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(10/06/15 8:39pm)
By Alyssa Sanford
Web Editor
Student Government cabinet and general body members debated the passage of a bill that would redefine what it means to be a general member on Wednesday, Sept. 30.
The bill in question, B-F2015- 06, will hold general members “accountable,” according to Vice President of Governmental Affairs Ceili Boles, who introduced the bill.
At present, the process to become a general member is simple: prospective members send an email to the Student Government account and are assigned to an internal committee. Under the new bill, general members would have to attend either general body meetings or internal committee meetings in order to earn five "positive points" that would grant them full general membership status, according to cabinet members.
With the passage of the bill, which would take effect at the beginning of spring semester, general members would have more responsibilities.
“They would not be able to vote in general body (meetings), but they’d be able to vote in committee meetings,” President Casey Dowling said.
Boles referred to the bill as a “clean slate,” as it would change protocol for general membership next semester.
Ultimately, the bill was tabled indefinitely so that unclear sections could be clarified. The four bills tabled for later discussion at the previous general body meeting were also tabled for another week so that SG members could meet with their constituents and vote with their interests in mind, Dowling said.
Next, Executive Vice President Javier Nicasio discussed the funding for Homecoming 2015, which will be held on Saturday, Oct. 24, in Lot 4. The $8,385 that SFB allotted to SG will go toward a breakfast in the tailgating section, water bottles for students, speakers and other professional sound equipment and three disc jockeys.
“We’ll be able to hear everything,” Nicasio said of the improved sound equipment.
Tyler Holzer, vice president of Finance, mentioned an “exciting meeting” with the College’s Vice President of Administration Curt Heuring that dealt with paving the loop around campus.
While Holzer previously announced that efforts to pave the two-mile loop in order to keep walkers and joggers out of the road would not be possible, he cited two reasons that the College couldn't take on the project: first, because it would be “very expensive,” and also because the area behind Decker Hall belongs to New Jersey’s wetlands and therefore the College can’t build a path for joggers through that area.
“The best solution is to cut through the campus,” Holzer said.
He spoke to Heuring about creating a “bike lane” with painted markers that would allow bikers, joggers and walkers to exercise on campus without risking their safety.
Holzer and Heuring will organize a committee with members of SG, the Bonner Institute, cross country athletes and faculty and staff at the College to address these issues. The committee will draft a proposal for construction at an undetermined date since the project is in early planning stages.
“The sharp turns around the loop are unsafe,” Holzer said. “We’re going to be revisiting the loop and how TCNJ thinks about it.”
Boles, of Governmental Affairs, announced that her committee will stream the next presidential debate for the campus community since the GOP’s second debate on CNN attracted a large audience. The next debate, which will focus on the Democratic Party’s candidates, will be on Tuesday, Oct. 13.
Later, senior class President Emily Montagna announced that the class will hold a food truck festival on Saturday, Oct. 17, in Mercer County Park that is only open to seniors.
Additionally, senators for the School of Humanities and Social Sciences said that Dean John Sisko is open to the idea of introducing advisor evaluations so that students who are dissatisfied with their advisement experience have a platform for expressing their concerns.
(09/30/15 1:52am)
By Alyssa Sanford
Web Editor
Two clubs sought Student Government recognition on Wednesday, Sept. 23, during a general body meeting fraught with debate over two new bills.
Women in Business, already deemed by the Governmental Affairs (GA) committee to be “active on campus” and effective in promoting “gender equality in the workplace,” appeared before the general body first.
The group has 26 charter members that represent all four classes, and unlike other organizations on campus that promote equality for women, the club’s membership is not solely restricted to women.
According to GA, the Women in Business already has several events planned that are designed “to give students confidence in the workplace,” such as a plan for advocates of the He for She campaign to speak at the College. Women in Business needs SG recognition in order to apply for SFB funding for these events. With no debate prior to the vote, SG ruled to formally recognize the club.
Next, TCNJ Entrepreneurship Club (TCNJEC), a club that aims to “encourage innovation” among hopeful entrepreneurs, according to GA, also presented to the general body.
TCNJEC has 25 charter members and half of the new members are freshmen who are interested in growing the organization, according to GA.
It’s a unique organization, according to TCNJEC executive board members, because students don’t have to be business majors to join. Ultimately, SG members voted to recognize the club after discussing the passage at great length.
Next, Vice President of Governmental Affairs Ceili Boles presented B-F2015-03, a bill that proposes to restrict elected members studying away for a semester from holding onto their positions. Prior to engaging in a domestic or international study abroad experience, elected members must resign from their posts.
General body members launched into a spirited debate about the merits of denying elected members the opportunity to work for SG while studying abroad before junior class President Robert Kinloch moved to table the debate until the next meeting — a motion which passed easily.
B-F2015-04, a bill that restricts students set to graduate early from running for class council or cabinet member positions, was met with equally fervent debate and resulted in a split vote.
In order to pass the bill, “two-thirds of the elected members” needed to vote yes, said Alternate Student Trustee Ryan Molicki, which would have been 42 votes in favor of the bill.
After tallying the votes, only 40 elected members voted in favor, 15 members dissented and 13 members abstained from the vote, making it impossible to pass.
Two more bills, B-F2015-05 and B-F2015-06, had to be tabled for debate at the next meeting due to pressing time concerns.
Later, Vice President of Equity and Diversity Priscilla Nunez, speaking on behalf of Executive Vice President Javier Nicasio, announced that Homecoming 2015 was fully funded by SFB for nearly $9,000, amid loud applause.
Amanda Williams, vice president of Advancement, announced that the scholarship for an SG member “who exemplifies our best features,” is about $3,000 short of its fundraising goal, but SG is on track to fulfilling the goal by the end of the semester.
“I really think that we can do this, and it would be great to say that we were the Student Government that did,” Williams said.
Nunez reminded everyone to attend “A Touch of Home” in Alumni Grove on Monday, Sept. 28, during meal equivalency hours.
Advisor Elizabeth Bapasola, who was part of the College administration’s efforts to create Lions’ Gate last year, announced that “about two-thirds of the campus” are using the new program.
“We have about 4,500 students, faculty and staff using it, (although many of the users likely don’t know how to use it) to full capacity,” Bapasola said. General body members noted that the Passport to Programming seminar on Saturday, Sept. 19, provided attendees with a foundation for using Lions’ Gate, but many students may still need training. According to Bapasola, Lions’ Gate is SAF-funded, adding that “you are all helping fund it.”
Next, senior class President Emily Montagna informed the general body that Senior Night, scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 22 at Bar Anticipation, was canceled due to transportation conflicts.
Though the senior class had 320 seniors signed up for the event and “two extra buses” ready to transport participants, a College restriction on events that include alcohol consumption mandated that the bus drivers would need to drop off each attendee individually at their residence, Montagna said. The bus company backed out at the last minute, but as they hadn’t been paid for their services yet, the senior class is able to refund those who put down deposits.
Sophomore class President Kelsey Capestro agreed that it was “a bad week for class councils,” as their Moonlight Cruise fundraiser was “zero funded” by SFB, meaning that they can’t petition for funding for a cruise event again.
(09/23/15 6:41pm)
By Alyssa Sanford
Web Editor
The College’s Director of Campus Planning and Campus Architect Lynda Rothermel presented the current Facilities Master Plan to the Student Government general body on Wednesday, Sept. 16, in order to give members a sense of how the campus will develop over the next decade.
Rothermel said the Master Plan has been updated several times over the last few years, partly because the previous plan, which covered the years 2012 through 2020, was “ambitious in pretty much every way,” particularly in a financial sense.
Though Campus Planning “assumed we’d have good economic times” and plenty of donations to sustain extensive renovations and construction on campus, those things didn’t happen, according to Rothermel.
A key component of the Facilities Master Plan is that it “must have the flexibility to adapt to changing conditions,” Rothermel said in her presentation.
Some of the short-term changes to campus, which are projected to happen between 2015 and 2018, are currently funded, according to Rothermel. They include the expansion and renovation of the Brower Student Center, Phase One of the STEM building construction and renovations to the Biology Building in the Science Complex.
The next steps are currently unfunded, but Rothermel revealed them to the general body regardless: renovations to Travers and Wolfe Halls; updates to Armstrong, Forcina and Roscoe West; and a potential new Nursing/Health and Exercise Science/Public Health building that would free up some space in Packer Hall.
Since Travers and Wolfe are part of an older building, it will need “a lot of work,” Rothermel said. She cited problems with its single-pane windows — which are energy inefficient — and the need for extensive repairs to the plumbing and electric systems, which are “all very old.”
Rothermel said that after analyzing costs, Campus Planning found that it would cost between $15-20 million to install air conditioning units in Travers and Wolfe, and even then it would not have enough “capacity to chill,” so there will be no units installed when the towers are renovated in the future.
