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(04/26/06 12:00pm)
Dear The Signal,
After two-and-a-half, love-filled years, I think it's time for us to part ways. This isn't to say that I don't love and admire you as a newspaper; this is more of a statement that this relationship feels "fundamentally wrong" and I think we're holding each other back from our respective lives.
Don't cry. Please don't cry. I know this is hard. But, I've disregarded my schoolwork, friends, jobs, personal hygiene, sanity and life for you these past years. You have been my entire college experience - my home, even.
These past years have been consumed more with your petty issues than my own problems. I know more about layout and AP Style than I do about half the stuff I've learned in my major. I've slept on your dirty couch far more often than I've slept on my bed. You've forced me to stay up until 7:47 a.m. on days when I had class at 8 a.m. I've gotten kidney infections, migraines and nausea all in your sick honor. And all you give back to me are a bunch of angry students and professors harassing me daily: "Why'd you guys run that?"; "I found that totally offensive"; "The Signal disgusts me."
Well, I'm done with it and I'm done with you. Yes, I'm going to have a hard time trying to figure out what to do with my time. I heard that I can watch "24" on Monday nights and from what I've been told, it's a good show. Maybe I'll get a hobby - take up knitting, paint some more, watch some movies, go for long walks on the beach, etc.
You've given me insomnia, a fear to walk this campus, a disillusionment only you are capable of providing. But, you've also given me a chance to be more proud of anything and more proud of myself than I ever have been before and hope I might be again.
Sure, you've taught me a lot. I know how to devote myself to something I love . enough to ignore my own good. I know InDesign better than I know the woman who birthed me. I know what the words "media ethics" mean and I understand what they mean to me. I know the best ways to pull three straight all-nighters. I know how to fix pages, cheat to make text line up, copy edit (kinda), edit stories, make bad stories readable, deal with writers, do layout while on muscle relaxers, take terrible pictures, take a punch, leave a conference in a stylish manner, make the best iced coffee in the history of mankind, make everyone think I'm having an illicit lesbian affair, sleep on a desk, write a story in 15 minutes, write a paper in 20 minutes, make a cutout, fix a spread, etc.
Whether or not the campus community believes this or cares at all, you have taught me how to put out (the news) and how to do it respectfully, tastefully and honestly.
Most importantly, dear, sweet, sassy Signal, you've taught me that the hammer rarely comes down. But, alas, I've also learned that when the hammer does come down, it comes down hard.
We've had our times, sweet Signal. I've laughed and cried on production nights. I've been criticized (often) and praised (seldom). But that comes with the territory. I've both fallen in love and had my journalistic heart broken within your pastel-painted walls.
So, Signal, I'll be the first to say, "It's been real." But, I need to get back to my life and you need to move on to your new staff.
I'll never feel for anything, anyone, the way I feel for you. Yes, there were nights when I questioned whether or not my sacrifices were worth it. Looking back, I know they were. Every damn minute I spent with you was worth more than anything else I've done here. The people you've introduced me to will remain infamous every time I remember a production night and will always epitomize the College to me.
I've spent the best and worst nights of my college career in the nasty basement office and I don't believe I would have ever wanted to spend them anywhere else.
I hope I'm remembered fondly by your future staffs and I hope I've had half the lasting effect on you that you've had on me.
Adieu, my love. I'll think of you every coffee, cigarette and newspaper Sunday morning for the rest of my life.
Oh, and, give me back my black T-shirt.
(03/08/06 12:00pm)
"Even before I knew I was a feminist, I knew I loved TV," Jennifer Baumgardner, a panelist at Wednesday's "I Want my FemTV: Third Wave Feminism and the Media" discussion, said.
The event, held in the New Library Auditorium, kicked off the College's celebration of Women's History Month.
The panel also included Amy Richards, who co-authored "Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism and the Future" with Baumgardner; Sarah Rasmusson, former women's and gender studies professor at the College and current Ph.D. candidate at the University of Illinois; and Jennifer Pozner, executive director of Women in Media News, a media analysis, training and advocacy organization.
Discussions ranged from the intergenerational discourse between Lindsay Lohan and Tina Fey in the movie "Mean Girls" to the lack of politically active women portrayed in the U.S. news media. They touched on both the positive and negative media portrayals of women.
"I absorbed bad information and good information from watching TV," Baumgardner said.
She then gave the example of Charlie's Angels as "hot chicks who were really confident and could defend themselves." Baumgardner explained that although Charlie's Angels wore bikinis, they were great private eyes.
However, Pozner let the audience dole out a much harsher criticism of the media. She asked how many audience members felt like they'd seen the media portray political or feminist activism on television and, surprisingly, only a few people in the completely packed room raised their hands.
"We have to look so hard to find images that we can turn into positive forces," Pozner said, elaborating on the fact that the mainstream news media sees feminism as a pass? issue. She brought up a requiem to the women's movement published in a 1976 issue of Esquire.
Pozner explained that the mainstream news media is under the impression that all feminist battles were already fought and won and therefore are not worth covering.
Despite this, she urged the audience to "get involved in the larger burgeoning movement to bring media control back to the public."
Earlier in the program, however, the other women discussed some more positive portrayals of women in pop culture.
"Most pop culture wouldn't ever be intelligible without our feminist background," Rasmusson said.
She then showed a clip from "Mean Girls" and explained its accuracy in depicting the conversation between different generations of women, even if this conversation is a commodity under the humor of the film.
She elaborated by saying that while we, as college students, laugh with Lohan's character, older generations laugh with Fey's character.
"Relations between young and older women is important to third wave feminism," Rasmusson said.
Richards followed Rasmusson, saying that there is a definite problem with the fact that this intergenerational discourse has to be portrayed in a comedic light.
She then explained that the problems women have to deal with are hard to digest, which is why humor is needed for people to pay attention.
"The media is the most attacked and critiqued entity out there," she said. "We should look at our own lives and see what we get out of the media."
"I was amazed to learn about all the work they've done - from the prostests to their books, their appearances on different TV/radio programs - and impressed with how dedicated they are to the feminist movement," Maggie Murphy, senior English and women's and gender studies major, said.
The audience packed the New Library Auditorium, leaving only standing room to those who came late.
The room remained full for the activism workshop Pozner led afterward.
