Grand Opening - Bergen Community College

July 2007
Online at: http://www.bergen.edu/pages/880.asp
Vol. XII
Issue 7
Grand Opening: BCC Cuts the Ribbon on its Newest and
Most Advanced Building to Date
BY: DOUG SMITH
West Hall facts:
STAFF WRITER
West Hall, BCC’s new communications building (located in the
front of the campus’s Paramus
Road entrance), opened on
Thursday May 8th 2007. It was
the perfect setting; the sun was
shining, camera men were set up to
document the event, and a group
of African percussionists were
banging away behind the podium
creating anticipation as a crowd
arrived. BCC president Dr. Judith
K. Winn began by dedicating a
moment of silence to music
Professor Ron Mazurek, who was
one of the most vocal proponents
for this project. As a teacher of the
arts and an accomplished musician, Prof. Mazurek knew that the
department needed its own space
away from the traditional class
rooms. We all bowed our heads in
commemoration in front of a finished product that he worked so
hard to make happen.
President Winn also mentioned
the effort put forth by the various
Board of Trustees members to
make the West Hall a reality. She
then discussed one of the most
important aspects, the funding.
West Hall is not expected to be a
result of increased tuition fees
because the entire construction
cost (which excludes consulting,
staffing, maintenance etc.) was
covered by what are called Chapter
12 funds from the state and county government.
-Size: 60,000 sq. feet and 3 stories
-Layout:
First floor –
TV and Radio production
Second floor –
Music production
Third floor –
Art, animation, and graphical design
-Contents: Seven classrooms, two
TV studios, a green room, radio studio, video conference room, piano lab,
MIDI lab, computer lab, art history
room, recital hall, recording studio,
four practice rooms (all sound
proofed), an animation lab, graphics
lab, natural media lab, a large gallery,
exterior terrace, thirteen faculty
offices (including a Comm. general
office and Media Tech. general office)
as well as a public safety outpost.
There are also many maintenance and
supply rooms.
-Security: A system of blue light
emergency stations for immediate
emergency response, installed by
Public Safety
-Misc: Fourteen of the rooms of class
space are wired to the internet.
(info provided by Student Ambassadors)
BCC President Judith K.Winn Cuts the Ribbon at West Hall, alongside Board of Trustees Members
Stephen J. Moses and David J. Kasparian.
Susan Baechtel, from the BCC
Public Relations department, was
kind enough to further explain to
The Torch what these “Chapter
12” funds are and how they were
acquired. “The “West Hall was
constructed with Chapter 12 funds
for which both the State of New
Jersey and the county of Bergen
each contributed approximately
$8.4 million. Both New Jersey
Governor Jon Corzine and Bergen
County
Executive
Dennis
McNerney played an important
part in releasing the State and
County funding to make West
Hall a reality.”
When the speeches ended,
President Winn and Board of
Trustees members Stephen J. Moses
and David J. Kasparian brandished
a pair of classic cliché oversized
golden scissors, showing the purple
and orange ribbons no mercy.
See West Hall page 2
Honor Students Present Their Work at the National
Regional Honors Council Conference in Rhode Island
BY: CARESSA VALDUEZA
STAFF WRITER
Bergen Community College students Fred Clark, Jr., Melissa
Toscano, and Caressa Valdueza
were selected to present their term
papers in Rhode Island at The
National
Regional
Honors
Council
(NRHC)
annual
Conference on March 29 to April
1st at the Providence Hilton Hotel.
The NHRC event was attended by
colleges from different states
including Maryland, Connecticut,
and New York. This year’s conference was entitled Legacies, “how
past practices are reflected in present thought, action and institutions.” Fred Clark, Jr, assisted by
fellow BCC student, Marci
Batchelor, presented “The Legacy
of Lyndon LaRouche;” Melissa
Toscano presented “Modern
Slavery:
The
Legacy
of
Exploitation;”
and
Caressa
Valdueza presented “US Asylum
Based on Sexual Orientation.”
The students who went to Rhode
Island took English Composition I
Honors class with Dr. Dorothy
Altman, who encouraged the students to submit their paper. Dr.
Altman says the NRHC is “an
organization of students, faculty,
and administrators dedicated to
encourage and support undergraduate honors learning.” Nearly 200
members from Vermont, New
Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode
Island, Washington DC, Maine,
Pennsylvania, Delaware and
Fred Clark, Jr., Melissa Toscano, Caressa Valdueza, and Dr. Altman
Puerto Rico “share activities and learned more about NRHC
information.” BCC is one of the through Dr. Kaufman, Director of
many participants. Dr. Altman the Honors program. “I asked
members
of
my
English
Composition I Honors if they
would like to submit proposals and
three students did and were accepted,” Dr. Altman says.
Fred Clark, Jr. and Marci
Batchelor did an interactive roundtable
presentation.
Melissa
Toscano and Caressa Valdueza presented their paper and answered
questions thereafter. The day
before the big event, the students
with Dr. Altman toured some of
Rhode Island’s finest places.
Why did you choose your topic?
Describe the process of working on
your research paper and preparing
for the presentation.
Melissa: I needed an interesting
topic that involved immigrants to
See Honor Council . . page 4
What’s Inside:
BCC News . . . . . . . .p. 3 News . . . . . . . . . . .p. 6 Arts & Entertainment . .p. 10 BCC Sports . . . . . .p. 12
Student Spotlight: Mariy Gonor; Guide
for New Students, Real STARs for Bergen
Controversy Over Gun Control, Barack Obama:
The Next JFK?, Our Generation To-Do List
Hip-Hop Summer Review, Christina
Aguilera’s Back to Basics, Linkin Park. .
BCC at NJCAA Div. III Outdoor Track &
Field National Championship
THE TORCH
PAGE 2
JULY 2007
BCC News
BCC and the American Red Cross to the Rescue!
BY: DOUG SMITH
STAFF WRITER
Monday, April 16th, may have
been one of the happiest days for
Bergen students this year: the heavy
rains brought by the Nor’easter
allowed them to leave early.
Unfortunately, not everybody
shared that same joy because as
Bergen was closing its doors to
classes, it was opening them to people temporarily homeless due to the
property devastation of the flood.
The American Red Cross
(Bergen – Hudson chapter) and
Bergen Community College collectively opened a temporary shelter to house the people who woke
to several feet of water in the basements and bottom floors.
Remaining in their homes was
unsafe and almost impossible.
One of the Red Cross volunteers
was kind enough to give The Torch
a short interview on how this came
to be and what type of aid and
assistance was offered. (Due to formality agreements, the volunteer
asks that his name not be released.)
Doug Smith - Tell me from
where these flood victims are coming and what kind of aid they’re
Red Cross workers check in people left homeless after major
flooding in parts of Bergen County.
receiving here from the Red Cross? time up to 120 cots set-up, but as
Red Cross Volunteer - The Red these people came in, a lot of them
Cross, in a case like this, would do looked for other places [and] made
mainly immediate care as far as other arrangements. So, last night,
food, shelter, and any clothing (Monday April 16th), we had
needs they may have. Most of about 35-40 people sleeping here.
them seem to be coming from
D.S. - Who made the decision to
New Milford, Lodi, and some are assist the victims here at BCC?
from River Edge and Paramus.
R.C.V. - That’s a decision that’s
D.S. - How many people is this made through the Red Cross, the
temporary shelter set up to house? office of emergency management
R.C.V. - It can hold up to in the county, and the different
approximately 200. We had at one towns.
G103 used as temporary food serving station during the flood recovery.
D.S. - At the onset of the flood, first started with Katrina, we had to
was the Red Cross ready in terms go through (classes) very quickly, at
of volunteers and supplies or was least three disaster management
the setup difficult?
classes, and we’ve gone through
R.C.V. - No, we were pretty much more since we’ve been involved.
ready for it. I know in my chapter Shelter management is one of the
in Morris County, we had people classes. You need to go through the
on standby, ready to go. I know the training so you know what you can
national Red Cross had been having and cannot allow and how the Red
conference calls to inform the Cross wants it to be run, otherwise
national area about what was going you just have a bunch of untrained
on, what they were getting ready people coming in who may or may
for, and what they were expecting. not be trustworthy. You really can’t
I’m sure Bergen County was in on it have anyone who’s just going to say,
too… everybody was pretty much “I’m just going to drop in and start
ready for it, and obviously, up here, working.” It doesn’t work that way.
they’ve done it before with The best thing they can do is get
[Hurricane] Floyd a few years ago. involved with the Red Cross (forAll these supplies here are from the mally) and get the training before
Bergen - Hudson American Red the disaster so when it happens you
Cross, so we had the supplies ready can be on call and ready-to-go.
to go. It’s just a matter of getting the
D.S. - Thank you.
volunteers together to move them
Seeing the Bergen gymnasium as
to where they’re needed to open the a place where flood victims slept
shelters; which is a fairly routine was surreal; however, the Red
thing.
Cross Volunteers did their best to
D.S. - A personal question; I see make them feel at home.
this is a one – two day thing here,
Volunteers assisted with not only
and you guys pretty much have it lodging, but meal stations were
covered, but is there anything a stu- stocked with all the essentials.
dent here can do to help with this? Bergen County Sheriffs and
R.C.V. - For the most part, to Bergen Community College
work at a shelter for the Red Cross Public Safety officers oversaw the
you have to have been trained, and project ensuring the safety of all
you have to have a background involved.
check. The days of pulling people
Thanks to The Red Cross and
off the streets to help do things are Bergen’s efforts, we can find solace
gone.
in tragedy.
D.S. - You guys have it covered?
R.C.V. - Yeah, actually when I
BCC Gymnasium turned into temporary shelter outfitted with dozens of cots
West Hall Grand Opening
Continued from Cover
With nothing to block our
entrance, most of the crowd
(regardless of being previously
invited or not, all were allowed to
participate) filed into the reception, taking place right in the main
foyer, where there was a generous
spread of food, as well as various
musicians playing in the center of
the building and terrace, creating a
pleasant and artistic atmosphere.
A bunch of us were given a well
informed tour from student
ambassador’ (the ambassadors were
there to give tours and answer
questions), Sarah Julien, who told
us all the details about the new
building as we strolled down the
halls and looked around. The best
part was that the tours were not
overly structured, so we got the
chance to stray away from the
masses and walk through the halfequipped studios, still in construction, or visit the just completed
music production rooms and play
around with some of the equipment. Having done electronic
music production as a hobby
myself for many years, I can vouch
for the fact that the equipment is
some of the best, especially
considering the industry standard
“Triton Extreme,”synthesizer/sampler/sequencers at every station. As
for that rumor of “the staircase to
nowhere,” it’s totally not true. The
building has two staircases on each
side and one in the middle, all
leading somewhere. One of them
just happens to have been created
in a very aesthetically pleasing
manner, giving the building an
interesting glass/metal facade.
