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(04/25/07 12:00pm)
Facebook may appear, on the surface, to be a time-waster, a Web site you go on at work to pass the time or to find out who's broken up with who on the infamous news feed.
However, Facebook became more than just a Web site last Monday; it became a legitimate site for information and an outlet for the outpouring of grief and support that came in the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings, which killed 32 people plus the gunman in the nation's worst shooting rampage in history.
In a matter of hours, groups sprung up on the social networking site, denouncing the shootings, offering condolences and posting names of the dead and wounded.
One group, "I'm ok at VT," was one of the primary information sources for students frantically seeking information on friends, family and loved ones. This went for student's walls, too, where thousands of messages were left, asking questions like "are you okay?" along with sympathetic comments like "I'm thinking about you."
Many asked of the whereabouts and conditions of their friends, often with heartbreaking results, as Victoria Borkey discovered when she inquired about a classmate. "She sits beside me in my Abnormal Psychology class and I really want to know if she is ok," wrote Borkey, before another student informed her that her friend was one of the casualties.
Others were created specifically to assure the safety of those from a certain area, like "James River '06 Grads at VT who are safe," which included lists of Virginia Tech students from James River High School who survived the attacks.
Another group, titled "A tribute to those who passed at the Virginia Tech shootings," currently counts over 320,000 as members, with almost 18,000 wall posts and more than 1,000 discussion topics. Students debate everything from gun control to Rosie O'Donnell and offer prayers to the families of the victims, creating a dialogue among students from all over the country and even the world.
Students at VT and other colleges replaced their profile pictures with black ribbons embossed with the VT logo, many of which included messages of support like "For today, we are all Hokies," referring to the college's mascot.
This flock to Facebook cemented its status as a socially relevant informational tool among college students, replacing traditional modes of communication like phones and bringing the Web site to the forefront of the discussion on the tragedy. With close to 10 million visitors, Facebook seemed a logical choice for a quick dissemination of information for college students affected by the shooting.
"It says a lot about technology, power and age," Jessie Gamble, a professor of women's and gender studies who teaches courses on pop culture at the College, said. "It's amazing to me that it's tragedy that gets the mainstream media to acknowledge new forms of technology."
Students here at the College, although separated geographically from the shootings, did not allow this to deter them from reaching out to VT through Facebook by offering encouraging words and leaving messages of grief and sympathy on walls.
"I invited people to a group dedicated to those who died that day and their families because I wanted people to feel connected with everyone else across the nation," Shane McLoughlin, sophomore biology major, said. "It was both an attempt to unite the heartbroken and also to show support for the families and the campus torn apart."
"It's often easier to deal with such intense emotions when you have a forum to talk about it, especially among peers," McLoughlin said.
Still, others felt that Facebook was perhaps too casual a medium to convey the proper respect and reverence such a catastrophe commanded. Instead of calling a friend to check on them, many deemed it easier to take a minute to leave a quick electronic message, a move some considered impersonal and borderline offensive.
"I think it's thoughtful, but a shallow way of showing your support," Kelly Merna, junior accounting major, said.
Some students were concerned that Facebook could even become a spot to spread hateful comments, as witnessed by numerous posts that contained slurs against Asians and immigrants since shooter Seung-Hui Cho was from South Korea.
"Please, don't let one Korean change your perspectives on other Koreans," one student pleaded on a discussion thread.
McLoughlin reiterated this call for understanding and remembrance: "I hope that in months when people look at the groups to which they belong, they see the group devoted to Virginia Tech and even if for a second, remember how important life is . that we shouldn't end the day without saying 'I love you' to each and everyone who we couldn't live without."
(11/15/06 12:00pm)
Irving Shmookler was in no way prepared for the sights that awaited him at the Mauthausen concentration camp - the walking skeletons, the prisoners with stomachs so shrunken that they could not eat.
Shmookler, a United States Army veteran who liberated the camp during World War II, was a presenter at "Speak Out: Voices of the Holocaust," which occurred on Wednesday night in the Mayo Concert Hall and was sponsored by Hillel/Jewish Student Union and the Second Generation Holocaust Education Fund.
The event, part of Holocaust Remembrance Week, coincided with the anniversary of Kristallnacht on Thursday, the "night of broken glass" that many consider the unofficial beginning of the Nazi Party's reign of terror.
Shmookler was joined by Holocaust survivors Ruth Lubitz and Sol Lurie.
"Tonight's program is important because there are Holocaust deniers across colleges and in the United States that deny the Holocaust ever happened," moderator Marianne Meyer said before introducing Lubitz.
Lubitz was born into a Jewish, middle-class family in Germany. Her idyllic childhood came to a crashing halt at age seven when her father was beaten to death by Nazis outside her home. "It was a fearful time - certainly we did not have a normal childhood," Lubitz said.
Little by little, her life began to change as more and more restrictions were placed on Jews. They could not receive a high school education, own property or even attend a movie. Her mother tried desperately to get her and her brother out of Germany and into the United States, "but what child wanted to leave their remaining parent?"
Her brother was sent to Berlin to hide from Nazis who were rounding up men and boys to send to work camps. Lubitz eventually joined him as the situation in her hometown worsened. Finally, in the dead of night in April 1939, the two escaped to Britain on the Kindertransport, a relief effort that helped rescue and transport nearly 10,000 Jewish children out of Nazi-occupied countries into various parts of the United Kingdom.
Her mother was not so lucky and died in the Auschwitz concentration camp. Despite the atrocities she witnessed, Lubitz insisted she is no hero: "I had it really good," she said. "I don't even consider myself a survivor; I didn't suffer as much as others."
Lurie, the next speaker, spoke of the miracles and coincidences that made up his Holocaust experience. Speaking in a thick accent that he joked, "I never had before coming to America," the Lithuanian native explained his amazing survival through six concentration camps.
His family was forced to leave their town for a ghetto that housed 40,000 Jews, with each family residing in only one room. One day, when the Nazis killed over 10,000 Jews in a mass execution, Lurie and a few of his cousins were sent to hide in a nearby stable. "We children were always hiding," he said.
The Nazis discovered them and grew outraged when his cousin's baby began to cry. One soldier threw the baby in the air and caught it on his bayonet, laughing and waving it wildly through the air. Lurie ran and hid in the hole of an outhouse for an entire day, covered in waste before returning home. His grateful mother "didn't care how I looked or smelled. She hugged and kissed me and was glad I was alive," Lurie said.
Lurie's luck followed him throughout his horrifying ordeal. In 1944 he was moved to Birkenau. Sent to the showers along with other boys, Lurie had no idea that he was entering the gas chamber, which claimed so many lives throughout the war. Incredibly, instead of gas, water spouted out of the shower heads. "It was a miracle," Lurie said. Mere hours before, the Germans had struck a deal with Americans, guaranteeing that they would stop the killing in Auschwitz if they received 10,000 trucks.
He also escaped certain death after being selected as an experimental subject for the infamous Dr. Josef Mengele, who performed horrific scientific tests on camp prisoners. Lurie was even moved to the experimental barrack, but was removed after he was picked for a work detail and was sent on a death march. "If you fell down they shot you right away," he said.
After subsisting on only snow during the march, he wound up at Buchenwald and was eventually liberated on his 15th birthday, April 11, 1945. Lurie was one of the lucky ones, with his father and four of his brothers surviving the Holocaust. His mother died two days before the liberation. After being starved for much of his childhood, it took him a year and a half to be able to eat regular food.
He now regards America as his home and is "the proudest American you'll ever meet." He told the audience to stand up to bullies in order to prevent something like the Holocaust from ever happening again.
Shmookler concluded the evening, bringing the unique perspective of not a survivor, but an American liberator of the 55th Armored Infantry Battalion of the 11th Armored Division. He was only 24 years old when he stepped into the Mauthausen camp and was in "disbelief at the inhumanity of people to other people." Shmookler and his unit had heard a little about the camps, but thought they mainly housed prisoners of war.
Prisoners responded to the liberation with joy. "They were very happy. It was the end of a bad, bad dream," Shmookler said. Still, over 3,000 prisoners died in the weeks after the arrival of the troops from starvation and dysentery.
