sympathize with the townhouse residents
whose window alarms don’t work.
My sophomore year, I lived in Allen Hall
and a man repeatedly broke into the dorm and
eventually got into the room across the hall from
mine. There was evidence that he was gaining
access to the dorm through the windows of the
incredibly frightening ABE basement, but that
part of the building has never been secured.
The lock on my door in ABE had a simple
sliding mechanism, where if you jiggled the
door hard enough the lock would slide off.
During the period of time when the man kept
breaking in, I repeatedly asked for a new lock.
Nothing was done about it, so my roommate
and I took to sleeping in friends’ rooms or
Signal
Spotlight
“Keith Olberman.”
— Dana Hermanni
senior
pyschology / communication
studies major
barricading our door at night with our minifridge and microwave.
I must say that this incident played a large
role in my decision to move off-campus to a
place where I could get a deadbolt. Also during
my sophomore year, several women reported
being approached by a man in a car while they
were jogging the Metzger Drive loop. The man
attempted to lure the jogging women into his
car with a Tiffany’s box. He was never caught.
Because of this, I once requested an escort
from the police to walk me from the business
building to my dorm room. After waiting over
45 minutes, I decided to cancel the escort and
take my chances.
Several other people have reported the same
problem. Inmates at the Trenton Psychiatric
Facility escape with such frequency that there
is a Facebook group devoted to the subject.
Last year, a gang war erupted in Trenton and
the most protection students received was an email telling us not to venture into the city. This
summer, a gang drive-by took place on Theresa
St. in Ewing. A person with “gang affiliations”
made this shooting hoax.
As a law student living in Camden now, I
must say that I feel safer at Rutgers University
than I ever did at the College. Trenton might not
be as dangerous as Camden, but at least Rutgers
recognizes the threat and takes precautions,
whereas the College seems to have its head in
the sand about where the campus is located.
At Rutgers, the police rove the campus
on constant basis. The dorms have a 24-hour
security desk. You have to show your school ID
to gain access to the academic buildings. The
guest sign-in process is computerized.
I would just like to remind everyone that I’m
talking about a state school that faces the same
budgetary problems as the College. The College
needs to recognize the fact that while the campus
is not located in Trenton, it’s awfully close and
there are dangers that will eventually find their
way to the campus.
How about instead of having the police set
up speed traps on Metzger Drive, they respond
promptly to escort requests? How about instead
of sending two or three police cars to handle a
simple speeding ticket, the extraneous police
rove the campus? Why don’t we stop spending
money on multicolored plates for Eickhoff Hall
and make sure the campus is well lit (which it
isn’t in many places where construction is taking
place)?
Again, while the College handled this
shooting hoax extremely well (so well in fact
that even a former student was kept abreast of
the details), additional security measures need to
be taken. The 24-hour swipe system was long
overdue. Students shouldn’t be responsible for
security detail at the hall desks. Actual security
guards should be doing that. Trenton is just a few
minutes down the road and one day, the gang
violence will hit too close to home. I don’t think
my alma mater is prepared for that situation.
Callan Wright
Class of 2007
If you could interview any celebrity who
would it be?
“Neil Gaiman.”
— Emily Griesbach,
senior
English major
“Jessica Simpson to see
how dumb she really is.”
— Carl Valianti,
senior
computer engineering
major
“Paris Hilton. I would
ask her, ʻWhy do we
still care about you?ʼ”
— Eric Kaskauskas,
sophomore
history / secondary
education major
Opinions
Student Finance Board authoritarian, needs reform
Allow me to
paint a picture for
you. Many are ruled
by few. These few
exercise their power
as if it were total
and
unbounded,
currying
favor
and putting down
Patrick Bieger i n s u b o r d i n a t i o n
through intimidation
and force on a regular basis. Is this scenario
taken from Stalinist Russia? Or maybe itʼs
more current, from the situation in
Burma? Think again. This scenario
plays out time and time again, right
here at the College, thanks to the
Student Finance Board (SFB).
SFB is the student-run dispenser
of money from the Student Activities
Fund, set up by the Collegeʼs Board
of Trustees to ensure the funding of
student organizationsʼ endeavors.
In a perfect world, SFB would work as it
was intended. What the Board of Trustees
forgot when they dreamed up this
organization was human nature. As John
Acton once said, “Power tends to corrupt,
and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
Is it wise to give students the power
to fund or not to fund other students’
organizations?
Before I continue, I must make a
crucial distinction. SFB is divided into
two parts. The executive board listens to
proposals and then decides whether or not
they merit being sent on to the rest of SFB.
This editorial deals with the executive
board and not the remainder of SFB, as
they are often unaware of the wheeling
and dealing of their leaders.
I have heard many complaints by
people who shall remain anonymous in
order to protect their organizations from
any backlash this article may have from
the executive board of SFB. Until this
year, I had never dealt with SFB, and,
like most people, considered it to be the
benevolent institution it was intended to
be.
“
schools such as Princeton, Yale and
Harvard universities, and did well enough
to be invited back and even get assigned
an involved country this year. Model UN
is a student-run activity that increases the
prestige of the College outside of New
Jersey and is a valuable asset to the school.
When we requested to ask SFB for
funding we were told by our SFB liaison
that things looked good. The story stayed
the same until last week when the executive
board of SFB denied our request. According
to them, a conference must either be required
to be part of a national organization or
bring something back to campus.
Our request for funding was
denied and we now have to
fundraise over $3,000 in a month or
front the money ourselves. An SFB
response to this will tell you what
I just described: the conference
request we submitted did not fulfill
the requirements set down for SFB
funding.
However, my grievances lie not with
this rule in entirety, but rather with the
way we were treated by members of the
executive board themselves.
When I heard we were denied funding,
I walked down to the SFB office to ask
them why and how this was justifiable.
The student who answered my questions
was smug and almost seemed to enjoy
crushing my club’s dreams. As I left, I
informed him I would be writing this
editorial. His response was, OK, we fund
The Signal. In short, he was telling me
It is unfair that students who
are equals with their peers get
the sense they can bully them
and exercise authoritarian rule
over others.
“
All of that changed very recently
however, as I had to request some funding
(not full) for the International Studies
Club’s Model United Nations team to
attend one of the two conferences we go
to each year. The Dean of Culture and
Society had graciously donated some
funding, but we still had to front over
$3,000 as a club just to go to our first
conference.
Model UN is an academic competition
in which student-run Model UN clubs
compete for recognition and awards.
Last year, the College went up against
free speech doesn’t matter to SFB, simply
because they fund the paper and so can
exert pull over what they print. Thankfully,
The Signal has more journalistic integrity
than SFB gives it credit for.
Upon returning to my dorm room 20
minutes later, I found in my inbox an email informing me that my club’s funding
had been frozen by SFB. The reason given
was valid, but wasn’t it strange that 20
minutes after an argument with the head
of SFB our funds were frozen? These sort
of draconian tactics are typical of SFB;
clearly someone has read Machiavelli’s
“The Prince.”
Other clubs have expressed similar
complaints in secret at SFB, or have had
similar experiences of bullying by the
organization. These people are too afraid
to speak out, fearing SFB reprisal or that
the executive board will find an excuse to
not fund their next event.
I hereby call upon the Board of Trustees,
SGA and other student organizations to join
me in a call for the reform of the Student
Finance Board.
It is unfair that 16 students may not
be able to attend a conference they have
been working hard for simply because of
a technicality. It is unfair that students who
are equals with their peers get the sense they
can bully them and exercise authoritarian
rule over others. It is unfair that SFB seems
to think funding a school paper means they
control free speech. The system in place is
flawed, and it needs a change. Hopefully
that change is swift in coming.
Asset monetization just a way for Corzine to further welfare
Gov. Jon S. Corzine certainly
knows how to play politics. The
only problem: it is at the expense of
New Jersey taxpayers.
Many months ago he revealed his
ideas on privatizing the toll roads,
including the New Jersey Turnpike,
as well as other state assets. After
quickly testing the waters and seeing
Terence Grado the public outrage mount, he knew
he would have to devise a more
clandestine way of getting what he wanted. Thus, the term
“asset monetization” was born — something the average
citizen does not know the meaning of.
Regardless of how the governor or his most vociferous
critics specifically define it, the aim is to get a ton of cash
upfront so Corzine can address the stateʼs budgetary woes.
Frequently cited as the reason for selling or leasing the
toll roads is the tremendous debt the Garden State faces.
The state has over $30 billion in state debt that needs to get
paid off, not to mention healthcare liabilities and unfunded
pensions. Much of this fiscal nightmare can be accredited to
New Jerseyʼs last two governors and yes, one of those was a
“Republican.” While this may appear to be a logical reason
to sell the toll roads, there is little evidence to prove that a
lot of the money will go toward debt.
There is no doubt that if this horrendous plan goes
forward some debt will be relieved. However, Corzine
has expressed his desire to fund a lot of other initiatives,
like universal healthcare, universal pre-K and affordable
housing. This money will go toward the largest expansion
of the welfare state in New Jersey history. Since much of
the money will go toward “capital investment,” as he calls
it, do not be surprised if Democrats down the line raise
even more taxes to pay off the looming debt (on top of
the ʼ94 tax and fee increases they have made in the last
six years).
His initiatives could be funded for two to three years,
maybe. Afterward, guess whoʼs stuck with an even bigger
tax bill to pay for a larger state bureaucracy and more
government handouts? Thatʼs right: the taxpayer.
This is just one aspect of the problem. There are also
the problems of the almost certain increase in tolls on sold
roads, the refusal of private companies to properly maintain
AP Photo
Photo from PoliticsNJ.com
Assemblywoman Jennifer Beck (right) plans to take Gov. Jon S. Corzine (left) to court.
roads that need repair and the increased congestion New
Jerseyʼs other major highways will receive, most notably
from trucks switching routes to avoid inflated tolls. All of
these issues warrant even further discussion.
Despite the litany of conflicts presented, the governor
has decided to study the issue of toll road monetization,
using taxpayersʼ money. Already the study has cost the
taxpayers roughly $4.5 million. Even with that cost, Corzine
refuses to reveal any of his plans and is willing to use more
taxpayer money to fight a request for public documents.
Assemblywoman Jennifer Beck and assemblyman Sean
Kean are taking Corzine to court in order to understand this
plan. It is their opinion, as well as the opinions of assembly
Republican leader Alex DeCroce, and virtually every other
New Jersey Republican, that Corzine and other Democrats
should explain the plan and their views on the idea of asset
monetization before this upcoming state-wide election. It
is only fair to know their stances on this dangerous and
stupid idea.
Knowing that it would be election suicide, Corzine and
the Democrats refuse to make public the specifics of the
plan and study. Instead, they hope to ride into the legislature
without giving the voters their position.
Democrats like Bonnie Watson-Coleman, Reed Gusciora
and Shirley Turner will quickly deny they are in line with
Corzine, but is the New Jersey electorate really supposed
to believe that three of the stateʼs most liberal legislators
(remember, they are from the 15th district) can subdue their
love for increased government? I would be shocked if they
in fact go against privatizing the roads.
While the Superior Court judge has mandated that
Corzine explain his refusal, the judge will not allow the
issue to be decided before the election on Nov. 6. It is
important, therefore, that everyone know the stances of
their candidates before they vote. Many will surely give
the answer most people want to hear, but their stances on
other issues may shed some light on where the Democrats
are really headed.
It is apparent that New Jersey is in a dire fiscal situation.
Let us not contribute to it by sending some of these liberal
Democrats back into the legislature. Cast your ballot for
the Republicans on Election Day so that we can begin the
process back toward fiscal responsibility.
Information from
politicsnj.com
—
njassemblyrepublicans.com,
Specials:
Monday - Pasta Night - $8.95 for any of our great
pasta dishes with any of our sauces, includes soup
or salad.
Tuesday and Thursday - Prefixed dinner to include
appetizer, entrée and dessert, $15 (call for choices)
Phone: 609-434-1188
Sunday 12pm- 9pm
Monday to Thursday 11am- 10pm
Friday & Saturday 11am- 11pm
1750 N. Olden Avenue
Ewing, NJ 08638
2 Large Brick Oven
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Take Out or Delivery - Toppings Extra
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Five ways to enrich your life while conserving
Noting the recent resurgence of
environmentalism, Iʼd like to dedicate
some time to discussing a few simple
yet effective ways someone can live
responsibly while enriching his or
her personal life. Although there are
some who would suggest that recent
manifestations
of
the environmentalist
have
Andrew Mathe movement
become increasingly
moderate in its goals, shifting away from radical ideals
such as population reduction and de-industrialization,
there remains a sizeable percentage of our society that
continues to perceive such “green” values as burdensome
and impractical in their application.
Relax.When we find ourselves living life by the deadlines
that have been set for us, it is often difficult to put things
into clear perspective. What are the repercussions of our
actions? Is there a smarter way to do this? My advice to
you is to relax, find time to do nothing in particular (no, this
does not mean watching television!) and observe. There is
nothing in the world so important that it prevents us from
alotting at least a few hours each week toward this end. In
doing so, you will find that the world opens up to you in a
heretofore unfamiliar manner. You might just find yourself
wondering whether driving every day is all that necessary.
This is a good thing!
Also, exercise. The pharmaceutical and healthcare
industries are some of the lesser-known contributors to
pollution. They say theyʼve cleaned
up their acts, but any industry that
establishes dependencies among
individuals is a cause for suspicion.
Chemicals used in the development
and manufacturing of prescription
drugs have been known to introduce
a host of mutagenic
compounds
into
aquatic
systems.
They also carry nasty
side effects for you, the consumer.
Not only is outstanding present
health an investment in your future,
but regular exercise also increases
metabolic efficiency. Just as a
Prius gets better gas mileage than
a doofy SUV, a fine-tuned body maintains more intimate
consonance with the natural world — a human “gas
mileage.”
