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February 24, 2016

‘Vagina Monologues’ returns to campus Series of speeches showcase women’s sexuality

Students recite monologues from the off-Broadway play, ‘The Vagina Monologues.’

By Thomas Infante Staff Writer

Brave, charismatic and angry are not three words that are traditionally considered synonymous with “vagina.” However,

“The Vagina Monologues” is far from a normal production. The show’s raw language and thought-provoking subject matter forced the audience to think about the vagina in both a literal and a symbolic sense, and the result is quite different than

Heiner Fallas / Photo Assistant

any other theater experience. The Women in Learning and Leadership (WILL) program produced the annual show, which was performed during the weekend of Friday, Feb. 19, to Sunday, Feb. 21, in Mayo Concert Hall.

“The Vagina Monologues” has seen much exposure and success since its conception by playwright Eve Ensler in 1996. Ensler has received multiple awards for the script, which has since been adapted into an off-Broadway play, as well as a televised version produced by HBO. “Ensler spoke to over 200 women to get the ideas for the show,” said freshman women’s and gender studies major and “Vagina Monologues” performer Molly Knapp. “The identities are kept anonymous so that the stories are more relatable to the audience.” The show featured a variety of accounts with highly varied subject matters. Some of the monologues were lighthearted and silly, while others were dark and depressing. One of the funniest monologues, titled “The Flood,” detailed the story of an elderly woman who wasn’t particularly proud of her vagina. Senior English and self-design publishing and editing double major Amanda Acebal performed the monologue. see MONOLOGUES page 14

Forum promotes Professor wins third sabbatical prize diversity at College By Chelsea LoCascio News Editor

By Tom Ballard Opinions Editor How can the College increase inclusion and diversity on campus? That was the question students, faculty and College administrators tackled in the first inclusion and diversity forum held this semester by Student Government (SG) on Tuesday, Feb. 16. “The goal (of the forum) is to get a greater sense of experiences, thoughts, suggestions and concerns students, faculty and staff have,” said sophomore deaf education and history double major Priscilla Nuñez, the SG vice president for Equity and Diversity. “Some students may feel very safe and included at (the College) while others do not, and these series of fora help me and the Chief Diversity Officer of the College (Kerri Thompson Tillett) get a better insight as to short-term and long-term goals that the College as a whole can work toward.” Issues at the forum ranged from discussing racerelations on campus to how to better incorporate professors into campus life at the College. Students praised the College Union Board (CUB) for what they considered to be a more diverse collection of events that appeals to a wider variety of students. “I’m really happy with CUB’s programing as of late,” said sophomore marketing major Baldween Casseus, president of Haitian Student Association. “I feel see FORUM page 3

INDEX: Nation & World / Page 7

Over the course of 14 years, Matthew Bender scoured sources in archives across Tanzania, France, Britain and America to piece together an intricate story. He lived in Tanzania for a year and visited four summers thereafter to roam the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, seeking the natives’ wisdom. He dedicated nine and a half of those years to transform his research into a comprehensive manuscript on the source of life: water. From his childhood on a farm in Indiana to his adulthood spent in classrooms of higher learning, Bender’s interest in agriculture shifted to water, specifically how particular populations perceive this vital resource. Now an associate professor of history at the College, Bender has dedicated most of his adult life to researching the past 150 years of an indigenous Chagga-speaking population that lived on Mount Kilimanjaro for the last 800 to 1,000 years. He also studies how outsiders have influenced the Chagga’s view of water, which comprises his manuscript “Water Brings No Harm: Knowledge, Power and the Struggle for the Waters of Kilimanjaro.” As the third recipient of the College’s Gitenstein-Hart Sabbatical Prize, an endowment set up by College President R. Barbara Gitenstein and her husband Donald Hart, Bender can now ensure the manuscript will come to fruition with this stipend. “What I’m interested in doing is finding out how the people of the mountain are able to negotiate the ideas that are brought from the outside in order to preserve their control over the resource,” Bender said. “The kind of knowledge that outsiders bring in is not just about control of the resource, but it’s also about the very fundamental nature of it. So who owns it, what its religious

Editorial / Page 8

Opinions / Page 9

Features / Page 14

Photo courtesy of Matthew Bender

Bender’s research is conducted in Tanzania.

significance is (and) what its capacity to bring harm is.” According to Bender, the outsiders that have tried to shape the locals’ views on water include Swahili, European explorers, the independent Tanzanian state and currently, climate scientists. “(I) look at how this mountain population tries to make sense of outside ideas, how they incorporate ideas that are useful to them and how they manage to reject ideas that they find to be incompatible with their way of thinking,” Bender said. The Chagga have been able maintain their own views of water despite these outside influences, he added. According to Bender, the outsiders that have tried to see PRIZE page 6 Arts & Entertainment / Page 17

Sports / Page 28

Beautiful Reflections Students write body positive messages

CUB Alt: Comedy Show Student comedians perform stand up

Basketball Lions win first game of NJAC tournament

See Features page 14

See A&E page 17

See Sports page 28

page 2 The Signal February 24, 2016

Alumni discuss breaking into sports industry

David Colby / Staff Photographer

Panelists take questions from students and give personal insight.

By Jillian Santacroce Staff Writer

The School of Business recently hosted an alumni panel that focused on the sports industry, during which students from within the department and from other majors gathered to hear industry advice from alumni who studied management, criminal justice, journalism and communication studies while at the College. Held in the Business Building Lounge on Thursday, Feb. 18, the panel featured Christoph Schoenbeck ’10, Jason Cantor ’10, John Fierko ’88, Craig Haley ’91, Tom McCarthy ’90 and Kristina Shemming ’10. With representatives from Major League Soccer, the National Football League,

Trenton Thunder, STATS LLC, the Philadelphia Phillies and iHeartMedia, there was something of interest for everyone. One of the individuals at the packed panel, sophomore marketing major D.J. Kleinbard, came to the event thinking about his future and possible career. “I hope to learn how to get into the sports industry… I don’t want to be a straight marketing major and get some corporate job,” Kleinbard said. “I’m hoping to learn how to get into that (industry) out of this panel.” The panel served as a way for students to have face-to-face interactions with professionals and to think of ways to make their own college experience more beneficial for their career aspirations. The major themes discussed during the event were

the importance of internships, how friends can be used as a networking source, brand creation, the advantages of informational interviews and how to pay your dues — agreeing to smaller job positions that can lead to a stronger résumé for the future. Shemming, the iHeartMedia senior account executive, had a start to the industry that combined many of the themes stressed during the networking event. Though she majored in health and exercise science while at the College, she also found a calling for communications and journalism, which led her to minor in those fields and pursue internships at MTV Networks, Sirus XM Radio sports department and CBS Radio and later a paid internship after graduation with the MLB Network’s marketing department. “You don’t really think of your friends as possible people to network with,” said Shemming, reflecting on her experience of reconnecting with a former soccer teammate who graduated from the College. Shemming was interning at CBS Radio while her friend was working there, which led her teammate to set her up with an informational interview. Thanks to the experience, Shemming fell in love with the sports sales world. After a series of discussions led by moderator Schoenbeck, senior manager of operations for Major League Soccer, students had the opportunity to have their questions answered. Attendees asked about the work environment of a sports career, the importance of obtaining part-time job positions

and college degree requirements. “I don’t think it’s necessary in the sports world,” Philadelphia Phillies announcer McCarthy said. In his opinion, an individual’s work ethic and résumé will show the credentials needed for the work position. Though a master’s degree can be beneficial in the sports industry, the lessons and skills learned through practical experience have the power to separate a graduate from the rest of the pack applying for the same position, McCarthy said.

“You don’t really think of your friends as possible people to network with.” - Kristina Shemming

iHeartMedia senior account executive

As an individual that yearns to work in the sports industry in the future, junior journalism major Julia Livesey found the panel to be a beneficial experience. “Overall, I think the sports panel was a fantastic way to not only network, but to also listen to former TCNJ students explain how they found their niche in the sports industry,” she said.

Sprinkler systems spurt, swamping separate structures By Chelsea LoCascio News Editor • Campus Police said they saw a pickup truck in the construction parking lot on Carlton Avenue while on patrol at the Carlton Avenue Extension and Pennington Road traffic light intersection on Sunday, Feb. 7, at 1:15 p.m. With a “No Trespassing” sign at the entrance, the lot is reserved for the College’s construction workers, Campus Police said. The officer saw that the vehicle was unoccupied and called for backup to search the property, which is surrounded by a wooded area, according to Campus Police. The cop approached the vehicle to find a hard gun case and a soft crossbow case in the back seat of the vehicle, according to police reports. Police witnessed a man wearing a camouflage jacket and pair of pants walking in the woods toward an open field. There was a Parker Tornado F4 Crossbow hanging from a rope on a tree stand and feed corn spread out around the stand along with two 100-pound feed corn bags that were stuffed into a hollow part of a nearby tree, police said. According to police reports, the man had to retrieve his hunting license from his backpack when police asked to see it. The police had to confirm that the man had trespassed on the College’s property before charging him with criminal trespass. Additional charges included unlawful hunting on a Sunday, not having a deer hunting license visible on his outer clothing and littering. • On Wednesday, Feb. 10, at 9:30 a.m., Campus Police investigated unpaid parking tickets issued to a vehicle. To do so, police met the vehicle’s owner at the College’s Police Headquarters to talk about an immobilizer valued at $199.95. The item was placed on the vehicle on Monday, Oct. 12, and was no longer on it at the time of the meeting, according to police reports. The police inquired about the immobilizer’s whereabouts and the student admitted that it was in the trunk of his car parked in Lot 13, Campus Police said. The officer transported the student to Lot 13 to retrieve the undamaged immobilizer. Police charged the student with theft and issued a summons to appear before the Ewing Township Municipal Court, police said. Campus Police released the student from their custody at 11:17 a.m. after advising him to pay $350 for his tickets. • Campus Police met a student on Monday, Feb. 15, at 2:10 p.m. at the College’s Police Headquarters to confirm that an immobilizer, which police had placed on his

vehicle parked in the Loser Hall Visitor Lot on Tuesday, Dec. 8, was removed without authorization. The student did not tell the police the immobilizer’s location, and according to Campus Police, the device is valued at $199.95. The student was charged with theft and was issued a summons to appear before the Ewing Township Municipal Court, according to police reports. The student owes $775 in parking tickets, but was released from police custody at 3:30 p.m., police said. • Campus Police met with a victim of theft at the College’s Police Headquarters on Wednesday, Feb. 15. Her phone was taken by an unknown suspect in Lot 5 between 9:00 p.m. and 9:45 p.m., according to police reports. The victim had lost her phone after exiting her friend’s vehicle, and searched the area after thinking the phone fell out of her pocket. She used the tracking device on a friend’s phone and the phone appeared to still be in Lot 5, but it was shut off when she called it. The pink iPhone 5C had her student ID attached to the back and was valued at $200 in total, Campus Police said. • A student lost his wallet between 10:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 5, and 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 10, police said. He went to the College’s Police Headquarters to report his missing wallet, which he last remembered having on Friday, Feb. 5, at 10:30 p.m. when he went to RedBerry Frozen Yogurt in Campus Town, according to police reports. The student said that after leaving RedBerry, he walked through lots 4 and 5 to the sidewalk between the Brower Student Center construction site and the football field in order to get to Travers Hall, Campus Police said. He went home on Saturday, Feb. 6, and did not notice his wallet was missing until February 10 at 1:30 p.m., according to police reports. He checked his room in Travers Hall as well as around RedBerry and the Brower Student Center, but did not find it. The wallet, valued at $80, contained $40 in cash, a red Wells Fargo debit card, a New Jersey driver’s license, an East Brunswick library card and a health insurance card. • Campus Police responded to a call from the Chemistry Building on Monday, Feb. 15, at 12:50 p.m. Police said they arrived at the Science Complex to investigate the fire alarm and saw people evacuating the building.

Upon entering the building, police witnessed a large amount of water flowing from the ceiling on the northeast side, where the Chemistry and Biology buildings connect. They also saw a sprinkler head attached to a pipe laying on the ground beneath the water flow, according to police reports. Multiple Facilities employees from the Plumbing Shop, Electrical Shop and Heating and Air Conditioning Shop responded to a request for help from the police. The residual water leaked through the ceiling of the basement and affected rooms 100A, 101 to 106, 122A and 121 in the Chemistry Building. Students left some of their backpacks and laptop bags in room 121 as they were initially exiting the area, but Campus Police moved their belongings onto desks, police said. The police escorted people back into their rooms to retrieve their belongings. The company Unlimited Restoration was contacted to clean up the residual water and the College cancelled all classes in the Chemistry Building that were scheduled to meet 1:30 p.m. and after. Campus Police believe that the flood was due to the cold weather condition’s effect on the pipes. According to College spokesperson Dave Muha, there was a break in the sprinkler line resulting from the pipes freezing. • Campus Police responded to an activated fire alarm in Wolfe Hall at 7:15 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 15. Upon arrival, police saw and heard the alarms going off, but did not see a fire. Campus Police responded to a first floor dorm room occupied by one of the Residential Education and Housing employees. The employee told police he was in the shower and came out to find water pouring from the ceiling, according to police reports. Campus Police said Electrical Shop, Plumbing Shop and Building Services employees aided in resetting the alarm and cleaning up the water. According to Campus Police and Muha, students were allowed to reenter Wolfe Hall sometime between 7:25 a.m. and 7:40 a.m. Muha said a part of the first floor sprinkler system was being filled and the flood resulted from an open valve in a mechanical closet. According to Campus Police, Wolfe Hall was evacuated from 2:40 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. due to an unrelated issue with the smoke detectors. Anyone with information can contact Campus Police at 609-771-2345.

February 24, 2016 The Signal page 3

Forum / Students and staff talk about diversity continued from page 1 At the forum, some students expressed concerns that students, particularly those who are racial minorities, are sometimes only one of the few minority-status students in a class that discusses topics relevant to diversity. Students said that they often feel that other students in their classes look to them as the sole representative of their minority group. “A lot of people think diversity is just a matter of black versus white,” Nuñez said. “But it extends to more than just that — diversity encompasses religion, academics, beliefs, lifestyles, sexual orientation, disabilities and even abilities. There’s no specific focus. It’s a matter of talking, sharing, disagreeing, seeking to understand, questioning and listening to each other and challenging ourselves with how we can move forward with it all.” Students and faculty also expressed the importance of having clear communication between students and professors in order to make sure that everybody is comfortable in the classroom. “It would be extremely valuable… for (the College) to create a space where faculty and staff and students can hear those perspectives because I think that it’s probably the most informative thing people can know to say,” Professor and English Department Chair Glenn Steinberg said. “We should speak more directly to it. I think we need to become more sensitive to the little aspects of our interactions that we don’t realize (may cause discomfort).” Steinberg also said that he is working with faculty to schedule luncheons so that they too can discuss issues of diversity at the College. “We are getting faculty to talk amongst themselves to address the issue outside of the regular school in a more informal manner where people might feel more comfortable talking about things,” Steinberg said. Staff members also addressed the concern that some students may have a hard time discussing issues of diversity in the classroom. “It’s important for (students) to know... that where you may feel uncomfortable

and a little afraid about talking about certain things, your teachers will have that same feeling,” Dean of the School of Arts and Communications John Laughton said. “That’s a very important thing to remember… they’re people, too.” Steinberg said that professors are not necessarily trained to discuss topics of inclusion and diversity in the classroom and it is something that they try to improve upon as time goes on. “Let’s face it: if you’re trained as a Ph.D in English literature, you spend your whole life to be the very best English literature person that you can… so you get that job at the university and all of a sudden it’s like ‘I know a lot about this… Oh no, I have to know about this, too?’ So we’re working on (dealing with inclusion and diversity),” Steinberg said. Steinberg also went on to say that it is often difficult for a professor to know how their students are feeling, which makes their students’ feedback essential. “The professor can have the best of intentions and try really hard to know what is going on in a classroom among the students or in the student’s mind and totally miss it, and that’s really easy to do, even for an experienced teacher,” Steinberg said. “I think that it’s important… to give your professor feedback because we try to read your body language, face and participation in class, and that’s really not always the best indication of what’s going on inside of your head.” Participants also discussed the importance of leading a conversation about inclusion and diversity on campus in order to educate the campus community. “We have to change the culture of the institution, and it happens at all levels,” journalism Professor Kim Pearson said. Pearson said that the best way to facilitate change would be to not just talk about diversity, but to also avoid automatically assigning certain ideas of people based off stereotypes. Until then, SG hopes to gather a diverse collection of opinions from students about the inclusionary climate of the College. According to Nuñez, SG decided to begin what will be a monthly series of fora on inclusion and diversity on campus in