Back home in America, "the reaction had already started," he said, but Lubitz spoke of the skepticism she encountered.
"It took a long, long time for people to believe us - it was unbelievable," she said.
"We don't enjoy remembering this stuff," Lubitz said, "but we realize there's a need."
(11/08/06 12:00pm)
The Experience Asia opening ceremony went off with a bang, literally, as dancers struck and shook coconuts as part of the traditional Filipino Coconut Dance.
Held on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. in Brower Student Center and sponsored by the Asian American Association (AAA), it was a preview of upcoming events in Experience Asia, a month-long celebration of Asian-American culture that seeks to raise Asian awareness on campus.
The Coconut Dance kicked off the evening, as male members of AAA strapped numerous coconuts on their bodies and used them as percussion during the dance, which represents a mock battle. One dancer joked, "We usually do this without shirts, but we don't want to scar you guys. Winter's coming and we're all out of shape."
A few women dancers followed with China's traditional Umbrella Dance, which involved the twirling of large umbrellas to Chinese music.
During the dances, students watched and applauded as they ate Asian food like samosa and vegetarian egg rolls.
The dance performances concluded with Saathiya, the College's first South Asian fusion dance group.
"What makes our dance team different is that each of our members has brought with them a unique dance style, ranging from bhangra to Hindi, and classical to hip-hop," wrote member Joe Cruz, junior biology and psychology major, on the Saathiya Web site, tcnj.edu/~zuniga2/saathiya/main.
Saathiya, which means "life partner," recently danced at Dance Fusion 2006 at George Washington University, and it performed two of the four parts of that routine at the preview ceremony. The dance, which included Indian music as well as the theme from "Super Mario Brothers," was met with intense applause by onlookers.
Concluding the night was South Asian hip-hop group P.Nox Productions, which performed two songs as the audience crowded the stage and clapped along, prompting one of the group members to say, "(The College) is really cool. This is a small crowd, but you guys got into it."
P.Nox consists of five New Jersey residents - Young Pharaoh, P.Nox, Don Revo, G-Deep, Anu "Raagz" Kal and D Goode - who incorporate hip-hop and rap with Asian styles like Punjabi and bhangra.
The opening ceremony was one of nine programs that make up Experience Asia month. Others include a multi-cultural buffet, lectures, game nights and information sessions on Asia.
Events in the next week consist of: a lecture by author and immigrant Da Chen on Nov. 9 at 8 p.m. in the New Library Auditorium; an appearance by comedian Dat Phan, winner of "Last Comic Standing," on Nov. 10 at 8 p.m. in the Mayo Concert Hall; and Banzai!, a night of video games and food hosted by the Japanese Club, on Nov. 11 in the Cromwell Main Lounge at 7 p.m.
P.Nox's comment on the lack of attendance hit a chord with AAA members, who seemed concerned with the small turnout, which numbered approximately 60, including AAA members.
"It's hard to get people out here on a Wednesday night," Adrien Ong, AAA president and senior nursing major, said. "I hope everyone else comes to our events for the rest of the month."
Laura Walker, junior early childhood education/psychology major, echoed this sentiment: "It would have been way better if more people showed up."
(11/01/06 12:00pm)
Along with thousands of other 13-year-old girls who dreamed of tap shoes and dressing rooms, Rochelle Patterson put "performing arts" for her future ambitions in her eighth grade yearbook.
While most of those girls probably didn't make it to Broadway, Patterson's dream is finally being realized, as she goes from the College to the chorus line. The admissions counselor and head of the College Ambassadors program is leaving this week to perform in the show "Stomp" in Las Vegas.
Patterson has been a dancer since childhood, dabbling in tap, jazz and ballet and teaching hip-hop for nine years.
She was on the Diamond Gems dance team at Temple University and has appeared in a variety of musical theater shows.
"I've always had a love of performing," she said, but "it was always a part-time gig," something she did on the weekends or when she had spare time to audition.
One of these weekend auditions was for "Stomp," a blend of music, dance and performance art. According to its Web site, stomponline.com, "'Stomp' is a movement, of bodies, objects, sounds - even abstract ideas."
"But what makes it so appealing is that the cast uses everyday objects, but in non-traditional ways." For example, the performers use garbage cans and pipes for percussion and dance while sweeping brooms.
Created by Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas in England, "Stomp" has its origins in the historical tradition of busking - performing in public places to entertain a crowd. They updated this notion and gave it an urban feel, to critical and commercial acclaim.
Patterson auditioned for the show once before in 1999. Her best friend was cast, so she attended a performance and was immediately drawn in to the energy of the show. "'Stomp' has a flavor to it that no other show has," Patterson said. "'Stomp' is an opportunity to reach out to your audience and pull them in."
The diversity of the show also appealed to Patterson. "All the girls on Broadway are the same size and weight," she said. "Stomp" is looking for ordinary people with different looks.
Her friend encouraged her to audition in 1999 and she made it to the final call before being cut. Undeterred, she recently tried out for the show's Las Vegas run.
Once again, she made the first, second and final call. "All I could think was, 'I hope I get the call.' Then they called me from Vegas and I couldn't say no," Patterson said.
Moving from the suburbs of New Jersey to the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas doesn't faze Patterson, who has visited the city before and counts it as one of her favorite places.
With the challenge of finding an apartment behind her, Patterson said she just wants to get out there and get started.
Patterson is excited but reluctant to leave the College, where she has happily worked for five-and-a-half years. Nevertheless, "I'm really excited to be doing something I've always dreamed of," she said.
Her contract is from 2007 to 2008, but don't necessarily plan on seeing her back next year. Patterson would like to try out for other shows, including "Stomp NY," although she said New Jersey will always be home.
Directing the Ambassador program helped prepare her for this new phase in life, demanding the same enthusiasm and creativity that "Stomp" will. "You need a lot of energy for this job," she said.
She hopes that students at the College will follow her lead and find their own personal passion, something that took her years to discover. "It sounds clich?d, but never give up on your dreams," she said.
Too often, Patterson said, college students are afraid to try something different and get out of their comfort zones. "Hone your skills and don't stay locked in something," she said.
(10/18/06 12:00pm)
Where else but the Homecoming Lip Sync and Dance competition would you find Inspector Gadget, Batman and Patti Mayonnaise in the same room singing along to "Dirrty" and "SexyBack"?
The competition, which took place Thursday night in the Packer Hall gymnasium, paired fraternities and sororities together, as well as a group consisting of College Ambassadors. The eight teams lip synced to pre-recorded musical skits in one segment and danced in another, both of which were judged separately.
The team of the Sigma Pi fraternity and Kappa Delta and Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) sororities were crowned the victors in both the lip sync and dance categories.
The Homecoming theme this year was cartoons, resulting in a curious mixture of farce and childhood nostalgia, as female Ghostbusters bumped and grinded and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles crooned along to Nelly Furtado. The themes chosen included Doug, the Flintstones, Scooby Doo, Captain Planet, Ghostbusters, Batman, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Inspector Gadget.
Each team sent eight members, four men and four women, to perform either the lip sync or dance, as the remaining members shouted a deafening cacophony of encouragement and team chants from the sidelines while wearing their organization's official Homecoming Week T-shirt, which read slogans like "From 30-packs to Scooby snacks."
The lip sync sketches generally involved the kidnapping or sabotage of either the team's mascot or the College football team's quarterback by evil William Paterson students, the College's opponent in the Homecoming football game. The organization's mascot, be it Captain Planet or Quail Man, ultimately saved the day - and the football team - from defeat, all while singing along to popular songs.
Many of the skits parodied events and trademarks of the College, from budget cuts, which were portrayed as causing the College's downfall, to the steam vents to food from Eickhoff, resulting in laughter from viewers in the packed gym of close to 950 students.
The dance portion of the competition was relatively similar, as students dressed in character danced to music medleys. Many teams had similar music to one another, resulting in some muffled booing, which the teams could be fined for, but overall the spirit was one of competitive fun.
Screams of "Kappa Delta, Kappa Delta, AKA, Sig Pi!" erupted after the judges' announcement of the winners.
"I'm glad all of those endless nights of practice paid off! Sigma Pi and Kappa Delta were an awesome group to work with," said Kamaria Byrd, junior English and philosophy major and president of AKA.