"I saw a lot of people I kind of expected to be there from the women's and gender studies department and specific campus organizations, but there were also so many people I didn't recognize," Christi Downey, president of the Women's Center and junior women's and gender studies major, said.
"I feel that we were able to reach some people that may not know much about feminism or how feminists deal with the contradictory messages of the media," Downey said.
(02/08/06 12:00pm)
A couple of weeks ago, on Jan. 27 to be exact, my old pal John Kerry sent me an e-mail asking me to sign a petition to support a filibuster of Judge Samuel Alito's nomination to the Supreme Court. Within five days, Alito's position was confirmed. That said, I must admit I'm very skeptical of "petitions to filibuster" in general.
Before I go on, I must say that in Kerry's defense, his e-mail also begged people to "use your own e-mail list and organize," which, I suppose, involves some sort of action people can take.
But other than that, the e-mail basically pleads with people to sign a petition and hope for the best. Since this e-mail only reaches people on John Kerry's e-mail list, chances are that these people are Democrats, a group that is constantly called lazy, illogical, disorganized and in need of support.
So why on earth are we sitting on our asses, signing petitions online that don't help us make political progress? If a petition couldn't bring back "My So-Called Life," why do we think one can triumph in a major battle, like securing our rights?
In this wonderful age of technology, you can simultaneously write a paper, watch a movie, buy a new CD, listen to it immediately and talk to your friends without leaving your desk. Now, add to this the fact that you can also support the filibuster of a Supreme Court nomination and the possibilities seem endless. That's where you're wrong.
Just as there's something more rewarding about searching for books to use in your paper, seeing a film on a big screen while eating popcorn, having the CD booklet to browse through on your first listen and talking to your friends face-to-face, actual political action is far more rewarding than just signing an online petition and calling it a day. And when I say "rewarding," I mean that maybe it'll change something or affect someone.
It is a well-known fact that according to the Princeton Review, the College is the 13th least politically active school in the nation. This ignoble distinction basically depicts us as sitting in our rooms, bitching about how terrible the world is and signing online petitions.
But what if we could each decide what main struggles are most important to us and then get involved in them? If you think reproductive rights are important, stop by the Women's Center. And hey, if you think conservatives are underrepresented on campus, why not write for The Minority Report. We have both the College Republicans and College Democrats who, I bet, wouldn't turn you away if you wanted to check out a meeting. Organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Progressive Student Alliance (PSA), Habitat for Humanity and Amnesty International are always looking for more students to get involved. There are probably a hundred more organizations and clubs that you can get involved with on campus, which gives you a world of opportunities to make a difference and make a change.
So maybe, just maybe, get away from your computer and see what you can do with all the time you saved not signing online petitions or bitching about how everything just sucks.
(02/01/06 12:00pm)
While seemingly every interviewer in the world was busy asking Jenny Lewis questions such as, "How is your relationship with your mother?" and "Did you and Conor Oberst hook up?" or even the occasional, "So what's the deal with you and fellow Rilo Kiley member Blake Sennett?" we, due to a lack of proximity to the pretty red-haired girl currently gracing the pages of both Jane and Spin magazines, decided to let her brand new album, "Rabbit Fur Coat" speak for itself.
You may know Lewis as the perky lead singer of Saddle Creek Records darlings Rilo Kiley, or as the female voice hiding in the background of The Postal Service's 2003 release "Give Up."
Rabbit Fur Coat is Lewis' first full-length departure from Rilo Kiley, who, by the way, have not broken up.
"Run Devil Run," the first song of the album, feels more like part of a religious service than anything else. There's simply no other way to characterize her voice sweeping through the three words while The Watson Twins soulfully back her up.
Being the first song on the album, "Run Devil Run" turns the rumors of Lewis' new affair with country music into facts.
Following the first track is the quick-strumming "The Big Guns," which is basically as fast as the record gets.
It also may be the lyrical peak of "Rabbit Fur Coat" which, for an album full of a whole lot of soul, is quite straightforward when it comes to Lewis' lyrical stylings.
Whereas Lewis is known for the implications of Rilo Kiley's lyrics, she was willing to literally give us all the juicy details in this album.
This may add to the album's up-close and personal feel, but at times it listens like a copy of Us Weekly.
Nonetheless, "The Big Guns," while relatively up-front, leaves some things up to the imagination of the listener with lyrics like "First I'll build a sword / Get some words to explain / It's a plan, brother, at least/ And I'll pretend that everybody here wants peace."
In the title track, which feels like a waltz, Lewis' voice is demure and exceptionally fresh while the content progressively ropes you into sadness and pity for Lewis' lost childhood.
This juxtaposition of Lewis' beautiful, adolescent-tone singing with the desperation of her lyrics is perfect. The song almost sounds as if it were thrown together around a campfire, but definitely in a positive way.
The album also features Lewis, along with fellow Omaha-scene musicians Oberst, M. Ward and Ben Gibbard, covering the Traveling Wilburys' "Handle With Care."
The song proves that she, along with those abovementioned, can see themselves and relay the fact that they're very much influenced by the past of folk and country music.
As a whole, "Rabbit Fur Coat" fits Lewis well. Some may even think it fits her better than Rilo Kiley does.
I beg to differ. While the album lets us know about Lewis' innermost thoughts, there's just something more exciting about trying to figure them out myself.
(08/31/05 12:00pm)
Upon reading this, please understand that I am doing everything I am capable of to not give away or spoil the horrific end to this sorcerous book. "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," J.K. Rowling's sixth installment in the series, goes to great lengths for Harry and his friends to be thought of as tragic rather than young or magical.
This is not a review of the series or of the story as a whole, but of book six, Rowling's writing and what it leaves the reader to assume or guess along the way.
The story itself is tragic (which I am, by no means, spoiling for you) and Potter's life becomes more and more pitiable and lovable by the minute. But as a book, not a piece of a series, Rowling seems to lack a bit in fluidity.
The characters' relationships (i.e. Harry and Ginny, Ron and Hermione) were either poorly developed or not developed at all. It just jumped from one bit of pseudo-sexual tension to another without rhyme or reason. But as faulted as this may be, as a fan, I must say it was nice to finally have some of this come to a head. It has been five books of waiting, so one could say "Something is better than nothing."
