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(05/07/15 11:33pm)
By Nicole Ferrito
Staff Writer
Hotdogs and hamburgers were grilled for 24 hours straight on Tuesday, April 28, as the brothers of Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity at the College fundraised for the Heroes to Heroes foundation, one of their national philanthropies.
At this year’s annual day and night barbeque event, the fraternity raised $2,498.15 to be donated to the their philanthropy.
“We figured it would be something that was fun for us and for the campus,” junior chemistry major and President of AEPI Andy Glass said on choosing to do a 24-hour barbecue as a way to raise funds. In addition to hotdogs and hamburgers, the brothers sold “Support Our Troops” bracelets, pretzels and other snacks.
The brothers chose to raise funds for Heroes to Heroes because two of their members are related to war veterans, Glass said.
Since the fraternity has hosted the barbecue since Alpha Epsilon Pi’s establishment on campus in 2007, they felt it was a part of their history to continue the event, according to junior and philanthropy chair of the fraternity Alec Grossman.
“It brings out every brother and the students,” Grossman said.
When commenting on the reasoning behind planning the event Glass said, “It’s just something different that not a lot of other groups do.” The fraternity stationed themselves outside the Travers and Wolf dorms and said they do get a lot of people that come out to the event at night.
“I think it’s really cool and a good cause,” said Priscilla Blanco, junior Deaf education and Spanish double major, who was grabbing a hotdog during at the event during the afternoon.
The Heroes to Heroes foundation aims to help veterans who have tried to commit suicide or are suffering with depression.
“We provide a spiritual healing and peer support program for veterans,” program founder Judy Schaffer said.
The veterans are taken on a trip to Israel, Schaffer said. The journey is meant to “help them regain that sense of self and faith.” The program takes a group of about 10 veterans, who are paired with three to five mentors from Israel. Heroes to Heroes is a non-denominational program and is open to all combat veterans.
The program was established five years ago and has had over 60 veterans participate in the program, according to Schaffer. They will be sending another group to Israel in October. Schaffer explained that the trip is both a spiritual and social journey and that the veterans help each other to heal.
Schaffer added that all of the funds raised and donated go directly to the program.
(04/15/15 4:15am)
By Nicole Ferrito
Staff Writer
An electric longboard, an innovative social network platform and a South Asian-style restaurant were the top three ideas presented by students during the final round of the annual Mayo Business Plan Competition on Wednesday, April 8, in the College’s Library Auditorium.
Tikka Roll, a campus restaurant which would feature a combination of South Asian, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine, was envisioned by senior finance major Mekah Aswani, senior psychology major Pauleena Pal and senior finance major Shinal Parikh. The team took first place in the competition, receiving a $22,000 reward toward their plan.
The judges had “passion” for their idea, Parikh said. The way in which the team engaged the audience in their plan also set them apart from the other competitors, according to Parikh.
Their idea was inspired by a South Asian on-the-go, take-out style restaurant at Rutgers University called Kati Roll. The menu at Tikka Roll would involve a system, which is not offered at Rutgers.
Their vision is to offer “ethnocentric” dining on campus and to “foster a sense of community at TCNJ.” After talking to some of the architects of Campus Town, the team detailed a possible location and floor plan for Tikka Roll.
The students consulted Lorraine Allen, Regional Director at the Small Business Development Center at the College, for guidance and advising throughout their planning.
Aswani and her mother wanted to open up a restaurant last year, she explained. Although Aswani, Pal and Parikh will be graduating this May, they plan to stay local and hope to carry through their Tikka Roll dining plan.
One of the most challenging parts of the competition was finding time to meet, according to Pal.
“We’re all friends. It’s challenging figuring out how to set a line between friendship and being ‘business partners,’” Aswani said.
The Tikka Roll team presented thorough research on their competitors as well as extensive customer loyalty programs. Proximity, affordability and timely service were terms the team used to describe some of the major strengths of their idea in order to make their business successful.
Thor Electric Longboards came in second place, pioneered by senior mechanical engineering major Jamie LeRoy, senior mechanical engineering major Ian Nolan and senior accounting major Jenna Wilson.
Thor’s product is an electronic pack that longboarders can purchase, assemble and attach to their boards. The pack, which comes with a controller for the longboarder to moderate the speed, allows the rider to safely travel up to 12 mph.
Following in third place was ProjectSpotter, developed by senior marketing major Patrick Kelly, senior marketing major Eric Sawyer, senior psychology major Jessica Gorham and senior finance major Matthew Hellenbrecht.
Hellenbrecht described their online professional platform as a “think-tank for students” and a website that would “facilitate collaboration among students.” ProjectSpotter provides an virtual space for students with an “.edu” address to share any projects or research they are working on with other college students from around the world.
