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(05/02/18 5:09am)
By Kyle Elphick
Staff Writer
The Mixed Signals, the College’s improv comedy troupe, embraced the lewd and profane at their show on Sunday, April 29 in the Library Auditorium. Starting at 8 p.m., the group framed its UNPLUGGED event as an “after-dark” performance, allowing members to marry their typical humor with content and language not safe for work.
“What makes the themed show special is that it allows the improvisers to operate in a more liberal mindset,” said Paul Chukrallah, a junior interdisciplinary business major and treasurer of Mixed Signals. “Where in some situations a performer would develop their character in a more conservative manner, this show was a challenge for all of us to push the envelope as well as push our own limits without being gratuitously lewd.”
The Mixed Signals often dress up to a theme for every show, and this show was no exception. The troupe surprised its outgoing president, Nolan DeVoe, a senior communication studies major, by donning outfits emblematic of his style and personality. Two members even wore striped ambassador shirts, referencing DeVoe’s on-campus job.
“(DeVoe) loved it and was enjoying all of our different takes on his wardrobe choice,” said Zach Michonski, a freshman civil engineering major and first-year member of the troupe.
Following DeVoe’s introductory remarks, the troupe launched into the improv comedy that the show’s enthusiastic audience had come to see. The group practiced short-form improv, which involves performances of brief scenes from improv games. Each game sports a particular gimmick and set of rules, giving most scenes a predetermined general premise that the troupe fleshes out with hilarious results.
Audience participation is also key to any Mixed Signals show. Most scenes begin with a single word shouted to the troupe from the audience by someone in the crowd.
“Audience suggestions are what make a show,” Chukrallah said. “The fact that they can give us any word and we have to just roll with it cements the fact that what the audience is about to see has never been done before and is totally made up on the spot with no prior rehearsals or preparation.”
Among various games, the crowd was treated to a Mixed Signals classic in World’s Worst. Involving every member, the troupe acted out the world’s worst practitioners of various professions.
Preparation for this game started before the show began. As audience members arrived, they were encouraged to write down a profession on a list in the Library Auditorium lobby. From these, DeVoe would announce a profession, and each member of the troupe would take a crack at portraying someone particularly bad at it in a few short seconds.
For instance, when DeVoe said “detective,” Haley Witko, a senior interactive multimedia major and troupe veteran, mimed gazing into a crystal ball and said, “I see fifty bucks in my pocket.”
The creative quip earned a raucous pop of laughter from the audience.
“I like how fast-paced it is,” said Stephanie Sonbati, a freshman English major and a first-year Mixed Signals member. “It’s super cool when you get the audience to laugh at something you just thought of right off the top of your head.”
The Mixed Signals ended the night with a crowd-favorite, Crazyprov. The game flexes the group’s creative muscles through crafting a scene that utilizes the gimmicks of every game played throughout the evening. The troupe also made references to the audience's favorite bits of the show.
“I like Crazyprov because it is the most unpredictable game of all,” Michonski said. “It allows for everything that is fun in other scenes to be mashed into one crazy super scene.”
(04/22/18 5:53pm)
By Kyle Elphick
Staff Writer
Seusis Hernández Solarte, a Colombian rebel turned politician and member of the Common Alternative Revolutionary Force Party, was arrested by U.S. officials in his home country on April 10 for drug trafficking charges, according to The New York Times.
Solarte was caught overseeing the transport of approximately 11 tons of cocaine out of Colombia, according to CNN.
The drugs are valued at over $320 million, according to The New York Times.
“As alleged, these defendants conspired to ship thousands of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia to the streets of the US,” said American attorney Geoffrey S. Berman in a statement, according to CNN. “Thanks to the investigative work of the DEA, they are now under arrest and face significant criminal charges.”
As a former commander of the rebel group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, also known as FARC, Santos and his associates have a history of exporting outlawed substances and running international drug rings, according to The Guardian.
The arrest comes as a surprise to many. Last June, Solarte and his fellow former rebels signed a peace deal with the Colombian government, granting them immunity from their past crimes and involvement with the drug trade. The agreement also forced the group to agree to stop all future drug trafficking efforts, according to The Guardian.
