‘Black at TCNJ’ is a rallying cry. Students are starting to listen.
By Madison Pena and Emmy LiedermanNews Editor and Former Editor-in-Chief
Use the fields below to perform an advanced search of The Signal's archives. This will return articles, images, and multimedia relevant to your query. You can also try a Basic search
49 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
By Madison Pena and Emmy LiedermanNews Editor and Former Editor-in-Chief
In The Signal’s first podcast, Editor-in-Chief Emmy Liederman and Arts & Entertainment Editor Rich Miller highlight the efforts of four members of the college community. Whether they are sewing face masks or administering saliva tests, these individuals have used this period of quarantine to take action.
By Emmy LiedermanEditor-in-Chief
By Emmy LiedermanEditor-in-Chief
By Emmy Liederman and Olivia Bowman Editor-in-Chief and Staff Writer
By Emmy Liederman Editor-in-Chief
By Emmy Liederman Editor-in-Chief
By Emmy LiedermanEditor-in-Chief
By Emmy LiedermanEditor-in-Chief
By Emmy LiedermanEditor-in-Chief
By Emmy Liederman and Rich Miller Editor-in-Chief and Arts & Entertainment Editor
By Emmy LiedermanEditor-in-Chief
By Garrett Cecere and Emmy Liederman Editor-in-Chief and Staff Writer Arkeyia Beal, a Sodexo employee who had worked at the College since 2015, was shot and killed on June 9 near Southard and Calhoun Streets in Trenton. Shortly after 4:30 a.m. that morning, officers found the 36-year-old in a vehicle that was hit by several bullets. The Trentonian reported that police performed CPR on Beal before paramedics took her to Capital Health Regional Medical Center. She was pronounced dead at the hospital. According to Trenton Police Capt. Stephen Varn, no one has been charged in the homicide, which the Mercer County Homicide Task Force is currently investigating. Associate Vice President for Communications, Marketing and Brand Management Dave Muha sent out a campus-wide email on June 15 notifying the College community of Beal’s death. On social media, there has been an outpouring of support for Beal’s friends and family. Her son, Zaire, is graduating from Trenton Central High School this month. His mother was shot and killed on the morning of his senior prom. “(My mother is) my best friend, my heart, she’s my everything,” he said. A GoFundMe was created on June 10 as a college fund for Zaire, who has plans to study sports management at The College of Saint Elizabeth in the fall. Zaire will be the first in his family to go to college. He told The Signal that his mother always kept him on track to pursue higher education by “keeping (him) off the streets.” Zaire has fond memories of his mother attending his basketball games. When asked to describe what they liked to do together, he quickly responded, “everything.” Beal’s death marks the second passing of a Sodexo employee during the current academic year, as former Eickhoff Hall cashier Eve Cruz died in December. Trenton City Councilman-at-Large Jerell Blakeley expressed his condolences to Beal’s family via Facebook on the day she died. “Somebody knows who did it and somebody needs to say something,” he wrote. “Killing an innocent mother is completely beyond the pale and another indictment of the cohort of murderers in this city who must be stopped.” In 2018, the Trenton Police Department responded to 11 murders, according to New Jersey State Police statistics, which is a 45% decrease from 2017. Although the numbers may be dropping, Blakeley commented that in order to keep every citizen of Trenton safe, the city must also focus on becoming “an opportunity hub for its young people.” “We can’t solve violence in Trenton with just law enforcement strategies,” he said. “The city must provide compelling alternatives for young people in our city, particularly in the arenas of workforce development opportunities, higher education preparation and expanded recreational opportunities.” According to Muha’s email, funeral services will be held at Calhoun Street Shiloh Baptist Church on Wednesday, June 19 and visitation will be held between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. before services begin. The College will then hold a repast in the Decker Social Space at 11 a.m.
