Who`s in Your Class?

Campus Racket
The
The Award Winning Voice of the WCCC Student Body
March 2013
VIPER Program Gives
Veterans a Fighting Chance
By Sean McNally
It has become unfortunate
that military veterans do not
receive the same type of academic opportunities as most
other traditional college students. The reason for this is that
a good deal of service training
does not match the academic
subjects offered in colleges,
despite them having fairly
evaluated the military courses.
Luckily, here at Warren County
Community College, these
people would receive the same
opportunity to earn a degree as
non-veterans.
The V.I.P.E.R. program, or
Veterans In Pursuit of Educational Readiness, was founded
by Dr. Robert Sintich and has
since started up in January. Dr.
Sintich is the Area Chair of the
English, History, and Sociology and Professor of Social Science and History departments
at WCCC. Sintich stated that
the name for this curriculum
“it would be breaking
new ground by awarding
more college credits for
military service.”
- Dr. Robert Sintich
of study came from a good
friend of his. He had informed
me through e-mail, “He was a
well decorated Marine in Vietnam with three purple hearts
and the Silver Star and VIPER
was his call sign.” The name of
Continued on page 3
Online Gambling
Now Legal In NJ
By Garrett McGuinness
New Jersey Governor
Chris Christie recently signed
the Online Gambling Measure
that was passed by the NJ legislature which allows casinos
to host websites where gambling is permitted under their
banner. At the time of this
writing, the bill allows for any
casino located within the borders of Atlantic City to have
access to the tools necessary to
allow patrons to make wagers
from the comfort of their
home through cyberspace.
New Jersey residents and
officials are fearful that the
gambling community in NJ
has going stagnant due to
neighboring states and their
casinos, such as Sands Casino
located in Pennsylvania. Many
people who would ordinarily
not travel to Atlantic City due
to distance or other reasons,
will now have access to the
games and wages available at
the brick-and-mortar locations
due to this new law.
Profits from online gambling will be focused on the
much of the ravaged shoreline
and infrastructure. These new
measures will financially help
during the ongoing repair process, as Wells Fargo Security
Finance associates confidently
predict between $650 million and $850 million dollars
in revenue during the short
term alone, according to The
Star Ledger. The much needed
boost in income will help the
Continued on page 4
Who’s in Your Class?
By Barbara Donnelly
The power of touch is
known to have important
physical and emotional benefits for humans. Health research has found that there are
benefits from one single massage. Massage is a technique of
rubbing, pressing and manipulating the muscles and ligaments of the body. A great way
to experience this is through
Warren County Community
College’s massage program
that has been in place since
1998. The program continues
to grow and expand to meet
the industry standards. Program coordinator and director,
Dianne Czar says, “Massage
is a great way to reduce stress,
unwind and lessen chronic
muscular problems.”
Lisa Sheeley is a student
of massage therapy at Warren
County Community College.
She was born in the Bronx and
lived there for 30 years when
“I think that to be truly
great at what you do, and
to change someone’s life
with it, is an amazing gift
to give someone. I like to
make people feel special,”
- Lisa Sheeley
she met her husband Richard,
an IT manager, and moved
to New Jersey. Although she
misses the friends, family,
great Italian restaurants and
access to NY City, she likes
Phillipsburg because it is close
to farmland and she enjoys the
new friends that she has made
here.
Lisa is of Italian American
background with long brown
natural curly hair and dark expressive eyes. She is a 42 year
young, mother of three. Her
oldest son Ben, 17, is a senior
at Phillipsburg High School.
Her eight year old son Noah is
a wrestler for the Phillipsburg
Falcons. Daughter Charlotte,
age two, has started dance
class. “I love to see her in her
little pink tutu. It gives me
such a joy to do girly things
with her. Sometimes when I
practice massage she tries to
help by rubbing their arm. It’s
really pretty cute,” Lisa Sheeley
explains with a warm smile.
She is a cat lover and has two
cats and two dogs.
Lisa Sheeley is an excellent
example of a student who has
Lisa Sheeley
returned to college in midlife
to change her direction. She
was a stay-at-home mom for
about eight and a half years.
Prior to starting a family Lisa
graduated from Mt. St. Vincent, College in Riverdale, NY.