Also, in terms of fluidity, Rowling never gives reasons for us to trust or distrust certain characters. Obviously, she's probably waiting for a big finale in book seven, but it makes book six lack sense. A clear example of this, as it has been in every book prior, is Snape. He seems evil. He should be evil. But, for reasons unbeknownst to us, Dumbledore has reason to trust him.
However, what Rowling lacks in fluidity, she gains in emotional attachment. It's impossible (from what I've heard everyone who has read it say) to come out of this book with a light heart. Many people I know have cried upon its completion.
As promised, I won't give away the end. But, while the end alone is exceptionally sad, the rest of the book is equally as gut-wrenching. Harry becomes less of a boy and more of a Christ-like figure. We hail him, respect him, love him and admire him, but his life is full of persecution. We sympathize for him because we saw him once as a boy and we see him now, growing into manhood with little to nothing to live for. Whereas Harry was for us a sign of hope, we have nothing but pessimism and doubt by the end of this book.
As a book by itself, Rowling did a fair job with "The Half-Blood Prince." It was suspenseful, emotional and gripping. The only problem was that it lacked sense in some areas. As a part of a series, the second to last book in a series, I can forgive its shortcomings. In lieu of clarification for much of what went on in the book, she sets us up for what seems like an impossible amount of ground to cover in the finale.
While this book left us confused, I doubt Rowling didn't do that on purpose. We're all left wondering where Harry could possibly go from here. That's the main point.
And by the way, the Half-Blood Prince is...
(02/23/05 12:00pm)
In late November 2004, Sigma Tau Gamma fraternity had its charter suspended for five years due to an alcohol offense made shortly after the organization had rewritten its alcohol guidelines due to a previous infraction.
According to Tim Wilkinson, Fraternity and Sorority Program Director at the College, in late September, a police report was filed about a party that took place in a house where Sigma Tau Gamma members live.
"Through investigating and talking to the Ewing Township Police it was verified that the house (and its members) had kegs present, charged at the door and were holding an open party," Wilkinson said.
Open parties, Wilkinson explained, with charged admission and alcohol for students under the age of 21 are "both in violation of Inter-Greek Council (IGC) policy and Sigma Tau Gamma national policy."
This was not Sigma Tau Gamma's only recent alcohol incident according to Wilkinson. During the Spring 2003 semester, an underage student was transported to a hospital after attending a Sigma Tau Gamma event.
At that time, other incidents involving the fraternity were under investigation as well, causing the national chapter to call for a reorganization of the chapter here at the College. Specific mandates were given to the fraternity. One of which was that they had to rewrite their chapter alcohol policy.
The rewritten policy was handed down in August 2004, and the next violation took place a month later on Sept. 25.
"After this blatant violation of the alcohol policy they had just rewritten, they lost the privilege of existing at (the College)," Wilkinson said.
A former member of Sigma Tau Gamma who wishes to remain anonymous said that the suspension felt like a personal attack on the fraternity rather than an apt punishment. "The fact is, we're all friends and we all loved the organization. I think (what happened) is a shame," he said.
The punishment was decided on by the IGC executive board. According to Wilkinson, in situations like this, he "gives a recommendation of level of sanction" - in this case, it was a five-year suspension - and IGC makes the final decision on what to do.
In the end, the IGC executive board agreed with Wilkinson and suspended Sigma Tau Gamma for five years starting on Nov. 23.
The national Sigma Tau Gamma chapter offered another reorganization plan but, according to Wilkinson, the College "didn't feel it was acceptable" due to the chapter's disregard for the previous reorganization attempt.
Wilkinson said that presently, his biggest fear presently involving Sigma Tau Gamma is the possibility that it would "unofficially have a pledge class" even though there is no actual organization here or affiliation with the College or its Greek Life.
Wilkinson urges students and other fraternities and sororities to not recognize any group organized as Sigma Tau Gamma. "Our chapters worry about a perceived lack of respect and if they allow any unrecognized chapter to continue on, respect is lost," he said.
According to Jason Neely, Community Standards Coordinator at the College, the office of Community Standards, at the present time, has not taken action against any individual students involved with Sigma Tau Gamma.
Depending on the behavior of the former members of Sigma Tau Gamma over the next five years, there is a definite possibility that the College will bring the chapter back after the suspension time has passed.
(02/09/05 12:00pm)
The College kicks off its 150th anniversary today with an all-day celebration and a number of activities and events.
The Founders' Day Celebration events commenced with the Founders' Day Scavenger Hunt that began on Feb. 2. Students ran around campus testing their knowledge about the College in hopes of winning a $150 cash prize.
"At this point we have approximately 67 scavenger hunt teams of at least five people," Janis Blayne Paul, Chief Sesquicentennial Officer, said Monday.
Last night, the College Union Board sponsored Midnight Madness, a countdown to Founders' Day. Activities included a Gladiator Joust, a Dance Dance Revolution competition, mini golf, Battle of the Bands, Blizzard of Bucks and Texas Hold 'em.
The event lasted from 10 p.m. until 3 a.m.-, letting off right before the 4 a.m. bus trip this morning to NBC's "Today" Show at Rockefeller Center.
The show will air in the Rathskellar all morning so students can catch a glimpse of their peers representing the College on national television with Roscoe the Lion.
Celebratory events will be held in Brower Student Center today from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. From 10 a.m. until 3 p.m., WTSR will be playing the best songs in the station's history.
Also, from noon to 5 p.m., the Postal Cancellation and Time Capsule item collection will be taking place. Commemorative Sesquicentennial postal cancellations will be granted to those who want invitations, postcards and envelopes stamped. Students can also add items to the time capsule, which will be placed in the new library and opened in 50 years.
From 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., the 150th Birthday Party will close the Founders' Day events in Brower Student Center. In addition to performances and special guests, birthday cake will be offered.
The birthday celebration will then move to Eickhoff Dining Hall, where a Founders' Day birthday dinner will be served from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Clowns, jugglers and cupcake decorating will be featured.
Both the men's and women's basketball teams will be facing off against the Rowan University Profs tonight. The women's game is at 6 p.m. and the men's is at 8 p.m. Both will be held in the Packer Hall Gymnasium.
The Founders' Day Leadership Convocation will close the day's events with a dessert reception following it. Held in the Music Building, the convocation will commence at 7 p.m. while the dessert reception will begin at 8:30 p.m.
