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(04/01/15 10:08pm)
By Kimberly Ilkowski
Features Editor
The March 29, 2006 edition of The Signal was entitled The Singal, the newspaper’s annual April Fool’s issue. These papers are notorious for their wild and outlandish made-up news stories that push the boundaries of what the campus community deems acceptable. Among the many scandalous fake stories that week, the special “Sex, Drugs and Murder” Cop Shop stood out for it’s crazy tales of the secret life of Campus Police.
In Ewing police were called in when a student complained that she had found “balls in your face” written on her dormitory door, but Campus Police did not respond to her call.
They busted into a noisy room on the other end of the hall to find the entire Campus Police force playing beer pong, making drinks from what amounted to be 30 gallons of seized liquor and snorting lines.
Excessively loud rap music could even be heard from the complaining students room
Ewing police charged the entire force with distribution of alcohol to minors, along with a series of other misdemeanors including vandalism and urinating in public.
Accordingly to the dispatcher, the entire force had slowly trickled out after a call about a particularly rowdy party on campus. None of them had returned when the student found the message on her door, so she was forwarded to Ewing police.
Detective Hardass of Campus Police admitted to writing the obscene message on the students door, claiming “it’s payback for all those unpaid parking fines.”
The student declined to comment, except to note that she doesn’t even have a car on campus, let alone any unpaid parking fines.
…
A student was charged by Campus Police with “being a little dickweed” after making an anonymous call to police that hid underage roommate and his friends had been drinking in their residence hall.
Unbeknownst to the student, the police traced the call to his cellphone and arrested him instead of his roommate.
“It makes me sick,” Sergeant Butenfine said. “These kids try to have a little fun, enjoy college a bit, and some loser goes and tries to ruin everything.”
According to Butenfine, the only time a student can be arrested for drinking is when they are making an actual nuisance of themselves. If Campus Police responded every time someone was caught underage drinking, there wouldn’t be anyone available to respond to serious crimes, like parking violations.
“If you don’t like drinking, it’s like going back to your dorm to find a sock on the doorknob; you go stay in your friends room for the night. Of course, I’m assuming this little wanker doesn’t have any friends,” Butenfine said.
Fratz 4 Booze, an on-campus drinking rights activist group, said it will press charges against the student for “endangering the right to alcohol” and “miscellaneous nerdiness.”
(03/24/15 6:40pm)
Kimberly Ilkowski
Features Editor
A snowstorm paired with car troubles couldn’t stop CUBRat and WTSR’s overflowing, co-sponsored show featuring local alternative acts American Lions and In Writing, as well as lovable Minnesota natives Tiny Moving Parts on Friday, March 6, at the Rathskeller.
A last-minute flat tire from Tiny Moving Parts’ tourmates Runaway Brother left an open spot on the bill that American Lions luckily filled the morning of the event.
Comprised of Justin Calaycay on guitar, Joshua Claps on vocals and bass, James Bauman on guitar and Pat Moran on drums, the band started the night with a literal bang, lurching right into a high-powered set of Claps’ shouts and Moran’s clashing cymbals.
The band played songs off their summer 2014 EP “Peru” such as “Drifter,” “Bed Bugs” and “Camden Aquarium” -- allegedly inspired by an ex-girlfriend -- along with a handful of yet-to-be titled tracks.
On Tuesday, Feb. 24, their EP “Soft” was released which showcases a shift in the band’s sound and a heightened maturity.
“This is way more laid back,” Moran said. “The vocals aren’t as intense as they have been in the past.”
This week, the band completed another EP, currently untitled, at The Panda Studios in Fremont, Calif.
“We recorded our first EP there, too,” Moran said. “The vibes (in California) are awesome. Everyone is so welcoming and very friendly.”
The New Brunswick-based band is a regular in the local basement scene, often playing The Candy Barrel, Paradise Lost and The Banana Stand.
Following American Lions, In Writing took the stage to present their personal brand of genre-bending music.
Led by vocalist and guitarist Jonathan Arocho, bassist Angel Gonzalez, guitarist Toni Pennello and drummer Conor Mckeown, the emo quartet out of Pocono Summit, Pa. delivered an impressive set to the many close friends and family members that were in attendance.
The band performed many tracks off their summer 2013 EP “Tabula Rasa” like “Lighthouse Portrait,” “Sunny Side” and “Rusting,” which made people leave their seats and flock to the front of the stage.
In Writing has been quite active this year, playing a string of shows throughout the first months of 2015 and hoping to start recording an EP in late spring with a possible summer tour to follow.
The night’s main performers, Tiny Moving Parts, were broadcasted live on WTSR for listeners across the state to discover and enjoy.