"One great advantage was the support of the rest of the members of our organizations who weren't on the teams. They helped us practice and they also made the props and costumes so we owe it all to them," Ryan Cummings, senior secondary education/math major and president of Sigma Pi, and Gabe Alonso, senior business administration and music major and sergeant at arms of Sigma Pi, said in an e-mail.
Others, however, were less enthusiastic.
"I'm definitely disappointed," Steve Noon, sophomore accounting major and member of the Alpha Psi Chi fraternity, which placed seventh in lip sync and fifth in dance, said.
There were grumbles of judge favoritism as some said Inter-Greek Council politics were more responsible for the judges' decision than actual talent.
"I think it ran very well," fraternity and sorority programs director Pam Mirabelli said.
She dismissed notions of judge favoritism, saying, "I don't judge, I just advise. It's up to the judges and I just add the scores." The judging panel is made up of "10 very professional staff members of student organizations," Mirabelli said, not students that could be more biased toward a team.
The lip sync and dance competition was only one in a week of Homecoming contests and events targeted toward Greek Life. Others included "Sneak Prevue" at the beginning of the week and "Yell Like Hell" on Friday night, where the sorority and fraternity teams gathered and shouted chants and cheers outside residence halls and buildings on campus.
(10/11/06 12:00pm)
Friends and family hope that Laurie Mandara has finally reached her own strawberry fields. The senior psychology major and Beatles fan passed away Sept. 29 after a lengthy battle with lymphoma.
Laurie was an active student on campus, participating in the Student Government Association, where she was named Senator of the Year in 2005, Psi Chi psychology honor society and Psychology Club. She was also named to the Dean's List numerous times.
Simply, say her friends, Laurie was an amazing girl. She was filled with warmth, love and a zest for life, despite the sobering reality of her disease.
"She was so strong and brave," her twin sister Allison Mandara, senior communication studies and business administration major, said.
"I just can't overemphasize how positive and thoughtful she was," Joe Alario, senior biology major, said.
When describing her, friends stressed her permanently positive attitude, her sense of fun and spontaneity, her ambition, love of family and beaming smile.
"I wouldn't define Laurie as your typical college girl," Colleen Deluca, senior elementary education/psychology major, said. "There was something that was so different and special about her."
She was quirky, once desiring to dye her hair blue, and was constantly planning parties, like the mustache-theme party she organized this past summer. She was a music aficionado who was once a member of Weezer's street team and enjoyed introducing friends to new artists.
Mandara loved dressing stylishly, often in clothes from Urban Outfitters, as well as gulping massive amounts of coffee and Thai Kitchen Bowls, which former suitemates Brittany Graf, senior women and gender studies and biology major, and Kristin Healey, senior psychology and sociology major, described as "constantly stinking up the room."
She was ambitious, taking 20 credits one semester, and even when doctors told her she only had a few weeks left, she decided she wanted to become a speech pathologist so she could always help people.
Karen Howe and Betsy Ruddy, professors of psychology, worked on independent studies with Mandara after her diagnosis.
"It was a pleasure to work with Laurie and she was a wonderful student," Ruddy said. "It was clear that she loved learning in general, and in particular, learning about psychology."
Howe added, "I can see her standing in my office doorway, with a brightly colored cap and a joyful smile. The teachers and students who knew Laurie in the psychology department will never forget her."
Her academic zeal crossed over to the world of running, with Mandara participating in the 2004 Boston Marathon. She was an avid cross country runner in high school and trained vigorously for the months preceding the marathon, without ever uttering a word of complaint.
The Mandara twins enjoyed a close-knit relationship between themselves, as well as with their entire family.
"They were the closest twins I'd ever met," Graf said. "They didn't bicker or get jealous of each other."
Mandara called home almost every day to talk to her family, and she and her sister traveled home to Paramus at least once a month to visit family and her beloved dog Kirby.
"Some people think of heaven as a beautiful place high up in the clouds," Paul Carcich, senior mechanical engineering major, said. "I think for Laurie, heaven is sitting on the couch in the living room with the rest of her family, hanging out and doing nothing."
When Mandara grew too ill to attend classes, she instead made crafts for her family and friends - belts, decoupage boxes and picture frames.
"It was like she wanted to give us something to remember her by," Allison said, highlighting her sister's constant concern for others and inherent selflessness.
"Even in the last days, when we were in the hospital, she was more concerned with how comfortable everyone else was," Allison said. "Near the end, when she was barely breathing, she gave us all a big smile to reassure us and let us know she was happy."
Her friends have tried to remain positive in the days following her death, remembering with laughter and warmth the girl who would wake up at 6 a.m. to do her laundry before the machines filled up, who nonchalantly picked herself up after tumbling off the treadmill at the gym and who taught them how to toast cookies in Eickhoff.
Before her death, Mandara wrote in her journal, "I still have faith in God and know that he has a plan for me, whether it's here on Earth or up in heaven. I know I would be sorely missed on Earth by my family and friends, but I would watch down on them and be a guardian angel."
(10/04/06 12:00pm)
Does size matter?
While that question may seem more applicable to matters of anatomy, the same can be asked of the religious atmosphere on the College campus.
There is no doubt that a large number of students affiliate themselves with a certain religion, whether it is Catholicism, Judaism, Islam, etc. The College Campus Ministries is composed of 10 different religious organizations, which include Catholic Campus Ministries (CCM), Gospel Choir Ministries, Hillel/Jewish Student Union, New Jersey Christian Fellowship, the Islamic Society, Presbyterian Campus Ministries, the Protestant Bible Fellowship/The Navigators, Coptic Orthodox Fellowship, Chabad and Unitarian Universalism Campus Ministries.
Although the exact number of students who consider themsleves religious at the College is unknown, a study done by the Higher Education Research Institute at University of California- Los Angeles found that among 112,232 freshmen at various universities, 80 percent had an interest in spirituality, and the same percentage had attended religious services in the past year.
If so many students make an effort to incorporate spirituality or religion into their lives, why does it appear that a relatively low number of students at the College actively participate in campus religious organizations and events? Is this trend just part of general student apathy resulting in indifference across the board, or can the problem be traced directly back to religion?
Take, for example, Tuesday's "Ask a Priest" discussion in the New Residence Hall main lounge, which was sponsored by CCM. The event involved anonymously writing questions on pieces of paper, which were then answered by Father Joe Hlubik. The topics of discussion ranged from celibacy to the role of women in early Christianity to the conservative Catholic sect Opus Dei, which gained attention from its role in Dan Brown's best-selling novel "The Da Vinci Code."
The students who did attend were highly enthusiastic, rifling through personal Bibles, mouthing along to Scriptures and engaging in spirited debates and discussions with each other and Hlubik, who mentioned several times that his answers reflected his own opinions, which tended to be more liberal than official Catholic doctrine.
On the rule that Catholic priests are not allowed to marry, Hlubik admitted he had "mixed feelings" on the subject.
"If I didn't want to be celibate then I never should have been ordained," he said, but opined that celibacy for priests should be optional, noting that historically sex was seen as a sin, especially among monks and priests, but that "sexuality isn't negative in today's day."
When asked why the Eucharist, the Catholic practice of receiving Jesus Christ's body and blood during mass, was so important, Hlubik said, "The role of the Eucharist calls us to be better people than we are," and stressed the notion that the Eucharist has always been the center of the Catholic Church.
Despite the attendees' unabashed interest in the subject, there were only about 20 students present, seemingly giving credence to the notion that many students remain indifferent to religion on campus.
Jeff Kornitzer, junior biology and Spanish major and president of Chabad, a Jewish organization, disagrees.
"I believe that most students are, in fact, involved in one way or another with a religious organization to which they can identify," he said. "Affiliation comes in many shapes and sizes . From our perspective, a Jewish person does not have to 'affiliate' to be Jewish. He or she just is."
Reverend Dick Kocses of the Protestant Bible Fellowship, on the other hand, agrees that low numbers and participation remain a problem. According to Kocses, many people indeed identify themselves with a particular religion, but more in an ethnic and cultural sense. Few, he said, commit themselves 100 percent to their chosen denomination.
