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(04/29/14 3:24pm)
Many people on campus and in the College community are abuzz with the premise of Campus Town, the long-awaited destination of restaurants, housing and shops to be built on campus near the Pennington Road entrance. But while some students are primarily worried about how long it will take for them to get a new campus coffee shop, there has been little talk of the unfortunate environmental implications of building Campus Town.
Across from the main entrance of the College where Campus Town is being built lies Lake Ceva. Due to a New Jersey State Department of Environmental Protection mandate, Lake Ceva was almost completely drained, with wildlife temporarily removed and its dam repaired in 2006. Now, because of its location, the lake is being affected by the current construction on campus.
In 2006, when the dam was repaired, it was a process that lasted over six months. Now, with Campus Town slated to be finished in Spring 2015, it seems as if Lake Sylva’s sister will be “under construction” until then as well.
According to Communications Officer Emily Dodd, the current construction of Campus Town is affecting Lake Ceva in an effort to create a better path for runoff once Campus Town is built.
“The area on the north side of the main entrance will be an ornamental detention pond with a fountain,” Dodd said. “The detention pond is necessary to hold runoff from rain and snow storms that cannot be absorbed on the Campus Town site. Instead, this runoff will be directed into the detention pond where it will slowly be introduced into Lake Ceva.”
Many students, while excited by the idea of Campus Town, don’t necessarily like the aesthetic and environmental effects that this construction has on the campus.
“Our campus is supposed to be known for how beautiful it is, yet the first thing you see when you come to our school is the fences and construction around the entrance and the lake,” senior management major Molly Crawford said. “We should have thought about all of this before we started building Campus Town.”
Sophomore biology major Ken Abes was interested to know how this construction and run off would affect Lake Ceva in the long run.
“I feel like creating any type of disturbance to the lake would greatly affect it in many ways,” he said. “The ecology of the lake is so specific that any changes could greatly affect the interactions between communities living in the lake.”
However, some students are less concerned about environmental impacts and more the financial implications of the construction.
“It’s not like they’re fundamentally changing the lake,” junior special education and history double major Zach Ott said. “I just wish I knew if this money to fix the lake and the construction were coming from my tuition money or from a grant of some sort. I would like the (College) community to tell me where my money is going and where the money to do these kinds of projects is coming from.”
With Campus Town scheduled to be officially finished by June 2015, it is hoped that all construction that will affect Lake Ceva will also be completed by then. Until then, students will be patiently awaiting a finalized Campus Town, and hopefully a fully functional, completed Lake Ceva.
(03/18/14 10:30pm)
On Monday, March 17, students across the School of Humanities and Social Sciences listened to a lecture by Natalie Byfield about the connection between race and the media, as shown in her book, “Savage Portrayals: Race, Media, and the Central Park Jogger Story.” Byfield was brought to the College as a part of the Gloria Harper Dickinson lectures, bringing scholars to discuss African studies and social issues.
Byfield was a reporter for the New York Daily News in 1989 when a news story broke about a jogger who was brutally raped and beaten allegedly by a group of boys in Central Park. After the woman was attacked, it was immediately incorrectly assumed that a group of African-American and Latino boys was responsible for the attack. In fact, they spent a decade in jail until the real rapist was found and they were exonerated. Today, they are still trying to get compensation in courts for their wrongful conviction.
“There is an injustice in blaming all the nation’s problems on the little black boy or Latino,” Byfield said. “People of African descent have been viewed so differently from those of European descent that it was thought they shouldn’t be considered human.”
In the Central Park jogger case, the accused boys were reported to have been “hunting” a white girl to rape. Byfield noted this as one of the biggest examples of the media marginalizing black males.
“The sheer improbability of the statement is astonishing,” she said.
Byfield explained that pejorative language has been used to describe blacks and Native Americans for centuries, and throughout the height of the Jim Crow era, the idea of all black males being dangerous was perpetuated, and realities were distorted throughout the media.
When Byfield first heard of the jogger being attacked in Central Park in April 1989, she said she had two immediate first thoughts: that she wanted to be the one to report on the story, and that she hoped the person who did it was not black. She knew the significance of the story would come from the victim being white, and this would turn the “Central Park jogger” story into so much more.
During the investigation, Byfield said there was much more marginalization of blacks and browns than ever before. Groups larger than three black or Latino kids weren’t allowed in the park anymore without identification, and Byfield couldn’t even get the New York Daily News to report it. Juvenile justice laws passed in the ’90s made it easier for juveniles to be tried as adults, and the black and Latino youth were once again ostracized.
Byfield’s book on the “savage portrayal” of race in the media and her lecture focused on the idea of the young black or Latino being considered a “superpredator” in the community.
“Fear and loathing of black and Latino males was rampant,” Byfield said.
Beginning in the Nixon and Reagan eras, Byfield explained that the media and government were focusing on the “War on Drugs” and the “War on Crime,” but never noted the link between the two. There was more money spent on jails and courts than education, and blacks and Latinos were being directed into the criminal justice system, but the war on drugs and crime were never connected on the news.
