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(05/09/19 3:10pm)
By Nicole Viviano
News Editor
At approximately 6:48 a.m. on Monday, May 6, a College student was stabbed by his housemate in their off-campus home located on the unit block of Crescent Avenue, according to Ewing Police.
The victim, junior civil engineering major Ryan Maffia, sustained two non-life-threatening stab wounds – the first to his upper left arm and the second on the right side of his head, on his scalp. He was transported by ambulance to the Trauma Center at Capital Health Regional Medical Center, where he was released at approximately 9:30 a.m. with his wounds treated.
“I was scared for my life,” Maffia said. “I thought I was going to die. I've never been this scared in my entire life.”
Upon arrival at Maffia’s residence, the police located the accused assailant, former College student and junior finance major Joseph Walsh Jr.
According to an official press release from Ewing Police, Walsh has been charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault with a weapon, possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose, terroristic threats, criminal mischief, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.
In an interview with The Signal, Maffia and his housemate, junior history and secondary education dual major Eric Struble, detailed the confrontation.
They explained that they have called the police multiple times this school year due to other incidents involving Walsh's harassment and drug abuse, although prior situations had never escalated as it had on Monday morning.
The residence is home to six housemates, five of whom are current College students, as Walsh took a voluntary leave of absence from school this semester, according to Maffia and Struble.
Maffia and Walsh were the only two in the house at the time of the incident. While Maffia was asleep in his room, Walsh allegedly broke into his room and attacked him with a two-pronged barbecue fork, without any prompt.
Maffia was able to flee the house and began knocking on his neighbors’ doors for help. A 911 call was made by a neighbor, who reported a male banging on their door for assistance.
Struble, who was on the College’s campus at the time of the incident, was informed of the situation involving his friend and housemate, Maffia, by a Ewing Police detective around 7 a.m. The detective requested Struble to return home to further discuss what happened with the police.
“I drove over from TCNJ and there was like, a SWAT team and 20 cop cars – they had our whole street blocked off,” Struble said.
Walsh has been turned over to Mercer County Department of Corrections Personnel, according to Ewing Police. Anyone with information on this incident is asked to call Ewing Police at 609-882-1313.
(05/08/19 11:20pm)
By Nicole Viviano
News Editor
As part of the Alumni Lecture Series, the College welcomed Andy Polansky (’83), CEO of the global communications and marketing solutions firm Weber Shandwick, on May 1 at 4 p.m. in Mayo Concert Hall.
Following a brief introduction by the lecture’s host, Dean of the School of the Arts and Communications Maurice Hall, Polansky worked through a slideshow detailing his professional journey and a video showcasing his company’s social impact work.
Hall and Polansky further discussed the speaker’s career path from his time at the College to the present day.
“I think for students to see one of their own who sat where they sat achieve this level of success, not only for it's a credit to the education you get at TCNJ, but it's a credit to the fact that they too can do this,” Hall said.
With a wide range of international clients and a demanding travel schedule to match, Polansky discussed the importance of knowing a client, their culture and being a good listener to understand the two aspects.
“You have to be very tuned in to what the local culture is, how one communicates most effectively in that market given that culture,” he said.
Polansky detailed the essential task of comprehending a company and possible future client to get the job done. When a client is in the market for a public relations firm, the values of that company are as important as its financials.
Polansky described during a merger how one of the companies did very lucrative business with a tobacco manufacturer, but was eventually phased out to the end of its contracts, due to the misalignment with his company’s core values.
“You always want to make sure the work you're taking on is aligned with the values you have as a firm,” Polansky said.
A key point the CEO brought to the audience’s attention was the unpredictability of where a degree can lead, and the necessity for drive as a new job seeker.
“I felt like what he was saying was very, very true — how you can major in a lot of different things, but it's really the initiative you put out there ... and you can just go in whatever field you really want as long as you’re doing it yourself,” said senior international studies major Surya Ramesh. “I thought he was a prime example of that.”
Primarily attended by students and faculty, the lecture opened for questions at the end of the event, allowing for a continued conversation with the speaker on his life experience and advice.