Although there is all this new
space and equipment, many of the
programs that it will facilitate have
been at BCC for many years. I sat
down with Arts and Humanities
interim Dean, Amparo Codding,
to get a clear vision of how this will
help enrich these programs.
A.C. -... Before West Hall you
had the music program in Ender
Hall. You had part of the art program in Ender Hall, you had some
of the electronic music in the main
building, (and) some of the computer graphics in the main building, so everything was spread all
over the place. Now with one facility I think that the programs are
going to be much more visible and
stronger… So the music faculty is
all going to be able to be together,
and work together along with the
computer graphics people; some of
Many of West Hall’s classrooms are outfitted with industry standard equipment, like the
“Triton Extreme” synthesizers seen here.
The West Hall is poised to be the
our programs are collaborative…
A.C. - It will be more cohesive
having all the faculty together in and visible. Because right now most promising chapters in BCC histhe same building, I think, is going everything is scattered around, and tory. As long as the students keep up
to make them work better togeth- the students don’t see the whole their end of the deal, i.e. showing
er, and for the students to be able picture, you see little pieces of it. interest in the improvements and treatto see all the programs in one And having a new building and ing the facilities (especially restrooms)
building.
state-of-the art facilities, I think, is and equipment with respect, the faculTorch - So the programs will be going to be great for the program ty will surely be there to help West
more cohesive in general?
and the students, because they’re Hall’s students create products that
they can use for their degree and
going to have the best of the best.
careers.
JULY 2007
PAGE 3
Phi Theta Kappa
President: Mariya Gonor
Student
SPOTLIGHT
The Student’s Guide to Registering for Classes
BY: JAMES ROBINSON
STAFF WRITER
BY: CHLOE RICCARDO
STAFF WRITER
Mariya Gonor represents the
kind of student Bergen wants its
students to be: focused, involved,
and confident both inside and outside of the school community.
In a candid interview, Mariya
tells us more about herself.
Torch: Mariya, how would you
describe yourself as a student at
Bergen Community College?
Gonor: I am energetic and enthusiastic; I try to be nice to people.
Torch: What is your major?
Gonor: Business administration,
but I want to be a corporate lawyer.
Gonor: Why did you choose to
attend Bergen?
Torch: I came with a Ukrainian
diploma—Bergen was the only
school I could go to with it. Bergen
helps me save money, and it offers
me a lot of opportunities.
Torch: Where are you from?
Gonor: I am from Kiev, Ukraine.
Torch: What are your study
habits? What do you do to prepare
for exams?
Gonor: I drink a lot of coffee to
stay awake, usually Starbucks or
Dunkin Donuts. I don’t like to
cram. I read the chapter, [then]
study and memorize it; it saves a
lot of time. The library is a good
place to study.
Torch: What do you like to do in
your free time?
Gonor: Watch movies with my
friends. “Blood Diamond” and
“The Departed” are some of my
favorites. I have a crush on Leo
(Leonardo DiCaprio).
Torch: What does Phi Theta
Kappa do? In which activities does
the fraternity participate? What is
it about?
Gonor: We do a lot of community service. We are planning a big
campus clean up right now. We
came up with “Environment
Week,” and in fact, one of the professors is going to talk about the
movie An Inconvenient Truth
[which focuses on global warming]. We always collect food for the
homeless. One of the organizations
for whom we do this is “Shelter
Guide for New Students
Mariya Gonor
Our Sisters.” During the spring,
we have an international convention where we learn how to have
better leadership skills, interview
for jobs, take advantage of career
opportunities, and write resumés.
Torch: How long have you been
on it?
Gonor: Since February 2006.
This year, I became the president; I
found out over the summer.
Torch: Do you participate in any
other activities?
Gonor: I am a member of The
Torch student newspaper; I am the
publicist, and I conduct interviews. I am also a member of the
Tennis team, Student Government
Council, and the Honors Club. I
tutor students in my free time.
Torch: Have you ever had difficulty with a class?
Gonor: Like everyone else, yes, I
have. I had problems with English
Composition 2.
Torch: How did you better the
situation?
Gonor: I studied and prepared
better for the class, and I eventually passed it.
Torch: Any advice you want to
give fellow students?
Gonor: If you don’t like your
professor, you should change your
classes. Also, do not be afraid to
voice your opinion.
If you would like to be in the
Student Spotlight, either visit the
Torch office in room L-115 or call
us at (201) 493-5006.
Registering for classes can be more
difficult than the actual classes you're
registering for sometimes. You wait in
long lines at Registration, only to be
told you're class is full and to step
aside and do it all over again, and
when it's all said and done, you've got
the line at the book store waiting for
you. Luckily, WebAdvisor on the college's website lets you skip both these
steps. Those that have been here for a
few semesters already know how to
use WebAdvisor, but many new students may be lost about some of this
new technology. Well, use these simple steps to never wait in line again!
Here is your guide to online registration, adding and dropping classes,
buying books and everything else you
might need to know.
Registering for classes online:
1. Log onto Bergen's website and
click the link to WebAdvisor (or
just go to http://go.bergen.edu).
2. Click "Log in" at the top of the page.
ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
Bergen Community College is a
home for many clubs. Whether it’s
the Cheerleading club encouraging
BCC’s sports teams, the Philosophy
club pondering the meaning of life,
or the Dance club doing what they
simply love- dancing.
One special club deals with brave
obstacles on a daily basis. The
Student Team Ability and
Resource club, better known as
STAR club, has been in BCC for
the past four years.
According to president of the
club, Jason Ranne, the club is
specifically directed at students
with learning disabilities. Ranne
encourages any student who feels
that he/she might have learning
difficulties, to join the club.
When talking with Ranne about
the atmosphere and support provided by fellow students, he gladly
talks about how each member
draws from another’s encouragement. “We’re like a family to one
another,” he smiles.
Another source of pride for the
club is their relationship with other
student clubs, and especially with
the Office of Student Life. “A special thank you goes to Ralph
Choonoo,” says Ranne.
During BCC’s Diversity weekend, the club helped with incoming students that are having trouble with learning through a panel
discussion that featured personal
experiences of former and current
members of the club.
STAR members contributed to
two fundraisers. They participated
in the annual “MS Walk,” as part
of raising awareness for multiple
sclerosis. To assist in another great
cause, every thursday of March
and April, shamrocks were sold for
the benefit of the Muscular
Dystrophy Association (MDA).
When asking Ranne how he prepares himself for STAR meetings,
he says that each meeting is in
accordance to the upcoming event
related to the school and social life.
That could mean educating the
word (If you don't have a username, click the link that says "I'm
new to WebAdvisor" and it'll walk
you through setting one up.
4. After you've entered your username and password, click
WebAdvisor for Students.
5. To search for available classes,
click “Register for sections"
6. Enter the semester you'd like to
register for and the classes you
want to take.
7. A list of classes will come up, here
you can check the day and time of
the class, availability and professor.
8. Click the box to the left of the
classes you want to register for
and submit.
9. Confirm and you're done!
The Cost:
The cost per credit at Bergen
Community College is displayed here
in this table:
Add/Drop Policy:
For the Fall semester, here are the
withdrawal dates to receive a refund:
Last Day to receive 100% refund:
9/11/2007
Last Day to receive 50% refund:
9/18/2007
Last Day to receive 25% refund:
9/25/2007 (No refunds after this
date)
The official withdrawal deadline for
Fall 2007 is 11/13/2007
Buying your books online:
1. Log onto bergen.bkstr.com
2. Click the type of book you
need
(Ex: Textbook)
3. Select the department and section
number (Ex: Bio-101-000)
4. Check off if you'd like to buy
your books used or new and
you're done!
Congratulations! You've managed to
avoid the lines and register for classes
AND buy your books online!
Tuition
General Fee
Per-Credit Per-Credit
Bergen County resident $98.40
$17.00
Out-of-County resident $203.00 $17.00
Out-of-State resident
$213.00 $17.00
Students on Non$203.00 $17.00
Immigrant Visas
Technology Fee
Per-Credit
$8.00
$8.00
$8.00
$8.00
Guide to the BCC Campus
BY: CHRIS MAYS
STAFF WRITER
Entering the Bergen Community
College campus can be overwhelming
as a new student. After finding a spot,
getting to the building you want to be
in is the next step. Hopefully, this article will clear up some confusion.
Pitkin Education Center
General courses are held in this
building. The Welcome Center is the
place to go with any questions. The
registrar’s office and bookstore are
undeniable landmarks you will eventually venture to. The Pitkin
Education Center is home to the
financial aid office, student services,
admissions office, academic advisement, office of student life and the
career development center.
In the L-wing, there is a tutoring center. Experts from the school are
employed here to help students understand material. Health services are also
available. There’s a nurse in this building as well as counselors. Academic
advisement is a good place to stop
when there are questions regarding the
choice of classes or majors.
On the second floor, the cafeteria
resides. There is a Subway and a vast
The Real STARs of Bergen
BY: ALON MELAMED
3. Enter your username and pass-
students on the different social
issues around them, or showing a
presentation about people with
similar disabilities making it in the
real world.
On a personal note, Jason feels
his most memorable experience in
school was the day Henry Winkler
came to Bergen. “Being an inspiration since he has dyslexia as well,”
was a good experience for Ranne,
as he was insecure at that time.
Ranne has been president of the
club for the past two years, and
hopes he could continue his position in the upcoming fall semester.
This year, the club said goodbye to
most of its members as they graduated in May. The club, full of new
excited and ambitious students, is
available for anyone who wishes to
join.
Ranne said it best, “All are welcomed to attend, but those who
benefit from it the most will be
individuals with all types of disabilities, not just learning disabilities.”
array of dining options. In addition,
the library can be found there, too.
Classrooms and faculty offices are on
the third floor.
In between Pitkin and West Hall is
the Anna Maria Ciccone Theatre.
Concerts and dance performances are
presented here.
West Hall
Slowly, but surely, teachers have
been moving into this new addition to
the campus. A piano lab and media
labs are the main attractions. This is
where students can find the Media
Technologies
department,
Educational Broadcast Center, as well
as the fine and graphic arts facilities.
There is a radio studio, video conference center, and the graphic and animation laboratory located in West
Hall. Galleries and other studios
spark the interest of students in various fields of study.
“I feel like I’m in a hospital,” a visitor commented on the cleanliness of
the new building.
Technology Building
A computer lab and interactive
classrooms are on the first floor of the
Technology building. The division of
continuing education is located here.
