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(09/07/05 12:00pm)
Students, faculty and staff can expect an introspective year at the College as three college-wide task forces exploring the role of the professor as a teacher/scholar, the concept of inclusive selectivity in the College's admissions policies, and how the College's campus and facilities are utilized over the summer, according to College President R. Barbara Gitenstein.
She outlined these goals for the 2005-06 academic year while also acknowledging the accomplishments of faculty, staff and students over the past year in her Welcome Back address last Wednesday in Kendall Hall.
She began her address by discussing the recent devastation in the south caused by Hurricane Katrina. "The unfathomable damage and loss of life that has befallen the Gulf Coast region of our country cannot be ignored," she said.
She went on to talk about the actions that the College will take to help the hurricane victims, including contributions to the relief effort and the accommodation of displaced students from colleges and universities in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.
"We will be reaching out to form institutional partnerships to help sister institutions," she said.
Gitenstein talked about the importance of the College's ongoing Sesquicentennial Celebration, from the torch run that started the yearlong event last September to the Grand Finale Homecoming Weekend that will conclude the event this October. She mentioned one of the final Sesquicentennial events, the upcoming Walt Whitman Symposium celebrating the sesquicentennial anniversary of the publication of "Leaves of Grass," which will take place Sept. 22 to 24.
She said the celebration provided the College with "a platform upon which to build or renew relationships with countless members of the extended College community." She said she hopes this will advance alumni relations and fund-raising through the office of Development and Alumni Affairs.
After the address, Jen Purdy, senior Spanish education major, said she agreed with Gitenstein's statements about the celebration. "The Sesquicentennial did connect (the College) to our community. It made us better known," she said.
Gitenstein congratulated the College on once again being named the top public insti tution in the northern region of the United States by U.S. News & World Report this year, marking the 12th consecutive year that the College earned the title.
For the first time last year, "Barron's Profiles of American Colleges" included the College in its list of the 75 most competitive colleges and universities across the nation. "We are now in the company of that other college of New Jersey down the road," she said.
Gitenstein also noted that an onsite evaluation team from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education issued a report last winter, stating "(The College) is committed to offering an undergraduate educational experience that rivals the best of what is offered by private colleges, but at a public school tuition cost and from a public school perspective."
Gitenstein also said the new curriculum that brought about the academic transformation was a success. The office of Academic Affairs will continue to enhance and refine the transformation during 2005-06, according to Gitenstein.
Along with the New Library, Gitenstein said the completion of the new athletic facilities and the Metzger Drive Apartments will also enhance the beauty of the campus.
Gitenstein also discussed the tuition increase forced upon the College by lower budget allocations from the state.
"It is a primary goal of ours, as a public institution, to provide access and opportunity to New Jersey's most promising students, regardless of their financial circumstance," she said.
Gitenstein said the College kept this year's tuition increase below that of almost all other New Jersey public institutions. "We hope to continue to moderate tuition rates in the future, but we must deliver the quality of education our students deserve."
According to Gitenstein, the College was not as successful as it wanted to be with its private fund-raising last year, but hopes to see improvement with the addition of new staff members in the office of Development and Alumni Affairs.
Gitenstein talked about the challenge that the ongoing construction has caused the campus.
"Delays in the completion of the student apartment complexes forced many students to accept less attractive residential options than any of us would have wanted," she said.
After the address, Heather Roessler, junior psychology major, said "I am glad that President Gitenstein mentioned the delays in the apartment complexes. She is right, a lot of students are living in less attractive housing. But at least the administration realizes that the students are making a sacrifice."
Gitenstein concluded her address by challenged the campus community "to imagine the impossible as we remain true to our bold mission and mandate to serve New Jersey and the nation."
(08/31/05 12:00pm)
This summer, the College was recognized for its efforts to promote diversity on campus by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U).
The citation is a result of a study of campus diversity initiatives at New Jersey's colleges and universities. Fifty institutes of higher learning in New Jersey were asked to take part in the study which began in October 2004, with 22 participating.