According to the study "Exploring Religious America" conducted by the Public Broadcasting Service, 64 percent of Americans cite religion as being a "very important part" of their lives. However, Kocses believes that disinterest in religion is not contained to college students, but many Americans as well.
"I believe it goes back to the nature of what man is, not just at (the College) but throughout the world," Kocses said.
"Religion is regional," he said, noting that religion is often more widely practiced in the southern U.S. states, as opposed to in the Northeast, and that "Christianity is even more dead in Europe than here."
Kocses said he would like to see more student commitment to religion and more discussion and events between the different organizations of Campus Ministries, like the Islam vs. Evangelical Protestantism discussion last year, organized by the Islamic Society and Protestant Bible Fellowship.
Yet even with these suggestions, the central question of student interest remains.
(09/27/06 12:00pm)
All Brody Ruckus wanted was a threesome. Now, while some men might try convincing their girlfriends with flowers, dinner or a plastic jug of vodka, Ruckus did the next best thing - he started a facebook.com group.
Thus, "If this group reaches 100,000 members, my girlfriend will have a threesome" was born. Almost instantly controversy abounded, with students both praising Ruckus for his unapologetic audacity and condemning him for the group's misogynistic undertones. Regardless, by Sept. 13, his group had over 300,000 members.
However, all discussions became moot when it was discovered that Ruckus was a fake. The purported student's profile was actually a front for an advertising gimmick perpetrated by Ruckus Networks, a movie and music downloading service that targets college students, and was subsequently removed from Facebook for breaching terms of service.
While the downloading service did indeed create a splash in the Facebook-centric world of college students, many were upset at this devious marketing ploy, part of an on-going trend of "extreme" marketing directed toward young consumers.
"Creating a cool image is very elusive and ever-changing, thus making it very difficult and expensive," Karen Becker-Olsen, professor of marketing, said. "Traditional advertising is less and less effective with certain target groups and this may be one."
Ruckus Networks is not the only company using extreme methods to attract, and in some cases, deceive, potential customers. Redux Beverages, a company based in Las Vegas, has recently come under fire for the aggressive advertising of their energy drink "Cocaine."
Promising a drug-like rush and "possible feelings of euphoria," according to the Web site drinkcocaine.com, the drink contains approximately 268 milligrams of caffeine, compared to the average 45 milligrams found in most sodas.
Aside from nutritional concerns, many are outraged that a company would glorify a dangerous and illegal street drug in order to attract young adult consumers.
"Kids get hopped up on drinks called Cocaine and Xtazy and then what happens when someone offers them a line of real cocaine or an Ecstasy pill?" Joseph A. Califano Jr., president of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, said in a Star Ledger article.
Others are less concerned, seeing such tactics as part of the trend of hyperkinetic and stealth marketing. Due to the wide array of products on the market, advertisers must accommodate with splashy graphics, catchy logos and plenty of sex to appeal to what has been labeled "Generation ADD."
"If you market sex, it will sell - especially toward college students," Matt Johnston, sophomore criminal justice major, said. "I don't believe in it but some people do."
Another recent example of unconventional advertising is the LonelyGirl15 videos on the YouTube video Web site. Viewers tuned in each week to the adolescent trials and tribulations of "Bree," a 16-year-old girl in a small town who relayed her life via a series of webcam videos.
What many disappointed viewers soon found out was that "Bree" was actually a New Zealand actress named Jessica Rose, who was hired by three California filmmakers who wrote and produced the fictional LonelyGirl15 videos for self-promotion.
Despite the apparent innovation of these campaigns, stealth marketing is nothing new. Remember a little movie back in 1999 called "The Blair Witch Project"?
Three student filmmakers, Michael Williams, Heather Donahue and Joshua Leonard, turned a $35,000 independent movie into one of the summer's biggest draws due to savvy marketing that preyed on the belief that the pseudo-documentary was, in fact, real.
Commercials, posters and even a fake show on the Sci-Fi TV channel all reinforced the notion that the legend of the Blair Witch was true and that three film students had indeed gone missing while searching for the fabled witch in the woods of Maryland.
The film studio even posted "Missing" fliers around the country with pictures of the students who had allegedly gone missing during the filming of the movie. This elaborate hoax paid off, with a worldwide box office gross of almost $250 million.
"Do customers feel cheated and are the tactics ethical?" Becker-Olsen said, concerning some companies' unusual and controversial advertising practices. "I would assure you that some customers feel tricked while others are not surprised and might even be glad for the information."
(09/13/06 12:00pm)
Famed jazz musician and former College professor Tony DeNicola could never be called one-note. DeNicola, who died Saturday, Sept. 2 on his 79th birthday, instead leaves a multi-tonal legacy of music, scholarship and friendship behind.
A longtime resident of Pennington, he not only made his mark on his community, but the world of jazz, where as a percussionist he played with some of the greats of the big band era, including Harry James, Kenny Davern, Clark Terry and Freddie Martin. He remained popular among fans until his death, which shocked many who knew nothing of his ill condition and cancer diagnosis.
Perhaps even more impressive than his sterling reputation as a musician, which included his acceptance of New Jersey's first "Jazz Musician of the Year" award, was his status as a beloved professor here at the College. He taught for many years before retiring in 1992, having amassed a devoted following of grateful students.
Keith Csolak, a former student, wrote in an online guestbook on the philly.com obituary page, "He is my mentor not only as a teacher but most importantly as a beautiful human being . I will never forget our times at (Trenton State)."
According to former students, DeNicola was a true professional who never let his career success overshadow his inherent modesty. He sought to introduce students to real-world musical challenges and experiences.
He often brought his own band to play with students in the Rathskeller, allowing his students to feel at ease playing with such seasoned professionals.
"We would play with big bands at the College's student center on Monday nights, often with big names that Tony would bring down from New York to solo with us," former student Bob Gravener said in a Times of Trenton article. "It was a great learning experience."
DeNicola also created what is the College's current Jazz Ensemble, devoting yet another chunk of his time to performing and instructing.
Many other former students have nothing but praise for the man who helped them hone their musical prowess and find careers.
Born in 1927, DeNicola was a lifelong lover of music. He played in his high school band, which was followed by a stint in the Korean War where he played in the U.S. Army band. Already considered a professional drummer of some esteem, he returned to the College - then Trenton State - to receive a master's degree in music.
DeNicola got his big break when future game show host and singer Merv Griffin heard him in a Trenton jazz club. Griffin, a member of the Freddie Martin orchestra, was impressed by his drumming and convinced DeNicola to join the orchestra. He did and followed them out to Las Vegas, where he met and began his lifelong friendship and partnership with renowned trumpeter Harry James.
While playing in James' band he met Kenny Davern, the leader of a popular jazz quartet, whom DeNicola came to play frequently with. With Davern's band, he traveled worldwide to places like Europe and Japan, as well as more local venues in New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia.
"He became the guy I would call first no matter where we were performing and was on every recording I made during the past 10 years," Davern said in the Times article, noting that DeNicola was planning on joining the band for a small performance tour at the end of September.
DeNicola enjoyed numerous friendships with many of his fellow musicians, often appearing as a guest drummer with them at various performances.
A concert program for the Philharmonic Center for the Arts in Florida, where he played on occasion, said, "He is known and appreciated among other musicians for his steady and supportive time," one of the many compliments bestowed upon him by fellow jazz artists.
"DeNicola's death, like that of all outstanding musicians, leaves a void that is unique, one that can be replaced but never really duplicated," William Klug, professor of biology, said. "You cannot travel anywhere in the world of jazz musicians and mention that you know Tony without their immediate recognition. And we, at this institution, were lucky enough to have him with us for almost two decades."
(09/06/06 12:00pm)
The College can add another notch to its belt. For the 15th consecutive year, the school has been named the top public college in the Best Universities-Master's grouping for the north by U.S. News and World Report magazine.
The College was ranked fifth out of all public and private schools in the same category, which included 165 colleges and universities.
In order for an institution to be eligible for qualification in the Best Universities-Master's group, it must offer many undergraduate degree programs, some master's programs and few to no doctoral degree programs.
The magazine, whose college guidebooks and yearly rankings have become invaluable to many parents and prospective students, considers many factors when determining college standings, in some cases including up to 15 different academic indicators. These include graduation and retention rates, class size, student-to-faculty ratio and the high school rank of incoming freshmen, among other factors.