She worked as a legal secretary at Clemente, Mueller and
Tobia, P.A. in Cedar Knolls, NJ
Continued on page 2
Page 2
Who's Who
of The
Campus Racket
Faculty Advisor
Karen Hillyer
Graphics & Layout
Faculty Advisor
Rich Homa
Editor-in-Chief
Garrett McGuinness
Business Manager
Jamaela Waiters
Contributors
Lydia Akehurst
Celine Allen
Linnea Comtois
Barbara Donnelly
Theresa Kolodzieski
Shiela Larson
Sean McNally
Stephanie Thompson
Ryan Wyckoff
Andrew Yosh
Important
Dates:
Fall Registration
for current students
begins on March 18
Spring Break
March 11-March 16
Last Day to Withdraw
Without Academic
Penalty - March 25
In-Service Day
Wednesday, March 27
No Classes, Offices Closed
Who’s in Your Class?
Continued from front page
for a number of years.
When Lisa’s youngest started school in the fall of 2012
she felt this was the right time
for her to seek a new career
and do something for herself.
Massage therapy is something
she had considered for some
time and felt that it was a good
time and opportunity for her
to pursue it.
Lisa’s husband, family and
friends are her biggest supporters and encouraged her to
be where she is today. “Mommy guilt” can be such a powerful deterrent that without their
support she would not have attempted it. Her husband said,
“You need to do this, we’ll be
fine for a year.”
Warren County Community College is close to
Sheeley’s home in Phillipsburg
and has evening and weekend hours that fit her family
schedule. She felt going to
school during the day, five
days a week was too difficult
at this point in her life. Lisa
started the massage program
at WCCC in September 2012
and is planning to finish in
August 2013.
She has completed her
Massage Theory, Technique
and Practice and has started
Kinesiology and Anatomy and
Physiology. In February she
will begin working on people
from the public here at the
college. Later in the spring she
will take Sports, Neuromuscular, and Shiatsu massage.
Lisa enjoys having different
instructors. She feels that each
brings something unique to
her learning experience which
helps her to gain a better, more
rounded approach to her new
profession.
In her free time she practices yoga and enjoys 80’s
music. After taking a Wilton
cake decorating course a few
years ago she has added baking cakes, cupcakes and cookies for enjoyment. Her favorite
holiday is Halloween. “I am
already starting to think about
this year’s costumes. I would
like to go to London and Italy
someday although flying is not
my favorite activity,” says Lisa.
Lisa tries to treat other
people the way she wants to
be treated. When people treat
her well she shows her appre-
ciation by doing something
special for them. “I love Martha Stewart and usually do it in
the form of baked goods. I’m
excited to see what the future
holds for me, my classmates,
and my kids. I would like to
be at the place in my massage
career where I feel confident
and can actually make people
feel better,” says Lisa.
She understands how difficult school can be. “I find it a
real challenge and time commitment, juggling my family’s
needs along with class, study
and practice,” says Sheeley. To
her fellow students she says,
“Do not give up. I know for
me, sometimes it’s not a matter of not being able to do it;
it’s a matter of not believing
you’re able to do it. I have a
lot of respect for people who
try something, fail, and try it
again. It’s so much easier to
just walk away.”
WCCC massage program
offers individual massages,
available in the spring, on a
first-come first- serve basis, for
a reduced rate of $25 and $20
for seniors. Call (908) 8359222 ex.7624. If you are interested in learning about this
program please call Dianne
Czar at (908) 835-2333. ▲
10 Tips for Managing Stress
By Celine Allen
For college students, these last
few months of the school year
often mean hunkering down,
hitting the books, completing requirements, handing in
papers, studying for examsin
short, super high stress.
Here are some tips for dealing
with that stress.
1. Eat healthy.
Many of us find that, when
anxiety seems overwhelming,
the allure of sweet, rich, highfat foods is almost impossible
to resist. In moderation these
foods are okay; eat too much
of them, though, and they’re
not. Sugary foods, for instance,
can make us fat. They can also
put us on a roller coaster of
sugar highs followed by awful
crashes.
2. Drink healthy.
Speaking of crashes, highenergy drinks cause the same
problem: short-lived bursts of
energy and then total exhaustion. Routine use of such
drinks can cause anxiety or
depression. They can also interfere with sleep. And there’s
nothing worse than being
caught in a jittery haze with
your mind racing when the
only thing you want to do is
to close your eyes, tune everything out, and rest.
3. Get enough sleep.
All-nighters may work for the
short term (although that’s
debatable), but they sure don’t
work for the long haul. When
you sleep, something in you
gets re-fueled. Skimp on sleep
and you’ll be running on less
than a full tank. Keep doing
it and, over time, you’ll find
yourself running on fumes,
which can’t last long and will
certainly damage your engine.
4. Exercise.
Exercise is important for
health and fitness—and, in
the case of college students,
for a break from the sedentary
routine of sitting in front of
a computer all day. But exercise is important for another
reason too: it reduces stress.
