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(04/23/15 8:25pm)
By Jack Meyers
Staff Writer
With just a few powerful words and images, communities can re-imagine their struggles and recover from catastrophe, explained celebrated artist Alfredo Jaar, who spoke about his work with memorials in the Mayo Concert Hall on Wednesday, April 15.
“It’s really about the power of a single idea,” said Jaar, whose artwork is based on the importance of traveling and learning about other cultures. “Before acting in the world, I need to understand the world.”
Born in Chile and having experienced the infamous dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, Jaar has visited and worked across the globe.
He is perhaps best known for his work in helping commemorate the deaths from state-sponsored terrorism in Latin America in the 1970s and 1980s. Most notably, Jaar created a massive lightbox memorial to the “Disappeared” — the people tortured and kidnapped under Pinochet in Santiago, Chile and a similarly evocative memorial in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
“When we feel we have the (keys), we begin to feel responsible for this place,” Jaar said about his motivation to travel and support community renewal and growth with his art.
Jaar was even recently invited to create a memorial out of found and refurbished blackboards in a city in Japan that was devastated by the 2011 tsunami. The exhibit, titled simply “We Shall Bring New Life,” showcased the countless hours the community had poured into their children’s education.
“I saw something in destruction that was the start of an idea,” Jaar said.
From the discovery of the blackboards, Jaar encouraged surviving students to contribute to this project by signing the words “We Shall Bring New Life,” which were projected, fading in and out onto the boards for a public audience.
“What you have to do is find problems and get together with friends and solve those problems,” said Dean of Arts and Communications John Laughton, praising Jaar for his transformative artwork.
At its core, the art Jaar puts forth not only has brought tremendous change to many people, but has also illustrated the importance of simplicity.
“I’m always looking for ways to articulate ideas in the most minimal way possible,” Jaar said, explaining that “poetry is very important in my work; it is fundamental.”
“I like the economy of means of poetry, when you’re capable of saying so much with so little,” he added. This minimalism is the essence of Jaar’s work, which has touched lives and helped put grief-stricken communities back on their feet.
Jaar claims his love for this kind of home-town heroism is rooted in having traveled abroad and having been well-cultured at a young age.
“I think we are the response to all the stimuli we receive,” Jaar said, encouraging the audience to take care of the cultural spaces they identify with. “The birthplace is an important stimulus, but it is not the only one.”
(03/23/15 7:49pm)
By Jack Meyers
Staff Writer
President Obama opened up the proverbial door of diplomacy to Cuba, a door which has been mostly closed since the early 1960s, on Wednesday, Dec. 17. He claimed pride in U.S. policies that have supported democracy and human rights in Cuba, but lamented that the use of sanctions has only justified the Castro regime’s iron fist.
This invitation to Raúl Castro, the Cuban President, and to the Cuban people for a seat at the table with U.S. politicians is, however, not so simple.
In his speech, Obama made it clear how he felt about the U.S.’s policy to isolate Cuba from the rest of the world.
“I do not believe we can keep doing the same thing for over five decades and expect a different result,” Obama said.
For the sake of mutual benefits for both countries, Obama promised to begin creating an environment on the island that is friendly to U.S. businesses; to increase tourism and allow U.S. credits to be used for payment there; to lift limitations on money that can be sent from the U.S.; to allow the free flow of communications and information across borders; and, perhaps most predictably, to “promote our values.”
But what was not addressed was the issues Cuba faces. There are more than 11 million people living in of the last communist strongholds in the world. In the past few months alone, the country has gotten pegged for arresting an artist who was holding an open public forum for discussion about the Cuban government; scientists discovered a highly adaptive HIV strain on the island; and a ship en route from China was found to have been illegally carrying weapons.
Besides these stints with bad press, Cuba has bigger issues to face that make diplomatic talks between the Obama and Castro administrations more complicated.
The country spends $2 billion per year on importing close to 80 percent of their food because domestic farm production is not sufficient for Cuban consumers, according to the Associated Press. In the same article, AP proved that U.S. farmers intend to “dominate” Cuba’s food imports, potentially worth over $3 billion in the next few years. The report was collected based on a series of discussions that farmers’ representatives had this month with Cuban farmers and authorities.
On the other hand, it is problematic to open this door. The vast differences in access to resources between the U.S. and Cuba is an issue which Obama has not addressed. According to the New York Times, Cubans on average only make about US $6,000 annually, Internet access is scarce and the overall population is the oldest in age of the region — partially because youth are emigrating often for being isolated by national politics.
In the next few years, the U.S. government will be looked at to mitigate these concerns and more. The question remains: What is the U.S. government willing to do for “normalizing” relations?
(03/23/14 1:27pm)
Hola mis amigos,
This is Jack, former News Editor for The Signal. Since I’ve last written for the paper, I’ve moved down south to Pablo Neruda’s hometown: Valparaíso, Chile. “The Valley of Paradise,” as it translates to in English. The city next door is called Viña del Mar, “The Vineyard of the Sea” and that’s where I’m currently writing to you all from.
In the past month, since I’ve been living in Chile, below you’ll find probably the most exciting adventure I’ve been on: climbing Volcano Villarrica.
The title of my blog, Jack Outside of the Box, is inspired by something one of my gringa friends said to me as we were being bused around Pucón's natural beauties. I noticed her rings and she noticed mine (from a shop at the Western Wall) and she described to me where each had come from and what they meant to her. Then she stopped, ran her fingers down to her knuckles and said to me, "Do you know where these scars came from?" Of course I didn't.