“When he talked about how when someone interviews you, they're really looking for how you are as a person … I felt like that was really true during my interview,” said Peiling Yang, a senior marketing major.
The difference between life experience and school or job experience was a distinction Polansky mentioned as a hot topic about which future employers will ask. He advised students to research the exact company for which they wish to work.
“I think students need to be proactive and take initiative and recruit the firms that they are interested in working for,” said Polansky. He said that students must “do so in a clever, distinctive way” in order to be noticed.
Polansky started out in his first business position visiting 46 states in four years. Regardless of the destination, connecting with people was of the utmost importance to him. Collecting intellectual capital as a CEO for his firm and listening to how people feel and think are among his duties.
“As I took on more managerial responsibility for our global network, I began to travel to different offices, meet our colleagues, understand our business operations in those markets and of course, importantly our customers, our clients in those markets,” Polansky said.
Hall was pleased to have Polansky speak at the College, this being the second attempt to get him on campus. The speaker’s continued involvement with the College, including his role as a member of the TCNJ Foundation Board of Directors, is among the reasons he was honored with the Alumni Citation Award in 2015 for extraordinary commitment to the College after graduation.
“The key thing that I want students to come away with is the idea of how important a good education is, how important it is to be innovative and to take responsibility for your own learning,” Hall said.
(05/01/19 5:45pm)
By Nicole Viviano
News Editor
The balance between work and play is a continuous battle in every college student’s routine, but when you factor in a job, the equation becomes a little more complicated.
Every time I meet a college student and get to talking about work, school and the stresses that come along with both, I’m amazed at the endurance and drive that so many people have. But there is a word I feel many students, especially at school’s with high academic expectations, such as the College, need to remember – moderation.
Finding an equilibrium between school work and fun times is simple, but add in friends, family, career development, jobs and extracurricular activities, and you are in for a rough time.
Before transferring to the College as a junior in the fall 2018 semester, I attended community college. I pursued a full-time student credit load, club involvement, a rigorous gym schedule four to five times a week and worked nights as a bartender and waitress – not to mention family obligations and cutting out time for friends. I scheduled my days without worrying about how much sleep I would get and found myself hitting a wall of exhaustion.
Perhaps you could consider it a stroke of luck or misfortune that once I got to this point I had an accident in the gym and hurt myself badly enough that I was on crutches, couldn’t drive and had to take time off of work per doctor’s orders.
At first, I was furious at my circumstance, which cut into my physical routine, my income and my independence. I was forced to get rides to school from family and friends and I had to actually rest.
It took a physical injury for me to realize what I was doing to myself and that I needed to rethink my game plan. There was no reason for my situation to progress to the point it did. If I was more introspective about what my mind and body needed, rest, I wouldn’t have found myself in such a difficult condition.
At the College, students are operating at a higher capacity in my opinion, making it all the more necessary for them to moderate their schedules before a breakdown.
This could swing both ways on the spectrum. Perhaps you take on too many responsibilities and overwhelm yourself to the point where you can’t perform to your best ability. Some may think the way to build an impressive college resumé is to be involved with everything, but this could easily backfire. Promising your time and commitment to too many organizations usually results in letting someone down. Instead of creating a positive name for yourself, you’ve been labeled as a flake.
On the other hand, not getting involved at all, whether you live on campus or commute, could make you feel anonymous on campus. Similar to the tree falling in the woods question – if no one is there to witness your involvement, were you ever really there?
Figuring out what works best for you and how much you can take on is a life lesson that will aid in greater career accomplishments down the road. Knowing your capabilities can be an invaluable strength – one that is recognized by your friends, co-workers and mentors.
(04/30/19 5:10am)
By Nicole Viviano
News Editor
The Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion welcomed Damon Williams of the Center for Strategic Diversity Leadership & Change on Friday, April 26 in the Library Auditorium at 12:30 p.m. to share his analysis of the College’s current diversity structure and his recommendations for the future of the community.
The lecture was part of a series of regular updates issued from the OIDEI regarding current steps being taken by the College toward solidifying the job descriptions and positions of the diversity team members.