Keri Fitzpatrick / Staff Photographer

Members of the College come together to promote unity and change.

order to let members of the College community express any concerns they have regarding those topics. “There has been a large demand for this type of conversation from both ends of the spectrum — students all the way to administration,” Nuñez said. “The College is undergoing several changes, one in which is diversity and fostering a more inclusive campus. Since SG is an organization for the student body, it’s only reasonable for SG to host these forums. It is currently on the Equity and Diversity agenda and will continue to be for future vice presidents to come.” Although the forum focused mainly on racial and student-faculty relations, participants recognized that there are more issues of diversity that still need to be addressed. “A lot of students would come to me to talk about concerns that they had and a lot of times — and this is something that is not specific to when we talk about race and ethnicity in the classroom — this is something that comes up when you’re the only woman in the engineering class or when you’re a Muslim and you wear the hijab,” Pearson said. “There (are) all sorts of dimensions that I saw… also in terms of inclusion.” Participants felt that the topics of inclusion and diversity were important topics to talk about, especially in a close-knit community like the College. “Every forum is so different and it is truly eye-opening to see how everything is interrelated,” Nuñez said. “Campus activities, classes and class requirements, professors and so on — it all makes an impact to the environment. Moreover, today’s conversation truly gave administrators, faculty and staff something to ponder on just as much as it gave students something to think and

dwell on after the forum finished.” Nuñez said that while she was very satisfied with the outcome of the first forum, she would like to see an increase in interest for the future fora. The forum was attended by approximately 15 people. “One thing I would like to see is a higher attendance record. Today’s forum was an amazing start,” Nuñez said. “Everyone’s opinion is important when talking about this topic. Each person gets affected by inclusion and diversity in their own way. The greater the attendance, the greater the insight and the closer we get to seeing change.” According to College spokesperson Dave Muha, the College takes the issues of inclusion and diversity very seriously and it is continuing to make progress. “(The College) takes very seriously its commitment to diversity and inclusion,” Muha said in an email to The Signal. “We strive to create an environment that supports the campus community. This commitment is embedded in the personal philosophies of (President R. Barbara Gitenstein) and her cabinet, as well as being an intricate part of the College’s strategic plan.” Muha points to various events, such as the forum hosted by SG and events for Black History Month — along with famed feminist Gloria Steinem speaking at the College to kick off Woman’s History Month next month — as some of the examples of the College trying to create inclusive environments. The next forum will be held in March and SG will host a monthly forum on inclusion and diversity for every month for the rest of the semester, according to Nuñez.

SG passes bill establishing new procedure

Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor

SG votes on GA’s constitutional review bill. By Alyssa Sanford Web Editor

Student Government’s (SG) Wednesday, Feb. 17, general body meeting opened with a vote on BS-201601, an internal bill that will affect how the Governmental Affairs (GA) committee will proceed with constitutional review of student organizations. “In light of the constitutional review that my committee has done over Winter Break, and even last year before I was VP, I want to make sure that me and future vice presidents (of GA) are responsible for responding to clubs in a timely manner with these amendments,” Vice President of GA Ceili Boles said. Dozens of clubs found their Lion’s Gate pages frozen and their publicizing privileges, such as posting flyers,

revoked on Wednesday, Feb. 10, for not submitting a revised constitution to GA for approval by Feb. 10, according to Boles. The bill “is written to establish a new procedure for approving amendments for TCNJ-recognized organizations, such that the vice president of Governmental Affairs must respond when an organization submits an amendment to the committee within five business days,” Boles said, reading directly from the bill. Members voted to approve the bill without debate. Executive Vice President Javier Nicasio announced that SG and the College Union Board (CUB) were fully funded by the Student Finance Board (SFB) for Funival, the oncampus carnival that marks the end of the spring semester. “It’s a very big event, so we’re going to need a lot of Student Government support,” said Nicasio, who noted that as co-sponsors, general body members will need to volunteer to staff the event. Tyler Holzer, vice president of Administration and Finance, announced that the committee is still selling crewnecks for $25 apiece and beanies for $5 each. Boles announced the viewing of the upcoming Republican debate that will air on Thursday, Feb. 25, ahead of the Tuesday, March 1, primary in Alabama. The viewing will be in room 103 of the Social Sciences Building, but as “the time has still not been released yet,” further details are forthcoming. On Monday, March 21, GA will co-sponsor a mock debate with the College’s chapter of NAACP in room

115 of the Education Building from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., according to Boles. The debate will “bring further awareness concerning the political process,” Boles said. Sophomore class President Kelsey Capestro informed the general body that the class was able to deliver 150 Valentine’s Day cards to a local children’s hospital last week. Carly Mauro, freshman class president, announced the class will start selling T-shirts for $15 apiece. Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) Head Senator Eashwayne Haughton announced that an “advising report” for HSS advisors is “in the works,” similar to the existing advising reports that the School of Business already has at the end of each semester, on which HSS students will be able to provide feedback on their academic advisers and indicate whether or not they were helpful.

Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor

Members discuss staffing for Funival.

page 4 The Signal February 24, 2016

GLORIA STEINEM GLORIA STEINEM WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 2016 KENDALL HALL MAIN STAGE - 4:00 PM

MARCH 2, 2016 KENDALL HALL MAIN STAGE 4:00 PM SAF FUNDED SPONSORED BY THE WOMEN’S CENTER

THIS EVENT IS FREE, BUT TICKETS ARE REQUIRED. STUDENT TICKETS AVAILABLE STARTING FEBRUARY 19TH AT THE MAYO CONCERT HALL BOX OFFICE. TICKETS FOR FACULTY/STAFF/GENERAL PUBLIC AVAILABLE STARTING FEBRUARY 24TH AT THE BOX OFFICE OR AT https://tcnjcenterforthearts.tcnj.edu/tcnj-box-office/. Co-sponsored by: The Women’s and Gender Studies Department, WILL, The Office of the President, Academic Affairs, Office of Human Resources, The School of Humanities and Social Sciences, The School of Arts and Communication, The School of Business, The Office of Development

February 24, 2016 The Signal page 5

Rideshare App aims to create greener campus By Chelsea LoCascio News Editor

If you need a ride, do not have money for an Uber or just want to help the environment, then TCNJ Rideshare App is here to help. The President’s Climate Commitment Committee (PC3) pushed for the creation and implementation of this new app, now available through both the Apple and Google Play stores, according to political science Department Chair and Associate Professor Brian Potter. This app, exclusive to the College, is a way for students, faculty and staff to cut down on their carbon emissions by carpooling. However, the app will not be effective until more people start using it. “There’s some minimum threshold level of (a couple hundred) people that we need to start using it and looking for rides,” Potter said. “So far, we’re not at that (threshold).” According to TCNJ Rideshare’s website, there are several incentives to use the app, such as saving money on gas and lowering emissions of greenhouse gasses caused solely by transportation to and from the College by 20 percent. According to Potter, the biggest motivator for drivers is the hangtag that allows only them to park in a designated spot for a month — a privilege only available for frequent TCNJ Rideshare app drivers. These premium spots are located in the front of lots 5 and 7 for students, and lots 1 and 4 for faculty and staff.

Although the app is free to use and does not require financial compensation, payment arrangements are up to the driver and rider if they would like to make a more even exchange, according to Potter.

“There’s some minimum threshold level of... people that we need to start using it and looking for rides.” - Brian Potter

political science department chair “If I had a ride with somebody five days a week and I was driving the person the whole time I might say, ‘You want to chip in for gas or something?’” Potter said. “But that’s informal. That’s not part of the app or anything.” Prior to this app was a program called TCNJ iCarpool, which was difficult for students to use, Potter said. “We had a carpooling program that didn’t really work. We looked at the software we were using for the

carpooling program and it was clumsy and hard to use,” Potter said. “So we went to students and asked, ‘What would get you using (the program) more?’ and they said, ‘A phone app, and keep it simple.’ So we did.” Though this app has been around since the start of this semester, its creation started in Spring 2015, according to senior computer science and interactive multimedia double major Ben Meyer. Both Meyer and Michael McNally, a 2015 computer science alumnus, helped make the app under the supervision of computer science Associate Professor Deborah Knox as part of mentored research for computer science. “Potter contacted me in January 2015 because my research lab has developed and produced a number of TCNJ mobile applications… (and he) inquired if my research team would be able to develop a mobile app to facilitate campus carpooling,” Knox said. The research team worked on it through the spring, summer and into the fall, making sure to perfect the app based on user testing feedback, according to Meyers. “We are fairly pleased with how the finished product came together,” Meyer said. “Ideas and plans for the app changed throughout the process, so what we started with is not what we ended up with.” Potter is happy with the finished product as it is simple to set up, records reduced carbon emissions and brings the College one-step closer to becoming a greener campus.

CUB’s annual spring Funival fully funded by SFB

By Roderick Macioch Staff Writer

During its weekly meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 17, the Student Finance Board granted full or partial funding for several upcoming events, while keeping a watchful eye on expenses. The first student organization to present a proposal was TCNJ Saathiya, returning after its request for travel expenses to various dance competitions was tabled during last week’s meeting. The group is “a nationally ranked fusion dance team specializing in both modern and traditional dance,” according to the group’s request form. TCNJ Saathiya requested $6,906.90, (having requested $6,760.60 the week before). Their requested amount had increased due to new expenses resulting from acceptance into one more dance competition. As they had done the week prior, the board expressed concerns that the organization was requesting an unreasonably large amount of money. Deciding that they should not fully fund the initial request, the board deliberated on how much to fund. A motion to fund the group’s costumes and part of the transportation cost passed, for a total amount granted of $3,020.95. The group plans to attend three competitions: Aag Ki Raat, scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 27, in South Carolina; Bollywood Dance Canada on Saturday, March 12, and Nach Ki Dikha, which will take place in Virginia on Saturday, April 2. Representatives of the College Union Board (CUB) and Student Government (SG) entered to propose their plan for Funival. As stated in their High Volume Request form — a type of request reserved for expensive events with large expected turnouts — the event is “the annual spring carnival at (the College),” which features “large mechanical rides, inflatable attractions, novelties, food trucks and food vendors from the local Ewing area.” CUB will contribute rides, entertainers, novelties and staffing, while SG will provide food and additional staffing. Rides will include a drop tower, grand carousel and bumper cars. Other attractions will include a photo booth, inflatable attractions and live entertainment from comedy juggler Evan Young. The board unanimously voted to fully fund the event in the amount of $130,009.

The event will take place on Friday, May 6, in lots 5 and 6, from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Representatives of the Haitian Student Association proposed Ambiance, an annual event which attempts to “have various cultures come together and celebrate and experience Haitian culture,” according to the organization’s request form. Thus, the event “will foster appreciation for diversity on campus because it allows students from various backgrounds to gain exposure to a different culture along with its different set of norms and traditions.” When the time came to vote, a motion to table the entire event, in hopes that some cost-cutting could be achieved, failed. Instead, the board decided to table only the band booking fee, as this was pinpointed as the only unreasonably expensive area of the proposal. The total amount granted was $4,302.50. The event is scheduled for Saturday, March 5, from 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. in the Decker Social Space. The same representatives also requested funding for a separate event, the Legacy Ball, to be presented by the Black Student Union (BSU). This event is intended “to have various cultures come together to celebrate black history and culture. (BSU) will be having alumni from various backgrounds also in attendance to speak about how beneficial the (BSU) was for them while they attended this institution,” according to the request form. The board passed a motion to grant zero funding on the grounds that BSU had advertised before bringing its proposal to the board. This action violated one of the board’s Funding Principles, stated in the board’s funding guidelines: “Programs receiving (Student Appropriations Fee) funding cannot be advertised prior to approval. Any program publicized prior to approval that cannot occur without funding will not be funded.” Executive Director Brandon Klein, however, exercised his veto power, thus overruling the motion for zero funding. Explaining his use of the veto, Klein cited the fact that when zero funding is granted, the organization that requested funding can make an appeal. Klein reasoned that funding would probably be approved anyway if BSU appealed, so his overruling the motion for zero funding would save time and energy for everyone involved.

David Colby / Staff Photographer

The Board attempts to zero fund BSU for prematurely advertising. A new motion, to fund the catering and decorations in the amount of $3,339.05, was brought to a vote and passed without being vetoed. The event is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 27, in the Decker Social Space. The time of the event was not announced. The Jewish student organization Chabad requested funding for three events: the Purim Decade Party, Movie Night and monthly Shabbat celebrations. The Purim Decade Party intends to “celebrate and educate the campus community about the Jewish holiday of Purim. Often considered the most festive and joyous holiday on the calendar, it commemorates the miraculous survival of a persecuted people,” according to the request form. Chabad’s Movie Night aims to “reach out to both the Jewish and non-Jewish community,” according to the request form. Weekly Shabbat lunches are already held by Chabad, funded out-of-pocket by the organization. Chabad plans to continue holding these, but requested that the board grant funding for “a monthly celebration of greater scale to fully celebrate the culture and beauty of the Shabbat”, according to the request form. These Shabbat celebrations aim to “(educate) the campus community about the traditions and heritage of the Jewish Sabbath.” Additionally, “Shabbat celebration allows the campus community to enjoy traditional Jewish foods which are such a major part of the culture and has helped preserve it for millennia,” according to the request form. The Purim Decade Party was fully funded in the amount of $5,433.35. The event is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, March 23, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the

Brower Student Center. Likewise, the motion to fully fund Movie Night passed and $378 was granted. The event is scheduled for Wednesday, March 2, at 8 p.m. The movie shown will be the 2008 comedy “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan,” starring Adam Sandler. In addition to the weekly lunches held every Saturday at 1 p.m., the monthly Shabbat Celebrations passed and are scheduled for selected Friday evenings at 6:30 p.m. in the 1855 Room. The final organization of the day was the Muslim Students Association, proposing HaLOL Comedy Night with Hasan Minhaj. According to the request form, the event “will foster appreciation for diversity on campus because it will allow (the student body) to enjoy a nice night of laughter with a prominent Muslim American in the media as well as their fellow Muslims on campus.” The event will kick off Islam Awareness Week, which is intended “to show students that Muslim Americans are a huge part of American culture and media. Islam has a huge image problem here in the U.S., and our goal is to help fix that problem by bringing a successful Muslim American comedian, Minhaj from ‘The Daily Show,’ to campus to help bridge these gaps with the power of laughter,” according to the form. Full funding for the event, in the amount of $15,874.00, was granted. The event will take place on Friday, March 25, at 8 p.m. in Mayo Concert Hall. *Even though SFB agrees to finance certain events, there is no guarantee these events will take place. The approval only makes the funds available.

page 6 The Signal February 24, 2016

Prize / Mansucript to be completed after 10 years Research examines Tanzanian natives’ views of water

Photo courtesty of Matthew Bender

Bender studies the waters of Mount Kilimanjaro. continued from page 1

shape the locals’ views on water include Swahili, European explorers, the independent Tanzanian state and currently, climate scientists. “What I do is look at how this mountain population tries to make sense of outside ideas, how they incorporate ideas that are useful to them and how they manage to reject ideas that they find to be incompatible with their way of thinking,” Bender said. The Chagga have been able maintain their own views of water despite these outside influences, he added. “People on the mountain think of water in a very holistic kind of way that people in western societies often don’t think of anymore,” Bender said. “It used to be that when people thought about indigenous societies, they thought that outsiders had a tremendous amount of power in terms of influencing their ideas and practices, but… people on the mountain show a remarkable ability to control how they conceptualize the resource.” According to Bender, he has published five scholarly articles and a book chapter about the topic, but this

manuscript is a culmination of the whole project. The first half of the manuscript is complete. He intends to use the first part of his 2016-2017 sabbatical to finish writing it and the rest of his time to edit, Bender said. “The sabbatical prize helps to close the gap between what (you are) ordinarily paid and what you’re paid if you go on sabbatical,” Bender said. “The College’s policy is if you’re going on sabbatical for a year, you’re paid three quarters of your salary. The (prize) money is meant to help make up for the difference, so the people that want to take a year sabbatical can afford to do so.” Though neither Gitenstein nor Hart decides who wins the awards, they have been satisfied with the past three recipients. “I’m thrilled with the three choices. They just couldn’t have been better,” Gitenstein said. “The College of New Jersey has a fabulous faculty.” The first two recipients of the prize were Associate Professor of Physics Nathan McGee and Associate Professor of Mathematics Jana Gevertz. According to Bender, he is proud to be the first one from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences to win the sabbatical prize. His colleagues are just as pleased. “Bender richly deserves this award. He represents the history department’s real commitment to combining our teaching and scholarship in meaningful ways,” said Cynthia Paces, history department chair and professor. “I have used some of Bender’s articles in my own courses and have invited him to lecture in my classes. His writing is a model for clear, engaging prose.” The faculty committee that chooses the GitensteinHart winner looks beyond just the writing, taking into account the faculty member behind the application. According to Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Jacqueline Taylor, the committee looks at faculty who are still in the early stages of their career and then ranks the applicants and recommends the best to her. Taylor makes the final decision based on their rank, proposal and adherence to the award criteria.