Rothermel also talked about how Campus Town will affect traffic patterns on campus. She highlighted areas on a projection of the campus map, calling the main walkway that runs from Loser Hall to ABE the “campus core.” It’s an area that needs more direct access to Campus Town, since both are “high-activity areas,” according to Rothermel.
Rothermel assured the general body that the lack of funding for future projects will not cause a significant spike in tuition costs.
“There’s some talk about the state issuing another bond,” Rothermel said, before acknowledging that it’s too early to make definitive statements. She also pointed out that it would not make sense to raise tuition because if tuition became unaffordable, no students would be able to take advantage of the resources on campus.
“At what point does an increase in students... (lead to) losing money?” Rothermel asked rhetorically.
After the presentation, cabinet members updated the general body on various upcoming events.
Amanda Williams, vice president of Advancement, announced “Project FAQ,” which will pair photos and short biographies of SG members on bulletin boards around campus. It’s “a way for people not in Student Government to know who (members of SG) are,” Williams said.
Vice President of Administration and Finance Tyler Holzer is still working on “closing the loop” and meeting with the Division of Administration. He was referring to adding a sidewalk to the loop around campus so that people will feel safer walking and jogging around it.
“It doesn’t seem like that is probable,” Holzer said, but his committee is hoping to “open the door” to further discussion.
Priscilla Nunez, vice president of Equity and Diversity, reminded SG members about “A Touch of Home,” the multicultural event set to take place in Alumni Grove during meal equivalency hours on Monday, Sept. 28.
“You’re going to want to eat the food,” Nunez said.
(09/17/15 3:24am)
By Alyssa Sanford
Web Editor
Alternative musicians Noah Guthrie and Libbie Schrader performed eclectic sets in the Decker Social Space on Friday, Sept. 11.
Schrader, a New York City-based singer-songwriter and graduate student pursuing a second degree in theology, opened for Guthrie with “Come When I Call.” Her energy was palpable. As she sang, she struck her keyboard with force and stomped her feet for emphasis. At one point, Schrader raised one hand over her head and continued playing seamlessly with the other hand, as if she hadn’t lifted her hand at all.
She followed up with “Share It,” promising that it would be “a little bit lighter” than her opening number. Schrader’s powerful vocals matched the confident, impassioned way she played the piano.
“I move my head a lot when I perform,” Schrader said after her headband slipped off mid-song.
Playing a set on the 14th anniversary of the tragedies at the World Trade Center, Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pa., in 2001 inspired Schrader to sing “Alive,” a song that she wrote after 9/11. Because she doesn’t play the song often, she had to Google herself and listen to the song on iTunes before the show started to figure out the correct key.
“I was thinking about (the tragic events in 2001) this morning, and it’s something we should all think about today,” Schrader said before segueing into a chorus of, “Hey, you’re alive / You’re alive.”
But Schrader’s magnum opus was “Magdalene,” a song about the Biblical figure Mary Magdalene that “kind of took over my life,” Schrader said, explaining that her research led her to pursue a degree in theology. The song was at once a mixture of Christian hymns, alternative pop and a message of female empowerment: “Girl, be as much yourself as possible,” she sang.
Guthrie, a South Carolina native who shot to fame after posting acoustic covers of pop songs on YouTube, took the stage shortly after, opening with an original song, “Break the Silence.”
The gravelly quality of Guthrie’s voice, which stood in contrast with the smooth acoustic guitar he played as accompaniment, commanded the room. Whether he was belting out soaring high notes in a cover of Amy Winehouse’s “Valerie,” or softly crooning “Adore,” an original song that he penned at 16 years old, Guthrie held the audience captivated.
“I have a lot of love songs for you tonight, so if you’re not in that mood, I’m sorry,” Guthrie said, jokingly apologizing for his soulful and emotionally-charged set.
He interspersed personal anecdotes about his song choices and his career trajectory throughout the set. Guthrie prefaced his cover of George Michael’s “Father Figure,” a song he performed as show-choir kid Roderick on “Glee,” with stories about “a very random, out-of-the-blue” call from the show’s casting directors that pulled him further into the spotlight.
“They said they needed a chubby, shy kid who could sound really soulful,” Guthrie said. “And, I raised my hand, I guess.”
Like Schrader, Guthrie had a song prepared in honor of the lives lost on Sept. 11, 2001. He wrote “New Beginning” the day after the Boston Marathon bombing in April 2013 and was “really angry” at the injustice, so he felt inclined to perform it on a day of remembrance.
Guthrie also played the cover song that he considers responsible for launching his career: a “soulful, bluesy version” of “Sexy And I Know It,” by LMFAO.
“[The video] was kind of blowing up, and I was freaking out,” Guthrie said. At present, the video has reached 23 million views on YouTube. The song’s unique acoustic arrangement renders it nearly unrecognizable, which is certainly why Guthrie received so much attention for it.
He closed the set with the “mellow” 1930s classic, “You Are My Sunshine,” but put his own spin on it. The sweet arrangement triggered audible “awes” from the audience within the first few bars.
Equal parts soulful and reflective, both Schrader and Guthrie’s sets were nothing less than impressive.
(09/15/15 8:14pm)
By Alyssa Sanford Web Editor
Newly elected officials were officially sworn in at the Student Government general body meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 9, by President Casey Dowling.
Among the initiates were Amanda Williams, vice president of Advancement; sophomore class President Kelly Capestro; the entire freshman class council; and senators of Arts & Communication, Business, Education, Engineering and Humanities & Social Sciences.
“Congratulations and welcome,” Vice President Javier Nicasio said specifically to the new freshmen members of SG. “You’re going to have a lot of memories (from your involvement in SG).”
Dowling announced that in spite of elections held on Tuesday, Sept. 7, there are still several open positions in the organization: a senator of Science and two senators of Nursing, Health and Exercise Science are needed, and the positions will be filled by appointment, according to Dowling.
“If you have friends interested in (running for) Student Government, have them email the SG account,” Dowling said.
Nicasio discussed two upcoming events for SG members and the campus community: the SG retreat on Friday, Sept. 25, and “Advocate,” which will be held in the Business Building Lounge on Saturday, Sept. 26, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“Advocate,” a mandatory event for all SG members, is also a campus-wide, SFB-funded event that is being held “to jumpstart advocacy efforts on our campus,” Nicasio said.
Olivia White, vice president of Student Services, announced that her committee is searching for an Athletics Chair. The position is open to any varsity athlete on campus, and that person would sit on a governance committee that is essentially “SG for athletes,” according to White.
White also announced continuing efforts to extend library hours during finals week. Last semester, Student Services was able to negotiate with the library to stay open for 24 hours straight, and the committee is seeking to replicate that success this term.
Ceili Boles, vice president of Governmental Affairs, announced that in honor of Constitution Day on Wednesday, Sept. 16, GA will hold a “Family Feud” night from 7:15 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Physics Building room 117. Immediately afterwards, GA will livestream the second Republican debate from 8 p.m to 10 p.m.
Next, Community Relations Vice President Brittany Angiolini urged the general body to attend the College’s “Blue Out” football game on Saturday, Sept. 12, at noon in order to kick off “a lot of awesome bonding” within the organization this year.
Priscilla Nunez, vice president of Equity and Diversity, announced to a round of applause and a clip of Brazilian samba music that the event, “A Touch of Home,” was “fully funded” by SFB. It will be held on Monday, Sept. 28, during meal equivalency hours in Alumni Grove.
The event boasts “cultural dances,” free food, henna tattoos and “a really lively DJ,” Nunez said.
Later, Vice President of Administration and Finance Tyler Holzer discussed advocacy for finishing the Metzger Drive sidewalk loop, explaining that it’s “a large safety hazard” and “an environmental concern” because students are more likely to drive than walk around the loop, which creates a carbon emission problem.
Finally, class council presidents addressed the general body.
Senior class President Emily Montagna announced that the first Senior Night will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 22. Robert Kinloch, junior class president, is working on booking Junior Night at Colonial Bowling, which will take place “hopefully in the middle of October.” Finally, sophomore class President Kelsey Capestro brought up a fundraising idea: installing a putting green on campus on Thursday, Sept. 24.
(09/09/15 6:26pm)
By Alyssa Sanford
Web Editor
The Student Government general body session on Wednesday, Sept. 2, marked the beginning of a new year of governance. It was replete with the passage of two bills, a presentation on the new Lion’s House and introductions between cabinet and prospective members.
President Casey Dowling and Executive Vice President Javier Nicasio welcomed all prospective members, seated on the right side of the room. After elected officials voted on B-F2015-01, revisions to SG’s constitution, and B-F2015-02, an overhaul of their bylaws, Nicasio turned to the group.
“Don’t let what we just did scare you,” Nicasio said to the seemingly bewildered faces in the crowd.