“The accords are clear,” said Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, according to The New York Times. “Whoever commits a crime after the signing of the deal will be sent to the courts for the new crimes committed.”
The unexpected arrest demonstrates the U.S.’s attempts to take down forces in the international drug trade, according to The New York Times. Meanwhile, FARC framed the arrest as a coordinated attack on the party and its members.
“The judicial order issued yesterday by the US goes against national sovereignty,” read a statement released by FARC on April 17, according to CNN. “It also shows a lack of willingness from the regime to facilitate a true peace process.”
Colombian citizens are growing increasingly dissatisfied with FARC, according to CNN. Solarte was a candidate for the FARC party faction in Colombia’s congressional elections last month.
Solarte’s arrest deeply frustrated other members of the FARC political party, which has struggled to be seen as legitimate after the peace deal. Santos announced the arrest in a live television address broadcast to the whole country, according to The New York Times.
“The construction of peace requires the absolute commitment and respect for the law and the accords,” Santos said, according to The Guardian. “There can’t be any room for tolerance or weakness.”
(04/26/17 12:17am)
By Kyle Elphick
Web Editor
In 2017, theater is a major part of student life at the College. Hundreds participate in groups like TCNJ Musical Theatre, All College Theatre and Lyric Theatre to get their theatrical fix.
Up until the 1990s, theater was more than an extracurricular at Trenton State College. Back then, you could major in it.
A university known for education, business and engineering once hosted a thriving theater department. It featured four full-time professors — including Terry Byrne, a current communication studies associate professor — a host of theater arts specific courses and required performances of musicals and plays.
It began in the mid 1960s. For the first time in its history, then Trenton State College produced its first graduates with four year degrees in theater. The department was operated out of the theater and communication studies department, a predecessor of the College’s School of Arts and Communications
“It was a true liberal arts theater degree,” said Kay Potucek, an adjunct professor who taught some of the major’s classes. Theater faculty aimed to give students a comprehensive understanding of theater as an art form.
“It focused a little bit more on acting,” said Dale Simon, who was hired as a scenic designer for the program in the early ’90s. Now, he oversees Kendall theater facilities and serves as the building’s captain.
The major emphasized acting as an academic discipline and sought to instill proper technique. Acting courses were known as “studio classes” and would touch on other trades related to performing, like directing.
“We had theater production classes to teach you the technical side of what was going on,” Potucek said.
These included lighting, scenic design and makeup. Professors saw their students find connections between their courses, utilizing a skill learned in a behind-the-scenes class when performing on stage.
“You had to take a couple of theater history courses,” Potucek said.
Professors emphasized that understanding theater then was vital to understanding theater now.
“Toward the end, I also created an internship course, so that students could earn credit for working in productions on campus or off,” said Lincoln Konkle, an English professor involved with the program during its final years.
Putting on full-length theatrical productions, combining the experience of professional professors and the youthful energy and innovation of students was the department’s flagship strength.
“We had a six to eight show academic season. We did plays and musicals” Simon said.
Students, staff and faculty filled the Kendall Hall Main Stage and the Studio Theater — now a scenic shop to build sets for today’s productions — to watch theater put up by theater majors.
In the 1980s, the theater department would receive what seemed like a major boost. The College’s board of trustees approved a major renovation to Kendall Hall in the wake of the discovery of asbestos within the building. The theater department would have more space than ever before.
“They made the decision to invest in Kendall Hall,” Simon said. “The primary purpose of this building was to house that theater department.”
By the time Simon was hired, Kendall’s major upgrade was complete. Theater majors and faculty now had access to a renovated Main Stage, a scenic shop for set design, two floors of new classrooms and a new venue for intimate productions: The Don Evans Black Box Theater.
Things were looking up for the College’s theater program. How then, did it manage to dissolve just a few years later?
“The program kind of died by attrition,” Potucek said.
By the ’90s, the tenured professors who built the theater program from the ground up some 30 years before began to reach the age of retirement. In a few short years, the theater department was left without its high-ranking professors to steer the ship.