According to a campus-wide email from Acting Vice President of Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Ivonne Cruz, Williams has been hired as an outside consultant to contribute to building a more diverse and inclusive campus community. He met with several members in administration on April 2 to collaborate on specific issues regarding diversity and inclusion on campus.
Having worked with more than 1,000 colleges and universities and having conducted extensive research on the role of diversity on college campuses, he recommended that the College implement a role of Chief Diversity Officer, along with a supportive team and school.
“I think the power of a person from outside coming in to look at us and hold up a mirror is that they can see things that we sometimes can’t see ourselves,” said College President Kathryn Foster, who was in attendance.
Williams broke down the elements necessary to build a successful diversity and inclusion plan. Comparing the role of CDO to a triangle offense in basketball, one in which every player gets to touch the ball, Williams detailed the necessity of teamwork in all stages of forming a game plan.
“It’s not about one person, it’s about that person playing a particular role with a team in a collegiality within a culture to move an agenda,” Williams said.
Williams explained how the CDO is meant to be a complimentary nomenclature rather than being a standalone title. The position is not a top-down role, but rather an integrative one that connects many resources and people. Rather than a tenure administrator, the CDO requires an expert in diversity with a grounded definition of duties.
Many representatives of College offices and organizations were in attendance, including Senior Director of Facilities Operations Maritza McGraw, who described Williams as dynamic and informative.
“I appreciate that he focused on so many topics that are relevant to us here at the College and everywhere in our lives,” she said.
Williams made it a point during his talk to commend both Foster and the OIDEI office for hiring him and how they responded to the racial incidents late last semester. He described his work and data as pre-work or readiness work, which looks to promote a more successful and fast-acting OIDEI in the future.
Williams’ research laid out common misconceptions and various challenges regarding the CDO role. A Lack of proper resources, job title misconceptions and unaccountability in leadership can put roadblocks around partnership opportunities at an institution.
“We have to create a public accountability and public conversation that asks leaders to stand forward and say, ‘This is what I’m doing, this is what I’m not doing,’” Williams said.
However, according to Williams, with a thought-out growth plan that implements accountability on campus and by mandating diversity and inclusion goals as part of annual reviews and performance systems, those mistakes can be resolved.
Williams said his research showed that a great diversity and inclusion team has already taken shape at the College, which will produce the strength needed to build up the diversity plan.
In a brief exchange between Foster and Williams after the lecture, the College’s president expressed excitement to see the comprehensive report and continue working together.
A video of the lecture in its entirety can be found on the OIDEI’s website. Williams reminded the audience of the simple gestures that could further promote the new diverse and inclusive College culture.
“We got to stop telling people they’re broken and flawed,” Williams said. “And we got to start lifting people up, saying we need you to be a great teacher, we want you to be a better leader and a better citizen and a better staff member.”
In her email, Cruz also linked the College’s developed bias response form created for students to report incidents of bias that they encounter. The form can now be found on OIDEI’s website.
(02/19/19 8:48am)
By Michael Rodriguez
Correspondent
It all started with a hike in the woods, a knee injury and the surgery that followed. Like many who endure serious procedures, the pain afterward can be excruciating. This too was the case for Ryan Hampton, who found that his prescribed pain medication was his only relief. It was not long before he found himself slowly becoming addicted.
On Friday, Feb. 15, in the Education Building Room 212, the College’s Collegiate Recovery Program partnered with Life of Purpose Addiction Treatment Centers to host Hampton, an author and recovering addict who came to discuss his book, “American Fix: Inside the Opioid Addiction Crisis - and How to End It.”
His book outlines his own recovery process and provides different solutions to the challenges that national recovery movements continue to face.
The national opioid crisis has become a major concern in recent years, with many falling victim to prescription drug addiction, according to Hampton.
Hampton was a part of the Florida pill crisis in the early 2000s, where providers wrote prescriptions for people haphazardly without regulating the supply or checking patients’ backgrounds and susceptibilities.