The boys accused of assaulting the Central Park jogger confessed due to a feeling of force and obligation — a savage portrayal by the media. The jogger’s class, race, job and education were highlighted in media reports — another savage portrayal of the accused.
Though this happened in 1989, Byfield said she could still see something like this happening again: people being wrongfully accused of violent crimes only because of the color of their skin.
“I see echoes all the time,” she said. “Not only could it happen again, but it might be worse.”
(09/03/13 5:00am)
I was extremely excited when I first found out that I would be interning at The Philadelphia Inquirer two days a week this past spring semester, despite the fact that it meant I’d be missing meal equiv two days a week. But, as my parents and professors promised me, it would be worth the experience to be published in one of the top newspapers in the country. However, within the first day, I knew that the journalism life just wasn’t for me, and I wanted out — immediately. The pressure of being in a newsroom and under the constant scrutiny of editors and some of the top staff of The Inquirer terrified me, to say the least. For me, the internship was only worth the time and effort to learn that writing for a newspaper is the last thing I want to do with my life.
I used to want to write for the sports section of a paper or magazine, because I was smart enough to know that my dreams of reporting on ESPN most likely wouldn’t come true. But as soon as I got to Philadelphia and sat down at my desk and received my first assignment, I knew that my real dreams lay far outside the realm of a newsroom.
Each day, I went into Philadelphia at 8 a.m. only to be told as soon as I got into the newsroom that I would have to wait four or five hours to be told my assignment for the day. I could only check Tumblr and Twitter so much, and it started to really annoy me that I wouldn’t be able to spend my time more effectively, and that I had to sit at a desk pretending to be busy for the first half of my day. Usually by the time I was given an assignment, it would almost be time for me to leave, at which point my editor would try to get me to stay, never remembering that I had to be back on campus by 6 p.m. for “Footloose” rehearsal every night. I always felt like I could be doing so much more with my time, and it was unfair that I wasn’t getting the experience I wanted.
If someone asked me to go into the city, I’d assume they meant New York City, and I’d be totally up for it. But every time I left for my internship, I was going to Philadelphia — not nearly as glamorous and definitely not as familiar. I had to drive from my house in Ewing to a PATCO station in Haddonfield, N.J. I hopped the train into Philadelphia — a commute I was not happy about making twice a week. I would have much rather had an internship in New York City, somewhere not only more familiar, but a place that would better suit my needs and real dreams (fashion public relations or editorial work).
Yes, I was published in The Philadelphia Inquirer. And yes, the public relations manager of the Philadelphia Eagles contacted me to write for him. And yes, I also covered the Phillies opening day for philly.com. While all of these internship perks are “cool” and “exciting” and “good for my résumé,” and while I’m still grateful I had these opportunities, it might not have been worth the fact that I didn’t look forward to going to my internship every day. I was seldom excited to receive a work email or do an assignment. I was scared in the city, confused by some of my instructions and hurt when my writing was criticized for doing exactly what my editors told me to do.
So in the end, I received four credits and multiple bylines in one of the nation’s top newspapers, but I would’ve been much happier getting coffee for Jenna Lyons in J. Crew’s headquarters. Most people get internships that affirm that they’re meant to be working in the field of their choice, but for me, my internship taught me exactly what I don’t want to be doing when I graduate.
(02/12/13 5:03pm)
It is that time of year again. For many students, it is the time to decide if they are going to rush a sorority or fraternity, a decision that will potentially change the path of their college careers. Formal Panhellenic recruitment takes place each spring, allowing the national Panhellenic Greek organizations to choose new members for their respective groups.
Approximately 20 percent of the College’s students are involved in Greek life, as a part of the eight sororities and nine fraternities on campus. The Greek population averages a GPA of 3.123.
Philanthropy events are a big part of being involved in Greek life, and sorority recruitment even involves a philanthropy round for potential new members to learn about how the sororities help their respective charities. In addition to doing work with their philanthropies, Greek organizations participate in many social events, such as Greek Week and Homecoming.
Erica Paolucci, junior urban elementary education and math/science/technology double major, is the treasurer of the Panhellenic Association, and a disaffiliated member of her sorority for the duration of recruitment. Paolucci understands how many students might feel anxious about rushing a sorority or fraternity when they get to college.
“I originally didn’t want to join one, but all my friends were doing it and we decided to go out together,” Paolucci said. She said that many students rushing will have a lot of anxiety and feel overwhelmed by the recruitment process, but that it is worth it. “That was me two years ago, and I know what they’re feeling and what they’re going through.”
This weekend, the first round of rush took place for the eight sororities. The “round robin” allowed for each girl to talk to the sororities and rank their top six sororities in hopes of returning to them the next day.
Final bids will be given out Wednesday night, and that is when the girls will decide whether or not to sign the bid for the sorority who gave it to them.
“It is really exciting knowing some of the girls will be a part of your organization,” Paolucci said of the recruitment process.
For fraternities, the rush process is a little different.