This was the beginning of the end.
“As they retired, they gave their faculty lines to other departments,” Simon said.
In a tumultuous period of changing deans and tight budgets, the duties of theater professors were folded into other departments. Many of these fell within the School of Arts and Communication.
“They weren’t gonna put any resources towards (the theater department),” Potucek said, “Instead, they looked to putting the resources towards television and film.”
The College shifted focus to its rising communications major instead of its fading theater one. Communications courses filled the classrooms and studios of Kendall Hall. With that, the major was ended.
Waning student interest also proved to be a death blow for the flagging department.
“When we originally discussed the possibility of reviving a theater program, we thought, ‘If we build it, they will come’ because clearly there was a lot of interest in theater among students,” Konkle said.
However, Konkle and others came to realize that, in practice, the theater major’s total enrollment never came close to that of other majors. It never eclipsed 100 students.
Many interested students were prevented from enrolling by already overpacked course schedules. The major’s required classes didn’t naturally fit into the busy schedule of a typical college student.
Now, those that remember the College’s theater program are left to reflect on what's missing now that it's gone. They believe studying theater academically — and the resources that came with theater being an official major — provided students with welcome support from faculty and staff.
“Theater is actually a disciplined art,” Simon said.
He believes the College’s students would be benefitted by studying theater through an academic’s perspective.
“To have a full-fledged theater program with a bachelor of fine arts… I think this area of New Jersey is underserved,” Potucek said.
If given the resources of a proper major, she sees College productions reaching new heights.
“We were putting the outstanding theater facilities on campus (MainStage, Black Box, scene shop, green room) to good use: educational theater as well as the already established productions by ACT, TMT,” Konkle said, referring to his favorite part of the theater program.
Konkle believes a theater major would fully utilize the campus’s performing and rehearsal spaces, and complement the works done by TCNJ Musical Theatre and All College Theatre.
Former professors of the theater department believe that, major or no major, the future of theater at the College is bright.
“TCNJ students interested in theater are very fortunate that there are two theater groups who have funds to put on plays and musicals and... some really nice facilities in which to do so,” Konkle said. “So I have no doubt that, as long as ACT and TMT continue to receive SFB funding, there will be theater at TCNJ.”
Simon hopes theater will continue to be a mainstay at the College.
“Theater can change the world, it brings down dictatorships,” Simon said. “We should take it seriously.”
(02/21/17 5:38am)
By Kyle Elphick
Web Editor
President Donald J. Trump has awakened a sleeping giant. We’d be wise to not let it fall so deeply asleep again.
My first semester at the College was defined by your typical first-year experiences: midnight runs to T-Dubs, trying out countless clubs and laughing at your two friends who actually engaged in “floorcest.”
Yet, through it all, I realized my college experience seemed to be missing something. It was hard to determine exactly what it was, but it dealt that I didn’t feel this sense of higher purpose, as I imagined it was typical for a college student to feel.
Around Thanksgiving break, the thought I was searching for finally hit me: The College lacks a campus-wide culture of political activism.
Of course, individual students and clubs have always proved politically focused. Yet, the desire to participate in political discourse was not shared by the student body at large.
I included myself in this criticism. Inside the campus bubble, the problems of the real world seemed to fade away. I spent more time thinking about classes, student organizations and friends than I did the upcoming presidential election.
The happenings at our tight-knit college seemed more relevant than whatever insane thing Trump said on the campaign trail.
Besides, Hillary Clinton was going to win anyway, right?
Of course, we all know how the story goes. Trump broke down the Democrat’s blue wall and won an election that pundits said he should have dropped out of a week prior.
It shocked the world, and it shocked our campus. It was a result that reduced many of us to stunned silence and tears.
But then, something started to happen.
Suddenly, for the first time in my two years at the College, that all-encompassing political activism, which I began to believe was not a part of this school’s culture, moved to the mainstream.
College President R. Barbara Gitenstein sent an email to the College community the morning of Nov. 9, calling for commitment “to positive action in our lives and our community.”
Vice President for Student Affairs Amy Hecht also sent a mass email to students the day after the election, promoting a discussion with English Professor David Blake entitled, “Understanding the 2016 Presidential Election Results.”