"I got them because I used to angrily box without gloves."
This stuck in my head (as is obvious) for the rest of our long weekend outdoorsy trip. Boxing without gloves. I've been doing quite a bit of that here in Chile. Out of the United States. Almost incomprehensibly far from anything I've ever known. Boxing without gloves. I'll tell you more about this in a minute.
Pucón, the town we stayed in from Friday morning until Sunday night, is a posh hiking-and-biking "pueblito" located in the south of Chile. It is best known for the Huerquehue National Park and Volcán Villarrica, along with its vast and picturesque lakes used for waterfront activities.
On Sunday, as you can see in the pic above, thirty other gringos and I trekked up the ultimate Volcán Villarrica. Starting at around 7 a.m. and ending at around 11 a.m., we filled our day-packs and hiked up about 1,000 meters of volcanic rock. Unfortunately, it was too windy and icy to get all the way to the top, but, being someone who's never hiked terribly often, it was totally a blast for me.
It was great exercise — my thighs and hip flexors were getting a good burn — and I'm starting to understand why people dedicate their lives to doing this stuff. Hiking, that is. Given that I had NO equipment going in, I was a bit worried about how well this would go. But with a last-minute Patagonia sale, I was able to prepare myself (sort of) for the climb of a lifetime.
That's boxing without gloves. Doing without preparation and continuing to do until your hands bleed from the freezing winds of an 1,000-meter hike. (Shout out to Aubrey and her rings for being awesome with that little nugget.)
While the Volcano was the climax of my trip for sure, we did a bit of trekking beforehand. We got to visit a Mapuche village (a major indigenous group in Chile) and we even saw a few waterfalls .
Saturday it rained unfortunately, but we got a full day of R&R in. Most of which was spent eating fruit tarts and drinking tea at this quaint little café next to our cabins. If you ever visit Pucón … go to La Menta Negra! Reasonably-priced teas, fruits and coffee, and the staff was caring, sweet and welcomed us to stay the entire time we were there (which was about three hours, aka a long time to sit in a one-room café).
All in all, it's been quite the eventful adventure here in Chile. What I realized this weekend is that I have a ton more to learn. Muchísimo más que aprender. And that I'm really feeling at home in this country. And when you feel at home, when you feel mentally safe and wanted and welcomed, it's a lot easier to venture out of the normal and do some seriously cool and possibly dangerous things … like boxing without gloves.
Check out more pictures from Jack's climb up Volcano Villarrica and read the complete article here: "'Boxing Without Gloves' or My Second Week Abroad"
Follow Jack's study abroad adventures here: Jack Outside of the Box
(12/03/13 7:15pm)
University of Kansas women’s and gender studies graduate student Liam Oliver Lair, who is transmasculine and queer-idenitified, led a deeply nuanced educational forum about biology, self-perception and expression on Thursday, Nov. 21.
With a staggeringly basic yet penetrating dialogue and glitter-laden nails, Lair deconstructed for a full audience what it truly means to identify.
First up for dissection was biological sex. Lair debunked traditional myths about sex with a simple and factual assertion. There are many different chromosomal make-ups that translate into a similarly diverse range of genital parts in humans.
“Before we even move on to gender identity, the whole binary idea is blown out of the water,” Lair said.
For Lair, a legal and biological female with the outward “passing” appearance of a white man, binaries have never bounded his identity.
In fact, Lair explained that self-identification is a life-long process.
He paid tribute to this idea of ceaseless transformation with a personal anecdote: Having been born a woman, living comfortable in his female body for many years, he recently made the elaborate decision to veer off toward a new form of expression, one that would suit who he is — and what he believes — today.
He has had chest masculinization surgery, he’s taking testosterone hormones and he outwardly appears as a man. Lair’s transmasculine gender identity, however, means that he associates with certain masculine attributes while simultaneously acting in a way that might not make him read as a man in society’s eyes — his painted nails, for example, set him out in the crowd.
Yet, Lair proved that gender can be — and is — more fluid than most people expect.
“What if it’s a choice?” Lair said. “We all have gender identities. We make them up as we go. Hopefully y’all are different today from who you were five years ago.”
And what Lair did in illuminating this nuance was to break down the barriers for a more inclusive conversation. Lair proudly wears the identity he has fashioned for himself and encouraged others to do the same — gay, straight, queer or otherwise.
“We’re all a little bit queer,” Lair said. “(Being) queer gets at how ‘normal’ as a way of being in the world does not exist.”
With that in mind, he turned toward his audience of College students and future educators and asked them to consider how facilitating acceptance in the classroom can be possible. After the discussion, junior secondary education and English double major Megan Mihalik realized that she must “be more brave in the class” in order to rouse cooperation and validation in her students.
“Through (Lair’s) advice, I gained more confidence,” Mihalik said. “I want kids to feel safe in the classroom.”
Whether it’s within or without the education system, it’s everyday choices and the pursuit of self-discovery that make the possibilities as endless as Lair has proven.
His journey is surely one to set a standard for all to follow. That is, one where the learning never ends.
(11/06/13 9:00pm)
An iPhone 5 and its silver case were stolen from a student at approximately 6 p.m. on Tuesday Oct. 22, according to Campus Police. Campus Police was approached in the Arts and Interactive Multimedia by a student at 6:30 p.m. after she had discovered that her property, valued at $600, was removed from her bag. The student had left her bag in a room in the AIMM building and returned to find her phone missing, according to Campus Police.