“I was particularly happy... to see Matt Bender win the award this year. He wrote an outstanding sabbatical proposal,” Taylor said. Despite his current success here at the College, Bender experienced some hardships along the way, including his field sites being 8,000 miles away and some language barriers. Though he speaks French and Swahili, can carry out simple conversations in Chagga and can read German, Bender struggled with reading through his source material, carrying out interviews and developing relationships with Chagga natives.

“I’m thrilled with the three choices. They just couldn’t have been better... The College of New Jersey has a fabulous faculty.” — R. Barbara Gitenstein

President of the College

Despite the challenges, Bender overcame these obstacles in order to give the natives a voice — his biggest reward. “I feel that I can do a lot to share their stories and draw attention to the challenges that local communities face regarding access to water. Not just on Kilimanjaro, but more broadly,” Bender said. “(My work) indicates the way that people on Kilimanjaro think about water is very unique to their own historical experiences. We live in a world where water is a scarce resource for billions of people and in order to address problems of water scarcity moving forward… we need to understand how people in local communities think about resources and how they manage them.”

February 24, 2016 The Signal page 7

Nation & W rld

Justice Scalia’s death sparks conspiracy

By Roman Orsini Staff Writer

Associate Justice to the Supreme Court Antonin Scalia, 79, died at a ranch in west Texas on Saturday, Feb. 13. Scalia spent the weekend hunting, until his host, John Poindexter, a retired naval officer and Department of Defense official, found him dead in his bed that morning, the Los Angeles Times reported. Without seeing his body and without ordering an autopsy, a local county judge, Cinderella Guevara, declared Scalia died from natural causes, according to the Washington Post. While the lack of definite proof of Scalia’s death, otherwise known as declaration in absentia, was permissible under Texas law and the family did not want an autopsy performed, conspiracy theories quickly arose that Scalia

was potentially murdered, according to the Los Angeles Times. Scalia was appointed to the Supreme Court during the Reagan administration in 1986 and was the first Italian-American to hold the position. He served until his passing and had a say in outcomes of numerous hearings by the Supreme Court. Scalia is recognized as a constitutional originalist, applying a strict interpretation of America’s founding documents, based on original context, to derive their legal intent, the Washington Post reported. To the delight of his admirers and ire of his detractors, Scalia was among the most consistently conservative justices to ever hold the position. As such, several conservative radio hosts and groups began calling for a murder investigation in the wake of Scalia’s death, fearing assassination had removed a

prominent conservative justice in order to fill the vacancy with a left-leaning one, according to the Los Angeles Times. Such fears were stoked following statements by Poindexter, who originally told the San Antonio Express-News that he found Scalia with the pillow over his head. After Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump harped on this statement to suggest foulplay in Scalia’s passing, Poindexter quickly specified his original comments to CBS, saying the pillow was between Scalia’s head and the backboard of the bed. According to the Los Angeles Times, Scalia was in poor health prior to his passing. He was deemed too fragile to undergo shoulder surgery and had high blood pressure. His family has also accepted the conclusions of the local judge.

Still, the conspiracies surrounding Scalia’s death among select conservative circles pervades into the process of choosing his successor. Republicans in Congress reject any move by President Barack Obama to appoint a new justice in his last year in office, having already appointed justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. Although recent historical precedent exists for Obama to do so, Sen. Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, has insisted that the next justice should be appointed by the next president, whom McConnell presumes will be a Republican, according to CNN. Obama has stated that he intends to nominate a successor in his last year, according to ABC News. The interplay between presidential and judicial politics will see the Republican-controlled. Congress looking to delay, or simply decline

Scalia is remembered.

AP Photo

to vote on any nominees from President Obama. Scalia’s funeral was held at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, Feb. 20, before thousands of onlookers, according to the Washington Post. In a perceived furtherance of the partisanship surrounding Scalia’s replacement, Obama received flak for not being in attendance.

The FBI versus Apple: Security versus privacy

AP Photo

Apple fights against the government’s demands. By Jennifer Goetz Nation & World Editor

The encrypted iPhone that belonged to Syed Farook, one of the attackers in the San Bernardino, Calif., shootings, has caused a legal battle between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Apple. The FBI requested a court order to ensure that Apple will help break into Farook’s phone, since it could potentially contain valuable information on him.

On Friday, Feb. 19, the Justice Department insisted that legal action be taken against Apple for refusing to cooperate with their investigation of the San Bernardino attack, the New York Times reported. ABC News reported that the FBI wants Apple to disable the iPhone’s ability to lock someone out after 10 incorrect password attempts. This would enable the government to keep guessing the password to get through to Farook’s phone. The Justice Department may believe that Apple is thinking of its own “marketing strategy” before thinking of national security, according to the New York Times. On Saturday, Feb. 20, Apple said that law enforcement officials missed the opportunity to back up the phone when they had the chance, according to CNN. Apple engineers insisted that had the phone been backed up onto a computer, they might have had more access to its content, CNN reported. However, this option was out of the question when the FBI attempted to change the iPhone’s password and was locked out. According to CNN, Tim Cook, Apple’s chief executive, has explained to customers that in order to work with the FBI, Apple would have to develop new technology that would give them the ability to hack into an Apple iPhone. He sent a letter to his customers early

on Wednesday, Feb. 17, and explained that prosecutors were demanding to have Apple engineer a “back door” that would allow the FBI to break into the iPhone. The New York Times reported that prosecutors have argued that Apple has exaggerated the difficulty of creating this new technology and believe that this should be similar to an update. The court battle between Apple and President Barack Obama’s administration has lead to a large dispute over two sensitive topics: privacy and security. CNN reported that tech companies, such as Google, Twitter and Facebook are behind Apple, but many politicians, such as presidential candidate Donald Trump, are not. An internet rights group, Fight for the Future, has sided with Apple in this dispute and plans to organize protests both nationally and internationally, according to ABC News. As of Saturday, Feb. 20, protests are being planned near FBI headquarters in favor of Apple’s policy for privacy. Despite the circumstances, the Justice Department maintains that “This is not the end of privacy,”according to the New York Times. Apple has until Friday, Feb. 26, to respond to in court, and according to CNN, this case could potentially appeal all the way up to the Supreme Court.

Massive iceberg responsible for penguin deaths

By Catherine Herbert Staff Writer

Over the course of five years, scientists estimate that over 150,000 penguins have perished by means of an iceberg crashing into their home of Commonwealth Bay in Antarctica, which blocked the penguins’ means of getting food, the New York Times reported. The B09 iceberg was the main culprit, as it merged with expanding ice, Mertz Glacier Tongue, and trapped these penguins in a landlock where they could not access the usual places where they obtained their food. Commonwealth Bay has never before seen this amount of ice, which is why the Adelie penguins have made this their breeding grounds. This iceberg merge began in 2010 and resulted in a massive ice sheet measuring about 1,120 square

miles, according to the New York Times. To put this into further perspective, this sheet of ice is roughly the size of the state of Rhode Island, CNN reported. One of the major repercussions of this merging ice was that this entire colony of penguins had to travel 37 miles across the sheet of ice to find other sources of food. Because of this, the population of Adelie penguins, which once boasted 150,000 members, has been drastically reduced to a mere 10,000, according to CNN. This remains an extremely precarious scenario for the penguins, as scientists predict that unless this ice melts or breaks up, this entire penguin population could be completely wiped out in the next 20 years, CNN reported. The future of the all Adelie penguin populations may not be as perilous. Off the coast of the

Commonwealth Bay resides another colony of Adelie penguins that has a successful and steady population. According to CNN, around roughly 30 percent of Adelie penguins call East Antarctica home. This iceberg fiasco helped scientists shed light on the overarching issue of steadily increasing climate change in the Antarctic regions. The amount of ice in the sea surrounding this area has been dramatically increasing in recent years. The Southern Ocean is predicted to continue to suffer from these climate changes, which will drastically impact the ocean’s marine life, especially its predators, as predicted by a study conducted by peer-reviewed journal, “BMC Evolutionary Biology,” in 2015. Because these negative environmental changes due to climate change show no signs of ceasing

Penguins suffer from the effects of global warming. any time soon, the future of the breeding customs of various land animals could also be affected. The change in environment will force them to try to find food in an environment meant for marine life and a create a lack of prey available for the larger predators, CNN reported. Scientists are using this myriad of factors affecting penguin populations to focus on the populations

AP Photo

in the long term, according to CNN. Melting glaciers appear to be the main reason for declining Adelie penguin populations this millennium, as there is a clear correlation between deglaciation and the Adelie penguins disappearing, but scientists want to use this as an indicator that they need to keep an eye on the population in broader terms, CNN reported.

page 8 The Signal February 24, 2016

Editorial

Construction at the College is worth it

Undoubtedly, the construction across campus has become an inconvenience to everyone. With each new week, we see a new pathway closed or a new mud patch formed. We may even hear new noises accompanied with construction. Of course, the construction is necessary for the College to continue to grow, but it has had its fair share of growing pains. The increasing inconvenience begs the question: Are the headaches going to be worth it? Perhaps one of the most noticeable issues is the College’s appearance change since the construction began. Instead of the vibrant campus we once walked, we now see an abundance of shoddily placed fences, oversized construction equipment and countless work zones. It has become difficult to find a location on campus that doesn’t offer the not-so-scenic view of newly constructed steel beams. While the College remains one of the more tranquil and scenic schools in New Jersey, it has undeniably seen better days. The construction’s presence hasn’t only hindered the College’s beauty. Students have also faced inconveniences when they walk around campus and find their traditional route has been closed off. These headache inducing closings can be seen most recently between the Art and Interactive Multimedia Building and the Brower Student Center, as well as near parking lots 10 and 11. It is here that construction has altered the paths or, in some cases, forced students to walk through the car entrances in order to exit the garage. These minor annoyances can become bigger should we see more path closures as construction progresses. Another inconvenience is the onslaught of mud as a result of the construction. Even the smallest drizzle seems to not only flood nearby walkways with ankle-deep water, but it also creates large, sometimes unavoidable sections of mud. This is due to the lack of grass near areas that are being worked on. A perfect example would be outside the Social Sciences Building. It appears as if the College has placed rocks to alleviate the mud issue, though this does not remove the rain pooling situation. Despite that, the combination of both elements has made traversing the open paths more of an annoyance. With the construction’s accompanying issues, it is becoming easier and easier to grow irritated. It has become difficult to avoid the topic, as students and professors are quick to complain or make a joke. However, despite these accompanying dilemmas, I believe the construction will be worth the price. This month, the College will see the opening of Traditions, a new restaurant in place of the former campus bookstore. Likewise, we are seeing steady growth in the expansion of the Brower Student Center itself. We are finally seeing progress and it shows us that dealing with these minor headaches is worth it. Suffering through the mud, loud noises and the alterations of our paths is a small price to pay for the new facilities we will receive. Nothing worthwhile has ever come without difficulty and struggles and these additions are no different. Yes, maybe some of us won’t be here when everything is finalized, but we’ll be able to come back and be proud of what the College has become. The construction is a headache, there’s no denying it, but it will be worth it in the end. — Andrew Street Social Media Editor

Editorial Content Unsigned editorial opinions are those of the Editorial Board, which consists of the Editor-in-Chief, the Managing, News, Features, Arts & Entertainment, Opinions, Photo, Sports, Review and Social Media editors and the Business and Production managers, unless otherwise noted. Opinions expressed in signed editorials and letters to the editor are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Signal.

Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor

Although campus construction can be unsightly, it will improve the College for future classes of students.

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“(The College) takes very seriously its commitment to diversity and inclusion. We strive to create an environment that supports the campus community.” — Dave Muha, spokesperson

“No one team is 100 percent perfect in the course of a game... Mistakes happen. It’s a part of sports, it’s a part of life, but you have to try to do your best to move on.” — Salvatore DiBrita, club ice hockey senior captain

“We just want to get people talking about vaginas... Talking about vaginas is more of a societal taboo than it should be, considering how many people have them.”

— Katherine Smith, freshman communication studies and women’s and gender studies double major

February 24, 2016 The Signal page 9

Opinions Male students are victims of sexual assault, too

AP Photo

Men are less likely to report instances of rape. By Lizzie Zakaim

I’m sure everyone has heard the story before: A guy takes a girl home from a party. She’s drunk. They do something to which she did not consent. This story has many names: molestation, sexual assault and date rape to name a few. What many don’t know is that sexual assault on college campuses is as serious an issue for male victims as it is for female victims. Incidents of sexual assault against male victims are quite under-reported compared to those of female victims. It is important to shed some light on the issue of male victims of rape on college campuses and why the disparity exists between the two genders. A CNN article from Sept. 22, 2015, reported on a survey conducted in that same year by the Association of American Universities that focused on sexual assault on college campuses. More than 150,000 students participated from 27 universities. The results of the study showed that 23 percent of female college students experienced some form of unwanted sexual contact, according to the same CNN article. This includes anything from kissing to rape, carried out by force or the threat of force, or while incapacitated due to alcohol and drugs. Nearly 11 percent of those women said the unwanted contact included oral sex or penetration.

These statistics are shocking, and what’s worse to hear is that many of these cases go unreported. According to CNN, “More than 50 percent of the women who reported some of the most serious incidents, including forced penetration, didn’t report it because they didn’t think it was ‘serious enough,’” according to the survey. Others said they didn’t come forward because they were embarrassed, ashamed, thought it would be too emotionally difficult or they didn’t think anything would be done about it.” But this is still just one side of the story. Imagine the tables were turned and the genders switched. A boy is drunk at a party. A girl, stone cold sober, asks to go home with him to his apartment. He wakes up in the morning to find a naked girl in his bed and no memory of the night before. He kicks the girl out and makes her swear not to tell anyone because he has a girlfriend who would not be happy to about this. Is this story as easy to label as the one in the first paragraph? Is this a story of a guy getting messed up and cheating on his girlfriend? A guy hooking up with a random girl at a party? Or can this be considered rape? Sexual assault of males on college campuses has fallen to the wayside when compared with female victims. When we think of rape, we generally assume the victim is female, when in fact, according to Lester J. Manzano, a research student from the University of Vermont, “one in six college men are victims of sexual assault. Further research found that anywhere from 12 to 16 percent of male college students were forced into sexual intercourse by dating partners, and from less than one to seven percent of men reported being physically coerced into sex by dating partners.” It’s clear that based on these statistics alone, women seem to be the victim of sexual assault more commonly than men. But as Manzano said in his report, “Men Raped: Supporting the Male Survivor of Sexual Assault on the College Campus,” rape is not primarily a crime of sex, but one of violence. Statistics, though generally accurate, do not tell the whole story. Yes, 12 to 16 percent of college men were victims of sexual assault, but those numbers only represent the cases that were reported. There may very well be men out there who have been raped and have not come

forward with their story. Why? Because perhaps men are too uncomfortable admitting they were victims of sexual assault, or perhaps because they themselves don’t recognize that they were even assaulted. This misunderstanding stems from how we may view rape as a crime not of sex, but instead as a crime of gender. If the male college student in the above scenario were a girl, we would have no problem labeling her as a victim. Is this because of the generalized gender roles that society has defined for us? Manzano explains that “Sexual assault, in general, is a rarely reported crime. Male sexual assault is even more under-reported. Much of this is a result of the myths about such incidents. College students’ beliefs such as ‘It can’t happen to men’ or ‘Men are able to handle such a situation’ contribute to stereotypes, prejudices and disbelief when it comes to reporting an incident of male sexual assault. “Society believes that men are emotionally strong, and many people assume that male sexual assault survivors are able to cope with the experience,” Manzano continued. “However, men are more likely than women to blame themselves for not being able to resist the attacker.” Men react differently to rape than women because of the way they view their gender roles in society. “These differences in male and female responses to sexual assault may be seen as a reflection of sex-role socialization,” Manzano said. “Emotional expression in men is perceived as a sign of weakness and vulnerability, both of which are evidence that they are less than ‘real men.’ However, most findings suggest that male victims of sexual assault experience very similar responses to those of females.” I believe that the image we have of men and women, as well as the images men themselves reinforce in typical scenarios of sexual assault, makes it harder for us to see their roles reversed. Since we are so often exposed to the portrayal of women as victims, not just in sexual assault cases, but in general, we are less likely to put men in the same position. We cannot allow our preconceived notions of gender to cloud our perceptions of serious situations such as sexual assault. Victims of rape, whether male or female, are victims just the same and deserve all the support they can get from people who understand the severity of what they went through.