The Mayo Business Plan Competition was established and sponsored by Professor Herber B. Mayo with support from Eric Szabo, class of 1997.
The panel of judges included Joseph Haddock, class of 1997 and director for Operational Risk Management at Annaly Management Company LLC; Mary Lauria, class of 1986 and vice president of Global Talent Management at Johnson & Johnson; Stacy Mattia, senior banker and SVP in Middle Marketing Banking for Chase Bank; Morayea Pindziak, class of 1999 and vice president of Marketing for The Agency Inside; and Eric Szabo, chief risk officer for Annaly Company, LLC.
Giving advice to future Mayo Business Plan participants, Aswani suggested tackling a personal interest rather than a project that’s merely lucrative in theory.
“Don’t do a business plan just to do it,” Aswani said. “Do something you’re passionate about.”
(03/04/15 11:08pm)
By Nicole Ferrito
Staff Writer
In honor of Black History Month, Harvard University professor Charles J. Ogletree invited students, faculty and staff to engaged in a discussion-lecture on the topic of race and justice in today’s society on Wednesday, Feb. 25.
A distinguished author, speaker and the Founding and Executive Director of Harvard Law School’s new Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice, Ogletree challenged the audience to think about issues of race and class and what actions the next generation will take in order to make positive changes.
Raised in a small town in Arkansas, Ogletree was the first in his family to finish high school. He discussed his love of books and said reading was his “sense of overcoming poverty.”
Ogletree moved on to attend Stanford University, a decision that made his family happy.
“Wow, everybody should go to college,” he thought. What was most important, Ogletree explained, was that “I’m not the last one.” He went on to say that he hoped to “keep the doors open for the generations to come behind (him).”
Ogletree explained his constant efforts to push for diversity. He began a diversity program at Stanford that aligned with his goal to ensure that the doors are open for other generations to attend college, no matter their race or background.
He discussed ways the United States has changed since the 1950s and ’60s, such as the nation’s first African American president. Ogletree was mentor to both Barack Obama and Michelle Obama throughout their time at Harvard and assisted Obama during his 2008 and 2012 campaigns.
“I was very pleased to be someone who was supporting him,” Ogletree said.
While he mentioned the progress America has made in terms of race and social justice, Ogletree discussed his disappointment in recent events — the killings of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown — and the way in which they have been handled. He questioned what that tells us about race and class.
“In a sense, that makes us worry, ‘Is it really a problem?’ How are we going to address it?” Ogletree said. The problem will not go away, he explained. “It’s going to stay with us in a sort of memoriam,” Ogletree said.
He spoke of the importance of revitalizing cities like Chicago, Ill., and Ferguson, Mo.
Part of Ogletree’s disappointment stemmed from the lack of action taken by the community of Ferguson after Brown was shot. He said that African Americans make up almost 70 percent of Ferguson’s population.
“They, in a sense, control this area ... if they choose to control it,” he said.
Ogletree explained that they have the power to make changes in their government, but only about 20 percent of those registered to vote did so in the last local election.
“You have to think about doing something instead of complaining about the way you’re treated,” he said. He spoke of influential figures such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks and the changes they fought for. He compared Martin and Brown to these past civil rights activists, saying “(they) gave their lives to make this a better society.”
Ogletree expressed that he was proud of our nation for starting “BlackLivesMatter” as a way to bring the conversation about race and social justice to the forefront.
“A whole new generation of activism is happening around the world,” he said.
One piece of advice Ogletree emphasized to the audience is the importance of getting involved in politics.
“What can you do?” he asked. “Run for office — as soon as you’re able and willing to make a difference.”
Each year, Ogletree gives out scholarships to the high school he attended, as well as other high schools around the country.
“It’s my way of giving back,” he said. “Now they are going back and giving back to the next generation.”
But, the scholarships don’t go to the best and brightest students, Ogletree said. He explained that those are the students who will already be receiving scholarships. “I’m thinking of people who come from a C- to a B+,” he said.
Ogletree elaborated that these are the students that have made progress so that they can attend college.
“He inspired me to vote, now,” said Harmony Kingsley, a freshman elementary education and English double major. She added that his speech made her think about “how anybody can make a difference. It doesn’t matter how old you are.”
(02/26/14 1:07am)
Advocating on the importance of having easy access to medical records and positive doctor-patient relationships, Regina Holliday recounted her difficult hospital experience when her husband Fred suffered from kidney cancer.
Holliday detailed that the doctors didn’t inform her of updates on her husband’s condition, so it came as a shock when she was informed that Fred’s cancer had spread and was now at stage four.