There were no suspicious persons in the area. The victim was advised to inform Campus Police if she should receive any further information regarding her property’s whereabouts.
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On Tuesday, Oct. 29, it was discovered that paint had been poured and splashed all over Holman Hall’s second floor. Campus Policedetermined that the instance of criminal mischief had occurred between 2 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 28 and 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 29. Following the investigation of the crime, three students were arrested and issued complaint summons. The paint had covered blackboards, furniture and the floor in the above-mentioned location.
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A student reported to Campus Police on Wednesday, Oct. 30 that she had found the painting of Harold Eickhoff lying in the backyard of her Ewing home with a white bedsheet covering it. The informant reported that neither she nor her roommates were aware of how the painting got there, according to Campus Police.
At 2:30 p.m. that day the informant returned the painting to Campus Police, who then brought it back to its original location in Eickhoff Hall. It was reported to Campus Police that the painting had been hung with security brackets in 2012. It is unknown who removed the painting, according to Campus Police.
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While on foot patrol, Campus Police discovered a male student described as “passed out or sleeping” in the low side stairwell of Wolfe Hall. The student was determined to be intoxicated on Sunday, Nov. 3 at 1:15 a.m. by Campus Police due to the scent of alcohol emanating from his breath and his unresponsiveness to verbal interaction.
Lions EMS were requested to evaluate the student. He eventually was woken up by Campus Police.
He then admitted to consuming two to three shots of vodka in his room in Wolfe followed by two to three solo cups of beer and six or seven more shots of Vodka at an off-campus party.
The suspect had forgotten how long he had been asleep in the stairwell, according to Campus Police. The male student was transported to Capital Health Systems-Hopewell Campus and was issued a summons for underage drinking.
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Campus Police discovered the sign for Lot 13 damaged on Saturday, Nov. 2 at 4:10 a.m. The sign’s supporting metal pole had been cracked. There were no suspects or witnesses.
(10/22/13 3:18pm)
By Albert Cavallaro
Correspondent
Director Alain Gomis came to campus for a screening of his film, “Tey” — the recipient of multiple awards, such as the 2013 FESPACO Gold Stallion Award — last Monday, Oct. 14.
The film screening was sponsored by African-American Studies, the International Studies Program, the Center for Global Engagement, the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, and the World Languages and Cultures department.
“Tey” (or “Today”) is presented as a type of modern-day fairytale, an exhibition of magical realism.
Set in Senegal, a man named Satché, who recently returned from America, knows that it is the last day of his life, his death foretold before the movie begins. Satché — a healthy man, a husband, a father, a son — is going to die at the end of the day and that is that.
The movie was simply about acceptance.
Throughout the day he visits family, friends and people from his past. It is a film that focuses on simple moments and the drama and power they can posses in and of themselves.
It is also a film that is noticeably lacking in dialogue. Instead of conversation, the movie focuses on images, sensations and the power imbued in them.
This silence artistry of the movie is prone to leave the viewer in a dream-like state and gives the movie a quieter, more intimate feel than perhaps a movie filled with big explosions and car chases could provide.
“I want to create suspense with simple moments to open the time as in a magical moment,” Gomis said in a director’s statement.
It was from his imagination that this movie was created.
This movie, however, could not have been so vividly brought to life without the main actor Saul Williams — an American singer, poet and actor, who portrayed the mostly silent Satché. Williams was described by Gomis in the Q&A following the film as having a kind of “aura — a special energy.”
The audience’s reaction to Williams’s aura and Gomis’s film was mixed. Two students’ differing reactions to the film capture the differing reactions quite well.
“The movie was something I have never experienced before. It was a true culture shock,” junior sociology major Patrick Dubuis said.
One other student pointed out how relatable and accessible the film was.
“The overwhelming amount of silence made the film more universal. With its absence of language and focusing on human expression and sensations, it became accessible to any culture, much in the way that fairy-tales and myths are universal as well,” junior psychology major Mariah-Lynn Black said.
(10/22/13 3:14pm)
On Friday, Oct. 18, the night before Homecoming, three summonses were given by Campus Police for underage consumption of alcohol. The next day Campus Police reported 25 summonses for underage drinking that occurred during the Homecoming festivities.
With other additional summonses included, the total was 31 summonses for the weekend.
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Campus Police and N.J. State Police removed a male student from TCNJ Glow on Saturday, Oct. 12, who was reportedly intoxicated and both physically and verbally threatening to other participants. At 8:24 p.m., the student was strapped to a stretcher and transported to Capital Health Systems at Hopewell, according to Campus Police. He was given a summons for drinking alcohol under the legal age and public disorderly conduct. There was nothing further to report.
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The same night at approximately 8:25 p.m., Campus Police gave summonses to two other intoxicated female students. The first suspect smelled strongly of alcohol and eventually admitted to drinking four shots of vodka, according to Campus Police. The second student had also drank vodka, slurred her words, and was unable to walk on her own. Both suspects were issued summonses on account of public disorderly conduct and underage consumption of alcohol.
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On Tuesday, Oct. 15, a female student fell alseep on the fourth floor of the library and awoke to find her plaid backpack stolen. She reported her bag and its contents missing at 12:58 p.m. Shortly thereafter, the student was notified that her bag had been received in the Library’s main office.