Student has beef with quality of C-Store milk By Colleen Murphy Editor-in-Chief Got milk? Well, if you got it from on campus, it’s probably not the best milk. On Friday, Feb. 12, I went into the Convenience Store (C-Store) to buy a quart of skim milk. I was so happy to see that there was some left because oftentimes the stock is out. I opened the refrigerator door, put my hand on the milk’s handle and dreamed of my next morning’s bowl of some delicious Life cereal with cold, fresh milk. I then looked at the sell by date and my dreams were crushed. The milk had a sell by date of Tuesday, Feb. 16. Now, I understand that a sell by date is for a store to know how long a product should be kept on the shelf. I have no fear with using milk for my cereal several days past the sell by date. But still, only four days until that date? The C-Store receives milk shipments on Mondays and Thursdays. This means that the milk was

shipped to the school only a day before I went to the store. Why are we getting shipments of milk with only five days for the store to sell it to students? Yes, a majority of the C-Store’s milk is probably bought by the sell by date, but students should be able to buy milk that is more fresh so that it lasts longer in their dorms. I knew that four days until the sell by date, plus a few more until the milk actually expired, would not be worth the inflated milk price of the C-Store and there was no way I could finish it in time. Because she was going anyway, my friend was nice enough to pick me up a quart that same Friday from Stop & Shop. The sell by date on that milk? Thursday, Feb. 25. A whole nine days after the milk in the C-Store. I am now able to safely enjoy my milk for another few days. If I had bought the milk from the C-Store, I would have had to already throw away the excess, soured milk. (Side note: After now having purchased milk from the C-Store for an

entire semester, I would confidently say that its milk starts tasting less fresh even before the marked sell by date.) I was interested in seeing if the quick turnaround for a sell by date was a common occurrence in the C-Store. To investigate, I returned to the store each day there was a new shipment of milk. On Monday, Feb. 16, the quart of skim milk had an expiration date of Friday, Feb. 26. On Thursday, Feb. 18, the quart of skim milk had an expiration date of Feb. 28. These milks had a better sell by date by six days than the original milk I was going to buy — a definite improvement. But still, why can’t Sodexo provide milk for students that has the same freshness as milk sold in the supermarkets? The C-Store sells milk from Cream-OLand, a company based out of Florence, N.J. Do other brands breed cows that supply better milk? (Sorry to question your lactating abilities, cows.) Are stores selling us the milk they haven’t yet sold but see the approaching sell by date and still want

to make some money off of it? Something’s up and it’s an utter disgrace. A first-class institution doesn’t deserve second-class milk. So do I “got milk?” Yeah, I do, but from a store that sells milk that doesn’t spoil before I finish the carton.

Colleen Murphy / Editor-in-Chief

The C-Store lacks fresh milk.

Policies The Signal is published weekly during the academic year and is financed by the Student Activities Fee (SAF) and advertising revenue. Any student may submit articles to The Signal. Publication of submitted articles is at the discretion of the editors. The letters section is an open forum for opinions. Submissions that announce events or advertise in any way will not be printed. All letters should be sent via e-mail to signal@tcnj.edu. Handwritten letters should be sent to The Signal, c/o The Brower Student Center, The College of New Jersey, PO Box 7718 Ewing, N.J. 08628 or placed in our mailbox in the Student Life Office. Letters must be received by the Friday before publication and should not exceed 300 words. The Signal reserves the right to edit letters for space and clarity. All letters must be signed, with a phone number and address of the author. Requests to withhold the author’s name will be honored only if there is a legitimate reason. All materials submitted become the sole property of The Signal. The editors reserve the right to edit or withhold all articles, letters & photographs. The Signal willingly corrects factual mistakes. If you think we have made an error, please contact The Signal at (609) 771-2424, write to the address listed above or e-mail us at signal@tcnj.edu.

page 10 The Signal February 24, 2016

Summer Program Financial Aid Application available March 1st in PAWS using the following navigation:

Main Menu ->Student Self Service ->Campus Finances ->Winter/Summer Fin Aid App Visit http://financialaid.tcnj.edu/

and

Click “Summer Programs” for more information.

Deadline: June 30th. You must have a 2015-2016 FAFSA on file to be considered for aid.

Remember: • Minimum Undergraduate enrollment of 1.5 units. 5 credits minimum for Graduate Students. • You must be matriculated. • Your financial aid file must be complete (no missing items). Types of Financial Aid: http://financialaid.tcnj.edu/loan-processing/ • • •

Federal Direct Loan Program: Only students with remaining academic year Federal Direct Loans eligibility will be able to borrow during the Summer Session. Federal Parent Loans (PLUS) & Graduate PLUS Loans Alternative Loans

Office of Student Financial Assistance, Green Hall 101 at 609-771-2211 or osfa@tcnj.edu.

SUMMER AND WINTER SESSIONS

AT TCNJ

SESSION 1: MAY 23–JUNE 10, 2016 SESSION 2: JUNE 13–JULY 14, 2016 SESSION 3: JULY 18–AUGUST 18, 2016 Travel, blended, and online courses may begin sooner.

summer@tcnj.edu http://www.tcnj.edu/intersession

Check for winter courses, too. On campus, blended, online, and travel.

February 24, 2016 The Signal page 11

Students share opinions around campus More awareness for male victims?

Does the C-Store sell fresh food?

“Yeah, definitely... It’s an important issue for everyone, regardless of gender.”

Tom Ballard / Opinions Editor

“The only thing I’d eat there is the yogurt (and other snacks)... it’s not my go-to place for food,”

Tom Ballard / Opinions Editor

Skylar Darel, freshman communication studies major.

Sheldon Charles, junior civil engineer major.

“Yes... We should be educated equally on the dangers that both genders face.”

“I think the quality is fine... I would only say that the prices are a little high.”

Tom Ballard / Opinions Editor

Kyra Mackesy, freshman journalism and professional writing major.

Tom Ballard / Opinions Editor

Dillion McNamara, sophomore political science major.

The Signal asks... Are you going to read the next ‘Harry Potter’ book?

Skylar: “Yeah, I loved ‘Harry Potter’ growing up... I’m not crazy about another book coming out, but I’ll (give it a shot).” Sheldon: “No, (I’m) not really interested in ‘Harry Potter.’” Dillon: “Maybe, (it) depends if I have time... I read the original seven books growing up.” Kyra: “Honestly, no. I feel like the whole phase of ‘Harry Potter’ was over when the last book and movie came out.”

Rob Birnbohm / Cartoonist

It is becoming clear that Daniel Radcliffe will never escape his defining role as Harry Potter.

page 12 The Signal February 24, 2016

Announcing the NEW African American Studies Major!

Coming in Fall 2016

TCNJ’s Bachelor of Arts degree in African American Studies is intended for undergraduate students who wish to pursue a wide range of careers including education, journalism, social work, civil service, medicine, business, state government, urban planning and policy, etc. The skills taught in this major are also well suited for students interested in graduate programs in many disciplines. The AAS major is not only an ideal complement to professional majors and programs at TCNJ, but also to Premed programs in New Jersey and beyond. This major provides students with the cultural competency needed to flourish in an increasingly diverse workforce and is designed to accommodate minors, second majors, and international travel.

Major Core: • AAS 179 / HIS 179: African American History to 1865 • AAS 180 / HIS 180: African American History 1865 Present • AAS 378 / HIS 378: AfricanAmerican Literature 19201980 • CoRequisite in Methods/Statistics • AAS 495: Senior Capstone: Independent Research Any Questions? Email Dr. Piper Kendrix Williams at williamp@tcnj.edu

This major requires 5 electives. These courses complement several academic plans, and students may crosscount up to 3 courses.

CHANGING MAJORS? The School of Engineering is accepting change of major/program plan applications for TCNJ students (including current engineering majors) interested in the following programs: Biomedical Engineering Civil Engineering Computer Engineering Electrical Engineering Engineering Science (Management Specializations or Policy & Society) Mechanical Engineering Technology Education iSTEM Change of Program/Plan (Change of Major) forms are available online http://recreg.pages.tcnj.edu/forms/

Completed applications are due by Friday, March 4, 2016 in Armstrong 147 Acceptance depends on available space and previous academic performance. Decisions will be available to students by March 14, 2016 For more information about our programs, visit www.tcnj.edu/~engineering Questions? Please call 609.771.2779

February 24, 2016 The Signal page 13

What Christie’s homecoming means for us By Jake Mulick

Like a phoenix rising from the ashes that was Bridgegate in 2013, Gov. Chris Christie was ready to take on Washington, D.C., with his no-nonsense, confrontational, maverick attitude. Or so it seemed. After the New Jersey governor took a disappointing sixth place in the New Hampshire primary, he has decided to end his bid for the White House. Just a few years ago, many people had pegged Christie as the favorite to lead the Republican’s charge to regain the presidency in 2016. A hard-headed decision maker who had made strides in a state run mainly by Democrats, Christie appeared to be a bipartisan savior. Unfortunately, Sept. 9, 2013, the date of the lane closures on the George Washington Bridge, brought about the unfortunate end to Christie’s ambitious political career. Now, Christie’s return to his home state means that important items, such as the budget, will be resolved in the near future.

“Everybody in New Jersey better be ready to see a lot of their governor for the upcoming years, seeing as it is not really feasible for him to go anywhere else.” A Washington Post article from May 1, 2015, summarized Bridgegate quite effectively: Fort Lee Mayor Mark Skolich refused to endorse Christie during his 2013 re-election bid for governor. Popular opinion was that, in retaliation for this, Christie ordered the closing of two out of three toll lanes during the morning rush hour, without notifying the public and breaking multiple federal and state laws.

AP Photo

After dropping out of the presidential race, Christie returns to New Jersey to deal with numerous issues. This story gained national attention and effectively lumped Christie in with the stereotypical corrupt New Jersey politician. Although it has been almost three years since Bridgegate, the effects of Christie’s fall have not yet left him. The American Research group reported that Christie polled an abysmal six percent in New Hampshire, forcing the New Jersey governor to officially throw in the towel. Christie had gone from being the keynote speaker at the 2012 Republican National Convention to not being able to garner 10 percent of the vote in a crucial swing state, such as New Hampshire. Christie has had a long and public fall from grace, culminating in his approval rating plummeting in his home state of New Jersey. Now that Christie is back to governing New Jersey full time, we can expect a lot from the former presidential candidate. The first thing on his plate is the 2016 state budget. The biggest problem with this hypothetical budget is the pension system in the state. According to an nj.com article from Feb. 2015, the pension system is in a massive amount of debt and this budget is Christie’s vehicle at reforming the entire system. New Jersey is

looking to recuperate fiscally in the new year, and the same nj.com article reported that state Democrats are looking to compromise with the current governor. During Christie’s presidential run, he had to lean very far right on the issues due to his drop in popularity from bipartisan voters, forcing him to find supporters. The Democrat-controlled state senate is looking to make some deals with the governor and hoping he sees reason after dropping from the national spotlight, the New York Times reported. Christie’s future looks incredibly uncertain. His smartest political move would be making a run for senator after his term as governor is up, considering that current U.S. Sen. Cory Booker’s name is floating around as a potential vice president running mate and that Sen. Robert Menendez is currently being indicted for bribery. If not, there isn’t anything obviously available to him on a national stage, unless one of his Republican counterparts offers him a spot through their presidential run. Everybody in New Jersey better be ready to see a lot of their governor for the upcoming years, seeing as it is not really feasible for him to go anywhere else. With that said, it might be a better idea to take the Lincoln Tunnel and skip the bridge.

Kissinger should be no role model for Democrats By Paul Mulholland The Democrats will almost certainly nominate Clinton at the Convention this summer, and she will probably win the general election. Sen. Bernie Sanders will be 75 years old on inauguration day. He is a fossil, in other words. But another fossil was a subject of interest during the most recent Democratic debate: Henry Kissinger, former secretary of state to the Nixon and Ford administrations. Sanders’s condemnation of Kissinger caught my ear and gave me an increased respect for him. Clinton’s rigid and smug defense of a known war criminal — an enabler and facilitator of genocide

and cruelty — should be a concern not just for her supporters, but for all Americans, as she may very well be the next president of the United States. For those who missed the debate, the exchange between Sanders and Clinton went something like this: Sanders mentioned Clinton’s reverence for Kissinger in her book, “Hard Choices.” He went on to say, “I happen to believe that Henry Kissinger was one of the most destructive secretaries of state in the modern history of this country. I am proud to say that Henry Kissinger is not my friend. I will not take advice from Henry Kissinger.” Sanders went on to describe the Nixon administration’s illegal bombing of Cambodia,

Kissinger is not a person that Clinton should be praising.

AP Photo

which Kissinger supported and lied to maintain, helped to bring about the genocidal Pol Pot regime, a Maoist government whose “agricultural reforms” would end up killing at least two-million people. Clinton, in her usual way, dismissed Sanders by responding, “Well I know a lot of journalists have asked who you listen to on foreign policy and we have yet to know who that is…” Sanders cut her off with, “Well, it ain’t Henry Kissinger, that’s for sure!” Many biographies of Kissinger can be found which will substantiate the following claims. I personally would recommend “The Trial of Henry Kissinger,“ by Christopher Hitchens, and another book in non-biographical form called “The Blood Telegram,” by Gary J. Bass. Kissinger’s record ought to speak for itself. However, he is still deferred to on subjects by journalists and modern statesmen on which he has no expertise. His actions concerning Cambodia as secretary of state to Richard Nixon, Kissinger also thought it wise to organize a coup against the democratically-elected leftist Salvador Allende, bringing to power the fascist dictator Augusto Pinochet in Chile, using assassination and bribery in order to achieve its goals. The Pinochet government proceeded to torture and murder its political opponents. Pinochet narrowly escaped justice in international courts by dying by decades later, and Kissinger likely will too. He helped to arm the genocidal Indonesian government when its leader, Suharto, was murdering and raping tens of thousands of civilians in East Timor, a former Portuguese colony. His stated excuse for this was that Marxists were powerful among those fighting for the independence of East Timor, first from Portugal and later from Indonesia, so the

destruction of the society of East Timor was justified. Pakistan at one time was separated into East and West Pakistan, with the West being modern Pakistan and the East being Bangladesh, one discontinuous Muslim-state. For ethnic and political reasons, the people of East Pakistan sought independence from the West. Kissinger was not neutral on the East’s desire to leave the West. Kissinger helped to equip West Pakistan in its genocidal attempt to hold on to what is now Bangladesh. Hundreds of thousands were murdered and many more systematically raped. The excuse for this was the Pakistan was an ally of China, whom Kissinger hoped to court, and out of contempt for India — a non-aligned state — which supported East Pakistan. America now has all this on its collective conscious, because Kissinger clearly has none of his own. None of this can be explained by the realities of the Cold War and the fight to contain communism. For one thing, Kissinger was a realist, which means he is unprincipled by definition. For another, he continues to apologize for the Chinese Communist Party to this day due to the close working relationship with Chairman Mao Zedong while Secretary of State for the Nixon and Ford administrations. As a matter of efficacy, the Vietnamese Communists are currently enjoying good relations with the United States. The resistance to American occupation included Vietnamese Nationalists and Buddhist monks in addition to Marxists, but such nuance was beyond this elder statesman. I think Democrats should expect better than this. I would be embarrassed, and gravely concerned, to have my party’s probable nominee bow to a merchant of death.

page 14 The Signal February 24, 2016

Features

Monologues / WILL puts on annual show Performances shed light on gender issues

Heiner Fallas / Photo Assistant

Left: ‘The Vagina Monologues’ stress the importance of discussing uncomfortable topics. Right: Performances vary from light-hearted and funny to serious. continued from page 1 “Down there? I haven’t been down there since 1953,” Acebal joked on stage, imitating a heavy New York accent. “And no, it had nothing to do with Eisenhower.” Almost all of the monologues were performed solo. The background set was minimal, featuring only a few bleachers for the other actresses to sit on after they had finished with a giant letter ‘V’ projected behind them. It was a surreal setting for a similarly surreal display of performance art.