Frontman Dylan Mattheisen shredded on his guitar so fast it looked like his hands weren’t even touching the strings. Brothers Matthew and Billy Chevalier maintained the same energy on bass and drums, respectively.
The guys jammed through a set of songs from many different periods in the band’s history, starting with “Always Focused” off their most recent release, 2014’s “Pleasant Living” full-length.
Hailing from Benson, Minn., the indie trio went on to play “Vacation Bible School” and “Grayscale” off the 2013 full-length release “The Couch Is Long & Full of Friendship” and “Fair Trade” from their “Split” EP with Old Gray.
The band finished their set with the song “Dakota,” which immediately packed a punch with the opening line, “I have never been so scared and sad at the same time.”
Tiny Moving Parts was on tour last month with You Blew It! and Rozwell Kid, playing a show nearly every night.
“We love what we do,” Mattheisen said. “We feel more at home on the road than we do at our actual homes.”
Later this month, Tiny Moving Parts will hit the road again, this time with beloved Philly emos Modern Baseball and melodic indie rockers Into It Over It for a tour across Europe.
“We’re sharing a van with Modern Baseball, and they’re really taking us under their wing,” Mattheisen said.
Aside from the excitement of traveling to new places and being able to share their music with a whole new audience, Mattheisen said the band is also ready to celebrate its culture.
“We’ll be in Dublin for St. Patrick’s Day,” Mattheisen said. “Our families are Irish, and we’re so stoked.”
(03/23/15 8:42pm)
By Kimberly Ilkowski
Features Editor
This year marks the 30th Ambassador class to grace the College. The latest class has just been accepted into the program and assigned their pals, which act as mentors for the new Ambassadors. In the February 5, 1985, issue of The Signal, Managing Editor Jean Nesterak wrote about Trenton State College’s “new concept in public relations,” which has evolved into a group that is more like a family than an organization.
A new concept in public relations is being introduced on the Trenton State College campus in the form of Student Ambassadors.
Introduced by the office of Student Development Services, the college ambassadors will phase out the old Trenton Orientation Program Services. The T.O.P.S. was used for orientation.
The college ambassadors will be students serving as public relations representatives for the college at official events. Their official responsibilities will include working with orientation, giving tours, hosting campus visitors and providing student staffing at college programs.
According to a release sent out by the office of Student Development Services, “the program has been designed to create a highly selective and prestigious organization whose membership reflects the highest caliber students which Trenton State College produces.”
“It’s not just a job we envision,” said Sheila Fleishman, assistant to the dean of students. “It’s an honorary kind of group. People are selected after a competitive interview process. We’re looking for people who have a strong commitment to the college and who have leadership and intersect well. We’ll be putting people out on the line for Trenton State.”
Second semester freshman, sophomores and juniors may apply for the positions. Students who apply must be in good academic standing and have an average of 2.50 or better.
The ambassadors will receive the minimum wage for all events they work. Other benefits will include on-campus housing and a campus telephone. Members will also be issued a Trenton State blazer, slacks/skirts, and a Trenton State sweater to wear while working.
According to Fleishman the blazer outfit is being used “not to create an image but to give students appropriate things to wear.”
Jesse Rosenblum, director of college relations said that the blazer outfit is important for the image of the college ambassadors.
“We feel it’s necessary as far as putting forth that image. Just like the beautiful entrance gate. We have to represent the student ambassadors in a quality manner that is representative of the institution.”
The cost of the program according to Rosenblum, will be approximately $10,000 a year.
The program evolved because there was a need for a more specialized form of group besides T.O.P.S.
“We knew all along how important students are in terms of how the college is perceived,” said Rosenblum. “We can’t have it left to chance. We will use the students who know a great deal about the college, they will be trained about the college.”
“Students will appear as official representatives of the institution,” said Rosenblum.
Each applicant for a position as college ambassador will have two interviews. Applicants must also submit at least one letter of reference.
“The interview process will take place and then the training will probably be ongoing through the year. We would like 25-40 people. If we have 40 we would be in a pretty good position to cover all the events,” said Fleishman. “People we hire won’t begin until Fall ’85. T.O.P.S. will be phased out after summer orientation.”
“This is an opportunity to take our really good students and train them. The college has been very active in marketing the college and I think we have a special program here. Our most effective salespeople are the students,” said Fleishman.
“T.O.P.S. was not always able to get enough students and we often had to recruit untrained students. They did the best job they could. The frustrations with working with student groups is that you can’t coerce volunteers.
“We hope to create a really incredible opportunity for students,” said Fleishman.