She reported that her silver coach wristlet, $40 in cash, one credit card and one debit card had been stolen, along with her student ID and driver’s license. The victim was promptly advised to contact Campus Police if she should receive any further information.
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A male student was found vomitting with his head and hands in a toilet on the Travers Hall eighth floor men’s restroom on Wednesday, Oct. 16 at 2:23 a.m. He admitted to Campus Police that he had consumed between four and seven solo cups of beer at an off-campus house.
The suspect was given a summons for underage drinking.
(10/15/13 3:19pm)
You know those days when you just walk outside after class and realize you’re in need of some adventure? That’s how I ended up at Despaña, a Spanish market-café fused restaurant in Princeton.
I grabbed my go-to new-food- place friend (we all have one).We got dressed up in our uppity “Princeton casual” attire so we might fit in among the armchair theorists and housewives, and we hit the road. The good thing about being a student here is that we are only ever about 15 minutes from the best meals students can never afford. But really, Princeton’s got some quality eats.
When we sat down at our table at Despaña, our waitress brought us the water, which came in a needlessly elaborate glass vase, making me think it was composed of the sweat and tears of religious fanatics during La Semana Santa. Also, it was a good sign that we’d be spending quite a bit on our meal, something uncharacteristic of tapas, which are known for their affordability.
We immediately looked at the prices and, feeling around in our pockets for loose change, realized we couldn’t spend much. But with the waitress’s suggestion to simply split three tapas, and our undying commitment to good food, we acquiesced.
First came our salad. It had that fresh, wholesome, flavorful, savory-sweet combination that is so hard to bring to the right balance.
Then the berenjenas fritas, or fried eggplants, arrived. The berenjenas were in long, skinny form and sprinkled with honey and ginger zest. They were essentially healthier, lighter, sweeter French fries. If you go, I recommend starting with these and finishing them fast, because they tasted sort of flat once they cooled off.
Next came the pan tumaca, a glorified bruschetta with a ton more zing in each bite than any tomato-bread combination I’ve ever had. Although when I asked the waitress what the spices were, she responded with, “It’s just salt, olive oil, tomato and bread.” That alone signaled to me the fact that I was engulfing the creations of an expert chef.
Finally was the Alhambra palace of the meal, the true gastronomic venture that should define any Hispanic cuisine experience: the chorizo. Our dish was called the “chorizo picante flambeado and chestnuts,” which also happens to be a prime example of my native language — Spanglish. What the first two dishes lacked in body, the last dish made up for tenfold.
Stuck through with a toothpick, the baked chestnut tasted sweet and earthy, almost as if I had taken a bite out of a maple tree and the syrup came out in solid form. The chorizo added its much-anticipated kick and, to be completely honest, it was a certifiable foodgasm.
The décor was sleek black and red, reminiscent of the running of the bulls. Or, if you’re drunk, it probably looks more like La Tomatina, the festival in Spain where people spend a whole day throwing tomatoes at each other. I couldn’t make that up if I tried.
Three words to wrap this meal up: simple, sweet, gone.
(10/08/13 5:15pm)
Commuting anywhere can be a Herculean task. Commuting to school, on the other hand, takes even more time that traditional students would typically use to socialize and make friends during off-time.
(10/08/13 4:34pm)
In the past week, Campus Police were dispatched to five more locations on report of criminal mischief where similar incidents of vandalism to previous weeks were found.
The first instance was reported on Tuesday, Oct. 1 at 8:55 p.m. for the second level stairwell of the Brower Student Center closest to the Rathskeller. Campus Police found the signature “EVaD” was found as it was in described in reports from previous weeks.
Campus Police also discovered the phrases “EVaD I’m back bitch” and “Prove your fucking mind bitch EVaD” with smiley faces on the wall and behind the first stall door of the second level men’s restroom, respectively.
The second instance occurred at 4:40 p.m. on the same day at Lot 7 where Campus Police found similar graffiti on both a column on the first level and on a wall near a stairwell of the fourth floor.
Finally, Campus Police were dispatched to Elevator #1 in the Library at 10 p.m. on Tuesday where graffiti with the same dark ink or paint substance had been sprayed. For all of these cases Campus Police notified College Facilities to remove the vandalism.
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On Tuesday, Oct. 1 at 11:30 p.m., Campus Police were dispatched to New Residence Hall on report of an intoxicated person. A CA notified Campus Police of loud noises coming from a room they passed while roving on the third floor. When Campus Police arrived, the three underage suspects admitted to having drank alcohol.
One consumed an unknown amount of green apple vodka, another drank lemonade mixed with Svedka, and the last admitted to consuming two or three shots of whisky, according to Campus Police.
The suspects were all issued their own summons for underage consumption of alcohol.
(10/01/13 4:30pm)
Campus Police discovered yet another instance of graffiti designs on Friday, Sept. 27 at 10 a.m. in the Music Building. On report of criminal mischief, the graffiti read “Make shit happen EVaD” inside the fire door of the Music Building’s basement. There were no suspicious persons in the area at the time. According to Campus Police, the building is usually locked by 8 p.m. and is only open afterward to music majors until 11 p.m.
The other instances of graffiti were discovered last week at the Brower Student Center, on the steps of Green Hall, on the Pixels outside of the Music Building, near Lot 7, at Phelps Hall and on the snack shack metal screen near the baseball field.
