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(02/26/13 5:11pm)
SFB motioned to fully fund All College Theatre for $3,750 to go toward ROCK, which will provide “Three hours of non-stop laughter for a campus wrought with mid-semester blues,” according to the club.
The event will include performances from visiting college’s improv groups and UCB Touring Company, a professional improvisational association who will also be teaching a two-hour workshop on improvisational comedy.
“I think the fact that they bring in groups from other schools is pretty cool,” said Brian Hurler, SFB’s administrative director, during discussion.
SFB’s financial director, Michael Palantone agreed with Hurler.
“I think improv comedy is awesome,” said Palantone, who then proceeded to motion for full funding of the event.
The event will take place on Saturday, March 23 in Kendall Hall at 7 p.m. and will be free to all students.
In addition, SFB funded Synergy Dance Company for $1,240 to be used toward their Synergy Spring Spectacular annual dance recital after a very split vote.
During discussion, SFB heavily deliberated on whether or not to fund new costumes for the team to use during their show. Members argued that Synergy can reuse costumes from previous years and that new costumes wouldn’t benefit the student body as a whole.
However, senior representative Joseph Lacerda argued that $400 was a reasonable amount to ask for and that getting new costumes would better the show in its entirety and, therefore, would benefit the student body as a whole.
The Women’s Center also presented two special appropriation requests that were both fully funded by SFB.
SFB funded the Women’s Center for $1,300 to bring Kim Miller to the College to speak about “Militant Women and Symbolic Violence in South Africa’s Public Sphere” in order to engage students in a discussion on the realities of non-violent activism and the importance of women’s political roles on Wednesday, March 20 at 4 p.m. in the Library Auditorium.
The Women’s Center was also funded for $1,500 to bring Marina Goldovskaya to the College for a two-day event which will include the screening of “A Taste of Freedom, & A Bitter Taste of Freedom” on Wednesday, March 27 at 6 p.m. and “Solovky Power” on Thursday, March 28 at 7 p.m. Both events are free to students and faculty. They will be held in room 115 of the Education Building and will be followed by a discussion.
SFB also tabled a conference request from the New Jersey Christian Fellowship to attend Basileia, a regional conference.
“We’ve learned a lot of instrumental things at this retreat,” said Daniel Balevski, presenting for the club. “We get a lot of great keys and tools in the area of leadership to bring back to the College.”
The presenters for NJCF explained that they’ve brought back ideas including “Here for Home” at the College as well as the Eick Outreach Program that helps serve the workers in Eickhoff Hall.
“I really like what they’re doing,” said senior representative Lacerda. “I think they’re bringing a lot of good things to the College.”
However, SFB policy dictates that they can’t fund students who already went to the conference, so the request was tabled in order to get a new list of prospective members to go.
Finally, the Black Student Union was not funded by SFB to bring A’Lelia Bundles for The Gloria Harper Dickinson Annual Lecture. SFB doesn’t fund departmental events and members agreed with SFB’s Student Government representative C.J. Gutch who said, “I’m getting the feeling that this is really the african american studies department’s event and we’re just footing the bill.”
*Even though SFB agrees to finance certain events, there is no guarantee that these events will take place. The approval only makes the funds available.
(02/26/13 5:00pm)
Following their team mindset of “the crown being returned to the king’s head,” the men’s indoor track and field team took the NJAC title with 191 points, continuing their 16-year streak at the New York Armory on Friday, Feb. 22.
“Being the NJAC champions 16 years in a row, we have former teammates that we don’t want to let down,” junior Michael Spekhardt said.
Spekhardt was part of the men’s 4x400-meter relay that placed first with a top time of 3:19.74, meeting ECAC qualifying standards, alongside freshman Laron Day, senior Alex Brown and sophomore Erik Moutenot.
“I felt that I left everything I had out there on the track,” said Spekhardt, who also placed third in the 200-meter with a personal best of 22.52 and anchored the second place 4x200-meter relay with freshman Peter Okoh, sophomore T.J. Kelly and senior Kyle Magliaro.
The women’s team, however, wasn’t quite as successful as the men, finishing third at the NJACs with a total of 126 points.
“We had a lot of great individual performances,” senior Kimberly Shelus said. “But overall we didn’t end up where we wanted to be.”
However, despite being disappointed in taking third, the women had several top ECAC qualifying performances, including one by senior Mary Chismar, who defended her title as the NJAC Champion in the shot put by winning the event with a throw of 11.80 meters.
The men’s distance medley relay was another first place finish with a time of 10:45.58, ran by sophomore Patrick Waite, freshman Michael Larkin, freshman Roberto Guiducci and sophomore Jeremy Garrell.
“It felt good to help out the team in the small way that I could,” Garrell said. “Winning the NJAC championship is always a team goal.”
The women’s distance medley relay, consisting of sophomores Alyssa Silver, Joy Spriggs, Meghan Kocher and freshman Kayla Glynn, took second place in the 4x800-meter relay with a time of 9:32.87
The men and women also both had first place successes in the 4x800-meter relay. The men’s team, consisting of senior Michael Berti, junior Dominic Tasco, senior Andy Gallagher and junior James Seyffart, ran an ECAC qualifying time of 7:53.1, while the women won with a time of 9:32.87. The women’s race was run by junior Anginelle Alabanza, sophomore Liz Johnson, sophomore Megan Stack and junior Sarah Polansky.
On the jumping side, senior Steve D’Aiutolo won the triple jump for the second year in a row with a distance of 14.33 meters and took third in the long jump with 6.66 meters, qualifying for ECACs in both events.
Junior Erica Roberts took third in the triple jump with a mark of 11.00 meters, while junior Brigit Roemer took third in the high jump with a height of 1.58 meters. Both athletes achieved ECAC qualifying marks.
“Everyone gave their best at the meet and we placed third,” Shelus said. “This only leaves room for our team to continue to improve and come back with a vengeance and win the NJAC title in the spring.”
Following the pattern of ECAC qualifiers for the men, junior Julio Alorro took second in the pole vault with a height of 4.70 meters. Sophomore Abayomi Arowolo also took second place in the weight throw tossing a distance of 14.82 meters.
The men gained second place points with Tasco in the 800-meter, sophomore Andrew DeMaria in the 3,000-meter and freshman Jonathon Stouber in the 5,000-meter races.
In addition, the Lions delivered a strong team effort in the mile with three runners placing in the top five. Gallagher led the Lion pack in third place with a time of 4:21.23, followed by Berti’s fourth place and Seyffart’s fifth place finishes.
“The characteristics from the team and coaching staff that contributed to the win would be pride and aggression,” Spekhardt said. “We felt that competitors go out and compete but champions go out and rise above everyone else.”
The athletes for both the men’s and women’s team who received ECAC qualifying marks will return to the Armory for the championships on Friday, March 1 before heading to Illinois for the NCAA Division III Indoor Championships.
(02/19/13 5:21pm)
SFB funded AAA for $2,667.50 to go toward their spring multicultural buffet that will include various foods from different Asian nations alongside a performance from the College’s Taiko.