Though the program is looking for above average students Fleishman said, “We’re not putting down the average student we’re just saying we need the above average one’s.”
(03/10/15 2:07pm)
By Kimberly Ilkowski
Features Editor
With Campus Town nearing completion and residents and shops set to move in five months from now, it’s hard for current students to remember a time before the construction began. Almost five years ago to the day, the March 3, 2010 edition of The Signal discussed the debate between the campus and Ewing Township community members alike about building Campus Town when the plans were first created. Written by copy editor Arti Patel, the story is an interesting look back on the developmental stages of a project over which the campus is now abuzz with excitement.
Ewing Township residents had the opportunity to voice their opinions and concerns about the Campus Town project the College is in the process of developing at a community forum held by the Township and College Together (TACT) Committee. The five-person panel consisting of Curt Heuring, the College’s vice president for facilities management, construction and campus safety, Eric R. Ballou, engineering consultant from Bridsall Services Group and David P. Manfredi, architect from the firm Elkus Manfredi. Also on the panel were Cubie H. Dawson Jr. and Hilary Thomas from the consulting firm Jones Lang LaSalle.
The panel presented a detailed account of the College’s feasibility study previously shown to students and faculty.
“We are trying to create a sense of place for this college in this community,” Manfredi said. “We want to create buildings that connect the campus to the town.”
Of the approximately 37,000 Ewing Township residents, less than 30 citizens came to the meeting.
Of those who were present, members of Trinity United Methodist Church, where the community forum was held, expressed a distinct hostile vibe projected forth by a small minority of disgruntled and irritated Ewing residents.
“We got a lot of feedback,” TACT student member Tom Little, a junior political science major, said. “I think we will have success in the long term.”
Little acknowledged the unreceptive attitudes of some residents in attendance, but said this was due to fiscal concerns.
“Everyone’s worried about money,” he said.
“I think it went wonderfully,” Heuring said. “(Talking to the residents) helps us design and respond better to people’s needs.
A major topic brought up by several residents included the effects of new retail stores on existing businesses.
“The plan is not to be disrespectful to any existing businesses,” Dawson said. “The idea is not to have these stores separate from the community. It is important that we knit those together.”
“The excitement about retail here is that you can walk to it,” Thomas clarified in an effort to show why this development project is different than strip malls and existing retail areas already in Ewing Township.
“I know the College’s idea is to create a setting that can bring the College’s community together with the town to bring a harmonious relationship,” Ewing Township City Council Vice President Les Summiel said. “It’s really the will of the people to say whether or not the idea is palatable to the community.”
(03/01/15 9:28pm)
By Kimberly Ilkowski
Features Editor
That fateful week of room selection is finally upon us. Although some of us feel like we should be moving into the library for how many consecutive hours we spend there, we do have a wide-range of housing options to choose from. Whether you end up in a suite in Decker, a double in New Residence or with all your friends in Phelps, the road to the perfect living arrangement isn’t always so easy.
Last semester when I was housed in ABE, people would apologize and look at me as if I picked the “living in a tent in lot 7” option. Sure, this wasn’t number one on my list of places to live, but the best thing I learned was to find ways to love it.
When timeslots came out the other week, everyone was abuzz with who got what timeslot. Some boasted an impressive 9:00 a.m., while others flinched in fear whenever asked to reveal their 4:30 p.m. slot. “Nah, it’s cool guys, I wanted to live in a box on Metzger Drive.”
Luckily, your friend with the best time can take you under their wing and you can fly together to the personal bathrooms and air-conditioned rooms of Eickhoff. Other times, though, you have to go down with your ship of a heinous timeslot. “It’s okay guys, go on without me, I’ll be in a better place soon.”
There’s no telling what will happen on the day you pick housing, but if you’re prepared you can alleviate any built-up stress about it.
TALK: This may seem obvious enough, but communication is the first and most important thing you can do before your day to pick housing. Make sure everyone in your group is on the same page about where to live and who will be roommates. Speak up and discuss aspects of the living arrangement you might not like, because it’s better than dreading going back to your room for an entire year.
PLAN: Walk around campus and visit all your potential residential buildings. Knock on doors and look inside to really see if you can imagine yourself living there. Familiarize yourself with the online process and rank a list of backup options everyone in your group is okay with.
PICK: When your day and time finally arrive, make sure you’re sitting at your computer and ready to make a selection. And pray to every god you know that TCNJ-DOT1X doesn’t go down the millisecond you log in to the housing portal.