The College is one of three institutions whose case studies are being featured on DiversityWeb.org, a comprehensive guide of campus practices and resources about diversity in higher education, created and maintained by AAC&U. Bloomfield College and Rutgers University were also recognized.
According to the College's case study, "the balance that (the College) has been able to strike between institutional support and grassroots efforts has led to a comprehensive and effective diversity initiative that continues to grow.
"The College has developed a qualitative admissions system, dubbed "inclusive selectivity." This ongoing development will help form a student body whose diversity can serve as an educational resource, according to the case study.
The case study also said inclusion is a central element of the College's diversity initiative and inclusive processes that are found both academically and socially. An example used in the study was the Student Government Association's (SGA) recent addition of the Committee of Equity and Diversity.
SGA vice president of Equity and Diversity, Joanna Holguin, said the College promotes diversity in many ways, from the new office of Equity and Diversity to the classes offered in African American studies and women and gender studies.
"I think that (the College) is deserving of being cited for their efforts to promote diversity because I have seen that there are people in the administration working hard to make (the College) a diverse and inclusive campus community," Holguin said.
"There are students, faculty and staff working to make (the College's) students aware and appreciative of the different cultures, ideologies and sexual preferences that exist on our campus," Holguin said.
Jerusalem Howard, director of Equity and Diversity at the College, said he thinks that the College has a climate in which people can be comfortable bringing up issues of diversity.
"We've come a long way in a short period of time, but we still have opportunities to improve," he said.
The case study adds that College President R. Barbara Gitenstein believes the institution still has work to do, but with continued support, the College's diversity initiatives will continue to thrive.
(03/02/05 12:00pm)
Students and local residents from different age groups came together to discuss Americans' role in the world at a public issues summit hosted by the College last Wednesday night.
The summit differed from others held in the past by touching on international issues rather than focusing solely on local issues. It also encouraged an intergenerational dialogue as people of all ages were invited.
With the 75 participants representing these diverse ages, William Ball, associate professor of political science and director of the Leadership in Public Affairs program (LPA), said he felt everyone found the conversations interesting. According to Ball, there was civility and interest among the generations. The elders listened to the youths and vice versa.
Participants deliberated in small, moderated groups over four approaches to America's global role. These discussions included dialogue about the war in Iraq, tsunami relief, the principles of free trade and environmental preservation.
John Rebbeck, a 1996 graduate of the College and a Hightstown resident, said that this was his second time attending a College-held public issues summit. "If I'm going to complain, I'd better be willing to participate," he said of his involvement at the summits.
In attempt to fulfill the intergenerational theme of the summit, Rebbeck brought his father to the summit. Richard Rebbeck, a 75-year-old retiree from Ewing, said he never attended a public issues summit before but thought hearing the opinions of younger generations was very interesting. "As you get older, your opinions shift," he said.
Joe Shure, a 17-year-old senior at Ewing High School, felt the summit provided a good opportunity to get a sense of how different generations feel about important topics. "The older generations were able to lend insight based on their historical knowledge," Shure said.
Students at the College also participated at moderated at the event. For Rachel VanHorn, senior political science major, it was her third time at a public issues summit but her first as a moderator.
VanHorn said she learned a lot at the summit from the different ages and viewpoints. "Civic groups are needed everywhere," she said. "You need to care in politics."
Participants completed surveys at the beginning and end of the deliberations about their feelings on certain world issues. The surveys were tallied immediately, and the participants received the results at the end of the night.
The survey results will be added to a nationwide record compiled by the National Issues Forum, based in Dayton, Ohio. Ball said that the information "contributes to the national voice of the people on the subject of Americans' role."
Participants also wrote letters to other generations on their personal views of Americans' role in the world. These letters, upon permission from their authors, will be included in the final report on the LPA Web site, and may be printed in newspapers, including The Times of Trenton.