During discussion, members of SFB were concerned about the lines being a fire hazard and therefore funded the event with the stipulation that they find a way to successfully manage the lines.
“It’s a great way to immerse yourself in the culture,” said Tom Verga, SFB’s assistant Student Government representative. “It’s a good annual event.”
The event will take place on Wednesday, March 6 at 7 p.m. in the Brower Student Center Atrium. The event will charge $3 for food and $1 for bubble tea.
In addition, SFB funded AAA with $3,160 to go toward their event Mystique of the East 2013 with an estimated income of $3,700. The event will showcase the cultural traditions of many East Asian countries with performances from the College’s Taiko and Barkada as well as various diverse activities targeting different heritages and Asian traditions.
“It’s very well attended and very successful,” said the presenters for AAA. “It attracts students from many different backgrounds and is another opportunity to show diversity.” The event will take place on March 30 in Kendall Hall. It will charge $5 for students and $7 for non-students.
The last multicultural request was submitted by the Indian Student Association for their Bollywood Night. SFB fully funded them for $2,891.40 by a unanimous vote.
“This is one of our main events that not only caters to the Indian community but to the campus as a whole,” Shashank Musku said, presenting for ISA.
The event will include a fashion show, traditional Punjabi food, the College’s fusion dance team and Saathiya, and will expose students to the Bollywood culture of India. It will be held on March 1 at 8:30 p.m.
SFB also received three special appropriations requests beginning with the French Club’s request for funding of their trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and La Bonne Soupe. SFB motioned to fully fund the club for $1,150 after deciding that it would benefit the student body as a whole and not just the French Club, which was a main deliberation between members during discussion.
The event will be open to all students, will be free (after a $5 deposit is returned), and will take place on Saturday, April 6.
In addition, SFB fully funded Student Government’s Junior Class Council for $4,391 to go toward their Fourth Annual TCNJ’s Got Talent event. This event will be a school-wide talent show with an audition process and will be hosted by TCNJ alumnus and comedian, Adam Mamawala.
Members of SFB felt that the event has a lot of potential to need more funding to be used toward a sound system in case they need one. The event will be held on Tuesday, March 19 in Kendall Hall and will be free to all students.
SFB also received several conference requests including a request from Best Buddies to attend the Best Buddies Leadership Conference. SFB motioned to fully fund this request for $733.80 by a unanimous vote.
In the past, Best Buddies has brought back several new events and ideas from previous participation in the conference to benefit the campus, including a flag football event allowing disabled students to interact with the football team.
“It’s exactly the kind of conference we would want to fund because it benefits the whole community,” said junior representative Samantha Hoffer.
SFB also received a request from The Signal to send two editors to attend the College Media Association’s Spring National College Media Convention.
“Attending this conference would help take our paper in a direction to help better serve the College community,” said The Signal’s managing editor, Amy Reynolds.
During discussion, members of SFB decided to fund the covering of registration costs of $210.
“It seems that this would be an eye-opening experience and is worthy of conference requests,” Verga said.
Following, SFB received a conference request from TCNJ Barkada to attend The Filipino Intercollegiate Networking Dialogue and a request from the American Medical Student Association to attend the AMSA National Convention. However, both requests were not funded as SFB members decided that neither would benefit the student body as a whole.
*Even though SFB agrees to finance certain events, there is no guarantee that these events will take place. The approval only makes the funds available.
(02/19/13 5:00pm)
Those 6 a.m. practices seem be doing the trick as the College’s men’s and women’s indoor track team has continued to impress.
Recording one of the fastest Division III times this season, the men’s distance medley relay crossed the finish line in first place at 10:15:99, meeting ECAC qualifying standards. The dominating relay was run by junior Dominic Tasco, sophomore Erik Moutenot, senior Steve D’Aiutolo and senior Michael Berti at the non-team scoring, New York University Challenge Meet on Friday, Feb. 15.
“It felt good to decisively win the race,” Berti said. “At ECACs, the DMR is historically very competitive, so qualifying for that is the key to getting in that fast paced race and producing a nationals qualifying time.”
As the relay prepares for ECACs, Berti has expressed his confidence in the relay team as a whole because of returning runners, great alternates and a great team chemistry stemming from friendships off the track.
“We have some very competitive runners on that relay,” Berti said. “A lot of success comes from a desire to win.”
But before the ECACs, the NJACs will be an extremely important meet for the Lions, as both teams have made it clear that their number one goal is to not only run fast times, but also to win the indoor NJAC title.
“The only real goal at this point is to win the NJACs and keep the men’s streak alive,” junior James Seyffart said. “We’ve won the past 15 indoor NJAC titles.”
Seyffart was part of the men’s 4x800-meter relay that placed second, clocking in at a time of 8:03.36 along with Berti, sophomore Jeremy Garell and junior Mike Jones.
“Part of our success was due to the fact that we had a couple of guys with fresh legs for the race,” Seyffart said. “Mike Jones anchored our race in 1:59 and the three of us put him in a good position to run for the win.”
The women’s 4x800-meter relay finished with a fourth-place effort by senior Cathy Goncalves, junior Sarah Polansky, freshman Kelly Williamson and sophomore Meghan Kocher with a time of 10:07.89.
“As a freshman it was really exciting to be a part of the race,” freshman Kelly Williamson said. “I felt comfortable leading off the race for my teammates and it was a great experience.”
The women also had several athletes with ECAC qualifying performances, including the second place finish in the shot put by senior Mary Chismar, throwing 11.93 meters.
In addition, junior Katie Knight and sophomore Tara Nealon were among the ECAC qualifying performances at the meet, despite placing seventh in their respective races. Knight ran the 60-meter high hurdles with a time of 9.41, while Nealon crossed the finish line of the 3,000-meter race with a time of 10:33.25.
“I was really excited,” Nealon said. “
It was one of my goals going into the season to qualify for ECACs.”
Nealon is currently pleased with her season thus far after coming back from missing the indoor season last year with a stress fracture.
Back on the men’s side, junior Julio Alorro also had a first place performance in the pole vault, clearing the bar at an ECAC qualifying height of 4.55 meters.
The Lady Lions also had sophomore Katelyn Ary run an ECAC qualifier time of 2:18.12 in the 800-meter run, while freshman Kristen VanBenschoten proved herself in the shot put, placing fourth with a throw of 11.31 meters.
“Off the track, just making sure you’re getting enough sleep is key,” Nealon said. “On the track, you have to be able to stay positive through the workouts and the races, sometimes it’s as much mental as it is physical.”
Head coach Phil Jennings is also pleased with his athlete’s recent performances this season. He also talked about the important characteristics he expects his athletes to have throughout the season which have led to their continued success.
“We look for good student athletes that love the sport and love to compete,” Jennings said. “We expect our athletes to buy into being part of something that is bigger than themselves: the team.”
(02/12/13 5:34pm)
The Student Finance Board met on Wednesday, Feb. 6 to discuss the funding of the College Union Board’s 25th Annual Spring Latenighter: Into the Jungle, as well as several other requests.