When we exercise, our bodies release chemicals called
endorphins, which lower the
perception of pain and trigger
positive feelings.
Continued on following page
Page 3
Scholarship Opportunities
for Honor Students
All You Need To Know - Phi Theta Kappa
By Theresa Kolodzieski
Most four year colleges
and universities host sororities
and fraternities that students
can become a part of. Warren
County Community College
does not have the opportunities
of having frat houses and sorority houses, but Warren does
have an honor society called
Phi Theta Kappa which many
people do not know about let
alone have ever heard of.
Advisor, Rose Lynch has
been involved with the Phi
Theta Kappa for a total of nine
years. The Phi Theta Kappa
chapter of Alpha Upsilon Rho
has been at Warren County
Community College since
1981. Lynch, who also advises
the Student Government Association, states, “Phi Theta
Kappa is the International
Honor Society of two year
colleges.” Lynch described the
criteria for the National Society,
“Every Fall and Spring semester
we send out letters of invitation
to students who meet the criteria and the criteria is 1.Must
have a career grade point
average of 3.5 or higher, 2.Currently enrolled in an associate
degree program, 3.Have at least
12 credits of Warren County
Community College college
level credits, transfer credits do
not count.”
The scholarship opportunities that Phi Theta Kappa
has are a benefit for all Community College students who
are looking to transfer to a
four-year college. If students
are interested in looking at
the different four year colleges
and universities the Phi Theta
Kappa website is www.ptk.org
and students can search by state
for the colleges and universities that have the Phi Theta
Kappa scholarships available.
Although, not all four-year
colleges and universities have
Phi Theta Kappa scholarships,
and not all Phi Theta Kappa
members are guaranteed a
scholarship when transferring.
Although there is a one-time
admission fee of $75.00 into the
Phi Theta Kappa, it is a small
price to pay for the amount of
scholarships a member may
have available to them when
graduating and transferring.
Although it is difficult to
get students to participate in
events, Phi Theta Kappa always
manages to create a refreshment table at every of the
visiting author nights here on
campus. Other events Phi Theta Kappa is involved with are:
information tables, gift drives,
and fundraisers for the Domestic Abuse and Sexual Assault
Crisis Center along with the
American Cancer Society’s
Relay for Life at the Denim Day
Picnic. One of the most recent
events the Phi Theta Kappa
Honor Society was involved
with was hosting the first annual C4 Signing event in which
Continued on page 7
Tips for Managing Stress
VIPER
Program
5. Take a “time out.”
One of the things that contribute to stress is overload. As
requirements and responsibilities and deadlines pile up, we
get overloaded. Then we start
multitasking. Then we start
multitasking the multitasks.
Soon we can’t even think.
Before we get to that point we
need to step back, to disengage
for a moment, to zoom out, as
it were, and look at the bigger
picture.
Continued from front page
Continued from page 2
6. Take Control
Try to take control of what you
can control. As you’re taking
that time out, ask yourself:
Is there anything I can do to
make things better? More
manageable? Less anxietyproducing? You might want to
consider creating a calendar
for yourself, for example, so
that you can organize your
time and plan, so that you can
be the driver instead of being
driven.
7. Accept that you can’t
control everything. The fact
is that, no matter how carefully
we plan, no matter how hard
we work, we cannot control
everything. No one can. This
doesn’t mean we shouldn’t plan,
or work. What it does mean is
that, after we have done all the
planning and working, we can
allow ourselves to relax a bit,
to unclench and let go of the
tension.
8. Let yourself laugh.
Give yourself permission to
lighten up. It’s not always easy
to laugh—especially at yourself—but laughter is a powerful stress reliever. Laughter
can penetrate half-truths and
illusions. It can cut through
crippling self-importance. It
can signal recognition of the
absurdity of so many things in
life. Best of all, it can free you
to be your best self and to connect to others.
9. Talk to someone.
Social networking is great for
staying connected, for sharing news, plans, opinions. But
when it comes to the things
that really matter—fears, worries, hopes, dreams—nothing
beats face-to-face communication with someone you trust.
The very act of putting deeply
felt thoughts into words and
sharing them with someone
else may give you a whole new
perspective.
10. Breathe.
When we’re emotionally
stressed, our respirations become fast and shallow. And
this only adds another dimension—a physical one—to our
stress, because we’re depriving
ourselves of oxygen. So, the
next time you find yourself
getting sucked into a vortex of
anxiety, stop. Be still for a minute. Take a slow, deep breath.
It will open up your mind and
take some of the burden off
your heart.