"While it's been a yearlong celebration, we're also using the Sesquicentennial Celebration to leave a legacy with items such as the time capsule (which will be opened in the bicentennial in 2055), a Sesquicentennial Scholarship which was endowed by the Aumni Association and a Sesquicentennial Alumni Grove where alumni can gather and reminisce," Blayne Paul said.
(02/02/05 12:00pm)
Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes has reached the point of his life where he can no longer be deemed a child prodigy. At 24, Oberst has acquired a nearly cultish fan base, critical acclaim and the indie scene's equivalent to gangsta rap's 'street cred.' Oh, and on top of this, he's put out a bunch of the most emotionally charged, musically haunting records I've heard in the past decade.
Oberst is a Renaissance Man, which is why critics and fans, including myself, anticipated his band Bright Eyes' release of two new, completely different albums, "Digital Ash in a Digital Urn" and "I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning."
But with anticipation came fear. Would Bright Eyes live up to the glorious past I'd come to love or would I toss the CDs aside and be left with the ever-so clich?d remark, "Their old stuff is so much better"?
This fear haunted me for the past month and nearly made me explode as I violently unwrapped the CDs and decided which to listen to first. "I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning" won out because, well, there's no scientific way of explaining these things. It just came first.
Oberst always tells a story in song-form. This time around, with the first song "At the Bottom of Everything," he literally tells a story using only words but eventually jumps into music as if it's the only way the story could be properly respected. Strange way to start an album, yes. But slowly telling us of an airplane tumbling out of the sky on the way to a birthday party, as he cynically put it, while leading up to what feels like a campfire sing-along, sounds both natural and eerie.
He meanders from song to song slowly and it flows so elegantly that the listener is left wondering where the time went when it's all over. Granted, the album has only 10 songs and one could easily beg for more, but they weave into each other so delicately, it's nearly impossible to listen to just one.
The songs all vary. This is the beauty of the album. As much as it's Oberst at his typical best, there's more to it than that. The music is happy and sad, regretful and reminiscent. There's life with the death and love with the loss. Oberst has tapped into his emotions to a point the listener hasn't experienced until now. And the picture it creates is more vivid because of it.
In "First Day of my Life," Oberst sings of love in a charming and, dare I say, optimistic manner. It's a change from nearly every other song he's written yet fits in the album well. Then, he flips it right back around on "Landlocked Blues," repeating "If you walk away, I'll walk away," which feels, strangely enough, like glorious, gut-wrenching defeat.
The other CD, "Digital Ash in a Digital Urn," is more technical and seems somewhat pop-inspired. The theme is death, yet the actual music seems to have life dripping out of every beat.
In "Arc of Time (Time Code)," it's easy to get caught up, or even stomp around, while Oberst sings "you die you die you die you die." The beat is reminiscent of Simon and Garfunkel, but the lyrics are pure Oberst. It's unique but ultimately familiar.
"I Believe in Symmetry" is another example of Oberst's repeated analysis of life. The song and its philosophy drift from simple to intense to dreamy to the eventual orchestral end in little more than five minutes. Oberst sings "the instinct of the blind insect/who never thinks not to accept/his faith, that's faith/there's happiness in death" so sweetly that the listener is almost too awed by his words to think about their meaning.
While "I'm Wide Awake, it's Morning" holds its charm in Oberst's new ground, "Digital Ash in a Digital Urn" is beautiful because of its details. Some critics call this album a mess and the worst of the two. This is miles away from the truth.
"I'm Wide Awake..." is better because it's a simply superior package, filled with separate, multicolored pieces that somehow manage to fit together. However, "Digital Ash in a Digital Urn" is still an amazing album and, rather than being a mess, it sounds precise. The only downfall is the fact that the obvious and repeated use of death as a theme, even though it doesn't wear out, seems to limit the album a bit.
The albums live up to their reputation and I'd be the last person to say that if it wasn't true. They explore new terrains for the band while also retaining the comfort of the past. He may not be considered a prodigy anymore, but Conor Oberst still knows how to make good music. That's all that really matters, isn't it?
(11/17/04 12:00pm)
What do you get when you mix a rapper/mega-mogul who freely refers to himself as "Hova" with an R&B singer who has recently become well-known only for his masochistic sexual relations with underaged girls? Apparently, you get a bruised ego, pepper spray and anger.
At some point, rapper Jay-Z and singer R. Kelly decided it would be a good idea to go on tour together. Don't ask me why because I'm still perplexed as to why such an event would be planned. Nonetheless, they teamed up for the "Best of Both Worlds" tour.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Kelly had been screwing up the concert from the get-go. His act poked fun at his rape allegations, he missed shows, left shows and showed up late.
Then, at the Madison Square show on Oct. 30, Kelly alleged that he was attacked with pepper spray by a member of Jay-Z's entourage. The next day, Jay-Z kicked Kelly off the tour for "a lack of professionalism and unpredictable behavior."
Jay-Z decided that he may have 99 problems, but R. Kelly ain't one. He's continuing the tour with other rapper-friends of his and Kelly filed a $75 million lawsuit against him.
Basically, it's been hinted that R. Kelly's big problem throughout the tour was that Jay-Z was getting all the attention.
But, really, what did Kelly expect? Let's consider the facts. Jay-Z is considered to be at the top of his game. Add to this his recent retirement announcement and it's no wonder why Jay-Z is Big Pimpin' in comparison to R. Kelly who, despite the fact that he believes he can fly, seems to be drowning in self-pity.
I just hope this won't end in bloodshed such as the beef between Tupac and the Notorious BIG did. This is especially true in respect to the rap world's recent, mysterious loss of ex-Wu-Tang Clan member Ol' Dirty Bastard.
If either of you are out there reading, I beg you both, Jay and R., do a compilation, make some benjamins, get some bitches if you want to, so long as you make up, the world will be a better place. Please, no more drama in my life.
(11/17/04 12:00pm)
As the temperature drops, the time we spend indoors rises. That seems logical enough. But what happens to people who have no homes to turn to as winter approaches? This is a problem we, as students at the College, stuck in our suburban 'Ewing bubble' very seldom see or worry about. To raise awareness about homelessness in America, the College's chapter of Habitat for Humanity held their second annual Sleep Out to Speak Out Against Homelessness.