SFB motioned to fully fund CUB for $30,031 by a unanimous vote in favor of the latenighter, which will include a jungle obstacle course, an exotic bird display, reptile shows, a green screen photo booth and several other free activities for students to enjoy.
“The goal is to get people to feel like they’ve actually been transported into the jungle,” the presenters for CUB explained.
Members of SFB were excited about the event and appreciated its creativity.
“I think that they really have some quality things,” said sophomore representative Sara Stammer. “I think it’s gonna be a really good latenighter.”
The event is expected to take place in the Brower Student Center on March 7 from 8 p.m. to midnight.
In addition, Student Government was funded with $2,600 for the Class of 2014 Hoboken Bus Trip on March 2. This trip will serve as a unifying event for the class filled with an itinerary of suggested places to visit and restaurants to eat at.
During the discussion, members of SFB agreed that the event would be successful and sell out easily. The event will allow students the opportunity to take a trip to Hoboken for free (a $5 deposit will be returned at the beginning of the day) without having to worry about parking.
Additionally, SFB motioned to fund the Eurasia/Middle East Society for $3,775 to be used toward their annual Nowruz celebration, with the stipulation that the venue be changed.
The Eurasia/Middle East Society wanted to host the event in two different locations — the Library Auditorium for a concert because of its quiet and intimate atmosphere and then the Brower Student Center to serve cultural food.
“I think you lose the event if you’re splitting it up,” said senior Lindsay Klein, SFB’s executive director.
Members of SFB also expressed the concern that the event would suffer from being split up into two different venues, as they remembered the success of the event last year, when it was held in one venue. The event will be held on March 18.
Following, PRISM presented two requests that were both fully funded by SFB.
The first request was funded for $1,500 to bring 19-year-old Ryan Cassata to the College for a lecture and a musical performance about the transgender community.
“Transgender issues are not widely known,” said freshman Andrew Edelblum, presenting for PRISM. “This will be an educational experience about the trans-community for the entire TCNJ community at large.”
During discussion, members of SFB were pleased with the event, but were concerned about the small size of the Library Auditorium and its ability to successfully hold the event.
SFB motioned to fully fund the event with the stipulation that the event be booked at the Don Evans Black Box Theater in Kendall Hall on April 4.
“I really like that he’s younger and I’m all for it,” said Joseph Lacerda, a senior representative for SFB.
Finally, SFB funded PRISM for $777.56 to be used for their annual Queer Wedding that will be held in the ABE Drawing Room on Feb. 28. This event will showcase a mock wedding of four “queer” couples, each with different sexualities and religious backgrounds, in order to allow students to witness marriages involving same-sex and transgender couples, exposing them to an important facet of “queer” relationships.
“I think the Queer Wedding will be very eye-opening for people,” said junior representative Samantha Hoffer.
SFB also tabled a request by Chabad to host their “Magical Purim” event in celebration of the holiday, in order to allow them to clarify their quotes and better organize their estimated prices.
*Even though SFB agrees to finance certain events, there is no guarantee that these events will take place. The approval only makes the funds available.
(02/12/13 5:14pm)
Stop! Don’t delete that email just yet; it’s not spam. It is actually an easy opportunity to win $1,000 by simply viewing the contents of Student Health 101 and answering a few questions.
Despite the common misconception that the infamous Student Health 101 emails are just extra guests for your trash can, they actually “serve as a guide to help you if you’re going through something and don’t know where to go for help,” said Karachi Ukaegbu, senior communication studies major and a campus correspondent for Student Health 101.
Several students associate “student health” with alcohol and drug abuse as well medical issues. However, that is not all of the content covered by the online magazine and video interviews of students at the College, explained Joe Hadge, the Alcohol and Drug Education Program (ADEP) Coordinator.
“It’s easy for students to say, ‘I got drunk,’ because unfortunately that’s a normal conversation topic at colleges,” Hadge said. “However, the ultimate goal is to encourage students to speak more often about other normal problems that several students suffer from in silence.”
Failed relationships, stress, test-taking skills, healthy cooking tips and roommate troubles are all among the common issues that affect students at the College every day. But it can be difficult to find solutions to these everyday struggles.
Look no further, though, than that email in your trash folder for the link to the monthly Student Health 101 magazine, which addresses all of these common issues and more.
“There’s a big misconception that it is just about health,” said Edith Claudio, junior marketing major and campus correspondent for Student Health 101. “It also provides healthy lifestyle choices and stories of what others are doing in different situations, which will help the students gain better decision-making skills.”
Ukaegbu and Claudio can often be found around campus interviewing students for the website. Ukaegbu explained that the questions asked on the video interviews are a valuable asset for students, as they are “tailored in a way that there’s a lesson to be learned from answers.”
“It’s a low-cost, high-reach resource,” Hadge said, contrasting it to expensive speakers that come to the College for about an hour. “This magazine is there 24/7 and changing, and the videos have some of our students in it.”
“We want to create a culture and legacy behind Student Health 101 in order to increase readership and reach the students,” Ukaegbu said. “We want to create a movement where we are all unified.”
Read Student Health 101 today: readsh101.com/tcnj.html. For more exclusive articles, videos and news, like TCNJ Student Health 101 on Facebook and follow them on Twitter @SH101atTCNJ.
(02/12/13 5:00pm)
Despite roughing it through injuries and illness, members of the men’s and women’s indoor track & field teams have still been able to find a way to step up and work their way back to success in their respective races.
After becoming ill with the flu at the start of the season, senior Dominic Tasco faced a serious setback to his training, but has continued to work through it.
“These past two weeks have been a major confidence boost,” Tasco said. “I’m feeling very strong and ready to put together some fast times in championship season.”
Tasco secured second place in the 800-meter race with a time of 1:53.19, qualifying him for the ECACs. This took place at the Lafayette Rider Winter Games on Friday, Feb. 8 after a quick change in venues when their scheduled meet in Boston was cancelled.
“My races this weekend were a big step in the right direction,” Tasco said. “Running an indoor personal record before the championship season gives me a great deal of confidence for the upcoming meets on the schedule.”
Continued success for the Lions came during both the men’s and women’s 4x800-meter relay races. The women’s relay team, made up of freshman Kristen Randolph, sophomore Megan Stack, junior Anginelle Alabanza and sophomore Liz Johnson, crossed the finish line with a time of 9:40.43, finishing a full eight seconds ahead of the second place team.
The men’s 4x800-meter relay team, made up of seniors Michael Berti and Andy Gallagher, sophomore Erik Moutenot and Tasco, claimed second with a time of 7:58.10, just behind Division II Kutztown University.
“The goal of that race was to run an ECAC qualifier and a lot of the credit goes to my teammates,” Tasco said. “They did what they had to do to make my leg much easier. We have a talented group of guys that are looking to run fast times.”
For the jumpers, junior Erica Roberts continued to lead the women to success in the long jump with another ECAC qualifying jump of 5.40 meters, placing third, while freshman Courtney Paciulli also had an ECAC qualifying jump of 5.22 meters, placing fifth.