CADD labs, a manufacturing lab, and
an observatory are interesting rooms
found in this building.
Tables, couches, and vending
machines are on the first and second
floor, as well as a few classrooms.
Wireless connections can be made
here adding to the café vibe.
Meetings and conferences are held
in the Technology building. Small
concerts have been played inside
these conference rooms, too.
Ender Hall
Named after a math department
supervisor, Ender Hall contains the
Child Development Center. Framed
paintings and art decorate the walls.
A garden and gazebo occupy the center of the building. There are courses
held in Ender dedicated to ornamental horticulture.
There is a kitchen where culinary
students prepare food. On special
days, ethnic meals are available for a
reasonable price.
There is a small food store, computer lab (MACs), art gallery, and computer training. It is the place to be for
all future hotel and restaurant managers. Ender Hall also houses theatre
majors with their workshop, dressing
room, and lab. Performances are
sometimes held in the theatre.
Coming This Fall...
September 10 th - 21st
Welcome Weeks
September 24 th - 28th
Native American Heritage Celebration
October 12 th - 14th
Leadership Weekend
October 22 nd - 26th
Latino Heritage Week
October 26 th - 28th
Diversity Weekend
November 5 th - 9th
Caribbean Heritage Week
November 12 th - 16th
Asian Heritage Week
November 26 th - 30th
GLBT Awareness Week
December
Interfaith Month
*Fall dates are tentative
Have a Great Summer!
THE TORCH
PAGE 4
JULY 2007
Café Bergen: Displays Art and Showcases Artists
BCC music Professor John La Barbera (left) playing an antiquated Italian guitar Artists John Maddi and Umberto Spezzacatena standing in front of their work proudly, with
along with Bansuri flute virtuoso Steve Gorn in the Student Center.
World Week committee faculty members.
BY: DOUG SMITH
STAFF WRITER
The usually semi-annual Café
Bergen (a student, faculty, and outsider mix of culture and art) just
recently took place in the student
center. The main focus was on a
mural of paintings done by the students that depict facial portraits of
their fellow Bergen classmates. In
conjunction with World Week,
Café Bergen also included three
performances. A Korean-inspired
modern dance to “Haale,” an
Iranian infused experimental rock
female singer who played at
Carnegie Hall earlier this year.
(missing a perf.?)
The welcoming setting offered
about three rows of red tableclothed tables with a candle on
each and a program for every chair.
In the back corner, coffee and
cookies were served. Various
Bergen professors came to the
microphone to give out honorable
mentions to student artists whose
works were most impressive, and
to announce the coming performers to the stage offering a little
background information.
Haale (pronounced HA-LA) was
the first to perform after having
already given a speech to students
about Persian mysticism. She skillfully mixed the two styles of tranquil, experimental rock with the
rhythms and teachings of the
ancient Sufi culture in which she
grew up. The incredible part of the
music was its seamlessness. For
example, in one song she sang
mostly in Farsi, but then, she broke
into a chorus of English,just when
you thought you might have felt
lost. She also played with a variety
of instruments from an electric
guitar to a shaker for a special
chant with which she started her
set. It was a treat to have such a
musician playing up close and personal. If you missed her at Café
Bergen, check out Haale at
haale.com or myspace.com/haale.
Bergen’s very own music professor John La Barbera did a set with
the famous Bansuri flute player,
Steve Gorn (even Paul Simon
admitted to being a fan of his
music). John La Barbera teaches
guitar at Bergen, and he demonstrated his talent for stringed
instruments with a different member of the guitar family for each
song. He used both modern and
ancient guitars, one of which was
custom made for him in Italy (and
is actually the first steel stringed
type of guitar), and one that was
invented by an aboriginal population of Latin America upon seeing
the guitars of the Spanish
Conquistadors. These two did
about five songs ranging from traditional southern Italian style to a
Brazilian fusion. The crowd was
impressed with their vast knowledge and talent of the instruments
they played.
The last performance was by
Eun-Hee Vivian Lee. She’s a student at Bergen as well as an accomplished dance teacher and choreographer. Lee is also a graduate from
Sangmyung University in South
Korea and has an impressive dance
resume spanning from Korea to
New York City. She did an original
choreographed piece behind an
intense musical background.
The biggest feature of Bergen
Café was the student artists. The
artists were tasked with painting
facial portraits of other students in
the college. Of all the thirty or so
paintings on display, eight students
stood out from the rest and
received honorable mentions right
before the performances began.
Jeyon Kum, Kathy Hetzel, Anna
Sudol, Kelly Lorenzo, Lena Lee,
Hye Jin Kim, Ed Boghosian, and
Umberto Spezzacatena were the
students presented
with
Honorable
Mention.
Math Professor and
World Week committee member, Linne
Hui (front and center
in the group photo),
emphasized
the
importance of the
hard work these students put into their
creations. She felt
that their talent
should not go unnoticed by the rest of the
students and faculty
at Bergen. The works
showcased true talent;
some of the portraits
looked as if they were
taken right off the
wall of an art gallery.
John Maddi, a
painter,
modestly Honorable mention artist Umberto Spezzacatena,
standing next to the portrait he made (top)
stated that “art for
and the portrait made of him (middle).
[him] is just persistThe entire World Week commitence.” He went on to explain that
this is something that he has been tee, along with participating studoing for awhile and contrary to dents and faculty, did a fine job in
what most people believe, not bringing together all the different
every artist is a natural. For many, mediums of artistic ability for
being an artist is a practiced skill another successful Café Bergen.
that keeps improving with time
and experience.
Honors Council Conference in Rhode Island
Continued from Cover
write about for my research paper
in Writing 101 Honors. I had seen
a movie on Lifetime a while back
entitled Human Trafficking and
was horrified, so I felt it would be
a topic I would be able to write
about. I searched through numerous books and database articles
and read of many tragic life stories
and felt that it was necessary to
incorporate a few experiences. For
the presentation, I looked over my
paper numerous times, reading it
out loud to check coherency, grammar, and to practice enthusiasm
and proper sense stress. I wanted to
send a message not only through
the paper itself, but also in the
manner that it was delivered.
Fred: I choose to research
LaRouche because he has made a lot
of extravagant recommendations for
politics and economics in this country and I wanted to discover if they
had any value. I was first exposed to
his ideas through a copy of his weekly newsletter that was given to me at
a local post office. My research
involved reading his newsletters,
watching interviews with him on
the internet, meeting with his group
LaRouche
Political
Action
Committee, and educating myself
about the topics he spoke of - namely the Bretton Woods monetary system, NAFTA, and other options for
large scale financial integration.
What was your favorite part of
your stay in Rhode Island?
Melissa: I loved the “City as
Text” tour in Newport. We got to
take a tour of the city and see all
the rich history from the 1600s to
the Guilded age and see the mansions of the Vanderbilt family.
Fred: I enjoyed the beautiful day
we had in Rhode Island to walk
around the city of Providence, take
tours of the museums, and bask in
the leisure of becoming educated
about the history of not only
Rhode Island, but early America.
Dr. Altman: I really enjoyed the
entire conference—the presentations, the tour, spending time with
the BCC students, and talking
with other Honors faculty members.
What was it like doing the round
table Presentation?
Fred: The roundtable was exciting. Months of thought and preparation were finally realized. The
other students listened diligently as
I spoke and responded with many
of the thoughts I had encountered
as I researched. This allowed me to
guide the discussion along the lines
of my personal research while providing insight into LaRouches’
ideas. The other presenter at the
table of 12 or 13 students and faculty combined spoke about “US
ports being operated by foreign
companies.”
And how was your presentation?
Melissa: I was very nervous during parts of the presentation, and
then I would calm down a bit.
The most nerve-wrecking part was
the questions at the end of my
reading.
What did you learn from the
Conference?
Melissa: I learned a lot about the
history of Rhode Island, I learned a
lot of information about students
going to numerous colleges around
New Jersey. Also, the topics of
essays have taught me a great deal.
Fred: I learned that I’m not the
only one who thinks that
LaRouches’ ideas are disturbing
(laughs). And just a lot about
Rhode Island.
Melissa Toscano plans to major in
Biology. For the fall 2007 semester, she hopes to study abroad in
Rome, Italy which has promised
her scholarship. The NJ STAR
scholar hopes to transfer to Rutgers
or Montclair State University. Fred
Clark, Jr. will graduate with an
Associate Degree in Business next
fall. He will continue to get his
Bachelor’s in Rutgers or NYU.
Caressa Valdueza and Melissa
Toscano also presented their paper
in the 3rd Annual Feminist
Connections, held in Montclair
State University.
“I was so proud of the BCC students who went to Legacies,” Dr.
Altman says, “Many other schools
brought students just to observe
with the idea of presenting the
next year; we were attending the
conference for the first time, but
the BCC students did a great job! I
would encourage other BCC
Honors students to participate in
this excellent learning experience.
The NHRC Conference will be in
Morristown next year, sponsored
by area colleges including the
College of St. Elizabeth and
William Paterson.”
Check us out
on myspace
Today
THE TORCH
JULY 2007
PAGE 5
World Week - Keynote Speaker: Arthur Romano
BY: MARINA JOVANOVSKA
At the age of 21, Arthur Romano dedicated his life to organizing and supporting peace
related events and campaigns in the US and in other parts of the world. Since that time, he
has worked to increase communication in various concerned communities and strengthen
action-oriented networks in addressing social justice related issues.
In 1999, at the age of twenty four, Arthur founded Youth for Peace, an Internet based program
that provided an opportunity for young people in various part of the world to share inspiration
and information related to their own community projects. He went on to work with an array
of non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) and has collaborated with the Information
Department of the United Nations to promote the International Day of Peace and the
Gandhi-King Season for Nonviolence.
In the days following the violence of September 11th, Arthur joined with a group of concerned
citizens to counteract the narrowing national debate and increasing calls for retaliatory measures in response to those attacks.The World Peace Walk resulted with members walking more
than three hundred miles from the former site of the World Trade Towers to the Pentagon
meeting with people along the way and providing a space for communities to grieve and
explore the possibilities for nonviolent responses to these acts of hatred.
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
During World Week, many
events took place on our Bergen
Campus. Many of them involved
music, dancing, arts, and crafts,
but one that was truly capturing
was the speech from a peace worker name Arthur Romano.
His topic was called “Season for
Non-Violence.” The speaker was
very eager to show and express his
beliefs of what he has done so far,
and what he will do in the near
future. His references were amazing; he finished high school from a
very small town, and went up to
graduate from college although he
didn’t plan to. After getting a
Bachelor’s degree in philosophy, he
went to England to spread the
word of peace around the world.