By Emmy Liederman Managing Editor The photographer still isn’t sure how he survived. The bullets were an arm's-length away. “I don’t know how I was missed,” said John Filo, an award-winning CBS photographer and adjunct professor at the College. “I always thought I should’ve been shot.” When students were protesting the expansion of The Vietnam War and advocated for peace at Kent State University on May 4, 1970, they were met with gunshots fired by The Ohio National Guard. Filo, who was a student at the university, did the only thing he knew he could — he pulled out his camera. Not only did he live to talk about that Monday in 1970, but he also captured it with a photograph. Filo knew he had a story to tell — a story that ended up being worthy of a Pulitzer Prize. “A guard at the crest of the hill started firing down – I thought it was a scare tactic,” he said. “I’m dodging people and can’t take my picture. Guns are going off. I finally get the camera in my eye and see a guy pointing a rifle in my direction. A chunk of bark came off a tree. I didn’t realize they were using live ammunition.” After the first shot rang through the air, the gunman promised that if the crowd did not disperse, he would shoot again. No one moved, so neither did Filo. The rookie journalism student has not changed since that day in 1970 — he still remains stubborn and unsatisfied. The protest ended with four students dead and nine injured. Filo walked away unscathed and with a photograph of Mary Ann Vecchio sobbing over the lifeless body of Jeffrey Miller moments after he was shot. Shortly after the photo surfaced, Filo received a letter in the mail from his longtime hero, photographer Eddie Adams, who was covering the war in Vietnam. “He said, ‘That was a good picture. Let’s see what you can do tomorrow,’” Filo said. He knew that he couldn’t relish in yesterday’s achievements – he had to keep at it. “I cherish (his compliment) more than the Pulitzer prize.” On the weekend before the protest, Filo left campus to photograph tea berry and green moss in the woods of Pennsylvania. However, when he learned of the riots that trashed Kent, Ohio and burned the ROTC building on his campus, Filo rushed back in a state of depression, thinking he had missed his big break as a photojournalist. In reality, he was hours away from the most pivotal moment in his career. “I changed the film in my camera and started shooting around the body of Jeffrey Miller,” he said. “As a photographer, no one really liked you — students or law enforcement. You had no friends. I was shooting pictures and people were screaming in my ears and asking me why I was shooting this. I said, ‘No one is going to believe this happened.’” When Filo started taking photos as a teenager, his father told him to try football instead. As a steelworker in a Pennsylvania running mill, he didn’t view his son’s passion as anything more than a hobby. When Filo expressed interest in switching majors from biology to journalism at Kent State, receiving financial support from his family was out of the question. “When I was growing up, my family was very security-interested,” he said. “The only thing you could possibly be growing up was a doctor or lawyer. I finally had to tell my parents I was switching colleges. They said, ‘If you’re gonna do that, you have no support from us.’ The school offered me a job as a lab assistant, and when I wasn’t making enough money, I switched to full-time. I worked 40 hours a week and took my course load as a full-time student. I basically lived in the University.” Filo’s father, a star athlete, wanted his son to follow in his footsteps, while also pursuing a more financially-secure career. But unlike football and medical school, photography was a largely unpopular and undiscovered endeavor — there wasn’t anyone pressuring him to improve except himself. “I was given a camera to shoot the yearbook during my sophomore year of high school and was amazed with the reaction it got,” he said. “Processing your own film was instant gratification. Even if it was a piece of crap, you thought it was great because you were doing it yourself. You had no instructor in photo. We were doing it on our own.” Since graduating from Kent State, Filo’s dedication to photography has allowed him to move his way up from being a student photographer to becoming the vice president of CBS Photography Operations, while working for The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Associated Press in between. Although he is undeniably passionate about his career, there have been moments when he’s wondered if he had chosen the right path. After profiling cowboy Georgie Sickling, a rancher who was inducted into the National Cowgirl Museum Hall of Fame in 1989, Filo began to doubt his purpose as a photographer. “She took me to her favorite places and talked about riding and herding cattle when she was nine months pregnant,” he said. “You say, ‘This is the 1980s and this is some hard living.’ That’s when I realized that these people had done so much and all I’d done was take pictures. I felt like my life was reporting on other people’s lives.” Shortly after meeting Sickling, Filo gave up photography to become a photo editor, but he eventually moved back behind the camera. Now, at the age of 70, he is still eager for opportunity and improvement. Last month, he flew down to Atlanta to shoot Super Bowl LIII and the specials surrounding the big game, such as Showtime's "Inside the NFL.” At the College, Filo’s photojournalism class meets every Friday at 8 a.m., which may sound miserable to most college students, but the class is filled with young journalists who are eager to take a page from his book and learn his craft. “As soon as I looked up John Filo’s name, not only was I star-struck but I was also intrigued,” said junior journalism and professional writing major Lindsey Harris. “As a photojournalist, he has experienced so much. I look forward to continue sharing wildly-interesting conversations throughout the semester.”