By tracking these separate locations where graffiti signed “EVaD” was placed, Campus Police hope to prevent further vandalism to campus facilities. There is nothing further to report.
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On Saturday, Sept. 28 at 12 a.m., Campus Police were dispatched to T-Dubs Dining Hall on report of an intoxicated male. The suspect was heavily intoxicated and had slurred speech, according to Campus Police. He had difficulty standing up and walking and was determined “uncoordinated” by Campus Police. According to Campus Police, the suspect vomited several times in a trash can, though the amount of alcohol he consumed was unclear.
The suspect was transported to Capital Health Systems-Hopewell Campus. He was given a summons for underage drinking and was advised of his impending court date.
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Campus Police were dispatched to Townhouse East Complex at 1 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 30 on report of an intoxicated male. The suspect had bloodshot eyes and a disheveled appearance, and a strong odor of alcohol emanated from his breath, according to Campus Police.
Lions EMS evaluated the suspect and he was subsequently transported to Capital Health Systems-Hopewell Campus. He was issued a summons for underage drinking.
(09/24/13 5:01pm)
Campus Police were dispatched to various parking lots on four separate occasions of criminal mischief on Wednesday, Sept. 18.
The first report occurred at 7:50 a.m. in Lot 11 where Campus Police discovered two broken glass windows on the fourth-level stairwell. On the ground around the broken glass two quarter-inch steel bearings were also found, according to Campus Police.
Then, shortly thereafter at 8:00 a.m., Campus Police were dispatched to Lot 10 and found damage to the driver’s side back window of a car. Two quarter-inch bearings were found on the ground near the car.
Campus Police found the passenger side window of another car broken in Lot 14 without any suspects in sight. This damage was reportedly discovered at 7:30 a.m. by the driver of a motorcycle that was parked directly next to the damaged car.
Finally, the Campus Police returned to Lot 10 and found damage to the front windshield of a car that was parked next to the damaged car found in Lot 14 earlier that day. There was nothing further to report.
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At 11:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 20, Campus Police received a report of theft. The victim explained that she had left her bike locked to a pole at 7:40 p.m. between Packer Hall and the 1855 Room of Eickhoff Hall, according to Campus Police. When she returned at 10:40 p.m. after an event in the Brower Student Center, she noticed the bike was missing.
The bike was a hot pink ‘older model’ with a black gel seat padding, valued at $30.00. The victim reported that “she did not lock up the bike to the pole very well” and that she “just kind of put (the lock) around the handlebars and pole.” She was advised to contact Campus Police if she obtained any further information about her bike.
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Campus Police were detailed on report of a fire alarm at the Roscoe West Hall Library on Friday, Sept. 20 at 11:30 p.m. Upon arrival through the New Library side, where the Career Center and Tutoring Center are located, Campus Police found no sirens or strobes present.
When they entered through the Old Library side, a haze was in the air and a powdery white substance was discovered on the floor, according to Campus Police.
Campus Police then found a used fire extinguisher on the stairs between the first and second floors in the West Hall Library. Campus Police sent out to the College Building Services to clean up the fire extinguisher’s powdery discharge.
(09/17/13 3:29pm)
At 12 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 7, Campus Police were informed of a theft, totaling $1,520 in value. The victim reported among her stolen items: a Vera Bradley backpack, a $1,200 Macbook and teal laptop case along with other Apple products. The victim had left her bag on the bench of New Residence Hall’s main lobby at 3 a.m. that day and first noticed it missing at 12 p.m. Serial numbers for some of the items were provided to Campus Police and the victim was told to report back to Campus Police if she found the rest of the items’ information.
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Campus Police were dispatched to Decker Hall at 10:50 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 7, on report of an intoxicated female. The female was reportedly found outside of the building and had been completely incoherent. When questioned, she was unable to answer, but admitted that she drank a “Solo Cup Smirnoff.” The suspect was transported to Capital Health Systems-Hopewell campus for treatment and issued a summons for underage consumption of alcohol.
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A series of similar graffiti designs were found between Thursday, Sept. 12, at 8:45 a.m. and Saturday, Sept. 14, at 10 a.m. On Thursday, Campus Police were dispatched to Green Hall on report of criminal mischief and discovered the words: “To quit is to fail” in a blue/purple ink on the top step. Then, on Saturday, Campus Police discovered “Be THE Best” and “Dave,” written backwards, in a similar blue/purple ink on the steel entry door after they were dispatched on report of criminal mischief. On the same day, the graffiti was found on a water fountain near the Football Field. For all of the above cases, Building Services was contacted to remove the graffiti. There were no witnesses or suspects to any of the cases.
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A white male was found urinating at the West Gate of the Soccer Complex at 1:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 11. The suspect had reportedly been returning from Senior Night at Rho Nightclub in Trenton and was heading back to his off-campus house. He was issued a summons for urinating in public.
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A MacBook Pro worth approximately $2,539.39 was reported stolen to Campus Police on Monday, Sept. 9, at 12:40 p.m. The victim had left his room in Wolfe Hall at 12:30 p.m. and returned to find his laptop missing. He reported to Campus Police that he noticed two suspicious females in the vicinity when he left, but witnesses did not see the females in the victim’s room or holding his laptop. At 3:50 p.m. that day, however, the laptop was recovered on the fourth floor of Wolfe Hall.
(09/10/13 4:20pm)
Be prepared, listen to the community, respond with authenticity, inform and find a compromise.