One final note:
Managing your stress can
make classes more enjoyable
and give you more free time—
because you’ll spend less time
worrying. ▲
the program is somewhat of a
tribute to him because he also
informed me, “He unfortunately passed away on January
22, 2013.”
The main reason for putting this plan into action was
because there are not many
schools in the country that
give people with military experience a fair amount of college
equivalent credits for their
service time and training. Dr.
Sintich moved forward with
this project because “it would
be breaking new ground by
awarding more college credits
for military service.”
The VIPER program has
the potential to award participants 34 college level training
and an additional 11 credits
for military training related to
the specific curriculum for a
total of 45 credits. This means
that students may only need
16 credits from WCCC to
Continued on page 4
Page 4
Screamin’ for Cream
More Culinary Classes
for Colleges Please!
By Andrew Yosh
I scream, you scream, we
all scream for ice cream, am I
right? Seems everybody loves
the stuff. The statistics don’t lie:
according to the International
Ice Cream Association, ninetyeight percent of American
households consume ice cream.
Each person, on average, consumes 23.2 quarts of delectable
dairy desserts every year. And
most sundaes are sold on –
guess which day? Sunday, of
course!
What is it about that sweet
cream that gets us going so
much? (Or stopping to eat it, for
that matter?) It’s rather simple.
Ice cream consists of three standard ingredients: cream, skim
milk, and sugar. Other flavors
and ingredients are added, but
the three most important ingredients are what we all truly love.
The cream – heavy cream, the
same kind of substance that real
whipped cream is made out of
– is, well, creamy. This is what
we owe that custardy, creamy
texture to.
Next, skim milk is used to
help thin out the cream. Finally, add some sugar, some cold
temperatures, stir it around…
VIPER
Continued from page 3
earn a degree in as little as one
semester. Those students with
former or current military
experience without 34 credits
of college level training have
the opportunity to take courses concentrated in any of the
following areas: automotive,
computer science, business,
fire science, criminal justice,
or food and beverage management.
This program is running
through the help of Thomas
Edison State College. This
well-known New Jersey based
school works with WCCC
in awarding additional college credits to students for
military training, even though
they are not on their military
transcripts. This is possible
by transferring the credits to
TESC. This makes the program
“educationally unique” because
no other community college in
the country has this
opportunity available to
The following editorial is personal opinion and not necessarily
the viewpoint of the Campus Racket staff.
By Lydia Akehurst
and you’ve got yourself some
ice cream. Everybody loves
milk, fat and sugar. Sugary
cream, diabetic’s dream. Who
can resist that much insulin?
Well, since we don’t have
school on Sunday, we’ve carried
that sweet dairy goodness into
Monday. Sundaes on Monday!
On February 25th, from noon
till two p.m., free ice cream
sundaes (with ‘the works’: hot
fudge, caramel, sprinkles, cherries, whipped cream) and hot
chocolate was gobbled up and
sucked down by our students
and faculty, courtesy of Ms.
Rose Lynch and the SGA (Student Government Association).
Missed your ice cream
fix? There’ll be some more ice
cream socials in the near future
– ideally, once a month, the
first Monday of each month,
according to advisor Rose
Lynch. Until then, however,
you’re on your own.
their students.
There have been a small
group of students who have
taken this program for a test
run. These students are either veterans, currently active
members of the military, or
are in the reserves, according to Dr. Sintich. One such
student that is enrolled in the
VIPER program is Christopher
DiGilio. He had informed me
that, “He did a little over eight
years in the Marine Corps and
got out in August.” He “feels
that it is a great program in
assisting Veterans in getting
accustomed to the change.” He
had also said, “I already have
about half the credits needed
to get an Associate’s Degree
and that to me is great.” Dr.
Sintich also reported that they
are “off to a good start.” He said
that they are hoping to hire a
full time VIPER coordinator
in the very near future. But, in
the meantime eligible students
should take every advantage of
this kind of educational opportunity for themselves. ▲
Who likes to cook? Better yet- who loves to cook?
Food is a part of our everyday
lives and if we someday hope
to have a family we’ll want to
provide them with a wonderful
yet healthy home cooked meal,
right? I am constantly thinking
of what kind of food to make
next and how I can benefit from
what I eat. It’s so important if
you want to feel good and have
a healthy lifestyle, the changes
you make in your life regarding your diet can determine
whether you live or die! Being
a college student, it’s hard to
find the time to make the right
food, as most people would say;
but I say you have to make the
time. Most of the time, people
don’t feel like making their own
food, unfortunately that’s the
source of it all. You don’t have
to make home cooked meals all
the time, and if you’re short on
budget you can try those meal
plans that send you your food
weekly; but getting in the habit
of making your own food is
very valuable in life.