By Emmy Liederman Managing Editor When I applied for a part-time job as a waitress at a local restaurant, I had no idea how involved my position would be. I like talking to people, have a solid memory and am always on my feet, so I was eager to start. Working in the restaurant business has taught me a much more valuable lesson in terms of treating people well in the service industry — people who work for less don’t necessarily work less hard and that should be recognized by the people they serve. This summer, a couple from California stopped at the restaurant for dinner and asked me for recommendations on the best places to visit in New York City. I wrote them a list of my favorite spots and was candid about my menu recommendations. I was always honest with customers. I told them when I didn’t care for a dish or if it was my favorite option on the menu. After bringing the couple their dessert and closing the bill, they left me a generous tip and told my boss to keep me around. That kind gesture made a huge difference in how I viewed myself as an employee. As cheesy as it sounds, the smallest gestures really do have the biggest impacts. If the burger you ordered at a restaurant is the best you’ve ever had, tell the chef. If you are impressed with the speediness of a store clerk, let her know. In the real world, when you do something well, your boss probably isn’t going to reward you with a gold sticker and a pat on the back. This is why it is crucially important for us, the consumers, to bring to light those small things that typically go unnoticed. A lot of work that goes on behind those “Employees Only” doors goes unrecognized. My co-workers are some of the most intelligent people I have ever met. They have to keep up with the pace of a busy Saturday and know how to deal with anything that can and will go wrong. From clocking in at the beginning of a shift to locking the doors at the end of the night, there is never a dull moment. There is always a drink to be made, an order to be placed and a table to be cleaned. I am convinced that the employees at my restaurant work just as hard as people holding some of the highest paying jobs in the U.S. Unfortunately, maximum work often means minimum wage. Even as a college student who has received generous scholarships and doesn’t carry the stress of paying monthly bills, minimum wage is admittedly frustrating. Working a minimum wage job while trying to support a family is unimaginable to me. Since the hard work of these employees is often not recognized in their bank accounts, people should try to acknowledge their efforts like the couple in the restaurant did for me. It really will make a difference.