Eat less (meat). While meat is an invaluable source
of protein, Americans tend to eat too much of it. Many
forms of cancer are attributable to such a diet. Try to limit
your weekly consumption to five servings. Accept the
challenge of exploring new recipes and foods and commit
to vegetarian days a few times each week. Knowledge of
reduced environmental impact notwithstanding, breaking
up your routine in such a manner has a psychologically
positive effect. Also, if your body can afford it, experiment
with fasting. One can train oneʼs body to subsist on fewer
F cus on the
environment
calories, although this is not recommended
for extended periods of time.
Drink less. Although I abstain
completely, I understand that this choice is
not for everyone. However, the principle
here is to reduce oneʼs consumption of
mass-manufactured products. Each year,
alcoholic beverage containers constitute a
significant percentage of recyclable waste.
If you would rather keep with the company
of Dionysus, consider brewing your own
beer. Not only is this a fun way to save the
environment, but itʼs also a good way to
add breadth to your character. Itʼs probably
an excellent conversation-starter as well.
Vote. Environmental issues are political
issues. In local elections, let your local
representative know youʼve had enough of those ugly
strip malls and McMansions, that youʼd like to leave
some land where the imagination can roam free. In state
elections, express the importance of creating an economy
that doesnʼt fly up its own asshole (“Growth is good?” Give
me a break!). Our federal government is a mess, but thatʼs
hardly news. Let our presidential candidates know that our
plate is full here on the home front, and that itʼs time to
stop chasing superfluities and engaging in ego-rants abroad.
Rather, politics needs to wake up to the reality of things,
and begin planning for the future. Itʼs collective suicide to
do otherwise.
Keep in mind, however, that the future begins with you.
1. Relax
2. Exercise
3. Eat less
(meat)
4. Drink
less
5. Vote
Reduce, reuse are the keys College should hire based
on ability, not a doctorate
Recycling
is
to conservation as
smoking is to health.
In the United States
106,000 aluminum
beverage cans are
discarded every 30
seconds! If you don’t
see the effects, it’s
tempting not to care.
Ron Golan
Some people think
environmental problems are not our fault
because we recycle. However, to produce
plastic, there are tons of nasty chemicals and
other resources involved. As a consumer, you
can get plastic water bottles anywhere for
less than a dollar. In fact, there were hundreds
of free bottles of water given
away during move-in day.
The 30 seconds it took to chug
that bottle of water is nothing
compared to the thousands of years it will
take for the bottle to decompose.
To recycle, it is first necessary to
pick up the items. This requires fuel and
manpower. Next the items must be sorted
and, if necessary, cleaned. This requires more
manpower and more resources. Then the
items will be broken down and reused, and
this could involve nasty chemicals as well.
I’m sure you already know that plastic
bottles leach Bisphenol-A into your water.
Bisphenol-A is a xenoestrogen, a known
endocrine disruptor, meaning it disturbs the
hormonal messaging in our bodies. Synthetic
xenoestrogens are linked to breast cancer
and uterine cancer in women, decreased
testosterone levels in men and are particularly
devastating to babies and young children.
You may have heard of the three R’s:
reduce, reuse, recycle. Recycling is the
least important of the three R’s. Reducing
and reusing are the keys. Buy a nice glass
cup or a durable high density polyethylene
bottle to drink from. POM, who markets
a pomegranate juice, sells its drinks in
a glass cup with a lid on it so it can be
reused. And it isn’t too hard to clean
either. Reducing and reusing are of utmost
importance when considering the future of
our Earth. I’m from the Jersey Shore, and
the last thing I want is an endless source of
debris washing up onto the
beach. Be annoying — if
your friends waste a lot of
plastic, say something. No
one will hate you for wanting to save the
Earth’s resources.
“I got this bottle through meal equivalency,
it’s free, and I don’t care!” Well your kids may
care when they can’t go to the beach anymore
or when the only free space in your town that
hasn’t been used for another strip mall is filled
with the crap you wasted within seconds. And
while we are on the subject, please turn off the
desk lamps in the library when you see them
and turn off the lights in your room as well. It
takes two seconds and does a lot.
F cus on the
environment
Information from — trusted.md.com
In the unlikely
event you havenʼt
heard, we are “The
Hot College” and
“One of the Nationʼs
Most Competitive
Schools.” All of
this
propaganda
glares everyone in
the face each time
Dan Mutter
the Collegeʼs home
page is opened. It seems as though the
College goes to great lengths to tell its
students just how great they think the
school is.
There have been some major changes
recently that have seriously impacted
the academics of this school, namely the
transformation of the curriculum and of
late, the infamous budget cuts. One of the
latest trends of the College is to release
professors who actually improve this
institution on the basis of not holding a
Ph.D. Instead of upholding the academic
integrity of the school by employing the
best candidates to teach the students, the
College has chosen to hire professors
that will statistically benefit the schoolʼs
ranking; i.e. those with a Ph.D.
Granted, a doctorate is a good indication
that one is qualified in a particular
discipline. However, this in no way is
an indication of the personʼs ability to
transpose that knowledge to students.
This is especially true in the department
of modern languages. At the end of last
semester, German professor Barbara
Dammel was released from her part-time
position. The reason cited by the chair of
the modern languages department, Simona
Wright, was that part-time positions in the
German department were to be eliminated
and replaced by one full-time position,
which required a Ph.D.
Understandably, the College needs to
watch funds and the German department
is not that large. However, as the only
cited reason for the release of Dammel
was the fact that she does not hold
a Ph.D., this decision seems to have
overlooked something that the College
should take note of. Dammel was an
excellent professor, both in and out of
the classroom.
Despite the massive amount of
work involved in teaching and grading
in a language class, she was always
approachable during and out of office
hours; she organized the German
lunch table, trips with the German club
and constantly tried to promote an
understanding of German culture. She
acted as the liaison for me and the other
exchange students who studied at Goethe
University in Frankfurt, and if it wasnʼt
for her, in this respect, my experience
would have been greatly afflicted. She
handled literally any and all questions I
had regarding the process, application,
expectations and problems I encountered
before, during and after my semester
abroad. Taking all of this into account,
the news of her release came as a surprise
to my fellow German students and me,
considering the very favorable student
evaluations we submitted at the end of
last semester.
Iʼve yet to meet the new German
professor, but Iʼm sure he or she is a nice
and qualified individual. However, I do
not believe a Ph.D should be the deciding
factor in determining whether someone
is more qualified or effective at teaching
a language at the college level.
I feel the College has made a grave
mistake. Firing professors who promote all
of the positive aspects of what is expected
from a college education because they
havenʼt written a dissertation regardless
of other, more beneficial qualities will
not make this institution better. The
lowering of academic standards by
loosening language requirements and the
apparent disregard of student opinion are
just a few more entries on my list of the
Collegeʼs narcissistic tendencies.
Features
Festival offers ‘a taste of the world’
Photos by Meghan Molony
A variety of organizations and activities could be found at Saturdayʼs Community Fest, from face painting to chemistry demonstrations.
By Erin Duffy
Features Editor
Itʼs rare for Spongebob Squarepants,
political candidates and middle school
cheerleaders to be found in the same place,
but thatʼs exactly what happened on Saturday
at the 12th annual Community Fest.
Co-sponsored by the College and the
township of Ewing, this yearʼs Community
Fest, called “A Taste of the World,” took
place on and around the Loser Hall lawn from
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The festival was described
on its official Web site as a way to “celebrate
our diverse cultures that weave the dynamic
fabric of our communities together,” and
featured vendors, non-profit organizations,
religious groups, bands, businesses and
student organizations, among others.
Students, families and Ewing residents
walked in the bright sunshine, perusing
tables, snacking on hot dogs and snow
cones, buying displayed merchandise and
tapping their feet to various musical acts,
which included Thursday Night Jazz Band,
a group comprised of 15-year-olds who have
been playing at venues together for years.
“I came here for the moon bounces and
face painting and because Iʼm a senior and
I havenʼt taken advantage of free stuff from
(the College),” mathematics/secondary
education major Melissa Rinaldi said.
Many political and social awareness
groups used the large crowd to their
advantage, offering pamphlets, buttons and
T-shirts endorsing everyone from libertarian
presidential candidate Ron Paul to state
assemblyman Reed Guisciora. Ken Wolski
and Don McGraff of the Coalition for
Medical Marijuana New Jersey found the
visitors at their table quite amenable to their
rather unorthodox message.
“Everyone used to laugh and snicker
about marijuana, but now theyʼre very
serious,” said Wolski. “Weʼve had a very
good reception.”
One organization, the Blood Council of
New Jersey, Inc., attracted attention with
its large white bus, ominously labeled “The
Bloodmobile.” Despite a few wary stares,
many volunteered to help the critically low
blood supply in New Jersey by donating
blood right on the bus, but unfortunately
many were not able to give blood for various
reasons.
“This tells you why people need to
donate,” Terre Majewski of the Blood
Council said. “Of 41 people we only have
nine units so far.”
Many student organizations were there
representing the College, like the College
Union Board, Student Art Association,
Amnesty International and various
fraternities and sororities. The Leadership
Development Program had a large blanket
spread out in front of its table and read
classic stories like “The Three Pigs” to
children, while the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority
raised money and awareness for breast
cancer.
“Our philanthropy is breast cancer
awareness and as a way to give back to
the community we set up a table,” junior
English and secondary education major
Lauren Heimlich said.
College students werenʼt the only ones
there to make a difference. A bubbly group
of fifth grade cheerleaders had drawn
pictures for children with cancer, and were
raising money for new uniforms. “These are
ugly,” said a girl named Eva as she pointed
to the older uniform she was wearing and
wrinkled her nose.
“Itʼs really fun and itʼs a good thing to
do for our community. Weʼve made a lot of
money,” said another cheerleader named
Simone.
The Kids Fun Zone attracted a lot of
attention from smaller members of the crowd,
who delighted in the life-size Spongebob
mascot and various moon bounces and
inflatable obstacle courses. There was a
train that ran through part of the campus,
and many of the student organizations had
set up activities for the kids, like face and
pumpkin painting and other arts and crafts
projects.
Most of Community Festʼs attendees
professed to enjoy themselves and to
appreciate the wide variety of organizations
and activities present.
“As a senior at (the College), I feel very
connected with the Ewing community and I
want to support their events,” art education
major Jen Braverman said.
Senior political science major Tom Sales
said, “I came because driving the golf carts
last year was the most fun Iʼve ever had at
(the College) without breaking the law.”
Maybe thatʼs all Community Fest really
is — a group of people gathering to have
fun legally.
Rugby dedicates season to fallen teammate
By Kristen Lord
Sports Assistant
The Collegeʼs rugby team started off the season
on a somber note this year, dedicating a moment
of silence before its first game in honor of former
teammate Ken Johnsen Jr., a mechanical engineering
major who passed away on Sept. 9 after a long battle
with lymphoma cancer.
It has been nearly two years since Johnsen graduated
from the College but it was his attitude on and off the
field that his teammates continue to remember.
“I will remember Kenny as one of the most humble
kids I ever met, who took to our sport like a natural,”
former teammate Joe Maringola said. “I argue that he
is the most complete and skilled fullback this school
ever produced. Beyond that, he had a good heart.”
Johnsen continued to work hard after graduation,
where he began graduate school and hiked half of the
2,100-mile Appalachian Trail. Only then was he first
diagnosed with lymphoma, a cancer resulting from a
malignant change in the lymphocytes, a certain type
of white blood cell.
Throughout the next two years, Johnsen continued
to push himself in his fight against the cancer.
“The guy was such a tough man,” former teammate
Joe Millard said. “Old-school guy in my book, tough
as nails.”
Johnsen came to the College from Parsippany,
N.J., and almost immediately began playing rugby.
Instantly, he was recognized for his hard work and
drive, as well as his ability to make anyone laugh.
Off the field, he earned the nickname of “Flamer”
following an incident with a flaming shot of alcohol.
In his final season playing rugby, Johnsen and the
rest of the team came home winners of the Division II
Eastern Pennsylvania Rugby Union Championship — a
first for the club sport. His intensity for the game and
distinct style of play was one that was admired by his
teammates.
Johnsen passed away 13 days after he turned 25,
but his legacy continues to be remembered by his
former teammates, current rugby players and friends.
The team has dedicated the 2007 season to Johnsen,
remembering the intense player and unique person he
was.
The team will also be fundraising for the “Light
the Night” walk on Oct. 13. All proceeds will be
going toward the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
in Johnsenʼs honor.
For more information on the walk, or how to donate,
visit lightthenight.org.
Photo courtesy of Matthew Jacobsen
The rugby team is dedicating its season to Ken
Johnsen Jr., a former College rugby player.
Students think pink to fight breast cancer
By Caitlin Ferrell
Correspondent
The Collegeʼs first Breast Cancer
Awareness Walk took place on Saturday
as part of the campusʼ Community Fest.
Over 60 walkers gathered outside of
Brower Student Center to participate
in the community effort. Organized by
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Lambda
Tau Omega Multicultural Sorority and
Rider University students, the event
raised over $500, all of which was
donated to the Susan G. Komen Breast
Cancer Foundation.
The walkers gathered at 10 a.m. to
“follow the ribbon” to Rider University.
At Rider, guest speaker Victoria Jones
and Susan G. Komen Foundation
spokeswoman Monica Smith addressed
the crowd. For most students, the walk
provided a way to support breast
cancer research while contributing
to a community effort.
Kamaria Byrd, senior English
major and president of Alpha
Kappa Alpha, couldnʼt think of
anyone who wouldnʼt want to help
the cause. “It affects everyone,”
she said, accurately describing
the disease that one woman is
diagnosed with every two minutes
in the United States. Many
walkers who participated have
a friend or family member
who has been affected.