She was also horrified to learn her husband’s hip had been fractured while in the process of being moved and no one had told her about it. Holliday was then motivated to push for hospital reform.
She began by using artwork as a way to spread a message.
“Change is done through story,” she said. “We need to work with everybody if we’re going to get change.”
She began with a painting on a gas station wall near her home in Maryland, just six days after her husband passed away.
“I am grieving, but I will not wait,” Holliday said on her drive to start informing people on issues with health information technology.
The painting was titled “73 cents.” This signified what it would cost, per page, to have access to her husband’s medical records so he could be transferred to another hospital. Collecting these pages would add up to hundreds of dollars.
There are many people portrayed in Holliday’s mural — her husband’s doctor, her husband and her sons.
“Not one of them is making eye contact with one another,” Holliday said. “It symbolizes the disconnect between patients and doctors. It has to change.”
She started to paint peoples’ stories on the backs of their jackets. This turned into a movement called “The Walking Gallery.” Holliday now speaks at medical conferences and colleges to promote change and to share the inspiring stories of what others have overcome.
At a senate press conference, Holliday did not hesitate to say, “What do you do to make sure caregivers have access to medical records?” Her question was not directly answered, so she continued to speak out to ensure that patients had a voice in the matter.
She incorporated an open access hospital data of unsatisfactory patient ratings into a painting she worked on directly in front of the reviewed hospital. People came up and questioned her work, and she was able to talk to them about what she was addressing in her art.
Holliday mentioned an article written about her that read, “Regina Holliday Is Not Special.” She explained that she agreed with the article. “You can make a change in this world,” she said to the audience.
Holliday creates paintings almost everywhere she visits. She created a piece at the College called “Hope.” She began the piece by painting dirty snow being whisked away and a girl in a cap and gown about to take on the world.
“In the moment, it’s energy and life and light,” Holliday said when reflecting on her thought process while painting the image for the College.
“Everyone can talk reform, but few can actually catalyze change,” said Jim Etheridge, a junior biology and communication studies double major. “Regina is one of those few — an inspiring leader who’s brilliance, tenacity and dedication are something to truly admire.”
(11/12/13 3:40pm)
Last week’s Jewish Education Week was organized to bring awareness to the Jewish population on campus and to encourage involvement in the programs put forth by the Hillel Society and the Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity, explained Carly Kalman, sophomore Jewish Awareness Month and social action chair of Hillel Society.
Both the AEPi Fraternity and Hillel Society decided to hold their event for the week of Nov. 7 because it is AEPi’s Founders Week, as well as the 100th anniversary of the fraternity, Bryan Halpern, junior president of Hillel Society explained.
The week began with Ask the Rabbi, an event held by Hillel, which welcomed students to join an open discussion session to talk about issues important to the Jewish faith.
Vera Goodkin, Holocaust survivor, spoke Tuesday, Nov. 5 on the hardships and terror that she experienced during one of the darkest parts of history. She first explained how for 37 years she was reluctant to speak about it.
“It’s difficult to make people understand what the experience was,” she said. “Human beings just don’t do things like that to other human beings.”
As she began her emotional story, she told the audience that the first time she was able to speak out was at an event held at Rider University to honor a man named Raoul Wallenberg, who was responsible for rescuing many children, including herself, from the holding prisons and death camps. He was known as the “Angel of Budapest,” she said.
Born in Czechoslovakia, Goodkin can only remember living in her childhood home for a few years, as people she did not know would come and go for reasons she could not understand.
She and her mother and father were kicked out of their home in October of 1939, and “that is how our career as professional escapees started,” she said.
Until March of 1943, she and her family ran for their lives, staying with non-Jewish friends and farmers, only for short periods of time, constantly hiding in attics and cellars.
She recalled an especially trying time in her battle for survival when she and her family were trekking through the dark muddy woods with a farmer as their guide. Goodkin leaned against a tree and thought, “Maybe this is all just a bad dream and maybe if I woke up it would be a different reality. If it was real I didn’t want to wake up.”
She and her family had been able to stay together, but they were split up after they were thrown in a medieval-looking prison, where they stayed in horrid conditions. People suffered from malnutrition and disease.
The children survived the best they could, she said. One day, a few men from the Swedish Red Cross visited the prison and deemed the place unfit for children. They then took some of them out. It had turned out that the men had worked for Raoul Wallenberg. He had the children sent to an orphanage to be taken care of.
Both she and her parents had come so close to death, but they were able to reunite in the end.
When a student asked Goodkin what had empowered her to continue on through some of the toughest moments, she responded that it was the instinct of living and intensity to show the enemy that they will not win.