Prior to the voting process, Nicasio introduced Christopher Freeman, the supervisor of the College’s new Collegiate Recovery Community, to the general body for a presentation on Lion’s House and late night activities geared toward those in recovery from substance abuse.
Freeman, who was recently hired by the College, began his presentation by asking the general body members if they could guess what percentage of college students abuse alcohol and other substances.
“It’s about 30 percent,” said Freeman, after a wide range of percentages were thrown out. “On a campus this size, that’s about 2,000 students.”
Freeman referenced Cop Shop, the campus police blotter that appears in The Signal, highlighting an incident last semester where a highly intoxicated student was discovered in the Spiritual Center by campus police. It’s an incident that exemplifies “the negative consequences (associated with) drugs and alcohol.”
For most students, drinking is simply a hallmark of the typical college experience, but for “about six percent” of the student body — approximately 200 students on a campus this size — it becomes a “substance dependence” issue, according to Freeman.
That’s why the College created the Collegiate Recovery Community, so that students who require counseling, or a housing option that is free of potential temptations, can thrive in a “supportive community,” Freeman said.
The Collegiate Recovery Community also strives to provide students in recovery with programming on designated party nights at the College. On Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, the community holds events like life-sized board games, trivia nights and DIY craft nights.
“We’re trying to create a culture in which those who do struggle with drugs and alcohol” can have a safe outlet, Freeman said.
The difference between the activities planned by the College Union Board and the Collegiate Recovery Committee, for example, is active participation. Instead of watching a musician play a set or enjoying a movie out on the lawn, the activities are engaging enough to provide a distraction on nights when a large percentage of the student body goes out.
After Freeman’s presentation, newly-elected cabinet members introduced themselves and explained their positions to both returning and prospective members.
Amanda Williams, vice president of Advancement, and Ryan Molicki, alternate student trustee, both discussed the upcoming fall elections for SG, which will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 8. For the first time, the online election system will run through Lion’s Gate. Voting will take place from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
“I highly encourage (anyone who is not elected) to join the general member program,” Molicki said.
Next, class council presidents addressed the general body. First, senior class President Emily Montagna announced the year’s first Senior Night, which will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 22. Later, junior class President Robert Kinloch announced that a Chipotle fundraiser is in the works. Kinloch also mentioned plans for a Junior Night fundraising event at Colonial Bowling which would be open to everyone on campus. Finally, sophomore class President Kelsey Capestro announced tentative plans for a moonlight cruise fundraiser in the upcoming months.
(08/26/15 8:48pm)
By Alyssa Sanford
Web Editor
Between Campus Town, the upcoming STEM building and the Brower Student Center renovations, various construction projects are well underway at the College this semester. In the months between commencement and the arrival of the new freshman class, the green fencing around the Student Center has extended, indicating significant progress.
According to Student Center Manager Seth Zolin, the demolition of old spaces and construction of new ones are in progress.
“From my perspective, (the construction team, KSS Architects) have built the temporary office suites in what used to be the game room, George Jackson room and Simon Bolivar room,” Zolin said. “They have cleared the Sundial Lawn in preparation for the building addition and have begun demo of the bookstore space, info desk, box office, Rat, old student organization areas and suite BSC 230."
Demolition of these spaces will pave the way for modern-looking additions to the 40-year-old building, Zolin said.
Though the ubiquitous presence of trucks, drills and fences might be a tiresome sight for students, administrators hope there are more benefits than drawbacks for the Student Center renovation.
The Student Center, while shutting down basement offices and hotspots like the old college bookstore and the Rathskeller, will allocate spaces for students to hold club meetings or to simply lounge around.
“During the 2015-16 academic year, students will have access to the atrium, which now houses our pool tables and ping pong tables in addition to soft seating; the Lion’s Den; and student organization office spaces in BSC 202," Zolin said.
Students can also reserve BSC 210 and BSC 211 for events, according to Zolin.
The large space on the ground floor of the Student Center is mostly cordoned off, making it difficult to accommodate as many students as the building did in previous years. Now, residence halls will host students who want a large space for recreational activities.
According to Zolin, Decker Hall will unveil the “Decker Hall Social Space” as a solution to the Student Center’s slightly smaller accommodations.
“A space in the basement of Decker Hall, called the Decker Social Space, is available for reservations and will serve as a replacement for BSC 202,” Zolin said. “The space will hold 242 people and can be configured in multiple room setups.”
Zolin is optimistic that the “Decker Social Space will help alleviate some of the vacuum created by taking BSC 202 off-line.”
Other programs held at the College over the summer could not avoid being affected by the reconstruction project in the Student Center. In spite of the obvious roadblock at the center of campus, programs like Freshmen Orientation thrived without access to the Student Center, according to Lindsay Barndt, chair of the TCNJ Orientation Committee.
“Fortunately, the closure of the Stud did not significantly impact our freshman orientation program this past July,” Barndt said. “While some families might have been inconvenienced trying to get to the bookstore, and the building itself wasn’t the prettiest to look at, I think the majority would say the long-term pros outweigh the short-term cons.”
Barndt looks at the reconstruction efforts as a symbol of exciting changes to come.
“It’s like I always tell visiting prospective students: If a school doesn’t have an ugly green construction fence somewhere on campus, that’s actually a bad thing. It means they’re not investing their resources into bettering the facilities, and thus experiences, for its students,” she said.
Students and alumni bemoaning the closure of the Rathskeller, and the end of small-scale concerts held at the pub on weekend nights, need not worry that the reconstruction project will interfere. According to CUB’s Facebook page, their new program, CUB Alt, will stage shows at new Decker Social Space this semester.
The Student Center is “the hub of campus life,” according to Zolin, and he hopes the reconstruction project, set to be completed in the summer of 2017, will only make that more apparent.
(05/06/15 11:56pm)
By Alyssa Sanford
News Assistant
Candidates, both old and new, vied for seats on Student Government’s cabinet, as well as positions as class council heads and school senators, on Tuesday, April 28, marking the end of election season and another successful year of governance in SG.
On Wednesday, May 6, SG members will hold their final meeting of the semester and formally make the transition between the current cabinet and elected cabinet.
According to current Executive Vice President Michael Chiumento, the cabinet speaker and vice president of Advancement positions have yet to be selected. A campus-wide email from Kevin Kim, the alternate student trustee and chair of the elections committee, sent on Monday, April 27, mentioned that some positions were not open to a vote because there weren’t enough candidates running for the positions. These positions and freshman class council positions will be voted on in the Fall 2015 semester.
Casey Dowling, the newly elected president for next year, is looking forward to another year of governance.
“I’m very excited to have the opportunity to serve the students of TCNJ again,” Dowling said. “Student Government has a strong and dedicated group of students and I am excited to see what we can all work together to accomplish in the coming year.”
Javier Nicasio, the new executive vice president, spent the past year serving on the cabinet as the vice president of Equity and Diversity.
“I have been able to advocate on issues that revolve around diversity,” Nicasio said of his time on the committee, citing projects like “I, Too, Am TCNJ,” “TCNJ Epcot” and the Bias Response team that deals with intolerance on campus. As executive vice president next year, Nicasio is eager to “continue to advocate on behalf of the student body on a variety of issues.”
“I would be lying if I didn’t say I was nervous, but I am very enthusiastic about my new position,” Nicasio said. “If I had to describe myself in one word I would say that I was hard working. I put 110 percent into everything that I do, and as executive vice president, I will continue to work hard in improving our campus.”
Graduating senior Mike Chiumento, the executive vice president of SG from 2014 to 2015, has mixed feelings about leaving his post behind after three years of service to the campus community as a part of SG.
“Part of me is glad to be closing such an important chapter of my college experience and another part of me would love to be able to keep serving TCNJ students for another year,” Chiumento said.
In particular, Chiumento is immensely proud of the work that he has done and overseen this past year, especially of projects like the Middle States review commission and changes to the college’s online and blended learning policies. Though it is not always easy to advocate for a wide variety of on-campus issues, Chiumento believes it’s important because “they impact students every single day in countless ways.”
Chiumento is confident in Dowling’s and Nicasio’s leadership capabilities, however, he does have some advice for his successors.
“Be confident from the get-go, hit the ground running before and throughout the summer, and recognize that some things are out of (your) control and will inevitably go wrong,” Chiumento said. “In those moments, (President) Matt Wells and I came to realize that we could be confident in our organization to bounce back and persevere.”
(05/06/15 11:51pm)
By Alyssa Sanford
News Assistant
After the announcement that the Rat would be closing forever after 40 years, and once telltale fences and green mesh began to pop up around the perimeter of the Brower Student Center, it became clear that renovations to the Stud would be starting soon — but not without affecting the student organizations housed there.
Although renovations to the 1970s-era Student Center are long overdue, and the campus community seems to be generally enthusiastic about it, leaders of on-campus clubs and organizations are frustrated that they’re being displaced by future construction efforts.