"If you look at the most important outcomes (and) measures that are included as part of the rankings, we do extraordinarily well," College President R. Barbara Gitenstein said.
"Two that are particularly important to me are freshman to sophomore retention rates and gradation rates," Gitenstein said.
The College had the highest freshman retention rate of its group with 95 percent returning. The graduation rate of 82 percent was the third highest in the category.
Furthermore, 94 percent of the College's freshmen ranked in the top 25 percent of their high school class, the highest of any institution in the group, and had an average SAT score of 1306.
Besides retention rates, U.S. News and World Report names peer assessment surveys as one of the most important factors in the rankings.
Administrators at other institutions are asked to review the academic superiority of various colleges and universities in the surveys, and the responses are weighted heavily in the ranking process.
According to the methodology section on the magazine's Web site, "The U.S. News rankings system rests on two pillars. It relies on quantitative measures that education experts have proposed as reliable indicators of academic quality, and it's based on our nonpartisan view of what matters in education."
This distinction comes only a few weeks after Barron's Profiles of American Colleges named the College as one of the 75 "most competitive" in the nation, including Duke University, Stanford University and the eight Ivy League schools. The College was one of only five public colleges or universities which shared this merit. "I think that these rankings and, even more significantly, the Barron's rankings, will continue to have a positive impact on our reputation," Gitenstein said. She points to the College's academic programs as explanation for the recent high ranking, saying, "The consistency is because we continue to commit to our mission to provide excellent undergraduate residential programs."
(04/26/06 12:00pm)
The "HOT" College is now further expanding its admissions beyond the normal bevy of freshmen. Starting next year, mentally challenged students will also study here under the Career and Community Studies program (CCS).
The program strives to demonstrate that students with intellectual disabilities can learn and excel in the world of post-secondary education. It will also provide them with social and vocational opportunities.
Mercer County Community College (MCCC) will work with the College on the project, which hopes to become a model for schools across the nation. The two were chosen from other public colleges and universities in New Jersey.
"We are very pleased to be part of this partnership with (MCCC) in developing a model program for helping enhance the academic and social skills of individuals with Down syndrome and other intellectual disabilities," College president R. Barbara Gitenstein said in a press release from the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) Web site.
Next fall, both colleges will admit six to eight students, who will complete either a two- or four-year course of study by either regularly attending or auditing classes.
Criteria for admission states that a student must be a New Jersey resident between ages 18 and 25 and have Down syndrome, mental retardation or another form of mental disability, as well as a strong desire to study in a college atmosphere.
The students will complete 56 CCS credits and another 24 credits made up of electives and independent studies. These classes will include a freshman seminar, personal finance, community resources and two internships.
At the end of the program, students must create a portfolio that represents the education they have received, at the completion of which they will receive a certificate.
The College and MCCC will each receive $50,000 per year for the next three years for the program, as part of a donation from NDSS and New Jersey residents Steve and Laura Riggio. Steve Riggio is the CEO of Barnes and Noble. Laura, his 17-year-old daughter, has Down syndrome.
"With the documented success of inclusion in elementary and secondary education, it is now time to advance into the frontier of postsecondary education," Steve Riggio said in the same press release.
"Both of the institutions selected to receive grants embrace our belief that people with intellectual disabilities deserve the opportunity to enrich their lives through higher education," he said.
Besides completing an academic agenda, the hope is for these students to take advantage of the College's busy social scene by joining clubs and organizations which will prepare them for community life and employment after the completion of the CCS program.
According to NDSS, programs like this improve self-esteem and independence of students with disabilities and improve social networking skills.
To aid the possibly difficult transition, a group of students have created the "More than Mentors" program to go along with CCS. Rebecca Daley, special education professor, will be the advisor.
These mentors can be either academic or social and the program is open to anyone who wishes to complete community service and possibly make a new friend.
"We call it 'More than Mentors' in the hopes that friendships are formed that last well into the future," Megan Baglivio, senior special education major, said. "Creating and maintaining that important social aspect is one of our main goals as the student representatives of the advisory council."
Due in part to education legislation like the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the College is part of a growing wave of almost 100 colleges and universities that are opening their doors to students with intellectual disabilities.
"Every senior in high school has the opportunity to go to college," Baglivio said. "Students with disabilities have not had that opportunity before this program and now, people with intellectual disabilities are afforded the same opportunities as everyone else."
- Information from ndss.org and thinkcollege.net.
(04/12/06 12:00pm)
Candles flickered in the dark as students wept softly and huddled for warmth. Victims of sexual assault trudged up the steps of Green Hall on Wednesday night, tearfully recounting the time their boyfriend pushed a pillow over their face and raped them, telling of the bruises their mother hid or simply offering support and encouragement.
This was the scene at the 13th annual Take Back the Night, a rally held all over the world to fight sexual assault and domestic violence, to make the streets safe once more for both women and men of any race, age, class or sexual orientation. The event was sponsored by the Women's Center in conjunction with various fraternities, sororities and other campus organizations.
More than 100 students gathered at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday to fight the chilling statistics that students read aloud: a rape occurs every five minutes; 76,109 cases of domestic violence were reported in New Jersey in 2004; and 75 percent of males who are sexually assaulted are under the age of 18.
"Thank you for all those great statistics," speaker Susan Switlik, director of Womanspace, a nonprofit agency that assists victims of domestic abuse and violence, said. "The reality, however, is that they're not great - they're sad, horrible."
College students are most often the victims of rape - one in four women will be raped during college, as opposed to the national average of one in six women and one in 33 men.
After listening to these statistics and speakers like Switlik and Jackie Deitch-Stackhouse, coordinator of the office of Anti-Violence Initiatives, students lit candles and marched around campus, shouting words of empowerment and warning would-be predators that they were "taking back the night." They chanted, "2-4-6-8, no more violence, no more rape!" and "racist, violent, anti-gay: you can't take our night away!"
"Let's take away the myth of 'she was asking for it,'" Switlik said. "Let's dispel that myth - no means no."
Heads turned and attention was drawn by the large group of both men and women who linked arms, marching and chanting in unison as onlookers stared and listened.
The night took a decidedly poignant turn as students took to the podium amid tentative yet encouraging applause to tell of their experiences with sexual assault. Whether it happened to them, their mothers, their friends or girlfriends, these students broke the stigma and code of silence that all too often accompanies sexual violence.
"No one's afraid to admit they've been mugged or their car has been stolen," Tom Sales, junior political science major, said. "People are afraid to admit they've been assaulted and that has to stop."
Statistics often fail to capture the gravity of such horrifying experiences, yet the sheer number of students who stepped forward to tell their stories was shocking, as were the accounts of violence and the ostracization and lack of support many victims faced.
Due in part to the shame and misunderstanding that accompanies sexual assault, fewer than five percent are actually reported, a number that Take Back the Night hopes to increase.
In 2004, 17 sexual assaults were reported at the College, up from nine reported the year before, which College officials view as a positive sign of the supportive atmosphere the campus promotes.
According to New Jersey law, sexual assault is any unwarranted or unwanted touching or penetration of intimate body parts by the same or opposite sex, a definition that encompasses much more than the traditional understanding of "rape."
"People get caught up in the word rape. It doesn't have to involve intercourse," Deitch-Stackhouse said.
Take Back the Night has roots all the way back to 1877, when women in London protested the violence they faced on a daily basis, although it didn't occur in the United States until 1978 in San Francisco.
According to Christi Downey, president of the Women's Center and junior women and gender studies and anthropology major, "Our main purpose in continuing the tradition of Take Back the Night here at (the College) is to give those affected by this violence a chance to speak up and those not directly affected an opportunity to become more aware and begin to do something positive about it."
(04/05/06 12:00pm)
Some people, like anchorman Ron Burgundy, may think that diversity is an old wooden ship used in the Civil War era. "Around the World in 24 Hours," the College's first official scavenger hunt, tried to correct this common misconception.
The scavenger hunt, which focused on the diverse atmosphere of the College, started on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Townhouses West lounge and ended 24 hours later. The Office of Residential and Community Development, Phi Alpha Delta Fraternity and Upper Class Government (UCG) sponsored it.