“No matter how many times you hear the story of the Holocaust, everybody’s perspective adds a different dimension,” said Leah Lewy, junior computer science major and member of the Hillel Society on campus.
The week continued with activities put on by the AEPi Fraternity, such as the “Rock-A-Thon,” Bar/Bat Mitzvah games and a “Pie an AEPi member event.” The fraternity also collected donations and sold pink T-shirts for its philanthropy, which raises money to help families who have a member suffering from Breast Cancer, said Izik Gutkin, a fraternity member.
A formal Shabbat dinner concluded the week was a formal Shabbat dinner.
“Shabbat is a holiday that happens every Friday night to Saturday night,” Kalman said. “We made it formal to make it an exciting close to JEWeek, and we had a really good turn out.”
(09/10/13 4:15pm)
Kicking off the school year with the third annual Ultra Violet Week philanthropy event, the College’s Sigma Kappa sorority held a series of activities throughout the week to raise money and awareness for the Alzheimer’s Association.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, someone is diagnosed with the debilitating disease every 68 seconds, and there is no way to reverse it. Fortunately, there are ways to cope with the disease and to keep the mind as healthy as possible.
One of Sigma Kappa’s first events was a memory game show. Members of other organizations on campus were quizzed on their knowledge of ’90s television shows and music. They were also tested on the facts of Alzheimer’s.
Amy E. Matthews, the associate director of education and training at the Alzheimer’s Association, spoke on Thursday night on behalf of Sigma Kappa’s philanthropy event. She showed video clips of patients with the disease and their caregivers and discussed some of the main symptoms.
Matthews emphasized one common misconception of Alzheimer’s.
“Most importantly, dementia is not a disease — it’s just the symptoms,” she said. She also stressed the importance of getting a diagnosis as soon as symptoms occur.
The Alzheimer’s Association, which has a presence in 14 counties in New Jersey, helps not only the patients, but their families and caregivers as well, Matthews said.
Although there is no way to prevent the disease, there are many ways to keep a patient’s mind sharp.
“Take a different way to school. Make yourself think. Instead of writing down someone’s number, try and remember it,” Matthews said.
These exercises showed students first-hand the difficulties of the disease.
“I thought of how grateful I am that I can perform everyday tasks,” senior international studies major and member of Sigma Kappa Elizabeth Maricic said after the speech.
The sorority finished out its week with its second annual “Driving Out Alzheimer’s” Car Show. 35 participants from the surrounding community displayed their unique, novelty cars in Lot 4 at the College. Both students and town residents strolled through the lot, choosing their favorites.
“We felt it was a really good idea to bring in the campus community and the people outside of college,” said Michelle Rogoff, the sorority’s philanthropy chair and junior math, science and technology major. “Before I joined a sorority or even started this event, I didn’t realize how much awareness was needed for this disease.”
One participant, Bill Kraft, has shown his cars both years. When asked his connection to the sorority’s philanthropy, the owner of the 1955 Studebaker recalled the recent passing of his mother, who lost her life to Alzheimer’s.
Kraft won both the Sigma Kappa’s Choice award and the Most Memorable Car award at the show.
Walt Ludeke, associate director of the Alzheimer’s Association, spoke at the car show. He discussed some of the main responsibilities of the association, such as providing free consultation for families, early onset awareness classes, and organizing a summer camp for the children of patients with early onset Alzheimer’s.
“Keep on doing as much as you can, and you have no idea how much we appreciate it,” Ludeke said.
Throughout the week, members of Sigma Kappa sold purple ribbons, hair ties and elephant ribbons to raise money for Alzheimer’s awareness.
The girls explained that purple represented the color of the Alzheimer Association and the elephants represent memory.
“An elephant never forgets,” Sigma Kappa member and junior psychology major, Su Fen Lubitz said.
The sorority raised over $1,000 for the Alzheimer’s Association.
(04/09/13 4:00pm)
Students and faculty at the College got to experience a master class on entertainment education taught by Arvind Singhal, who has studied and worked with this public health communication strategy for years. The method has been conducted to produce positive social change in countries such as India and South Africa.
He is the Samuel Shirley and Edna Holt Marston Endowed professor of communication studies and director of the social justice initiative in University of Texas - El Paso’s Department of Communication.
Singhal’s visit was sponsored by the Public Health Communication Club, the Cultural and Intellectual Community Program Council, the School of Education, the Center for Global Engagement and the School of the Arts and Communication.
Entertainment education involves the use of story telling in hopes to alter negative social behavior. Singhal shared a quote by one of his favorite authors, G.K. Chesterton, “Fairy tales are more than true … not just because they tell us that monsters can be vanquished.”
This quote is directly related to the philosophy behind entertainment education, Singhal explained, because, “it is a global storytelling process.”