Jennifer Keyes-Maloney, the Ewing Township Council’s newest addition, not only advocates for these principles, she lives by them. Elected in January 2013 to the Council, Keyes-Maloney has lived in the town for almost 20 years since she began studying Public Administration and History at Trenton State College.
Now, after obtaining her M.A. in Business Administration and a degree in Law, she works two jobs that at first glance might seem distinct and unlinked: she is one hand a legislator for her beloved hometown, and on the other hand, she is a lobbyist for the NJ state public education. In fact, she finds that certain skills she has developed since her time at the TSC have been transferrable across many job experiences.
“What I’ve realized over the years is that life is going to take you in different directions and you have to be flexible about it,” Keyes-Maloney said. “I never expected to do what I do now.”
As Assistant Director of Government Relations, her official title at the Princip
als and Supervisors Association, she functions as a lobbyist for public principals and supervisors who are pursuing legislation relevant to their students and faculty—she must also communicate with legislators and coordinate these two operations to create effective education legislation that best suits all those who are involved.
Before she began at the PSA, she had already been doing lobbyist work for the NJ State Judiciary Courts. This experience lent Keyes-Maloney the fundamental understanding of state government, budgets, legislation that she now uses on a daily basis
As councilwoman, her responsibilities are not terribly different: she deals with budgets and legislation and, of course, she sits on Council meetings for which she must be prepared well in advance to listen and respond efficiently to the concerns of Ewing residents.
“The lobbying…aspect of my job at the court and then the lobbying aspect of my job at PSA ended up helping in terms of knowing…how a budget works and how resolutions happen,” Keyes-Maloney said, adding that ordinances are just laws writ small.
Above the Ewing Council’s role as both a legislative and budgetary body, it also serves as a vehicle for community engagement. Under that broad umbrella falls anything that might affect residents and which council members, such as Keyes-Maloney, advance in the name of township-wide modifications or campaigns.
For instance, Keyes-Maloney is the Council’s liaison to Ewing’s Green Team, which is a board of Ewing citizens who do community outreach and programming to promote sustainable activities among all residents. The Green Team is currently doing legwork for an anti-idling campaign, which Keyes-Maloney cited as an example of the Council’s efforts to authentically engage and cater to residents’ concerns.
“Our job as council people is to reflect the needs and wants of the members of the community,” Keyes-Maloney said.
What is unique about Keyes-Maloney is that she not only has lived in the town for many years, but also studied here, and has a deep passion for interpersonal communications, a skills she began to harness when she worked in publishing while attending TSC.
“At a certain point you owe it to your town,” Keyes-Maloney said. “I know that sounds hokey, but this is my home now. I’ve chosen to stay here, and if my skills can help make it a better place, then I think I have a duty to do that.”
Keyes-Maloney was a lobbyist for the NJ State Judiciary for several years, and after that position she moved on to her current position as the Assistant Director of Government Relations for the PSA.
Before she attends NJ Legislature’s bi-weekly meetings, which occur only when they are in session, she must prepare well in advance so she can ask questions and respond to any concerns that legislators may have about her recommendations and proposed amendments.
“You need to do your reading,” Keyes-Maloney said, a habit she was familiar with from Law school and is reinforced at the PSA and at the Council. Since Legislature agendas are only set one week prior to meetings, there is much to be prepared in advance: formulating amendments, offering suggestions, and sometimes developing a press release for the public.
“My boss at the judiciary used to tell me ‘our job was to fix the bills that are a problem, and to make the good bills better,” she said, “and that’s by and large what I am doing.
(09/10/13 5:00am)
Campus Police were dispatched to the rear entrance lobby of Wolfe Hall on a report of criminal mischief on Monday, Sept. 2. When Campus Police arrived, they observed three penises drawn in black marker, and the letters “T, B” on the doors of the rear entrance. College Facilities was called to remove the crude imagery.
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The fire alarm sounded in Travers Hall at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 4, and everyone was immediately evacuated. The scene was observed as having a haze in the air and a powdery white substance on the floor, according to Campus Police, who were dispatched to the site and found a discharged fire extinguisher upon their arrival. Campus Police removed the fire extinguisher and logged it in evidence.
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Campus Police were dispatched to Travers Hall on report of a suspicious person at 12:15 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 7. The male suspect was initially reported to be intoxicated and wandering the first floor of Travers. Campus Police found the suspect in Lot 12 near the Rec Center with a bag of chips in one hand and his shoe in the other hand. He smelled of alcohol and admitted to drinking three beers at off-campus houses, according to Campus Police.
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A Campus Police officer on vehicle duty at 1:40 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 8, reported a male student urinating onto a grassy area behind Wolfe Hall. He told Campus Police that he was waiting for a food delivery and could not wait to go back to his room in the towers. The suspect was issued a summons for public urination and advised of his pending court date.
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An intoxicated female who was reported to Campus Police at 1:55 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 8 admitted to drinking four shots of liquor and a beer. Lions EMS had already evaluated her health when Campus Police arrived and observed an empty bottle of lemon liquor and six empty shot glasses on the floor near her roommate’s bed. When asked, the suspect evaded questions as to the ownership of the bottle, according to reports.