TCNJ Hillel, a club associated with the Foundation for Jewish Campus Life is a prime example of the negative effects that the Stud renovation is having on clubs who work out of the Stud. Hillel has already been relocated from its office space in the Stud basement to a closet in the Spiritual Center — much to the dismay of its members who had to throw out a lot of supplies and holiday decorations.
“Probably the most upsetting thing is that we had to leave behind a lot of meaningful things,” said Danielle Kassick, co-president of Hillel and a junior psychology and elementary education double major. “We had to throw away scrapbooks that members of Hillel from 10 plus years ago put together. We also had to leave behind important religious items, like prayer books and shabbat cups.”
According to Kassick, co-president of Hillel, it was “just a really stressful process” to consolidate their office into a significantly smaller storage space.
“The office was supposed to act as a place where we could store our things, but also a place where we could hang out with other members in a place that we always knew would be available,” Kassick said. “Now that this is gone, it’s been difficult to have spontaneous gatherings for our organization.”
Katie Yorke, a co-chair of programming for Women in Learning and Leadership (WILL) and a member of the Women’s Center, echoed Kassick’s sentiments of frustration. The Women’s Center’s office space in the basement of the Stud has already been cleared out — making it impossible to hold private meetings with women in need.
“The Women’s Center is supposed to be a safe space for anyone to come to and know that there’s people there for them, but now, if we are moving into a public space, people might feel hesitant to come and open up,” said Yorke, a junior Spanish and international studies double major.
Yorke also mentioned that the basement office in the Stud wasn’t necessarily conducive to attracting foot traffic.
“We’re an important organization but we were always a second-thought in the fact that we were just allotted the basement,” Yorke said. “How can we advertise when people don’t even know our room exists?”
Yorke has not yet been told where the new office space will be, however, according to Stud Manager Seth Zolin, they will be relocated to an open space in the Stud. If this occurs, however, the lack of privacy “could create conflicts” for women who want to talk openly without fear of judgment, Yorke said.
Other club leaders have already experienced conflicts with Student Center managers.
Kerri McLaughlin, president of Circle K, said that “a few months ago they basically told us, tough luck, we don’t have space for you anymore.”
For a club like Circle K, which emphasizes service and leadership, it was shocking that the Stud managers were “turning a cold shoulder” to the executive board, as well as many other well-established organizations, she said.
“We’re not the only club that’s not being given space back that really needs it,” McLaughlin said.
TCNJ Musical Theatre, for example, doesn’t have “any designated meeting or storage space that we can easily access on a daily basis” allotted for next semester, said Ken Abes, a junior biology major and secretary of TMT.
TMT shared their cube in the Stud with All College Theatre, the Mixed Signals and Alpha Psi Omega, as both storage space for props, costumes, merchandise and memorabilia, as well as a meeting space. So far, while Stud management “has been accommodating” in assisting in the move-out process, they haven’t designated a new space for TMT that would be easily accessible to both the club and the public, according to Abes.
“While the staff of the student activities center have been very accommodating when it comes to other aspects of our organizations’ business, no communication had been made to alert us that we would be losing this space or why we were not given a guaranteed space in the renovated student center,” Abes said. “This loss came as a surprise to us.”
Abes hopes that the College administration will implement better forms of communication so that all students’ concerns can be expressed in the future.
Zolin is aware of the space issues that come with renovation.
“It was very quickly realized that we could not provide a space for all of the 200 student organizations on campus,” Zolin said. “Every dedicated space created reduces square footage available for the general population.”
While the new Stud design will allot space for “storage cages” in the basement for many student organizations to use, the current space issue will be more difficult to resolve.
Management first reached out to organizations “from underrepresented populations” so that their “vital service” to the campus community would remain intact for years to come, Zolin said.
The George Jackson Center, Simon Bolivar Room, Pan-Asian Room, PRISM and Women’s Center offices will all have a prominent position in the new Student Center so that they’ll be “easier” to find and more accessible to the public, Zolin said.
Fortunately, other organizations were able to find a new home for the next few semesters. Zolin listed a few of the organizations that he was able to find space for, including CUB, SFB, PRISM, Student Government, Inter Greek Council, Black Student Union and several others.
The Student Government office, like many other organizations’ offices, will be relocated to Roscoe West Hall, even though the cabinet isn’t sure exactly what the space will look like yet. Matthew Wells, president of Student Government, is optimistic about the Stud renovations, simply because it will improve life on campus for everyone.
“I think any sort of construction or anything sometimes bars some students, but … in the long run I think it’s going to be extremely beneficial to the college,” said Wells, a senior health and exercise science major. “Some people will see it as a great thing, like, ‘Oh my goodness, I’m going to have a brand new, renovated student center my junior year.’ But then others will be like, ‘Oh, I don’t want to go here because it doesn’t have it here and now.’ It depends on the person.”
But Wells recognizes the prevailing sense of frustration that comes with moving office space.
“I don’t think it’s a bad thing,” Wells said, though he acknowledged that “it stinks having the student center down” for logistical reasons.
Besides the obvious closures of the Rat and the Lions’ Den, students will also have to adjust to the college bookstore’s closure and relocation.
“Provided everything stays on schedule” with Campus Town construction, the College Barnes & Noble location in the Stud will close in July for a two-week period, store manager Josie Tavarez said. It will tentatively reopen on Monday, Aug. 3, in its brand-new Campus Town location. The allotted space for the Campus Town bookstore will be 1,400 square feet and will also have a Barnes & Noble Cafe.
It will be a “new and improved bookstore,” Tavarez said.
Zolin also mentioned the addition of “more meeting and programming spaces located throughout the building,” as well as “innovative” new spaces like the Global Corner near the new main entrance. It will feature televisions tuned to world news, and the Multimedia Corner that will allow students to project media from their laptops onto a large screen to share with others.
“These types of innovative spaces will help us meet the goal of providing a modern, attractive and welcoming student center that will benefit our community for years to come,” Zolin said.
Although there are positive changes happening to the Stud, like the construction of new on-campus restaurants that will fill the vacancies left behind by the Rat and the Lions’ Den, it will take some time for students to adjust to the reconstruction of the campus’ longtime epicenter.
“Organizations are just going to have to be flexible throughout the next two to three years,” Wells said. “Flexibility and resilience will keep us through.”
Signal staffers Julie Kayzerman, Sydney Shaw, Ellie Schuckman, Kimberly Ilkowski, Mackenzie Cutruzzula and Jonathan Edmondson contributed to this report.
(05/06/15 7:25pm)
By Alyssa Sanford News Assistant
Republicans are fighting a losing battle.
In 38 states and territories, same-sex marriage is legal, according to Freedom to Marry, a marriage equality campaign. The Supreme Court is currently hearing arguments for the legalization of gay marriage at the national level.
Even staunch conservatives — like presidential candidates Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio — are admitting that while they don’t think same-sex marriage is a constitutional right, it should be a states’ rights issue, and not up to the federal government to decide.
According to the New York Times, Cruz recently remarked that he would be okay with his daughters being gay. NPR reported that Marco Rubio, a self-described “new-generation Republican,” said that he would attend a gay wedding, and that he doesn’t think homosexuality is a choice.
Even so, some 70 percent of Republicans are opposed to gay marriage, according to NPR. The same polls find that 60 percent of young Republicans, however, are in favor of gay marriage, suggesting that the Republican Party is clinging to its socially-conservative, old-fashioned roots.
It is ridiculous to pander to party-line ideology over something like same-sex marriage. In past months, state courts have been ruling in favor of marriage equality and amending controversial laws that would allow business proprietors to deny services to gay couples on the basis of religious beliefs. Though conservatives hold majority rule in Congress, their outdated social views do not rule the land.
Nor should they.
Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr., challenged attorneys defending the interests of same-sex couples during arguments in Supreme Court on Tuesday, April 28, saying, “Well, how do you account for the fact that, as far as I’m aware, until the end of the 20th century, there never was a nation or a culture that recognized marriage between two people of the same sex?”
Perhaps there was little precedent for same-sex marriage, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t worth legalizing. There was little precedent for women’s suffrage, but eventually that was deemed constitutional.
To uphold every outdated law and social view would be unconscionable. Imagine if outright segregation was still on the books, just because that’s the way things were always done in the past. Opponents of gay marriage continue to cite Biblical “laws” as evidence that gay marriage shouldn’t be permitted, but there are other things that the Bible explicitly outlawed that are acceptable today. Why not this?
Of course, the age-old argument is that gay marriage undermines the institution of marriage. Hillary Clinton used to think so, in accordance with her husband’s passage of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in 1996. But, as the New York Times noted, Clinton’s standpoint on the issue has shifted dramatically over the last 20 years.
Does that mean that Clinton is a hypocrite? Or, is she simply adjusting her viewpoint as she becomes more informed on the topic? Did she realize that her adherence to the political current of a bygone era didn’t make sense anymore and gradually abandoned it over time?