The walk was organized “to
show people support,” Sonya
Spann, senior English major and vice
president of Alpha Kappa Alpha, said.
Students walked from the College to Rider University on Saturday to raise
awareness for breast cancer, one of the most common cancers in women.
In the United States, a woman is diagnosed with it every two minutes.
Caitlin Fair, sophomore English
major and vice president of
Lambda Tau Omega, credited
Rider University students
for being “so passionate” in
coming up with the idea.
The students felt taking an
active role in showing their
support, independent from a
major corporation, would hold
a greater impact. “I wanted
to do something for the
community,” Taniya Hood,
junior secondary education
major at Rider University,
said.
The walkers made a
difference,
raising
over
$500,
along with donations which
will continue to be received throughout
October. The students are also planning
another Breast Cancer Awareness event
later in October to provide information
to students on mammograms and other
preventative measures women can take.
The student organizers hope to make the
breast cancer awareness walk an annual
event. For every type of cancer, early
detection and awareness provide the
key to survival. It is through awareness
that a cure may finally be discovered.
In the past, mammograms were rare
and detection often occurred too late
to provide options that could produce
remission. In the 1980s, breast cancer
diagnosis rates increased due to more
women being tested. In recent years,
cancer rates have been decreasing while
survival rates are increasing. Early
detection truly does mean the difference
between life and death; the National
Breast Cancer Foundation places the
five-year survival rate at 96 percent
when the cancer is diagnosed early.
Breast cancer affects people of every
ethnicity, class and even gender; for
Walkers raised over $500 for the
Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer
Foundation.
every 100 women diagnosed, one man
is diagnosed with breast cancer. A new
push to make mammograms readily
available to poor women is being driven
by thebreastcancersite.com, made more
popular by the Facebook group “Tell
10 to Tell 10,” in order to allow women
of all economic statuses the chance for
early detection. But without awareness,
the greatest medical care will be of
little use.
Cancer does not just affect the
patient. Early detection of cancer
greatly increases oneʼs chances of
survival. Knowing their own risk can
help people to determine what action
to take. Women with a family history
of breast cancer should have yearly
mammograms.
Professor celebrates golden anniversary
By Shannon Raimondi
Correspondent
If oneʼs value could be defined by the company he attracts, than John P. Karras, professor of history, would be
akin to gold. Lectures in Classical History in Honor of
John P. Karrasʼs 50th Year of Teaching at the College commenced on Friday in the Library Auditorium. Seats were
filled with deans, department chairs, professors, alumni and
current students.
Welcoming the diverse crowd, Jo-Ann Gross, chair of
the history department, called the man who taught 100 consecutive semesters at the College “a legend.” His passion,
extensive knowledge of classical studies and distinctive demeanor has created a legacy that has not been lost among
past and present students as well as colleagues, many of
whom consider him their mentor.
Taking a course with Karras has become “a ritual rite of
passage” for history majors, according to Gross.
Paul Mumm, senior history major, has taken five courses with the professor and understands this rite of passage.
“There is something about him. He pushes your intellect
and causes you to feel guilty if you canʼt follow him, his argument and his extrapolations ... He has a unique approach
that is refreshing. Itʼs ʻfear me,ʼ but with a friendly wink at
the same time,” Mumm said.
Having maintained the same teaching style for the past
50 years, Karras has continued to push classes of students
to reach their fullest potential, even if that means creating a
very demanding classroom atmosphere. “I give them a difficult and hard time as part of their education. The task is to
get you to think. Whatever works is legitimate and useful,”
Karras said.
His desire to push the intellectual capacity of students
initially inspired him to focus on classical studies teaching.
“It is basically the best test of faculty and student intellect.
It has the creating capacity for self-discipline. There is
nothing like learning Latin irregular verbs or Greek irregular verbs,” Karras said.
This combination of intimidation and challenge, accom-
Photo by Megan Molony
History professor John P. Karras celebrated his
50th year of teaching at the College with a series
of lectures on Friday afternoon.
panied with a great sense of humor, has made him a mentor
to many colleagues and students.
Adam Knobler, professor of history, attributes the fact
that Karras has been his mentor for the 15 years he has
been teaching at the College to their shared sense of humor.
“Karras has a good sense of humor about himself and his
own shortcomings; he is never afraid to laugh at himself,
which is rare in academia,” Knobler said.
If anyone could measure the extent of Karrasʼ legacy
by his former students, it would be well represented by
Rosemary Sheldon of Virginia Military Institute and Craig
Champion of Syracuse University, the two presenters of the
night. Both boast Ph.D.s and work as department chairs at
their respective schools.
However, Karras remains modest about any influence he
has had in the lives of these former students. “I got out of
the way. They are highly intelligent and capable of hard
work, so I got out of the way and let them learn.”
Sheldon however, debunks this modesty. She considers
Karras a mentor and father figure, the one who inspired her
to major in classical studies.
“Mentors never die. They critique you into infinity,”
Sheldon said before beginning her presentation titled “Trajanʼs Parthian Adventure: with some modern parallels.”
She has remained in contact with Karras over her entire
educational career, submitting every paper to him first for
critiques.
If you have ever wondered how students at the College
today compare to students from 50 years ago, Karras can
shed some light. “They have changed in regards to demographics. Students come from more affluent backgrounds
than 40-50 years ago. There is a greater diversity in goals.
Students know where they want to end up, which is always
healthy,” he said.
“They have a greater awareness of human rights, that
they canʼt be abused by teachers or administration. Students
today are not as radical as 25 years ago, and the students are
going to be the ones to cope with the consequences of that,”
Karras said.
There is still time for students who wish to take the “ritual rite of passage.” Karras says that he has no plans to retire
in the future because he does not consider teaching work. In
fact, Karras is taking on a heavy course load of teaching for
the spring semester, including a course on global Byzantine
history, a seminar on Roman imperialism and a team teaching project titled “Empires: Ancient and Modern.”
Going down a two-way street
Dear Sweta,
My boyfriend and I got into this
huge fight the other day about
oral sex, mainly because he never
returns the favor. In my opinion,
oral sex is considered sex, but he
doesnʼt think so and thatʼs why
he doesnʼt feel itʼs important for
him to perform it too. I donʼt
really know what to do or how
to convince him that it is sex and
that he should think of it as more
of a big deal. What do I do?
Orally Challenged
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Graphic by Kelly Duncan / Features Assistant
The Collegeʼs campus is divided on whether or not oral sex
should be considered sex.
Dear Orally Challenged,
First of all, many women
donʼt even realize how common
it is for men to receive oral sex
way before they ever give it. I
think one of the main reasons
is because in the beginning of
a relationship women are shyer
to ask for what they want, but
as a relationship develops, they
become more in tune with what
they like. The problem then is
that guys automatically assume
that they can expect to receive
oral sex without “returning the
favor.”
Another reason is because
guys get lazy and donʼt want
to have the pressure of having
to please their partner. My best
advice for you is to talk to him
about how you are feeling,
calmly and rationally. If you let
him know that you think oral sex
is more intimate than he makes it
out to be and you want to be able
to share in that intimacy, heʼll be
more likely to listen to you.
There has always been a huge
debate about whether oral sex
can be considered sex. Anybody
who is old enough remembers
that in the late ʼ90s, President
Bill Clinton said that he “did
not have sexual relations” with
Sex questions?
Image from Google Images
Monica Lewinsky, and since
then the debate has raged on.
So, in lieu of your argument
with your boyfriend, I decided to
conduct a poll. I asked a random
sample of 86 students from the
College, whether they think oral
sex should be considered sex. I
divided the sample into girls and
guys and found that there isnʼt
much of a difference between
the answers, or between genders.
Basically, the population is split
right down the middle.
Many people nowadays donʼt
realize that oral sex has many
risks and when hooking up,
people think that oral sex is a way
to be intimate without actually
“giving it up.” But beware,
because oral sex can transmit
most of the STIʼs that vaginal or
anal intercourse can transmit.
Then again, sexual intercourse
is just that, intercourse. The
argument here is that since oral
sex isnʼt really intercourse, oral
sex should not be considered
sex.
The point here is, sex or no
sex, anything you do intimately
with your partner should be
special and if you think oral
sex is sex and is a big deal, you
should let your partner know
how important it is to you.
Sweta
Love questions?
E-mail Sweta at shah@tcnj.edu
Keeping it clean shouldnʼt be a chore
By Alex Seise
Staff Writer
Chores are miserable and cleaning is no
exception. But if you have the right supplies
and an idea of how to go about cleaning
up, youʼll find that itʼs easy to keep a dorm
room fresh and tidy.
In the movie “My Big Fat Greek
Wedding,” Toulaʼs father Gus praises
Windex. He even swears that it has healing
powers. I must admit that I am a proud
member of his camp. Miracles can happen
with a roll of paper towels and a bottle of the
blue stuff, reeking in all of its ammonia glory.
It really is a universal cleaner; it can be used
to wipe a streaky mirror, a sticky shelf or a
dusty television top. There are even different
varieties available in supermarkets.
Along with Windex, you can never go
wrong with some bleach. Every year that
Iʼve moved back into the dorms here at
the College, either my mother or I have
managed to sprinkle some around the room
as though itʼs some sort of Martha Stewartapproved holy water, destined to drive out
the demons of mildew and bacteria. Itʼs a
great way to scrub a filthy floor.
Bleach is most useful in the bathroom,
though. It can keep toilets fresh and shower
stalls pristine. Just make sure to avoid
mixing ammonia-based products, including
Windex, with bleach; when combined, they
make dangerous fumes. And if you clean a
shower with it, be sure to rinse the basin as
soon as youʼre finished cleaning it.
Swiffer collapsible brooms and small
vacuums are a great way to keep your floors
free of debris. Swiffers can be purchased at
any grocery store along with wet and dry
replacement cloths. If youʼre low on cash,
you can make your own cloths using rags
or heavy-duty paper towels and a generic
cleaner. They wonʼt work quite as well, but
they will pick up the majority of dirt and
grime.
Small vacuums are great for carpeted
areas. Check local appliance stores, such
as Best Buy, for great deals. Open-box
merchandise is incredibly inexpensive, and
you can buy a decent small vacuum for
about $30.
One place that most people forget to
clean is the inside of their microwaves and
refrigerators. However, these are the places
most likely to attract bugs
and to smell bad quickly.
Crumbs and spills create
layers of mess in these two
appliances, but the tough side of an ordinary
kitchen sponge will scrape off any residue
and leave the surface sparkling.
Sometimes even the cleanest of rooms
Photo from Google Images
Supplies like these are easy ways to tackle messes in your dorm space.
smells like the trash chute. There are several
easy ways to tackle bad odors. Febreze helps
eliminate odors in carpets
and linens while leaving
a clean scent behind.
However, it dampens
surfaces for a while until they have time to
fully dry, which can be annoying if a bad
smell is persistent.
Plug-in air fresheners can provide longlasting relief. The White Barn Candle
Company sells Wallflower brand plug-ins
in myriad scents. They even have seasonal
aromas that leave your room smelling like
warm apple pie, fresh cut pine trees or fresh
flowers. Every few months, they run specials
on the plug-in units and the refill bulbs.
Cold and flu season is right around the
corner. Disinfectant products, such as Lysol,
can wipe out germs and keep you feeling
healthy. Many companies now make easyto-use disposable moist wipes that you can
use as needed. They are ideal for wiping off
door handles, remote controls, refrigerator
doors and any other surfaces that are used
often.
Equally useful are instant hand sanitizers.
A small bottle near your computer will help
keep your hands clean and will kill germs
that you may pick up while typing and
clicking.
You donʼt need fancy supplies to keep a
dorm room clean. The basics, all available
at your local supermarkets, will keep your
space clean and germ-free. And remember:
when in doubt, follow Gus Portokalosʼ
advice. Just put some Windex on it.
What sort of cleaning supplies do you keep
handy? Does a messy room drive you crazy,
or is it a way of life? E-mail your ideas and
questions to DormSpaceAlexSeise@gmail.
com and you might just see them in print!
Arts & Entertainment
mtvU prepares to give colleges some wood
Photos from Google Images and myspace.com/theshins
Justin Pierre of Motion City Soundtrack (left) and James Mercer of The Shins (right) both took part in a press conference on Oct. 2 to promote the ‘Woodie
Awards,’ mtvU’s college music awards show. The Shins were nominated in three categories, while Motion City Soundtrack earned a nod for ‘Best Video.’
By James Queally
On Tuesday, Oct. 2, mtvU held
an over-the-phone press conference
with a host of college music columnists to promote its upcoming
“Woodie Awards,” an annual production that rewards rising artists
based on voting by college-aged
listeners. Justin Pierre of Motion
City Soundtrack, James Mercer of
The Shins and Stephen Friedman,
executive producer of mtvU, were
on hand to answer questions.
Friedman explained how the
“Woodies” provide a voice for
campus-based DJs and columnists.
Unlike the “VMAs” and other
MTV award shows, the ballots and
winners at the “Woodie Awards”
are entirely decided by the votes of
college students.
New to the 2007 “Woodies” is
the “Best Music on Campus” category, which allows college artists
to submit their music and a profile
to mtvU. Whatever act receives
the most nationwide votes will receive roundtrip airfare to attend the
Woodies on Nov. 8 at Manhattanʼs
legendary Roseland Ballroom and
a $5,000 cash prize.
“We actually went out to all of
the music editors through College
Media Network and gave them the
opportunity to submit their artists,
even if they didnʼt have videos,
and we placed them on the ballot,”
Friedman said. “We also went out
to music DJs around the country
and solicited their information.”
“The voting for ʻBest Music On
Campusʼ is blowing away all the
other categories,” Friedman added.
“There is a passion for discovering local bands and starting with
(mtvU) youʼre going to see more
opportunities like this on a monthly basis.”