“The pain killers were weaponized for my medicine cabinet,” Hampton said, “It was very normalized to walk out of the doctor’s office with these military-grade pain killers.”
This is the case for many individuals addicted to opioids and other substances, as prescription drugs are easy to access and even easier to fall victim to, Hampton explained.
For years, Hampton suffered from his addiction and constantly went back to his doctor for more, even long after his recovery period ended –– and they gave it to him.
“I was ashamed and didn’t want anyone else to know,” Hampton said. “My family didn’t want anyone to know.”
Hampton was accompanied by community recovery advocates, who served as visiting panel members at the event –– Andrew Burki, John Hulick and Sarah Espenshade work to spread awareness of drug addiction and the importance of recovery.
Hulick, former adviser to former Gov. Chris Christie and former “Drug Tsar” of Florida, was responsible for bringing awareness of the prescription situation to New Jersey officials’ attention. While working in Florida, Hulick tracked the patterns of written prescriptions and questioned pharmaceutical providers on their abundant sales. He recalled how providers would look at the data and deny that there was a problem.
“I told them ‘you filed that data to the federal government,’” he said. “‘So yes, there is a problem.’”
Espenshade, a counselor who specializes in drug addiction, runs an outpatient program in Delaware County, Pennsylvania that focuses on patient recovery after treatment. Without this service, other tragedies such as homelessness, relapses and higher suicide rates are more likely, she explained.
“This is not just an opioid crisis,” Espenshade said. “This is a national behavior crisis.”
One of the crucial points the panel touched on was the difference between treatment and recovery. Hulick believes treatment quantifies medication, therapy and outside support. Recovery is the period of rebuilding careers, relationships and one’s personal identity. He shared that it is wrong to use the words “treatment” and “recovery” interchangeably, and that long-term recovery plans should accompany treatment plans.
“The quality of care should shift from primarily treatment to recovery,” Hulick said. “Long-term recovery is more impactful and allows for better results.”
In the case of Burki, the founder of the Life of Purpose addiction recovery center, an organized recovery plan is of the utmost importance. Reducing the stigma of addiction through long-term recovery plans shows people who are not addicts the positive impact that these plans can have when it comes to overcoming addictions.
“The best way to reduce stigma is to be successful,” Burki said. “(It is) showing that they are not just successful recovering addicts — they are successful citizens.”
As a strong advocate for youth programs combating drug addiction, Burki hopes that younger generations will band together to end the stigma and create programs that help those around them achieve success and have access to proper treatment.
TCNJ CRC is one such organization that seeks to accomplish this goal. As a relatively new organization, TCNJ CRC organized this event to encourage discussion of drug addiction and recovery on campus.
TCNJ CRC President Hannah Lemke, a senior psychology and biology double major, hopes that panels like these will increase awareness and help advocate for those who might benefit from these services.
“We work with them all the time, hosting discussions and panels with their support,” Lemke said.
Hampton ended the panel by further discussing his book and exploring what treatment and recovery was like for him and others suffering from addiction. He hopes that by sharing his experience and advocating for more awareness, he can help prevent addiction in the future.
“I didn’t plan on writing a book,” he said. “But telling our stories and recovering out loud is the best way to go.”
(02/05/19 9:02am)
By Nicole Viviano
News Editor
The Student Finance Board funded its base budget and spring training retreats and three student organizations at its first meeting of the semester on Jan. 30.
Chabad, the student organization that provides educational Jewish programming for students and faculty, proposed its bar mitzvah event, which will take place on March 3 from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. in the Education Building Room 212. The organization was fully funded $6,080 for food, entertainment and a sound technician.
“I think this will be an amazing way for us to share with the campus community the experience and significance of the traditional bar mitzvah, especially during Chabad at TCNJ's 13th year on campus (the year that a traditional bar mitzvah takes place),” said Erica Levin, a senior biology major and former president and current alumni relations chair for Chabad.
“I hope that this event allows our students to celebrate tradition, perspective and come together for something that is a staple in the Jewish culture,” Levin said.