By Emmy Liederman Managing Editor On Friday, Feb. 8, President Kathryn Foster sent out a campus-wide email to report the death of Jenna DiBenedetto, a senior psychology major and member of the Delta Phi Epsilon sorority. The cause of death has not been confirmed. DiBenedetto’s visitation was held on Tuesday, Feb. 12 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Gallaway & Crane Funeral Home, 101 South Finley Ave, in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. According to the funeral home’s website, the family is requesting memorial donations to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention or St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center in Madison, New Jersey in lieu of flowers. On Friday between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m., six students close to DiBenedetto met with Campus Police and Mark Forest, the director of Counseling and Psychological Services. “We met with a group of students individually before the email came out,” Draper said. “We want to make sure they know they have support.” Whenever the community faces a tragic incident, there are various response teams in place at College that report to Campus Police so that students who may be most affected by the situation are made aware before a campus-wide email is sent out, according to Dean of Students Jordan Draper. The president and several other staff members also met with members of Delta Phi Epsilon on Sunday and discussed holding an American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Out of the Darkness community walk in DiBenedetto’s honor. As the campus community mourns this loss, staff members have stressed that students should be supportive of one another and the campus community. Students are encouraged to submit Counseling and Psychological Services referrals for friends who might be in need of support. This can be the first step in connecting peers with help in a variety of areas, including academic, financial and mental health needs. “If they have concerns about friends, please submit a CARE referral on our website,” Draper said. “The role of CARE is to get students to the place they need so they can achieve success both academically and personally. As we move forward in the community, it is important that students are listening to each other.” Sean Stallings, the Interim Vice President of Student Affairs, also emphasized the importance of leaning on peers, as well as resources at the College, in a Feb. 10 email. “I’d like to remind anyone who may be struggling with this loss that TCNJ is here for you,” he said. “Please keep Jenna’s family and friends in your thoughts and prayers and keep in mind that you are not alone.”
By Emmy Liederman Managing Editor Two months after a Dec. 2 car crash shattered the campus community, families of the victims have been busy demanding justice and fighting for the full recovery of their loved ones. Anthony Galante, a sophomore finance major, has been recovering at Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in West Orange, New Jersey, for more than five weeks. After sustaining a traumatic brain injury, Galante must relearn how to walk, talk, feed and dress himself, according to his mother Kim Galante. Her son has begun to communicate with simple responses, but must re-strengthen his hand and legs, which were surgically repaired, before he can walk again. “He’s making slow and steady progress,” she said. “It’s going to be a long recovery as we are looking at another four weeks in here and hopefully home with outpatient therapy after that.” Ryan Moore, a senior marketing major, has been in rehab for about a month now, according to his father Eric Moore. His son’s girlfriend Jenna Passero, who was visiting the College on the weekend of the crash, has also been recovering in physical therapy. “Every day they are doing a little bit better,” Moore said. In an effort to seek justice for sophomore math major Michael Sot, whose death resulted from the crash, the Sot family has hired attorney David L. Wikstrom in a civil action lawsuit against the alleged drunk driver, David Lamar V, and Campus Town’s Landmark Americana Tap and Grill. The complaint, filed Dec. 26, contains four counts — a judgement against Lamar, Landmark’s “over-serving and selling of alcoholic beverages to a visibly intoxicated patron,” failure to properly train bartenders and staff and the bar’s promotion and advertisement of excessive drinking. Michael Sot, Sr. and Candice Buno-Sot, the victim’s parents, have requested a trial by jury. “Michael was an incredible young man who made a decision to be safe and keep others safe,” Wikstrom said. “His actions and decisions are an example to all.” Kim Galante recently informed her son that his close friend and fraternity brother had died. “We think about Michael and his family often and recently broke the news to Anthony, who was very upset and overwhelmed by it,” she said. This week, crash victim Matt DeGenova, a senior accounting major, starts physical therapy. DeGenova is thankful for the campus community’s support in helping him navigate this difficult time. “I’m really happy and grateful for my friends and all the support I got from the TCNJ community,” he said. “It made coping with everything tremendously better for me.”