Justin Pierre, lead singer for the
acclaimed pop-punk outfit Motion
City Soundtrack, kicked off the Qand-A session with the artists. His
band is in the running for the “Best
Video Woodie” for their bouncy
angst anthem “Broken Heart.”
Pierre talked about the bandʼs
ability to stay fresh despite the repetitive nature of its genre.
“The key is not thinking about it.
I think we just try to avoid it and do
whatever we do,” Pierre said. “Itʼs
human nature to categorize music
to make it easier to understand.”
James Mercer, guitarist, vo-
calist and primary songwriter for
indie-rock heroes The Shins, who
lead the pack with nominations in
three categories including one for
“Woodie of The Year,” discussed
his bandʼs meteoric rise in popularity. The Shins have achieved
independent mainstream success
since the days when its first release
“Oh, Inverted World” was borderline synonymous with Zach Braffʼs
2002 hit film “Garden State.” The
Shins must contend with lyrical
mastermind Talib Kweli, Bright
Eyes, Spoon and Modest Mouse to
win “Woodie of the Year.”
“Itʼs not necessarily the goal of
a band (to get popular), but youʼre
speaking up and singing so people
can hear it, so there is some satisfaction,” Mercer said. “Iʼm proud.
Modest Mouse is such an integral
part of my success; they really gave
me a start. Spoon and Bright Eyes
are just awesome bands.”
When asked where he thought
The Shins would be if they hadnʼt
been buoyed by Braffʼs flick, Mercer said, “You can actually tell
where we would be, because in
Japan and other countries ʻGarden
Stateʼ doesnʼt have the presence in
the pop psyche like it does here, so
itʼs more of a steady climb. I think
without (“Garden State”) weʼd still
be doing OK, it just wouldnʼt have
been as dramatic.”
British sensations and Mercury award-winning psychedelic
pop group The Klaxons are in
the running for the “Left Field
Woodie,” for bandʼs that are
nearly impossible to classify.
see MTVU page 19
TV/ surviving ‘my shot’ with Tokyo Police Club
a defunct but popular movie-metal band, at
CBGBʼs over a year ago.
As I was walking into the studio, one of
the producers looked at me and asked me
how I felt, and immediately I blurted out,
“50 percent confident, 50 percent terrified.”
This wasnʼt the kind of opportunity that I
could laugh off if I messed up. I felt my stomach turn to lead as I locked eyes with Dave
Monks, lead singer of Tokyo Police Club.
We shook hands and something struck
me just before the producers readjusted the
cameras and kicked off the shoot. Dave is
20. So is half the band. So am I. None of
us are even legally allowed to drink in this
country.
Arts & entertainment editor James
Queally reviews his questions prior
to the interview.
These guys must have gone through the
same nerve-wracking, pulse-pausing situations I was going through, and there they
were, standing tall, surging through their
young careers.
Then I peered down at my question cards,
re-considered all the hours I had poured
into studying this band and formulating the
sheet, and remembered something else relatively important.
I was there because mtvU believed I
knew something about music. The college
music channel had recently reinforced that.
On Oct. 2, I took part in a conference call
with several of the nominees for mtvUʼs upcoming “Woodie Awards,” a yearly award
show that honors the best and brightest in
the college music scene. For an hour I was
locked in with several “Woodies” nominees, all while jockeying to get a question in
against 40 other young music editors.
While this was a great story opportunity, we all also secretly knew what the real
score was. Ask the right questions, impress
somebody at mtvU, and get your foot in the
door.
Guess I have big feet.
Ten minutes after the interview a producer from mtvU, Jennifer Downes, called
and told me she was impressed by my questions and invited me to interview Tokyo Police Club in the studio the next day.
Here is where the earlier described terror
and paranoia set in. I only began listening to
Tokyo Police Club two weeks ago, and even
then in limited capacity.
Fast-forward to Oct. 3 in the studio,
where Iʼm staring at Tokyo Police Club,
hoping my questions wonʼt bore them, hoping I wonʼt ask them things theyʼve been
Arts & entertainment editor James Queally interviews Tokyo Police Club
during an episode of mtvU’s ‘My Shot With...’
asked a hundred times before, hoping I donʼt
do something stupid like drop the cards and
validate everyone of their responses with a
star-struck nod and utterance of a “Thatʼs so
cool/awesome/great!”
We started out with the basics. Questions
about the awards show, about how they felt
being in the company of such lauded acts as
Talib Kweli and Modest Mouse. The conversation was pleasant, but it wasnʼt anything
spectacular. I was asking all the general questions, playing it safe until I calmed down.
After five questions we were joking
around and everyone, especially me, had
settled in. Thatʼs when the part I was really scared of began: questions about video
content, song-writing structure and musicianship; the internal workings of a band;
the creative design and process. Itʼs like
looking under the hood of a car; itʼs the
only way to truly understand how the thing
works.
It has always been my firm belief that a
band that is truly confident and passionate
about what theyʼre doing will not recoil at
these questions. Iʼve seen bands get offended when you try and get inside their heads
and figure out how they function.
Thankfully, Tokyo Police Club was not
one of those groups. Vocalist Dave Monks
and drummer Greg Aslop seemed elated
as they spoke quickly and concisely, explaining the reasoning behind their fastpaced songwriting and recording style
with the same bluntness that resonates
in their music. There was no veneer. No
bullshit. These guys knew who they were.
Thatʼs as true as a band can be to their
music, and that is something I greatly admire and appreciate.
I met Tokyo Police Club as a star-struck
20-year-old. Hopefully, I left with a little bit
of their respect. Either way, no matter how it
plays out on the air, I am sure that “My Shot
With...” Tokyo Police Club is something I
will not soon forget.
Chattin’ it up with the Bard’s boys
Prince Hamlet was a bit
angst-ridden.
The Signal: So Prince Hamlet,
is there something rotten in the
state of Denmark?
Prince Hamlet: [Sniffs the air]
Maybe. I hate my stepfather and
Iʼm angry at my mother; she didnʼt
care when my father died … but
rotten? I donʼt know. It could just
be all the salted cod.
TS: Are you a spiritual man
Prince Hamlet? Do you believe in
ghosts?
PH: I would like to think I am
a learned man and I would like to
think I do not take stock in superstitions, but you never know. After
all, “Absence of proof is not proof
of absence.”
The tormented Hamlet,
played by Andrew Timmes.
By Rebecca Suzan
Staff Writer
The Bard is beckoning from
within the walls of Kendall Hall.
The Collegeʼs All College Theatre
is bringing William Shakespeareʼs
tragedy “Hamlet” from the page to
the stage. The Signal had the opportunity to interview the playʼs
title character and protagonist
Prince Hamlet as well as the son
of the Kingʼs Lord Chamberlain,
Laertes.
TS: Youʼre a young royal. Iʼm
sure many women would jump
at the chance to lay claim to your
heart. Is there a special lady in
your life?
PH: There was a woman in
my life but weʼre on a break. Itʼs a
touchy subject. Itʼs complicated.
TS: You have the reputation for
being a bit of an existentialist. So
which is it, to be or not to be?
PH: I havenʼt actually thought
about it a lot, which usually comes
as a surprise to people. I suppose
if I flipped a coin it would be the
“to be” side but I havenʼt examined “not being” enough to make
a decision.
TS: Is there anyone you admire
or is there someone who has had
a great impact on your life? Someone you could call a hero?
PH: I would say my father, the
late King Hamlet. Thatʼs a touchy
subject too. I was his first born so I
should be king, but Iʼm not.
Unlike the prince, Laertes did
not have such heavy issues weighing on his mind.
TS: Laertes, would you say
youʼre a bit of a Francophile?
Laertes: France is such a great
country, why wouldnʼt I want to
be there? Thereʼs nothing to do in
boring old Denmark: ʻHey, letʼs
salt some cod. Hey, letʼs watch the
grass grow.ʼ
TS: Do you have any hobbies?
Would you say that you enjoy
sword-fighting as a pastime?
L: I wouldnʼt call it a pastime.
Itʼs more of a life-long dedication.
I also like writing poetry and long
walks on the beach, but swordfighting is a top priority.
Chamberlain as a parent means everything is basically given to me. I
can just sit back and relax and take
care of my sister. Ophelia can be a
handful.
TS: What do you think of your
king, Claudius?
L: Heʼs an awfully nice guy.
He treats me well. I mean, heʼs
willing to let me get out of this
damp, boring hell-hole and go off
to France.
All College Theatre will
present “Hamlet” from Oct.
9 to Oct. 13 in the Don Evans
Black Box Theatre in Kendall
Hall.
Tickets are available at the
door, with prices set at $4 for students, faculty or senior citizens,
and $6 for general admission.
TS: Are you close with the
young Prince Hamlet?
L: Heʼs alright. Heʼs a nice kid
with a good head on his shoulders.
Although, he can be a bit strange
sometimes, talking to himself and
whatnot. Hey, what do you expect
from someone with royal blood?
TS: Tell us a little about your
home life. You live with your
mother Polonia and your sister
Ophelia, correct?
L: Yes. Having the Kingʼs Lord
Hamlet’s nemesis, the
treacherous Laertes, played
by Rob Viviano.
Dance-punk darlings set to takeover U.S.
By Joseph Hannan
Production Manager
Dance-punk, characterized by pulsating
drum beats, rapid and infectious guitar progressions, melodic keyboard fills and pounding
bass, is a genre that has yet to become prevalent
in the United States.
Toronto-based Tokyo Police Club may be
poised to bring dance-punk to the American
mainstream music scene. The band has been
nominated in the “Breaking Woodie” category
at mtvUʼs upcoming “Woodie Awards.”
The “Woodie Awards” have been catalysts
for the successful music careers of many bands
including Death Cab for Cutie, The Killers and
Plain White Ts.
The award show will surely give Tokyo Police Club its needed exposure; however, it will
inevitably be the bandʼs explosive mix of delightfully unrefined energy, looping guitar riffs
and alluring vocal deliveries that will send the
toes of American fans tapping.
“Operator!” cries David Monks, Tokyo
Police Club vocalist and bassist. “Get me the
president of the world! This is an emergency!”
Monksʼ resolute demand is seemingly conveyed
through a blaring megaphone, backed solely by
Greg Alsopʼs rapid-fire drumming, on “Cheer
it On,” the first track of the bandʼs 2006 release,
“A Lesson In Crime.”
Monks wasnʼt nearly as demanding in a recent exclusive interview with James Queally,
Signal arts & entertainment editor, at the New
York City mtvU studio. He
expressed excitement with the
bandʼs “Woodie” nomination
but wasnʼt sure if the awards
would guarantee the bandʼs
success.
“There is no standard way that a band gets
popular,” Monks said. “It seems like a fluke
chance in every situation.”
This may be true, but the numerous loyal
With a slick, intense and resonant sound, Canadian-born dance-punk group
Tokyo Police Club are poised to induce a toe-tapping frenzy here in the states.
Canadian and American fans that brought Tokyo Police Club to its present breakout status
canʼt be wrong. Drummer Greg Alsop said that
he sees the “Woodies” as a tremendous opportunity for the band. Before the “Woodies,” “No
one really knew about or gave attention to upand-coming bands,” he said. Alsop added that
the targeted age group of the “Woodies,” college students in their early 20s, is the “best time
to be introduced to a new band.”
On Nov. 15, thousands of college students
nationwide will receive their first exposure to
the forcefully propelled rhythms of Tokyo Police Club. Many have already seen the bandʼs
music video for “Cheer it On,” which features a
strikingly low key performance
in a frigid, desolate field.
“The idea of doing a less
frantic video for a song thatʼs
kind of fast appealed to us,” Alsop said.
Frantic and fast are both accurate descriptions of Tokyo Police Clubʼs sound. The songs
are all potent and confined within two or three
blistering minutes.
“The kind of music we play is strictly
laid out,” Alsop said. Tokyo Police Clubʼs
songs incessantly pulsate on the listenerʼs
eardrums, as if fueled by an unending supply
of amphetamines.
The fast-paced nature of Tokyo Police
Clubʼs sound certainly must have carried
over into the bandʼs production style in recording what would become both “A Lesson in Crime” and the bandʼs 2007 followup EP, “Smith.” According to Monks, the
band completed recording in a mere three
days.
Tokyo Police Clubʼs efforts have produced
indisputable results. The band toured extensively with renowned indie rockers Cold War
Kids. Recently, they played at Madison Square
Garden with Bloc Party.
According to Graham Wright, keyboardist
and vocalist, success at a young age has taken
some getting used to.
“Sometimes you forget to stop and think
about how weird it is,” Wright said. “If I
wasnʼt doing this, Iʼd be at the university
right now wishing I was doing this.”
mtvU / bands
and students
banter
“Someone said we sound like
Earth, Wind and Fire meets hardcore. Iʼd describe us as having
apocalyptic discord and punk,”
James Righton, vocalist, keyboardist and bassist, said.
The Klaxonsʼ weird brand of
genre-defying electronics, which
has been occasionally described
as “nu-rave” has been spurred
on by the success of their single
“Golden Skans.” Righton also
discussed the unsettling premise
for the video for their pulsating
single, which features explosions
of neon green paint from band
membersʼ eyes and other disturbing imagery.
“James Ford, our producer,
he likes to push us and challenge
things. Weʼve shaven our chests
and jumped on trampolines for
him,” Righton said. “We take our
music very seriously but we donʼt
take ourselves seriously.”
Dance-punk sensations Tokyo
Police Club didnʼt take themselves
very seriously either, as they provided lighthearted responses to
several inquiries, including one
asking how they came to perform
on the “Late Show with David
Letterman.”
“How did Letterman find us?”
vocalist Dave Monks said. “Thatʼs
one of the great mysteries of life.”