Much of the audience seemed to be at a loss for words while listening to the more explicit and bizarre monologues, one of which was performed by senior communications major Jackie Kuczinki. It featured the actress feigning orgasms for several minutes without end. “During the first night there was an old man sitting in the front row during her performance,” Knapp said. “Watching his awkward reactions (was) incredible. He shielded his eyes and looked at the floor.” The older man’s reaction

echoed the sentiments of many audience members during certain performances, but didn’t shock the performers. The raw nature of some monologues would inevitably be off-putting to some audience members. “We were really nervous about bringing this show to a wider audience than the people we usually work with,” freshman communication studies and women’s and gender studies double major Katherine Smith said. “The Vagina Monologues” marked the first time Smith ever

acted on a stage. “We just want to get people talking about vaginas,” Smith said. “Talking about vaginas is more of a societal taboo than it should be, considering how many people have them.” The most powerful monologues were those that featured very serious and saddening topics. At one point, a shocking statistic was presented to the audience — 130 million women and girls around the world today have been victims of female genital mutilation and this number

is, unfortunately, still growing. Moments like these serve as a reminder of the true importance of being able to talk about these pressing yet uncomfortable issues. Only once we can openly and maturely discuss theses issues can we begin working to resolve them. This seemed to be the mission of the show and its performers. The monologues made a clear statement that there are times when vaginas need to be discussed, and nobody should feel the need to shy away from such discussion.

‘Beautiful Reflections’ promotes body positivity By Elizabeth Zakaim Staff Writer If you looked into one of the mirrors decorating the table set up in the Eickhoff Hall Atrium on Thursday, Feb. 18, you wouldn’t just see your reflection — you’d also see a message such as “be the best you can be” or “love yourself” written on the mirror. These positive messages were a part of the Beautiful Reflections display designed by the peer educators of the College’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). Students who entered the dining hall between 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. were invited to write affirming messages on the mirrors before them. They could then trade mirrors and review the other messages their peers had left behind. “The purpose of Eating Disorders Awareness Month (EDAM) is to reduce the stigma around eating disorders, inform the community about the effects of eating disorders, inform those with eating disorders that there are on-campus resources available to them and help others understand what it is like to experience an eating disorder,” junior psychology major and CAPS peer educator Claudia Gargano said. The College’s peer educators host a variety of events throughout the year

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The event invites students to leave affirming messages for themselves. with the goal of increasing awareness surrounding the issue of mental health. Beautiful Reflections marks the first of three events organized by the group in acknowledgement of EDAM. The purpose of this event was “to inspire positive body image and get people thinking about Eating Disorders Awareness Month,” according to Gargano. Gargano and two other peer educators were stationed at the table throughout the event. Junior psychology major and chair of CAPS’s peer educators program, Caitlin Loyka, said that this event has been in place for two years.

“When people see their reflections, they can be reminded of just how beautiful they are, as their peers see them,” Loyka said. While the event was led by the CAPS peer educators, it was co-sponsored by Active Minds, a mental health awareness club on campus. “Eating disorders are far more common than most people realize,” junior psychology major and Active Minds Secretary Jessica Roman said. “Creating (an) open discussion helps people understand the struggles and hopefully encourages anyone thinking of getting help to in fact seek the help they may need. There is absolutely no

shame in getting help.” Freshmen biology majors Zara Rasif and Sandra Phan both stopped by the event to write words of encouragement. Phan had read about Beautiful Reflections on Facebook, while Rasif said she had a similar event in her high school. Both understood the significance of the event and were happy to contribute to it. They hope their messages will have a positive impact on those struggling with body images and confidence. Beautiful Reflections and the other upcoming EDAM events are particularly important because they encourage people not to shy away from the sometimes sensitive topics of eating disorders and mental health. “The events dispel any myths surrounding eating disorders and encourage open discussion about eating disorders,” Roman said. In addition to spreading awareness about mental health and eating disorders, the event also serves as a reminder to those struggling with body image that they are not alone. “It’s hard to bring up an eating disorder to someone because it makes it something real, but going through it alone is even harder,” Gargano said. “We hope that through writing positive messages on the mirrors, students will inspire each other to see themselves in a positive and beautiful way.”

February 24, 2016 The Signal page 15

: Nov. ‘01

FBI pays a visit to campus

Elise Schoening / Features Editor

An investigation takes place at the College due to an anthrax outbreak.

Every week, Features Editor Elise Schoening hits the archives and finds old Signals that relate to current College topics and top stories. Last week, water accumulation in the Chemistry Building resulted in cancelled classes. Campus Police were called to address the broken sprinkler system and flooded classrooms. This is not the first time that chaos has struck the Science Complex. In Nov. 2001, the College’s biology labs were closed for a thorough search by the FBI as part of an investigation into a local anthrax outbreak. The FBI visited the College in response to statewide anthrax investigations to rule out the possibility of engineering or growing deadly bacteria in statewide anthrax investigation to rule out the possibility of engineering or growing the deadly bacteria in state institutions on Tuesday, Oct. 16. According to Associate Director of College Relations Sue Long, other New Jersey colleges have been subject to similar investigations, yet the press has focused on the College due to the close proximity of reported cases of anthrax exposure, as well as the “Trenton NJ” postmark found on the tainted letters sent to NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw and Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle. After a West Trenton letter carrier contracted cutaneous anthrax, federal investigators have narrowed their search for the source of the letters to a one square mile area in Ewing. However, the source of the spores is

still under investigation. In response to the probability of a college or university having the engineering ability to produce the terrorist form of anthrax, Princeton University molecular biology professor Thomas Silhavy said, “It’s possible, but not likely.” In an interview with the Trenton Times, Silhavy said that if information was correct that the form of anthrax in the letters was fine, pure and free of electrostatic charges, “it’s not something that some guy could make in his garage.” In its natural state, anthrax has a low rate of infection among people. Experts say it takes a sophisticated lab and advanced skill to turn the natural anthrax spore into an aerosol that can cause death from lung infection. Over 1,100 postal employees have visited the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in Hamilton to receive treatment or testing. Only five local postal workers have confirmed or suspected cases of both cutaneous and inhalation anthrax. A sixth case has been reported by a Hamilton Township woman. As a precautionary measure, Cipro, an antibiotic used to treat anthrax, is being distributed to many postal employees in the area. The head of the College’s biology department, Raymond Fangboner, confirmed that the College’s biology lab is unable to produce the terroristic form of anthrax.

Celebritease

Campus Style By Jordan Koziol Columnist In regards to the tumultuous presidential debates, plummeting oil prices and erratic international affairs, the past month has been nothing short of chaotic. Overwhelmed by the headline frenzy, you may have skimmed over an important (and extremely stylish) affair — New York Fashion Week (NYFW). This year, a promising, new stylish investment emerged — the “designer” designer. That’s right: Not only did celebrities line the catwalk, but they also collaborated and created the very pieces on display. From NYFW to beyond, these collections are gaining significant traction in the fashion realm. Hate ’em or love ’em, there are a few noteworthy collections released this year. • FENTY PUMA by Rihanna: On Friday, Feb. 12, the Barbadian singer launched her first clothing line as the creative director of Puma sneakers. Held at the former JPMorgan Chase bank on Wall Street, the event was styled as an “arctic urban forest,” according to The Guardian. Rihanna described her genderless collection as “Japanese street culture with a gothic undertone.” Featuring form-fitting streetwear and over-sized outerwear, Fenty is just what millennials ordered —sneakers with

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Yeezy Season 3 includes fewer ready-to-wear outfits and more rag-like ones.

:Kesha fights for freedom

AP Photo

A recent ruling keeps Kesha in her contract with Sony Records despite alleged abuse. By Mackenzie Cutruzzula Columnist In an unsettling decision on Friday, Feb. 19, a judge ruled that Kesha was not allowed to back out of her six-album deal with Sony Records. As the decision was announced that she would have to remain under the direction of her alleged rapist, Kesha was left sobbing in the courtroom. Her fans, however, went straight to social media

a sporty, edgy ’90s vibe. • Yeezy Season 3 by Kanye West: When the album debut of a self-proclaimed music icon collides with a fashion collaboration with Adidas, fireworks are inevitable. Held at Madison Square Garden, West’s fashion extravaganza on Thursday, Feb. 11, received significant media coverage. Models displayed oversized silhouettes, muted tones and of course — the infamous Yeezy sneakers. While Season 3 of West’s clothing line provided color-blocking inspiration, the ready-to-wear ensembles actually just resembled rags. The real showstoppers of the night were the Kardashian family members, who were all decked out in Balmain. • Parkwood Topshop Athletic Ltd by Beyoncé: This April, Topshop will tap into the athleisure market with this highly anticipated venture. Oh, and did I mention Beyoncé is collaborating on the project? (Seriously, kudos to whoever’s brainchild this was). Without an NYFW preview, the collection is rumored to encompass versatile clothing perfect for the gym and the streets. Once a dime a dozen, celebrity designers have shifted their fashion focus from mere endorsement to a more hands-on approach. While many critics argue that celebrities retract from up-and-coming talent, the stars are nonetheless taking over the runway.

to show their support for the singer, as well as their disdain for the judicial system. A 2010 tweet that insinuated violent tendencies from Dr. Luke, Kesha’s alleged rapist and producer, has begun to recirculate online in order to find justice. The decision comes less than a year after Zayn Malik was allowed to walk away from his contract with One Direction under the pretense that he was simply unhappy.

Celebrities and fans alike have taken this opportunity to show that injustices and sexism remains quite prevalent in the entertainment industry. Demi Lovato took to Twitter on Sunday, Feb. 21, to show an outpouring of support for Kesha. “Frustrating to see women come forward with their past only to be shot down, not believed & disrespected for their bravery in taking action,” Lovato tweeted.

Lovato encouraged women to use this opportunity to speak on behalf of women’s rights because she believes speaking up for other women, even when it is uncomfortable, is the key to unlocking female empowerment. Taylor Swift initially chose not to comment on Kesha’s case and faced backlash from fans for tweeting about her latest single instead. Fans saw it as hypocritical of Swift to choose to be silent now after being the victim of what had been labeled as misogynistic lyrics only the week earlier. Swift addressed the problematic Kanye West lyrics in her Grammy acceptance speech on Monday, Feb. 15, for the award for album of the year. Swift encouraged young women to focus on their work and to not let anyone else take credit for their success and fame. Fans hoped that Swift would step in to empower the fellow songstress and speak out against the

misogynistic judicial system that is hindering Kesha’s success. On Sunday, Feb. 21, Swift beat back against the backlash and chose to donate $250,000 toward Kesha in what she called “trying times.” Kesha’s mother tweeted about the donation and thanked Swift for taking action. Lovato, however, condemned Swift for using her money to make a statement instead of simply speaking out against the clear injustice against Kesha. “Take something to Capitol Hill or actually speak out about something and then I’ll be impressed,” Lovato tweeted, which sparked backlash from Swift’s fans. For now, Kesha is able to work with other producers under the Sony label, but there are no repercussions for Dr. Luke currently. To interject my own opinion, my heart goes out to Kesha and I hope others continue to help her and other victims of abuse find justice.

page 16 The Signal February 24, 2016

February 24, 2016 The Signal page 17

Arts & Entertainment

An evening full of hilarity and hoopla

Students perform original stand-up comedy

Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor

Left: Delanoy delivers quirky and relatable comedy about his mother. Right: Meany makes students laugh with his dry humor and perfect delivery.

By Kelly Corbett Staff Writer

Potatoes resembling Beyoncé, Pepperidge Farm shortages and genitalia-themed raps fueled the audience’s laughter as the most giggle-worthy students took the stage on Friday, Feb. 19, for CUB Alt’s “Student Comedy Night.” The funny, the punny and anyone looking to “LOL” were invited to the Decker Social Space. The colorfully-attired Mixed Signals, the College’s very own improv comedy troupe, kicked off the night with some impromptu games. “Continuation” involved two Signals starting a scene only to have a magic bell ding at any time, prompting two other Signals to pick up where the last pair left off and take over the scene until the bell sounded again. The theme of the scene was flower bouquets, resulting in

an overly-emotional interaction between a customer and a florist. The customer fancied the florist and tried to present them with flowers that he had just purchased, going above and beyond the normal employeecustomer relationship. In the game “What The Fuck Chuck,” two Signals were given a word to start a scene and two other Signals put in earbuds and later tried to reenact the scene, having seen but not heard how the scene was originally performed. The first pair of Signals created a scene about potatoes resembling Beyoncé, Jay-Z and Blue Ivy with their conflict being: Do the Signals starve or do they mash up the A-lister potatoes? After the earbuds came out, the other two Signals tried to imitate the skit. Their approach was more holiday-themed, as the duo acted as elves delivering

toys, unhappy with Santa that he wanted them to drive the sleigh. Another skit involved brooms, a couple very lackadaisical about keeping their home clean and a husband who couldn’t stop his gyrating dance moves, or as he liked to call it, his mating dance. The evening then transitioned to student stand-up acts. The first student of the night was Sean Delanoy, a freshman economics major at the College. He began by revealing his regimen to staying fit. He poked fun at the buff dudes who religiously workout, post about it on social media and wear clothes advertising their macho-ness. Instead, for 20 minutes a day, three days a week, Delanoy calls his mother. How does it keep him in shape, you may ask? It gets him sweating, he said. He posts about it on Facebook and he even has a shirt that says “Number 1 Son.”

When junior communication studies major Connor Meany took the stage, he came out to the audience... as a vegetarian. Meany also spoke about his love for Halloween and dressing up, although he was upset with his defective oxygen mask. “I don’t think it works because it makes me look nothing like oxygen,” Meany said during his set. Up next was senior economics major Tom Barr, who joked about his mom asking him to call the dog in from outside, but he couldn’t do it because he didn’t have the dog’s number. He also praised those in the audience that read for pleasure because he said “most people just have sex.” He ended his set with a shocking anecdote about how he got revenge on a boy who stole his bike when he was 12. During his set, senior communication studies major Jonathan

van Halem compared whiteprivilege to being in the Gryffindor House in “Harry Potter” and schooled the audience in some Revolutionary War facts. He even picked up a copy of The Signal, shedding light on the breaking news on campus that the College’s contract with Pepperidge Farm is on hold. Finally, senior marketing major Erik Hess and his one-man band “Fat Matt” ended the night by spitting some rhymes. Their set featured raps about the cold weather, hurtful words, being “the man” and even glorified the scratching of one’s private parts. At one point, “Fat Matt” jumped down toward the audience, calling out all the men for being scratchers. After a comedy-filled evening, the audience was left with high spirits, smiles and some new rap tunes to hum in the shower.