Many professors, including my own, devoted their classes to political discussion or related the election to their course’s topic.
Spurred by these actions and their own emotions, students began to fill the Library, Eickhoff Hall and dormitories with thoughtful political talk. Protests sprung up in Alumni Grove and on the steps of Green Hall.
As weeks have passed, the heat of this newly lit political fire has not cooled. The Women’s and Gender Studies Department bussed students and faculty to the women’s march in Washington D.C. Some of my classmates appeared in a headlining photo for a Newsweek article.
This all adds up to the fact the election of Trump awakened a political spirit on campus that was otherwise wasting away as it lay dormant. The College is composed of thousands of intelligent, talented and powerful young women and men.
Trump was the catalyst for this college to tap into its potential, enabling it to make real, lasting and meaningful contributions to political discourse.
My only ask is this: We mustn’t grow weary as the election fades further into the past. Political activism can’t just be sparked in four-year intervals. There is so much to fight for right now.
Let’s keep expressing our opinions, protesting and taking real action to ensure political activism is permanently ingrained into the culture of this college. Future political eras could prove less volatile than our own, so let’s establish a tradition of activism now to carry this school through years where thoughtful discourse isn’t as sexy.
The College’s political voice is and should stay a giant that can’t be stopped. Now is not the time to sleep. Stay woke.
(11/15/16 8:27pm)
By Kyle Elphick
Correspondent
Like diners or going down the shore, Bon Jovi has been a New Jersey staple. The band’s big power chords and even bigger hair have left a lasting impact on our collective culture.
The glam quintet returned on Friday, Nov. 4, for the band’s 13th and latest record, “This House Is Not For Sale” — a release that’s anything but standard. The album was born out of the most tumultuous period in the band’s 30-year history, and for better or for worse, it shows.
The shakeup began three years ago when Bon Jovi put out “What About Now,” an album that sold well, however, was widely criticized for predictability. The reviews were not without justification, though, since it’s difficult for a non-diehard fan to name a single track from it.
The band mounted a stadium tour in support of the record, but mysteriously, the band’s iconic lead guitarist, Richie Sambora, soon stopped playing at live shows. Rumors — that soon turned out to be true — swirled that Sambora had quit the band. He was replaced with guitarist Phil X and a new Bon Jovi was born.
With “This House Is Not For Sale,” Bon Jovi makes a case for its integrity and staying power. The work’s title invokes a band that isn’t afraid to stay true to itself in the face of haters. The album artwork, a sturdy old house with roots thrust deep into the dirt, almost seems like a brag — as if the band is saying, “Drag us all you want, we’ll keep selling out stadiums and recording chart-topping records.”
Some of the work’s songs stay true to this thesis. Take the album’s title track and lead single. It’s a classic Bon Jovi cut, reminiscent of “My Life” or “Living on a Prayer” with heavy yet flamboyant guitar riffs to rapturously rip your face off, while the drum kit booms like it’s coming out of rock concert speakers.
Lyrics such as, “Where memories live and the dream don’t fail,” echo the band’s consistent themes of hope and fighting for the good. There’s no doubt that fans will pump their fists defiantly to the sky while belting the song’s sexy earworm of a chorus at stadium shows this summer.
Without the grounding of Sambora’s guitar, however, “This House” features instances of a never-before-heard Bon Jovi. The band fuses different genres and takes unconventional inspiration in many of the album’s dozen tracks, which works with varying degrees of success.
“Knockout” isn’t an average Bon Jovi track. Its founded on the pulsing pings of an electric synth. Its brimming with background vocals reminiscent of an arena sing-along, and technique employed widely in radio pop. Its chorus is dancy, and if recorded by a different artist, it might be the background noise in a nightclub.
Far from a disaster, but something about the song just doesn’t feel right. Bon Jovi has a tried-and-true style that the world has come to expect. It would take a killer track to successfully break the band’s mold, and this just isn’t it.