Legendary hip-hop producer
RJD2, the mastermind behind
countless rap projects including
Soul Positionʼs street-savvy hit
“Hand-Me-Downs,” discussed
the inspiration behind his
choice to switch to a more soulful, dance/funk-driven sound
on his new record “The Third
Hand.”
“For me, itʼs not a complete
180, at least not internally,”
RJD2, whose real name is John
Krohn, said. “The best way I
can describe it in the context of
my other records: the difference
comes from the summing of a
lot of small changes. Take it with
a grain of salt, the record isnʼt
anything larger than what the
record is.”
With a sampling of everything
ranging from pop-punk to whatever genre the Klaxons are, it is
safe to say the Roseland Ballroom
will see one of its most eclectic
nights when the “Woodies” come
to town on Nov. 8.
The Klaxons put together
a video full of disturbing
imagery for ‘Golden Skans.’
No one is safe during Sedaris’ sarcastic routine
Irreverent humorist David Sedaris read from his
new material in Morristown, N.J., last Thursday.
By Erin Duffy
Features Editor
The first thing you notice about David Sedaris is his
voice. High-pitched and squeaky, it seems more befitting
of a nervous prepubescent boy and incites giggles as soon
as he opens his mouth.
Luckily for Sedaris though, his voice wasnʼt the only
thing drawing laughs at his reading at the Community
Theatre at Mayo Center for the Performing Arts in Morristown, N.J., on Thursday night.
The best-selling humorist and author of books like
“Naked” and “Me Talk Pretty One Day” read only new
works on Thursday, including an essay from his currently
untitled new book to be released in June. Sedaris playfully solicited possible titles from those in attendance.
He also presented pieces from an essay slated to appear in The New Yorker in a few weeks and a piece for
National Public Radioʼs (NPR) “This American Life,” to
which he has been a long-time contributor.
Sedarisʼ delight in the absurdity of everyday life was
readily apparent in the works he read, as he skewered everything from pretentious pronunciation of foreign words
to his flatulent Greek grandmother.
In his first piece, he hilariously mimicked an art professor he once had who insisted on enunciating words
like “Nicaragua” and “Chicano” with an affected Spanish accent. Sedaris recalled the glee in which he would
ask the professor pointless and irrelevant questions, just
to be rewarded with another pompous uttering.
“So professor, in your opinion, which Latin American
country has the best coffee?”
The sarcastic Sedaris also harped on a former neighbor
who used to provide him with ludicrous anecdotes, including a remedy for crib death.
He spun this tale into an essay about a house guest
with the same propensity for linguistic pretension, who
visited Sedaris and his partner Hugh at their house in
France. The guest objected to Sedarisʼ naming garden
rabbits with ludicrous French adjectives, like the word for
chagrin, and insisted on showing off his skilled French
whenever given the chance.
Sedaris ended the story by revealing his new name for
one of the rabbits who never seemed to leave, in memoriam to his house guest — “Thank fucking God heʼs gone.”
Sedarisʼ irreverent and unfailingly accurate descriptions gained big laughs from the audience as he compared
a cantankerous old womanʼs jaw to a “drawer pulled out”
in a voice akin to gravel being stepped on. A Polish man
distraught at the death of his mother had “hands like frying pans,” and Sedaris envisioned his dead mother with
a potato for a nose.
In the essay about the Polish man, Sedaris explained
being stuck next to the sobbing man on an eight-hour
flight, and his uneasy reaction to his fellow passenger.
Caught in an uncomfortable situation, Sedaris tried to
ignore the manʼs unrelenting sobs by watching the Chris
Rock movie “Down to Earth,” which caused him to dissolve in inappropriate laughter, which he tried to unsuccessfully stifle.
This scenario caused him to remember similar situations at the family dinner table years ago, when he and
his brother and sisters, who include “Strangerʼs with
Candy” star Amy Sedaris, would ache with suppressed
laughter at their elderly Greek grandmother, who would
unconsciously and loudly fart to the hilarity of her grandchildren and fury of Sedarisʼ father.
“My father kept a metal spoon next to the table to hit
us with. Some nights the spoon was covered in blood and
a mixture of hair,” Sedaris recounted.
After his reading, Sedaris answered a few questions
from the audience, on subjects ranging from whether he
would ever write serious work to the character of Vicky
Buchanan from “One Life to Live,” whom Sedaris worships.
At every reading he recommends a book, and at this
stop it was Richard Yatesʼ “The Easter Parade.”
“Itʼs just so depressing,” Sedaris said. “Maybe Iʼm not
doing a good job of selling it.”
He then signed books for his adoring fans, many of
which queued up and down stairs for a chance to meet
the author, who chatted amiably with each fan for a few
minutes and waited almost three hours until the last book
had been signed.
Sedaris grew up in North Carolina with his large
Greek family, who are mentioned frequently in his memoir-style essays that recount his eccentric life and personality in Sedarisʼ self-deprecating and exaggerated voice.
He became popular after reading his essays, “The SantaLand Diaries” on NPR, which chronicled a job he once
took as an elf at a department store.
His most recent book, 2004ʼs “Dress Your Family in
Corduroy and Denim,” was number one for nonfiction on
The New York Times bestseller list.
Minus The Bear leads alt-rock Eastern entertainment
assault on Starland Ballroom
By Liz Hannah
Staff Writer
By James Queally
To say Minus The Bear has
been on fire lately would be a
gross understatement. The Seattle-based
progressive/indierock outfit has been surging up
the charts with their latest release
“Planet Of Ice” and the video
for the albumʼs single “Knights”
has been in high rotation on both
mtv2 and mtvU.
So when over 300 adoring
raucous fans exploded as vocalist Jake Snider began to sing
the opening verse to “Knights,”
matching every word to the
synth-infused track during a
packed show at Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, N.J., Sunday
night, he shouldnʼt have been
surprised.
Snider repeatedly thanked the
fans for their passion and support
as the band plowed through its set,
energizing fans with a mixture of
frenetic tracks off of “Planet of
Ice” and the bandʼs 2005 release
“Menos El Oso.”
The versatile band switched
gears from melodic to chaotic to
poignant and back again while
cycling through some of the most
acclaimed beats in its discography. The band tugged on itsʼ
fansʼ heartstrings with some of
the more emotionally charged,
romanticized songs on the new
disc, including “Ice Monster” and
“Dr. LʼLing” as well as the sexually driven “White Mystery.”
Despite the high energy of
the music and the non-stop motion of hyperactive guitarist Dave
Knudson, the bandʼs lack of stage
Photo from suicidesqueeze.net
Minus The Bear is currently on tour with Subtle and Ela in
support of its August release ‘Planet of Ice.’
presence continues to be somewhat of a hindrance to their live
shows. Even in the face of countless catcalls and praise, Snider
and the rest of his crew remained
as stoic and dispassionate as the
majority of his vocals. The band
has mastered the hard part and
has become a group of extremely
gifted and versatile musicians.
Now they need to learn how to be
rock stars.
Thatʼs not to say they havenʼt
been improving. Snider experiences something of a catharsis
on tracks like “When We Escape” and “Burying Luck” where
he repeatedly begs the question
“Will he take her life?” in a halfscreamed melodic tone.
Minneapolis-based Ela opened
the nightʼs festivities with a resonant dose of Sunny Day Real Estate inspired music, powered by a
host of introspective lyrics, rough
but effective vocals and simplistic, driving guitar riffs. A rock
band firmly rooted in the days of
The Promise Ring, Sunny Day
Real Estate and Braid, these guys
lit up the crowd with their brand
of straight-laced, poetic “emo.”
While Ela struck a chord with
the crowd, hip-hop/psycho-pop
fusion act Subtle fell way short,
confusing the sea of Minus The
Bear aficionados with bizarre onstage antics, over-complicated
song arrangements and an unhealthy amount of cursing from
the mouth of emcee/keyboardist
Adam “DoseOne” Drucker.
“Weʼre named Subtle, and this
song is about killing bitches,”
shrieked Drucker as he paced
the stage, hurling plastic forks
at the crowd and fiddling with
an on-stage sculptured bust of a
woman which sported a grievous
looking wound. Druckerʼs antics
earned about as much favor with
the Sayreville fans as Subtleʼs unsettling mixture of synth-induced
drums, viola, saxophone and
Druckerʼs spastic delivery style,
which sounded more like a bout
of Tourretteʼs than anything else.
Minus The Bear succeeded in
proving once again that they are
one of the most innovative and
exciting acts of the past decade,
and that they have the potential
to carry that trend over the next
10 years.
A program titled “Crafts of
the East” allowed students to get
acquainted with a few art forms
originating from countries such as
China, India, Japan and the Middle
East by producing do-it-yourself
arts and crafts projects. The program, held last Wednesday night
in the Townhouses East lounge, engaged participantsʼ creativity and
informed them of artistic practices
of Eastern cultures.
Flowers, paper cranes, small
animals and bookmarks were
crafted out of the mass of square,
colored paper provided at the
origami table. Annie Yip, senior
math, science and technology
education major, worked to set up
the program among other housing
assistants. Annie taught a group
standing at the table how to make
an origami paper crane. When one
of its points is pulled, the birdʼs
wings flap.
“I learned how to do this in second grade,” Annie said.
Another housing assistant tried
constructing an orange origami pig
while one student gave up on a lily
requiring a bird base. Some students tried making the models by
memory.
Hanging lanterns were crafted
at the other end of the table. Thin
paper lanterns have been made for
2000 years, since the time of Chinaʼs Han Dynasty in 200 B.C. Lanterns are often made of rice or silk
paper that is stretched over pieces
of bamboo in a spherical design.
These are found strewn in rooms
and vary in size from very small to
over two feet in diameter. They are
popular in the homes of Asian families, covering light bulbs to soften
and accentuate light.
Many students assembled at
the henna table as their friends
drew on their wrists, arms and
ankles with small pouches of henna paste. Henna tattoos, known as
Mendhi in India and Pakistan, are
drawn onto the skin with a dark
paste. The paste is left on until it
crumbles away and leaves a beautiful, light brown image. Jenna
Meyerberger, junior psychology
major, had a Paul Frank-esque
skull and crossbones rendered
on her forearm with her sorority
symbol.
“Itʼs nice to take a break
from homework and experience
something different,” Meyerberg
said, “normally you donʼt get a
chance.”
Cara MacNeil / Staff Photographer
Students tinkered with various artforms, including origami,
henna and brush calligraphy, during ‘Crafts of the East.’
David Lee Roth probably wants another pair of assless chaps for his birthday,
but let’s just face it,
none of us want to be subjected to that again.
Give him the next best thing by writing for The Signal.
signal@tcnj.edu
Classifieds
Classified Word Ad
Rates:
Up to 20 words $5 per insertion; $2.50 for each additional
10 words.
Classified Display Ad
Rates:
$8 per column inch per day (off
campus). See Ad Manager for
on campus rates.
Contacting the Ad Office:
The Signal business office can
be reached at (609)-771-2499 or
signalad@tcnj.edu
Terms:
1. All classified advertisements
must be paid in full at time of
placement.
Absolutely no exceptions.
2. Deadline for ads is 12 p.m.
Friday preceding publication.
Advertisement may be placed
at the Signal business office,
(TCNJ Brower Student Center
Basement), or mail with full payment to The Signal Classifieds,
Brower Student Center, TCNJ,
P.O. Box 7718, Ewing, NJ
08628-0718.
3. Classifieds are non-cancellable. There are no refunds for
any classified ads. There will
be a $1 charge for any changes
made in the ad after it has been
placed.
4. There is no commission or
agency discount on classified
ads.
5. Tearsheets or proofs will not
be provided for classified ads.
6. All advertising is subject to
acceptance by The Signal, which
reserves the right to reject copy
at its sole discretion at any time
prior to publication.
7. The Signal will not consider
adjustments of payment for any
advertisement involving typographical errors or erroneous
insertions unless notice is given
to the Advertising Manager
within ten (10) days of publication. The Signal shall not be held
liable for more than one incorrect insertion of any advertisement. If any error in an advertisement is made by The Signal,
its liability shall only be for such
portion of the entire cost of the
advertisement as the Advertising
Manager shall determine by the
extent of the error in relation to
the entire advertisement.
8. The Signal will make all reasonable efforts to see that advertising is published as accepted;
however; The Signal will not
be liable for any consequential
damages resulting from failure
to do so.
9. The advertiser assumes full
and complete liability for the
content of all advertising printed pursuant to this agreement
and shall indemnify The Signal
harmless against any demands,
claims or liablity.
10. Ads placed by mail, accompanied by payment and placement
authorization, will be accepted
subject to compliance with the
above conditions. Insertion of
such ads will constitute acceptances of all terms listed above,
even if the advertiser has not
signed a contract form.
Babysitter Wanted
BABYSITTER WANTED for 9 & 6 year olds in Hopewell.
Primarily weekend / occasional weekday evenings. Must be
responsible, trustworthy and have own car. Education major
preferred, not required. E-mail kathycoppins@comcast.net.
Student Travel
#1 Spring Break Website! 4 & 7 night trips. Low prices guaranteed. Group discounts for 8+. Book 20 people, get 3 free
trips! Campus reps needed. www.StudentCity.com or 800293-1445.
Spring Break Travel
SpringBreak 2008. Sell Trips, Earn Cash and Go Free. Call
for group discounts. Best Deals Guaranteed! Jamaica, Cancun, Acapulco, Bahamas, S.Padre, Florida. 800-648-4849 or
www.ststravel.com
“Congress shall make no law
Part-time Babysitter
respecting an establishment
of religion,
PT Babysitter needed Skillman NJ . Hours 5-7 PM M-F. Must
have valid NJ Driver license & own car. Pay negotiable. Call
609-902-2473.
or prohibiting the free exercise
thereof;
Room Available
or abridging the freedom of speech,
No more roomates! Available now - small furnished apt for
1 student in private home, free in exchange for approx 10
hrs/week of light household help. Six miles from TCNJ in
lovely Hopewell. Very clean, safe, and quiet. Kitchenette,
private bath, cable TV, wireless internet, utilities, bi-weekly
cleaning included. Call Janis at 609-915-6792.
or of the press;
or of the people
peaceably to assemble,
and to petition the Government
for a redress of grievances.”