Short story series, ‘Stars Above,’ sparkles By Kayla Whittle Staff Writer

Nearly everyone knows the story of “Cinderella.” Across the globe, there are variations of the story that have emerged from past centuries. Marissa Meyer’s quartet of books, “The Lunar Chronicles,” takes that familiar fairy tale alongside a handful of other stories and throws them into a vivid sci-fi world. Cinderella is a cyborg. Little Red Riding Hood is a gunslinging French farmer. Rapunzel is trapped on a satellite. Snow White is a princess isolated on the moon by her evil stepmother. Meyer is incredibly creative and innovative in the way she twists these stories so that they are nearly unrecognizable had she not given key fairy tale traits to each of her four leading ladies. For example, “Cinder,” her take on “Cinderella,” has a metal foot instead of a glass slipper and Scarlet, her version of Little Red Riding Hood, always wears a bright red sweatshirt. The latest companion to “The Lunar Chronicles” series is “Stars Above.” It features nine short stories set in this

Twitter.com

Classic fairy tales are reimagined in Meyer’s latest story collection.

world Meyer created. While it seems like many young adult authors today drag out conclusions for more profit and write their ideas to death, Meyer pulls off her ending beautifully. “Stars Above” gives readers who have already fallen in love with “The Lunar Chronicles” a peek into the past. Each beloved character from the series has a short story in the collection that features her

at a pivotal moment that was mentioned in passing in one of the other books. For length or pacing, these stories couldn’t be added to the original manuscript, but here, they are given a life of their own. While this could be a way to ease newer readers into the complex, futuristic world, they would read at the risk of spoilers. The final story in “Stars Above” is an epilogue to the final book in “The Lunar Chronicles”

series. I would recommend trying out the others first, before entirely giving away the ending for yourself. In the “Stars Above” collection, Meyers stuns readers with beautiful prose. It reads not like a fan fiction but rather like a carefully created introspection for each of the major characters. While the point of view in “The Lunar Chronicles” does shift, allowing some freedom of expression for each character, this takes that to new extreme. It seems like within the series, they were in constant danger and surrounded by those they could not trust. Here, the characters are allowed to take a step back from the action. In many ways, they are portrayed as more innocent because the stories often revolve around their unconventional childhoods. Meyer excels when it comes to this characterization. All in all, “Stars Above” is another great installment in a series that captures the imagination and inspires its readers. Meyer takes ideas that have never before been introduced in young adult fiction and manages to blend them seamlessly with beloved fairy tales.

page 18 The Signal February 24, 2016

Short story collections explore new worlds

Horror and fantasy tales are brought to life Fiction best-seller lists are most often dominated by novels. However, short stories have an enduring appeal. Compact as they are, short stories can hit hard and leave a lasting impression. These two new collections prove that shorter fiction can be as vital as longer works, while exploring big ideas in fewer words. “A Collapse of Horses,” by Brian Evenson (Coffee House Press, February 2016), is not a book to read before bed. These thoughtful tales of horror and violence provoke the reader with their stark imagery and the unsettling questions that are raised. The collection opens with “Black Bark,” one of its most chilling and memorable pieces. It is a horror story with a western flair, introduced by two wounded outlaws riding into the mountains, their destination unclear. When they take shelter in a cave, it appears one of them knows much more than the other. It is within what is unknown that the fear resides. In the title story, the narrator becomes obsessed with his memory of seeing four horses laying on the ground — were they alive

or dead? This is not a predictable collection. The source of horror in Evenson’s fiction shifts from story to story, ranging from revenge to robots to madness. The setting also varies from a world much like our own to an oppressive dystopia and then to another planet entirely. Evenson’s versatility is such that he switches genres with a light touch. Another story in the collection, “Dust,” is science fiction, and is set in a claustrophobic mining facility on an alien world. However, it becomes a murder mystery when the miners begin to die off. Evenson is at home with each genre and combines them seamlessly. Evenson is a polished and accomplished writer with prior short story collections and novels to his name. He has received an O. Henry Award for the story “Two Brothers” and he has been a finalist for the Edgar Award and the World Fantasy Award. Fans of Franz Kafka and Stephen King alike can find something to enjoy in this collection. Like the best short stories, these stay with you and haunt you. Go ahead, you can try reading them before bed, but who can say what dreams may come?

Amber Sparks’s “The Unfinished World” (Liveright, January 2016) inhabits a lighter universe, but is not without its deep shadows. This is Sparks’s second collection of short fiction. The first, “May We Shed These Human Bodies,” was published in 2012. Like Evenson, Sparks shifts between genres until she no longer seems to be bound by one. Her fantastical tales have a magic to them, but they veer repeatedly into science fiction and don’t hesitate to touch down in slightly altered versions of our own reality. Sparks chronicles the lives and loves of outsiders. These are tales of people who are discounted or left behind and who have experienced loss. There are werewolves and murderers and rival archaeologists. The opening story is set on a space station, but the protagonist is no astronaut. She is “The Janitor in Space,” a woman who receives none of the glory yet is necessary for the mission’s success. For fans of fairy tales, “La Belle de Nuit, La Belle du Jour” is an anachronistic retelling of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale “The Six Swans,” in which the evil witch arrives in a jet aircraft. “Thirteen Ways of Destroying

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The collections offer genre-bending twists and turns.

a Painting” and “The Men and Women Like Him” both represent time travel fiction at its finest, taking a classic speculative theme and making it personal and emotional by exploring what people can change and what they should leave in the past. “The Cemetery for Lost Faces” is a romance like no other, in which a young taxidermist’s longing for a local gangster comes to a brutal end. The collection’s weakest point

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is the eponymous novella. Its unusual characters and concepts are intriguing, but the true story never fully coalesces, as if it becomes lost in its own greater length. The overall impression is that of a work that is as unfinished as the title suggests, but not in the satisfying way that makes a reader yearn for more. Fortunately, the collection as a whole is strong enough to make up for any flaws and the magic lingers.

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By Erin Cooper Staff Writer

February 24, 2016 The Signal page 19

‘Gilmore Guys’ recaps beloved show

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The podcast brings a new life to ‘Gilmore Girls.’ By Brooke Schmidt Staff Writer

For the past few weeks, it has been almost impossible to go on social media without two words popping up everywhere: “Gilmore Girls.” For those who are unfamiliar with the show, “Gilmore Girls” is about a young mother and her daughter living in a small town in Connecticut. Of course, that doesn’t even scratch the surface, but it is more or less the starting ground for the plot. “Gilmore Girls” is a show known for its fast-talking, pop culture references and a host of swoon-worthy boyfriends. It will be rebooted in all of its glory through four 90-minute specials on Netflix, and so far, every major character other than Melissa McCarthy’s Sookie will return. Altogether, this is extremely exciting news for long-time fans and should serve as a push to get new viewers interested in the show, as well. If you’re planning on re-watching or even beginning “Gilmore Girls” for the first time, there’s no better companion than the highly-regarded recap comedy podcast “Gilmore Guys.” The

podcast is hosted by Kevin Porter and Demi Adejuyigbe, a long-time fan and a first-time watcher, respectively. They recap every episode alongside a guest from the comedy world, adding their own flair along the way. Currently, the podcast is in its sixth season, but that doesn’t mean you have to start there! You can start at the beginning and listen to them after each episode you watch. It adds a delightful and vibrant commentary to an already colorful show. What makes “Gilmore Guys” so appealing is that Porter and Adejuyigbe are truly big fans of the show. In each podcast episode, they discuss the cultural references and fashion looks in the corresponding “Gilmore Girls” episode through segments called “Pop Goes the Culture” and “The Fashion Report,” while also recapping major events and plots. The podcast is part analysis, part comedy as the duo brings on first-time watchers and longtime fans within the comedy world to join the show. One comedian of note is beloved television and film jerk Jason Mantzoukas. He’s been a huge fan of “Gilmore Girls” for years and it’s hilarious to hear him make up raunchy plots for each character. While the podcast is truly enjoyable on its own, what makes it even better are the bonus episodes, which feature interviews with actors, writers and crew members who worked on filming the show. So far, Liza Weil (Paris), Jackson Douglas (Jackson), Yanic Truesdale (Michael) and Scott Patterson (Luke) have appeared on “Gilmore Guys.” Those episodes shine an interesting light on the behind-the-scenes process of making the show, and while they don’t have the normal flair of a “Gilmore Guys” episode, there’s nothing more exciting than listening to Luke or Paris speak for almost two hours. At the end of each episode, Porter and Adejuyigbe create their own rating of each episode using objects or weird lines from the show, and then sing the “Gilmore Girls” theme song. Hearing the familiar words of Carole King — “Where you lead, I will follow” — sung and beatboxed by your favorite comedians rekindles the joy of watching each episode. Whether you’re new to “Gilmore Girls,” watching it for the 10th time or you just want something to listen to while walking across campus, “Gilmore Guys” is the podcast for you. I’d rank it 10 out of 10 cups of coffee.

Bob Mauro analyzes modern media By Jake Mulick Staff Writer

Seasoned veteran of the television industry and current president of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Bob Mauro spoke at the College on Friday, Feb. 19, in Mayo Concert Hall as a part of the weekly Brown Bag Series that is hosted by the School of Arts and Communications. Mauro boasts an impressive résumé, having worked as a former president at CBS and chief operating officer at the Leo Burnett Worldwide ad agency, as well as overseeing broadcast operations of radio and TV clients for Empire State Realty Trust. Students were excited to see such an experienced speaker. “It was nice to hear Bob Mauro speak on his accomplishments,” senior communication studies major David Brown said. “He provided a real and honest glimpse into the broadcasting world, inspiring many of the communication students who were in attendance.” Mauro earned a degree in business and so spoke of the importance of financial knowledge, regardless of the degree you choose to pursue. Mauro emphasized that although his field of expertise mainly deals with communications, having a good business mind and being fiscally responsible is incredibly important. Mauro spoke at length about the state of the television industry, comparing and contrasting what it was like when he first started his career to how it is currently. This included how technology and the innovation of the internet as well as how online television providers such as Netflix and HBO Go have changed the landscape of his profession. Mauro also spoke about the evolution of online television, referencing the sale of “Sesame Street” to HBO as an

example. Mauro explained that “Sesame Street,” which has always been owned by PBS, was losing a fair amount of money because the show lacked an online presence. The reason HBO bought the children’s show was not because of anything going wrong with PBS, but rather because of their online service, HBO Go. Mauro went on to discuss the importance of evolving with the industry and making sure to compete on every platform. Early on in his career, Mauro bounced around a fair amount, working about half a dozen different jobs before settling at the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. “I’ve always wanted the experience to be an effective executive,” Mauro said. He mentioned that at certain jobs, he found it difficult to evolve or grow after a certain point and when he reached that point, he would often leave for a new job. It was evident that Mauro’s varied experiences have been an asset to him in the field of television and one of the reasons he remains such an effective executive.

Mauro also went into detail about how to appeal to different audiences, including the unparalleled effectiveness of Netflix. “They have a model you can’t beat,” he said. “You watch it when you want to watch it.” He highlighted that the convenience of the service was it’s most appealing aspect and the fact that similar services such as On Demand is having a hard time catching up with the online service because of how prevalent the online companies already are. Mauro was also critical of the news media, specifically pertaining to the election coverage. He expressed his dissatisfaction with news outlets who neglect to report the important facts and instead angle stories in order to receive higher ratings. He believes that the media has a job to report the facts and information pertaining to the candidates and the media has been failing to do so. Overall, it was an enlightening lecture about the ever-evolving landscape of modern media and an inside look at the factors at play behind-the-scenes.

Keri Fitzpatrick / Staff Photographer

Mauro touches on the ever-changing landscape of television and media.

This week, Kailee Walsh and Brigid Barber, WTSR music staff members, highlight some of the best new albums that the College’s own radio station, 91.3 FM WTSR, puts into its weekly rotation.

Band: Coasts Album: “Coasts” Hailing From: Bristol, U.K. Genre: Indie Electronic Pop Label: Capitol Records Coasts has created a strong debut album for itself with this self-titled release. The opening song, “Oceans,” is catchy and sweet. Upbeat synth sounds open most of the songs on this album and make it the fun indie record that it is. If you are a fan of grand-sounding choruses, this is for you. The band has a very similar sound to Imagine Dragons, especially on the song “Wolves.” The album also has some slower, deeper songs like “As Long As I Need You” that gives the release some heart. Coasts’s debut encompasses what everyone wants and expects from indie pop and will definitely have listeners dancing along. Must Hear: “Ocean,” “Modern Love,” “Rush of Blood” and “Let Go”

Band: Lily & Madeleine Album: “Keep It Together” Hailing From: Bloomington, Ind. Genre: Dreamy Synth Folk Label: New West Records Subtle angst seeps through the velvety vocals and lyricism of Lily & Madeleine’s third album, “Keep It Together.” This folk duo has weaved together an arrangement of lovely harmonies accompanied by classic and melodic touches of cello, piano, sonic manipulation and even ambient sounds such as bird chirping. Through this album, they wish to express their feelings about being women in America and being young adults in the 21st century. With this goal in mind, Lily and Madeleine wrote many of the songs separately and came together to revise them. This causes their separate personalities to shine through in each song. This also explains why the moods waver throughout the album, but the tracks carry an overall tone of tranquility and social exhaustion. Switching from steady streams of thought to dramatized recollections, “Keep It Together” is unapologetically silky smooth. Check them out if you’re a fan of Wild Nothing, Tennis and Night Beds. Must Hear: “For The Weak,” “Westfield,” “Hourglass,” “Hotel Pool,” “Small Talk” and “Nothing”

page 20 The Signal February 24, 2016

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February 24, 2016 The Signal page 21

Fun Stuff

Damn, Daniel...

Damn, Daniel Craig!

Damn, Daniel Tosh!

Damn, Daniel Webster!

Damn, (Young) Daniel Day Lewis!

page 22 The Signal February 24, 2016

Sports

Tennis

Tennis causes a racket in opening week By Connor Smith Social Media Editor

The men’s tennis team opened their season by splitting their first two matches of the year. The Lions were locked in a tight battle on Wednesday, Feb. 17, with Chestnut Hill College, a Division II opponent, before eventually losing a heartbreaker in the final singles competition. With a new swagger from knowing they can compete with high-level competition, on Saturday, Feb. 20, the Lions swept their first Division III opponents, Dickinson College, 9-0, in a match that saw major milestones for both rookies and veterans alike. “You want to test yourself against a higher level,” head coach Scott Dicheck said. The Lions certainly had a lot to prove, going against a Chestnut Hill College lineup that consists mostly of international players with athletic scholarships that helped draw them to the school, according to Dicheck. On court one, seniors Pierce Cooper and Billy Buchbinder went up with the French duo of Jonathan Ducretot and Pierre Koehler. The brash and animated Frenchmen were breeding tension in an already taxing set. Having traded games throughout most of the matchup, the Americans

found themselves behind one game down the stretch. The doubles team of Cooper and Buchbinder managed to keep the home-crowd invested until eventually dropping a heartbreaking tiebreak loss, 9-8 (9-7). “We knew it would be a good test,” Dicheck said. “I was really impressed with the effort.” While the “Battle of the Atlantic” on court one gave the Chestnut Hill Griffins a lead, juniors Mike Stanley and Jack August defeated Chestnut’s Brazilian doubles team with an impressive 8-4 victory on court two. Chestnut Hill ended doubles competition with a 2-1 lead, after an 8-6 victory on court three. Cooper — following his grueling defeat in doubles — bounced back in singles competition with a comeback win on court one (3-6, 6-3, 6-3). The victory in three sets put him one win away from fifth all-time in combined singles and doubles career wins at the College. The Lions traded wins on courts two through five, resting the pressure of the entire dual on Buchbinder’s second matchup of the day. In a battle that included two tie-breakers, Buchbinder came away with a 6-7 (4-6) win during the first set, but his opponent, who is from Duderstadt, Germany, stormed back to win the following

two sets (7-6 (8-6), 6-4). “We’re always disappointed in losing, but it was a good battle,” Dicheck said. “You lose, 5-4, but that’s just to kick off the season and see where we’re at.” The men’s tennis team had the choice to dwell on the taste of bitter defeat or to use the loss as an ignition for something special. On Saturday, Feb. 20, the Lions chose the latter, unleashing a fiery passion that could not be matched by their Dickinson College opponents. The Lions swept doubles competition, 3-0, with Cooper earning his 113th win to put him tied for fifth all-time in the College’s record books. As Cooper added an important chapter to his historic career, freshmen Mitchel Sanders and Matt Puig began page one of their own — both partners earned their first collegiate wins in the doubles competition. “We’ve got good milestones and starting things (for the freshmen),” Dicheck said. “We just got a good team effort from everyone.” With a chance to move into sole possession of fifth all-time in combined wins, Cooper opened his first singles set from behind before eventually finding his footing for a 7-5 set. Now one set away from a historic milestone, Cooper was dialed in, cementing

Photo courtesy of Sports Information Desk

Buchbinder bounces back to bring home a doubles win.

his place in Lions history by winning the final set, 6-2. After continuing to thrash their opponents in singles, the Lions went on to sweep the match with a final score of 9-0. Tim Gavornik joined his fellow freshmen with a first victory of his own, winning his singles match (6-1, 6-3). Now 1-1 on the year, the Lions will prepare for their Saturday, Feb. 27, matchup with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). “They’ve beaten us two years in a row,” Dicheck said. “We’re

trying to get over that hump.” According to Dicheck, the Lions will be working hard to prepare for RPI’s tremendous doubles squads. “We’re going to have to put in some extra work into doubles,” Dicheck said. “I think our guys are ready. Now we just see what we can do.” As for Cooper, it’s unclear how close he’ll come to the all-time combined wins record of 144. Regardless, the men’s tennis team will have an entire season to chase milestones and to make history.