Sleep Out to Speak Out Against Homelessness can be described as a simulation of the struggles a homeless person has to face. It consisted of all students involved spending a night outside, sleeping in shelters made out of cardboard boxes and only eating food given to them by other students.
According to Craig Cedermark, president of the College's chapter of Habitat for Humanity, the event was considered a success for the group.
Cedermark said between group members and other people who wanted to participate, there were about 15 people sleeping out that night despite the harsh, 34-degree weather.
While the event is considered more of an awareness builder than a fund-raiser, the group raised about $100 in donations.
Also, whatever nonperishable food was given to the students was donated to a shelter.
"The sleepout gives people on campus a bit of perspective as to what people have to go through on a day to day basis," Cedermark said. "It also helped us get the word out that there is a chapter on campus. We even had people who were not in the club before sleep out."
In addition to being an awareness builder, the event is seen as a morale builder for the organization. "It brings the club members together and fosters the club spirit," Cedermark said.
"It was tough to be out in the cold for that long, but it really gives everyone who's out there a sense of why we're in Habitat." Laura Gianella, former president and present member of Habitat for Humanity, said.
Gianella explained that she was "really impressed, although not surprised, about how far the club has come and is continuing to go."
Habitat for Humanity also sponsors other events to fight homelessness. Site visits and Bike and Build are two major ways in which the organization works to create better housing situations all over the country.
At site visits, members physically help build or fix houses. According to the College's chapter's Web site, tcnj.edu/~habitat/, these houses are sold at no profit to partner families. The homeowners' mortgage payments are then used to fund more site visits.
The College's chapter has upcoming site visits scheduled for Nov. 20 and Dec. 4. Also, members of the club will be heading to Chatham County, NC from Jan. 9 to 15 for a site visit.
Habitat for Humanity is also closely linked with Bike and Build, an organization of people who bike across the country to raise money and build houses in the same spirit as the Habitat for Humanity organization.
(11/10/04 12:00pm)
With the influx of new mp3 players and download sites (paid, of course), it's hard to imagine life without a soundtrack playing in the background.
For some people, it's that new Britney Spears song with the hypnotic dance beat and raunchy lyrics. To others, it's Kanye West's intelligently wise-ass songs. Regardless of musical taste, however, everyone has an opinion on what music is.
But, consider for a minute if you were deaf. What, then, would music be to you?
Later this month, students at the College will have the chance to find out and become more educated in the process at the bass and lights program "Feel the Beat."
The program, which is open to non-students as well as students, will take place at 8 p.m., Tues., Nov. 23 in the Travers/Wolfe main lounge.
Nick Terzulli, Townhouses South community coordinator, thought up "Feel the Beat" while brainstorming ideas for a benefit program.
"I just thought about the thing that means the most to me and that's music. I realized that there are some people out there that can't experience music the same ways I do."
To raise awareness, Terzulli decided to put on a drum and bass event that would be entertaining to those who are hard of hearing as well as something educational and fun for those who are capable of hearing.
"The emphasis of the program is how the hard of hearing can feel low frequencies," explained Terzulli.
The benefit, which will consist of loud mixes of drum and bass beats on four large speakers, will be much more than a student-only program. Students from the Marie H. Katzenbach School for the Deaf will attend. Additionally, the Deaf and Hearing Connection at the College has advertised the event to other colleges throughout the state.
While there will be no admission cost for the program, donations are requested. All money received will be donated to the Marie H. Katzenbach School. Each person who donates will receive a pamphlet with information about hearing loss.
(10/20/04 12:00pm)
I'll put this simply. There are very few events that would cause me to drive an hour and a half on the N.J. Turnpike during rush hour, sit in an hour of Lincoln Tunnel traffic in a bus and then drive an hour and a half back at 2 a.m.
What, you may ask, would cause me, a responsible college student, to throw caution to the wind? Saves the Day, my friends, Saves the Day.
Last Thursday, in New York City, Saves the Day played an acoustic show for the College Media Journal (CMJ) Music Marathon. But the greatness doesn't end there: the band was supported by The New Amsterdams, Hot Rod Circuit, Say Anything and surprise guest Straylight Run. If this wasn't enough excitement for you, the show was at S.O.B.'s, a tiki-decorated club in the Village.
I was expecting a solo performance by lead singer Chris Conley but the whole band was there in all its glory and I can honestly say it was the best acoustic performance I've seen thus far.
The band touched on every album and rocked in a way that should be illegal for acoustic sets.
When an entire club is full of fans yelling "Please come dive in Puddles with me!" at the top of their lungs with the band to "Jessie & My Whetstone," a favorite off the 1998 acoustic release "I'm Sorry I'm Leaving," it's safe to say the show's going well.
When the audience stood waiting for an encore after the last song, I wasn't surprised. However, when Conley came back onstage armed only with his acoustic guitar and began to sing John Lennon's "Imagine," I, along with everyone present, was filled with shock, joy and, for lack of better words, pure happiness.
Another surprise that night came when Straylight Run, which wasn't scheduled to play, showed up and took the stage. The band played slow, melodic songs from their new album, including one of my personal favorites, "Existentialism on Prom Night."
The New Amsterdams, led by Matthew Pryor, also the lead singer of the Get Up Kids, played a nice set as well. However, the crowd obviously would've preferred The Get Up Kids and made that known throughout the set.
Sadly, due to that feisty Lincoln Tunnel Traffic, not only did I miss Say Anything's set, but I only got to hear one - count it, one - Hot Rod Circuit song as I walked into the club. Lucky for me, it was "Irish Car Bomb," one of their best sing-along songs. So the show started with a good singalong, even if it wasn't as much as I would've preferred. Regardless, we went to see Saves the Day and were victorious in that quest. More importantly, the band was amazing. Very seldom can a band turn songs from each of its albums into acoustic masterpieces and it's even more rare for anyone to cover a John Lennon song without seeming inappropriately self-righteous. But Saves the Day did all of this and did it beautifully.
Seriously, if the band were to play acoustic again with The New Amsterdams, Hot Rod Circuit, Say Anything and Straylight Run, I'd make the trip. And on the long, tired drive back to Ewing, I'd just count all the headlights to make sure I'm alright.