Your ad here!
- The First Amendment
Use it or lose it.
signalad@tcnj.edu
Write for The Signal.
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S
o, do you have some free time
E
and ar
interested in
X
newspapers? So e
perience
life at The Signal. We could always use writers, photographers
and just about anyone else who
wants to help out. Call x2424
or e-mail us at signal@tcnj.edu.
Oh ... and we’re really into
subliminal messages.
Funstuff
Crowns on Clowns
by Timothy Payne
Girl you look good, whyncha back that Crossword up?
1
ACROSS
2
3
4
5
6
1.
Elvis song butchered in a heinous pharmaceutical ad.
8.
Genius show featuring a leopard-skin-and-top-hat-wearing ladies man.
9.
7
A delectable meat patty recalled for E. Coli recently.
12. Tiny immigrant mouse who gets separated from his family.
8
14. Replacement for Busterʼs seal-eaten hand in “Arrested
9
Development.” Also, an amputee pirate captain.
16. “Son-In-Law” star.
10
11
12
13
DOWN
2.
Cheap, fruity wine drank primarily by girls.
3.
Disfiguring disease that results in gigantic balls.
4.
The only bachelor president of the U.S.
5.
Philip Rothʼs literary counterpart.
6.
Toast spread; popular in Australia.
7.
This Halloween favorite rides a broom and bubbles many
cauldrons.
10. Melancholy literary tale of an abused beagle or Brangeli14
15
16
naʼs baby.
11. A family favorite mouse; was once known as “Steamboat
Willie.”
13. ʻ
ʼ riding; what Casper is.
15. Jerry Blankʼs favorite form of fruit.
Created with EclipseCrossword - www.eclipsecrossword.com
Last
Week’s Answers
Across: 2. Pagemaster 5. Nikon 6. Zombie 10. Millenium 11. Chinchilla 12. Egon 13. Photosynthesis 15. Bionic Woman
Down: 1. Falcor 3. Rotisserie 4. Risky Business 7. Iran 8. Fukuda 9. Elda 10. Mets 14. Halo 3
Ten p.m. Monday:
Not a great time to send ads.
Try Friday at five.
- A haiku by Joseph F. Hannan,
Production Manager
Advertise with The Signal.
signalad@tcnj.edu
ALICE IN FONDERLAND
BY MIKE FONDER AND ERIC BERG
MISTY, DREAMY HOROSCOPES
Libra
September 24 — October 23
Aquarius
Sagittarius
Capricorn
October 24 — November 22
You might be sacrificing your own
needs in a relationship in order to
make sure the other person will
stay with you. This is not a healthy
pairing and if a person is taking advantage of you in this way, then he
or she isnʼt worth it. You deserve
better than that.
Pisces
November 23 — December 23 Aries
Your wit is sharp and funny this
week. With your friends or with a
big group of people at a party, you
are able to keep them all laughing.
For some reason, youʼre just on this
week. However, you must not get
too carried away and use your wit
to hurt someoneʼs feelings.
December 24 — January 20
Youʼve been working really
hard lately and you deserve
some pampering. Treat yourself to something youʼve been
wanting. Do something spontaneous with a couple of friends
and really enjoy yourself this
week.
Gemini
Youʼre bored this week. You want
excitement and mostly youʼre
wishing you could meet someone
new and intriguing. However, you
canʼt just wish something and have
it come true. If you go out and do
things, you could definitely meet
someone and have fun.
Some changes have occured that
have really helped make your life
more enjoyable. It seems the universe wants you to be happy because these changes came out of
nowhere and have really helped you
out. Donʼt waste any opportunities
that you are given.
Scorpio
January 21 —February 19
Taurus
Cancer
March 21 — April 19
Leo
April 20 — May 21
Virgo
Donʼt let anyone take advantage
of you this week. People will be
asking you for favors and since
youʼre a nice person, you might
agree to help them out. However,
some of these people are just using you. Itʼs ok to say no if you
donʼt want to do something.
You have a busy week ahead
of you. School work is piling
up, plus you have other obligations. Donʼt become lazy.
Instead make sure you get everything done and do it well.
If you donʼt there will be some
unexpected consequences.
May 22 — June 21
For some reason youʼre very flustered this week. You just canʼt
seem to relax plus you have the
nagging feeling that youʼre forgetting something important. Try
and do things that calm you down
like taking a walk or listening to
music.
February 20 — March 20
Someone close to you is in need
of reassurance that you do care
about him or her. Itʼs up to you
to provide some sensitivity and
thoughtfulness toward someone
you care about whoʼs in a bad
place right now. Your kindness
will be rewarded.
BY: MAMA MYSTERY
June 22 — July 23
For the first week in a long time you
arenʼt feeling stressed about school
or worried about something. In order to celebrate this freedom, you
should do something fabulous with
people you like. Make the best of the
week because you know the stress
will return soon.
July 24 — August 23
You are able to handle people really
effectively this week. You instinctively know when a person needs a
friend to listen or some tough love
to make them see reason. Youʼre
able to have some deep and meaningful conversations that give you a
lot to think about.
August 24 — September 23
Some physical change you have
made has raised your self-esteem and is getting you a lot
more attention. It might not even
be something obvious, just that
maybe youʼre happy and that
happiness is making you more
attractive.
Dylan is a bad dog,
especially when it comes to
jumping on guests, stealing his aunt’s bones and chasing cats.
But Dylan has great taste in newspapers.
Write for The Signal!
signal@tcnj.edu
New Res 311
by Odrap Adnilem
The Last Temptation of St. Anthony
by Rabo Karabekian
by Lauren Costantini
The Greatest Things in the World
Flintstones Vitamins:
How can you eat candy and be healthy? Ask the
makers of this shit. Itʼs unbelievably tasty and yet
it contains none of the typical ingredients that make
food delicious: fat, salt, grease, oil, butter or fat. I
mean sure … I do marinate them in a mixture of fat,
salt, grease, oil, butter and fat, and then pour the
marinade into a glass and drink it with the vitamin,
so that they include every important food group.
They just donʼt contain them already.
Breaking the seal:
Thereʼs almost nothing more refreshing and enjoyable
than breaking the seal when imbibing alcohol, particularly beer. You canʼt do it too soon, because then
youʼll be heading to the porcelain throne every drink.
Wait too long and youʼll piddle yourself, and hosts
rarely embrace a sofa/bed-wetter. Trust me on that.
So find that happy medium and eternal glory will be
yours … well maybe not eternal, but for about a minute, maybe 90 seconds, youʼre in heaven.
That first, cold beer:
Thereʼs really nothing like pouring some cold, delicious liquid heaven into your stomach and letting
it put your liver through hell. As a connoisseur of
Keystone, there is really no pleasure in my life that
rivals that feeling I get when I have no responsibilities, or none that Iʼm particularly interested in
taking care of, and I drown my taste buds into the
magical elixir that is beer. While that one cold, delicious bottle of liquid gold at 9 a.m. is never enough,
without that first beer there can be no second, and
no 20th … so I respect and cherish it. You should
do the same.
Canceled classes:
Yeah … I bet you didnʼt see that coming. I usually
donʼt write about school, but this isnʼt about school,
itʼs about a lack thereof. Waking up with a brutal
headache and an immeasurable hangover and having
the mental capacity to remember to check your e-mail,
only to be rewarded with a message from a professor
cancelling class has got to be one of the more joyous
occasions in all of higher education. Itʼs like finding
$5 in your jeans, only if the bill had Jessica Albaʼs
cell number and tomorrowʼs lottery numbers written
on it, and if it smelled like rich mahogany and/or a
wet fart.
by Kevin Shields
Entering an unoccupied public restroom:
Is there anything more relieving than walking into a
dingy, uncouth public restroom and finding it completely empty? I think not. While not only increasing
the possibility of entering a less aromatic public restroom, the fact that it is uninhabited erases the discomfort of choosing the proper receptacle for your feces,
as well as the awkward semi-communication involved
in restroom visits. If youʼre in for a particularly frisky
episode of irritable bowel syndrome, then thereʼs no
one to hear you or glare at you when you leave (and
you donʼt even have to wash your hands! Whoʼs gonna know? Nobody, thatʼs who!).
Breasts:
As the great Ben Franklin once wrote, “Alcohol is proof
that God wants us to be happy,” or something bad-ass
like that (I donʼt remember for sure, I was drunk when
I read it). Well, for me, itʼs alcohol and boobies. I donʼt
know what it is about these random, bulbous pieces of fat
and flesh, but they are absolutely mesmerizing. I could
have every hair pulled out of my body one by one while
a unicorn sodomizes me, but I wouldnʼt notice it if there
were some prime chesticles staring me in the face.
Sports
Women’s tennis takes 25th NJAC title
By Allison Singer
Sports Editor
With its two most recent shutout
victories over William Paterson
University and Ramapo College,
the women’s tennis team is onefourth of the way toward a century
of consecutive New Jersey Athletic
Conference Championship (NJAC)
titles.
The Lions swept the William
Paterson Pioneers and the Ramapo
Roadrunners 9-0, improving its
record to 5-0 on the season and 50 in the NJAC. Undoubtedly one
Photo courtesy of Sports Information Desk
Senior athlete Christina
Contrafatto went 4-0 in
her matches on Saturday.
of the College’s most successful
teams, the Lions have won 121
straight NJAC matches.
The College swept William
Paterson on Saturday, denying the Pioneers a single game.
Sophomore Jackie Shtemberg and
senior Christina Contrafatto earned
the win at No. 1 doubles against
juniors Rachel Menzzopane and
Joanna Jakobik, and freshman
Amanda Berg, the only freshman
on the team’s roster, took care of
Menzzopane at first singles.
“(Berg) got off to a good start,”
head coach Scott Dicheck said of
his first-year standout. “When we
recruited her, we expected her to
make a big impact, and we know
she’ll continue to improve and be
even better in the spring.”
Berg paired with sophomore
Stefanie Haar at No. 2 doubles
to defeat the Roadrunner team of
senior Christine Spicer and junior
Ashley Hessenkemper. Sophomore
Chrissy Principe and junior Emily
Witko rounded out the doubles
rout, taking down Cristina Reilly
and Delnaz Shalforoosh at third
doubles.
After collecting the perfect
win in Wayne, the team headed
to Mahwah to do some damage to
Ramapo’s record as well. There,
the Lions continued their impressive season, taking the Roadrunners
down 9-0 while dropping only 10
games.
Shtemberg took over the No.
1 singles spot where she defeated
Photo courtesy of Sports Information Desk
The members of the women’s tennis team and assistant coach Ryan Carty pose in
their championship shirts after winning the College’s 25th consecutive NJAC title.
sophomore Alison Tukel 6-0, 6-0.
Haar also took her opponent down
6-0, 6-0 at fourth doubles, while
Berg and Contrafatto won their
No. 2 and No. 3 singles matches,
respectively.
“We’re happy we won another
NJAC tournament, and we’re looking forward to going to (Mobile,
Ala.) this week for the NJAC
finals,” Dicheck said.
The dynamic Shtemberg/
Contrafatto duo, which defeated
Tukel and junior Liza Wyble at first
doubles in the Ramapo matchup,
will travel south to compete in the
women’s doubles competition at
the International Tennis Association
National Tournament. Shtemberg
will also compete in the women’s
singles competition, while senior
Michael Klimchak of the men’s
tennis team will contend for the
men’s singles title.
“It’s a tough tournament to
qualify for,” Dicheck said.
Since only eight players from
schools across the nation are invited to compete in each category,
Dicheck commended his athletes
for making the “select group.”
Contrafatto said that while she
and Shtemberg are not familiar
with the players they will oppose
in Alabama, they are looking forward to the challenge of taking on
new opponents.
“You go in with a game plan
of how you’re going to play, and
you can figure out other players’ strengths and weaknesses in
warmups and matches,” she said.
“(Shtemberg and I) love playing
with each other, and we both have
a lot of enthusiasm on the court.”
Victory over Profs propels Lions’ streak
Football
By Duncan Slobodzian
Staff Writer
The Lions matched their season win total from 2006 on
Friday night, topping the 17th ranked — and archrival to
boot — Rowan University Profs 10-7.
The Lions tied the game on an 82-yard interception return
by senior co-captain, defensive back Andrew Larkin with 7:33
left in the final period.
The winning score was set up when Rowan’s senior superback Rob Richardson fumbled deep in his own territory. The
Lions’ offense went to work at the 12-yard line and was able
to move the ball down to the 2-yard line before calling for a
timeout with eight seconds left.
Senior kicker Matt Dalessio was true from 18 Lions
yards out to give the College the road win. Dalessio
Profs
had missed two previous tries — from 34 and 47
yards, respectively — but was able to split the uprights when
it really counted.
The 18-yarder was Dalessio’s second game-winning kick
of the season. He was recognized as the New Jersey Athletic
Conference (NJAC) Special Teams Player of the Week for his
efforts.
“I was amazingly really relaxed going out for this field
goal,” Dalessio said. “It was just about me knocking it through
(and) I felt totally confident in my abilities.”
Despite a dramatic finish, the game was devoid of explosive scoring plays. The College finished with 195 yards of total offense while Rowan tallied 173.
Rowan’s second-quarter scoring drive, its only one of the
game, was three plays for 14 yards. The Profs were set up deep
in Lions’ territory after picking off sophomore quarterback
Chris James. Though it was the lone turnover of the game
for the College, the offense had difficulty moving the chains
against the stingy Rowan unit. The visiting Lions punted nine
times and, during one stretch in the first half, went five straight
possessions without earning a first down.