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On Sunday, Sept. 8, at 2:40 a.m. an intoxicated female was reported to Campus Police from the Wolfe Hall main office. The suspect was found laying on the floor in front of her room and did not have her room key or ID. According to Campus Police, her breath smelled strongly of alcohol and she had slurred speech. The suspect admitted to drinking “maybe three beers” at an unknown location on-campus and later added that she was also drinking at a party. She was issued a summons for underage drinking.
(09/03/13 5:01am)
Every student at the College was once a stranger here. Every student was once unsure of his or her place on campus, unsure of his or her major, unsure that this place was truly the best fit. And so was every administrator – but not for long.
Jacqueline Taylor, the College’s new Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, was welcomed into to the College in March of this past year with wide, open arms -- as an incoming freshman might be.
“We kind of fell in love with the sense of community,” Taylor said, speaking of her first visit on campus with her spouse, “and people were so gracious to us.”
Yet, this was not Taylor’s initial reaction to the College. Hailing from DePaul University in Chicago, a school with over 20,000 students and two campuses, Taylor was content with her prestigious title as founding Dean of the College of Communications. She had worked as Dean there for six years, totaling over 30 years of experience in academia and higher education administration.
Then, out of the blue in August 2012, Taylor was contacted by the College’s search consultant about a Provost position that had opened up.
“I had a job I loved,” said Taylor, “I said ‘I’m not really looking for a job.’ And [she] said ‘We like to hire happy people.’ [She] said ‘just take a look.’ So I did.”
Immediately pleased with the values of the College and the small classroom sizes, so unfamiliar at DePaul, Taylor applied and was given the position, effective March 18 of this year.
“Why was I tempted? Because I could see this could be a really exciting challenge,” Taylor said. “You know, I just live in fear of boredom.”
Taylor had helped build the College of Communications at DePaul from the ground up, and it was now time for her for a new adventure. “The job was now going to change to be more one of ensuring that you maintained quality, not so much building,” she said of her position at DePaul.
“It wasn’t as challenging as it had been in the first four years, and I am a person who loves to be challenged.”
Now with just over five months under her belt as Provost, she has found what she believes are the College’s precious gems: student-faculty engagement, diversity, and community.
“It’s much deeper and richer than I could have imagined, and I am thrilled about it,” Taylor said with regard to the faculty-student collaboration effort on campus, citing MUSE, the College’s summer mentor program for undergraduates.
In the coming months, Taylor is working with a team of the College’s Cabinet officers, including Lisa Angeloni, VP for Enrollment Management, Gregory Pogue, VP for Human Resources and Kerri Thomson-Tillet, Director of Equal Employment Opportunity, Affirmative Action and Diversity, to create a strategic plan for maintaining the College’s commitment to diversity.
“I enjoy leadership roles, and I enjoy working with people to try to help them get where ever we need to go next,” Taylor said. As a part of her role as Provost, she is in charge of using the often scant state funds economically, or “investing properly” in the programs that will best serve the campus.
One aspect that Taylor would like to work on is technology. Although the College has made several updates in recent years, like the advent of the blended learning summer classes, she believes in raising awareness “of the way some of these tools can actually strengthen the engagement between faculty and students.”
“A digital revolution has occurred,” she said, “We’re moving out in a world...where technology is going to be part of the workplace, part of graduate school. So let’s figure out the ‘TCNJ’ way to do this.”
In the end, no matter the school she is working at, she is more than satisfied to be working in higher education.
“I feel like there are so many problems we face as a world, as a society. Education is one of the answers to almost all of those problems,” Taylor explained. “On my very worst day when I feel discouraged about whatever might be going on in the world, I still can feel like I am part of one of the ways that we hope to get better.”
(09/03/13 5:00am)
A victim reported the theft of several items from his car that had been parked on the second level of Lot 7 on Monday, Aug. 26 at 3:55 p.m. Items included a black iPod classic, a white iPod charger, a black FM transmitter and miscellaneous change totaling over $50 in value, according to Campus Police. The victim reported that all items were in plain view around the center console while the car was left unlocked and unattended for three hours. There was nothing further to report.
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Campus Police were dispatched to Wolfe Hall at 1:50 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 31 on report of an intoxicated person. The suspect had vomitted and urinated on the floor and was momentarily unresponsive. There was an empty bottle of Merlot and Jaegermeister in his room, and he admitted to drinking a large amount of alcohol. He was transported to Capital Health Systems-Hopewell Campus. He was given a summons for underage possession and consumption of alcohol.
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An intoxicated female who was reported to Campus Police admitted she had tried to consume 20 shots of vodka in 20 minutes at 12:55 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 2. She was transported to Capital Health Systems-Hopewell Campus and was given a summons for underage drinking, according to Campus Police.
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A victim reported that his bike was stolen from a rack outside of the Brower Student Center. His bike was stolen sometime between 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 28, and 2 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 1, when he discovered it missing. It was a black, 10-speed Schwinn mountain bike with a white price tag still attached and a thin black seat.
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Campus Police were dispatched to the Science Complex fountain area at 11:30 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 1 on report of an intoxicated female. The suspect was found lying on the grass with vomit on the ground around her. She admitted to having four shots of Everclear and was given a summons for underage consumption of alcohol.
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On Monday, Sept. 2 at 1 a.m., Campus Police were dispatched to the Travers/Wolfe Lounge and found an intoxicated female who smelled strongly of alcohol, according to Campus Police. When she was questioned, she mixed up her last name, Residence Hall name and floor number. After admitting to drinking two beers, she added that she had also consumed “maybe five of something else, somewhere on campus.” The student was given a summons for underage consumption of alcohol and transported to Capital Health Systems-Hopewell Campus.