(10/06/04 12:00pm)
"Dearly beloved, are you listening?" The new Green Day rock opera album, "American Idiot," is worth more than a listen; it deserves repeated play and praise. The band's first entirely new album since 2000's "Warning," "American Idiot" may very well be one of the best rock albums of the year - if not the best.
The expectations for this album were low among reviewers, yet Green Day pulled through and successfully made a modern rock opera without sacrificing the story or the music along the way.
The nine-minute songs don't bore and the four-minute songs aren't lacking. They flow through the album gracefully and don't beg the listener to even touch the skip button. More importantly, though, each song is orchestrated perfectly in itself while also contributing to the story.
The album - as an album - mixes rock, pop, emo and punk into one amazing, political album. The album - as a rock opera - follows the main character, Jesus of Suburbia, through his trials, tribulations and eventual loss of faith in all things American.
The songs are definitely a reaction to what's been happening in America and the war in Iraq over the past couple of years. If the title of the album isn't proof enough of this, the lyrics are.
The title track bashes American ideals, saying, "Don't wanna be an American idiot/One nation controlled by the media/ Information age of hysteria/ It's calling out to idiot America."
"Jesus of Suburbia," a song that spans nine minutes and 10 seconds, is separated into five different chapters, each devoted to telling the story of the main character. It's astonishing, though, how at no time in those nine minutes does the song lose its impact and energy even though, it's basically a large meshing of five individual songs and styles. This is reflected in the fact that the song, despite its length, has gotten radio play since the album's release.
Other songs on the album, such as "St. Jimmy" and "She's a Rebel," are obviously inspired and modeled after early punk. These songs would fit right in with a playlist of songs by the Clash.
"Extraordinary Girl" is a pop song done in a way only Billie Joe Armstrong could sing. The song would be totally out of place on the album if it weren't for his voice. Armstrong's voice has both classic and unique qualities, turning the song into so much more than just a pop-sounding rock song.
Then there's "Wake Me Up When September Ends," "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" and "Give me Novacaine," which round out the album in terms of hopelessly sad songs. Completely relatable and almost unbearably depressing, these songs help to counteract the album's overall mass of energy and speed.
This album is nothing short of stupendous. There aren't many bands that could pull off a rock opera and honestly I didn't think Green Day would be capable of doing so without disappointing. But, this album was the antithesis of a disappointment. Best rock album of the year? It's a definite possibility!
(09/22/04 12:00pm)
I learned a valuable lesson this summer. No, it had nothing to do with swimming, sunscreen or the Jersey shore. It's much more serious than that. I learned that the more hatred grew in my heart for Ashlee and Jessica Simpson, the more I watched their shows, the more I knew every word to their songs and the more I felt like they were people I actually knew. It was not only both sick and twisted, but also nauseating.
I thought things were relatively bad last year when "Newlyweds" came out. Just hearing about the show made me want to violently hurl things at my television set and scream, "Why, God? Why?"
Jessica Simpson, of all people, was on a reality show. She wasn't even half as famous or tabloid-exposed as Britney or Christina. Who in their right mind would want to watch Jessica Simpson live her everyday, stupid, petty life?
Then, it started. People kept talking about how dumb Jessica Simpson really is on the show. Is tuna a type of chicken? Jessica didn't know. I had to see it. I had to see the gorgeous girl act like an idiot. It made me feel better about myself. I may not look like Jessica Simpson or be as rich as her or sing as well as her but I do, in fact, know what tuna is.
Then, this summer, Jessica, in all her glory, decided to share the spotlight with previously ignored sister, Ashlee. Ladies and gentlemen, we had no clue what we were in for when "The Ashlee Simpson Show" came out. This girl rode her sister's coattails like they were as trendy as a Vespa and stole the spotlight immediately.
I saw the commercials and kept thinking that this Avril wannabe couldn't really think she could rock - could she? Then it happened. I got sucked in. Who wouldn't love to watch the tomboy wannabe punkster rebel girl's trials and tribulations while writing and recording her first album?
She got dumped, dyed her hair, ate pizza, whined and drove a Lexus convertible right into my heart. To top it all off, "lil" Simpson's first CD topped the charts on its debut.
So, all in all, I guess it's safe to assume a couple of things about these Simpsons. Their dad, who is the executive producer of both of their shows, is one money-making genius of a minister. Also, the girls, annoying as they seem, must be doing something right because if not, why would I continue to waste my precious time watching them?
(09/15/04 12:00pm)
When this semester began, there was a lot of commotion and confusion in regard to class transformations and meal plans. Another big change, however, occurred at the end of the Spring 2004 semester that affects just about every club, organization and student on campus. This change is the Student Finance Board's new budgeting plan.
SFB receives the Student Activities Fund (SAF), which is a part of tuition every year, to allocate to different clubs and organizations on campus. According to SFB Chairperson Craig Gross, this is typically about $123 a year per student. This adds up to approximately $650,000 to be allocated to clubs and organizations on campus.
According to Gross, most of this money - about 80 percent of it - goes towards on-campus programs such as concerts, publications and events on campus, to which every student has access. This also includes clubs and organizations that are open to all students. Closed organizations such as varsity sports and honors societies aren't included because not all students can be a part of them.
The remaining 20 percent of the money is split up between services such as the Women's Center, conferences attended by organizations, the Loop Bus, and miscellaneous costs such as equipment.
Despite this seemingly large amount of money that is set aside for clubs, SFB has cut base budgets this year. In lieu of large base budgets, SFB has opted to have only what is absolutely necessary for an organization to exist in student organizations' budgets. To attain funds to cover events that come up throughout the year, the organizations must then request money out of the Special Appropriations line at SFB meetings.
This is much different from SFB budgeting in the past, when SFB would give organizations a base budget that would cover most events throughout the year. The organizations would only have to ask for special appropriations for additional events that weren' t regularly scheduled to occur every year.
However, last year SFB realized this plan wasn't the most effective for making the money accessible to organizations.
"We found in past years that organizations aren't spending everything in their base budget," Gross said.
When this would occur, SFB would absorb the leftover funds - excluding money organizations made through fundraising - at the end of the school year. But until then, other organizations that needed the funds wouldn't have access to them.
This led to limited funds that could be appropriated last semester.