Maybe Clinton isn’t entirely forthcoming in everything that she does, but I can respect her changing attitudes toward gay marriage, and her transparency in doing so.
Republicans who are actively resisting the legalization of gay marriage must be afraid. They’re losing their grip on an issue that everyone used to agree on, almost unanimously. They must recognize the futility of their efforts in opposing gay marriage when there’s no evidence that it undermines “traditional” marriages between a man and a woman. But, for fear of seeming hypocritical, they cling to an untenable position.
It’s time for Republicans to concede. The Supreme Court is closer than ever to making a decision in favor of marriage equality. If conservatives want to continue to have influence in national politics, they need to recognize that the tides are changing and flow with them instead of thrashing against the current.
(04/29/15 11:17pm)
By Alyssa Sanford
News Assistant
A jam-packed general body session on Wednesday, April 22, opened with a presentation about improving the College’s branding strategy, the passage of a new bill and the approval of three on-
campus organizations.
The College’s now-famous Spokesman, David Muha, gave a presentation on raising brand awareness at the College to a room full of vocal supporters.
“If you don’t know (Muha), you’re not from TCNJ,” President Matthew Wells said.
Muha, who is part of the Strategic Planning and Resource Committee (SPARC), proposed a new tagline for the College to jumpstart the rebranding process: “The TCNJ Way.”
The tagline, which stemmed from a SPARC meeting on Wednesday, March 4 about the College’s core values, refers to "(defining) excellence the TCNJ way,” which for Muha implies “we do it better, with greater substance” than other colleges and universities.
“It really invites a conversation,” Muha said on how he hopes prospective students will react to the tagline. “What is the TCNJ way?”
A proposed addition to the tagline, which would reinforce the College’s superior academic reputation, is “Higher Education. Only Higher.”
He threw out taglines that are linked to other notable New Jersey public colleges — Rutgers’ "Revolutionary for 250 Years" and Montclair’s “It’s All Here” — to prove that “any of these taglines could really belong to an institution.” Muha’s ultimate goal is to create a “more specific” and meaningful tagline for the College.
According to Muha, a brand is something both “tangible and intangible” that captures “the spirit” of the institution. He cited Princeton University as a model brand, because it is so well-known on a local, national and global level.
Muha also mentioned that "the College has hd a difficult time" with branding in the past, a potential reason why “we’re a ‘best-kept secret,’ which is a phrase we all hate.”
“We have pride in who we are,” Muha said. “Is the TCNJ way truly anything distinctive? I happen to think so.”
Three student organizations presented to the general body after Muha’s presentation: the College’s chapter of NAACP, TCNJ Wellness League and TCNJ American Veterans Club.
The NAACP chapter is in the process of gaining the national organization’s recognition, but it sought SG recognition for Student Finance Board funding and the ability to advertise for events, like the upcoming “All Lives Matter” campaign in Fall 2015.
According to the NAACP executive board, it’s an organization for “the advancement of all people who feel like they don’t have a voice.”
TCNJ Wellness League, a coalition of mental health clubs on campus, has been actively meeting with representatives from different mental health organizations on campus since Fall 2013.
The executive board sought recognition from SG for SFB funding and the ability to reserve space and advertise for events. It recently co-sponsored the “Breathe In, Breathe Out” campaign on campus.
Finally, the TCNJ American Veterans Club, which seeks to fundraise for veterans who have suffered physical and emotional trauma, said that it does not plan to seek SFB funding because it will donate 80 percent of its funds to the Wounded Warrior Project and reserve 20 percent of its funds in order to sustain the organization.
The general body voted in favor of recognizing NAACP, Wellness League and TCNJ American Veterans Club as clubs.
Next, Adam Bonnano, vice president of Community Relations, advertised several upcoming events.
The Ewing Township Police Department will hold an Off-Cam-
pus Safety program on Wednesday, May 6, at noon in Roscoe 202 to talk about building better relationships with the Ewing community.
The Senior Sendoff will also be held on Wednesday, May 6, at 9 p.m. in the library auditorium, and will feature a photo slide-
show to honor the senior class.
Bonanno also announced a cleanup of Pennington Road with members of the Ewing community on Sunday, May 3, from noon to 3 p.m. It is Community Relations’ goal to make it a “sustainable, long-term” campus-wide service project for years to come.
Javier Nicasio, vice president of Equity and Diversity, talked about his committee’s newly-formed Bias Response Team. Any interested students are invited to apply to sit on the board, and a “diverse” group of students will fill seats to reflect the campus’s diverse community.
Senior Class Council President Brian Garsh said that between 300 and 400 people are expected to attend the combined senior and junior night out on Cinco de Mayo.
Junior Class President Emily Montagna announced that the class is looking for Commencement volunteers.
(04/23/15 8:13pm)
By Alyssa Sanford News Assistant
Rubio, Clinton, Paul and Cruz.
Three Republican senators and a former Democratic Secretary of State are currently vying for a presidential nomination from their respective parties. While primary elections are still nine months away, there’s a lot that these candidates can do in the meantime to improve their public image before it comes down to the inevitable vote.
For instance, Senator Ted Cruz (R–TX) has a 4 percent Republican backing, according to a CNN/ORC International poll. Perhaps that’s because he has only been in office since 2012 and lacks widespread recognition, as some experts at the Washington Post suggested.
But his staunch conservatism might actually alienate moderates who are looking for a fiscally-conservative president. He may attract support because of his infamous 21-hour filibuster against Obamacare in 2013, but he also holds some radical views that can’t possibly entice a band of truly loyal proponents.
The New York Times posted an editorial on Friday, April 17, about Cruz’s stance on the Second Amendment, in which they quoted him as saying, “(It) is a Constitutional right to protect your children, your family, your home, our lives and to serve as the ultimate check against governmental tyranny — for the protection of liberty.” The suggestion that the right to bear arms might be retooled to mean that anyone can rise up against perceived governmental tyranny is ludicrous, and it could have disastrous consequences. Strongly held beliefs like these could block Cruz’s path to a Republican nomination.
Senator Rand Paul (R–KY) is faring better than Cruz at this stage; presently, the ORC International poll ranks him at 12 percent backing, which puts him in third place behind Jeb Bush (16 percent) and Scott Walker (13 percent). Paul is an interesting candidate because he is difficult to define. He holds libertarian views on social issues but has also been affiliated with the Tea Party, a right-wing conservative group.
Like his father, Ron Paul, who was a presidential hopeful in 1988, 2008 and 2012 according to ballotpedia.org, Rand Paul refuses to be defined by traditional party-line ideology. In fact, the Post noted that in his official campaign announcement on Tuesday, April 7, he “frequently knocked the Republican party throughout his remarks.” It could be problematic, but Paul’s real issues lie with his public image.
In recent months, Paul has gained a reputation for being short-tempered with reporters, even going so far as to ‘shush’ a female journalist, according to CNN. If Paul wants to have a serious shot at a presidential nomination, he has to overcome this somewhat belligerent attitude toward the free press and adopt a more stately manner.
Of course, this is second nature for Hillary Clinton, the former First Lady, Senator and Secretary of State who announced her candidacy on Sunday, April 12, in an online video. She is a diplomat with vast experience in foreign policy, White House politics and governance because she’s done it all before and with acclaim.
There’s considerable support for Clinton in her second run for the presidency. A CBS News poll projects that 81 percent of Democrats would consider supporting her. As for moderates who are socially liberal, Clinton is a compelling candidate because she has a chance at making history by becoming the first woman to earn a nomination from a major political party and possibly the first woman to become president.
However, there are problems with which to contend. The email scandal may continue to plague Clinton, as well as her somewhat hypocritical stance on women’s rights, as the New York Times reports her family foundation accepts donations from Middle Eastern countries that actively suppress women’s rights. She’ll need to be as transparent and forthcoming as possible, something that a skilled politician isn’t always good at being.
For Marco Rubio (R–FL), Clinton is a perfect target. In his campaign announcement on Monday, April 13, he attacked “a leader from yesterday” who wants to take the country back to its problematic roots, according to CNN. But it could also be interpreted as an attack on Rubio’s good friend and potential candidate, Jeb Bush.
Rubio is the youngest candidate out there at 43 years old, which is promising for voters looking for a fresh-faced politician to lead the nation into a new age. But because Bush is part of a prominent political family, it looks like he might take support away from Rubio, regardless of his age and his affiliation with the increasingly unpopular Bush legacy. Rubio also only has about 6 percent backing at this point according to the Times, which could keep dropping once Bush formally announces.
The four aforementioned candidates are viable; however, until frontrunners Scott Walker or Jeb Bush announce their candidacy, the race remains wide open. It might also be interesting to see former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina go head-to-head with Hillary Clinton, but a nomination seems like a longshot.