So my point with all of
this is wondering why not all
schools have something for
students to pursue their cook-
Gambling
Continued from front page
needy residents and businesses
inhabiting the shore, along
with a more constant and
alternative stream of income.
There are currently 12 casinos
in operation within Atlantic
City, all of which would generate a whole new flow of income
on top of what is already offered by the brick-and-mortar
locations.
When asked for their opinions about the new gambling
legislation, many people are
unaware, yet ecstatic to learn
that such options are now
available for gamblers. What
most concerns people is the
lack of social interaction and
scenery present when gambling online. Terrence Ven-
ing dream? At Warren County
Community College, they offer
a Food and Beverage Management degree which provides
courses such as food preparation and baking and pastry arts
which is great! In order to take
these courses the students must
be able to drive to Hunterdon
County Polytech certain days
of the week because there isn’t
enough room here. It would be
fantastic if one day there could
be courses for culinary arts
right here in town. It’s awesome
that it’s offered at a community
college, sacrifice is a part of life
though. Those who truly want
a career in Food and Beverage
would make it work.
At my high school we had
cooking class and each of those
students learned about stuff
they love – yummy, delicious
food. They made all different
kinds of food such as pasta dinners, crepes, salsa and calzones.
I think if every school had a
culinary cooking experience
they would benefit greatly from
it and some would even make
it their careers. In order to be
happy you have to do something you love- if I wasn’t such
a neat freak, food would be my
first choice.
gents states, “I like the scenery.
I’ll still go out to places for
free drinks and hot waitresses
running around. I (like to be) a
people person when I go out.”
Others had concerns about
the ease of access to online
gambling and the problems
that may come with it in terms
of gambling addiction. Chelsea
writes” Well, I think it is stupid. Yes people love to gamble,
but you gotta think of all the
people its gonna put into debt.”
Eric, a Business Management Major made a poignant
remark, stating that the possible abuse of online gambling
(specifically, hackers and those
trying to cheat the system)
may be a large problem.
As the decade passes on,
Continued on page 7
Page 5
“Colors of New England”
Trip
sponsored by Continuing Education
Be charmed by the colors of New England on this 8-day
tour that brings you from the heart of historic Boston to the
farms, coast and mountains of the north. Tour historic Boston during a two-night stay; explore Woodstock, Vermont,
a quintessential New England village.
Tour Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory and sample some of
their delicious creations. Watch apples transform into cider
before your eyes at Cold Hollow Cider Mill. Learn about
the maple sugaring industry of New England on a farm
tour of the Rocks Estate.
Relax during your cruise along Lake Winnipesaukee,
admiring the splendid view. Dig in at a traditional New
England lobster dinner. Admire Maine’s dramatic coast and
discover the seaside communities of Boothbay Harbor and
Kennebunkport. This is New England at its best! TVL610A1
Call 835-2333to receive a detailed itinerary.
Trip departs Oct. 6, 2013
For more information
contact Nicole Vitale.
Office hours every first and third
Wednesday of the month.
10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
in Academic Services
201.355.1459
vitalen@felician.edu
felician.edu
Coming March 11, 2014
“Irish Splendor”
STUDENTS FIRST
Spend your next St. Patrick’s Day where it all began!
Page 6
E n t e r t a i n m e n t
Are Nine Nominations for
Best Picture Too Many?
By Linnea Comtois
For those who did not
watch the Academy Awards
on February 24th, the winner
of this category was “Argo”, a
film depicting the rescue of
six United States diplomats
from Iran during the 1979
hostage crisis. “Argo” is undeniably an accomplished piece
of work,” says Los Angeles
film critic Kenneth Turan.
There were eight other films
nominated: “Amour,” “Beasts
of the Southern Wild,” “Django
Unchained,” “Les Misérables,”
“Life of Pi,” “Lincoln,” “Silver
Linings Playbook,” and “Zero
Dark Thirty.” Did all these
films, however, need to be
nominated?
In 2009, the Academy decided to increase the number
of nominaations allowed in
the Best Picture category from
five to ten. This announcement
was met with a mix of enthusiasm and annoyance. Those
in favor of the increase argued
it would bring more publicity
to more films, though many
others thought that having
more nominees was pointless
because there are only a few
excellent movies each year
anyway.