ACCEPT: Whether you got into your first choice building or are stuck with something you weren’t expecting, learn to accept it and make the best out of it. No matter where you live next year, it’s up to you to make it what you want. Any floor can be a social floor, any room can be arranged exactly how you would like, and any building can become home sweet home.
(02/26/15 9:00pm)
By Kimberly Ilkowski
Features Editor
Nearly 60 years ago last week, the Feb. 17, 1956 issue of the State Signal was distributed around the State Teachers College at Trenton, N.J. The week’s biggest story, written by features editor Alice Schuster, highlighted the Science Department’s purchase of an electric “brain.” Its functions and abilities predate the first marketed calculators and gaming consoles.
The do-it-yourself fad has invaded Apgar. Envying top scientists (and) their electric “brains,” Apgar decided to construct some electric brains of its own.
Dr. V. Crowell, through the science department, purchased for Apgar the Geniac Kit No. 1. Geniac comes from the phrase “Genius Almost-Automatic Computer.” It is not entirely automatic, because the problem must be told to the machine by turning dials and connecting switches before Geniac can produce the correct answer.
The kit contains basically: switches, for calculating and reasoning; flash-light bulbs for signaling answers; and a battery for power. Also, a pamphlet entitled: “Geniacs, and How to Make Them.”
Armed with this equipment, plus an assortment of nuts and bolts, several yards of wire and other miscellaneous articles, several math-science majors set to work. Bill Guthrie, president of Apgar, Bill Boaz, Paul Kumple, Siegfriend Haenisch, and Herb Langdon are setting up the first machine to play a game called Nim. The game consists of selecting matches from four piles, with the number of matches in each pile 4,3,2 and 1. Two played take turns, each taking one pile. The player taking the last match wins the game.
Other machines which can be made from Kit No. 1 include: Reasoning Machine, Intelligence-Testing Machine, Masculine-Feminine Testing Machine, Adding, Subtracting, Multiplying and Dividing Machines, Coder and Decoder, and machines that play several games.
(02/18/15 6:50pm)
In the midst of the harsh winter weather of 2015, students can’t help but hope for spring to come sooner. In the Tuesday, May 8, 1979 issue of The Signal, the College celebrated the flourishing spring and warm weather with an all-day outdoor country music festival held on Quimby’s Prairie.
A brilliant spring day with temperatures nearing the 80s, fresh air and foot stompin’ music provided by three country-rock bands combined for a perfect afternoon on Quimby’s prairie Sunday.
Frisbees and spirits soared, and even campus police seemed to enjoy themselves as a well-controlled, mellow crowd lounged on the grassy areas between Green and Holman halls.
Sponsored by the College Union Board (CUB) concerts committee, the country music festival was the first outdoor concert at Trenton State College in several years.
Mad Fables, a five-man rhythm and blues type band, kicked off the musical events shortly after the 1 p.m. starting time. Their set was uneventful, and received little response from the still growing audience. Estimates had put the number of people attending between 300-400 for the all afternoon event.
Mad Fables’ set was short and totally instrumental, covering a fairly wide range of musical style, with its root sound being in the country-rock boogie that was to be the day’s precedent.
Following a somewhat lengthy intermission (though most of the crowd didn’t seem to mind the delay), the musical entertainment continued as the Molly Cribb band took the stage hammering out a cover of an Outlaws song.
A Pub favorite, Cribb played what was to be the longest set of the day, doing mostly covers of Southern rock band tunes which brought positive responses from the audience.
The crowd began to get on its feet as Cribb played the Charlie Daniels Bands’ “South’s Gonna do it Again,” the Grateful Dead’s “Truckin,” and Lynrd Skynrd’s anthem “Free Bird.”
The band played multiple encores, the last of which was jumping cover of the Outlaws’ “Green Grass and High Tides.”
Crowd spirit stayed at a peak during the wait for Kinderhook Creek. Many students said that the concert was “the best thing that ever happened to this college,” continuing that it helped to bring people on campus together in a way that no one thought was possible.
Kinderhook, a popular New Jersey country-rock band, concluded the musical entertainment with an hour (or less) set, as the sun began to sink behind Cromwell Hall.
Kinderhook, still awaiting a recording contract, mixed original material among their famous cover versions of Jackson Browne and Marshall Tucker Band, among many others.
Some members of the crowd were obviously disappointed at the brevity of Kinderhook’s performance, remembering the two-and-a-half hour plus outdoor jam they did at Rider College on an overcast day last spring.
Kinderhook was forced to leave after their short set to make their regular Sunday night appearance in the rock room of the Royal Manor North in New Brunswick.
Kinderhook got its usual warm response from the audience, many of whom danced joyfully in the setting sun.