“The pen can move in any direction it wants,” he said. If there is a social issue, or a “monster,” that needs to be addressed, new and positive social norms have the potential to be created through this form of health communication.
He gave an example of how entertainment education was implemented in Behar, India.
Women tend to be looked down upon in India and are not treated as well as men. In many cases, young girls do not even know their own age because their birthdays go uncelebrated.
This social issue was addressed through a radio soap opera, which told the story of a girl who wished to have a birthday celebration, like her brother did. Because the creators of this radio soap opera “hold the pen,” they made the story move in a positive direction.
In the end, the young Indian girl was able to have a huge birthday celebration. The whole village took notice and realized celebrating a young girl’s birthday would be a good thing.
Singhal went on to explain that through this Indian soap opera, the normal “script” was rewritten to have a better outcome. Though it was a fictional radio show, it resulted in positive change in real life. A young girl celebrated her birthday in a village where the show was broadcasted. They soon noticed more girls celebrating their birthdays.
This is just one of many instances, where the implementation of entertainment education has made a difference and contributed to positive changes among various social and health problems.
Singhal discussed other influential figures that have used this “re-scripting” method of communication. He mentioned both Mother Theresa and Ghandi and the ways in which they profoundly impacted society.
He gives the example of how Ghandi ended violence among Muslim and Hindu Indians, by refusing to eat until people stopped killing. This unique approach to dealing with such a large-scale problem is similar to how entertainment education works.
Ghandi can be considered a “re-scripter” because he overcame the “monster” of violence by acting out to initiate social change.
Looking at life in a different way and approaching situations in ways you would never think to approach them was an important part of his message. Singhal asked his class to stand up and sit back down on their chair in a way in which they have never sat on a chair before. The audience, though slightly reluctant, began to sit down in obscure ways.
“You’ve just changed the normal ‘script’ of how to sit on a chair,” Singhal said.
Singhal ended his class discussing the ways in which video games can be used as a medium to rescript social and health problems that exist today. He explained how Jane McGonigal, a game designer, created a game called “Evoke,” which enables people to collaborate and come up with ways to solve real-world problems.
“Stories matter, but multiple stories matter even more,” Singhal said. If many people offer different perspectives on a problem, there is hope for change to be made.
(03/26/13 4:02pm)
Violence does not only impact victims that have been directly harmed, but also affects those who have witnessed it. The College’s Bonner Center hosted a forum on Thursday, March 21 that questioned a panel of experts dealing with violence on community and political levels.
Michelle Daniels, the Network Community Coordinator for Trenton, works at the Bonner Center and organized the forum in hopes of providing awareness and reducing violence.
The panel included regional medical examiner Dr. Roger Mitchell Jr., Dr. Sandy Gibson of the TCNJ Department of Counselor Education, Assistant Attorney General Wanda Moore, director of Urban Alternatives Solutions Larry Davis and Eugene Thomas, founder of Buried Treasures.
The experts focused on the need for treatment among victims of violence in impoverished areas. They also discussed some possible solutions to decrease violence in communities.
Thomas, who grew up in a rough environment in Newark, N.J. and spent several years in jail, spoke passionately on behalf of the cause.
“We can afford to incarcerate children, but we can’t afford psychological help,” he said. He was raised believing physical discipline was “normal” and as a consequence of this exposure to violence, suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.
“Suburban American children get immediate counseling,” Thomas said after being exposed to violence, while poor children do not. “All children must be treated the same.”
Davis explained that many children were misdiagnosed with having ADHD and are not given the chance to use services that will truly help them.
Mitchell went on to explain, “We need to start framing violence as a public health issue.” If violence was given a “multi-disciplinary approach,” it would help decrease its occurrence.
“A known and expected outcome to being exposed to violence, is violence,” Mitchell said. Each panelist agreed that violence primarily begins at the home and with the family life of a child.
Moor, who was a public defender before becoming assistant attorney general, explained that in many of the assault cases she has faced, “no one talked about what would happen to the child.”
While violence is a reality that is extremely difficult to overcome, the panelists offered solutions that they hope can reduce violence in communities and provide proper care to those that fall victim to it.
Gibson offered different policy approaches to the community. She explained in detail how she developed an Across the Ages Inter-generational Program, “targeting youth and specific risk factors for youth and family in a specific community.”
The program was successful because they gathered information on one specific area. This program may be unsuccessful in other areas because it does not fit the needs of other communities. “You need strategic planning,” Gibson said.
There are models that can be adapted to multiple communities, explained Gibson. Creating employment opportunities and businesses in violent and impoverished communities instills a sense of hope. “They feel they are valued,” she said.