Ball said the population has become alienated from politics in recent years. He said that by holding a "citizen to citizen discourse," the population could participate in a true democratic process.
This was Ball's first summit dealing with international issues. He said the intergenerational approach was spurred by past summits, as the average participation age at the last summit was 56, with no participants from outside the College under age 30.
According to Ball, students at the College will have more opportunities to participate in these summits during the fall semester, with the upcoming gubernatorial election.
LPA and The Times of Trenton sponsored the summit. Albert Stark, head of the law firm Stark and Stark in Lawrenceville, also presented the College with a gift that supported the summit.
(12/08/04 12:00pm)
College President R. Barbara Gitenstein, a member of the New Jersey President's Council, recently voted to ask the state for a $208.6 million increase in higher education funding.
The Council, a 50-member board representing the state's public and private colleges, unanimously approved the increase at the November meeting in New Brunswick. The extra funding would help keep tuitions affordable, provide more financial aid and support campus building projects.
According to Gitenstein, at the College the extra funding would help the College cover "well-deserved" salary increases for faculty and staff. These increases are negotiated through the governor's office. In the College's budget, salaries represent the greatest costs and the greatest growth in costs.
"Without additional state dollars to cover these increases, we must turn to increases in costs to students and their parents," Gitenstein said.
In addition, Gitenstein said the College could expect to see staff and faculty increases in "targeted programs," such as growing academic programs and facilities management. Increases in financial aid, both merit and need based, could also be expected.
According to the Council, an increased investment in higher education will in turn provide for an improvement in New Jersey's economic development. Gitenstein said that with the higher investment, more students will pursue a higher education and will therefore earn more money. This increase in earnings will lead to more taxes being paid to the state.
"Higher education is also very much involved in supporting the work of small business
and providing intellectual capital for good government initiatives, enhancement of the cultural life of the community and scientific advances," Gitenstein said.
Gitenstein realizes that the state is facing budget issues but feels that the council's request is reasonable and legitimate. "We, as presidents of the colleges, recognize the very difficult situation of the state, but we believe that we are honor- bound to continue to advocate for higher education ... for the good of our students," she said.
This request for a budget increase comes at a time when the state is facing an estimated $4 billion budget gap, and the state treasurer has warned state departments about possible cuts. The Council may have to wait until the end of June, after the 2006 budgets are finalized, to find out if their request will be honored.
According to Barbara Wineberg, College Treasurer, state funding represents just over 40 percent of the College's operating budget. The future goal is to increase the state's share of funding to two-thirds by 2010.
"If the request from the President's Council is approved, it would provide the initial step in a gradual shift to increase state support and decrease the student's share," Wineberg said.
A breakdown of the Council's request gives $158.3 million more in operating aid, $14.3 million more in student financial aid and $36 million more for campus building projects.
(11/04/04 12:00pm)
"Every 15 seconds a woman is abused," Jackie Deitch-Stackhouse, coordinator of the office of Anti-Violence Initiatives, said. "It's important that everybody knows that these issues exist."
In this vein, the College held its first Domestic Violence Awareness Week from Oct. 18 to 22. Deitch-Stackhouse, along with seven student organizations and individual volunteers, created the program with the goal of educating the campus community about the dangers of domestic and dating violence.
"Dating and domestic violence are issues that are very pervasive," Deitch-Stackhouse said. "A lot of people think of dating violence or domestic violence in terms of adult relationships and not teen and young adult relationships." She noted that the statistics are very high among young adults ages 16-24, which is why it is so important to raise awareness at the College.
Throughout the week, purple ribbons were tied to trees and lamp posts around campus by individual volunteers, and posters with facts and statistics, made by the Domestic Violence Awareness Week planning committee, were placed on stakes and lined the pathway from Eickhoff Hall to Loser Hall. All participating organizations created banners, which were hanging in Brower Student Center for the entire week.