In the beginning, he showed a
short movie of the great revolutionaries that have appeared in history. He expressed deep respect for
the great thinkers like Martin
Luther King and Mahatma
Gandhi. In it, Romano said that
every human being is valuable and
matters. Everyone deserves a
decent living that will allow a con-
Arthur Romano
tinual intellectual development.
Moreover, an opportunity for
change is of crucial importance for
the many people that are able and
willing to contribute something
positive to the world. The change
through PEACEFUL ACTION
was deeply encouraged by the
speaker, and by doing so many
problems that occupy the world
will be solved.
The decision of becoming a
peace worker was generated by
Martin Luther King’s biography.
Martin at one point in his life was
a worker in the tobacco industry.
As such, nobody expected for him
to become what he represents
today. However, he believed in one
constant: KEEP MOVING AND
NEVER FEAR ANYTHING.
Through this notion he wanted to
encourage people to never give up
their dreams and be firm followers
of their beliefs. He said that it is
the only way to become true contributors to the world. Also,
although we might think that we
can’t make a big change in a lifetime, getting started and being
willing to do something for others
is what matters, and will be appreciated by everyone.
At the end, the guest speaker proposed one very useful technique of
how to control our anger when we
get upset. First, we have to identify
the source of the anger. Second, we
have to inhale deep and release it
quickly, and finally by knowing the
source and the cause of the disturbance, we can relax by playing
some good music or simply enjoying nature.
A very inspiring speech for many
and for the ones that consider
themselves special…
Four Weird Colleges You’ve Never Heard Of Driving In New Jersey:
BY: RACHEL FREEMAN
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
It’s well known that the Bergen
Community College dream is to
attend Columbia. I’ve met at least
ten people who would chop off
their right thumb with a blunt butter knife to get that fat package in
the mail this May. Perhaps instead
you’re interested in Rutgers,
Ramapo, William Patterson, or
other classic BCC choices.
That’s good.
But here’s a list of some “wacky”
less traditional schools. Liberal
and progressively thinking, some
of these colleges do not require
SAT scores, citing them as unfair
assessments of intellect. Others
require fewer tests, in favor of
cumulative final projects or theses,
considering these forms of creativity a better representation of course
understanding. All provide unique
approaches to education. Most
tend to attract a very liberal student body. And most tend to be
living, walking, museums of a rainbow of different hair colors.
Bard College: I’m biased, I
attended Bard College for a semester. But it is truly a special place.
In a rural area off the Hudson
River exists a “commune” of about
1500 college students. The col-
lege’s creative writing and art (especially photography) programs are
both outstanding (Toni Morrison
and Roy Liechtenstein both taught
at Bard). Expect to do a lot of
writing and reading. Most courses
seem to have cycles of reading a
few books, creating your own thesis, and writing a paper about it
(very few tests or other homework). Avg. GPA: 3.5. Avg. SAT:
not required, but those who submitted averaged 1320. Transfer
acceptance: 23%.
Location:
Annandale-on-Hudson, New York.
Hampshire College: Hampshire
students pick a concentration,
often self-designed. Then, students complete advanced independent projects, with the help of
professors, who are often very
accessible and devoted. Although
the student body is just over 1300
students, students may enroll in
classes at neighboring colleges such
as Mt. Holyoke and Amherst and
Smith. Avg. GPA: 3.4. Avg. SAT:
1273. Transfer acceptance: 47%.
Location:
Amherst,
Massachusettes.
Oberlin: Oberlin, the first co-ed
school in the U.S., today boasts
one of the best music conservatories in the country. About 600 of
Oberlin’s 2300 students are
involved in this program. “Obies”
tend to be very driven towards success, and usually participate in
internships during breaks. Oberlin
awards credit for many studenttaught courses such as karate and
Korean.
Overall, the school
attracts the typical leftist crowd,
who are outspoken, politically
active, and “artsy.”
Avg. GPA: 3.6. Avg. SAT: 1361
Transfer acceptance: not reported.
Location: Oberlin, Ohio.
Reed College: Another small
school that emphasizes learning for
the sake of learning, not for financial rewards. Learning is often discussion-oriented, in classes as small
as just ten students. “Reedies”
tend to work especially hard, but
relax on the weekend in fun settings such as a school “Renn Fayre”
or concerts. Avg. GPA: 3.8. Avg.
SAT: 1352. Transfer acceptance:
47%. Location: Portland, Oregon.
To find out more information
about exploring an atypical college
experience, find out more about
these schools at my resource choices: www.collegeboard.com and
www.princetonreview.com. Both
sources give other schools that tend
to overlap with these choices.
Enjoy the search!
Privilege Not a Right
more, but it’s not long hair yet. It’s
awkward, unpleasant, and a little
embarrassing.
And sure, I was pretty happy to
finish up.
This past December, when I had
two more weeks of school, I wore a
homemade t-shirt with this written
across my chest: “Done with BCC
in __ days!”
Each day I wrote a new number
in permanent marker: 14, 13,
12… and crossed out the number
from the day before. And I
solemnly swore to a friend that I
would wear the shirt every day for
those two weeks – until I finished
out my last final. I cracked several
days before the end, but my shirt
still had a pretty good run.
Although I had earned my
Associates in Religion and
Philosophy, I decided to return
this semester and take two night
classes for fun. Now that I’m no
longer at Bergen during the day
(I’m working full time), I’m realizing that I’m a bit nostalgic for my
funny in-between stage. Sure, registration was a nightmare, and
sure, I almost got run over in the
parking lot twice, and yes, I had to
sacrifice some freedoms to live at
home again. But there is plenty
that I miss about BCC.
I miss the random events in the
student center (like that awesome
American Idol knock-off ), the
chess kids, the man who blasts
gospel music out front, the cool
guy at the welcome desk who says
“God bless you,” when you’re done
BY: MARIYA GONOR
PUBLICIST
People take many important
things for granted. Sometimes we
fail to appreciate the most essential
things in our lives. How many days
would you be able to survive without your car, or cell phone? While
your cell phone could be replaced
quite easily, your driving privilege
if taken away will not be replaced
as easily. We all show our “love” to
police cars that patrol our neighborhoods from driving maniacs,
but every mistake one makes on
the road can cost a lot.
The defensive driving course that
I had to take for speeding reveled
some interesting information I
have not known before. We all feel
bad for Paris Hilton for going to
prison, but did you know that a
blood alcohol level of slightly more
than .05% doubles the possibility
of causing a crash?
Some interesting facts from all
over the world that might make you
think before drinking and driving:
In Japan one can lose his license
forever for DUI.
In Alaska they could take away
your car.
In Bulgaria the second conviction
of DUI could result in execution.
In Great Britan one can not only
pay a lot of money but also spend
some time in jail for driving intoxicated.
If you are spending your spring
break in El Salvador you might
want to seriously consider driving
drunk, for you could be executed.
In Malaya you would go to jail,
and if you are married the wife
would be imprisoned too.
In Turkey drunk drivers are taken
20 miles from town by the police
and forced to walk back under
escort.
And the facts that are not so
funny…
In 2003 more than 43,000 people died in traffic crashes. Most of
them are caused by drivers’ failure
to keep in his lane or simply running off of the road.
Most of the teenage accidents are
caused by someone who has been
drinking too much or was not able
to “hold” their liquor.
So stop and think whether having fun is worth risking someone
else’s life.
A Little Nostalgia for BCC?
BY: RACHEL FREEMAN
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Like many Bergen Community
College students, I didn’t plan on
attending this college. At my former college, a small northeastern
liberal arts school, I found out that
I was sick, so I had to take a semester off. I moved back home to
New Jersey. I wasn’t expecting
much from BCC, and I missed my
old college, my old friends, and the
freedom of living away from home.
By the end of my first semester, I
was surprised that I was enjoying
Bergen. For the first time in my life,
I was interacting with people from
different cultures, socioeconomic
backgrounds, ages, and races. The
Honors Program was sufficiently
challenging me, and I connected
with many professors, some of
whom are now my mentors.
After one semester at home, I
could have returned to my other,
private college, but I decided to
continue at Bergen to finish my
Associates (did I mention that
Bergen’s cheap, too?). I tested out
of eight classes, and finished my
62nd credit this past December.
Hopefully, I will be graduating
with a 4.0.
Whether you came here by
choice or not, most people are
happy to graduate and move on.
Many cast off their community
college years as a transitional part
of their life, like the funny inbetween stage when you grow your
hair out. It’s not short hair any-
with your conversation. The proselytizing Christians who harass me
in the library, the gazebo-ites and
their impromptu jam sessions, the
dudes that sat across the room in
Human Geography who brightened my day with their wise-guy
comments. I’ll miss having older
people in my classes; at my other
college no one uses the excuse,
“I’m sorry I missed class, my kid
was sick.”
Embrace your in-between stage!
Don’t throw on a hat. Let your awkward hair stick out all over the place.
Good luck to everyone – it feels
good to finish and I hope you get
that feeling one day too.
THE TORCH
PAGE 6
JULY 2007
The Controversy Over Gun Control
BY: JAMES ROBINSON
STAFF WRITER
Would stricter gun laws make us
safer or less safe? That question has
been debated for years, and has
always been a controversial topic.
The recent massacre at Virginia
Tech has spawned more questioning, but the creation of new gun
laws seems unlikely. In 1993,
Congress passed the “Brady Bill,”
which forced more extensive background checks and longer wait
times to receive a firearm. In 1994,
the Federal Assault Weapons Ban
was passed and banned the manufacturing or sale of firearms that
were considered “assault weapons”
to citizens; however, the ban
expired in 2004. Those pieces of
legislation were the last to be
passed by Congress concerning
gun control, and the question is
whether or not there is a need in
America for restrictions placed on
firearms. The Center for Disease
Control and Prevention estimated
that there were 52,447 violencerelated and 23,237 accidental gunshot injuries in the United States
in the year 2000, in addition to
16,907 suicides involving a
firearm. However, criminologist
Gary Kleck has cited the “National
Crime Victimization Survey,” stating that there are 2.5 million
instances where a gun is used for
protection each year in the United
States. “The best available evidence
indicates that guns were used
about three to five times as often
for defensive purposes as for criminal purposes…robbery and assault
victims who used a gun to resist
were less likely to be attacked or to
suffer an injury than those who
used any other methods of selfprotection or those who did not
resist at all.”