With no surprise, the high jump highlighted nationally ranked junior Brigit Roemer as the second place finisher with an ECAC qualifying jump of 1.60 meters.
“The season has been getting progressively better every meet,” Roemer said. “I am happy with where I am at this point and I can only get better from here.”
The meet seemed to be a night of exciting relays as the men’s 4x400-meter relay team made up of junior Michael Spekhardt, sophomore Alex Brown, freshman Laron Day and senior Steve D’Aiutolo had a second place finish with a time of 3:20.52.
The men’s team also had a strong showing in the mile with Berti taking fifth at a time of 4:21.38, alongside his teammate Gallagher, who took seventh with a time of 4:22.74.
Another injured athlete, senior Cathy Goncalves, has been working her way back to the track after suffering from severe plantar fasciitis after the cross country season.
“Although I am not in the best of shape just yet, my goal for the indoor season is to continue on getting stronger, to qualify for ECACs and to win the 3K at NJACs,” Goncalves said.
Goncalves has certainly been working her way back this season after placing third in the 3,000-meter race just last week at the dual meet against Rider. She is hoping this indoor season will be the foundation of her outdoor season in which she hopes to qualify for nationals in her races along with her teammates.
“Our team is fairly young but is continually growing,” Goncalves said. “We’ve been working on our team dynamic because we know that we can’t achieve our team goals, like winning the NJACs, without being close as a team.”
On the men’s side, the bond seems to be just as strong with the chemistry ever improving.
“We have a great team bond,” Tasco said. “It starts over winter break where we have a few team practices a week with some team bonding activities to bring us all together. Even off the track we are all friends, making it a really fun team to be a part of.”
(02/05/13 5:37pm)
The Student Finance Board met on Wednesday, Jan. 30 to discuss the funding of several upcoming events, including the Japanese Culture Club’s annual Banzai cultural festival.
SFB motioned to fully fund the Japanese Culture Club for $2,136 to go toward the event, which will take place on Saturday, Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. in the Brower Student Center. This is the biggest event that the club holds and will be free to all students at the College. Each guest that is not a student will be charged $2, estimating a revenue of about $60.
“It has a lot of name recognition from the past — there are usually no problems getting attendance,” said Lindsay Klein, SFB executive director. The members motioned by a unanimous vote to fund the event.
Food served at Banzai will include varied trays of sushi. The club also plans to highlight the College’s Taiko drummers and introduce crafts such as origami and calligraphy.
The Art Student Association was also fully funded by SFB for $365.22 to be used toward their first ASA Street Art Workshop. The event will take place on Wednesday, Feb. 13 from noon to 2 p.m. in the Art and Interactive Multimedia Building.
The workshop will include a lecture from New York street artist Robyn Hasty, also known as “Imminent Disaster,” who will provide insight about street artists and their culture.
It will be open to all students on campus regardless of their artistic skill, so that non-ASA members and non-art students can also enjoy the event.
“I love this event,” said Milana Lazareva, SFB operations director. “I love all their events, and I love that it’s geared toward the students that don’t have a lot of art events on campus.”
In addition, SFB tabled the Black Student Union’s request of $1,500 to go toward an event during their Black History Month Celebrations. The proposed event would include a performance of drummers and dancers from The Garvey School for the closing ceremony.
Members of SFB expressed that having this event will be beneficial to the campus and that it fits the standard of multicultural requests. However, after going through files from previous funds while in discussion, SFB discovered that the $1,500 that The Garvey School is charging for this event is about five times the $300 amount that has been paid for them to perform in the past. Therefore, by tabling BSU’s request, SFB will be able to do more research into the price.
*Even though SFB agrees to finance certain events, there is no guarantee that these events will take place. The approval only makes the funds available.
(02/05/13 5:00pm)
Those bright yellow spikes powered their way through the anchor leg of the men’s 4x400-meter relay, trailing behind the rival. As the final lap was underway, with 200 meters left in the race, the crowd exploded with an electrifying cheer as the yellow spikes kicked into gear, speeding up and ultimately taking first place in the last 10 meters to win the event with a time of 3:22.27.
The owner of the yellow spikes, senior Steve D’Aiutolo, has certainly wasted no time this season in bringing success to his team.
“I try to make sure that the team sees me giving my full effort and taking care of myself because I can’t tell them to do something if I’m not doing it (myself),” D’Aiutolo said. “I strive to lead by example.”
The men’s and women’s winter track and field team fell to their rivals at Rider University in an annual dual meet at The Lawrenceville School on Saturday, Feb. 2, but hit several ECAC qualifying marks and personal best performances.
“It’s fantastic,” senior Mary Chismar said in regard to the performances. “The team as a whole has progressed so much already. It’s looking great.”
Chismar competes in the shot put and the weight throw for the Lions, continuously proving to be a solid asset as she impressively took up the weight throw for the first time as freshman at the College, because the event is illegal in high school. She took third in the shot put at the meet with a solid ECAC qualifying throw of 11.59 meters.
“A lot of new people have stepped up this year,” Chismar said.
But after mentioning the girls’ loss of their NJAC title last year, her ultimate goal was clear: to take back the NJAC title. And they are certainly on the right track in doing so.
The Lions shined in the triple jump with junior Erica Roberts jumping an ECAC qualifying distance of 11.12 meters, while freshman Courtney Paciulli also qualified for ECACs with a mark of 11.02 meters.
On the men’s side, with no surprise, D’Aiutolo was back and won the triple jump with an ECAC qualifying jump of 15.58 meters.
“I only jump twice a week because of how painful it is on your body,” D’Aiutolo said as he joked about consistently needing to take hot baths for his body. “The hardest part is taking care of you body.”
While the physical toll of a season is certainly rough, D’Aiutolo seems to be doing just fine as he has consistently won the triple jump several times this season already, one step closer toward his lofty, but certainly attainable, goals of making it to nationals, defending the men’s NJAC title, winning the ECACs, and becoming an All-American.
The high jump also highlighted nationally ranked junior Brigit Roemer, who took second in the event with an ECAC qualifying jump of 1.65 meters.
In addition, the men’s 200 meter included junior Michael Spekhardt with a second place finish of 22.76.
Spekhardt was very happy with his performance at the meet as he achieved a personal best in the event and later went on to perform well as the anchor in the 4x200-meter relay.
“I think everyone’s got the right mindset,” Spekhardt said. “It’s important to be focused as we train to go against the best teams.”
Although he performed well for the Lions at the dual meet, Spekhardt’s mind is looking ahead to the NJACs coming up and the ECACs. Spekhardt is extremely proud of the underclassmen on his 4x200 meter relay team for stepping up this season as he looks to repeat a win in the relay at the ECACs.
“We have a huge target on our backs,” Spekhardt said. “I’d like to stay where we are at the top of that, the king of the hill.”
As a junior, Spekhardt’s head is in the right place with his goals and priorities set toward looking for a successful season, but he still manages to keep his heart in the right place as well, simply saying, “It’s a pleasure doing this.”