"With 95% of (College) students coming from New Jersey, it is easy to assume that it is a relatively homogeneous school; the mission of this program is to prove this statement wrong," junior business and fine arts major Benjamin David Novak, vice president of both Phi Alpha Delta and UCG and coordinator of the event, said.
Team Bizarros! won the scavenger hunt and the $180 gift certificate to McCarter Theatre in Princeton. The team consisted of junior business administration major Jessica Chang, junior nursing major Tara Collins, junior business administration major Joe Adorna and junior civil engineering major Nick Starzynski.
Teams could include up to four people, whose job it was to solve various riddles and collect different items on a list given out to participants, for prizes worth over $300. Questions included "Find all the former names of the College," "What is room 19 in the Music Building used for?" and "Which sorority has a 'Sunshine Chair?'"
Teams had to find items like a picture of an old chapel at the College, a copy of the Black Student Union logo and Cono Sanseverino's business card.
The group that collected the most items in the least amount of time would be announced the winner. However, a team could still win if they handed in a more complete list of items found and riddles answered, even if they were slightly slower than the first team. Players could come in first place, as well as first and second runner up.
The rules were simple: be safe, especially if searching during the night, have your answer sheet signed by one of the event coordinators before handing it in and of course, no cheating. Eleven teams had pre-registered, but applications were still being accepted until 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
Prizes included the $180 certificate for the first place winners, a $50 certificate to a local Thai restaurant for the first runners up and a $20 gift card from Panera for the second runners up.
The prizes were awarded Wednesday at 7 p.m., after the conclusion of the hunt. Ethnic foods and beverages were served to highlight the diversity theme, and teams chatted and ate as they waited for the results of the judges.
"I came up with this program in hopes of being able to bring all areas of campus together to take part in an engaging mental and physical activity in which everyone can come together to bond, learn some important things about our diverse campus community and, most importantly, have some fun," Novak said.
Novak was very pleased with the event and the big turnout. "Everyone put a great deal of effort into the hunt, and I think that everyone gained at least something from the event," he said. "I would like to thank all of the people who helped make this program such a huge success."
While this was the first year for the scavenger hunt, its success means that another one will probably be planned for next year. This bodes well for any future Ron Burgundys of the world, who will hopefully learn not to associate diversity with anything nautical.
(03/29/06 12:00pm)
Random acts of kindness aren't done for anything in return, as those who donated more than 2,000 hygiene products to Phi Kappa Psi's holiday drive for soldiers fighting in Operation Iraqi Freedom showed. But four months later, donors received a heartfelt "thank you."
Recipients of the more than 300 pounds of goods were from the 555th Combat Support Brigade. Their responses to the basic necessities - including soap, razors and shampoo - and the accompanying cards from students, reflected their gratitude.
The soldiers commented on the improved morale the letters and support from civilians inspired.
"The fact that we are being shown your support helps us remember what we are fighting for," Private First Class Ryan Nelson wrote.
One anonymous letter read, "There are still soldiers out here who do not get much support from their own families and when they receive a gift package from a solid supporter of the troops it is very reassuring and comforting."
Another thank-you note was addressed to "the greatest people in the world," and said, "You have brought our morale factor up more than you will ever know . your support is greatly appreciated."
One of the College's own, Cadet Sgt. First Class Duane Clark, junior history major, said, "It really amazed me how much these packages meant, and these letters truly touched me."
The drive, from Nov. 14-23, permitted the goods to be delivered to the soldiers during the holiday season.
This was the fraternity's second annual Vincent M. Sullivan Memorial Drive, but the first time it heard back from the troops.
The drive began in 2004, in memoriam of Phi Kappa Psi member Brian Sullivan's brother, who graduated in 2005. Vincent M. Sullivan, was a Marine stationed in Iraq who was killed on July 23, 2004, at the age of 23.
"We wanted to honor and remember Vincent while at the same time helping all those brave soldiers serving overseas, who risk their lives everyday in order to protect our freedom," Dave Nash, senior finance major and Phi Kappa Psi member, said.
Nash said the fraternity plans to hold the drive again this Nov. and said he hopes that every year the number of donations will grow. In 2005, the fraternity had hoped to collect around 1,000 hygiene products but around 3,500 were actually donated.
"Phi Kappa Psi was extremely pleased with the support that we received from other organizations, our relatives and friends, as we feel that we truly made an impact upon our soldiers," Nash said.
(03/22/06 12:00pm)
After taking the dreaded SATs in high school, most college students hope they'll never have to fill in hundreds of tiny circles with a No. 2 pencil ever again. Unfortunately, for those facing graduate exams, that isn't going to happen.
While there are many different graduate examinations, only about five are widely recognized and taken by students.
These include the LSAT (Law School Admissions Test), the MCAT (Medical College Admissions Test), the GRE (Graduate Record Examination), the GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test) and the Praxis test, which is used to award teacher certifications.
The LSAT is a test for admission to any American Board Association law school, although some Canadian and non-certified schools will also accept scores.
Elle Woods may have breezed through them in the movie "Legally Blonde," but many students spend years studying for the LSAT and retake it multiple times before acceptance into law school. However, it may not be taken more than three times in a two-year period. The test is scored from 120-180, with about 75 percent of test takers scoring between 142 and 162.
The LSAT costs $118, not including the money spent on study materials and review classes. Most students take the test in December for fall admission to law school, but others take it in June or October.
The MCAT is required for admission to almost all American medical schools. The test includes a writing sample, as well as sections on verbal reasoning, biological sciences and physical sciences.
Like the LSAT, students are discouraged from taking the test more than three times in a short period. According to the Web site medschoolchat.com, a "good" score for the MCAT is a 10 or 11, with a score of 12 or above for acceptance to the best medical schools.
The GMAT is used for acceptance to most business schools and qualification for a master's of business administration (MBA). The exam tests for verbal, mathematical and analytical writing skills, and is scored between 200 and 800, with most scoring between 400 and 600. The GMAT is offered throughout the world at many times during the year.
The GRE is the most general of graduate examinations, as it tests undergraduate accomplishments gained in the past. There are two types: the general test, which measures verbal, mathematical, critical thinking and writing skills, and the subject tests, which measure intelligence in eight fields.
These subjects are biochemistry and molecular biology, biology, chemistry, computer science, literature in English, mathematics, physics and psychology. The tests are accepted at almost every college and university and are used as qualifiers for those wanting to attend graduate school.
Finally, there is the Praxis test, which is used for teacher certifications.
There are three sections to the Praxis test: Praxis I, which tests basic scholastic intelligence; Praxis II, which tests general and specific subjects and teaching aptitude; and Praxis III, which reviews the classroom proficiency of the aspiring teacher.
In New Jersey, elementary teachers must also pass the Elementary Education: Content Knowledge Test, while subject teachers must take the Praxis II exam.
Melissa Zachok, freshman accounting major, is already planning to take her teacher certification as a back-up for her accounting career.
"Why not plan ahead?" she said. "The job market is unstable, and schools will always need teachers."
Whatever tests students are planning to take, experts say it's wise to start studying as early as sophomore year.
The earlier you start, the more times you can retake them before your applications for graduate school are due, meaning the chances are greater that you'll obtain a satisfactory score.
(03/01/06 12:00pm)
It doesn't take a genius to recognize that American culture is obsessed with weight. Look no further than TV shows like "The Biggest Loser" and "Celebrity Fit Club" and magazine covers with waifs like Lindsay Lohan and Nicole Richie.
Yet what many people don't realize is that to some, this preoccupation with weight does not end when the TV show does.
Feb. 27 to March 5 marks National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, which brings attention to a disease that statistically affects one in four college women and one in 10 men.
"If you think about all the students on campus, one in four and one in 10 are huge numbers," Heather McKeon, president of Bod Squad, a campus group that seeks to improve body image in college students, said.
Eating disorders break down into three groups: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating. Anorexia is categorized by self-starvation and food restriction, as well as overexercising in some cases.
Bulimia involves purging the body of food and nutrients, often after overeating, through means of self-induced vomiting or the use of laxatives.
Binge eating is a severe form of overeating that is often tied to extreme emotions and/or depression.