Some might argue that by passing laws which tighten restrictions,
we are revoking the rights granted
to us by the Second Amendment
and are setting ourselves up for
future danger. At the 2002 NRA
Annual Meeting, Wayne LaPierre,
CEO & Executive Vice President
of the National Rifle Association,
said, “If you consider the
Constitution less relevant, if you
ignore or distort the Second
Amendment; if you conspire to
make lawful firearms less accessible
to lawful citizens; if you infiltrate
school boards and churches and
legislatures and foundations to
advance an anti-freedom agenda of
any kind — the fact that you were
born on American soil won’t mask
the fact that you’re an enemy of
freedom and a political terrorist.”
On the other side of the argument, Senator John Edwards said
in 2004 that “I respect and believe
in people’s Second Amendment
rights. That does not, however,
mean that somebody needs an AK47 to hunt. It does not mean that
somebody who’s been convicted of
a violent crime should be able to
walk out of prison, walk across the
street and buy a gun. It does not
mean that we shouldn’t take every
Our Generation’s To-Do List
BY: JAMES ROBINSON
STAFF WRITER
Each generation is given the
opportunity to improve on our
great nation, and while America has
moved forward by leaps and
bounds since its inception, the journey is not yet complete. With the
13th Amendment we abolished
slavery; through the 19th
Amendment, women were finally
given the right to vote, and during
the 1960’s, the Civil Rights movement took us to a place we should
have arrived at centuries earlier.
These changes that were made as a
nation have always been long overdue and completely deserving of the
fight that took place to achieve
them. Although they are no longer
endorsed by our country’s government, the issues of racism and sexism still exist, but they only begin to
comprise the long checklist of
things we need to fix, create, update
and change before it’s time to pass
the torch to the next generation.
The biggest movement that has
been taking place for quite some
time now is the fight to save our
environment. In the future, as the
Earth continues to get warmer, sea
levels would rise, our poorest
counties face a shortage of food
and water, Asia would see massive
floods and avalanches, and in
North America, more hurricanes,
droughts, floods, heat waves and
wildfires are expected. However,
we can reverse all of these effects by
changing the way we consume
energy, on a national, local, and
personal level. There is a vast and
endless amount of information at
our fingertips through the
Internet.
For
instance,
“ClimateCrisis.net” offers a very
easy-to-follow list of everyday
things we can do, such as replacing
a regular incandescent light bulb
with a compact fluorescent light
bulb, which uses 60% less energy.
A change as easy as that would save
300 pounds of carbon dioxide a
year! There are dozens of simple
changes such as this one that could
drastically change our current situation for the better.
While those changes can help
achieve our goal, the problem continues nationally. Carbon emissions need to be reduced and the
argument of how to go about
enticing businesses to reduce their
emissions has sparked a variety of
suggestions,
including a
cap on total
emissions
allowed and
tax credits for
businesses
willing
to
begin
the
process of
lowering
their emiss i o n s .
H o w e v e r,
the
solutions to this
problem are
our responsibility to
solve; we
must force
the issue to
be a “hot
topic,” by
talking about it, creating interest
and making the necessary changes
to fix this problem while we still
have the time.
Sources:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/04/06/climate.report.ap/index.html
Climatecrisis.net
A Victimless Crime
BY: CHRIS MAYS
STAFF WRITER
After reading about the murder of
a “Tenafly businessman who was
arrested in connection with an offshore sports betting operation,” in
the Record, the “victimless” crime
known as gambling took my interest. A local bookie, who has declined
to be named, agreed to bring me
behind the scenes to his apartment
in Providence, Rhode Island.
Inside I take a seat on his leather
couch and he pours me a glass of
red wine from Italy. He had just
been there last week with his family. His father loves to ski.
“Best life,” he repeats over and
over as we sit watching scores
being updated on his computer.
I had never heard of some teams
from the National Collegiate
Athletic Association (N.C.A.A.).
The bookie assures me that these
kids who bet never heard of the
teams, either. It might just be the
pure excitement of having money
on the games.
“They are addicted gamblers,” he
says.
“Degenerates,” he laughs as he
grabs his leather coat.
I follow him out the door. We
head to a casino where he is a “High
Rolling” member. This means he is
there on a constant basis.
Most of his clients are high-school
kids from North Jersey. Obsessed
and possibly bored, these kids run to
their computers after school to send
the bookie their picks for the day.
The bookie explains the system
to me as we sit and play blackjack.
The spread is the points the teams
have to win or lose by. They are
made by officials in Vegas and are
crafted almost scientifically. Their
jobs are serious and people rely on
them daily. (See Americasline.com
for more information.)
The odds are always on the bookie or casino. It isn’t by much. The
people who make the spread must
keep in mind that the bookie must
remain employed. The difference is
less than 20%. With a hand in
every game, the bookie doesn’t do
too badly for himself.
“They all just want to break the
bank,” he says about the gamblers.
“It just doesn’t happen.”
Upon our return, possibly the
most frequent gambler, over the
age of 23, has sent the bookie two
additional e-mails. It may be his
tenth bet of the day. He wants to
make back money that he has lost
and continues to lose. Today, his
money is on both teams playing in
the same game.
The bookie says his life is lonely,
which is evident. However, his
seclusion from the school and fellow students makes him money.
Every other weekend, the bookie
returns home to New Jersey to collect his money or pay out.
“It’s hard work,” he says.
Rarely does he have to pay out.
People have given up thousands of
dollars to this 20 year-old. They
continue to lose. His clients have a
love/hate relationship with him.
“Don’t ever stop doing this. I
want to do this when I’m older,
too,” a junior in high-school tells
him in confidence.
step that we can take to keep guns
safe and keep guns out of the
hands of kids...I think we should
extend the Brady Bill, which is set
to expire...and it does make sense
to have trigger locks for the purpose of keeping guns safe from
children.”
Are our Second Amendment
rights outdated? Do we no longer
require “the right to bear arms?”
Or do we need to protect ourselves
now more than ever? Most politicians agree that the issue is not
geared towards restricting gun laws
as far as hunting in concerned, the
real issue is rooted in the difference
of opinion on the right to own an
assault weapon, the rules and regulations of the process to own a
firearm, and most importantly,
gun safety. If by owning a gun we
can protect ourselves and our family from harm, it seems that with
the proper identification and background check, it would be the
right thing to do. However, each
year there are dozens to hundreds
of accidental firearm deaths involving children and with weak background checks, illegal sales, and
improper licensing, these weapons
could very easily fall into the
wrong hands. The policy concerning gun laws in America has swung
in each direction at some point in
time and the argument continues
and will continue for some time.
After considering the facts, the
question to ask yourself is: By owning a gun, am I making myself
safer or less safe?
Sources:
http://www.nraleaders.com/wayne-lapierre.html
http://www.ontheissues.org/2008/John_Ed
wards_Gun_Control.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/suicide.ht
m
http://webappa.cdc.gov/sasweb/ncipc/nfirates2000.html
http://www.washingtonceasefire.com/content/view/18/42/
Barack Obama:
The Next JFK?
BY: PAUL IBANEZ
STAFF WRITER
Barack Obama is a U.S. Senator
with an eclectic background. His
father is from Kenya and his mother is from a small town in Kansas;
they met as students at the
University of Hawaii. When
Obama’s father returned to Kenya,
he was left with his mother in
Hawaii. Living with his mother
helped him both learn about
responsibility and understand values of empathy.
He took those
values to New
York, where he
graduated from
C o l u m b i a
University
in
1 9 8 3 .
Remembering
the values taught
to him, Obama
moved
to
Chicago in 1985
to help poor
neighborhoods
improve their living conditions.
His experience in
Chicago helped
him realize that
in order to
change a community on a larger
scale, he would need to change
laws and participate in politics. In
1991, he attended Harvard Law
School and became the first black
president of the Harvard Law
Review. Later, he decided to run
for the Illinois state senate; he won
and served as Illinois’s senator for
eight years. In 2004, he became the
third African American since the
Reconstruction to be elected into
the U.S. Senate. On February 10,
2007, Obama announced his candidacy for the 2008 U.S.
Presidential elections
Obama has an array of political
accomplishments under his belt,
but what does he plan to accomplish as President of the United
States? What does he plan to do for
college students in particular?
Obama’s policy for education is
very appealing. He plans to raise
the Federal Pell Grant limit from
$4,050 to a new maximum limit of
$5,100. An extra thousand dollars
can help students buy textbooks or
allow them to take summer classes
so that they may graduate faster.
Obama has inspired students in
high schools and colleges to form
Students For Barack Obama
(SFBO). This organization is comprised of American high school,
college, and graduate students who
have congregated with a common
mission: to improve the nation for
our generation by electing Obama
as President of the United States.
SFBO was established in the summer of 2006 when a small number
of students started to petition
Obama to run for President in
2008 through Facebook (an online
social network).
Obama, only forty-five years old,
reminds us of a man who was elected President forty-six years ago:
John F. Kennedy, the youngest
President elected to office at the
age of forty-three. Kennedy, like
Obama, was popular with the
young crowd. During the sixties,
when debates began to be televised, Kennedy exuded a polished,
articulate, and mature persona.
This impression helped him
become popular and win more
votes. However, this does not mean
that he did not face criticism.
Kennedy was often criticized for
his inexperience, and Obama faces
the same criticism. The parallels
are uncanny. Maybe this means
that Obama will be just as good of
a president as Kennedy, but who
knows.
Obama’s policies posted on his
website, www.BarackObama.com,
provide America with a path in
diplomacy that is far better than its
current one. He reminds us of
John F. Kennedy, and considering
its current state, America needs
another Kennedy.
THE TORCH
JULY 2007
PAGE 7
Su1 Club Day on the Green
All you lovely ladies who would like to kill two birds with one stone can 1. Join a prestigious
college newspaper and 2. have the privilege to work with this most sexiest of men this coming
Fall 2007 semester. Don't delay it's first come, first serve!
A government by the student and for the students!
The Caribbean Students Association is one of the many cultural
based clubs that BCC has to offer.
www.bergenhonors.org Everything you hoped college could be
Student Ambassadors; they're
here to help and they were red
shirt, so you can't miss 'em.
The newly formed BergenLit literature club reached out to students
and faculty by sharing the wealth, without asking for a cent in return!
SAB Always ready to work and have fun.
THE TORCH
PAGE 8
JULY 2007
Opinions & Editorial
Letters to the Editor
BY: MARIYA GONOR
PUBLICIST
I am going to ask my readers to
recall the last issue of The Torch
(April 2007 edition). On page 11
there was an article “Invasion of
Mathematically Disinclined” written
by two of BCC’s science tutors.
While on one hand they did make
some valid points, I was shocked
with their ignorance and arrogance.
Throughout the history of human
kind, we learn that inability to
acknowledge a problem or the denial
of its existence is the most dangerous
mistake that one can make. That is
why when we are faced with the fact
that nearly 80% of students will fail
remedial math courses, neither faculty nor students should stay indifferent to this issue.