For now, the candidates should focus on public relations. This is particularly true for Clinton because she is the lone wolf in the Democratic race. Until then, I’m not entirely convinced that any of these candidates are prime presidential material.
(04/22/15 9:08pm)
By Alyssa Sanford
News Assistant
In light of upcoming Student Government elections, prospective members and elected-position hopefuls sat in on the Wednesday, April 15, general body meeting.
According to Alternate Student Trustee Kevin Kim, who plays a role in organizing SG elections, candidates for various positions can start campaigning as early as Wednesday, April 15, at 5 p.m.
“Everything’s fair game after five o’clock,” Kim said in reference to the start of campaign season.
Student Government elections will be held on Tuesday, April 28. Newly elected officials will be sworn in on Wednesday, May 6, which is SG’s final meeting of the semester.
President Matthew Wells announced that all current SG members should look forward to the annual State House meeting on Wednesday, April 29. The general body session will be held in the Trenton State House chambers and will be followed by a presentation from the Student Finance Board.
“The actual budget that SFB proposes requires Student Government’s approval,” Wells said. During the State House meeting, SFB will present their budget proposal for 2015–16 to SG and allow general body members to ask questions before voting.
“It’s kind of an important meeting for you to be there,” Wells said.
Javier Nicasio, vice president of Equity and Diversity, informed prospective SG members about his committee’s ongoing project this semester: the Bias Response team.
“Basically, that is a group of students that deals with bias incidents,” Nicasio said, citing the recent parking garage vandalism that covered 19 student vehicles with offensive and graphic graffiti.
The Bias Response team will investigate such cases and will reach out to the college’s Chief Diversity Officer Kerri Tillett if necessary.
Academic Affairs will have a table in the Brower Student Center during Meal Equivalency on Monday, April 27, so that students can bring any issues to the committee’s attention.
Vice President of Academic Affairs Casey Dowling urged students to provide “feedback” on any pressing academic issues or proposed changes.
Senior Class President Brian Garsh said that “mandatory” Senior Week orientation meetings will be held between Monday, April 20 and Wednesday, April 22 in Roscoe West Hall.
All participating seniors must attend one of three meetings to learn about Senior Week waivers, policies, schedule, and the surprise keynote speaker.
Junior Class President Emily Montagna announced that Coozies with a logo of the College will go on sale at the end of the year for $3 each.
Sophomore Class Vice President Tori Mazzola reminded SG members that Spring Back will be held on Sunday, April 26.
Freshman Class President Ryan Cleary said that the Lions Walk For Hope, scheduled for Friday, May 1, will start on the Green Hall steps.
The walk is intended to “support mental health awareness and to create community on campus,” Cleary said.
(04/15/15 4:27am)
By Alyssa Sanford
News Assistant
A heavily-debated club derecognition bill was passed during the Student Government general body meeting on Wednesday, April 8, after members voted to formally recognize a new club.
B-S2015-04 was reintroduced by Jessica Glynn, vice president of Governmental Affairs, after the general body moved to table the bill for later discussion on Wednesday, April 1.
According to the bill, all clubs that have failed to respond to Student Government’s repeated outreaches to reapply for recognition at the end of the year will be formally derecognized by SG and will need to reapply through Governmental Affairs and Student Government next semester.
A new provision to the bill stated that “the deadline will be extended to April 18 at 11:59 p.m.” so that these clubs will have a chance to reapply before being formally derecognized. Instead of solely reaching out to club presidents through their official club email accounts and individual College email accounts, SG will contact club advisors directly to expedite the process.
Vice President Michael Chiumento clarified in the last meeting that SG was not derecognizing clubs without cause. He explained that this bill would give clubs in danger of derecognition a final opportunity to reapply without penalty. Only clubs that have been reached out to “seven or eight times” without response will face possible derecognition, Chiumento said.
President Matthew Wells called for a vote on B-S2015-04, which passed after much debate. As of yet, there is no date set for when derecognized clubs can formally reapply for recognition.
Prior to the vote, TCNJ Red Cross presented before the general body in hopes of gaining formal recognition.
The student organization was approved by Governmental Affairs on Sunday, March 29. GA praised TCNJ Red Cross for its "passionate e-board" and its affiliation with the Red Cross center in Princeton, as well as the National Red Cross.
General body members asked for clarification about the differences between TCNJ Red Cross and Lions EMS, as both clubs provide CPR training. While Lions EMS CPR training is open to the campus community, TCNJ Red Cross provides CPR training for members only, but the e-board insists that their club focuses on disaster relief and service opportunities more than CPR training.
The club currently has between 25 and 30 members, but new members require CPR certification and formal training in order to be considered active members of the club.
Wells called for a vote to recognize TCNJ Red Cross, which passed with no debate.
Chiumento announced that SG elections will take place on Tuesday, April 28, but newly elected members will not take office until Wednesday, May 6, which is the last general body meeting of the semester.
Later, it was announced that “10 Days of Ewing” will be held from Thursday, April 9, to Saturday, April 18. Alternate Student Trustee Kevin Kim said that local businesses will offer discounts and limited promotions to students from the College during this event.
Vendors such as Dunkin’ Donuts, Mamma Flora’s, Philly Pretzel Factory, Carvel, Uncle Ed’s Creamery, Sunny Days Tanning Salon and more will be participating in “10 Days of Ewing,” according to Kim.
“Show up, show your ID. It’ll be a good way to build relationships between TCNJ and these companies,” Kim said.
Next, Glynn announced that Youth Outreach Day will be held on Saturday, April 18 from noon to 3 p.m.
Senior class council President Brian Garsh said that Senior Week currently has 520 registrants.
“We were a little scared because everyone waited until the last minute,” said Garsh of the late influx of registrants before thanking seniors for registering for the three-day event.
The senior class will also hold a combined senior/junior night on Wednesday, May 5, which will have a Cinco de Mayo theme.
Garsh also announced that on Wednesday, April 22, the senior class will host a TD Bank event that will be relevant to a lot of seniors and educate them on paying off student loans. Representatives from TD Bank will talk to seniors about starting the process of paying back the loans six months after graduation.
(04/10/15 3:50pm)
By Alyssa Sanford
News Assistant
Student Government formally recognized the TCNJ Astronomy Club during the general body session on Wednesday, April 1, and tabled an important bill after intense debate and discussion.
Jessica Glynn, vice president of Governmental Affairs, brought the TCNJ Astronomy Club before the general body for recognition following its successful presentation before the Governmental Affairs committee on Sunday, March 8.
The Astronomy Club, which has 28 current members on its charter list and “strong support from the Dean of Science,” according to Glynn, sought SG recognition in order to receive Student Finance Board funding so that it can book trips and speakers.
Astronomy Club President Tim Osborn, a sophomore physics major, said that the club “existed a couple of years ago,” but the executive board “kind of just let it die off.” The revamped Astronomy Club, which boasts a large number of freshmen members, will try to generate a wider interest in astronomy across all classes and majors.
Since the Astronomy Club began convening in Fall 2014, it has been holding regular weekly meetings and popular events like “star parties,” which the executive board plans to hold about once every semester.
According to Osborn, star parties are held at night on Green Hall Lawn, and anyone can come to look at the night sky with professional-grade telescopes from the observatory. The inaugural star party, held in the fall semester, had a significant turnout.
“We had over 70 people show up in 15 degree weather,” Osborn said. “We’re hoping since we can get that many people to come when it’s below freezing that, when conditions are much nicer and when it’s a lot more comfortable to be outside, we can have an even better number.”
President Matthew Wells called for a vote, and the general body voted in favor of recognizing the TCNJ Astronomy Club without debate.
Afterwards, Glynn presented Bill B-S2015-04, which would derecognize clubs that have failed to reapply for SG recognition and have consistently ignored outreaches from the SG cabinet. However, the general body was confused by the complex issues surrounding the bill, making it difficult to call for a vote.
The derecognition bill has been tabled for discussion at a later date, but until then, the Governmental Affairs committee “will take care of it,” Wells said.
Next, Kyle Holland, vice president of Administration and Finance, announced to wild applause that after meeting with the Student Finance Board over the weekend, “we took a $9,000 Student Government budget and turned it into a $27,000 Student Government budget.”
“That’s not including class council (budgets),” Holland clarified.
Vice President of Advancement Sarah Drozd said that interest sessions for upcoming Student Government elections will start on Monday, April 6, and will continue through Thursday, April 9. All sessions will be held in Science Complex P101 from 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
“We want to get a really big turnout of people that are interested in running for elections,” Drozd said.
Later, Navid Radfar, vice president of Student Services, talked about advocacy for a few key complaints that students have expressed: namely, the hours at the gym and at Eickhoff Dining Hall.
Student Services is trying to extend weekend hours at the gym while pushing back weekday hours at Eickhoff from 8 a.m. to 7 a.m. so that students with early classes have a chance to eat breakfast, Radfar said.