(08/27/13 8:07am)
Even though final exams had most College students scurrying back to their families for summer vacation, Ewing Township has had some new developments. Check out what has been going on in the area since May:
• A Hamilton-based audit group reviewed Mercer County’s finances and deemed the county “clean” and free from financial mismanagement, according to Mercerspace.com. In fact, Mercer County received “the highest opinion possible,” from the auditors at Mercadien Group.
• The College held Special Olympics New Jersey in early June. The College has provided facilities for these annual athletic competitions for over 20 years.
• Church & Dwight, manufacturer of Arm & Hammer products has officially opened its headquarters in Ewing, a move which is expected to keep more than 1,000 jobs in New Jersey, according the Trenton Times. The state government has provided tax breaks of over $13 million to the corporation with the aim of promoting local economic growth and job stability.
• District 12 U.S. Congressman Rush Holt (D) campaigned for a brief six weeks in hopes of winning the Democratic primary election for the late Senator Frank Lautenberg’s position in the U.S. Senate. Regardless of a near flawless record running for Congress — he has been serving District 12 of New Jersey for eight terms — he lost to Newark Mayor Cory Booker, who had a whopping 59 percent of votes, according the Windsor-Hights Herald.
• Ewing Township approved an ordinance that designated an area in the town for “adult” businesses, such as tattoo shops and strip clubs, according to an article for the Ewing Observer.
• The Trenton-Mercer Airport is scheduled to undergo major construction for much of the fall season, according to the Trenton Times. Frontier Airlines, which began sending commercial flights out of the Trenton-Mercer Airport last fall, is currently in the midst of a sale with Indigo Partners. According to the Trenton Times, Frontier Airlines’ parent company plans to sell it by the end of 2013.
(08/27/13 8:05am)
A theft and fraudulent debit card charge at the Library was reported on Tuesday, July 9 to Campus Police. The victim noticed his messenger bag and laptop missing and confronted the suspect outside the Library. The two struggled and the victim recovered his bag and laptop, noticing soon after that the suspect had left his cell phone in the bag. Campus Police, with the assistance of the N.J. State Police, used the cell phone to identify the suspect. Video and photo surveillance were retrieved by NJ Transit Police from the Trenton Transit Center, where the suspect had used the victim’s debit card to purchase a commuter train ticket. NJ Transit Police arrested the suspect several weeks later and brought him to the College for processing. Warrants were issued for burglary, theft, credit card theft, trespassing and possession of burglary tools and he was then transported to the Mercer County Jail.
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Power tools totaling approximately $320 were reported stolen from Eickhoff Hall at 6 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 17. A man told Campus Police that he had last seen the equipment on Thursday, Aug. 15 at 3:30 p.m. when he locked the room they were in and left. The tools, including a Dewalt Power Tool Kit and Irwin Drill Bits, had his initials on them.
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A woman reported her purse stolen to Campus Police on Friday, Aug. 23 at 7 p.m. The purse was taken from her that day between 5 p.m. and 6:15 p.m. in the Education Building. She realized her purse was missing at 6:15 p.m. when she left the premises. A search was conducted but nothing was found. The total value of items stolen was $434.
(08/27/13 5:45am)
Since September 2012, the College’s Information Technology security staff has been working on a plan to protect the campus from the ultimate invisible threat — computer hackers.
To combat the viruses, the email phishing and the fraudulent credit and debit charges, the IT security committee, along with the student representatives of the IT planning council, have been working to create a strategy to protect the College’s cyberspace.
The plan that they have come up with is for all students, faculty and staff to change passwords every 90 days.
Switching up passwords should reduce the likelihood of being hacked, and accounts that are compromised will become unusable by computer hackers, further protecting the campus from cyber attacks.
“Most people think ‘this won’t happen to me’ and you might be right,” said manager of IT security Alan Bowen.
But Bowen said that computer security cannot be left up to chance, which is why there must be extra levels of protection.
“The sophistication of social engineering attacks is increasing and you are still at risk if other members of your social circles fall victim to one of these scams,” Bowen said. With the myriad online accounts today, enhancing security is a given — even if it might be inconvenient.
“We know that changing passwords can be painful, so most people don’t do it often enough. Some people never change their passwords and use the same password everywhere,” Bowen said, warning about the risks of “weak passwords.”
“The good news is that you have a lot of control over this by choosing a strong password and changing it often,” he said.
According to the IT security website, a strong password will be complex, containing numbers and both lowercase and uppercase letters, as well as long — between nine and 32 characters.
College students and faculty will be warned 30 days before their passwords expire and then several more times to ensure that no one misses out on password changing.
The importance of IT security cannot be understated: much of what college students do today for school and work exists on the Internet.
Whether it is emails, PAWS, SOCS or YESS accounts, Amazon codes or otherwise, the campus is at risk without a targeted plan for protection.
Bowen’s background at the College lends him empathy in the process.
“As a former TCNJ student and adjunct faculty member, my biggest concern is protecting sensitive information and individuals’ privacy in an environment that engenders openness.”
During the planning process in 2012, two audits of the College’s IT systems were conducted by Pricewaterhouse Coopers. According to Bowen, one surveyed the campuses administrative security controls and one was a “general controls audit” of the “student, financial, and HR systems.”