As Ms Tilia Gode and Mr. Tanner
have pointed out in their article,
math is an essential component of
our lives; however, by far not the
most imperative one. When one
looks at a painting by Monet, it is
rather doubtful that she wonders
whether the artist was successfully
taught how to derive or calculate percentages. On the other hand, it is the
elementary math we are talking
about; thus, most of student will
have to face it during their adult life.
Nevertheless, no one has the right to
disrespect and look down upon those
who are not strong or successful in
math. (Strangely enough NOT every
person in the universe wants to
marry math if it were a person). No
one wearing “important” suits should
have to tell us that we are in college
now; thus, if you have a problem,
don’t cry about it and get extra help.
I’ve got news for you. We are in a
community college, and the courses
we are talking about are the nondegree ones. That essentially means,
that those courses were designed to
aid students in their further educational journeys. Therefore, those
courses are supposed to act as a second chance for those who for whatever reason did not learn the material in previous institutions they have
attended. A student in that class
could be someone who did not study
in High School and decided to
change his/her ways now, or a mother returning to college after 20 years
of not being able to get any education, or a foreign student who came
in the country in the search of a better future. That course is their second
chance to succeed, and we must not
take it away by our inability to face
the faulty structure of the course.
Finally, as the authors have
explained in fancy worlds, 4 out of 5
students in the class will not finish
the course successfully. I am sure that
if the same statistics were applied to
English courses, they would be quite
concerned with that.
Instructor vs. Program Evaluation
BY: A BCC STUDENT
Recently I found out that professors
who are not a part of permanent faculty in Bergen are being rehired based
on evaluation by their “colleagues.”
The procedure is quite simple.
Someone comes in during one of the
classes and observes students’ reaction
to professor’s teaching methods. While
it may seem like a sufficient procedure, the results in each case do not
prove objective.
As we all know, every student who
wants to graduate may take two math
and two science courses. I don’t mean
to sound ignorant, but I chose to be a
business major because I did not want
to study chemistry, biology, climatology and other subjects of that sort. I
am sure that at least half of other students would agree with me on that.
After all, we are not making pre-med
students take accounting or economics. They may choose to, but it is not a
requirement.
So out of all the Sciences, I decided
to go with Intro to Physics (so have
another 15 people in my class).
Professor (our physics instructor) In
the beginning I hated every word in
the book, and I could not make myself
read until the end of the chapter. I
thought this class would be the most
challenging and boring thing for me to
deal with this semester. However, this
professor made the class interesting
and enjoyable. After his lectures I actually UNDERSTAND what is written
in the book. In addition, he is always
willing to help his students, and give
one as much time as they need. Not to
mention, he is very eager to help out
with extra-curricular activities on campus; thus, he contributed his time for
our education outside of the walls of
classrooms.
Recently reps from the College have
been evaluating his performance in
PHY 185 (Intro to Physics class).
Seeing that some individuals were
quite indifferent to the class, the conclusion the reps might have come to
was that the professor is not “entertaining” enough for his students. Thus,
people are not going to derive much
information after the course. This conclusion is quite ridiculous, as well as
the evaluation of the class itself. First, if
you want to see one’s teaching abilities,
you might want to come to the class
where students actually care about the
subject. So a rational thing to do
would be coming to Physics II class,
where physics majors actually want to
learn something.
If Bergen’s administration is so concerned with how interested students
are in the subject matter of the course
they might want to try to let students
take courses that would be useful in
their further careers.
P.S. To further prove my point, when
we had discussions about global warming or efficient use of electricity (the
issues that actually concern us) the professor led a highly dynamic and educating discussion, which captured the
attention of EVERYONE in the class.
Editor-In-Chief
Managing Editor
Copy Editor
Sports Editor
Entertainment Editor
Publicist
Photographer
Illustrator
Advisor
Louis Campos
Michelisa Lanche
Amanda Ferrante
Danny LaFaso
Alon Melamed
Mariya Gonor
Sergio Lopez
Moses Agwai
Dr. Ralph Choonoo
Staff Writers:
Bahadir Basaran
Jill Bartlett
Austin Keenan
Chris Mays
Denise Reyes
James Robinson
Chloe Riccardo
Fredric Tan
Robert Torres
Doug Smith
Caressa Valdueza
Coral Weber
Contributing Writers:
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Rachel Freeman
Mailing Address:
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Paramus, NJ 07652-1595
Room L-115
Phone: 201-493-5006
Fax: 201-493-5008
torch_editors@yahoo.com
The Torch, a member of the Associated College Press and the College
Media Association, is the official student newspaper of Bergen
Community College. The purpose of the The Torch is to report on
the events at BCC and the local community and to offer the BCC
community a forum for the expression. The opinions expressed in
The Torch are not necessarily those of The Torch. All the materials
submitted to The Torch become property of The Torch.
. . . is online at http://www.bergen.edu/pages/880.asp
“Armchair Activists,” Appear To Be Dropping the Ball With Darfur
BY: DOUG SMITH
STAFF WRITER
Rwanda, oh Rwanda! People must
have thought your genocide was
just a big joke. The years following
the ethnic cleansing between two
factions has left the whole western
world mortified by the way it let
that humanitarian atrocity slip
through its fingers and result in the
loss of nearly one million lives.
During this crisis, George W. Bush
was told about the Rwandan genocide from a letter sent to him by one
of his staffers when he then famously replied, “Not on my watch.” Well
now we’re here in 2007, and it seems
that President Bush might need to
invest in a set of glasses.
Bush should not be blamed for Man protesting the genocide in Darfur
two reasons: One, he should not be Oliver Law (who was also the very
expected to do anything on his own first black American to command a
that would not benefit corporate unit of mixed race) while fighting
America, and two, he is a public ser- at Mosquito Ridge. 1930’s Spain
vant with a public that either does- has nothing to do with the Sudan
n’t know or doesn’t care about the region of Darfur, but that’s just
outcome in Darfur. It’s a shame.
another reason to support the fact
Americans did not always lack American activists are falling way
such integrity. As a matter of fact, behind expectations.
in the 1930’s, a detachment of volTo briefly explain the conflict in
unteer soldiers called the Abraham Darfur: Sudan is the country right
Lincoln Brigade offered their lives under Egypt, and it is somewhat
to fight on the side of the Spanish part of what was the Ancient
Republic against the ruthless fas- Egyptian Empire. The northern
cist dictator, Francisco Franco. part of the Sudan is comprised of
Many of our men died over in Islamists of Arabic descent while
Spain, including their leader
the southern part is populated by
Africans. Before and in 2003, there
was a Darfur liberation movement
that attacked government buildings and police stations. The
Sudanese government had to react.
Its reaction was not a conventional
police or military crackdown
against the troublemakers in
Darfur. Instead, it campaigned to
support the militias opposed to
Darfur freedom groups by pumping weapons, allotting money, and
lending tactical air support for
their raids on towns and villages.
Sudanese President Omar AlBashir has repeatedly denied
United Nations peacekeepers, hiding under the guise of blocking a
Zionist/Western invasion of
Islamic lands. That might have
made sense if we were dealing with
Palestine, but we’re not, and something has to give. Lives are at stake.
Currently, we have a group of people called the Janjaweed Militia who
raid the opposing villages (which is
most of the population in Darfur)
on horseback and pick-up trucks
armed with AK-47’s. This is usually
done right after the Sudanese military has already attacked the location by air. The women are the only
ones who are leaving the refugee
camps to gather food; they’ve stated
that they’ll only get raped instead of
killed like the men.
What could have been a small
violent scuffle has now escalated to
an area with millions homeless and
thousands dead.
I was happy with the initial push
to raise awareness about the Darfur
crisis. I even bought a bag of green
wrist bands and a lawn sign that
read “Not on our watch” (a slogan
mimicking President Bush’s antigenocide proclamation) in hopes
that my donations would go to
organized marches and serious
political movements. That never
happened; the money went to
astounding amounts of public
advertising on buses and subways
in Manhattan that nobody looked
at like every other annoying advertisement plastered all over NYC.
Because the issue is not a priority,
President Bashir will not have anything stand in the way of his mission to crush any and all opposition, peacefully or not. Why do we
only intervene in countries that are
either western, like Serbia, or rich
in natural resources (i.e. Iraq)? The
fact that the U.S. foreign policy is
only interested in helping those
who have something to offer seems
outright racist! On top of that, the
progressive voices that intensely rallied against the occupation of Iraq
and global warming have dropped
the ball on this issue, and doing so
has made them look like all-talk.
We have a nation and a president
that has vowed to fight terror
abroad, and so far, he has done so by
not rebuilding Afghanistan, replacing one repressive regime in Iraq
with another, and provoking Iran
into an inevitable conflict when it
started out as our ally in the conflict
with Afghanistan. At the same time,
the Sudan is supporting ethnic
cleansing, denying some of its citizens the basic amenities of life, and
continuing to not be our ally (once
housing Osama Bin-Laden).
Everything the current U.S. administration says it’s opposed to doing in
a “post 9-11 world” is happening in
the Sudan, but we turn a blind eye.
Where are the voices of outrage?
Armchair activists, stand by your
word, organize something more
than retail style advertisements,
and you will see how many people
stand behind you.
At this time last year, five brave
U.S. Congress members were arrested for protesting outside of the
Sudanese embassy in Washington
D.C.: Tom Lantos of California, Jim
McGovern and John Olver of
Massachusetts, Jim Moran of
Virginia, and Sheila Jackson Lee of
Texas. May they serve as an example
of the civic duty of all American
activists: to place the values and
rights of all people on the highest
pedestal, regardless of the cost.
JULY 2007
Lung
THE TORCH
PAGE 9
Bergen Cancer Community College
The humans say "imitation is highest form of flattery," maybe now we can be friends!
What it Takes to Get a Job You Want
BY: MARIYA GONOR
PUBLICIST
Remember getting your first job?
It was not that hard, was it? Now,
however, everything is going to
change. As we are graduating college or just trying to get a good
internship, we have to face some
serious competition in the workforce. It is not only a fight to survive and keep the job, but most
importantly, it is a fight for that
one precious position. That’s where
the interviewing skills come in. I
don’t think that anyone is really
fond of being evaluated or judged
by other people; however, that is
exactly what happens during job
interviews. And even worse you
have somewhere around 15 minutes to make a good first impression. Also, there is a 90% possibility that the decision about your
employment will be made within
that little amount of time. So read
on to find out what it takes to be
successful in that fight for the job.
– First of all, you should arrive on
time. . . better yet, arrive 15
minutes earlier. Coming late on
your fist interview. . . eek. . . it
is even worse than talking about
commitment on the first date.