By Emmy Liederman Managing Editor “Live ever die never” — this Phi Kappa Psi fraternity chant has taken on a deeper meaning as the campus community continues to mourn the loss of sophomore math major Michael Sot. Sot is widely known as the designated driver who was killed in the car collision on the night of Dec. 2, but for many students at the College, he is much more than just a victim. Those who knew Sot best continue to keep his memory alive and reflect fondly on the impact he touched their lives. Sot is most commonly described by his loved ones as a young man with unwavering selflessness and a kind heart. Brandon Mejia, a sophomore communication studies major, was eager to comment on Sot’s character. Mejia lived with Sot in Decker Hall last semester and the two decided to pledge to the fraternity together in the spring. “Sot was one of the most selfless guys I’ve ever met in my life,” he said. “When I didn’t have a family to celebrate this past Thanksgiving with, he extended his own family and an invitation to his Thanksgiving to celebrate. He told his family how much I’ve helped him and he’s helped me and that I was one of his best friends.” Kayla Wolf, a sophomore history and secondary education dual major, grew close to Sot when she lived two doors down form him during their freshman year. “When we became friends, we just got in this habit of doing everything together that lasted all the way until the last day he was here,” she said. “He was the most reliable and loving friend and I will always try to make sure he is remembered as that.” Wolf’s fondest memory of Sot was a night last semester when she accidentally fell asleep in his twin-sized bed. He let her sleep until she woke up in his room at 4 a.m. when she seemed to be upset about something that happened the night before. Sot stayed up with her for for another two hours until he was convinced that she had cleared her mind. “He wouldn’t let us sleep until I felt better about it, even though he hadn’t slept a minute yet that night,” she said. “He really was my best friend in the world, and I will always be inspired to try to be the kind of friend that he was to me.” Senior health and exercise science major and Phi Kappa Psi brother Alex McClean echoed Wolf’s sentiment, noting that Sot would do anything to help out a friend. “He is the kind of person who would stay up all night just to talk and listen,” he said. “He had the biggest heart I’ve ever had the pleasure to witness.” Junior health and exercise science major Brian Fardman remembers Sot dropping him off at his house before the accident, as he was assigned to be the designated driver for his fraternity brothers that night. One memory that stuck with Fardman is the way he said goodbye, which he believes to be a reflection of Sot’s character. “He was the type of person that would come up to people without much reason and shake their hand, say that he loves you and that he wants to catch up soon,” he said. “That’s what he said to me 10 minutes before the accident, right before I got out of his car to walk into my house. It still breaks my heart every day, but Michael Sot impacted me so much and I will carry him with me for the rest of my life. His perspective on life, respect for everyone and love for others is something I will never forget.” Many of his friends agree that because Sot was so likable, it didn’t take long to grow close with him. Although Mejia only met Sot in the beginning of the year, he felt as if he had known him his whole life. Lindsey Della Rovere, a sophomore communication studies major, also met Sot this past semester. Della Rovere shared that after he offered a “simple hello” in their philosophy class, she knew they would become close friends. “We bonded over struggling to understand our seemingly impossible philosophy assignments, late-night hangouts –– because we were always up until an unreasonable time of night –– and random Snapchat and text conversations,” she said. “I was only friends with Michael for a semester but somehow it felt like a lifetime.” When Della Revere visited Sot in the hospital to say goodbye on the morning of Dec. 4, she knew that goodbye wouldn’t last forever. “He cared deeply for the people in his life and is still one of the most selfless people I have ever met,” she said. “He will forever be remembered as the smart, genuine, fun-loving and caring boy he always was.” Cole Parsons, a junior accounting major, shared that it was hard to have a conversation with Sot without being reminded of his love. “Mike would often begin or end a conversation with, ‘I love you man’, when talking to his friends. That's not something many people do,” Parsons said. “Mike was so full of genuine compassion and friendship, that he felt the calling to give comforting remarks to others whenever he could. He was the light in the room, and no one will forget that. We love you so much, Sot.”