More nominations for the
Best Picture category put more
pressure on the moviegoer
to see every film that has a
chance to win. In this struggling economy, where movie
tickets cost anywhere from ten
to twelve dollars, individuals
wanting to see all the films
nominated might have to
choose one or two because of
these high ticket prices. Attending the showing of all nine
films would mean coming up
with at least $100, which is
inconceivable to many people,
particularly students.
The action of watching
these films in the theatre can
be much more difficult than it
initially seems. Movie theatres
in the immediate area may not
carry lesser known nominated
films, such as “Amour,” a foreign film that was a contender
in this year’s Best Picture
category. This can be a problem for many students in this
rural area of New Jersey, where
movie theatres often only
screen big name blockbusters.
Despite any arguments
about the Best Picture Award,
in any environment where
there is competition for a singular award, a decision must
be made. Whether chosen
from a group of five or ten,
there is still only one winner
for Best Picture of 2012.
NEED SPACE FOR YOUR
NEW AND EMERGING
SMALL BUSINESS?
Warren County Community College
Transforming vision into reality
STEPS FROM THE
PA
BORDER
WCCC Small Business Growth Center
445 Marshall Street, Phillipsburg, NJ
For Info Call:
(908)835-2432
- Book Review -
“Something Wicked
This Way Comes”
attracts a new audience.
By Stephanie Thompson
Although it is a book that
was written in the sixties and
adapted into a movie in the
early eighties by Disney, which
was directed by Jack Clayton,
Something Wicked This Way
Comes to this day is loved by
many people. Written by Ray
Bradford, Something Wicked
follows the two main characters, Jim Nightshade and
William Halloway who are
thirteen year old boys. In the
story they cross paths with a
circus that comes to town in
the middle of the night. All
throughout the book, they are
finding out the mystery behind
the shady circus group. The
duo encounters a merry-goround that changes their age,
mirrors that steal souls, plastic
fortune tellers that feel emotions and many more creepy
characters that the reader is
introduced to in the story.
Ultimately, this story conveys
the struggle between good and
evil, leaving the boys to choose
which side they want to be on.
The novel Something Wicked
This Way Comes is a definite
page turner and will keep you
wanting more.
A note to reader: Do not
read this book at night, especially in the dark!
- Film Review -
Warm Bodies Succeeds in
Making a Zombie Cute
By Sheila Larson
While most zombie movies start from pre-apocalyptic
America, Warm Bodies begins
at the near end of an uninfected human race. The romanticcomedy introduces us to an
awkward teenage walking
corpse who narrates his inner
thoughts as a zombie adjusting
to the strange lifestyle, which
was an interesting perspective
to receive when the typical
zombie film contains no dialogue for the creatures beyond
shrilling screams or the sound
of their heads being blown off.
“R”, played by Nicholas Hoult,
just wanders about purposely
this way until he discovers a
human in the middle of a mission to retrieve supplies from
the zombie-ridden area. Julie
(Teresa Palmer) is the spunky
and rebellious daughter of the
man in charge of destroying
corpses and keeping human
survivors safe, Grigio, played
by John Malkovich. With help
from Julie, R discovers that
the power of the human connection is strong enough to
stir even the most lifeless of
individuals.
The film is a touching love story about two
people (well, one person and
a corpse) who take the chance
of finding out what is truly
possible with an open mind.
Although the plot offers little
as far as a background story,
the main issues and connections formed between the
audience and the characters
kept it interesting and compelling. It was a complicated
task to make work; to remove
the audience from what the
typical public perception of a
zombie usually is and make
the character lovable. It was
surprising how they could
carry the plot with this idea.
What was best about it was
that despite the fact that they
skewed the version of zombies
that is commonly known, they
kept the zombies a villain. The
zombies that were too far gone
(had lost all brain function
and ceased to carry anymore
conscious human thought)
were called “Bonies,” which
were fairly creepy looking.
Taking into consideration
Continued on page 7
Page 7
- Poetry Reading Review -
Coffee and Crickets
By Stephanie Thompson
The night of the first series
of poetry readings this semester started on February 21,
2013. It is a night that few will
forget. Breaking the silence
with some comedy, James
Hoch really helped to open
up the tension in the room to
create a more relaxed atmosphere for his audience. The
night progressed from funny
poems to serious poems where
each of them was individually
powerful and moving.
James Hoch’s poems have
appeared in The Washington
Post, American Poetry Review, Slate, Kenyon Review,
New England Review, Virginia
Quarterly Review, Blackbird
and many other publications.
He is a recipient of fellowships and awards from the
NEA, Frost Place, Bread Loaf
and Sewanee Writers Conference. His most recent book
is Miscreants (W.W. Norton
2007). He resides with his wife
and sons in Garrison, NY, and
teaches at Ramapo College of
New Jersey and Sarah Lawrence College.