The Unified Greek Council received a partial fund of $360 for its “Meet the Greeks” event, which is planned for March 7. The time and place for the event have yet to be announced, and the club said flyers will be posted next week with more information. Hosted once each semester, this event is intended as a welcome-back and an introduction to the multicultural Greek presence on the College’s campus.
“It gives TCNJ students a chance to expose themselves to our Greek organizations, learn the ins-and-outs of them, the cultural and historical backgrounds of our organizations, and to offer TCNJ students a fun night to hang out with our Greek organization,” said Jada Lampety, a senior public health major and vice president and current acting president of the UGC.
Senior history major and treasurer for UGC Nayomi Torres-Velez said that the event would help students experience inclusion and allow them to branch out of their comfort zone by meeting new friends.
Sigma Lambda Beta was fully funded $138 for its “Operation Beautiful” event, which is scheduled for Feb. 13 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Brower Student Center. Expenses will cover flowers, craft materials and note paper.
The event is meant to spread awareness to the student body of the nationwide depression epidemic. The organization hopes to show support and offer an open environment for those who are grieving over lost ones, battling mental illness or lacking a relationship especially so close to Valentine’s Day.
SFB voted fully to fund both of its upcoming semester retreats. The first retreat, which is scheduled for April 5, received $100. It will be held on campus in an effort to conserve funding. Its focus will be on approving student organizations’ base budget requests and will allow SFB to review and revise its constitution if necessary. The second, scheduled for April 12 for $1,400, is the spring training retreat for new executive board members and a time for SFB to plan dates and deadlines for the upcoming academic year.
(02/05/19 8:45am)
By Nicole Viviano
News Editor
In honor of National Blood Donor Month, Campus Town hosted a blood drive from Jan. 30 to Friday, Feb.1 in effort to combat the current blood bank deficit facing New Jersey.
Even though temperatures dropped to the lowest of the season throughout the three-day event, the heated interior of the red and white coach bus and the warm staff offered a pleasant experience for donors.
Organized by Miller-Keystone Blood Center of Trenton, New Jersey, the drive was able to successfully meet its quotas.
“We want to do what we can to support the blood donations and to support the community,” said Greg Lentine, director of campus development at Campus Town. “That’s a really big goal for us.”
Miller-Keystone is a community blood center which aims to supply local hospitals with the resources they need for surgeries and emergency procedures. Unlike national blood organizations, the donations that are given at Miller-Keystone help the local community.
Miller-Keystone Donor Resources Representative Daria Caldwell collaborated with Lentine to plan and secure the Campus Town vendors’ support. Meanwhile, Dave Conner, the director of Student Involvement, approved the event’s flyers and contacted student organizations on campus to alert the community of the event.
Lentine also reached out to New Jersey 101.5 in hopes that student groups, fraternities, sororities, students and community members alike would contribute to Miller-Keystone’s efforts.
“When you have these events, as much as you want all the College people to be involved, we also want the community to come out,” Lentine said. “That's why we went out and bought advertising on the radio — to try and get the community to come on out here and help support this.”
The normal timing involved with planning a blood drive can be anywhere from three to six weeks, Caldwell explained. This event was put together in just one. A Miller-Keystone mobile donor coach bus allowed for the flexibility needed to piece the drive together in this short amount of time.
Phlebotomists Sandy Rodriguez, Angie Renee Bratcher, Tracy Moyer and staffed nurse Kevin Clark helped keep the environment welcoming for donors.
“For me, who’s been doing nonprofit philanthropy work for 35 years, it’s your chance to help somebody learn … the value of taking care of each other, and being kind to each other, and being cognizant that there is a world beyond yourself,” Caldwell said.
Caldwell’s goal is to create a comfortable, close-to-home environment for both donors and staff. Her passion for her work stems from her upbringing and her survival after four blood transfusions.
“I know that I’m here today because somebody stepped up and put their arm out,” she said.
Upon completion of a donation, donors were thanked for saving three lives and received contributed coupons and materials from supporting Campus Town vendors, including a Miller-Keystone T-shirt, a laundry bag, 10 percent off at Lion Dog, Piccolo Pronto, RedBerry and Frutta Bowls and a free dessert voucher from Landmark Americana.