Although some trace eating disorders back to the ancient practice of religious fasting, mass communication has focused now more than ever on body image, specifically the message that thin is most desirable.
Despite the fact that history's most celebrated sex symbol, Marilyn Monroe, was a size 12, today's media purports images of size zeros and chiseled abs, ignoring that 58 million Americans are considered overweight.
"Media is one factor in eating disorders," Hue-Sun Ahn, a psychologist at the College who specializes in eating disorders and body consciousness, said. "We are inundated with images and we are buying into these messages. Even the proportions of dolls and action figures have changed from 20 or 30 years ago."
Ahn said there are other issues and problems that can lead to an eating disorder besides the influence of the media.
Many people who suffer from these disorders have poor body image as well as a lack of control in their lives, leading them to feel their body is the only thing that they can handle. Other factors include a driving sense of perfectionism, low self-esteem, a chaotic home life and a need for attention.
In the past, the primary sufferers have been upper-middle class, white, female teenagers, although Ahn says this profile is changing and crossing race, gender and socioeconomic lines.
In the past, "some African and Latino cultures have cultural protection and celebrate larger body types," she said. "But some are now buying into the white ideal."
Eating disorders "are a disease just like any other," McKeon, junior secondary education/English major, said.
According to McKeon, many students do not fully understand eating disorders, and she has even been asked mocking questions like, "Well, why would people not eat food?"
"It's not just about someone's vain body image," Ahn said.
Eating disorders can cause very serious physiological and psychological problems, including heart trouble, bone loss, constant chills, kidney and heart failure, dental erosion, esophagus tearing, loss of menstruation, depression, social withdrawal, memory loss, insomnia and academic failure.
The College offers many avenues for those seeking help. There is the psychological counseling center, as well as Ahn's eating disorder support group, "Food, Mood and You."
Ahn and many other psychologists recommend an interdisciplinary approach to treating a student with an eating disorder, which may include either individual or group therapy, working with a nutritionist and/or physical trainer and food counseling.
Unfortunately, even for those who recognize that they have an eating disorder, which many sufferers will deny, there is a very high relapse rate, especially the longer the patient has suffered from the disease. Still, eating disorders can certainly be overcome.
In accordance with National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, Ahn plans to facilitate a "Shades of Beauty" discussion on March 2 at 7 p.m. in the Women's Center.
There will be a student art exhibit highlighting body image, sponsored by Bod Squad and the Art Student Association, on March 3 in Holman Hall from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Also scheduled are a fund-raising clothing drive and a program called "Perfect Body" in the Travers/Wolfe Main Lounge on March 1 at 8 p.m.
(02/22/06 12:00pm)
Most college students can't even finish their readings for class, much less write and self-publish their own novel. Not Julie Gilbert.
Over the past year, Gilbert, senior biology major, began fleshing out the concept for a novel, writing primarily during winter and summer break, especially when bored at her job at Shop-Rite. The end result was "Heartfelt Cases," a story within a story, where the main character begins reading a book to ease the increasing tension in her life.
Gilbert self-published because she wanted to be taken seriously at writing conferences and not just show a notebook full of scribbles.
She shopped the book around to literary agents and publishers but disliked the exclusivity of their arrangements. Most companies require you to sign a contract agreeing to work solely with them, meaning that even if they don't like your book and don't want to publish it, they still have control over where it goes and what happens to it, Gilbert said.
Gilbert then decided to self-publish her book through an online company called iUniverse, Inc.
"You have to be careful," she said. "Half (of the companies) are frauds, half are genuine. But ultimately you have complete control over the process."
According to Gilbert, the company takes your raw manuscript, either edits it or leaves it alone depending on the package you purchased, and designs the front and back cover to your specifications. They set a price on your book and print the number of copies you've ordered.
Barely two months and $724 later, the product of lunch breaks and long summer days spent inside was published. It totaled 320 pages.
So far, Gilbert has sold about 35 copies of her book. To break even, she must sell 40 more. On Feb. 6 and 13, she set up tables in Brower Student Center, where she sold copies for $25. Heartfelt Cases can also be purchased on amazon.com or Gilbert's Web site, alongstoryshort.net/juliegilbert.
Gilbert, who is taking a creative writing class this semester, never envisioned herself as a writer. She plans to be a high school biology teacher, and while she takes her writing seriously, she does not see it as a career. "That's part of why I want to teach," she said. "I love biology at the high school level and I'll have lots of breaks to be able to write."
Gilbert got her literary start in college. "I began writing poems freshman year," she said, "although I don't even like poetry very much."
She specializes in inspirational poetry and has a science fiction novel in the works.
Gilbert believes the key to good writing is characters and dialogue. "So many times I'm reading a book and say, 'Don't do that stupid!' or 'People don't really act like that.'"
So she set out to create a realistic story, where people act and talk as they do in real life. "Characters are key," she said. "They act on their own; if you know the person, you can then control them."
Gilbert said that she would self-publish again, but she wants to wait before starting the process again.
"I'm waiting to recover from this," she said. "I don't want to rush this, that's what I've learned from this experience."
(12/07/05 12:00pm)
Students were rockin' in the free world at Amnesty International's coffeehouse last Thursday night. An event designed to promote fair trade, the coffeehouse featured organic foods and beverages, as well as a lecture by professor of philosophy and religion Morton Winston, a poetry reading and performances by four bands.
Winston began his speech with a story about when he was teaching in Thailand, a country with many small farmers. He and his students met a poor farmer who had grown organic, multicultural crops all his life.
However, "they were forced to modernize Thai farming," he said, which meant concentrating on growing only one crop and abandoning the traditional, non-invasive farming methods used for centuries.
This idea failed, as every other farmer grew the exact same crop, causing them to sell their crops at a loss. This happened year after year, as the small farmers, who had made a decent living before the idea of modern farming, was ruined.
The man Winston had originally met, however, soon realized the failure of modern farming and turned back to his old methods. He soon became one of the leading organic and fair trade farmers in Asia and Europe and was elected as a senator of Thailand.
"The only tools he had were pruning shears, a hose and a water pump, for over 600 varieties of crops," Winston said. "The
problems he had previously were due to the global trading consensus."
The problem with our global trading system today, according to Winston, is that the small farmer is becoming almost extinct as government and big business are increasingly becoming more involved in farming and trade.
"The rules of trade were rigged in favor of the rich nations," he said. "Eighty percent of U.S. farm subsidies are paid to big agro-corporate companies."
Fair trade seeks to assist these poor farmers and merchants by cutting out the middleman of trade and the tariffs they must pay to export their goods, which are often much too expensive for these producers.
Without such tariffs imposed on them, the merchants and farmers, many of whom are from Third World countries, can sell their goods at a reasonable price that can help them support their families.
Fair trade also seeks to improve environmental, labor and societal standards of trade, forcing companies to adhere to these standards before they can label their goods a fair trade product.
"It gives the producer of the product a fair chance," Winston said. "It's a chance for farmers to make a sustainable livelihood - I think that's a basic human right."
Local companies and goods that are considered fair trade products are the crafts, jewelry and clothing that can be found at the store Ten Thousand Villages in Princeton, which buys goods directly from villages in poverty-stricken countries and sells them, with all of the money going directly back to the producer. Green Mountain Coffee Company, the brand provided here at the College, also operates under this practice.
"Fair trade is involved in giving a hand to people who are much, much poorer than us," Winston said. "That's what this is about."
While some students who attended had a vague notion of what fair trade is, they were soon enlightened after reading the available material spread out on tables and listening to Winston's lecture. "He certainly covered the overall picture of fair trade and went into the intricacies and differences between free and fair trade," Chris Ongaro, sophomore elementary education/English major, said.Besides Amnesty International, the event was co-sponsored by the Progressive Student Alliance and Animal Rights New Jersey, with other groups like the Women's Center and Water Watch also setting up tables with pamphlets
and information.
While students snacked on foods like vegan cookies and organic fruit, Jessica Fassel, junior secondary education/English major, read 12 original poems, like "Cinnamon Gingers," "Fruit Bat" and "Family Plots."
There were also performances by Calamity Menagerie, David Byrne, The Combovers and The Steamboat Project.