Although his is fairly
popular in the poetry world,
not many people know about
his work. Some of his poems
that he read that night were
“My letter of Introduction
to God”, his “Brother Sonnets”, “Mythology”, “Auditory”,
“Kryptonite”, “Another life”,
etc. Hoch also had a really
interesting intermission poem.
It was a poem between the
poems. The title was called,
Online
Gambling
Continued from page 4
the people of Atlantic City,
along with the rest of the state,
will come to find weather or
not Online Gambling will be a
benefit or a waste to the state
at large.
Originally, Christie had
vetoed the bill on February
7th, asking for more regulation
and caveats within the bill.
After the changes were made
“Gliding through the middle
of things”.
James had the audience
transfixed and every single
person remained quiet while
he read. The words seemed to
wrap around the room and
envelope the audience in awe.
James Hoch
Hoch’s approach to the reality of things in this world and
then comparing it to something unrelated is dangerously
intoxicating. “Poems are a
discovery for me,” he said that
night, answering questions the
listeners had for him.
Some of his poems were
very real, in the sense that
many people could relate to
them. War in Afghanistan
was a repetitive topic for his
poems and after he read them,
the pauses that would follow
the poem seemed to enhance
the powerful message it gave.
Towards the end of his time
here at WCCC he was asked a
question about what inspired
him to write poems and which
poets inspired him the most.
His answer was simple, “I am
not inspired by the poets. I am
inspired by the poems. They
are our vocabulary for living.”
to the legislation, including an
increase in problem gambler
resources and an increase of
five percent (from 10%) in
taxes when dealing online.
With a large following showing support, Christie signed
the bill into law on February
26th, 2013. Combined with
the already established laws
regarding horse race betting
and legalized sports betting,
there should be a large cashout
coming to the state at large
and towns devastated by Hurricane Sandy. ▲
Visiting Authors Series
continues in March
with Gerry LaFemina
The Warren County Community College Visiting Authors
Series continues on Thursday, March 28th, with a reading and
master class by the writer Gerry LaFemina. The reading, beginning at 7:30 p.m. in room E208, is free and open to the public.
The WCCC Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor
society for two-year colleges, will provide complimentary refreshments.
Gerry LaFemina is the author of nine books of poetry, prose
poetry and fiction, the most recent of which is Vanishing Horizon
(Anhinga Press, 2011). He is the recipient of numerous awards
including a Michigan Arts and Cultural Affairs Individual Artist
Grant and a Pushcart Prize. He directs the Frostburg Center for
Creative Writing at Frostburg State University in Maryland where
he also teaches. He divides his time between Maryland and New
York City.
Before giving a reading,
LaFemina will also conduct a
master class at the college, commencing at 4:00 p.m. This event is
also free and open to the public,
but pre-registration is required.
Interested attendees should
contact Professor Ward at (908)
835-2531 or ward@warren.edu.
The evening reading will be followed by a brief Q & A with
the audience and a book signing. Books will be available for purchase at the reading.
Save the date: The reading to celebrate the release of
Ars Poetica, the WCCC Student Art and Literary Magazine, will
take place on Thursday, April 25th, beginning at 7:00 p.m.
The WCCC Visiting Authors Series is supported by a grant
from the Warren County Cultural and Heritage Commission. All
facilities comply with ADA regulations and are fully accessible.
Sign language interpreters are available with two weeks’ notice.
To learn about WCCC’s Associate of Fine Arts in Creative
Writing program, please visit www.warren.edu or stop by Room
107 and talk with Professor Bradford or Professor Ward.
Phi Theta
Kappa
Continued from page 3
WCCC students pledged to
complete their degrees.
The National Honor
Society of Phi Theta Kappa
is a very helpful resource for
students who may need help
with affording a degree past an
Associate’s, and it also looks
great on a transfer application.
If you meet all the criteria and
are interested in the Phi Theta
Kappa you can go to www.ptk.
org to look up more information and you could be receiving your invitation to join very
soon! ▲
Warm
Bodies
Continued from page 6
the adult humor, language,
and the graphic scenes of the
undead main characters feasting on human brains throughout the movie, it would not
be a good choice for a child
audience. In all honesty, it
most likely won’t be grandma’s
favorite movie, either (unless
you have a really cool grandma). So if you’re looking for
a gory romantic-comedy, or a
typical zombie movie, Warm
Bodies has it all. This viewer
gives it two, very appetizing,
human thumbs up. ▲
Page 8
Gun Control:
What Do You Think?