With the new system, if a club needed funds for an event, it will come before SFB with an explanation of the event, a timeframe for it and a speculated budget for it. SFB will then decide if the club will receive the money and how much of the money they will receive.
The club will then have the money until the timeframe expired. If the event doesn't take place by that time, SFB will reabsorb the funds given and make the funds available for other clubs and organizations on campus.
According to Gross, this way, SFB should always have money for organizations, will be able to account for the money better and won't run out of funds mid-year due to money that was appropriated into large budgets going unused.
(04/07/04 12:00pm)
If you ever listen to the radio or watch MTV even once a week, there's no way you can avoid that new Usher song, "Yeah!" It's that song that makes you feel like you're all "bling bling" in some club. It's inescapable. So I figured that it's better to accept it than to fight it and I gave Usher's new CD, "Confessions" a listen.
"Repetitive" is a word that describes the CD well. He's not really doing anything new. The album is surprisingly sexually oriented though. That's the only new thing from Usher - a singer who usually seems innocent and young. He tried this a bit on his last CD. The question is, do you remember that CD? I thought not.
However, true to the name of the album, Usher sure does confess a whole lot. From cheating to producing illegitimate children, he lets the listeners know a whole lot more than they probably want to.
The highlight of the album is probably the unavoidable "Yeah!" The beat is extremely catchy and dance-inducing. Ludacris and Lil' Jon's parts help make the song stick in your head. However, it sounds like every other hip-hop song that has come out recently. This is only magnified by the use of a big name rapper such as Ludacris. However, despite the song's affinity to sound like any typical hip-hop song, it's catchy enough to be the highlight of the CD. This in itself is your forewarning to how boring the album actually gets.
In the song "Confessions Part II," Usher manages to "confess" about the girl he had "on the side." Since he was one of three writers of this song, one questions how true the confession is or why we'd want to hear it. Regardless, he then goes on to explain how hard it is to tell his girlfriend that this other girl is pregnant. The beat is slow and quiet and it seems like he talks more than he sings in the song because clearly the story must be told.
In "Superstar II" Usher sings, "I bought my ticket, I was first in line / This is a metaphor to show how I / Adore you baby, I do." Being that a whopping seven people take credit for writing this song, the line is even more extraordinarily weak than it would've been if one person took credit for it.
If this isn't enough for the metaphors, the chorus is "I been your groupie baby, 'cause you are my superstar." This may possibly be one of the worst slow jams ever made - and there are a whole lot of bad slow songs on this CD.
In the song "Bad Girl," which is definitely Usher's attempt at being a badass, he says, "You know that pimpin' aint easy." Well, if you didn't know that previously, the song teaches you a lot.
Usher, who previously sang about how he messed up a relationship by cheating and getting a woman pregnant, now explains to all of us that he wants a bad girl. If nothing else, this song isn't as boring and slow as many of the other songs on the album. Note, this does not mean the song is good.
In the end, "Confessions" teaches the listener many things. Don't cheat and get some girl pregnant. Ludacris is "in the club lookin' so conspicuous." Usher is a fan of metaphors and bad girls. But most of all, we've learned that $20 is way too much for this album.
Key Tracks - "Yeah," "Superstar" and "Bad Girl."
(02/11/04 12:00pm)
As concerned students, watching an "in-depth" expos? about the Git's involvement in the murder of rapper Tupac Shakur can be frightening, eerie and even uncanny. But Matt Lawrence's investigation of this, shown on the College's "Instant Entertainment," is too busy being hilarious and sarcastic to worry anyone.
Before being told about "Instant Entertainment," I personally tended to think Destinos was the only thing shown on the College's television channel (23).
Despite being on the same channel, these two shows are very different from one another.
Here's a little background. While Destinos is a Spanish soap opera aimed to teach students Spanish language massively exaggerated drama in every Spanish-speaking country known to mankind, "Instant Entertainment" is produced by and stars students of the College and aimed at making you, the viewer, laugh through their usage of randomness, skits and odd news factoids.
Due to a lack of publicity and advertising, many students have never seen nor heard of "Instant Entertainment." It is tentatively shown every day at 6:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. on channel 23. It is tentative only because occasionally it is shown 10-15 minutes late (so if you are watching and it's not on right away, have a little patience).
"Instant Entertainment" is taped and produced every Tuesday night in Kendall Hall's TV Production Room. The students involved, most but not all communications majors, arrive prepared to produce, tape or be taped.
"It's really just a fun thing to work on with cool people in a laid back atmosphere," Lisa Mate, sophomore communications major and member of the show, said.
While there is definite structure and work ethic shown by all involved, the actual taping process with the group is calm and unconstrained.
According to one of the show's producers, Jessi Shaheeni, senior television and radio communications major, the producers basically just let the tape roll. Afterwards, it's eventually cut and edited. But during the filming, the producers don't interrupt. This approach is what leads to a lot of the show's hilarious and randomly improvised moments.
So now that you know not only that "Instant Entertainment" exists, but also the how and when of it is produced it comes down to one question - What exactly is "Instant Entertainment?"
Answered simply, it's a little bit of everything. There are commentary segments, news stories, occasional movie and music reviews, a little bit of gossip, some skits and anything else that gets thrown in. Last week, there was a nice mix of Superbowl commentary, exploding whale news and oddly placed anecdotes.
"We try to keep the campus updated with music, movies, news and gossip," Shaheeni said, in an attempt to sum up the show modestly.
"Instant Entertainment" maintains being funny and rather ludicrous at times while also providing the students involved with a chance to learn the basics of taping, producing and being on air.
Shaheeni said that any and all students are welcome to get involved whether they want to learn how to tape, be a part of production or even be on-screen. Students are welcome to come and learn whatever they're interested in. That's the underlying point of having the show, after all.
For more information or if you'd like to get involved, e-mail instant@tcnj.edu or visit their website instant
entertainment.online.com.
There's a decent chance you'll find it more humorous than Raquel and the rest of Destinos.
(02/11/04 12:00pm)
Just as everyone was beginning to get used to life back at school, a temporary Internet connection loss last Wednesday left some students unable to check their e-mail, surf the Web or chat with their friends via AOL Instant Messenger (AIM). The affected students had forgotten to re-register their computers through RES.net or didn't re-register properly.