Relating to Gibson’s comment, Mitchell later said, “A job is a bullet proof vest.” He elaborated that a sustainable community decreases violence.
“Education has been a surrogate family,” Mitchell said. A caring teacher can make a difference in a child’s life, one who may not be cared for at home.
“A single caring adult is the strongest resiliency factor in combatting violet behavior,” Gibson said.
Moore stressed to the audience, “Ask questions if a child doesn’t come to school” and to never say “what’s wrong with you?”, but rather, “How can I help you?”
Similar to Moor’s caring approach, the panelists all agreed it takes sincerity and trust to help victims exposed to violence. Davis, who has worked with and helped many troubled children, explained that the solution lies with behavior modification and “post-criminal thinking.” But most of all, to be sincere, “show them some peace and love,” Davis said.
(02/19/13 5:00pm)
In light of recent tragic shooting events, an increase in police presence, emergency management and security is being implemented throughout certain public spaces, such as at colleges and universities.
The College’s police department is taking the necessary steps by both informing students, faculty and staff on how to respond to a situation involving an active shooter, as well as frequently training the officers in case such an event should occur.
In December, the College’s emergency management team sent out an email to the College containing a link to an informative video, which explained how to react in the event of an active shooter. The video, developed by Homeland Security, highlights three essential steps in dealing with such a situation: “Run. Hide. Fight.”
The Office of Homeland Security offers additional resources to the College, according to Campus Police sources. The link included a poster and handout on how to respond to this type of emergency.
“We have a couple of projects that are in the works to give resources to students, faculty and staff,” Campus Police said. They have been working on distributing these resources even before the recent shooting events.
Matthew Golden, associate vice president of Communications, Marketing and Brand at the College, said that the Campus Police participate in a collaborative group called CUPSA, College/University Public Safety Association. CUPSA allows law enforcement from different colleges to share information with each other pertaining to certain situations and procedures.
A member of the Campus Police department is the president of CUPSA.
“There was recently an active shooter training tabletop exercise that involved Campus Police,” Golden said. Outside law enforcement evaluators also shared their thoughts and inputs concerning campus safety.
Campus Police explained that many different types of safety and procedural plans, other than active shooter training, are collaborated upon as well.
“There is a lot of preparedness activity,” Golden said. “We learn from what happens on other campuses.” Campus Police, along with other local law enforcement, apply crisis planning by improving upon operations here on campus.
This spring, the College’s police will participate in an active shooting “simunition,” according to Golden. He elaborated on the training and explained how they use weapons that are similar to real ones. Campus Police said the “bullets” used in the simulation are made of soap.
“It marks whatever it hits,” said campus police sources on the “soap bullets.”
Golden explained a similar “simunition” was conducted approximately a year ago in Kendall Hall, and involved Ewing and State police as well.
Additionally, Campus Police attend crisis management training at other universities such as Texas A&M. The federal government provides this training.
“You can never be too prepared,” said sophomore elementary education and psychology double major Kristen Pizzolo when discussing campus security at the College.
Mike Ferrucci, a freshman English major, also added that it is “always relevant to have people educated,” in reference to informing people on how to react in case of an emergency situation.
Because shootings are sometimes assumed to be linked to mental illness, Jeanine Vivona, a psychology professor at the College and clinical psychologist, offered her insight on the issue as well.
“The vast majority of people with psychological disorders are not a threat,” Vivona said. She elaborated on the fact that the media plays a huge role in society’s assumption that mental illness is related to these recent tragic events.
However, she stressed the importance of reaching out to friends and fellow students who appear to be troubled, because though they most likely have no potential for being violent, it is still very helpful to show concern for those who need it.
“Some of the major indicators of a troubled student or friend may include changes in personality, reactiveness, tearfulness, isolating oneself and refusing to socialize,” Vivona said.
She emphasized showing concern for those who seem to be hurting and doing so in a caring manner.
“All faculty and residential staff are aware of the resources on campus and will recommend students they feel are suffering to these resources,” she said.
While mental illness may not be linked to recent shooting events, it is always safe to be informed from a psychological point of view as well.
(12/06/12 5:07pm)
Speaking on the topic of gender stereotypes that exist in our society today and the role it plays in the performance and ballet industry were history professor Cynthia Paces and owner of Renaissance Dance in Ewing, Bernd Burgmaier.
Burgmaier, who has been a ballet dancer almost all his life, provided insight on his experience as a male in a stereotypical female gender role.
When asked how he first realized he wanted to pursue dance, Burgmaier explained that he knew from a young age.
However, because he grew up in a small village in Germany, it was perceived as “odd” that a boy wanted to practice ballet.
He recalled waiting to speak to his first dance teacher with his mother.
