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(03/25/03 12:00pm)
Approximately 15 members of the Progressive Student Alliance (PSA) staged a "die-in" outside the entrance to the Brower Student Center on Thursday to bring attention to the "horrors of war," according to Kara Schlindwein, PSA member.
The plans for the event were finalized on the evening of Wednesday, March 19.
"We intentionally scheduled the demonstration right after the President's announcement, realizing that most people would probably abandon their previous opinions to support the President and our troops," Matt Richman, PSA member, said.
Schlindwein said the PSA wanted to show the campus community, as well as the rest of the world, that not all people agree with the war.
"There are students right here on the College campus who do not support (the war)," Schlindwein said. "We feel that this is a worldwide problem. Not all American citizens agree with what is being done in their name."
Although faced with inclement weather and less-than-cooperative Campus Police, the demonstration went on as planned and lasted from approximately 10:45 to 11:00 a.m.
"Usually demonstrations like these go on until the protestors are removed," Schlindwein said. "Since there wasn't a lot of us and we had to go to class, we picked a time and place with a lot of foot traffic and set a beginning and end time."
During their protest, workers from the student center asked the students who were lying on the ground to move out of the way.
The protestors, however, had no intentions of complying with the request, Richman said.
As a small act of civil disobedience, they disregarded the officer's demand.
"We wanted people to be forced to notice us - to walk around or over us," Richman said.
The demonstration was noticed by the surrounding community. It appeared as part of an article in the Trenton Times last week.
Schlindwein was shocked and pleased to see that the protest was discussed outside the College campus. "It shows that we had an effect, that our effort was recognized."
The group received both positive and negative attention from their fellow classmates. "It went as was expected," Schlindwein said.
"We got a positive reaction from those students who shared our opinions," she added.
Although not all students agreed with the protestors' positions, most reacted positively towards their demonstration of free speech.
Lauren LeBano, sophomore English secondary education major, said, "students should exercise their right to free speech, especially in regard to important issues like the war."
Others admired the actions of the demonstrators.
"I give them a lot of credit for standing up for their beliefs and doing what they did. I don't know if I would have enough guts to do anything like that," Danielle Spezzacatena, sophomore elementary education and sociology major, said.
The administration at the College has reacted positively toward student demonstrations.
A few hours after the "die-in" ended, Kevin Maldonado, Student Organizations Coordinator of the office of Campus Life contacted PSA offering to help them with "logistical support (mics, staging, speakers, etc) or programmatic (planning, advice, etc)," of its anti-war rally planned for later this month.
"We support the students' rights to demonstrate and for free speech," said Magda Manetas, dean of the Office of Student Life, said.
Richman said, however, that that there was also negative feedback from the crowd.
"Lying there we could here many people arguing about what was going on," Richman said.
"I honestly think that they have every right to lay there because they are exercising their first amendment right of free speech - that's the beauty of democracy," Jessica Penaranda, freshman law and justice major, said.
"If we protest, it's a power of voice," she added.
Overall, Richman and Schlindwein said the PSA's efforts were a success.
Richman said the demonstration stirred debate over the issues and gave students an outlet to discuss their sentiments on the current state of the world.
(02/18/03 12:00pm)
The job market is changing in many fields.
Unfortunately, according to Ceceilia O'Callaghan, director of the office of Career Services, current students, as well as people in the workforce for many years, are looking at a much narrower job market in fields like business, engineering, computer science and communications.
"Last year, our hope was that this was just an immediate response to the Sept. 11 attacks and that things would start to rebuild soon, but that definitely didn't happen," O'Callaghan said.
She added, "If anything, things have gotten worse. We have definately felt an impact here on the East coast. We had a number of recruiters that pulled out right away."
Employment in areas like education and nursing, which are responding to both national and international shortages, have remained steady.
"This isn't a hopeless situation. There are jobs out there and students need to take a proactive approach to get them," O'Callaghan said.
"Most of the economic predictors that I have looked at seem to indicate that we probably have roughly a year more of this being the situation," O'Callaghan added. "Then hopefully we'll start to pull out of this by spring of next year."
Attending Career Days is one way to start on the road to employment, O'Callaghan said.
The next Career Day at the College is Feb. 26 and is expected to have approximately 90 recruiters.
This number is down from the usual 102 or so.
Career Days and individual career counseling are open to current students as well as young alum.
O'Callaghan explained that potential employers are often unsure of job openings and their ability to pay someone to fill them. This sometimes makes them wary of attending job fairs, but seem open to other events.
The College is holding a "Dining Out in Professional Style" on March 4 where students can learn the rules of professional dining etiquette and begin the networking process.
"Employers like these types of events because they aren't on the spot to say they have openings," O'Callaghan said. "But if they meet someone who really catches their eye, then they can follow up with that person."
Career Services is looking to develop more programs like this for the upcoming year, O'Callaghan said.
O'Callaghan also advises students to enhance their resume with experiential education, such as internships and study abroad experiences.
Internships are a good way to develop relationships and connections with potential employers, O'Callaghan added. "Employers have a higher success rate hiring students out of internships because they have already seen if the person is a good match for the company," O'Callaghan said.
Students also need to keep an open mind when new opportunities arise, O'Callaghan said.
She said that many students plan to live with their families for a few years after college.
However, relocating for a job can sometimes be a good career
move, she added.
"It may be tight for a few years, but if it is going to give (you) experience and let (you) grow it could be worth it," O'Callaghan said.
"I would like to find an apartment wherever I get a job," Meredith McDowell, a senior information systems major said.
McDowell feels that relocating after graduation would be beneficial to students with majors such as her own, where most of the jobs available are with big companies.
"Relocating provides a lot of new opportunities," she added.
O'Callaghan also advises students to look for positions that aren't necessarily the ones they had originally hoped for.
Students should look for jobs that can be used as "stepping stones" on a path to their dream jobs. After all, most people are expected to change jobs seven times in their lifetimes, O'Callaghan said.
Some students are considering graduate school as an alternative to job hunting after graduation.
"I think going to school longer, like to grad school, might be easier than looking for a job, considering today's economy," Joe Ward, sophomore law and justice major, said.
While graduate school may seem a more plausible alternative to job hunting, it may not be right for everyone, O'Callaghan said.
She advises students to come for individual counseling before making a decision.