By Emmy Liederman Managing Editor On the night of the fatal Dec. 2 car accident that left the campus community in mourning, Landmark Americana security footage captured the driver staggering out of the bar in a drunken state while attempting to light a cigarette. He had spent nearly three hours at the bar that night watching the game, downing mixed drinks and refusing to hand over his car keys. When the driver decided to get behind the wheel, his blood-alcohol level was at least three times the legal limit. In response to this tragedy and the death of Michael Sot, the late student’s family sued Landmark last month, according to New Jersey 101.5. The Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control Acting Director James B. Graziano has ordered that the establishment abide by a variety of special conditions and regulations. According to a press release issued by the office of Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal on Jan. 11, the bar will stop serving the popular Bacardi mixed drink known as the “fishbowl,” which the driver, David Lamar V, was drinking on the night of the accident, among other mixed drinks and beer buckets. Other changes include closing on or before midnight on Thursday through Saturday and on or before 10 p.m. the rest of the week. Under Graziano’s Consent Order, Landmark will stop serving alcohol at 11 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and at 9:15 p.m. the rest of the week, according to the press release. The bar will also only serve one alcoholic beverage per patron at a time, turn over security footage to law enforcement in a more timely manner and attend monthly meetings with Campus Police to discuss operational concerns of law enforcement at any time. These conditions took effect in January and will remain in place until Graziano decides to take any further action, according to the press release. “When alcohol and driving are mixed, the consequences can be deadly, so it is vitally important that establishments that serve alcohol do so responsibly,” Grewal said. “The restrictions placed on the Landmark Americana will help prevent excessive drinking and other unsafe behaviors that can lead to tragedy.” Shortly after the accident in December, Landmark sent out an email to staff members with new policies, which included counting drinks, encouraging food orders and setting up water stations in an effort to control patron intoxication. “We can’t control what people do prior to arriving, but engaging with guests is a great way of identifying (how much they’ve had to drink),” said a current Landmark employee who was quoted on the condition of anonymity. “We are also trying to work with Lyft to get them to have more cars in the area.” The same employee noticed that business suffered after the tragedy, but believes it will pick up again in the spring semester. “It will get busier again,” the employee said. “I think people will realize that it wasn’t Landmark’s fault, but the fault of a man who decided to get in a driver’s seat drunk.” Although the fatal accident has been the most recent controversy, the establishment has been under the scrutiny of the campus community for a number of prior issues. Students at the College have reportedly accused Landmark of mishandling a number of racially-charged incidents and reported ableist comments. On Dec. 6, manager Mike Edge said he could not comment on any of the reported disputes. On the night of Nov. 29 Aaron, a student at the College who requested that only his first name be published, headed to Landmark with some friends to celebrate his induction into an honor society when he became involved in a racial incident. Aaron said that while he was in the bathroom stall, he was congratulated for his recent campus activism. At that moment, a third party in the bathroom referred to him as a n*****. Aaron said he was later escorted out forcefully by Landmark employees after he tried to engage with the third party member. The student felt that Landmark staff did not handle the situation appropriately. “It’s such a shame that there is this constant trend of people in minority groups on campus being disregarded and having their success inhibited by a minority of members of a predominantly white community,” Aaron said. Although Aaron still feels his anger was justified, he recognized that he could have reacted in a calmer manner. He called Landmark the next morning and apologized for his behavior in order to “try to be the bigger person” and noted that if the racial slur did not immediately follow other racially-charged incidents on campus, he may have reacted differently. “I believe that if the campus climate wasn’t the way it is right now and I hadn’t just spoken at the forum held in response to racial hate incidents against brothers of my organization, I would have been a little less emotional in the bathroom,” he said. “The reason I apologized to Landmark is because I don’t need my reputation tarnished in any way. I am here to serve as a role model for underrepresented members of the community and show them that while the climate on campus is toxic, the future need not be.” Kyle Veale, director of operations at Landmark said that members