"I liked all the bands," Shane McLoughlin, freshman journalism major, said. "Especially Calamity Menagerie, they were really different."
While entertaining, the event maintained focus on fair trade.
"Some people try to understand it, but most are apathetic," Grace Lee, vice president of Amnesty International, said. "Sodexho uses a fair trade coffee brand, but most students don't look at the labels. We're just trying to spread awareness on campus about this pressing issue."
(11/30/05 12:00pm)
In the past, if she didn't like what you were saying, Michelle Myers would knock the flavor out of your mouth, as she warned in her poem "I'm a Woman Not a Flava."
However, it was a kinder, gentler Myers who appeared on Thursday, Nov. 17 as the keynote speaker for the Asian American Association's (AAA) Experience Asia month. Once known for her angry performances as one-half of the spoken word poetry group Yellow Rage, Myers explained how the group was formed, and shared poems from her favorite spoken word artists.
Yellow Rage was created in 2000 when Myers, now a professor at Temple and Rowan Universities, met Catzie Vilayphonh at a writing workshop. They began writing spoken word poetry together that addressed Asian culture, feminism and stereotypes. While struggling to create a name for their group, they decided on "Black Hair, Brown Eyes . Yellow Rage," which was shortened to Yellow Rage.
On a whim, the group decided to enter a poetry slam contest in Philadelphia, which turned out to be Def Poetry Jam, a contest created by hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons.
"We were the only Asian-Americans there," Myers said. "Since we were women, everyone expected us to perform some pretty, flowery poem."
The group instead shocked audiences with their edgy, now legendary poems, "I'm a Woman Not a Flava," which includes a chorus of "Fuck you and fuck you and fuck you, too" and "Listen, Asshole." They later received a call informing them that they had moved on to the semifinals of the contest and were featured on HBO's Def Poetry Jam and the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival.
"Although we got a lot of recognition, some people still didn't get the whole 'Asian woman' message," Myers said. "After a performance, someone once asked me if I was Native American."
Although they have met celebrities like Dave Chappelle, Mos Def and Russell Simmons, the members of Yellow Rage decided to step out of the spotlight for a while after their quick shoot to fame in the world of spoken word poetry.
"We made a decision to remain independent artists," Myers said. "We didn't want anyone in control of our work and we didn't want to be typed as the angry Asian women."
Myers said the group focuses on personal experiences as inspiration for their poetry.
"We don't write about things that we haven't experienced or felt passionate about," she said. "If we talk about sexism, that's happened to us. If we talk about racism, that's happened to us, too."
She read poems from artists that inspired her, like fellow Asian American poets Beau Sia and Ishell Park. These poems included Sia's "Howl," which was based on his friendship with "Howl" poet Allen Ginsburg and Park's "My Pussy."
Myers also read several original poems. "Her N's Run," a poem about her eight-year-old daughter, examined Myer's own past of sexual abuse and her often difficult relationship with her mother. "Tsunami Song," was an answer to a Hot 97 radio station song that attracted controversy with its racist lyrics.
Although she was not planning on performing some of her well-known Yellow Rage pieces, preferring instead to read her quieter, lesser-known poems, Myers agreed to perform "I'm a Woman." and "Listen, Asshole" after several audience requests.
Myers, who performed at the College last year with Yellow Rage, said she returned because "this wasn't a performance, and I'm not asked to just talk very often."
"When lecturing, I can answer commonly asked questions and have a chance to share the works of other authors," she said.
Myers also said she enjoys the chance to meet aspiring student poets.
"It's surprising when we hear young kids say 'you've really inspired me to slam or perform.' It really makes me feel good," she said.
"AAA chose Myers ... because we want to send the message to the campus that our mission is not isolated just to the Asian-American students on campus," Jenny Shin, AAA's vice president of Public Relations, said. "Myers' message about challenging misconceptions and stereotypes should encourage all students to contend and work toward eliminating misconceptions in our society."
"It was a unique experience," Joyce Lee, freshman elementary education/English major, said. "How many Asian women will voice their opinion? Stereotypes exist for a reason and sometimes the idea of Asians being submissive is true. We need her to stand up for us."
"I enjoyed sitting next to a girl during a reading of the 'Pussy' poem," Chris Lee, junior computer science major, said. "It was - dare I say - fun?"
(11/16/05 12:00pm)
Spectators whistled at the steamy kiss between two men that sealed one of the "marriages" at PRISM's third annual "'Til Death Do us Part" program on Thursday night. The event, which sought to raise awareness about gay marriage, featured three mock weddings with gay, straight and lesbian couples, along with three speakers who lectured on the social, legal and religious issues surrounding the controversial topic.
Started in 2003 by two Wolfe community advisors (CAs) as a multicultural values event, the program has gained attention and relevance as the subject of gay marriage has ignited fierce debate throughout the country in the past few years.
"We want to mobilize and educate the College community about this issue that's so pressing," PRISM President Noel Ramirez said. Ramirez and Benjamin Nelson, a student at Mercer County Community College, were married in one of the ceremonies and shared the aforementioned kiss.
"Many students are not exposed to what a queer relationship is," Ramirez said. "The fact remains that some people have never seen two men or women kiss."
The atrium of the Social Sciences Building, filled almost to capacity, was decorated with red roses, balloons, white carpet and even a wedding cake, which was cut in a reception afterward featuring romantic slow-dancing by various couples, gay and straight.
While religion and gay rights often seem to clash, with many fundamentalist groups claiming homosexuality is an "abomination," the Unitarian Universalist Campus Ministry (UUCM) showed its strong support of gay marriage and rights.
The ceremonies were officiated by Rev.Charles J. Stephens, who is the parish minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church at Washington's Crossing. Stephens, who also lectured on the role of religion in gay marriage, has performed many gay marriages in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York, and mentioned that he received unanimous support from his congregation to officiate the ceremonies on Thursday.
"Unitarians work for a more open society," he said in his lecture. "I would encourage you to go, without rancor, to your priest, minister, rabbi and say, 'I think our congregation should be more loving.'"
When questioned about the reasons behind the anti-gay movement found in most religions, Stephens said he thinks strong fundamentalism is mostly at fault.
"Some people believe that the Bible is against homosexuality," he said. "The Bible is also against eating certain types of shellfish, but we don't follow that portion of the Bible today, do we?"
Besides the UUCM and PRISM, the event was also sponsored by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Office of Residential and Community Development (ORCD).
The ACLU presented speaker Edward Barocas, who is the legal director for the ACLU of New Jersey, who lectured on the legal and political issues concerning gay marriage.
While expressing frustration that many laws have been passed banning gay marriages, he also said he believes that in the next year or two New Jersey will pass a law allowing them.
"New Jersey has the strongest laws against discrimination in the country," he said.
Ann Nicolosi, associate professor of women's and gender studies, attended the event with her partner, and spoke about social issues that affect gay marriage. She was impressed with the progress that has been made concerning homosexual rights.
"Ten years ago we hid," she said. "There was no place for us and no support."
The atmosphere of the event was largely positive and supportive.
"I think it's nice that this was done in a non-political way," Elaine Smolen, freshman deaf education major, said.
"The speakers were phenomenal and it was an exciting atmosphere," Khusbu Patel, president of the College's ACLU branch, said. "This was a peaceful way of advancing society."
Although gay rights are a controversial issue, there seemed to be no oppostion at the ceremony.
"In the past there has been little to no opposition," Ramirez said.
In a poll conducted by the Pew Research Group in 2004, 65 percent of registered voters were opposed to gay marriage, although some did support civil unions. The difference between the two is that marriage between two people includes many financial and legal rights, such as monetary benefits when a spouse dies, unrestricted hospital visitation rights and tax breaks. Civil unions, while symbolically echoing a legal marriage, do not provide these benefits to homosexual couples.
Many states, picking up on the opinions of voters, have declared a constitutional ban on gay marriage. On Election Day last Tuesday, Texas became the 19th state to institute the ban. President George W. Bush said last year that he would support a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.
Internationally, 33 countries, including Australia, the Netherlands, Switzerland, France, South Africa and Canada have laws protecting gay rights and gay marriages, although the wording and legal benefits do differ slightly.
Information from - hrc.org, people-press.org and iglhrc.org.