When they only saw girls exit the studio, his mother leaned over to him and said, “We can still leave, it’s just girls.”
But Burgmaier explained to the audience how it did not bother him that it was thought of as a female sport and said, “For me, it’s the joy of dancing.”
After rigorous ballet training, he was one of 35 dancers chosen for an international dance team out of the 600 dancers from all over Europe.
Burgmaier went on to explain one of the first things he learned from ballet discipline. His teachers were strict and he would leave classes bruised from the intensity of practice.
The girls, he said, practiced the “sensitive, fragile side of it,” while the boys practiced “the athletic side of it.”
After six years of dancing and performing, Burgmaier decided he needed a break from the disciplined world of ballet and joined a modern dance program in Munich, Germany.
“It was very freeing,” he said, “I could go to class without being afraid.”
Burgmaier’s switch to modern dance led him to taking a class in New York at Merce Cunningham.
He described the difference between the two types of dance, referring to modern dance as “very physical, no emotion.”
Later, Burgmaier joined the Les Ballets Trockadero, a group of men from New York who perform ballet dances, which are meant to be comical.
He explained that the purpose of the spoof performances was for “men to dance as a man in a woman’s costume.”
The message behind the Trock’s performances could be related to a statement made by Judith Butler, an author on gender roles, explained Paces.
Butler discusses the difference between the biology of gender and the culture of gender. She said, “There is no gender identity behind the expression of gender.”
Burgmaier, himself, took on the role of female, performing a famous solo, “The Dying Swan,” originally performed by German ballerina, Anna Pavalova.
Overall, Pace’s interview with Burgmaier allowed for an open discussion on gender roles in ballet and depicted the masculine side of dancing that is typically not seen.
In reaction to Burgmaier’s performance, Jen D’Elia, freshman arts and communication studies open options major, said, “In his performance he was perceived as a girl, but people seemed to enjoy it.”
(11/13/12 11:34pm)
With the constant barrage of images in our media today that defines what the “perfect” body type is, it comes as no surprise to learn that there are over 10 million reported cases of eating disorders among women. The Delta Phi Epsilon sorority at the College devoted the past week to their philanthropy, eating disorder awareness. Throughout the week, the sorority has held various events on campus, calling attention to their cause and fundraising for the organization ANAD, National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders.
“Pie-A-Deepher” was the sorority’s first event of the week. The event was a fun way to get people to recognize their cause, along with raising money for their philanthropy, explained sorority member Alex Goncher, senior psychology major. In exchange for $3, students got to pie a sister of the sorority.
Danielle Levine, sorority member and senior criminology major, said they chose the “Pie-A-Deepher” event because it was something different and other chapters of DPhiE have done it as well. “It was really successful … We raised over $350,” Goncher said.
Tuesday night, Delta Phi Epsilon presented a speaker, former Miss America of 2008, Kristen Haglund, who spoke on behalf of Eating Disorder Awareness Week. Haglund spoke about her battle with anorexia and how she overcame the disease. She called it “an issue that is not very sexy.”
Haglund made sure to note that eating disorders do not only affect women, but men too.
She talked about how the media, such as magazines, are constantly persuading their readers to go on some type of diet. Haglund, told the audience, the only type of diet she recommends is a “media diet.” A diet, which she explained, is a restriction of our media consumption.
She expressed the severity of an eating disorder and how it becomes a false sense of “peace” or “comfort” when things in their life become out of control. Haglund asked the audience to imagine “the kind of life that it is to be starving all the time … It’s not fun.”
“Real women eat pasta,” she said and the audience laughed.
“We’re not going to let society define what beauty should be,” Haglund said. After discussing her road to recovery with the help of nutritionists, pyschologists and the support of her parents she talked of the importance of being aware and to look out for friends and for yourself.
“You don’t have to be perfect, to be significant,” said Haglund as she assured the audience that all are original and beautiful in their own way.
Students at the College had a chance to reflect, relax and relieve their own stresses at Delta Phi Epsilon’s next event, a free yoga class held at Decker Lounge on Wednesday.
Stephanie Phang, sorority member and sophomore finance major, said, “We chose yoga as our event because not only does it exercise the body, but it exercises the mind as well.” She went on to say, “It’s also a stress reliever, which is perfect for college students.”
“I feel relaxed, and my mind feels relaxed,” said Navid Radfar, sophomore biology major who attended the yoga class.
That evening the sorority held a fundraiser at Palermo’s and received 10 percent of the proceeds.
A dodge ball tournament was held on Thursday. Danielle Levine, sorority member and senior criminology major, said they co-sponsored the tournament with the Inter-Greek Council. Levine said that two freshman teams competed to win a cash prize.