Javier Nicasio, vice president of Equity and Diversity, was pleased to announce that TCNJ Epcot was “a phenomenal event.” The event was a celebration of students’ cultures.
Nicasio also announced Equity and Diversity is launching a campaign called “#AskMeAboutMyCulture.” Students will appear in a video and talk about their cultural backgrounds to increase multicultural appreciation.
(04/01/15 11:39pm)
By Alyssa Sanford
Staff Writer
Members of the College’s Strategic Planning and Resource Committee (SPARC) met with Student Government to evaluate the College’s mission statement and update it for the future at the general body meeting on Wednesday, March 25.
SPARC seeks to revise the existing strategic plan from two and a half years ago and present the new plan to the Board of Trustees in February 2016 for their vote of approval.
The new plan, if approved, will be implemented in fall 2016 and extend through 2021.
Jacqueline Taylor, co-chair of SPARC and provost of Academic Affairs, said that this plan is “the first, at least in a long time, articulated strategic plan that the College has had.”
“This is not to say that ... we weren’t planning,” Taylor added. “We weren’t putting (the strategic plan) out in that way.”
Co-chair and psychology professor Shaun Wiley talked with SG members about what SPARC is looking for in the new mission, vision and core value statements before splitting the room into groups to brainstorm ideas and edits.
“We’re describing our institution (to) communicate (our values) outside the College,” Wiley said. The statements are meant to convey “who we are as a college... (and) who we are as TCNJ.”
The mission statement describes in “pretty high-level” terminology what the College offers as an institution, Wiley said. For instance, the College “challenges a diverse community of learners through a personalized, collaborative and rigorous education,” according to the statement as of Thursday, Feb. 19.
As for the vision statement, which Wiley said is more “future-oriented,” SPARC wants it to provide a sense of what the College will become.
Finally, Wiley asked SG members to brainstorm core values for the College. The Wednesday, March 4, draft includes words like “excellence,” “engagement,” “community,” “integrity” and “diversity,” for instance.
General body members worked intently on revisions for a significant portion of the meeting, discussing the rhetoric and accuracy of the statement’s language.
Taylor mentioned that the current plan was created “to get us through the Middle States review,” which was a success several weeks ago when the representatives came to the College from Monday, March 9, to Wednesday, March 11, for their “once-every-10-years accreditation visit.”
“They are lovin’ on us,” Taylor said of the Middle States commission with a grin. “We’re pretty proud.”
However, there is always room for improvement when it comes to refining the College’s goals and values. That’s why SPARC has reached out to faculty, staff and students through a series of meetings and open forums for contributions to the revision process.
SPARC is scheduled to hold an open forum on Wednesday, April 1, in room 212 of the Education Building from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. to discuss the strategic plan with the campus community.
Following the presentation, President Matthew Wells called the general body meeting to order.
Vice President of Advancement Sarah Drozd announced a bake sale that will be held from Wednesday, April 8, to Friday, April 10. Proceeds will go toward the SG scholarship fund, which has reached 100 percent involvement among SG members and is within $4,000 of its fundraising goal.
The senior class council informed the general body that registration for Senior Week is live online and will remain open until Friday, April 3. Due to high demand, the senior class is capping registration at 600 students.
The sophomore class is hosting Mr. 2017 in the Brower Student Center at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 1. Tickets are $3 leading up to the event and $5 at the door.
Additionally, freshman class President Ryan Cleary announced that Freshman Formal will be held on Saturday, April 18. Tickets cost $15 each, and there are only 250 tickets are available.
The freshman class is also selling ‘Peep-grams’ in the Brower Student Center. For a small fee, anyone can buy a box of Peeps and have them delivered to a friend on campus in the days leading up to the Easter and Passover holiday weekend. Sales end on Friday, April 3.
(04/01/15 11:20pm)
By Alyssa Sanford
College fraternities all across the country are making headlines, from Penn State to the University of Oklahoma to Dartmouth College. Their misdemeanors are nothing short of deplorable, and the media storm swirling around them is more than warranted.
Still, the question remains: Are the repercussions strong enough?
The public seems to think so.
Members of the University of Oklahoma’s Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity appeared in a viral video in the beginning of March, joining in a racist chant with references to lynching. The response was immediate: Within hours of the video leaking online, the University closed the chapter and forced members to leave the fraternity house. Later, two of the students leading the chant were expelled and have since made public apologies for their actions, according to the New York Times.
University of Oklahoma was lauded for its swift handling of the scandal. It denounced SAE and expelled the chief offenders from the University, much to the satisfaction of both the black student union on campus and the general public.
Admirable, yes. But it leaves something to be desired.
It recently came to light that the Alpha Delta fraternity at Dartmouth College, which has been suspended since March 2014 for hazing violations and alcohol-related charges, would be suspended until 2018 for branding its new members, according to ABC News. The suspension was intended to be lifted on March 29, 2015, but this new piece of information prompted the college to extend the ban for another three years.
And at Penn State, the already-suspended Kappa Delta Rho chapter landed in hot water after their “secret” websites containing photos of naked, unconscious women in seriously compromising positions were discovered, according to the New York Times. Some of the women in the photos are contemplating pressing criminal charges.
Again, these universities took action and did what could be done. But it still isn’t enough.
These are isolated instances of hazing, racism and misconduct. Universities can naturally only do so much when handling these cases. They can expel students, shut down fraternities and even press criminal charges, but they can’t get to the source of the problem. That has been proven countless times.
The Greek life culture needs to change for that to happen.
If the national organizations made it clear that this kind of behavior was inexcusable; if the members themselves enforced more stringent codes of morality; if pledges weren’t harassed and hazed just because it’s part of a long-standing tradition, maybe this wouldn’t happen.
It’s 2015. This kind of behavior can’t be tolerated anymore. The perpetrators of these sickening acts shouldn’t have to be expelled to understand that it’s wrong to belittle other human beings or to take advantage of them simply because that’s how these things have always been done.
However, not all fraternities behave like this. Some haze, but not to the extremes the media reports about. Some are strictly just having fun with the new pledges, and nothing wrong with that.
It becomes a problem when that thin line of “just having fun” and terrorizing the new brothers is crossed.
Despite the philanthropy work fraternities do participate in, it becomes difficult for many to support them when constant cases of horrifying injustices are heard. After all, extreme cases are the ones that make headlines.
Then again, not all fraternities get caught, thus raising even more questions.
It is going to take serious time for national organizations to implement changes that will truly take effect and stop extreme acts of hazing once and for all.
No matter what the answer is, one thing is abundantly clear — the Greek life culture is in desperate need of change.
(03/26/15 3:15pm)
By Alyssa Sanford
Staff Writer
Upcoming changes to the College’s Liberal Learning program prompted Student Government to invite Christopher “Kit” Murphy, associate provost for Liberal Learning and Curriculum under Academic Affairs to the general body meeting on Wednesday, March 11.
Murphy, who is a “biologist by trade” specializing in animal research, is part of an effort to reevaluate the Liberal Learning program and its requirements, which have baffled students for years.
Taking effect in the fall semester of 2015, First Seminar Programs (FSP) will no longer have “domain designation.” While an FSP course traditionally fell under a specific domain — such as World Views and Ways of Knowing, Natural Science, etc. — now FSP courses will simply count as an FSP course, and students will be required to take eight liberal learning courses to satisfy the six domains.
For example, instead of taking three courses within each of the domains, incoming freshmen classes will now take three courses from five of the domains, and two courses from the remaining domain, Murphy explained to the general body.
IMurphy is interested in “engaging the campus in conversations” about ways to improve the Liberal Learning program, as it lacks widespread campus community support.
According to Murphy, about 90 percent of faculty members “are deeply committed” to liberal learning courses and think they are valuable, while only about 47 percent of students agree.
However, Murphy acknowledges that while opinions of the program’s efficacy lacks consensus, it is true that a “general understanding” of liberal learning requirements is needed across the board, for faculty and students alike.
Following this presentation, SG voted on the recognition of two clubs: Humanitarian Yoga and TCNJ Anthropological Society.
The clubs, both founded in the fall semester 2014, presented to the Governmental Affairs committee on Sunday, March 1, and were unanimously approved. Humanitarian Yoga and TCNJ Anthropological Society both sought SG recognition so that their respective organizations would be permitted to advertise for on-campus events and to reserve space for events and meetings.
Humanitarian Yoga has about 80 members and its president is a certified yoga instructor. Weekly meetings are more than yoga sessions, however — they are also devoted to planning events that will spread awareness about physical and mental health within both the campus and local community.
TCNJ Anthropological Society, comprised of 10 core members, formed prior to the announcement that an anthropology major at the College is in the early stages of planning, in response to general interest from the student body. The society boasts a strong relationship with faculty.
President Matthew Wells moved for a vote to recognize these clubs and both votes passed after debate.