Back on the women’s side, assistant coach Justin Lindsey has been extremely impressed with senior Brielle Doremus this year.
“She has really turned into a leader her senior year,” Lindsey said. “She has become a national caliber athlete.”
Doremus, who has been a huge factor in the success of the women’s 4x400 meter relay, explained that there are not many seniors this year, so she felt the need to step up.
“We’ve been focusing on coming together more as a team,” Doremus said. “I’ve been trying to facilitate that.”
Doremus competed in her first pentathlon last week, a combination of five events, and is pleasantly surprised by her performance. She will continue to work towards qualifying for nationals in the event along with the 4x400 meter relay.
The women’s 3,000 meters also highlighted second place Tara Nealon with a time of 10:45.32 and third place Cathy Goncalves with a time of 11:01.46.
In addition, sophomore Liz Johnson took second in a gutsy 1,000 meter race with a time of 3:04.58.
“We are really coming together as a team at the right time,” Johnson said, who has planned on stepping up this year in order to encourage her teammates.
Johnson really only had one thing to say, summing up the team’s all around positive mindset into two simple words: “Go Lions.”
(01/29/13 5:00pm)
The men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams have excelled in their season as several members have hit ECAC qualifying marks and delivered shining performances at the Haverford Invitational on Wednesday, Jan. 23 and at the Thomson Invitational at the University of Delaware on Saturday, Jan. 26.
Sweeping the top three spots in the 60-meter high hurdles were freshmen Zachary Errichetti and Jake Lindacher, who each ran a time of 9.28, and sophomore Louis Fisher who ran a time of 9.29.
The women also performed well in the 60-meter high hurdles, having junior Katie Knight win with a time of 9.58 and freshman Christine Seddon take second with a time of 10.39.
“I am proud that I am making a good transition back into the track and field world and I can’t wait to keep making progress and eventually get back into full gear,” Seddon said.
Freshman Peter Okoh continued to deliver phenomenal performances by winning the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.16.
“It’s been a great experience so far,” Okoh said. “It’s different from high school with training methods that are more time consuming. It’s going to take some time to get used to, but I’m definitely getting the hang of it.”
The women’s team also had a strong performance in the 60-meter dash as four Lions crossed the finish line in a row. Roberts won the event with a time of 8.25 followed by Paciulli who ran a time of 8.37. Sophomore Michelle Cascio came in third, running a mark of 8.45, and sophomore Emily Hennessy finished behind with a time of 8.70.
On the women’s side, junior Erica Roberts won the long jump with a mark of 5.25 meters, qualifying her for the ECAC. Freshman Courtney Paciulli also had an ECAC qualifying mark, winning the triple jump with a mark of 10.89 meters. She also took second in the long jump with a mark of 5.06.
Sophomore Troy O’Connor took third in the long jump with a distance of 5.43 meters. The men’s 3,000-meter race also added another top-five performance with Scott Savage clocking in at 9:17.52 to take fourth.
Following in the footsteps of the Lions’ success, sophomore Liz Johnson took second in the mile, running a time of 5:29.17 and then later took third in the 800-meter with 2:29.03. Junior Emily Kulcyk finished just ahead of Johnson with a time of 2:27.38.
Saturday night also contained a terrific showing for the College with senior Mary Chismar leading the lady Lions to success. Chismar delivered an ECAC qualifying mark of 11.93 meters at the Thomson Invitational in the shot put, finishing in the top 10.
In addition, senior captain Steve D’Auitolo has continuously proven to be a strong asset for the Lions in the triple jump by winning the event on Saturday with a solid jump of 13.78 meters, qualifying him for the ECAC’s.
The men’s 4x400-meter relay also delivered a third place performance with a time of 3:29.34 on Saturday.
Freshman Laron Day was given the opportunity to run the relay with the upperclassmen and delivered a great performance.
“The team’s upperclassmen are very supportive,” Day said. “They always tell me to just do my best.”
Day hopes to continue running personal best times in order to make it to nationals.
The men had several other third place finishes, including sophomore Alex Brown as the top Division III finisher in the 500-meter with a time of 1:09.02. Sophomore Jamie LeRoy also followed in the third place finishes with a throw of 14.87 meters in the weight throw.
While in the men’s 5,000-meter race, three Lions finished in the top six. The trio included sophomore Andrew Wilson in fourth (15:47.24), senior Alex Matteson in fifth (15:50.17) and freshman Jonathon Stouber in sixth with a time of 15:54.17.
The Lady Lions’ 4x400-meter relay has also continued to impress as freshman Kristen Randolph, junior Emily Kulcyk, senior Brielle Doremus and sophomore Katelyn Ary took third on Saturday with a time of 4:09.98.
“We have so much fun together and our team chemistry makes the hard workouts a little easier to handle,” Seddon said. “I can’t wait to see where this season takes us.”
(01/22/13 5:00pm)
Kicking off the winter 2013 season on a strong note, the men’s and women’s track and field teams have proven to be on top of their game. Placing third at the NYU Challenge on Jan. 19, the women’s team was the top Divison III team at the meet with a total of 63 points. The men’s team took sixth at the meet with a total of 46 points and several ECAC qualifying marks.
“We bring out the best in each other every day at practice and are very supportive of each other,” freshman Peter Okoh said. “We have really strong leaders on the team. They lead by example and help out as much as they can.”
Okoh, who took seventh in the 60-meter dash at NYU, started off his first season with the Lions with two qualifying times for the ECAC’s at the New York Road Runners Night at the Armory I on Jan. 12. Okoh qualified with a time of 7.08 seconds in the 60-meter dash and in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.80.
“I had a decent opener but there’s definitely more room for improvement,” Okoh said. “Right now I’m looking to stay healthy throughout the season and compete as much as I can at a high level and remain one of the top sprinters in the conference.”
Head coach Phil Jennings was excited with the success of the freshman.
“(Okoh) has had tremendous growth over the past few months as an athlete, both with his dedication to the sport and training as well as his understanding of what it will take to get him to the next level,” Jennings said. “He is off to a great start, particularly for a freshman.”
Men’s senior captain Steven D’Aiutolo also had a terrific showing last Saturday night, winning the triple jump with an ECAC qualifying mark of 47.24 ft.
In addition, the women’s team took the top two spots in the triple jump last Saturday night. Freshman Courtney Paciulli qualified for the ECAC’s after winning the event with a distance of 36.12 feet. Junior Erica Roberts took second with a distance of 35.13 feet.
The women’s team continued its success in the high jump when junior Brigit Roemer took second with a height of 5.4 feet, qualifying her for ECAC’s. Roemer is currently ranked fifth in the nation in the triple jump.
The men’s team has also proven to be a strong force in the field. Senior Julio Alorro placed third in pole vault last Saturday night and started off the season with a height of 15 feet, finishing second at the Armory.
“I’m definitely happy that I cleared 15 feet in my first indoor meet of the season, but it’s far from where I want to be,” Alorro said. “I definitely want to keep clearing higher heights as the season progresses.”