A couple bright spots included the performance of senior
running back Dan Dornacker, who finished with team highs in
rushing (50 yards on 15 runs) and receiving (66 yards on four
catches) yardage. Sophomore running back Lee Jones contributed 28 yards on 10 attempts on the ground and hauled in six
catches for 19 yards.
“The offensive line did an extraordinary job communicating and picking up the blitzes of the Rowan defense (allowing)
us to drive down the field out of Rowan territory,” Jones said.
The Lions’ defense was ranked eighth in the nation entering the contest.
Senior defensive lineman Joe King continued his dominant
season, notching 11 tackles, including 1.5 sacks. He broke up
two passes and recovered the fumble that put the Lions in po10 sition to win.
Other key defensive contributors included
7 junior lineman Marc Fabiano, who led the College with 13 tackles; sophomore linebacker Joe Spahn, who
chipped in nine tackles and forced the fumble that led to the
decisive score; and senior linebacker Nicholas Steffner, who
made a third-quarter interception to kill a Rowan drive.
Head coach Eric Hamilton was more than pleased with the
team’s ability to function with cohesion.
“We are truly a team,” Hamilton said. “So far, we have
never stopped believing or quit. Each group picks up the other.
It’s truly a team effort.”
The victory was the Lions’ second win over a ranked opponent in as many weeks and moves the team’s record on the
season to 4-1 overall and 2-0 in NJAC play.
Hamilton stressed strong leadership as an essential part of
the team’s recent success.
“Our guys played hard again for the second week in a row,”
he said. “Credit the seniors and the coaches.”
The team is in excellent position nearly halfway through
the season. Undefeated in conference play, the Lions will not
need to rely on the fortunes of any other team to make the
playoffs.
“The win raises the bar, and our expectations of winning
the NJAC are one game closer,” Hamilton said.
Hamilton added that the team is singularly focused on preparing for the next game and the challenges it presents, a sentiment echoed by players like Jones.
“We know that we can’t get ahead of ourselves,” Jones
said. “Beating Rowan was great, but now we have to move
onto Monday: workday.”
The team will look to continue building its momentum at 1
p.m. on Saturday against William Paterson University.
Cara MacNeil / Staff Photographer
Senior kicker Matt Dalessio attempts a field
goal in the Lions’ home victory last week.
Women’s Soccer
Shutout fever: Lions continue to dominate
By Justin Jez
Staff Writer
The women’s soccer team
continued its undefeated season
on Saturday, blanking the University of Redlands 4-0.
The No. 3
Lions boast Bulldogs
0
an
11-0-1
Lions
4
overall record and are 4-0-1 in the New
Jersey Athletic Conference
(NJAC).
The team’s leading scorer,
junior forward Jamie Kunkel,
netted the first Lions’ goal just
seven minutes into the game.
Redlands’ sophomore goalkeeper Tenley Rawlings was able to
get a piece of the ball, but the
shot had too much velocity and
rolled over the goal line.
The goal is Kunkel’s 11th
this season. Senior forward
Dana DiBruno was credited
with the assist.
“(DiBruno) fed me the ball
with a pass just over the defender’s head,” Kunkel said.
“I settled it down and took a
shot about five yards out. It had
enough power that, even though
the keeper got a hand on it, I
saw it roll over the line.”
Lions’ soccer shutouts in 2007
as of Oct. 10
��
Roger
Williams
2-0
Washington and
Jefferson
7-0
Gwynedd-Mercy
6-0
Rutgers
Camden
2-0
Three minutes later, sophomore forward Briann McDonough cashed in on a cross
from sophomore midfielder
Kristina Shemming, giving the
Lions a 2-0 lead.
In the 20th minute, sopho-
Club Sports
Update
Men’s rugby hosted the Villanova University
Wildcats on the Green Lane playing fields. The hot
weather was a factor contributing to fatigue and injuries. In the end, it was poor tackling that spelled doom
for the Lions as the Wildcats ran through the arms of
Lions defenders. The bright spot for the team was junior outside center Andrew McConnell, scoring two
tries. Eric “Frosty” Cook was 1-1 on conversion kicks.
The final score was 44-12.
Women’s rugby suffered a tough loss in a hardfought game against divisional opponent University of
Delaware. The Lions will continue their heated rivalry
with the Owls of Temple University this Saturday at
home on the Green Lane playing fields at 11 a.m.
Women’s club soccer lost to Rutgers University
2-0 on Friday. A Rutgers player scored in the first half
when she redirected a corner kick into the goal.Despite
numerous opportunities to score in both the first and
second halves, the College was unable to find the back
of the net. Rutgers scored again near the end of the second half for a 2-0 end result. The College will play its
next game at Lafayette College on Saturday.
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.
Write for
Signal Sports
E-mail signal@tcnj.edu
�
Amherst
5-0
Ramapo
5-0
Stockton
0-0
Rutgers
Newark
8-0
Johns
Hopkins
1-0
University of
Redlands
4-0
more forward Casey Riley added a third goal off of an assist
from junior midfielder Coleen
Weber. The Lions would take
the 3-0 lead into halftime.
Connecting again in the second half, Kunkel and DiBruno
both contributed to the Lions’
fourth and final goal. It was
DiBruno scoring this time from
Kunkel’s pass 11 minutes into
the half.
DiBruno now has seven goals
on the season while Kunkel re-
corded her fourth assist.
“We seem to know where
each other is on the field,” Kunkel said, referring to DiBruno.
“Playing so much together, we
can see the through-ball passes
and can anticipate where (the
other) is going.”
The Lions were relentless as
usual throughout the game, outshooting the Bulldogs 31-7.
Sophomore goalkeeper Jessica Clarke earned her sixth
complete game shutout, making three saves. With the clean
sheet, Clarke extends her scoreless streak to 960 minutes.
Rawlings made 10 saves in
her effort in goal for Redlands.
“We have a long stretch of
away games coming up so we
have to make sure we come
prepared to play every game,”
Kunkel said.
Of the Lions’ final five
games, four of them will be
played on the road.
Today the team will visit
NJAC opponent William Paterson University for a 3:30 p.m.
start.
The team’s next home game
is scheduled for Saturday, Oct.
20, when the College will host
New Jersey City University at
Olympic champion admits
to lying about steroid use
Olympics
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) — Choking back tears, Marion
Jones bowed her head in a desperate effort to regain the composure that used to be her trademark.
“It’s with a great amount of shame that I stand before you
and tell you that I have betrayed your trust,” she said Friday,
admitting she used steroids after years of angry denials. “I
have let my country down, and I have let myself down.”
The owner of five Olympic medals pleaded guilty to lying
to federal investigators when she denied using performanceenhancing drugs.
Jones also pleaded guilty to a second count of lying to investigators about her association with a check-fraud scheme.
Jones is one of the biggest names to be brought down
so far in the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO)
scandal.
Jones had been dogged by suspicions and doping allegations for years. Her ex-husband, C.J. Hunter, was busted for
doping, and Tim Montgomery, the father of her son Monty,
was stripped of his world record in the 100 meters in connection with the BALCO case.
Jones was one of the athletes who testified before a grand
jury in 2003 in the BALCO investigation. In August 2006,
one of her urine samples tested positive for EPO, but she was
cleared when a backup sample tested negative.
But Jones vehemently denied all doping allegations and
sued BALCO founder Victor Conte after he repeatedly accused Jones of using performance-enhancing drugs and said
he watched her inject herself.
No longer.
On Friday, Jones admitted lying to a federal investigator
in November 2003 when he asked if she had used performance-enhancing drugs.
“I answered that I had not. This was a lie, your honor,”
she said.
Jones said she took steroids from September 2000 to July
2001 and said she was told by her then-coach Trevor Graham
that she was taking flaxseed oil when it was actually “the
clear,” a performance-enhancing drug linked to BALCO.
“I consumed this substance several times before the Sydney Olympics and continued using it after,” Jones said.
She said she “felt different, trained more intensely” and
experienced “faster recovery and better times” while using
the substance.
“He told me to put it under my tongue for a few seconds
and swallow it,” she said. “He told me not to tell anyone.”
In September, a search warrant at BALCO uncovered ledgers, purchases, doping calendars and various blood-test results connected to Jones and Graham, Matt Parrella, a Northern California federal prosecutor, said.
In the check-fraud scheme, Jones admitted lying about
her knowledge of Montgomery’s involvement in a scheme
to cash millions of dollars worth of stolen or forged checks.
Montgomery, agent Charles Wells and former coach Olympian Steve Riddick have all been convicted in the scam.
Jones, who is free on own recognizance, is due back in
court Jan. 11 for sentencing.
The maximum sentence on each count is five years and a
$250,000 fine, for a total of 10 years and $500,000.
The International Olympic Committee said Friday it willmove quickly to strip her of her medals.
In a statement, U.S. Olympic Committee chairman Peter
Ueberroth said “her admission is long overdue and underscores
the shame and dishonor that are inherent with cheating.”
AP Photo
Marion Jones admitted to using steroids.
Lions triumph over Profs, Crusaders
Field Hockey
By Kristen Lord
Sports Assistant
lowing junior goalkeeper Caitlin Gregory to face a total of
only six shots on goal for both
The No. 3 field hockey team games.
conquered the competition this
The game against Susquehanweek, extending its winning na also marked head coach Shastreak to six games.
ron Pfluger’s 400th
Profs
0 victory with the ColOpponents Row3 lege’s field hockey
an University and Lions
Susquehanna UniverLions
3 program.
sity left both games
In its 3-0 victory
0 over No. 13 Rowan,
scoreless in the Col- Crusaders
lege’s fourth and fifth shut- the College showed no mercy,
outs of the season. The defense dominating the Profs both ofsoared throughout last week, al- fensively and defensively for
the majority of the game.
The Lions got an early jump
on the Profs as senior midfielder Colleen Dougherty made
contact with a loose ball, directing it straight into the cage
a little more than seven minutes
into the game. The goal marked
the second consecutive game in
which Dougherty added a point
to the scoreboard for the Lions.
“Knowing how good Rowan
usually is, we knew that even if
we were up by one, two or even
three goals, if we let up at all,
they would put the ball in the
cage,” Gregory said. “We continued to play the game as if the
score was 0-0.”
The Lions left no doubt as to
who was taking home a victory
as senior defender Sheri Grondski netted another goal off of a
Junior defender Jackie penalty corner.
With a 2-0 score, the Profs
Gelinas moves the ball. rallied offensively, nearly find-
Photo by Meghan Molony
Senior defender Ashleigh Pecherski protects the ball from senior forward
Danielle Miranda in the College’s game against Rowan University.
ing the net with 12 minutes left
in the half. The ball wound up
getting past Gregory only to
be stopped by junior defender
Jackie Gelinas.
The play was Rowan’s only
close attack on the cage of the
game. Another Lions goal in the
second half made the final score
3-0.
Later in the week, the College went on to face the Crusaders of Susquehanna.
Junior forward Katie Reuther netted her team-leading
eighth game-winning goal of
the season, scoring early in the
first half. Reuther rebounded a
loose ball off the pads of junior
goalkeeper Lyndsay Meabon
and found an open corner of the
cage to tally the College’s first
score of the day.
The final two goals came
in the second half, making the
score 3-0. The Lions outshot the
Crusaders 19-2.
The team may face some challenges this week as it faces off
with Salisbury University on Saturday at 5 p.m. and Johns Hopkins
University on Tuesday at 7:30
p.m., but Gregory is confident her
team will come prepared.
“If we play like I know we
are capable of playing,” she
said, “there is nothing that can
stand in our way.”
Dougherty agreed with Gregory, saying the team should be
able to extend its win streak
with next week’s game.
“We will definitely face
some challenges against Salisbury,” Dougherty said. “They
are a good, aggressive team.
If we continue to work as hard
as we have been and play with
the heart and determination we
have been, the outcome of the
game should be in our favor.”
Men’s Soccer
Lions lose to Falcons, foil Rangers
Written by Steve Hofstetter, Adam Hofstetter, Cody Marley, Ryan Murphy, Elliot
Steingart and Chris Strait
Major League Baseball has set an attendance record for the fourth straight
season, but the old attendance record was
set by fans who trained naturally.
Barry Bonds made his last appearance
as a San Francisco Giant. Wherever he
ends up next year, you will still be able to
see his head from San Francisco.
David Beckham returned to Britain
after his father suffered a near-fatal heart
attack. Man, that whole family will fake
injury to avoid showing up to work.
A cheating scandal has ensnared 23
athletes at Florida State University. The
news shocked many who didn’t realize
Florida State still offered classes.
Notre Dame football is so bad that this
week they lost to the Mets.
The New York Giants set a team record
by sacking Eagles’ quarterback Donovan
McNabb 12 times. McNabb spent more
time on his back than Paris Hilton.
Due to distraction, NFL cheerleaders
are no longer allowed to stretch in front of
any player except Jeff Garcia. Tom Brady
must also stop impregnating them.
This far into the season and St. Louis
Rams defensive end Leonard Little has
no sacks or murders.
And Pat Bertoletti inhaled 21 pounds
of grits in 10 minutes to win $4,000 in the
World Grits Eating Championship. Bertoletti will be using the money toward his
next triple bypass.
For more of the Sports Minute (Or So),
visit minuteorso.com.
By Dan Libertz
Correspondent
According to senior midfielder Joe Mc- goal. The Lions came back on a penalty
Ginley, the grueling outing should prepare kick goal at 76:31 by sophomore forward
the Lions for the tough competition to come Kevin Luber to tie the game at 1-1. It was
The men’s soccer team (8-2-3) fought in the New Jersey Athletic ConLions
1 Luber’s seventh goal of the year.
hard in a double overtime 2-1 loss to Mes- ference (NJAC) tournament.