The band runs a more successful experiment with “Labor of Love.” The song morphs spacy U2-esque chords with the blue-collar lyrical passion of Bruce Springsteen. It’s the longest track on the album, but it sure doesn’t feel like it. As Jon sings, “I know where this is going when I look into your eyes,” it’s impossible not to think of the Jersey girl that’s been the subject of your dreams and nightmares.
Admirably, “This House is Not For Sale” showcases a Bon Jovi refusing to phone it in, and aiming for the stars and the Billboard Hot 100. Though far from perfect, these five make a fiery gang that often prove to be a hell of a lot of fun.
(10/31/16 8:21pm)
By Kyle Elphick
Correspondent
The College’s 29th annual Homecoming Spirit Week was an action-packed celebration of the College, its students and alumni. The beloved tradition kicked off on Tuesday, Oct. 25, and culminated on Saturday, Oct. 29 with the Homecoming tailgate.
Spirit Week encourages students to sport their blue-and-gold pride through several exciting events. Student-run organizations teamed up to compete to win the title of Spirit Week Champion. This year, Zeta Tau Alpha, Phi Alpha Delta and Delta Epsilon Psi hoisted a trophy in triumph during the annual Homecoming football game.
“This week of events has been established to bring the community together while demonstrating our campus’ student pride and involvement,” according to the event’s Lion’s Gate page.
Homecoming, the College’s biggest celebration of the year, invites students and alumni to revere in their alma mater with a day of athletics, food and more.
The festivities began on Tuesday at 10 a.m. in Alumni Grove with T-shirt tye dying. That afternoon, students got their game on in a volleyball competition on Loser Lawn.
On Wednesday, Loser Lawn was bursting with competitive spirit in a day of field games. Students went head-to-head in events like a dizzy bat race, tug of war and a three-legged race.
Rally towels were distributed in the Brower Student Center on Thursday morning to passionate fans. That night, brainiacs had their time to shine in a trivia competition in the Education Building. Sigma Sigma Sigma and Beta Theta Pi took first place.
A party atmosphere hit campus on Friday as Homecoming drew near. Special events included a “Blue and Gold” and cupcake giveaway on Green Lawn.
That evening, dozens of students fought lip sync and dance battles to hit songs in the Student Recreation Center. Zeta Tau Alpha, Phi Alpha Delta and Delta Epsilon Psi were the lip sync champions, while Sigma Kappa, Alpha Chi Rho and Men’s Club Rugby were the winning dance teams.
“Night Bites,” or delicious snacks, were served for students to savor in the T/W Lounge from 10:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.
A palpable electricity filled the air as Homecoming kicked off on Saturday morning. In addition to the school’s thousands of current students, alumni arrived on campus to celebrate the special day.
The MainStage on Loser Lawn was a hub of Homecoming hype. Student and alumni groups performed on a stage reminiscent of an outdoor music festival. Attendees filled blue and gold tables and chairs to get a look at their favorite performers
Among the groups was TCNJ Musical Theatre (TMT). Members performed songs from TMT’s upcoming production of “The Addams Family.”
“We were able to get the word out about our show and promote it in a good way,” said Gretchen Newell, a TMT member and sophomore communication studies major.
The Mixed Signals, the College’s improv comedy troupe, took the stage next. The group had the crowd cackling with a hilarious set of improv games.
“The whole experience was new to me,” said Beau Aranosian, a senior interactive multimedia major. “I’d do it again if we had the opportunity.”
In addition to the MainStage, giant colorful inflatable activities peppered the lawn and contributed to the carnival-like atmosphere. RECreate Your Night, an on-campus group that organizes safe and fun activities, ran games for students and alumni to enjoy. The free hot chocolate and apple cider were beloved by all.
The football game kicked off at 2 p.m. in Lions Stadium, where the Lions battled the William Paterson Pioneers. With support from the crowd, the Lions won, 42-28.
As night fell, the African Latino Alumni Network of TCNJ hosted a 10th anniversary party in the Education Building that featured music by DJ Nix. The group described the event as “a throwback to the day parties that were held in (Brower Student Center) 202 East and West.”