“Julio has big plans for this season after finishing off his junior year with a 12th-place finish at outdoor NCAA’s and is off to a very good start,” Jennings said.
Sophomore Liz Johnson also had an ECAC qualifying time, finishing fifth in the 1,000-meter race with an impressive time of 3:04.46.
The women’s 4x400-meter relay team kicked off their season at Princeton University at the New Year Invitational on Dec. 9 with an ECAC qualifying mark of 4:02.00. The team consisted of sophomore Michelle Cascio, junior Emily Kulcyk, senior Brielle Doremus and sophomore Katelyn Ary.
Ary has been continuously performing well for the Lions this season after just returning from knee surgery.
“With the help of the athletic trainers and coaches, I have been able to return to competition after my knee surgery with times equal to or faster than this point last year,” said Ary. “I have to limit my practices to once or twice a week, which is frustrating, but I have been putting in the hard work and I am looking forward to the rest of the season.”
Following the pattern of reaching ECAC qualifying times, senior Alex Brown and freshman Laron Day each qualified for the ECAC in the 500-meter. Brown finished fifth with a time of 1:06.61 and Day finished seventh with a mark of 1:06.98.
Freshman hurdler Zachary Errichetti has enjoyed being a part of the men’s track and field team and being led by the upperclassmen thus far in his first season with the Lions.
“Joining the team as a freshman has been one of the most humbling experiences,” Errichetti said. “The level of athleticism, intensity and commitment of every member of this team is astonishing. Being a member of this team has been difficult, and doesn’t look as if it will let up anytime soon, but it has been worth every minute.”
The team will return to action Thursday, Jan. 24 for the Haverford College Invitational. They look to get back in the swing of things as the semester starts up.
“Our training as a team has been limited over the past few weeks since dorms aren’t open yet, and that puts us at a disadvantage to many other schools that are welcome back early to campus to train and compete,” Jennings said. “Moreover, school starts about a week later than last year, so there is even more time before we can train as a group. We’ve also had a fair amount of sickness recently with a number of people having been sidelined by the flu and it seems to take a couple of weeks for the more severe cases to see true recovery. As a result of all of these factors, I expect that the team as a whole will improve significantly from week to week in this early part of the season.”
(12/05/12 7:32pm)
The Student Finance Board met on Wednesday, Nov. 28, to discuss funding for the College Union Board’s 2013 spring concert and other requests.
SFB motioned to fund CUB with a total of $190,600 to go toward hosting the spring concert at the Sun National Bank Center in Trenton, N.J. CUB is hoping to feature Ke$ha headlining with the Neon Trees as the opener.
“The problem with TCNJ’s concerts is that we don’t have a venue big enough for a big name,” said Milana Lazareva, the Operations Director of SFB. in favor of hosting the concert at the off-campus location.
Having the concert at the Sun National Bank Center would provide CUB with the ability to get big names for the spring concert, such as Ke$ha. If Ke$ha cannot be booked, CUB is also looking into Flo-Rida, Kid Cudi and many other popular artists. CUB will also use the funds to provide busing for on-campus students.
Members of SFB were concerned about students partying and driving to the concert. They agreed, however, that the buses would be a good solution to that. They also had concerns that having general admission at the concert would lead to chaos and fights in the arena that holds over 8,000 people, but eventually agreed that general admission would be the best for the student body.
“The ushers are more than capable of handling the chaos,” said Brian Hurler, the administrative director of SFB is also an employee of the Sun National Bank Center.
Having the spring concert at the Bank Center will give students the options to purchase more than one ticket for outside guests. It will also provide the option to open it up to other New Jersey college students, TCNJ alumni, faculty and staff.
SFB added $2,000 for insurance to CUB’s original request for $188,600 and removed Ne-Yo and Outasight off of the lineup list for possible back-up artists in the event that CUB cannot book Ke$ha and the Neon Trees.
Members of SFB were concerned that the headliner and openers would be too different to hold a successful concert.
However, Executive Director Lindsay Klein disagreed and said, “I think what we want to do is hit all student aspects.”
Senior representative, Joe Lacerda, agreed stating that, “I think it’s actually kind of a good thing that there’s a variety.”
In the event that CUB cannot book a name big enough to have the spring concert at the Sun National Bank Center, SFB motioned to fully fund CUB with $188,116 to hold the concert in the Recreational Center. In the event of the concert being held at the Recreational Center, CUB will try to book Kid Cudi and the Neon Trees.
SFB also motioned to fully fund the Sophomore Class Council with $4,800 to be used towards transportation for the Sophomore Class Holiday Trip to New York City.
The Sophomore Class Council presented their itinerary to SFB and their suggestions for student activities in the city.
“I think that these are events that people will go to and don’t really cost that much,” Klein said.
Following, the Leadership Development Program presented their request for funds for the 9th Annual Leadership Lock-Up. SFB motioned to fund the event for $5,219.26.
The event will take place in the Brower Student Center on Jan. 20. It will be Dr. Seuss -themed and the keynote speaker will be Sam Davidson.
The event will be catered by Mamma Flora’s and will offer the College’s student leaders the opportunity to improve their leadership skills through several activities and workshops.
LDP presenter Ali Lubin said, “It’s a really fun theme that we think will attract a lot of people.”
*Even though SFB agrees to finance certain events, there is no guarantee that these events will take place. The approval only makes the funds available.
*This article originally stated that the concert that would be held in the Recreational Center was allocated $212,516 in funding. The correct amount is $188,116.
(11/13/12 10:39pm)
“My Congressman is a rocket scientist” bumper stickers can be found on automobiles all throughout New Jersey’s 12th Congressional district. This, of course, refers to one of only two current research physicists in the House of Representatives.
Congressman Rush Holt spoke to the College about the future of health care in his presentation, “After the Election, where do we go from here?”, in the Education Building on Nov. 9 at 4 p.m. This event was sponsored by the Public Health Communications Club.
“There’s a lot of misinformation out there,” said Holt while speaking about the Affordable Health Care Act. “I think that relatively soon, people will come to realize that this is one of the great changes.”
Congressman Holt has been in office since he was first elected in 1998 and was just re-elected on Tuesday, Nov. 6 as a member of the Democratic Party.
Holt acknowledged the commonly heard rumors that people believed Congress was passing the bill without even reading it.
“The problem with making public policy is trying to understand what this year’s message is (from the people),” said Holt in response to critics of the bill.
According to Holt, President Obama has not received much credit for his leadership in getting the country to make this bold move towards better health care. However, Holt did acknowledge that the President’s leadership faltered with the specifics of the bill, which is where the disfavor from the public derives from.
Holt commented that the process of passing the bill in Congress “is like sausage being made … You don’t want to watch it.”
Holt portrayed the Affordable Health Care Act as a piece of legislature that will give families the ability to cover expensive medical conditions for their children without being denied. It will also require insurance companies to spend 85 cents out of every $1 to actually go towards health care, where in the past only about 65-75 cents went toward health care.