Luber leads the College this sea2 son with 21 points, consisting of
siah College (11-1-0) on Saturday and
“If we get into the (NJAC) Falcons
defeated Drew University 3-1 at home on tournament, this was a good test
Rangers
1 seven goals and seven assists.
Wednesday.
for us today,” McGinley said.
It was a physical contest for
3 the rest of the game, and frustraSaturday’s game was a tough battle
The Falcons struck first off Lions
with the Lions going blow-for-blow with a turnover that went to senior midfielder tions mounted. At the end of the first overthe Falcons, the No. 2 team in men’s Divi- Patrick Lenehan who threaded it to fresh- time, both teams gathered on the field in
sion III play entering the game.
man midfielder Nick Thompson for the what appeared to be some kind of altercation, but McGinley said it stemmed from
nothing more than a “hard tackle in the box”
and that “just words were exchanged.”
Lions’ senior goalkeeper Steve Scutellaro made 11 saves in the match.
“(Scutellaro has) kept us in games,”
head coach George Nazario said. “There’s
not much he could have done on either
goal today.”
Senior forward Nicholas Kiel also commented on Scutellaro’s play, saying, “He’s
been amazing for us. Neither goal was his
fault. He’s made a lot of big saves for us
the past few games.”
The same Falcon duo that scored the
team’s first goal ended the event in the second overtime at 107:06. Lenehan strung a
pass from the right side over to Thompson
for the game-winner.
On Wednesday, the College beat Drew
3-1. Luber had a three-point day, with a
goal and an assist, while senior defender
Frank Fiorilli and senior midfielder Craig
Langan had the other two goals. Scutellaro had another superior outing with 12
saves.
The Lions will face William Paterson
University on Wednesday at 3 p.m. and
Kean University on Saturday at 3 p.m.
Sophomore defender/midfielder Anthony Staropoli controls the ball. Both games will be played at the College.
4 6
LIONS
AROUND THE
DORM
5 3
Justin Jez
“The Ref”
Lauren Kohout
Editor-in-Chief
Brandon Lee
News Editor
Bobby Olivier
Correspondent
Daunte Culpepper, a baseball umpire, Isiah Thomas and — Whoopi Goldberg? Read on to find out what these familiar faces are doing in this week’s installment of Around the Dorm. Editor-in-chief Lauren Kohout, news editor Brandon Lee and correspondent Bobby
Olivier will answer the questions of the almighty referee, staff writer and last week’s AtD winner Justin Jez.
1) The bottom four teams in the NFL last
year have all enjoyed success in the young
2007 season. Of the Raiders, Lions, Browns
and Buccaneers, who has been the biggest
surprise thus far? Who will finish the season with the best record?
LK: I don’t know if I’m more surprised that
the Raiders are 2-2 or just that the Chargers
are sitting under them at 2-3. However, the
Raiders and Browns have only split their
games so far, so I’m not too surprised. But
the Bucs and Lions going 3-2 to start the
season? Now that’s crazy, especially since
the Bucs are in first. I say the Bucs finish
with the better record since they have less
competition in their division. Atlanta and
New Orleans are going nowhere fast while
the Panthers aren’t much to worry about
either. The Lions, however, are sitting behind a 4-1 Brett Favre whom they haven’t
played even once. Plus, even the Eagles
beat the Lions. Jeff Garcia also has the upper hand for the Bucs because players always do better once they leave Philly.
BL: At 3-2, the Lions are the biggest surprise
of this season, having already matched last
year’s win total. Right now, the offense is
clicking without much of a running game
thanks to John Kitna and Mike Martz’s airit-out offense. The defense is still suspect,
but Detroit’s version of the “greatest show
on turf” is masking those flaws. However,
the Raiders will have the best record out of
these surprise teams. Daunte Culpepper is
playing solid and Lamont Jordan is second
in the NFL in rushing yards. It seems like
the once-suspect offensive line is performing well, and that means trouble for the
rest of the league. As long as the offense
scores about 17 points a game, the defense
will take care of the rest. They have tackle
machine Kirk Morrison and perhaps one of
the best secondaries in the league with possible Pro Bowlers at every position.
BO: Although the Raiders, Lions, Browns
and Buccaneers all performed dismally
last season, I believe the biggest surprise
this year so far has been the Raiders. After
finishing 2-14 last season with a miserable
offense, the Raiders have enjoyed success
with their rehabilitated and back-on-track
quarterback Culpepper. The Raiders, who
are not even using their most prized acquisition, the strong-armed JaMarcus Russell,
have been doing well for themselves and
their crazy fans. I believe the team that will
finish with the best record, however, will
be the Lions because they play in the softer
NFC. Their division rivals, sans the surprising Green Bay Packers, are nothing to
brag about. Before the season started, John
Kitna predicted the Lions would go 10-6. I
do not think they will reach that mark, but
they will finish around 8-8, or possibly 9-7,
with some luck.
JJ: Brandon earns 3 and narrowly takes
the win this round. I like the analysis,
especially about the Raiders O-line. Be
careful though; the Raiders defense isn’t
that good. Kohout earns 2 this round. I
agree Philly fans think every player plays
better after they leave, and you and Olivier both mentioned a weak NFC. Bobby, good point that the No. 1 pick has not
even contributed, but someone had to be
low man/woman and I liked the other
answers just a little more — 1 point.
2) In the Rockies and Padres’ 13-inning
thriller to decide who would advance to
the postseason, Rockies’ star Matt Holliday scored the winning run for the Rockies.
Later, Holliday said that while he was not
certain he touched the plate, all that matters is he was called “safe.” Do you think
MLB should use instant replay? If so, in
what situations?
LK: If I were Holliday, I would have kept
that little detail to myself. As for instant replay in baseball, it just can’t happen. The
only time it would be needed is on a debated home run call where a fan may have
interfered (damn Steve Bartman — sorry
Cubbies). Plus, half of baseball is about
being lucky. To add instant replay to general calls, like a play at home or a fair/foul
call, would take away from the game. Give
Bobby Cox a red challenge flag and you’ll
realize soon enough how annoying it would
be. Fans complain about the slow speed of
the game as it is; does baseball really want
to slow it down even more? Or should we
just go with what has been working for the
last century and a half?
BL: Instant replay should be used at the
discretion of the umps. When a game is on
the line, you don’t want an ump with a bad
angle to ruin your season. If an ump has a
hard time making a call, albeit an important season-deciding call, the umps should
look at the tape. Instant replay should also
be used for giving suspensions when bench
clearing brawls occur. Sometimes, umps
don’t get the suspensions completely right
and can punish the incorrect players.
BO: I do not believe MLB needs to use instant replay. Baseball has been played professionally for well over a century without
instant replays, and if instant replays were
added to this historically imperfect game,
it would change the face of the game. Un-
like any other sport, baseball has infinite
amounts of “gray area” plays, especially
with called balls/strikes. Instant replay
would need its own separate rulebook just to
distinguish between which plays and calls
are reviewable and which are not. Baseball
has always been a game that comes down
to the discretion of the umpires. Players
and fans come into the game knowing this,
and there is no reason to change the face of
America’s pastime. The game itself is long
enough anyway.
JJ: Kohout earns 3 this round. Kohout,
your and Bobby’s answers are very similar, but I like idea of luck as an integral
part of the game. Bobby gets 2 for also
mentioning that instant replay would
slow the game down and ruin its integrity. Brandon, fights can be dealt with
after the game by league officials, but instant replay would not be feasible to use
during the game. Things would get very
complicated in an already slow sport.
3) Knicks’ head coach Isiah Thomas was
found guilty of sexually harassing a former
female Knicks’ executive. As a result, Madison Square Garden was assessed a total of
$11.6 million dollars in punitive damages.
Will this affect the team, and do you think
the Knicks should reprimand Thomas in
any way?
LK: I still don’t get why the Garden was
fined and not Thomas. Isn’t it time they got
rid of him anyway? He hasn’t exactly been
putting together a powerhouse lately. I say
fire him. Whoever replaces him already has
a shot at making them better. The Knicks
know their coach is ridiculous, and Knicks’
fans know it too. Whoopi Goldberg could
do a better job coaching this Knicks team.
I’m interested to see if ticket prices will
rise again to cover the fines or if they’ll
drop even lower than last year since no one
went to the games. Poor Knickerbockers.
BL: Have I ever mentioned that I hate
Thomas? Anyway, the Knicks will do fine
and challenge for the eighth seed in the
Eastern Conference. If they can get through
the brawl in Denver, they can get through
this lawsuit. It really doesn’t damage the
team’s image anyway because Thomas is
a punk. The circus really is in Madison
Square Garden, and it’s not the Ringling
Bros. and Barnum & Bailey — it’s the
Knicks. This is really a bad situation, but
the Garden’s chairman Jim Dolan will just
pay his money and that’s that. The Knicks
should reprimand Thomas by taking away
his midlevel exception and trading duties,
and give them to me. He should be allowed
to only coach and draft players. Seriously,
he should be fined or suspended. In a regular office job, he would most likely be fired
immediately. WTF Isiah?
BO: Although Thomas’s incident with the
Knicks’ executive is very unfortunate, I
do not think it will affect the team significantly. The teams of the last few years have
been under constant scrutiny for lack-luster coaching, playing and transactions. I do
not believe this will affect them in a negative way because they seem to play poorly
no matter what, but I am sure this whole
incident has not helped things. Reprimanding Thomas will only hurt the organization
further. The Knicks have enough problems
with defense, salary caps and player egos
without their head coach getting slapped
on the wrist in front of eight million New
Yorkers.
JJ: Bobby wins this round and gets the
3. Thomas did just get slapped on the
wrist. At this point, firing him is the least
of their worries. Kohout earns 2 because
I like the Whoopi reference and because
if I were GM of the Knicks, I would fire
him immediately. Brandon, I wasn’t
sure if you think he should be fined, suspended or fired. I do like the circus analogy though.
Brandon gets 5, Bobby gets 6 and Kohout gets 7 and the win.
Whoopi!
—Kohout
LIONS ROUNDUP
Football
NJAC
OVERALL
School
W
L
PF
PA
W L
PF
PA
SUNY Cortland
The College of NJ
Montclair State
Rowan
W. Connecticut
Buffalo State
Kean
William Paterson
3
2
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
2
2
2
107
29
50
47
45
84
30
20
41
16
41
28
60
87
70
69
4
4
4
3
3
2
2
2
192
95
124
119
137
133
129
91
76
50
104
64
133
135
125
111
1
1
1
2
2
3
3
3
Lion of
the Week
Joe
Spahn
Men’s Soccer
NJAC
Football
OVERALL
School
W L T GF GA
W L T GF GA
Montclair State
New Jersey City
The College of NJ
Rutgers-Camden
Ramapo
Kean
Richard Stockton
Rowan
William Paterson
Rutgers-Newark
4
4
3
3
2
2
1
1
1
0
11 1
10 3
8 2
8 5
9 1
5 8
7 4
6 5
7 6
7 5
1
1
0
1
1
3
3
3
4
4
0 9 3
0 12 6
2 9 6
1 4 3
1 8 5
0 9 10
1 8 11
1 6 8
0 6 12
0 5 12
Women’s Soccer
NJAC
1
0
3
1
1
0
2
1
0
1
38
56
33
27
32
20
43
27
24
31
3
16
16
14
6
28
16
17
19
22
OVERALL
W L
T GF GA
W L T GF GA
The College of NJ
Richard Stockton
Ramapo
Kean
Rowan
Montclair State
William Paterson
Rutgers-Camden
Rutgers-Newark
New Jersey City
4
3
3
3
3
3
2
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
1
1
0
11
10
9
7
10
4
6
5
3
6
12
6
9
6
9
11
7
4
4
3
1
2
6
5
4
8
6
13
13
13
Field Hockey
NJAC
0
2
4
4
2
6
6
6
8
6
1
1
1
2
0
1
0
3
1
0
48
30
41
28
43
19
21
32
31
33
W
L GF GA
W
L
The College of NJ
Kean
William Paterson
Rowan
Ramapo
Montclair State
Richard Stockton
2
2
2
1
1
1
0
0
1
1
1
1
2
3
9
7
8
6
4
9
2
1
3
4
4
7
2
11
2
4
4
5
3
8
8
2
6
22
18
14
19
13
21
30
22
OVERALL
School
6
9
8
3
1
6
1
University fumble on the Prof’s 12-yard line. The
turnover resulted in the winning drive for the
Lions, who took the game 10-7. Spahn recorded
a total of nine tackles on the night, helping the
defense limit Rowan to 173 offensive yards.
—Kristen Lord, Sports Assistant
This Week In Sports
School
0
1
1
1
1
2
3
4
4
4
With 2:12 left to play in a tied score, sophomore linebacker Joe Spahn forced a Rowan
Sports Trivia
When was the last time the New York Jets
defeated the New York Giants in the regular
season?
Answer to last week’s question: the 1938 Pittsburgh Pirates and the 1934 New York Giants.
Football
October 13
@ William Paterson University, 1 p.m.
Menʼs Soccer
October 10
vs. William Paterson University, 3 p.m.
October 13
vs. Kean University, 3 p.m.
Womenʼs Soccer
October 10
@ William Paterson University, 3:30 p.m.
October 13
@ Kean University, 7 p.m.
Field Hockey
October 13
vs. Salisbury University, 5 p.m.
October 16
vs. Johns Hopkins University, 7:30 p.m.
Tennis
October 10-14
@ ITA Nationals
Game of the Week
Field Hockey
The No. 3 Lions face the No. 4 Sea Gulls of
Salisbury University as they try to extend their
winning streak to seven games. The Lions are
on a roll, shutLions vs. Salisbury University
ting out both
Oct. 13, 5 p.m.
Susquehanna
and Rowan universities last week. Both teams
come into the matchup with only one loss
each.

Campus spooked by false alarm

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