This event was also formulated at a quicker pace due to the dire need for resources and Campus Town’s relationship with the blood center. Miller-Keystone will have a physical location that is expected to open up in Campus Town later this semester, according to Lentine.
“Once the center opens up people can go in there any time, but we will help support them because it’s something that is giving back to the community,” Lentine said. “We think that’s really important.”
(01/29/19 8:16am)
By Nicole Viviano
News Editor
The longest U.S. government shutdown concluded with the signing of a short term spending bill on Jan. 25, but not before the College extended a helping hand to those experiencing related financial hardship.
In her recent email sent to the campus community, President Kathryn Foster informed the community of the term bill extension program put in place for those in need.
“Families of furloughed employees are being forced to make difficult financial decisions, and we don’t want paying for college to add to their stress,” wrote President Foster in her email on Thursday.
The program was a proactive measure originally suggested by Vice President and Treasurer Lloyd Ricketts. Although there have been no requests yet, there is currently no cap on the number of students that will receive help.
“We did this not knowing whether we’re talking about a handful of students or a hundred or more, and it didn’t matter to us,” said Associate Vice President for Communications, Marketing and Brand Management David Muha. “We just felt it was the right thing to do.”
Trump’s three-week spending bill will alleviate some uncertainties, but the issue of back pay remains a concern. The temporary nature of the bill was the result of a presidential and congressional agreement, which will allow time for the deliberation over U.S. border security matters. The term bill extension program, which will be reviewed and managed by the Office of Student Accounts, has a simple verification criterion in order to ease some of the financial pressure families may be facing.
“I feel like it’s stressful to the students too because they don’t want to stress their parents out, but they also want their education,” said sophomore accounting major Ashley Ean.
Disheartened by the state of the country, Ean felt passionate about the current political climate surrounding the government shutdown.
“She’s (Foster) willing to forgo the price a little bit (by) trying to help the students who are in need of help,” Ean said.
Upon receiving President Foster’s email, senior journalism and professional writing major Amani Salahudeen said that it came at an appropriate time and offered the appropriate aid.
“I thought it was really good that TCNJ had decided to say something about it,” she said. “Especially since we don’t know how many students got affected by this … it’s a good thing they decided to take initiative.”
Both students, although not personally affected financially by the shutdown, were appreciative of the College’s promptness in responding to this national crisis and expressed their hopes that qualified students might take advantage of the help being offered to them.
“Our office will do all we can to support the families affected by the government shutdown,” said Scott Sferra, Director of Student Accounts.
The program was laid out to ensure that no penalties or interest would be accrued, and any balance on a qualifying student’s account would be discontinued until after the government shutdown was resolved. Along with the reviewing process and recognizing the time that will be needed for the government to pay employees, the College’s Office of Student Accounts awaits any and all qualifying students in need of help.
According to Sferra, with the government shutdown temporarily concluded, the Office of Student Accounts honors the commitment spelled out to students in President Foster’s email and they will listen and manage each situation case-by-case.
“We don’t have the ability to reopen the government, but we do have the ability to help in different ways. So this is something we felt we could do,” said Muha.
Information about the term bill extension program and qualifications for students in need can be found on the College’s Office of Student Accounts website.
(11/01/18 6:27pm)
By Nicole Viviano
Staff Writer
Luke Skywalker releases his fighter’s proton torpedoes into the Death Star’s only found weak spot, creating a chain reaction of explosions. Han Solo in the iconic Millenium Falcon pulls away from the massive space station alongside Skywalker, escaping the blast without a scratch.
In the 1977 George Lucas film, “Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope,” the heroes are placed against tremendous odds. Lives are lost, spaceships explode, planets destroyed - and yet, the intergalactic soldiers return unscathed from the cataclysmic rebellion. Despite Lucas growing up in the aftermath of World War II and writing the film during the Vietnam War, the realities and horrors of real combat are not translated in his epic space opera franchise.