Lacrosse

Lacrosse sets sights on another championship berth

Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk

Natalicchio prepares for her upcoming senior season with the Lions.

By George Tatoris Sports Assistant

Lacrosse is looking to qualify for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship for its 32nd consecutive year and to go further than they did in 2015. Last season, the Lions returned from Hartford, Conn., empty-handed after a loss to top-ranked Trinity College in the third match-up of the tournament, 10-5, only a game away from being in the final four. The No. 7 Lions held their own — they led the Bantams in shots, 21-19, and had

fewer turnovers. But that wasn’t enough to send the Lions to the final four. “Last year was disappointing, falling one game short of the final four,” sophomore defender Elizabeth Morrison said. “But I think that really motivated everyone that played that we need to (go) back there.” The season kicks off on Saturday, Feb. 27, with the Lions facing State University of New York (SUNY) at Fredonia at neutral Montclair State University. Both teams were shut out of the final four last year. Decorated head coach Sharon Pfluger returns this year after breaking an NCAA record for the most wins while coaching

two teams. She boasts a career record of 1,012-152-10 (.864) and has led the women’s lacrosse team to 11 NCAA championships and the field hockey team to nine NCAA titles over the 29 years she’s been at the College. Pfluger will be honored by the Princeton YWCA on Thursday, March 3, at the 33rd Annual Tribute to Women, which aims to recognize women who excel in their field in the Princeton area. The Lions are already on stronger footing than they were at the start of the season last year. This year, they were placed fifth in the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association Division III preseason poll with 309 points, two places higher from where they were last year. In the preseason New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) poll, they were picked to win the whole thing. By the time they face SUNY Fredonia next week, they will have six weeks of preseason training. With almost as many freshmen as there are sophomores and upperclassmen, this season will demonstrate how the team will play in the coming years. Morrison, who was in the same shoes as the 10 freshmen coming in last season, is optimistic about the younger team. “We have a large freshman class and some great potential that I think is going to blend well with the returning players on the team,” senior forward Cortney Natalicchio said. New faces allow returning players to

play the mentor role this season, Morrison said. The team’s seniors, Natalicchio, midfielder Megan Devlin and graduate student Erin Waller will play a crucial role in team dynamic. “This year, our seniors, Cortney, Meg and Erin Waller, are creating an intense environment at practice,” Morrison said. “We are constantly pushing each other to run fast, shoot harder and play better. The team is very close this year and I think that will help us work together to achieve our goals.” Natalicchio was pivotal for the Lions’s attack last season — she scored a total of 56 points, averaging 2.67 points per game — and Devlin’s 19 season turnovers, 40 ground balls and 70 draw controls were vital to the Lions’s defense, which only allowed an average of 5.25 goals per game. Morrison will also be important, as she led the conference in ground balls and had an impressive 40 turnovers, the third highest in the conference. She was named Defensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year by the New Jersey Athletic Conference. But in the end, there’s only one way to approach the season: game by game. “Every day we practice knowing we are ultimately preparing for post-season, but first we need to focus on our conference and region games, and most importantly our game against the defending national champions, Cortland,” Morrison said. The Lions will play SUNY Cortland on Saturday, March 26, on home turf.

February 24, 2016 The Signal page 23

Women’s Basketball

Lions beat Kean with last-second basket

Season ends on a high note for team

Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk

Senior guard Angelica Esposito scores 29 points in her final game.

By Anthony Caruso Staff Writer The College’s women’s basketball team ended its season on a high note on Wednesday, Feb. 17, when the Lions were able to defeat the Kean Cougars, 65-62, at the Harwood Arena in Union, N.J. The Lions ended the season with a 13-12 record, finishing the season with a 9-9 conference record within the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC). The team is now seventh in the conference. The game against Kean closed out the careers for senior guards Angelica Esposito and Jess Lynch and freshman forward Christina Merlin. Merlin was not able to play in her career finale due to an injury.

The seniors ended their collegiate careers with 65 wins. They also made three NJAC playoff appearances. “The past four years have been incredible and there is no one else I would have rather spent it with than Christina and Ange,” Lynch said. “Other than being great basketball players, they are just incredible people… They truly have become a part of my family.” Esposito says the team wanted to end the season with a victory. “We were going to do whatever it took to win this last game,” Esposito said. “For myself, having that many points is an accomplishment, but I would not have had them if it weren’t for my teammates finding me when I was open and always believing in me.” Kean jumped out to an early 4-0 before

Lynch and Esposito scored back-to-back baskets. The Cougars made it 8-4 before freshman guard Kate O’Leary cut the lead to 8-6. Kean ended the first quarter with a 16-10 lead. To begin the second quarter, junior guard Taryn Corrigan scored six straight points. The burst of scoring from Corrigan tied the game at 16 before junior guard Jacquetta Owens made a three-pointer to put the Cougars up, 19-16. The game was tied at 21 when junior forward Katy Amato scored a basket. “Taryn Corrigan was definitely a huge spark in the first half for us,” Lynch mentioned. “We started off playing a little timid, I think, but when she came in, everything just started to flow again.” Esposito gave the College a 30-26 halftime lead when she had five straight points. After Amato made a basket, Esposito gave the Lions a 27-26 lead — their first lead of the game. The Lions scored 27 points in the third quarter and Esposito led with 15 points in the quarter. Junior forward Cindy Napolitano scored two three-pointers, while sophomore guard Charlotte Schum had four points and Lynch had a basket. Late in the game, Esposito made two free throws that sealed the win. With the free throws, she ended the game with 29 points. The career-high allowed Esposito to end the season with a 14.7 points per game average. The two free throws by Esposito were two of eight points by the Lions in the fourth quarter, but the Cougars outscored them, 26-8, in the quarter. Lynch had two free throws while Corrigan and Amato scored baskets, as well. “All the games I have played in over the

years have prepared me for moments such as that,” Esposito said. “While a million different thoughts were on my mind at the time, the one that stands out the most is I don’t want to let my teammates or coaches down. As a senior, I have had more experience than most of my teammates, and being able to hit free throws under pressure situations, such as the one in that game, is something that is expected of myself as a leader. “The moment that Kean missed that last three-pointer and we won the game is a feeling that you always remember,” she added. “This last game was more about pride for the TCNJ women’s basketball program and as individuals, it was about our passion for the game. I think that winning this last game proved that our hard work throughout the season was worth it and it let us end our 2015-16 season on a positive note.”

Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk

Senior guard Jess Lynch shoots.

Cheap Seats

All-Star games showcase the best of sports By Rohan Ahluwalia Staff Writer

An All-Star game, which features the best athletes a sports league has to offer, is ingrained into the American sporting landscape. There is an All-Star game featured in the leagues of the four major sports in the United States — football, baseball, basketball and hockey. Each one has its differences, though each game is exciting for not just the die-hard fans, but also the casual onlooker. Recently, the National Basketball Association (NBA) held its 65th All-Star Game. The game wrapped up the All-Star Weekend, which includes the celebrity game, the three-point competition and the rising stars game. The NBA Slam Dunk Contest featured players using equipment, such as hover boards, to perform their thrilling and astonishing dunks while the All-Star Game itself featured star players such as Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook and Indiana Pacers forward Paul George, who swept the crowd off its feet. Surely, as an event, one would think the NBA has the best AllStar game of the five major sports. The NBA All-Star Game is an event which stretches from Friday to Sunday, while the other sports do not nearly have the amount of glitz and glamour associated with

AP Photo

The All-Star game has become a staple of each major sport.

their events. However, despite the successful event, it is still Major League Baseball (MLB), with its Midsummer Classic, that leads the mantel when it comes to the most viewed All-Star game. Despite drawing at a recordlow, the 2015 MLB All-Star Game still outdrew all the other All-Star games. The 86th Midsummer Classic, which took place in Cincinnati, averaged 10.9 million viewers on FOX. This drew over 2 million more viewers than the second most viewed All-Star game, the Pro Bowl, and dwarfed the NBA AllStar Game’s ratings. Many analysts and sports journalists have pointed to the fact that the MLB All-Star Game occurs

during a period where there aren’t any other sports in season, which allows for its constantly decent ratings. The Midsummer Classic occurs in early July, when the NBA and National Hockey League (NHL) playoffs have already concluded in June and while the NFL is mid-way through its off-season. This makes the MLB All-Star Game the only professional sporting event going on at the time, giving the sport an advantage. The MLB All-Star Game is also the finishing event during the couple of days that include the Futures Game and Home Run Derby, which complement the All-Star Game. The game provides an incentive for the league (American or National

League) that wins the game — the winning league takes home field advantage during the World Series that occurs during the fall. While the MLB All-Star Game and the NBA All-Star Weekend can be called successes in terms of the ratings they bring in or the glamour they add to their sport, the other major sports don’t seem to have the same impact. The National Football League’s Pro Bowl is the second mostviewed All-Star game, but it has also been debated among sports fans and analysts whether or not the game should even exist in the first place. The majority of the 86 players selected for the event declined the invitation, while the players that did accept the invitation are questioned on whether they actually tried on the field or if they really just wanted the free invitation to Hawaii, where the game takes place. The ratings may justify the existence of the Pro Bowl, but as a sporting spectacle, the future of this game gaining attention seems unlikely. Meanwhile, the NHL AllStar Game draws the lowest ratings in professional American sports, having only 2 million people watch it in 2015. The league does feature a skills challenge and, most recently, decided to split the All-Star Game into a four-team series

featuring all the divisions in the league. Despite the changes, the game is still underwhelming in comparison to the other sports’ All-Star games. However, the NHL recently received a one-time boost for its most recent All-Star Game, which drew 1 million more viewers than the 2015 All-Star game. This rise in viewership could be attributed to the recent controversy surrounding Pacific Division All-Star captain John Scott, who was fan voted into the game, despite the NHL asking him to decline. Overall, the All-Star game is something well-entrenched in the American sporting landscape and while some can falter to please, others can thrill. The NBA All-Star Game grows its appeal through the stardom and the circus-like skill events, while the MLB’s Midsummer Classic can still receive good ratings due to its timing in the sports calendar. Meanwhile, the Pro Bowl rides on the popularity of football, while hockey has more room to grow its All-Star Weekend. Which one is the best? The answer is subjective based on what one considers when thinking of an All-Star game. Each can still deliver something for the die-hards and the casual onlookers, and that is the beauty of an All-Star game, the spectacle of a sport — it is a game anyone can enjoy.

page 24 The Signal February 24, 2016

4 6

LIONS

February 24, 2016 The Signal page 25

AROUND THE

DORM 5 3

Matthew Ajaj “The Ref”

Sydney Shaw

Tom Ballard

Managing Editor

Opinions Editor

Sean Reis

Production Manager

In this week’s edition of Around the Dorm, the “Ref,” Matthew Ajaj, asks our panel of experts three questions: Which MLB team will make the biggest impact this season? Did Aaron Gordon get robbed at the NBA Slam Dunk Contest and what is next for Johnny Manziel?

1. With spring training now starting up, which MLB teams do you expect to make some noise this season? Tom: The Toronto Blue Jays are going to soar high this season! After a strong finish last year, snatching the American League (AL) East division title and making their way to the playoff series for the first time since 1991, the Blue Jays are back and even stronger than before. With a batting order comprised of players such as AL MVP Josh Donaldson, Edwin Encarnación and Jose Bautista, the Blue Jays’s offense is as solid as it was last season when they topped the MLB in runs, hits and home runs. Pitcher Marcus Stroman, who came back from a nearly season-long hiatus last season after his knee injury, went 4-0 in September starts after his recovery. At only 24, he seems like a pretty stable player for the Blue Jays with enough talent and skills to mess up any offense unfortunate enough to face him. Sydney: I’m keeping my fingers crossed for the New York Yankees, but I’m afraid Greg Bird’s shoulder surgery might count the team

AP Photo

out this season, so I’ll go with the Chicago Cubs I don’t mean to hop on the bandwagon, but this is the Cubs’s most anticipated spring training in years for a reason. There were no guarantees that the Cubs would even make

the post-season last year, but they advanced to the National League Championship Series. This year, my money is on the Cubs to make it all the way to the World Series, and perhaps even win their first title since 1908.

With powerhouses like Jason Heyward and Joe Maddon at their disposal, I have no doubt the team can pull it off. Sean: Due to the season’s length, the MLB tends to be one of the harder leagues to predict. The off-season is always eventful, and it is fair to say certain teams will likely make some noise, four of which come to mind: Arizona Diamondbacks, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox and Washington Nationals. All four of these teams made big, smart acquisitions and signings during the off-season. Arizona and Boston acquired the two top free agent pitchers, Zack Greinke (Arizona) and David Price (Boston). Chicago traded for the Cincinnati Reds’s Todd Frazier and Washington filled two major roles with Ben Revere and former-rival Daniel Murphy. I think the Washington Nationals will make the most noise this season, though. Not only will these two players have an impact, but their pitching rotation will finally be at 100 percent and be ready to compete with the New York Mets — is that enough noise for you, New York?

Sean gets 3 points for noting the teams’ offseason moves. Tom and Sydney each get 2 points for playing it safe with the Jays and Cubs, respectively.

AP Photo

2. Did Zach LaVine deserve to win the dunk contest, or did Aaron Gordon get robbed? Tom: Aaron Gordon didn’t get robbed. He got held-up at gunpoint on live television. LaVine and Gordon both had a phenomenal

night, but Gordon’s moves had more pizzazz while I felt like I was watching the same LaVine on replay every time. Gordon’s third dunk — picking the ball out of the hands of the Orlando Magic’s mascot while rotating

around on a hoverboard — was as comical as it was astonishing. But it was his fourth dunk under the legs and over the mascot that was pure legen — wait for it — dary. LaVine still did pretty well, but his dunks were just dunks, and lacked the creative excitement and flare that Gordon brought to the game. LaVine may have won the contest but Gordon had the best dunk, and that’s all that matters. Sydney: Gordon was totally robbed. He completely revolutionized the dunk contest right from the get-go with his insane under-the-leg move. LaVine’s moves paled in comparison. And using a mascot on a hoverboard for a perfect 50 points? It was unreal. All of Gordon’s second round dunks were better than LaVine’s and his behind-the-head dunks were quicker and cleaner. Even the announcers sounded more excited to talk about Gordon’s dunks than LaVine’s. I should have been out there to judge and maybe Gordon would have received the credit he deserved.

Sean: LaVine did not deserve to win the dunk contest and Gordon was absolutely robbed. Did I actually watch the dunk contest? Not live, but I did watch social media react to the contest. LaVine triggered quite the response but Gordon made Twitter go INSANE! Gordon’s utilization of the Orlando Magic mascot, not only once, but three times, was phenomenal to say the least, while LaVine lacked creativity and although his dunks took skill, were simple to execute as an NBA player. I mean this with no disrespect to LaVine, but he did not deserve to go “Back to Back” and the only reason he won was LaVine had the crowd on his side from the start, exploiting Drake in Toronto. LaVine knew what he was doing and he played the “Back to Back” card from the start. LaVine walked out to the hit diss track, talked to Drake and he was already the winner. It would not matter what dunks Gordon would put on display because LaVine robbed him from the start.