Student Government and Student Finance Board sent Homecoming out with a bang by hosting a carnival in the Student Recreation Center. Students played games, danced and enjoyed more larger-than-life inflatables while munching on free pizza and snacks.
Though Homecoming was over, the fun of Spirit Week continued. Club Sports sponsored a TCNJ Halloween Fun Run, where students, alumni and families were encouraged to run through campus in costume.
Student Government, the Greek Council and Club Sports ran a Trunk-or-Treat event. Student organizations filled car trunks with food and other items to hand out to trunk-or-treaters, which included students, alumni and members of the Ewing, N.J, community.
For students both students and alumni, Spirit Week was a welcomed change of pace to remind everyone the importance of embracing school spirit.
(12/01/15 9:15pm)
By Kyle Elphick
Staff Writer
The College’s chapter of the Delta Epsilon Psi fraternity recently hosted its fourth annual “Delta Clinic,” providing uninsured and underinsured Trenton and Ewing residents with primary health care.
On Saturday, Nov. 21, at the Trenton Rescue Mission, attendees were offered free hygiene kits assembled by the fraternity brothers and complementary medical services, including flu shots, glucose checks, blood pressure checks and HIV checks — all essential services for those of a low socioeconomic status, according to junior industrial-organizational psychology major Kiran Patel, DEPsi’s recruitment chair.
In addition to medical services, the clinic also provided insurance education, stress-relieving board games with prizes and a station dedicated to getting residents’ medical records on a portable flash drive for emergency purposes.
Started in 2012, the annual clinic was formed in response to the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, serving as a means to provide further help to the poorest of the storm’s victims, Patel said. With extensive and costly damage to homes and property, it became even more difficult for many to afford pricey medical expenses, according to the fraternity.
Though the hurricane has since long passed, the need for medical assistance that the clinic complimentarily provides has not. As a result, the fraternity has turned the clinic into an annual event.
According to Patel, they find community outreach events, such as the “Delta Clinic,” to be essential. Through the clinic, the fraternity seeks to showcase the College’s commitment to promoting health awareness. Furthermore, the organization seeks to illustrate how this commitment extends beyond the College’s campus bubble and into the cities that surround it, namely Ewing and Trenton. The brothers hope to build upon their success, having even more participants in coming years, Patel said.
While the clinic was chiefly run by DEPsi, non-profit organizations, such as BlueCross BlueShield, Trenton Health Team, Planned Parenthood, Be Jersey Strong and the Hygiene Project, were also there to support health care for the benefit of those in need.
Though some were hesitant to trust the medical services provided, Patel and his fraternity brothers attribute this reluctance to the trouble low-income people have had dealing with the medical system in the past. The brothers hope that the clinic will help renew community hope in the American medical system as a whole.
(09/30/15 1:51am)
By Kyle Elphick
Correspondent
The Arrive Alive Tour, an event famous for its drunk driving simulator, made a stop at the College on Wednesday, Sept. 23, in Alumni Grove.
Sponsored by UNITE, the goal of the tour is to make people aware of the grave dangers that face those who drive while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
UNITE visits schools from elementary to collegiate levels all over the United States. By raising awareness, UNITE hopes to prevent deaths caused by those who drive while high or drunk.
Though representatives from UNITE were on hand to impart students with important information in regards to these major issues, what truly hammered the point home to students was the group’s DUI/DWI Simulator.
The simulator came in the form of a full-sized, black SUV that was parked outside the entrance to Eickhoff Hall. Students who entered the car got to experience what driving while driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol is like without actually consuming either.
The simulator replicated the side effects of driving under the influence, which include blurred vision and slowed reaction time. Through this simulation, students were shown, first-hand, the potentially lethal dangers of getting behind the wheel in an impaired state of mind.
A line of students yearning to try their hand at the simulator was present for the entirety of the day, with even more students watching the flat-screen T.V. next to the car that broadcasted the perspective of the driver within the simulation. But while the simulator was the headlining attraction of the tour, many organizations at the College set up displays in Alumni Grove to showcase their own activities and information.
These included the Public Health and Communications Club, Project HERO, CAPS Peer Education, the Collegiate Recovery Community, TCNJ EMS and the Mercer Council on Alcoholism and Drug Addiction.