of the establishment did everything they could to properly address the incident. “We questioned everyone that was in the bathroom at that time, all of whom denied saying that to him,” he said. “Their names were provided to Campus Police the same day of the occurrence. We also have been in contact with the student after the event occurred. We’re not familiar with any events of excessive force.” Marcus Allen, a junior journalism and professional writing and African American studies double major who had previously been involved with other racial incidents on campus, was also at Landmark that night. According to Allen, he walked outside the bar after getting a call that the anonymous student was in trouble. “I ran outside of the building and security was pushing him off the stairs and tackling him to the ground,” he said. “When I asked what was going on, security did not respond to me.” According to Allen, he tried to walk back into the bar to retrieve his jacket when security attempted to lock him out. When he was finally let in, Allen was met with more resistance. “As we were leaving and paid, security was behind me and said, ‘You have to get the fuck out of here’ and grabbed me,” he said. “I said ‘let me go’ and then started screaming at other security. When I said ‘what am I doing wrong’ he tried to slam me into a wall. I’m crying at this point because things like this happen too often in my community.” The next morning, Allen went to Campus Police where despite his requests, he was not granted the opportunity to file a report regarding the incident. Allen reflected on how the combination of recent racial tensions at the College has negatively affected him. “A lot of this has taken a toll on my academics and mental, emotional and physical health,” he said. “We need to bring attention to these incidents (by) saying, ‘I will not support the establishment that allowed these things to happen.’” This incident isn’t the only discriminatory complaint that has been issued against Landmark and its staff. Amy Schuler, the assistant director of the Career and Community Studies Program, met with Landmark employees in December to discuss an instance of ableism that was brought to her attention by a student CCS mentor. The student showed Schuler a social media video that is “very derogatory towards people with cognitive disabilities.” According to Schuler, the video featured two young men dressed in their Landmark shirts during one of their shifts. One of the employees is captured saying, “‘It was your first night as a bouncer and you had to break up a retard fight’” to the other employee. “He then started imitating the stereotypical demeanor of someone who has a cognitive disability,” she said. “I went for a meeting with Landmark and they were apologetic and acknowledged that this is not the way people nor the customer base should be treated. I thought their response was adequate. I suggested sensitivity training on the effects of labeling people and ableism speech.” Schuler noted that as a Campus Town business, Landmark should be held accountable for abiding by the College’s values. “Even though Landmark isn’t officially part of the College, it needs to make sure that its employees and corporation is in line with TCNJ’s missions,” she said. “It is about the overall dignity and respect for people with disabilities.” Veale wrote that the employees in the video were reprimanded and feels that the situation was handled appropriately. “Both employees were disciplined for it as soon as we became aware and we do not anticipate a reoccurrence,” he said. “We felt that they were both truly remorseful for their actions. This disappointing event has brought to light our need for additional sensitivity training that we will be putting in place.” After hearing of these incidents, a group of students decided to create a flyer that reads “Boycott Landmark Americana” with a list of reasons, which include the bar’s failure to monitor Lamar’s drinking, the various racial incidents and the use of ableist language. Mckenna Samson, a sophomore English and African American studies double major, was involved in the making and distribution of the flyer. “I feel like we just took two steps forward with the forum and now we’re taking five steps backwards,” she said. “I want to campus community to see the way Landmark treats their patrons of color. They need to be exposed for their poor business practices.” When asked to comment on the flyer, Veale said that he was unaware that it even existed and that it was “really disappointing the hear about.” As the spring semester begins, only time will tell whether students will continue to support the establishment or not. Regardless, students hope to see real change in their campus community, especially after the forum and the recent election of acting Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Ivonne Cruz. Most students hope that their efforts to change the campus climate will not be in vain. “When I leave here, I hope to leave a positive legacy,” Aaron said. “I am here to serve as a role model for underrepresented members of the community and show them that while the climate on campus is toxic, the future need not be.”