By Ryan Wyckoff
Over the past few weeks,
students from Professor Troy’s
Statistics class have been randomly asking fellow students
to participate in a survey on
the current gun control laws.
The students anonymously
answered four questions based
on current gun control regulation. There were 162 students
who took part in the survey.
The questions illuminated
what students had to say about
one of the biggest debates our
government has seen in recent
years; what could improve
our security measures here
at WCCC to ensure a safe
environment for the staff and
students in attendance.
Starting the survey with
the prompt, “Does there need
to be a discussion by government officials over gun control?” a strong majority of the
volunteers said yes. In fact 68
percent of the 162 students
surveyed believed so (Blue).
Opposing this, 25 percent believed that the answer is “No”
(Red). A mere six percent
were indecisive on the question (Green). And one percent
of the population preferred
not to answer the question
(Purple). To conclude the survey, one could say that a vast
majority of the students polled
believe that there needs to
be a discussion on this topic
between Government officials.
What we do not know is what
type of approach should be
taken between the people and
government officials. Other
questions were asked to determine what course of action
the people and government
officials should take.
The second question
posed was, “Does there need
to be a change to the current
gun control laws?” Exactly
half of the students surveyed
answered “yes” to the prompt
(Blue). Some 37 percent felt
that there should be no actual changes to the current
gun control laws (Red). This
proves to our statisticians that
not everyone who answered
“yes” to the first question,
(on whether officials should
discuss the topic), believed
that there should be a change
in the current laws. There was
an increase in the number of
people who decided that they
were not sure (Green), whereas the percent of students
deciding not to answer the
question remained the same;
at 1 percent (Purple).
Now that we have a general idea on how the sample of
the student body feels about
whether or not there should
be changes, or at least a discussion, let us see how we can
possibly take further action.
The third question asked was
“What do you think will have
the most effective outcome?”
Twenty four of the students
(16%) felt there should be
no changes (Yellow). Again,
a drop off from the thirty
seven percent that believed
there should be no changes as
previously asked in question
two. However, a quarter of
the students did feel that we
could solve our problems by
being sure we enforce the current laws that we already have
(Red). Another quarter of the
sample decided that the most
effective theory would be to
ban all assault weapons (Blue).
Six of the students (1%)
felt that if we restricted the
number of bullets one could
buy we could eliminate the
gun control issues (Green).
The Majority (33%) felt that
we should institute more
mental background checks
before selling the weapons
(Orange). When one student
was asked to comment they
stated, “If we’re selling guns
to people we must first make
sure they are sane.” When I
asked what we could do about
the fact that there are already
so many guns out there, and
that if someone truly wanted
to find one, they could do so
illegally, they claimed, “You
can’t control those things, in
order to take steps forwards
we must make sure that from
this point forward we are selling guns to the right people.”
Another anonymous student
commented, “We already have
fair gun control laws.” and also
that “Someone could lie in a
mental background check if
they already had bad intentions.”
The final question asked
was, “What safety measures
could/should be implemented
here at WCCC?” A fair 21
percent of the students felt
that there should be no actual
changes in the safety measures
that we take here at WCCC
(Red). 39 percent believe that
there should be mandatory
safety training for the faculty
and staff implemented (Orange). 15 percent think that
installing metal detectors is
the best way to make sure that
we are safe (Green). Nearly a
quarter of the students (23%)
think that the best way to
insure our safety is to have
an ID swipe to gain access
into the building (Blue). A
weak two percent say that we
should have armed guards
throughout the campus (Yellow). When asked, Student A
said, “The only logical answer
is to install metal detectors.
They will stop an intruder
from getting into the school.
…If you worry about the
safety training, by that point,
it could already be too late.”
They went on to say that,
“Anyone could swipe an ID.”
“It is extremely easy to get an
ID to this school, not to mention, it would be easy to follow
someone with an ID into the
school, just like we all did
in middle school to get in to
the movies.” When Student B
was asked this question, they
said that, “If the faculty and
staff were specifically trained
for an incident, an intruder
would not last 15 minutes in
the building. Student B also
seemed to find it interesting
that the government could
disarm “us” but to make sure
we are safe, give a gun to
someone else and trust them
to guard us.
There is no easy way to
determine which of the many
different theories or ideas
would truly be the best for
the state of gun control laws.
Whether your opinion is to
arm yourself and get ready
for another Civil War, or if
you are one of the people who
believe we should stiffen our
laws and ways of purchasing
a firearm, it is important to
remember that there will be
no real winner. As long as we
cannot agree, there will still
be a debate no matter what
safety measures or laws are
implemented. ▲