All of these groups share themes of promoting physical and mental health, while creating a positive campus environment. They also help people who have abused alcohol or illegal substances, while trying to prevent future usage.
The Mercer Council put emphasis on the negative effects marijuana can have on the cognitive skills of those who use the drug. The Council provided students with a set of goggles that simulated the effects marijuana has on one’s vision.
Students were then instructed to complete a maze — first unimpaired, and then while wearing the goggles. Sophomore open-options arts and communication major Michael Ruggiero found that it took him more than 20 seconds longer to complete the maze while wearing the goggles.
“It’s harder to see exactly where to go,” he said.
The Public Health and Communications Club provided students with “drunk goggles” and instructed them to walk down a marked straight line, a task many students had difficulty with.
“It provides good immediate feedback for bad decisions,” said junior biology major Dale Oommen, a member of the club.
CAPS Peer Education presented an activity where students were asked to tweet #ArriveAliveTour while kicking a soccer ball around a formation of cones. Though the activity proved to be a humorous sight, it illustrated a serious message — texting is not something that should ever be done while partaking in other activities.
The Arrive Alive Tour proved to be a fun-filled experience for all while simultaneously teaching very important lessons.
(09/23/15 6:16pm)
By Kyle Elphick
Correspondent
Instead of enjoying the summer weather, many students at the College buzzed excitedly, armed with pens, pencils, notebooks and laptops in the Library Auditorium. These students were waiting to see Democratic Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, a representative of New Jersey’s 15th district, which includes Trenton. His lecture on Friday, Sept. 18, in the auditorium, tackled hot-button issues, such as birthright citizenship and marriage equality.
The driving force behind the talk was an analysis and interpretation of the United States Constitution. The talk coincided with Constitution Day, a federal observance celebrated on Thursday, Sept. 17, the day before the event took place. Federal legislation that created Constitution Day mandates that all publicly-funded educational institutions deliver Constitution-related
teachings on or near this day. In the eyes of many students, Gusciora’s lecture went above and beyond meeting this requirement for the College.
The group of students who attended the event shared some common characteristics. These include a passion for American government and a love of politics and law. Yet, it was individual interest that drew each person to the talk.
“I’m personally concerned with equality in this country,” junior political science major Luke Hertzel said.
The central conceit of Gusciora’s lecture was concise and clear. He first introduced a question of constitutionality making waves in the media. Through the use of video clips involving the opinions of important political figures and other influential citizens, his message was better conveyed. He then applied this issue to excerpts from the Constitution itself, as well as relevant congressional laws and judicial rulings, thereby determining the Constitutional answer to society’s most controversial hot-button issues.
“Let’s follow the Constitution,” he said in reference to the viewpoint of many Americans on how the nation should go about deciding what is right and wrong. “But very few people know what that means.”
Gusciora dove into a lecture packed with controversial constitutional issues. Through his analysis of birthright citizenship, he explained that even if one is born overseas, they can still be president as long as one of his or her parents is a U.S. citizen. Furthermore, despite the objections Gusciora highlighted from politicians Donald Trump and Sarah Palin, the 14th Amendment ensures that all people born within the United States are legal citizens — this applying to the children of illegal immigrants, as well.
Gusciora then tackled the views of Kim Davis, the Kentucky county clerk who still refuses to issue marriage licenses in protest of the Supreme Court’s ruling on Obergefelle v. Hodges, the case that legalized same sex marriage in the United States. Gusciora analyzed, despite the religious views driving her actions, that Davis had no justification in going against the law of the Constitution due to the fact that her job required her to take an oath to serve it faithfully.
The assemblyman stayed in the vein of marriage equality to tackle his final major issue — whether business owners have the right to deny service to specific customers based on their beliefs. Gusciora determined that, due to the Constitution’s Commerce Clause, no business has this right because doing so would interfere with interstate trade.
Gusciora imparted a host of political lessons on his young constituents. A simple statement from Gusciora — “We are complex” — perhaps best explains a nation in which a single document produces so much controversy, discussion and passion.