“There will surely be some changes, but overall I think it will work,” said Holt explaining that provisions of the bill that also place more of an emphasis on preventative medicine and prohibits the discrimination of women.
“As far as I can tell, health care reform is working, contrary to what you heard during the campaign,” Holt said. He explained that just as Medicare in 1965 helped seniors, “the Affordable Health Care Act will change America.”
The Congressman stressed the idea that the people of America are not well informed about the provisions of the bill and don’t understand that these provisions will actually help them. “People in America are not very good at thinking statistically,” Holt said.
“I’ve laid this out as a pretty attractive piece of legislature,” said Holt, “but you wouldn’t know it,” as a result of the public opposition due to misinformation. The Congressman also blatantly opposed the theory that Obamacare is socialized medicine.
The Congressman said that the President seized on the need for better health care early on which was a very important step in leading this country. But Holt added that problems arose from the President not seeing the bill through completely and letting it go back and forth in Congress.
Holt referred to the process of passing the bill as a “communications disaster” between the government and the people who are not fully educated about the benefits of the bill. But Holt assured that “if you are in America, you can count on having good health care,” and promised that as the provisions take effect, the American public will be in favor of the bill.
Holt then went into a question and response session in which a question was asked to the congressman regarding Karl Rove’s visit to the College and his claims that employers will drop insurance plans because health care will be covered by the Federal Government.
Holt responded by saying that Rove has underestimated Congress. Holt explained that he doesn’t believe that employers will drop insurance plans because there is sufficient motivation not to such as human morals, taxes and fines.
“We’ll see how it goes,” said Holt. “I don’t think we will see another attempt to repeal Obamacare.”
Another question was asked about what Obama can do to unite the U.S. people as one, despite the clear divide shown by the popular vote in last Tuesday’s election that was almost 50/50.
Regarding the electoral votes, “It was an unmistakable win by the President,” Holt said. He acknowledged the polarization of the country by sects, income, race, ethnicity and region, etc.
“There are many real division and fault lines in this country,” said the congressman. Holt joked that the best way to deal with this divide is to find a common enemy such as alien invaders from outer space.
However Holt said the more likely solution is to “gain a sense of national purpose” by creating things, adding value in production and “making commitments in a bold way that recognizes that we have an economical crisis that needs to be dealt with.”
In solving this problem Holt proposed that “now is the time for really bold federal and national expenditures.” He used the example of the G.I. Bill and how the country was in debt but still spent money on the G.I. Bill which was extremely successful and uplifting.
“We could find that unifying purpose if we go about it the right way,” Holt said. “This country needs inspirational talking and this President is capable of doing that.”
Kevin Bazer, freshman liberal arts math major, was pleased with the event. “It was great to see someone as notable as Rush Holt come to the College,” Bazer said. “It gave me a chance to learn more about issues concerning my state and Holt’s stance on them.”
(11/13/12 10:30pm)
The Student Finance Board met on Wednesday, Nov. 7 to discuss internal issues as there were no presentations of external issues due to the effects of Hurricane Sandy and the Nor’easter that followed. The next SFB meeting to discuss the appropriation of Student Activity Funds (SAF) will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 14.
(11/09/12 4:18am)
The Student Finance Board met on Wednesday, Oct. 24, to discuss several issues, including the funding of the College Union Board and Student Government’s joint collaboration in organizing the annual TCNJ Holiday.
SFB motioned to fully fund CUB and SG for a total of $20,423.02, which will go toward the “Snow Place Like Home” themed TCNJ Holiday scheduled for Dec. 6 in the Brower Student Center. The event will include an artificial ice rink, a live horse-and-carriage ride, decorations and other engaging activities for the students.
“CUB and SG are really organized about it,” said Rachel Leva, SFB’s programming director, while advocating for full funding of the event.
Some members displayed their concern about the long waiting line for the horse and carriage rides, but ultimately agreed to fully fund the event.
SFB also allocated $100 to SG for a series of senior connection events that will include various speakers who will deliver information for seniors to use after they graduate.
The speakers will be dispersed this year in hopes of gaining attendance. The events are set to take place on Nov. 7, Feb. 20, Mar. 20 and Apr. 17.
In addition, SFB received several multicultural requests. After deliberation SFB agreed to fully fund TCNJ Barkada for a total of $1,531 for their Filipino Variety Show. This event won the Student Activity award for excellence and tradition last year and is scheduled for Nov. 17 in the Lions Den. It will include Triangle Offense, a Filipino/American rap and hip-hop group, as well as an abundance of traditional Filipino food.
SFB also heard from the Muslim Student Association and after deliberation agreed to fund $4,204.30 for their 7th Annual TCNJ MSA Eid Al-Adha Dinner. It is their only SFB funded event of the semester and is scheduled to take place on Nov. 8 in the Lions Den.
Members of SFB were concerned that the amount of food might not be enough for the event, but allocated $100 more than MSA’s funding request, to stipulate for moving arrangements.
Continuing the multicultural requests, SFB motioned to fully fund the European clubs for a total of $700 to hold their cultural night “A Sweet Taste of Europe.”
The event will include several different traditional European desserts and dances and will take place in BSC on Nov. 16.
Completing the multicultural requests, SFB passed the motion to fund Chabad a total of $4,850 for their Pre-Hanukkah party, by one vote. The event will include a virtual graffiti wall, an ice sculpture Menorah, traditional food and several Hanukkah kits for the students.
Members of SFB raised questions of funding the ice sculpture menorah, but ultimately agreed after being informed that the completion of the menorah will take place at the College for the students to observe. The event will take place in BSC on Dec. 4.
Chabad also presented a conference request for $320 to fund participation for the Chabad on Campus International Shabbaton Conference. However, SFB motioned to zero fund the conference after deciding that it wouldn’t benefit the College.
Following, SFB motioned to fund the Inter-Greek Council $1,868 to attend the Northeast Greek Leadership Association Annual Conference form Feb. 21-24.
However, members of SFB showed disfavor with the inclusion of the club’s advisor in the meeting. This was a result of the violation of protocol that dictates that club advisors cannot aid the students during their presentation to SFB.
Finally, SFB agreed to fund the Women’s Center $1,781 to attend the NWSA Annual Conference from Nov. 8-11. SFB added $100 to the funding request to include funding for one other student because they felt it would be important to have more than one underclassman attend the conference in preparation for next year.
SFB was in favor of funding this conference because The Women’s Center has never attended it before.
“It’s an ideal scenario,” said SFB senior representative Andrew Palmieri.
*Even though SFB agrees to finance certain events, there is no guarantee that these events will take place. The approval only makes the funds available.
Correction: This article originally indicated that TCNJ Holiday is slated to include two live horse-and-carriage rides instead of one.
(10/24/12 5:45pm)
After falling just short of first place in the New Jersey Athletic Conference last season, the women’s track team is looking to regain the championship title during the 2012-13 season. The men’s track team has won the NJAC championship every year since the competition began in 1997 and is looking to defend their title again during the upcoming season.