Tom, Sydney and Sean gave slam dunk takes on this one — Gordon deserved to win that contest. Each gets 3 points. 3. After all of his offseason troubles, what is next for Johnny Manziel? Tom: The couch. Johnny Manziel seems to be poison for whomever he associated with nowadays. There’s a pretty good chance that Manziel will be let go from his contract come March, and after that, the future seems unclear for 2014’s second overall draft pick. In January of last year, Manziel spent a long time in rehab and last month, with the whole concussion debacle, he also faced with allocations that he struck his exgirlfriend while threatening to kill both of them. Manziel has a cargo-train worth of luggage, and even a Heisman Trophy winning quarterback from Texas A&M isn’t worth the bad personal relations that Manziel carries around with him. Sydney: Jail, if not death. That sounds harsh, but take a moment to compare the cocky football star’s life to what it was just a few years ago. Manziel became the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy in 2013 and stepped onto the National Football League stage with the Cleveland Browns. It seemed like a promising career and life, but Manziel

flopped in his first season, spent some time in rehab for an alcohol abuse problem and now, it appears he has graduated to domestic assault. His inner circle is dwindling. Manziel is done. Even his father said in a statement to Dallas Morning News that he’s not sure Manziel will make it to his 24th birthday. If Manziel doesn’t agree to enter rehab or take some responsibility for the assault charges he is facing, there is no hope left for him. Sean: If Manziel was not an NFL player, the next place for he would be jail. However, this is the NFL, where domestic violence does not matter. Sure, commercials are run and the league pretends as though they care, but they clearly do not when players like Greg Hardy still have the privilege to play. According to ESPN, the Dallas Police Department now has video of Manziel’s domestic violence complaint. Manziel should receive a Class A misdemeanor assault charge. NFL players do not go to jail, especially the star players. I have not seen any proper discipline. I have only seen encouragement by keeping Manziel in the constant spotlight. Jail should be next for him, but the money will continue to come.

Sydney gets 3 points for noting the danger. Tom checks in with 2 points for examining Johnny’s luggage and Sean gets just 1 point for not considering the Browns’s efforts.

Sydney wins Around the Dorm 8-7-7.

AP Photo

page 26 The Signal February 24, 2016

Spring 2016 Career & Internship Day Friday, February 26th, 2016 Rec Center 9AM– 2PM Sampling of Employer Representatives

Profit ADP Aerotek Allstate Insurance Appraisal Economics AroundCampus Group ASRC Federal Mission B-Fair Tutoring Bank of America Bayada Home Health Care Billtrust Blinds to Go Breakaway Technologies Bristol-Myers Squibb Brown + Brown Burlington Stores C&A Financial Group CBIZ Valuation Group CDW Cenlar FSB Cintas Corp. CIT Group Cohn Reznick Deloitte Dodge Data & Analytics Doka USA Dungarvin Enterprise Holdings ESF Summer Camps Excellis Health Solutions EY Fastenal FDM Group Ferguson Enterprises Fitness + Wellness Professional Services Foresters Financial Fortren Funding Grant Thornton Guardian Life Insurance HCS iCIMS Inductotherm Corp Innovative Wealth Partners Insight Global Johnson & Johnson JP Morgan Chase Kelmar Associates Konica Minolta

KPMG LLP LG Electronics LGS Innovations LifeCell Little Kicks Soccer Local Wisdom Martin Insurance Group Maser Consulting McAdam Financially Advanced MCC Warwick Family Services McCann Health McMahon Associates Merck Metlife Premier Client Group of NJ Michael J. Hennessy Associates MPI Munich Re America New Jersey 101.5 New York Life News America Marketing Northwestern Mutual Omicron Development Patriot Energy Group PEF Services LLC PFP Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) Princeton Partners Inc. Prudential Prudential Advisors R3M Engineering, Inc. Robert Half S&P Ratings Schneider Electric SHI International Corp Simon & Schuster Six Flags Adventure SMC Corporation Sordoni Construction Company Staples Stewart Business Systems Sunhillo Corporation T&M Associates Target Tekmark Global Solutions TFS Wealth Management Mercadien Group The Sherwin-Williams Company The Whiting-Turner Contracting

Under Construction Builders UPS Urban Engineers US Foods Vastek Group Verizon Wireless Vivant Waddell & Reed, Financial Advisors Walgreens Weidel Real Estate Wilkin and Guttenplan WithumSmith+Brown Workwave Non-Profit AmericCorps Bonnie Brae City Year Cooper’s Ferry Partnership Educational Testing Service Electrochemical Society Enable, Inc. Rise 1A Community Service Partnership Save Barnegat Bay The ARC Mercer Washington Center Womanspace Government Abington Township Police Navair NJ Department of Agriculture Peace Corps Pennsylvania State Police Philadelphia Police Department Prince George’s County Police Department U.S. Air Force U.S. Army, ARDEC U.S. DEA U.S. Federal Air Marshals U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission

CO-SPONSORS: For updated list, please check the Career Center website: http://career.pages.tcnj.edu/

February 24, 2016 The Signal page 27 Ice Hockey

Team falls to Princeton University in finals By Julie Kayzerman Former Editor-in-Chief

When Jimmy Fallon’s character is sitting in the dugout in 2005’s “Fever Pitch,” a young kid leaves him behind with one final thought. “You love the Red Sox, but have they ever loved you back?” For the College’s ice hockey senior captain Salvatore DiBrita, he looked back on that scene after the team’s devastating overtime loss to Princeton University, 5-4, in the Colonial States College Hockey Conference (CSCHC) Championship Finals on Sunday, Feb. 21, at Ice Line Arena in West Chester, Pa. “Hockey is a game that does love you back,” forward DiBrita said. While the Lions didn’t quite cap off a stellar 19-7-1 season the way they would’ve hoped, the 2016 regular season champions finished it together. “I’m very proud of the season we had and I’m very thankful for the group of guys that we were able to play with,” senior defenseman and co-captain Matt Martin said. “You do always wish that a long season culminates in that one moment that shows you the significance of what you did and what you put in. We don’t have a trophy to look at but you have a lot of memories, a lot of good times and a good group of guys.” The Lions and Tigers battled each other in a nail-biting, back-and-forth final game, trading goals until it was Princeton who tapped one in at the right time, just 4:42 into sudden death overtime. Junior forward Peter Hansinger put the Lions up early in the first with a goal off an assist from senior defender Gary L’Heureux. But the College fell victim to a 5 on 3 penalty

Julie Kayzerman / Former Editor-in-Chief

The team gathers on the ice after the loss to Princeton University.

kill, allowing Princeton to tie up the game, 1-1. The game continued in similar fashion, with the Lions taking the lead, only to be followed with a matching goal from a resilient Princeton team. Hansinger added another tally for the Lions as did junior forward Kevin Collins and DiBrita. The goals were each scored with assists from defensemen freshman Matthew Liebers, sophomore Dylan McMurrer and junior forward Michael Lisciandro. Senior goalie David Laub stood tall with an impressive 31 saves on 36 shots for the team. “No one team is 100 percent perfect in the course of a game,” DiBrita said. “Mistakes happen. It’s a part of sports, it’s a part of life, but you have to try to do your best to move on.” For the core group of nine seniors: DiBrita, Martin, L’Heureux, forwards Tyler Viducic and Evan Herrington, goalies Laub and Fred McQuade and defensemen Steven Czachor and Alex Moskal, it was their last time lacing up for the ice. While the disappointment of the emotional loss was clear, the heart they showed for

each other, throwing themselves in front of pucks, couldn’t go unnoticed. “Something like physically putting your body on the line is a manifestation of our love for each other, our care and our common goal of wanting to win,” DiBrita said. “By doing that, you’re showing your team that you’re dedicated and you’ll do whatever it takes to let the guy next to you win.” Collins added that the rookies on the team stepped up big for the upperclassmen this season, making an impressive transition onto the team in just one semester. “I think it was a good learning experience for a lot of the younger guys and I think that overall we had a good season,” Collins said. “One game won’t define your season. We had a special team this year and we showed it.” The squad this year had the best chemistry this team has seen in four years and DiBrita, Martin and Collins all chalk it up to the team’s tight-knit group off the ice. “Whenever there were highs and lows or dips in the game, our personalities and our chemistry would bring us back to square one,” Martin said. “I think that kept us calm

and collected in games where we were down a couple of goals and that was a reflection of our ability between friends and teammates to keep each other in check.” This chemistry was more apparent than ever in a season-defining moment when the College came back from trailing, 4-1, in the third period against St. Joe’s University back in October, to dominate with a fourgoal period and seal the win. DiBrita, Martin and Collins look back at the moment as the turn of the season that set the tone of the team’s chemistry. “There has been so much that has happened over the course of our college lives, but there’s only been one constant, and that’s always been hockey,” Martin said. “To be able to return semester after semester with the same group of guys and keep building on relationships, I just think that’s something special… to be able to play the game I love and also make some of the best friends that have pretty much made my college experience.” For DiBrita, it was hockey that gave him a sense of place at the College, as the team became a family. “When you come to college, you have so many things that overwhelm you, but I think if you have a hockey team, you go on winning streaks and losing streaks, road trips, diner runs at 2 a.m., and that’s what makes you close,” DiBrita said. “It’s the things like that make you a family, make you want to block a shot and just make sure that the guy next to you is one step closer to succeeding.” The nine seniors graduate from the team with a successful string of wins, a 2014 Greater Northeast Collegiate Hockey Conference (GNCHC) Championship and a 2016 CSCHC regular season title.

Swimming

Swim / Lions give it all A season to remember conitinued from page 29 senior Joseph Dunn with juniors Ryan Gajdzisz, Scott Vitabile and Jason Ivins. “We had great leadership from the captains and the entire senior class.” Harnett said. “They were a tight class when they were freshmen and to see them develop over four years without anyone quitting is a true testament to their commitment to the

program and to TCNJ Athletics.” Despite second place finishes at the METs, both the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams can remember this season for their success together. Individually, however, swimmers must now wait to hear about qualifying for the NCAA National Championships in Greensboro, N.C., next month, while divers will compete in the NCAA Regional Championships next weekend.

AUDIO PRODUCTION WORKSHOPS Learn from experts in audio production. Recording, mixing, leveling, mastering, and audio effects.

Wednesdays, 4:00-6:00pm February 24-April 6, 2016 Recording Studio, AIMM 235

FREE to TCNJ Students RSVP on Lion’s Gate. Search “Sound Thinking.” (Reservations are required. Attendance is limited to 15.) Students who attend a workshop will receive a co-curricular participation badge in Lion’s Gate. Made possible through an Engagement Mini-Grant from the Office of Student Activities & the School of the Arts and Communication.

Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk

The men’s team loses to Rowan University by 101 overall points.

Signal

Sports

Strong start in NJAC playoffs for Lions

Photos courtesy of the Sports Information Desk

Left: The Lions advance to the semifinals of the playoffs after breaking a tie. Right: Murdock helps lift the team to a win.

By Otto Gomez Staff Writer

The Lions clinched a spot in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) tournament as the fifth seed after an incredible finish against Kean University on Wednesday, Feb. 17. The team had control of its own destiny, meaning that the Lions would automatically make the playoffs with a win. However, that win did not come easy, as Kean fought hard the entire game. Sophomore guard Eric Murdock, Jr. was as clutch as ever as he scored the last six points for the Lions. First, he banked in a layup with 1:14 remaining to break a 60-60 tie.

Kean responded quickly with a three-pointer to give his Cougars a 63-62 lead. The Lions’s sophomore was then fouled and consequently made his two free throws to regain the lead, but Kean was able to respond again, as a Cougar’s players was able to knock down Murdock’s free throws, leaving 18 seconds on the clock. Murdock got the last laugh, however, as he knocked in the game-winning jumper with two seconds left on the clock to give first-year head coach Matthew Goldsmith his first taste of an NJAC post-season. “Eric has been tremendous this year,” Goldsmith said. “In the game, his presence gives everyone

on our roster more confidence. (Murdock’s) leadership, both on and off the court, has been terrific, as well. It is hard to describe just how important he is to this team. To have your best player also be one of your hardest workers, I couldn’t have asked for anything more from Eric this year. Without him, we would not be in the NJAC playoffs this weekend.” The Lions then traveled to Mahwah, N.J., on Saturday, Feb. 20, for the first round of the NJAC tournament to compete against Ramapo College. “Ramapo is a great team who loves to play an up tempo game,” Goldsmith said. “We have to control the tempo as much as we can

by having great shot selection and taking care of the basketball. I think our biggest issue the first two match-ups was having way too many turnovers. It is very challenging to simulate their athleticism and defensive pressure in practice on a daily basis but having played them so recently, I think we will be able to adjust to the pressure quicker.” It quickly became the highest scoring game for the Lions, as they shot extremely well since tip-off. Tallying a season-high 105 points in the contest, the team had five players in double figures. No two players scored more than the team’s star forwards, sophomore forward Elias Bermudez and

freshman forward Jordan Glover. Bermudez registered a careerhigh 25 points on 12-of-14 shooting and Glover went an incredible 7-8 from the floor, scoring 21 points as all his shots were from behind the arc. Murdock made his contributions felt as he put up a triple double, with one point, 11 rebounds and 14 assists. The Lions advance to the championship semifinals where they’ll face New Jersey City University on Wednesday, Feb. 24. The College split the regular season series with the Gothic Knights, winning in Jersey City, 76-74, on Saturday, Jan. 9, before falling on Saturday, Feb. 6, 81-56, in Packer Hall.

Men and women both place second in METs By Sean Reis Production Manager

Following successful seasons from both the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams, the Lions traveled to Rutgers University for the Metropolitan Conference Championships (METs) hoping to continue their dominance in the pool. Although the teams left the three-day meet — which started on Friday, Feb. 19, and concluded on Sunday, Feb. 21 — with second place finishes, the results did not display how well both teams performed. The men’s team swam neck-and-neck with Rowan University all weekend, but fell short, 1,426 to 1,325. The women’s team had an intense weekend, as well, with multiple lead changes before the final score of 1,116 to 1,090.5 behind Division II Long Island University-Post was announced. “This was a true team event from divers to every swimmer in each stroke to all the relays,” coach Jennifer Harnett said. “Everyone really stepped up and competed for the team. It was exciting to be in first place after the second day. I knew it

Lions’ Lineup February 24, 2016

I n s i d e

Photo couresy of the Sports Information Desk

Swimming has solid performances despite a second-place finish.

would be tough to hang on to (the lead), but the fact that we were just relay points (away) from winning or being third made it that much more exciting.” Sophomore Debbie Meskin placed third in the 200-butterfly with her new

personal-best at 2:12.58. Junior Sarah Grassi was named the female diver of the meet during the post-meet ceremonies. Grassi won the 1-meter event and placed second in the 3-meter event. Meanwhile, for the men’s team, freshman

Alex Skoog and senior James Shangle both broke program records during preliminary heats in the meet’s final day. “As a team we performed great, setting two records, multiple wins and numerous NCAA cuts,” Shangle told TCNJ Athletics. “Rowan is a great swim team and absolutely deserved to win. However, our main focus has always been on NCAAs and that is where we intend to shine.” Sophomore Logan Barnes also swam with strong strokes all weekend long, winning the 400-medley event on Saturday and setting his personal-best time in the 1650-yard freestyle event with 16:08.57. Collectively, both teams performed with passion at the METs, dominating relays all weekend long. The women’s team opened with a fourth place finish on Friday in the 200-freestyle relay, led by sisters senior Lauren Rothstein and sophomore Emily Rothstein, alongside junior Brenna Strollo and sophomore Ali Huber. The men’s closed with a win over Rowan University on Sunday in the 400-yard freestyle relay led by see SWIM page 27

46 53 Around the Dorm page 25

Tennis page 22

Women’s Basketball page 23

Club Ice Hockey Page 27