Delta Phi Epsilon wrapped up their Eating Disorder Awareness week by selling cupcakes in the student center for $1. Along with a cupcake, they gave away a small purple ribbon representing eating disorder awareness.
(10/23/12 11:43pm)
Addressing the issue of diversity at the College, Rankin & Associates — climate survey consultant of higher education — presented a Climate Survey Project, “Your Voice Matters: an Assessment of Learning, Living, and Working on Campus,” in the Education Building, on Wednesday, Oct. 17.
Susan Rankin, a professor at Pennsylvania State University, discussed their plan to send out an extensive survey to all members of the College community including students, faculty and staff. The survey, Rankin explained, would consist of four parts: demographics, experiences, institutional actions and perceptions.
The main purpose of the survey, as Rankin presented, is to analyze the current climate, or environment at the College, on social issues and interactions.
The next step after that deals with the development of a plan that would initiate positive adjustments using the information that’s gathered.
She talked of “four layers of diversity,” which discuss how we are defined as more than just race, gender and ethnicity. It encompasses everything, ranging from a person’s income, job position or status, personal habits, religion, disabilities and personality. The survey touches upon many of these categories.
They are not only concerned with the success of students, but with that of faculty and staff as well, Rankin explained.
She believes their performance and how comfortable they are on campuses and in the classroom affect their relationship and interactions with the students. Diversity among faculty and staff may better the environment.
If enough people participate in the survey and a sufficient amount of data is collected, Rankin explained that she and her associates would analyze the information and suggest recommendations to the College.
These recommendations would address each group — students, faculty and staff, Rankin said.
For example, depending on the findings of the survey, one suggestion may be to create a first-year seminar program for students and incorporate teaching diversity into the curriculum.
Kerri Thompson Tillett, director of Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action and Diversity and director of Compliance at the College, wanted to stress the importance of participating in the survey.
“We are looking for everyone to participate,” she said. The more people that participate the more accurate the information will reflect our college campus and will help to make a change, according to Tillett.
The survey took approximately nine months to develop, Rankin said. She explained how they used current data on the College to construct the questions.
The survey will only take about 20 to 30 minutes to be completed, informed Rankin, and is tailored specifically for the College.
When speaking about the importance of transformative change, Rankin said, “It has to be the people and institution that want that to happen.”
(10/16/12 10:29pm)
The paranoia and fear captured in Jose Luis Cuerda’s emotional film, “Los Girasoles Cieglos,” characterizes the lives of the liberal Republicans of Spain after their defeat in the Spanish Civil war. The movie, meaning “The Blind Sunflowers,” depicts Spain under the regime of fascist Francisco Franco and how those who disagreed with his beliefs were forced to hide or flee the country to protect their lives.
New Jersey Council for the Humanities had a showing of “The Blind Sunflowers” on Tuesday night. Director of the program and adjunct professor in the history department at the College, Jon Stauff, introduced the movie.
The movie, which was shown to portray the terror and anxiety that swept Spain after the civil war, intertwines the stories of a young couple and their infant fleeing the country, and a man that must hide in the walls of his home to avoid being captured by the police. It also portrays the Catholic Church as corrupt and immoral.
“Los Girasoles Cieglos”, makes a reference to a passage in the bible that describes people who have lost their way, as “blind sunflowers.” As the film unfolds, the characters become a reflection of this statement with a meaning resonates throughout the movie.
The main protagonists, Elena and her son Lorenzo, must continue to go about their daily routines, concealing the fact that Elena’s nationalist husband is alive and hiding in their home. She must also accept the fact that her pregnant daughter has run off with her husband in attempt to escape the oppression.
However, when Lorenzo’s teacher, a priest named Salvador, becomes obsessed with his mother, Elena, it complicates their situation and it becomes more difficult to hide her secrets.
“They want me for what I think. That’s what hurts me!” said the character Ricardo, Elena’s husband, in “Los Girasoles Cieglos,” a passionate phrase from Cuerda’s film which highlights the despair in which liberal thinkers had to endure after the war.
Salvador, the priest, is a representative of the corruptness of the church at this time in history. He was a soldier in the Spanish Civil war who had become disturbed by what he experienced. He expresses his confused emotions to his head priest, who then compares Salvador to a “blind sunflower” who must find the light.
“(‘The Blind Sunflowers’) portrayed the hardship that families had to go through who didn’t believe in what the government wanted them to believe in,” said Tracy Kaplan, sophomore marketing major.
Spanish professor Marimar Huguet-Jerez told the students how the movie was based on two stories from Alberto Mendez’s book, which was published in 2004. The book, like the movie, recapped the sad stories of those who had to hide from society because of their thoughts and beliefs.