Approximately 700 students failed to reapply by Feb. 1 or didn't reapply properly, resulting in a temporary loss of Internet access.
According to Chris Larthey, suppport specialist from Information Technology, "The date for reapplying (for R?S.net) was Feb. 1. Students who failed to reapply by this date lost their network connection".
To re-register, students must first log onto the Resnet website, tcnj.edu/~Resnet. Then, he or she must enter his or her hardware address at the bottom of the page and click "ADD." It takes approximately 24 hours for the application to process.
The reapplication deadline was initially set for last semester. It was then postponed to Feb. 1 due to the outbreak of the Blaster and Welchia viruses last year.
"We wanted to contain the virus problem before having students reapply for RES.net so there wasn't any confusion," Larthey said.
Students were notified of the postponement by e-mail last semester. But many simply forgot to re-register because the e-mail was sent so long ago.
"I got a heads up about applying," sophomore biology education major, John Wieme said. "But since the e-mail was sent to us so early, I forgot about it and didn't think about it again until I lost my connection." Wieme then said that he didn't understand why reapplying every year is necessary.
In defense of the re-registration process, Larthey said, "We require students to reapply every year so that we have an updated list of computers being used on campus." Then, computers that are no longer registered are removed from the system.
Despite the inconvenience caused by the Internet connection loss, RES.net worked hard to get everyone back online as quickly as possible. Any student that didn't reapply on time was added back into the system as soon as he or she re-registered his or her hardware address.
"It was annoying because I had some work to do and I'm an AIM addict," Jennifer Prizeman, sophomore women and gender studies major said.
According to Larthey, RES.net worked on the applications day and night Wednesday to get everyone hooked up to the Internet as soon as possible.
(11/11/03 12:00pm)
Since students on campus don't get HBO in their rooms, many have been craving entertainment that has excitement - sex, drugs, alcohol, chain-smoking, politics, carnivals and anything that falls in between.
On Saturday, these cravings were satisfied at the College's first student arts festival, The Goods, which ran from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the student center. The College's creative writing club Ink presented the event with help from Catie Rosemurgy, English professor, and her Writing Communities class.
The art festival gave students a chance to read, play music and display their art. Throughout the day, there was a student artwork gallery out in the Atrium, musical performances in the Rat and readings of various types of nonfiction and poetry in Room 202 East.
By midday, it wasn't easy to find an open seat in 202 East, where faculty members and students read their poetry, short stories and monologues. At 5 p.m., the room was completely packed when Cathy Day, English professor, read from her upcoming collection of short stories, "The Circus in Winter."
Students also flocked to The Rat to see classmates and friends perform throughout the day. The tables were packed for the majority of the day as students strummed guitars, played the keyboard and sang.
"The music was definitely a great addition to The Goods," Lacy Jane Ryman, senior English major, said. "It's nice to see the people you have classes with in a non-school environment, showing off their talents and creativity."
After the readings and music shows ended, Synergy Dance Company and Mixed Signals performed. Students enjoyed Synergy's routines and as usual, Mixed Signals produced lots of laughter.
"I found it very rewarding to see so many types of creative talent represented," Linda Gallant, junior English major who was master of ceremonies for several readings, said. "I wanted to support my classmates as they shared their creativity and to be part of this entirely student-run event. It was exciting to see it come off so well."
Bethany Allinder, sophomore English major, read at The Goods and said the faculty support and readings brought together students and professors with common interests.
Despite the success of The Goods, students had one qualm about the presentations: the readings and music took place at the same time and were in different rooms. Students had to choose between performances. Dan Brady, Ink president, said Ink might condense the event to one room next semester so everyone attending can see all the performances.
Brady said the event was successful, even though not everyone could see every event.
"We didn't really know what to expect and we've been pleasantly surprised," Brady said.
Ink has been planning The Goods since September. Applications students received asked for a description of art, music or readings that students wished to present. Ink received a good response from students in the art, music and English classes.
Students from the Writing Communities class who run Ink handed out the applications, processed the entries and volunteered to introduce performers on Saturday.
"I liked that there were no auditions because if you're confident in your work, you can perform," Laureen Biruk, junior graphic design major who performed during The Goods, said. "Students get discouraged when they have to try out."
She also liked that the event enabled students who don't usually perform at the Rat to showcase thier talent without the stress of auditions.
A date has not yet been set for next semester's The Goods. But, judging by Saturday's success, The Goods will most likely be a biannual event. Sign-up forms were already available for next semester's "The Goods."
For more information on getting involved with The Goods, students can attend Ink's next meeting tonight at 8 p.m. in the Bliss Lounge.
(10/28/03 12:00pm)
At last Wednesday's Student Organization Association (SOA) meeting, Kevin McHugh, the current athletic director, explained the merging of student life and student athletics in the soon-to-be department of Student Development and Activities.
Tim Asher, campus programs director, also discussed the additional leadership training that will be offered at the College this
semester. If it receives a positive response, it may be available in future semesters.
The tentatively titled Department of Student Development and Activities wants to bring new services and activities to the College to give students more things to do on campus.
This organization played a big role in August's Lollanobooza. Lollanobooza was an event that brought together student life organizations and sport teams to show students that they can have fun without drinking. There were contests, bands, free food and prizes which brought many students out to the event, making it a big success.
"What I see are some opportunities to take the combination (athletics and student life) and make good things happen," McHugh said.
The only change that will
occur when the department is in effect is that Student Life may play a larger role in leadership of the College Union Board (CUB).
Other than that, the only difference will be that Athletics and Student Life will work together to make the campus more enjoyable through various activities and events.
Asher also discussed new leadership programs that will be open to all students. Some workshops that will tentatively be offered include leadership transition training, a workshop on campaigning publicity and a how-to budget and fundraise with the Student Finance Board workshop.
"We don't want to waste our time or yours but we feel we have something to offer you with leadership training," Asher said.
Two workshops on community service and how to utilize campus resources will be offered in November.
The community service workshops will be held Nov. 4 at 12:30 p.m. and Nov. 20 at 3:30 p.m.
The campus resources workshops will be held Nov. 6 at 3:30 p.m. and Nov. 11 at 12:30 p.m.
Fliers should be up soon with more information on these workshops along with other leadership programs being planned in the future.