Coming 40 minutes early on
the other hand is not showing
anything good about you either.
It is just pathetic.
– The next thing is your attire. I
had a friend who showed up on
an interview wearing jeans. How
smart is that? What you want to
wear is a nice suit with that terribly uncomfortable tie. If you
don’t have a suit for some reason,
get those dressy pants and a shirt
out of the closet. It is needless to
say that a girl should not be
wearing the shortest skirt from
her closet. It most certainly is
not going to get you the job.
– It is a good idea to have your
resume ready for the interview
even if it is not required. It will
show that you are confident in
yourself.
– Be confident. Don’t show that
you are nervous. Try to speak
slowly and not use any “bad
words,” and also if it is possible
try not to use any slang either.
The interviewers will try to
make you as comfortable as possible, but you must remember
that they are still evaluating you.
– In addition, it is a good idea to
do some research on the company or individual that is interviewing you. Obviously, you
should be knowledgeable about
requirements for the position
that you are going for.
It is not hard to be great, lovable
and totally adorable on an interview – just be charming like you
always are… good luck.
JOIN A TEAM!!!
INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS
Bergen Community College
FALL
WINTER
Cross Country - Men & Women
Soccer - Men
Soccer - Women
Volleyball - Women
Basketball - Men
Basketball - Women
Wrestling - Men
SPRING
Baseball - Men
Softball - Women
Golf - Men & Women
Tennis - Men & Women
Track & Field - Men & Women
Great Coaching! Improve Your Game! Have Some Fun!
YOU’LL LOVE THE EXPERIENCE
QUESTIONS? CALL 201-447-7182 or go to G-201 (2nd fl. above gym)
THE TORCH
PAGE 10
JULY 2007
Arts & Entertainment
Hip Hop Summer Review
BY: PAUL IBANEZ
STAFF WRITER
The summer is here, and waves of
music are streaming through the
air. Many artists take it upon themselves to release their hottest songs
during this time.
50 Cent,
Fabolous, Ne-Yo, Rihanna, and
Kanye West are releasing their
albums this summer, and with their
singles already hitting the streets,
they have fans anxiously waiting.
The album has productions by
Dr.Dre, Eminem, Akon, Kanye
West, Pharrell, Swizz Beatz, and
Will.I.Am. His songs also feature
artists like Justin Timberlake,
Mary J. Blige, Robin Thicke, and
other talented guests. The first hit
single from the album is “Straight
to the Bank.” “The single is just a
warm-up,” says 50 Cent (MTV
News). The album’s title, Curtis, is
supposed to acknowledge a time
when nobody knew his name. It is
due to be released June 26th.
The R&B sensation Ne-Yo
dropped his album on May 1st
titled Because of You, which is also
the title of the first hit single from it.
“Because of You” is currently on
50 Cent, Fabolous, Ne-Yo, Rihanna, and Mr.West
Billboard’s Hot 100. Ne-Yo’s debut
album, In My Own Words was commercially successful, and his sophomore album is expected to have the
same success especially with artists
like Ghostface Killah, Peedi Peedi,
Jennifer Hudson and Jay-Z.
Rihanna’s new LP, Good Girl
Gone Bad, was released on June
5th. With songs like her single,
“Umbrella” featuring Jay-Z, the
album shows Rihanna’s growth as
The Beauty Takes it Back:
Linkin Park: Minutes to Midnight
CA photo credit stephen mcgeedetroitfreepress.jpg
Christina Aguilera’s Back to Basics Tour at
Continental Airlines Arena
BY: AMANDA FERRANTE
COPY EDITOR
It’s the fifth day of April and
though we expect warmer temperatures and pretty flowers, there is
no such luck. It is cold, dark, and
windy. We needed a little heat,
and that’s exactly what we got.
Christina Aguilera has been a confident, strong artist since she came
on to the scene with her smash hit
“Genie in a Bottle” back in 1999.
The chameleon-like performer has
done and said it all, but now she’s
paying homage to the music she
really loves from the 30’s and 40’s.
"This is a concept album that follows a bold vision," explains
Aguilera on her website. "The
touchstones are Billie Holiday,
Otis Redding, Etta James and Ella
Fitzgerald - what I used to call my
'fun music' when I was a little
girl." Indeed it is “fun” music;
Christina has managed to bring an
era of music to a generation that
may have been disadvantaged of its
altitude. Britney moved on over
and made room for Christina to
shine. She should probably stick
around and learn a thing or two
from the six-time Grammy Award
winning artist. The question of
who’s the better pop princess may
be put to rest- the Queen is here.
A five-piece band and four-man
horn section provided smooth
slinky jazz as a backdrop for the
blonde bombshell to boast her
killer set of pipes. A sheer white
curtain unveiled the greatest party
on earth- and everyone was invited. Girls of every age dominate
the arena with their screams that
would put even a horror movie to
shame.
That
infamous
‘HEEEEEEYYYYYY’ prefaced
“Ain’t No Other Man,” the first
single off her latest disc, which the
tour was suitably named after. A
white suit hugged her phenomenal
figure as she worked the stage.
She’s back! The stage mimics a
blues club atmosphere; the backup
singers resonate an air of The
Supremes and the costumes are
impeccable in capturing the era at
its finest. The sultry circus was
nothing short of spectacular.
Christina got the crowd going with
some favorites; “What a Girl
an artist. “The album is very edgy.
We have some urban records and
some pop records,” says Rihanna
(MTV News). She released a music
video that was directed by Chris
Applebaum to go along with
“Umbrella,” so make sure to check
that out (if you haven’t already).
Fabolous, despite his current runins with the law, has his album hitting the streets hard. Three new
singles from the album titled From
Nothin’ to Somethin’ have been hitting NY radio stations like Hot 97
and Power 105. The first single,
“Make me Better” featuring Ne-Yo
and produced by Timbaland, takes
Fabolous back to his old ways:
kickin’ it to the ladies. The single
“Diamonds on My Neck” featuring Young Jeezy and produced by
Just Blaze is a club banging mix of
the southern snap and New York
base. Another single produced by
Just Blaze, “Return of the Hustle”
featuring Swizz Beatz, has a catching violin production to the beat.
Fabolous’s album has been pushed
back several times due to the
shootings and trials, but it was
released on June 12th.
Kanye West is dropping his
album, Graduation, September
18th. His first single, “Can’t Tell
Me Nothing,” is already playing on
the radio. This is another triumph
album for Kanye West, and it is
bound to start more controversy.
Wants” and “Beautiful” were just a
few pleasers seasoned with smooth
jazzy beats and alley-way saxophone sounds. Poles come up
through the floor like a candy cane
out of a wrapper as the girls
onstage get “Dirrty.” “I’ve seen so
many artists live, but she is at the
top of her game,” says a friendly
female concertgoer. Providing the
token sway-back-and-forth song,
the newlywed belted out
“Beautiful,” the sing along song of
the evening. A lucky man from
the audience was serenaded dominatrix-style to “Nasty Naughty
Boy” at the sexy carnival.
All colors, lights, and pyrotechnics aside, the production pizzazz
and all that jazz couldn’t take the
focus away from Christina’s voice.
From the soft ballad “Hurt” to the
steamy girl power anthem “Lady
Marmalade,” we learn what
Christina’s hiatus was all aboutand conclude it was worth the
wait! The diva wraps up her US
tour dates in late May and continues to sweep the globe, one sexy
show at a time.
BY: AMANDA FERRANTE
COPY EDITOR
“Here we go for the hundredth
time,” raps Mike Shinoda on “Bleed
it Out,” one of the heavier songs on
Minutes to Midnight, Linkin Park’s
highly anticipated third album. It
sure seems like the hundredth time;
the band has only been in the game
for seven years (their debut album
Hybrid Theory was released in 2000),
yet their fan base is huge (and growing). Minutes to Midnight is a
change from the usual LP sound.
The band emphasizes “starting from
scratch” and making the music they
truly wanted to create, even if it
meant reinventing Linkin Park. As a
result of change, there are only four
tracks that feature Shinoda’s vocals
(he plays guitar on all tracks, however). Though Shinoda’s vocals take a
backseat on this album, production
rides shotgun as he is given production credit alongside the infamous
Rick Rubin on the new masterpiece.
Fans were wondering what LP was
up to during their almost two year
hiatus. “We wanted to stand on our
own and really make music that was
unique to Linkin Park…every band
wants to have its own identity,” lead
singer Chester Bennington tells
Blender Magazine.com. That’s what
is great about the album- every song
tells a story and has its own sound.
The process of writing and recording
the tracks on Minutes to Midnight
was not easy; in an interview with
KROQ radio, guitarist Brad Delson
tells listeners “We had easily written
over 150 songs.
It sounds
crazy…more than half of them were
pretty much full blown songs.” So
maybe the hundredth time was the
charm! From the sweet ballad “In
Between” to the heavy “No More
Sorrow,” Linkin Park takes you on a
ride of baby soft vocals and animated riffs like a Jekyll and Hyde twofaced record. As Chester says, “We
got back to making music that we
wanted to listen to.”
To promote Minutes to Midnight,
LP came to town to rock Webster
Hall for a few lucky fans- 300 give or
take. Z100 brought the once in a
lifetime event to fans for an intimate
show at one of New York City’s most
famous nightclubs. Cameras were
everywhere; on men’s shoulders, in
the air, and in almost every fan’s
hands. The boys seemed rejuvenated
and content to play a smaller show
for a crowd of fans that really celebrate Linkin Park and everything
they have created. Opening with
“One Step Closer” proves a shift in
the band’s routine as it’s typically
their closing song. Favorites like
“Somewhere I Belong,” “Breaking
the Habit,” and “In the End,”
comprised the predominantly old
LP set list. They performed new
tracks of Minutes to Midnight as
the crowd jammed out to “Bleed
it Out,” “No More Sorrow,”
“Given Up,” and, of course,
“What I’ve Done,” which was
actually the last of the 150 songs
written for the album.
LP credits Rick Rubin for giving
them the opportunity to reinvent
their sound to coincide with their
feelings and thoughts about who
the band is. Minutes to Midnight
is definitely a change that seems
to be a surprise to fans, but nevertheless, still has a response great enough
to support Linkin Park and all that
they do. For a new take on Linkin
Park, check out Minutes to Midnight
in stores now. LP will headline the
Projekt Revolution Tour 2007 with
My Chemical Romance, Taking
Back Sunday, Him, Placebo, JulienK, Mindless Self Indulgence, Saosin,
The Bled, Styles of Beyond, and
Madina Lake. The tour begins in
July and makes its way to Wantagh,
NY to play Jones Beach Theatre on
August 15th and Holmdel, NJ’s
PNC Bank Arts Center on August
29th.