By Emmy Liederman Features Editor Judge Anthony M. Massi delayed his opinion on the further imprisonment of David Lamar V, who was charged with vehicular homicide after the death of Michael Sot, at the Mercer County Criminal Courthouse during the case’s preliminary hearing on Dec. 11. Massi estimated that within the next day, he will send a written opinion to both the prosecuting and defense attorneys. “This is very difficult and important. I want to get it right,” Massi said. “I have to listen to several hours of additional testimony and do additional research.” Robin Lord, Lamar’s defense attorney, as well as Stacy Geurds, the state’s prosecuting attorney, submitted new evidence to support their prospective cases. Geurds introduced three photos of the defendant at Landmark Americana Tap & Grill, and mentioned footage of the defendant drinking beer and a “Bacardi Fishbowl” at the bar. At 1:53 am, he is seen staggering out of Landmark as he attempts to light a cigarette, according to prosecutors. Landmark made a $1,000 donation to the victims’ collective GoFundMe page. The restaurant did not respond to questions about the purpose of the donation. After the crash on Dec. 2, the defendant “falls out of his car. His speech was slurred and he appeared under the influence,” according to Geurds. As of 3:18 a.m. that night, Lamar’s BAC was .239, approximately three times the legal limit of .08. Lamar’s passenger Justin Fox, who was previously identified as “J.F.,” complained of back pain after the incident. Geurds stated that one of Lamar’s friends tried to take his keys but ended up walking home while Lamar and Fox opted to travel in Lamar’s vehicle. Witnesses saw Lamar leaving Landmark, travelling south on Pennington Rd. in the left lane. Home surveillance from a Ewing resident who resides close to the scene captured Lamar crashing into Sot’s Dodge Charger head on at 2:07 a.m. On Dec. 3, Ewing Police headed to the hospital where Lamar was being cared for. According to Geurds, Lamar went to Landmark that night to see a fight on television, but did not remember the outcome of the match. At the hospital, he expressed concern about losing his $600 watch and $200 pair of UGG boots. He only remembered what he was wearing that night because his clothes were next to him in a hospital bag, according to Geurds. The attorneys did not agree on Lamar’s attitude toward the victims after the accident. Geurds said that “he has shown no remorse,” while Lord reported that he made multiple efforts to visit the students in the hospital. At 1 p.m. on Dec. 3, the hospital contacted Ewing Police and indicated that Lamar was signing out against medical advice. This decision lead Geurds to believe that Lamar is a flight risk if he is not hospitalized, but Lord argued that he was still under the influence of hospital drugs and left the hospital to go to his grandmother’s house in West Windsor, which does not prove him to be a flight risk. “All he did was go home, your honor,” Lord said. “He is not a flight risk.” Geurds also addressed Lamar’s previous driving offenses, which include a 4-point speeding ticket on August 29, 2014 after a suspension of his license from May 5, 2012 to June 4, 2013 and three points on his license in October 2017. “This is not an isolated incident,” Geurds said. “His driving career exhibits that reckless conduct.” Lord cited State v. Mercedes, a 2018 New Jersey Supreme Court decision, as precedent for the defendant’s right for release. According to Lord, Lamar should not currently be kept behind bars because he is neither a flight risk or a danger to the community. “This type of charge does not justify detention,” she said. Lord stressed the need to consider Lamar’s character and community involvement when making an informed decision. According to Lord, the 22-year-old has been employed since he was 17, washing dishes and eventually becoming a shift manager at Burger King when he was in high school. Lord also mentioned that Lamar graduated high school on the honor roll, but did not go to college because he lacked the financial ability. Robert Clark, owner of Defendant Management Solutions, was called to the podium by Lord. His product, Remote Breath, breathalizes users at randomly selected times and uses face identification technology to ensure it is actually them. It also has GPS technology that notifies caseholders where the defendant is when he took or missed the test. Inclusion and exclusion zones can be programmed based on individual court orders. Lord is not against this type of electronic monitoring for Lamar, and argued that if you remove the threat of being under the influence, “there is no danger to the community.” Geurds argued that Clark’s electronic monitoring, no matter how powerful, is not enough to keep citizens safe from the defendant’s “recklessness.” “This is a crime that is easy and accessible to commit,” she said. “This wasn’t one night that a young man did something out of character with his car. A car is a weapon— Lamar had the opportunity to make the right decision when his friend took his keys.” Massi is committed to publishing a speedy opinion and his considerations will include the nature and claim of the defense, the weight of evidence, prior record of appearance in court proceedings, as well as the characteristics of the defendant.