A panel of three U.S. veterans and one active lieutenant colonel sat and discussed the differences between war in reality versus dramatized war depicted on the silver screen on Oct. 19 in the Library Auditorium on a panel sponsored by the School of Humanities and Social Sciences and the College’s honors program.
Lincoln Konkle, a first year seminar professor who teaches the course “Star Wars: Films & Adaptations,” brought his students to the event. Konkle and Nathaniel Parker, the full time AmeriCorps member at the Center for Community Engaged Learning, helped moderate the event.
The discussion on the relationship between real war and the movies focused on the veterans’ and current lieutenant colonel’s military experiences. The panel unanimously agreed that Hollywood does not accurately depict what U.S. soldiers endure both physically and emotionally in times of war. According to the panel, erroneous portrayals of combat contribute to society’s glorification of war.
“You can’t watch something for an hour and a half or two hours and say, ‘I really know what these guys went through,’” Lt. Col. Peter Gilbert said.
Gilbert also explained that the realities of war often kept soldiers far removed from their lives back home.
“You are so detached from American society, when you come back you don’t know who won the Super Bowl, you don’t know who played in the World Series, you don’t know the dynamics of what’s going on in the government because you’re focusing on staying alive,” Gilbert said.
The lieutenant colonel explained the conditions of his past deployments where he at one point went without mail for six to eight months and how he celebrated two Christmas holidays away from home and family during a 15-month tour.
The panel discussed the false and misleading characterization of the war action heros who easily brush aside the grizzly terrors just experienced in the movies. When asked if any film accurately portrayed the realities of war, as they know it, the answer was a resounding no.
Gilbert further shared the information for a National Geographic documentary available on YouTube, “Restrepo,” stating that it is a start in trying to comprehend what goes on in times of war. The film follows military involvement in Korengal Valley, Afghanistan, in 2007, when Gilbert was deployed as company commander.
Retired colonel and current attorney Emil Philibosian sat on the panel and described his tenure in the military, which started in 1968 during the Vietnam War. He recounted the cold-shouldered welcome he experienced in the foreign jungle of Vietnam. As a young soldier, a new set of fatigues was equally as dangerous as the North Vietnamese Army. A new uniform meant a new, inexperienced soldier. The men who had been in country and combat for the time that others came and left knew that fighting alongside the replacement soldiers was high-risk.
“You grew up real quick,” Philibosian said. “You matured quick. You had to.”
As former deputy commissioner of veterans affairs in New Jersey, Philibosian was responsible for the state’s three veterans’ homes in Menlo Park, Edison and Paramus. Having managed World War II and Korean War veterans, he witnessed first-hand the effects of the traumatic switch from foreign combat back to homes and communities - an element of war not touched on in many film reenactments. Philibosian said that veterans’ reintegration programs were virtually nonexistent. Mental health concerns went unaddressed until the 1980s, when the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs acknowledged the issue.
The mental and physical repercussions of the hostility and bloodshed associated with combat are yet another element that film either chooses not to show or portrays inaccurately.
Panelist and former Marine Corps warrant officer Thomas Reddington expressed his issues with the “sanitized versions of violence” he sees in film, specifically referencing Star Wars. Movies where the antagonist goes through “a hail of gunfire and stormtroopers are dropping dead all around,” where they make it safely to their spaceship, acting like nothing happened, does not mimic the experiences that rattled Reddington during his tenure in the marines. When these characters live through a near death experience, it’s unsettling to see a nonchalant, and sometimes comical demeanor in response to the event.
Another panelist, former Special Forces of the 101st Airborne Division Combat Unit Eugene Marsh, served three years in the army, which included one 15-month tour in South Vietnam where he led a platoon into combat over two dozen times.
“I had to fight everyday to survive under conditions that I’d never expected,” Marsh said.
Upon his return to the U.S., Marsh felt he received little emotional support –– there were no counseling resources or other forms of aid for veterans. Marsh found it hard to readjust to ordinary life and seek employment. He became homeless for nearly three years upon his return home and 25 years later was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder.
Marsh currently sits on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Philadelphia CHERP Veterans Community Advisory Board, VCAB, and has earned his bachelor’s degree in liberal arts and master’s degree in clinical mental health, both at Rider University.