“As a team, our number one goal is to win the NJACs. We’re really trying to rally together as a girl’s team and just win,” senior captain Brielle Doremus said after speaking about the team’s disappointment last year at the NJACs.
The team’s biggest competitions this season are the NJAC championships and the NCAA championships.
“For NCAAs, we’re always looking to send as many athletes as possible to the meet and contend for All-American Honors,” said head coach Phil Jennings.
Both the women and men have primarily young teams this year, consisting of significant numbers of incoming freshmen and walk-ons.
“We picked up a lot of freshmen, and if a lot them stick with it, I think we’ll have a pretty good team,” sophomore Drew Bloksberg said.
Doremus stressed the importance of getting the incoming freshmen to understand how important winning the NJACs is to the team, especially for the seniors.
“We’re trying to get the upperclassmen together to lead the freshmen,” said Doremus, whose 4x400-meter team made it to nationals during her freshmen year. “Senior year is all about getting back to that with these girls that I love.”
On the men’s side, sophomore Erik Moutenot reflected back on his distance medley relay team from last year that nearly missed going to nationals. Moutenot runs the 800-meter race in the DMR that combines the 1200-meter, 400-meter, 800-meter and the 1600-meter all into a relay.
Senior captain Steven D’Aiutolo has very high expectations for the season.
“My main goal is to make it to nationals and become an All-American in the triple jump for both indoor and outdoor seasons,” D’Aiutolo said.
Both teams are really stressing the importance of winning the NJACs by working hard and being committed.
“We expect our athletes to strive to be the best student-athletes they can be, balancing the rigors of training and competition with their academic pursuits,” Jennings said. “Our best athletes are highly competitive, team-oriented individuals that are willing to work hard and have a passion for the sport.”
D’Aiutolo shares this view of having positive athletes during especially brutal practices.
“As long as everyone stays positive and is willing to put in the work, we will be able to achieve all of the team goals we’ve established,” D’Aiutolo said.
In addition, sophomore Katelyn Ary is coming back to the team this season after undergoing knee surgery.
“Running and the injury have taught me the importance of perseverance and patience,” Ary said. “My teammates, coaches and trainers have been extremely encouraging and supportive when I was feeling discouraged.”
Although the track teams have set high expectations for the upcoming season, they’re still finding ways to enjoy themselves. Senior Julio Alorro has found a niche in pole vaulting that he says acts as his “sanctuary.”
“The world around me stops and it’s just me, my coach and my teammates having a great time vaulting high,” Alorro said. “I can honestly say I’ve never had a terrible time at track practice when I vaulted.”
The track teams are both looking towards a great season to make a successful showing at the NJACs and to be able to send athletes to the NCAAs. Both the men and women’s team are really looking for hard work and a good attitude to lead to a successful season.
“If you have a passion for something, pursue it and see it through because not many people can say they love what they do,” Alorro said.
The indoor track preseason officially starts on Saturday, Oct. 27 to prepare for their first meet on Dec. 8.
(10/23/12 11:30pm)
The Student Finance Board came together on Wednesday, Oct. 17, to discuss funding of Amnesty International’s request to attend the annual Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference.
SFB motioned to fully fund Amnesty International, a total of $906.30, in support of their participation at the conference that will be held at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. from Nov. 9 until Nov. 11.
The approval of the request will cover registration, transportation and hotel expenses for four members of the Amnesty International Executive Board to attend the conference.
“This is one of the best opportunities for our members to learn how to be a human rights activist,” said Kate Quinn, sophomore finance major and treasurer of Amnesty International.
The Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference will provide speakers and training about activism in human rights.
This is the first time in three years that Amnesty International has received funding for the Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference. They are participating in this event in hopes of bringing back campaigns to better campus life.
The last time Amnesty International was funded to attend the conference they brought back the campaign idea that ultimately led to the creation of Fair Grounds in the Brower Student Center.
Members of SFB were concerned with the lack of an agenda for the conference because an itinerary of the events in the conference has not yet been posted.
However, after deliberation, SFB agreed to fully fund the event because the conference would provide the local chapter with ideas and materials to improve campus life at the College.
“The goal is that they’re going to be able to grow from this conference,” said Lindsay Klein, senior English major and executive director of SFB. “Amnesty International is really stepping up their game.”
*Even though SFB agrees to finance certain events, there is no guarantee that these events will take place. The approval only makes the funds available.
(10/16/12 9:53pm)
Ryan Alley, a junior international business and Russian studies double major who passed away after a single-car accident last semester, was memorialized during a service in the Spiritual Center on Friday, Oct. 12.
The memorial service was held in order to celebrate Alley’s life and the impact he had on his friends, family and the College.
“We should take time to cherish the moments that are truly meaningful,” said R. Barbara Gitenstein, president of the College, as she began the service talking about Alley’s “remarkably optimistic” and “risk taker” character.
After Gitenstein’s introduction, Benjamin Rifkin, dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences and director of Russian studies, spoke about his experience with Alley in the field of Russian. He laughed while reminiscing on a Russian karaoke night that Alley participated in here at the College.
“He was the social glue of the Russian class,” Rifkin said. “He walked right in and made it for himself,” despite being a transfer student.
Rifkin stressed Alley’s passion for the Russian language and his need for total immersion in it.
“His size was a metaphor for his enthusiasm for Russian,” Rifkin said referring to Alley’s height that often led to people calling him a giant.
Following Rifkin, Alley’s advisor, Erica Kalinowski, shared some of her fond memories of him.
“I’m incredibly grateful for having gotten to know Ryan,” said Kalinowski after telling a story about a coincidental meeting with a transfer student two weeks ago who used to be tutored by Alley and shared a fondness of him.
The service included two readings and a performance of a Coldplay medley by I-Tunes, an a capella singing group at the College.
The memorial concluded with reflections from Alley’s close friend Mike Chou, his fiancé Katie Nguyen and his mother Bonnie Alley.
“He was very humble, very open-minded, very positive,” Chou said. “He knew respect and taught it to me well.”
Chou lightened the mood by joking about what was like to be Alley’s housemate and acknowledged his thirst for education, saying, “he was always dreaming of working towards a better life.”
As Nguyen took the stand, she tearfully explained that Alley “had the most beautiful personality” and also touched on the subject of his desire to expand his knowledge.
Nguyen called on Alley’s friends and family to “carry out Ryan’s dreams, because he was a dreamer.”
“I’m so thankful for the time that I had with Ryan because I had the most wonderful memories with him,” Nguyen said. “He has left a mark on my heart forever.”
Alley’s mother Bonnie finished the ceremony by speaking about her son’s sense of humor and his quest to follow his dreams and not settle for the status quo.
“He showed me how important it is to laugh, even when life is hard,” Bonnie Alley said, following a story about the struggle she continuously has using YouTube after her son changed the language from English to Russian.
“He had a heart that matched his 6’7” frame,” Bonnie Alley said as she discussed her hopes to follow Ryan’s lead, to laugh, tell the people she cares about that she loves them and do good deeds for others.
“I miss him a great deal,” Chou said, “and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forget him."