THE TORCH
JULY 2007
PAGE 11
Fashion
Here’s Lookin’ at You, Kid! Summer Staples for Guys and Girls
The Sexy Swimsuit: no matter what
size or shape
COPY EDITOR
you are, there’s a
suit out there
Holy Vogue! What happened to
for you. Make
fashion? It’s an art form that has gone
sure that you
from being a way of expressing yourself
feel comfortable
and how you feel to a way to fit in and
with what you’re
be a part of the hottest trends. Who
w e a r i n g ;
cares what’s “in” or “out?” Fashion is
r e m e m b e r polka dot oldnavy
personal. You have to do what suits
trends
are bikini top $16.50
you! Be who you want to be and tell
treacherous! If
bottom $16.50
the world with fun summer staples
you feel insecure
that you can pick and choose to fit
about your appearance, there are cute
your personality and style. It’s all
cover-ups and sarongs that can help
about you!
your walk on the beach feel a little
For The Ladies:
more confident. Old Navy swimwear
The Summer Dress: it can be
starts at $12.50 per piece!
dressed up or down, and that’s the best
Super Sandals: the sun is out, and
part about it! Take it to a friend’s gradyour feet should be, too! Show off
uation party with fun sandals and a
your precious pedicure with sandals
pretty flower in your hair, or throw it
that make you feel great. Steve
over your swimsuit for a day of fun in
Madden is a pioneer in shoe design,
the sun on the beach. Don’t forget the
but not necessarily comfort.
sun block!
Espadrilles and wedge heels are great
for the
comfort
f a c t o r.
Do what
f e e l s
scarf sandal steve madden right!
BY: AMANDA FERRANTE
$49.95
Linen Baby Doll $29.50oldnavy
Isaac Mizrahi forTarget dress $39.99
A Great Graphic Tee: say what you
want to say, and say it out loud!
Graphic Tees are the perfect way to
have fun and express your mood- after
all,
it
changes
every
day!
Customglamgirl.com is a great site to
customize your own gear. Pull out
your miniskirt and flip flops and get
out there!
and they don’t
come on and off
easily.
Guys
everywhere
sport flip flops
and look great.
Old Navy’s flip
flops start at
$3.50- you can’t
cream weave
even buy lunch
with that.
flipflops $39.50
A Flirtatious Fragrance: the Axe
commercials are right, scent is the
strongest sense tied to memory, and
ladies love a man who smells sweet.
You can make your presence known
without even speaking. Target and
Kohl’s are great for inexpensive name
brand scents.
Palmercash.com Zaire $23.97
For the Gentlemen:
Fashion isn’t something to be feared.
We know you care about your appearance; you don’t have to search far and
wide to simply look good. Here are
some items you can pick up to get
going and maybe even find some summer love!
The Flip Flop: they’re comfortable;
don’t fight it! While we appreciate
your pricey kicks, they don’t always
make for the greatest beach footwear,
Hollister Drift $19.50
Target Cool Water $19.50
Cargo Shorts: from a girl’s perspective, they make your butt look cute.
Not to mention those hundreds of
pockets that you can fit just about anything into…even our lip gloss when
we ask you to hold it!
Jack Creek Camo Cargo Shorts
Hollister $39.50
The Party Shirt: this is an item every
guy can enjoy. You can dress it up,
down, or any way around. Pair it with
those cute cargos or a nice pair of
khakis and you are sophisticated for
summer partying!
Bluffs
Beach
Shirt
Hollister
$39.50
Fashion should be fun, not frustrating. Don’t wear things just because
everyone is wearing it; stay true to
yourself and your own style- you’ll be
surprised what’s out there to support
your creativity and originality. See you
on the beach!
Sports
New Jersey Nets Move: Is the Ball in Fans’ Court?
BY: ALON MELAMED
ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
“I don’t distinguish between New
Jersey… and Brooklyn, in terms of
quality. Honestly, I’m not saying
that because of fan issues. It’s
important to have a good
team…We’ll look at how we can
have the best team the next year whether it’s Brooklyn or New
Jersey or anywhere.”
That is what Bruce Ratner, principal owner of National Basketball
Association’s New Jersey Nets has
to say about the planned move of
the Nets to Brooklyn. Whether the
move is justified or not, the Nets
will find out how many fans show
up on their opening game of the
2009-2010 season.
New Jersey’s former owner, Ray
Chambers, had a completely different vision of the team. His idea
was to construct a new arena in
Newark, NJ, that would be the
home stadium for both NBA’s Nets
and the National Hockey League’s
New Jersey Devils.
The combination of insufficient
fan support and other issues terminated the plan. Eventually,
Chambers sold his Nets shares to
Ratner, a real estate developer. On
July 25, 2004, Ratner announced
that by the end of the 2008 year,
the Nets would relocate and
become the Brooklyn Nets.
With the upcoming move,
Brooklyn will have its first profesional sports team since baseball’s
1957 Dodgers. As for the public
reaction, not all fans support the
move.
Loyal New Jersey fans that
oppose the move are trying to get a
massive petition signed by as many
people as possible. The petition,
titled “No Stadium - Prospect
Heights Action Coalition” is targeted towards Brooklyn Borough
President Marty Markowitz, New
York City mayor Michael
Bloomberg, and New York state
governor George Pataki.
In the online form, they oppose
Ratner’s political involvement with
Pataki and Bloomberg and the
Metropolitan
Transportation
Authority. According to them,
Ratner’s funding to improve the
Long Island Railroad facilities was
the main cause why New Jersey
moved to Brooklyn. As of this
month, 1,538 people signed the
petition.
Furthermore, initial expectation
set by Ratner’s real estate project,
Atlantic Yards, with the new arena
part of the plan, were aiming for
the move to be carried out by the
end of this year. Now with the
team’s help, the project, as seen
above is postponed to 2009, possibly 2010; with many local services
offered for the population, living
in Brooklyn is being delayed or
cancelled at all.
The Nets Continental
Airlines Arena holds 20,049
people. In their opening
game this year, 18,646 fans
came to cheer them on. On
their March 31st game
against the Philadelphia
76ers, the stadium had the
potential to sell out all seating
because of Philly’s relative geographical location. Yet, the official (usually adds an extra one
or two thousand people)
attendance number read
that a little more than 16,500
people came to see the game.
Maybe it is a result of a weak fan
base; thus, weak support. On the
other hand, it may be just that
Bruce Ratner and the political support he brings with him to New
York simply have a better case than
leaving the team in New Jersey.
Save the date: 2009 – it is the year
the Barclays Center in
Brooklyn is scheduled
for tip off.
getting this collectable cup when it
was brought to my attention that I
would have to walk up two flights
of stairs to receive it. You see, at the
refreshment stand near where we
were seated, you get the ordinary
soda bottle, but who wants that? I
made my way upstairs, retrieved
the cup and a hot dog and made
my way back to the seats. I polished off the hot dog in the time it
took you to read that last sentence
and was ready for “Round 2.” as
far as hot dogs are concerned.
About midway through the
game, I stumbled into my second
“homemade tradition.” Alex
Rodriguez belted a home run to
left field, and I, along with the guy
next to me, leaped up out of my
seat screaming! We looked at each
other and without thinking twice,
I was high-five-ing this person I
had never met before in my life,
and we were engaged in a
conversation at the top of our
lungs about A-Rod. Slapping
hands with strangers is one of the
many perks of going to a game, it’s
a great way to get out there and
interact with your fellow fans.
Whenever you get out to a game,
every age group is represented at
the stadium; the elderly, the college
students, the parents, the children
and the thirty-somethings. From
the rowdy fans and the swearing to
the history and the excitement, it’s
all there in one night at a Yankee
game. The blanket hardly kept us
warm in the subzero weather (this
is baseball, right?), but thanks to
Bergen, we were treated to an
extremely comfortable and costfree drive to and from the game,
terrific seats, a great game, and let’s
not forget the best part, the collectable cups.
Bergen Takes Us Out to the Ballgame
BY: JAMES ROBINSON
STAFF WRITER
As a member of “The Torch” staff,
I received a great opportunity to
head out to the Yankees-Indians
game on April 18th. Ultimately,
the Yankees won 9-2 with home
runs by A-Rod and Jason Giambi,
but going to the game, as always,
gave me an opportunity to go
through all the traditions and rituals that make going to the game an
experience in itself. The night was
almost over before it began when
we showed up in “Parking lot B” at
5:02, two minutes after the bus was
scheduled to leave, luckily I saw the
bus still in the parking lot and
made a run for it, grabbing hold of
the side of the bus as it drove away
(Ok, that last part didn’t happen,
but it almost did.) A few minutes
later we were on our way to Yankee
Stadium, blanket in hand (it was
forty degrees and raining.)
We arrived at the stadium with
plenty of time before first pitch to
enjoy all of the “pre-game hot
spots.” First up on the list is
grabbing a hot dog and a soda in a
collectable cup (getting your soda
in the collectable cup is not an
option, people; it’s a must.) I was
called upon to go to battle over
THE TORCH
PAGE 12
JULY 2007
Bulldog Sports
Bergen Community College at NJCAA Div. III Outdoor Track & Field National
Championship Meet at Howard Community College in Columbia, MD.
Derval Thomas - 2nd place 100 meters - 2nd team All - American
Coach Erika Czujko & Josh Luis - 5th place Shot Put
Derval Thomas - 2nd place 200
meters - 2nd team All - American
Coach Czujko, Steve
Harris, Brandon
Baldwin, Harold
Blyden, Coach Brazil
Kneeling - Derval
Thomas
Steven Harris - 3rd place 400 meter
Hurdles, 3rd place 400 meter Relay
Coach Czujko , Steven Harris, Coach Brazil
Josh Luis
Coach Erika Czujko, Derval Thomas (2nd team all - american),
Coach Randy Brazil
Coach Czujko and Josh after he broke BCC record in the Hammer Throw.
Coach Czujko, Josh Luis (3rd place hammer - 5ht place shot put), Steve Harris (3rd place 400 meter
hurdles - 400 meter relay), Derval Thomas ( 2nd place 100 & 200 meter - 7th place long jump - 3rd
place 400 meter relay - 2nd team all-american), Coach Randy Brazil, Eddie McElroy Mgr.
Kneeling (left to right) Brandon Baldwin ( 3rd place 400meter relay), Joe Kufel Capt.(7th place 3000
meter steeplechase), Harold Blyden (1st place triple jump, 1st team all-american - 3rd place 400 merter
relay - 5 th place 400 meter - 6th place long jump)