Participating student organizations included Women in Learning and Leadership (WILL), the White Ribbon Campaign, which works to end violence against women, the Gay Union of Trenton State at The College of New Jersey (GUTS), Amnesty International, Lambda Theta Alpha and Lambda Theta Phi. Womanspace, Mercer County's non-profit agency for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, also came to the coffee house to provide general information to students.
WILL and the Women's Center organized a dramatic three-part event that they hoped would get the message out about domestic violence to more people, especially men, according to Kristen Hands, executive chair of WILL. The first part involved leaving empty chairs in classrooms on Tuesday to symbolize the invisible aspects of domestic and dating violence.
Also on Tuesday, members from both groups were made up to look like victims of abuse, with bruises on their faces and scratches on their arms. These women wore stickers that said, "Ask me how it happened," to encourage open conversation about the realities of domestic violence. This activity symbolized the visible aspects of domestic and dating violence.
According to Desiree Bryant, a freshman math education major and a member of the Women's Center, no one asked her about what happened to her arm, which she had wrapped a bandage around to simulate burns from her husband spilling boiling water on her. "People gave me looks, but no one actually said anything," she said. Bryant said this proves that people are afraid to talk about the subject of domestic violence.
WILL and the Women's Center also organized a Die-In, at which 11 women simulated their deaths on Friday at 12:10 p.m. For 25 minutes, the women sprawled over Quimby's Prairie and the surrounding sidewalks, holding signs with statistics of domestic and dating violence. This symbolized the women who have died as a result of domestic and dating violence.
The Die-In was originally scheduled for Tuesday at 12:10 p.m., but the date was changed due to rainy weather. Bryant thinks that since the event was pushed back until Friday, it may not have had the same effect. She said that with people leaving for Fall Break, coupled with the fact that there aren't as many people on campus on Fridays, fewer people may have witnessed the event than if it were on Tuesday.
On Oct. 21 from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., the six student organizations and one off-campus organization came together to turn Brower Student Center room 202 West into a coffee house for the night. Information tables throughout the room provided information for visitors while guitarists and an open microphone allowed for student expression.
Hands said that she felt the week was a success. "It did its job. People got the message. The word got out," she said.
The White Ribbon Campaign held a pledge signing in Brower Student Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. from Monday through Thursday. The pledge, titled "Men Against Violence Against Women," was signed by 111 men.
According to Ryan English, co-president of the White Ribbon Campaign, the men who signed the pledge vowed to stop the violence and not be violent themselves. "We need men to help end the violence," he said.
"It's very important that people know this happens," Edgar Rodriguez, junior international business major, said. "In Latin culture it happens and people don't realize." Rodriguez said he also felt that the activism against violence is the only way the violence will end. "If nothing is done, it will just keep happening," he said.
There were also men who came to the table, read the pledge, and refused to sign, according to Caitlin Stinneford, co-president of the White Ribbon Campaign. "That's just scary," she said.
Stinneford also said that the White Ribbon Campaign will continue its fight against violence against women throughout the year. "We want to reach out to the men, so we are going to be holding bathroom campaigns and other things like that," she said.
Amnesty International created a Painted Hand banner on Monday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Brower Student Center, as a demonstration of support to end violence against women. Students dipped their hands in blue, black, and purple paint, and left their imprints on the banner.
Hand prints were used because Amnesty International's slogan is "The Power of Change is in our Hands," according to Jeanette Franko, president of Amnesty International at the College, and Jessi Boston, N.J. State Stop Violence Against Women coordinator. Franko and Boston said Amnesty International began a 10-year campaign to stop violence against women around the world in the spring.
Informational centerpieces were also placed on the tables in Eickhoff Hall. Bryant, who created these centerpieces, said she noticed that people were reading them. "I'm glad I made some impact," she said.
"It doesn't matter what race, what ethnicity, what class or what income level people come from, because nobody is immune from domestic violence," Deitch-Stackhouse said. She said she hopes people will learn to speak up about domestic and dating violence after the awareness week, and also realize that the office of Anti-Violence Initiatives is on campus to help those who are or may become victims.