Next, Vice President Michael Chiumento announced that the College is looking for art committees to augment the future STEM Building and remodeled Student Center. Both committees will convene next semester.
Kevin Kim, the alternate student trustee, said that SG elections will be held on Tuesday, April 28. All elected officials will need to run for re-election. Anyone interested in running can attend an information session between Monday, April 6, and Thursday, April 9, in Science Complex P-101 at 8 p.m.
Finally, senior class council president Brian Garsh had details about Senior Week, scheduled for Tuesday, May 19, through Thursday, May 21, following commencement.
On Tuesday, May 19, which is the last day of finals, seniors will go to Craft House in Cherry Hill for an evening out.
The next day, Wednesday, May 20, has a jam-packed schedule, including a senior breakfast with food donated from several local restaurants, such as Pennington Bagel; a keynote speaker who will be announced at a later date; an Alumni Association barbecue/picnic with a variety of outdoor activities; a champagne toast in the Science Complex; and a gala at a banquet hall.
After commencement on Thursday, May 20, seniors will convene at Rho on the Trenton Waterfront.
A series of changes accompany this abbreviated Senior Week experience. For the first time ever, seniors will stay in their current residence halls rather than returning to the Towers. For commuter students, there will be an optional transportation service to shuttle seniors between events.
Garsh also announced that Senior Week is now offered in three separate packages. Package A, which includes all three days’ events, costs $195; Package B, which is only Tuesday night’s and Wednesday’s events, costs $165; and Package C, which only covers Wednesday’s events, is $135.
“I can’t tell you how hard the senior class council has worked on this,” Garsh said. “We’ve been working on this around the clock since last April. I’m not even kidding.”
Registration for Senior Week goes live this week and will stay open until Friday, April 3. Capacity is limited to 600 seniors.
(03/24/15 6:20pm)
By Alyssa Sanford
Even though the anticipated 2016 presidential election is still well over a year away, it already has a buzzword vividly circling — transparency.
“Transparency matters,” former Florida Governor Jeb Bush tweeted on Monday, March 2, in response to a crop of scandals connected to Hillary Clinton. Bush was adamant that Clinton, a frontrunner for the Democratic Presidential campaign, release her private emails that she sent and received during her tenure as Secretary of State to the public for the sake of all-important political transparency.
While Clinton did ultimately cooperate and announce that she had asked the State Department to go ahead and release her emails, it didn’t exactly quell the public outcry for total honesty.
Beyond her truly controversial decision to use a private email account for government affairs, Clinton faced scrutiny for her family foundation’s acceptance of donations from Middle Eastern countries that suppress women’s rights. Both of these recent scandals require Clinton to be perfectly transparent about the ethics of her actions.
But is that ever enough?
It’s not just the blatant issues themselves that will naturally plague Clinton’s campaign — that is if she does ultimately announce her candidacy. Her response to the issues will define her campaign, and could make or break it.
Take a look at New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, whose dreams of a lofty presidential nomination are fading fast. Some might say that Christie is too transparent, too brash and direct in his response to questions from opponents. An article from the New York Times on Thursday, Feb. 26, quoted Christie as saying, “Sometimes people need to be told to sit down and shut up.” Does Christie own up to his mistakes, such as his involvement in the Bridgegate scandal of 2014? Perhaps, but his blunt honesty isn’t appealing to many voters.
Political consultants, such as Patrick Davis from Colorado, believe that “Christie’s brashness may work for New Jersey voters, but he did not think it would play well in Iowa, site of the first presidential nominating contest,” according to the Times.
Similarly, claims of any type of transparency may turn out to be hypocritical. Jeb Bush’s call for Clinton to release her emails preceded the revelation that he took seven years to release his own private emails to the press, according to the Times.
It seems suspicious that Bush waited until long after leaving office to release his emails but has taken the last few weeks to publicly pride himself on his own political transparency. How he deals with this new revelation could seal his fate in terms of a nomination.
While Clinton held a press conference to discuss the email controversy, among other pressing issues as well, journalists did not note her willingness to address the problem up front. They did not laud her for her honesty, or for her decision to make her private emails public information. Instead, the Times noted that she held a “defensive” stance when taking questions from reporters, and that “It had taken eight days for Mrs. Clinton to make herself available for questions. And long before the questions ran out, she began packing up her binder.”
Transparency is, with no doubt, a bipartisan issue. No politician is immune to the occasional slip-up, as the 24-hour news cycle makes abundantly clear. But the universal cry for transparency makes worthy presidential candidates ultimately seem incompetent or evasive.
Isn’t it time that we accept that our politicians aren’t always forthcoming about their mistakes, like any human being? And isn’t it time that we focus on issues that are more important than email records and bridge lane closings?
The upcoming 2016 presidential campaign will likely hinge on the candidates’ transparency, but what it should focus on is their stances on the hot-button issues.
After all, their own competency in addressing those issues isn’t contingent on how they handled minor mistakes in the past.
(03/11/15 2:26pm)
By Alyssa Sanford
Staff Writer
Student Government voted to recognize the Council of Student Teachers of Mathematics (CSTM), discussed changes to grading policies and announced upcoming TCNJ TEDx Talks during the general body meeting on Wednesday, March 4.
Governmental Affairs held a meeting on Sunday, Feb. 22, during which members voted to recognize CSTM, but the organization still sought SG recognition.
There are currently 20 members who attend general meetings and approximately 40 members who come to special events, typically held once a month.
CSTM — largely funded by the mathematics and science departments at the College — is different from other education clubs on campus because it not only provides professional development for future STEM educators, but also organizes events and activities that are appropriate for K-12 students.
To define how CSTM will impact the campus community beyond, members of the organization explained that there are existing ties between graduates of the math education program and CSTM that allow the organization to meet with high school math clubs and perform outreaches in schools outside of Ewing Township.
SG President Matthew Wells called for a vote to recognize the club, and the motion passed in favor of recognition with no debate.
As the meeting moved into discussion of new business, Vice President of Administration and Finance Kyle Holland announced that next week marks the beginning of the College’s beanie sale.
Purchasing an $8 beanie, available in white or navy blue, is crucial because of the frigid weather of late, according to Holland.
“When I walk to my 8 a.m. in the morning, I check my ears to see if they’re still there,” Holland said, adding that buying a beanie is a worthwhile investment. The price of the beanies will increase to $10 after next week.
Adam Bonnano, vice president of Community Relations, announced that events gearing up for Relay for Life will be held during the week of Monday, March 9, to Friday, March 13. The official theme of the week is “Paint the Campus Purple.”
Relay for Life is scheduled for Friday, April 10.
Bonnano also mentioned that Community Relations will be collecting student feedback about the Loop Bus now that “control (is) shifting from (the Student Finance Board) to the Office of Student Activities.”
Javier Nicasio, vice president of Equity and Diversity, announced that TCNJ Epcot, “a celebration of diversity,” will be held in the Brower Student Center on Thursday, March 26, from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
“It’s basically a multicultural festival that will be held throughout the entire Stud,” Nicasio said. Activities and attractions will include a mechanical bull ride, sumo wrestling suits, multicultural performances and a buffet.
Currently, over 25 organizations are co-sponsoring TCNJ Epcot.
As for other campus events, the junior class council confirmed that there are 10 acts lined up for TCNJ’s Got Talent, which will be held on Wednesday, March 11, at 8 p.m.
The sophomore class T-shirt sale is ongoing. President Robert Kinloch urged general body members, particularly freshmen, to buy an Eve Cruz T-shirt.
“They’re cool, they’re funny. It’s going to be relevant for the rest of your time here,” Kinloch said. “Freshmen … you can be the ones explaining what the legendary status of Eve is (to future classes).”
The cabinet announced that the College will host TEDx talks in Mayo Hall, which is essentially a TED talk that is open to the campus community, during the first week of May.
According to Vice President Michael Chiumento, SG will be “spearheading” the program, which boasts the theme “Light the Fire.”
Any student can audition to give a 10 to 15 minute speech on a topic connected to the theme, which Chiumento said was “purposefully left ambiguous.”
Finally, Bonanno, also a representative of the Committee of Academic Programming, discussed changes to grading policies in detail and asked for feedback from the general body.
The first measure was the introduction of an “ungraded” course option. Students can now take courses at the College either for credit or no credit, an option that was offered last spring for Maymester and traditional summer courses.
The language of this proposal is somewhat unclear, as general body members pointed out that potential loopholes could arise from it — such as trying to take a course abroad and making it pass/fail. That way, students can spend time exploring their new surroundings instead of actually putting effort into their class.
Bonnano briefly introduced the second measure, which will change the incomplete grade policy. Whereas an incomplete grade used to default to an “F” in PAWS, professors can now default to a grade that is not failing.
The responsibility is now on students to reach out to professors if they have legitimate reasons for falling behind on assignments and want to avoid receiving an “F” for their coursework to date.