Instead of each potential new member going to every organization each day of rush, the students get to decide which fraternities they want to see, and they only go to those they want. Robert Mika, the Inter Fraternity Council (IFC) president, explained that there are many differences in the rush processes, but the biggest is that the boys going through recruitment can pick which fraternities they want to see, rather than being forced, at least initially, to go to all of them.
The men’s fraternity formal recruitment is a dry rush period. Any consumption of alcohol in the presence of fraternity members is a violation of this policy, resulting in sanctions for those involved. Those rushing also need to attend rush sessions for the fraternities they are considering.
To prepare for recruitment, the current sorority and fraternity members must work extremely hard in ensuring everything goes smoothly. Paolucci said that there is a lot of preparation before the potential new members come in everyday, and that each day it entails a little bit more work.
“You don’t know how much goes into it until you’re doing it,” Paolucci said. While sorority recruitment is now over, men’s fraternity formal recruitment runs from Feb. 10 to Feb. 22.
All are encouraged to contact IFC or Panhellenic Council with any questions or concerns pertaining to rush.
(11/13/12 8:28pm)
On Saturday, Oct. 27, the TCNJ Chorale traveled to Manhattan to perform in what one student called “one of the most powerful experiences” they’ve ever had.
At St. Bart’s church in New York, the chorale performed fragments of Mozart’s Requiem and Seven Soundspaces by Georg Friedrich Haas.
In an online review on the Classical Music Network, Harry Rolnick said that the College’s chorale “did the piece proud,” and that the singers had “superlative voices.”
Sergio Hernandez, senior vocal performance major, said that “everything was so spot-on,” and that the performance was an amazing experience.
Eddie Easse, freshman instrumental music major, had nothing but good things to say about his first concert here.
“There was the most powerful, deafening silence after we were done,” Easse explained. “It was such a powerful emotional experience.”
(10/23/12 11:25pm)
Last Wednesday, Oct. 17, the College’s board of trustees had a special interim meeting to discuss some important matters happening currently at the College.
President R. Barbara Gitenstein and board members discussed, via teleconference, faculty and staff actions including sabbaticals, resignations and most importantly, the appointment of John Donohue, the new vice president for College Advancement.
According to Gitenstein, this meeting did not follow their normal schedule. Typically, the board meets four times a year, and although they had already met once earlier in the month, this meeting was necessary to take care of these matters.
The sabbaticals would typically be approved at the next meeting, but formalizing them now also gave the board the opportunity to officially approve the contract of Donohue. Donohue will be starting at the College on Monday, Oct. 22.
Gitenstein announced that the next board of trustees meeting will take place on Dec. 14, with the location and time to be announced at a later date.
(10/09/12 7:04pm)
William J. Dobson didn’t go to school to become a journalist. In fact, he never took a single journalism class in college, and had no intentions of becoming a journalist at all.
But now, as the Politics and Foreign Affairs Editor for Slate, Dobson puts his political and foreign knowledge to use in the media-driven world.
Dobson’s first job out of college was as a fact checker for Foreign Policy, and when he was given pieces to read through and edit, he was appalled at the quality of the writing. He then began writing his own pieces, and was published for the first time at age 23 in the op-ed section of the New York Times.
He described being published as “sheer joy,”and that it was hard to give it up once he had gotten the first taste of the journalism world. He said that he loved “being able to add (my) voice to a conversation already being had by other people.”
Dobson’s true love is for politics and foreign affairs. He holds a law degree from Harvard Law School, and a master's degree in East Asian Studies form Harvard University. Dobson has been published widely on international politics, appearing in the New York Times, Washington Post, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, Foreign Policy, Newsweek and many other publications. But writing for the news media isn’t his only outlet for his love of international affairs.
Dobson’s new book “The Dictator’s Learning Curve: Inside the Global Battle for Democracy” explains the somewhat relentless struggle between democracy and dictatorships. He explained that dictators and other leaders learn things about their opponents by playing it from their point of view.
“To play chess, you have to see it from both sides,” he said. He went on to say that in today’s society that is seeing more and more democracies, it has “never been so hard to be a dictator.”
According to Dobson, the collapse of the Soviet Union hurt many dictators. Many countries and their dictators had relied on the USSR for support, and were in part lost by their collapse. As time has gone on, into the 21st century, dictators have been faced with more pressure as citizens strive for democracies.
“If 2011 taught us anything,” he said, “it’s that we’ll do anything for democracy.”
But he also said that some dictators are savvy, and adapt to the changes happening around them. They know how to preserve power and “refashion the dictatorship for the modern age.”
Dobson has met with political advisors and militaries in many countries, including China, Malaysia, Egypt, Venezuela and Russia. He met with “unexpected networks of people,” learning of stories and struggles within the countries and their leaders.
According to Dobson, the struggle between dictatorships and democracies can be seen as a constant learning process. It is a central element of our time, and we have to remember that it is almost never a struggle between nations, but between the people. He also explained that some dictators use nationalism as an excuse for their regime, and this furthers the struggle between dictators and citizens.
Alex Monday, a freshman at the College, thought that Dobson was “well-spoken, appealing and interesting,” and he said that he was definitely “one of the best speakers we’ve had recently.”