Marsh joined the army to escape racism and bigotry in South Carolina, and became a foot soldier, a “grunt.” What he came to experience during his service he felt has not been addressed in the movies. He specifically recounted the 1986 film “Platoon” and its portrayal of African Americans as lazy and holding back soldiers.
“The movie itself does not give us the credit for the contribution that we made to the Vietnam War,” he said.
The inaccuracies in film and history associated with race and mental illness in the military were two topics at the core of Marsh’s story. He stressed that the revered stories told in film, whether they are Audie Murphy’s and John Wayne’s, are not true. The “gut and glory” found in war movies, that is adored by action fans perpetuates the negative stigma of soldiers and veterans seeking help for mental illness. The initiatives taken to re-educate on signs and symptoms of mental illness, such as PTSD, works against the imagery of the stone-faced, hardened war hero in film, making it all the more essential.
Like Marsh, Reddington found his own path to higher education, after his 24 years of service. He recently graduated from Rider University in 2015, with a bachelor’s degree in political science and homeland security. His accomplishment made him his family’s first college graduate in his generation, among 19 cousins. Reddington is now looking into graduate work and currently works as Coordinator of Veteran Affairs at Rider.
The panel resonated well with audience members. Meredith Megee, a junior English and secondary education dual major, said that students can benefit from listening to veterans.
“People should take an interest in this kind of stuff,” Megee said. “Not because it should be their duty, but because it’s something that’s good to reflect on.”
(10/23/18 1:30am)
By Nicole Viviano
Staff Writer
In the third installment of the Fall 2018 Faculty Lecture Series, the School of Arts and Communication presented excerpts from a film titled, “Seven Square Miles” in Mayo Concert Hall on Oct. 12.
Lorna Johnson Frizell, Communication studies professor and award-winning filmmaker, along with two colleagues, alumna Genevieve Faust (’08) and senior communication studies major Aaron Watson Wilson, elaborated on their experience filming the documentary.
The filmmakers documented Trenton police detective Alexis Durlacher and community activist Abdul Mohammed in their efforts to reduce violence in Trenton. All three speakers focused on the different steps taken in creating a relevant film and developing a piece that is understandable to its audience.
Faust, the film’s editor, has worked on projects with Frizell in the past, reviewed the process of acquiring raw footage and eventually categorizing it into a series of rough cuts, or unedited sections of film. The detailed explanation and clips from the film allowed students to comprehend the idiosyncrasies of filmmaking.
With more than 50 hours of raw footage compiled, Faust explained the specifics of transforming that footage to a concise, thoughtful finished product. She took personal notes to categorize parts of the footage while Frizell’s students organized and transcribed the daunting amount of video.
“I end up treating the film more like a puzzle,” Faust said.
Faust began editing in January of 2018, and Faust and Frizell anticipate that the film will be finished by early next year.
“I have to show the impact of the journey of the characters,” Frizell said.
Wilson explained how he also helped work behind the scenes on the film, helping to profile Trenton residents, and documented the efforts taken by both residents and police to reduce crime in the city.
He was passionate about putting his documentary film skills to use in Trenton, where he grew up. His work helped shed light on the city’s mass incarceration rates.
“We were trying to focus on these overarching issues, but doing it through individual stories and individual people,” he said.
According to Frizell, a filmmaker’s goal is to construct a narrative using characters, goals and challenges to ensure the audience connects and identifies with the story. These aspects ensure an emotional connection between the audience and the film.
“My job as a filmmaker is to create stories,” Frizell said. “I have to build stories.”
Before Faust and Wilson discussed the process of filming, Frizell showed clips from other films that depicted a large scale social justice issue through the lens of specific individuals.
One example was from the 1961 film, “West Side Story.” The song “America” brought up themes of racism and immigration while focusing on the struggles that a family of Puerto Ricans faced moving to the U.S.
The film clips curated Frizell’s main discussion of how to construct a story in film. The goal is to illustrate larger forces in the human experience.
“What you are left with is the humanity,” Frizell said.