The audience was well behaved and obviously clean, as the prairie retained its normal tidy look following the concert. CUB personnel were very helpful for those who needed reminding as to where the trash receptacles were.
On the whole, the CUB country music festival was a huge success and was almost a guaranteed good time for those who attended.
(02/16/15 2:15am)
By Kimberly Illowski
Features Editor
Cue the lunchroom scene of “Mean Girls.” Whether it’s floating around our sub-conscious or a deliberate decision, like wearing pajamas to class, we all choose to dwell in different sections of the dining hall with our respective clans. Some groups are far easier to point out than others, for better or for worse.
1) The Pioneers- These kids forge their own paths. While everyone else is flooding to Quimby’s, this kid’s eating an omelet at 7:30 at night. Why run around trying to find someone to eat with when you can sit at the bar stools and have some peace and quiet? While you’re listening to a girl on your floor word vomit TMI’s, the pioneers are confident in their solo mission and get to watch Friends on the TV behind you.
2) The Shorts- These are complex individuals which call for a game of, “do they live in Eickhoff or did they just come from the gym?” In this weather, no one in their right mind should be trekking around campus in minimal skin coverage, unless of course, you want a limb or two to fall off. The only explanation for these shorts-wearers in the dead of winter is that they came straight out of their bed two floors above us and walked right into the dining hall, no outside world required. Or, they just crushed it at the gym with a sick workout and had to rush to get their protein. We all know that protein consumption far exceeds the need to be fully clothed.
3) The Murders- I could have gone with “The Herd” or “The Flock” but a murder of crows will always be the most badass way to describe a large group of individuals. Whether it’s an entire freshman floor dining together, a sports team or fraternity or sorority, they came, they saw and they took up every table you were going to sit at. They may even travel in packs, making the line to get mac and cheese 10x longer than necessary.
4) The Double Dippers- Why limit yourself to one meal when you can have five? While they’re waiting for their wok to cook, they’re already sitting down eating a slice of pizza and bowl of pasta. Gotta polish it off with a sandwich from the deli and seven sugar cookies, right? Where all this food goes remains a mystery to the general public. Some say the double (triple, quadruple, etc.) dippers have a hollow leg. Others suggest they’re super-human.
(02/11/15 6:58pm)
By Kimberly Ilkowski
Features Editor
In the December 1997 issue of the paper, student reporter Peter Croatta wrote about the recent discovery of rare works by legendary poet Walt Whitman hidden right in the College’s own Roscoe West Library:
The College of New Jersey has had a first-edition copy of Walt Whitman’s classic “Leaves of Grass,” along with a hand-written, one-page manuscript by the poet, since 1985. But it took 12 years, an alert English professor and a string of coincidences for the College to realize what it really had.
The first edition copy is rare in itself. Roughly 200 copies of “Leaves of Grass” remain from the scant 795 copies released on July 4, 1855.
However, the manuscript might be even more interesting. The College’s manuscript is actually one part in the evolution of Whitman’s introduction to “Leaves of Grass.”
The story starts last June when Dr. Michael Robertson, an associate professor of English and a Whitman scholar, spoke with Nelson Evans, the college’s Humanities and Government Documents Librarian.
Evans told Robertson about the two Whitman treasures that were gathering dust in the library’s vault. Evans asked Robertson if he wanted to take a look at them.
Robertson recognized the value of the forgotten manuscript immediately.
Three days before, Robertson had heard Dr. Paul Benton’s lecture on Whitman at an American Literature Association Conference in Baltimore.
Benton, an associate professor of English at Pacific Lutheran University, is currently organizing various Whitman manuscripts to see how they connect sequentially.
Benton just happened to mention Whitman’s “Leaves of Grass” introduction manuscript at the conference.
“I was stunned,” Robertson said about the manuscript. “I couldn’t believe our good luck.”
Robertson wrote to Benton about the discovery and mailed him a copy of the manuscript, which included a rough draft of Whitman’s poem “Starting from Paumanok” on the reverse side.
“I was surprised,” Benton said. “The circumstances, the serendipity of his hearing my lecture … (It’s) a one in a million chance.”
According to Benton, who spoke at the Roscoe L. West Library on November 18, the College’s introduction is one of 10 revisions made by Whitman.
In 1861, Whitman began a new prose “introduction” for the fourth edition (1867) of “Leaves of Grass.” Three full drafts were written and saved in hand-made booklets.
In those first three booklets, the introduction changed from prose to what Benton calls “a short, prefatory poem.”
Whitman returned to work in 1865, after his stint as a nurse in the Civil War ended.
He radically revised the 1861 version of the introduction, and changed the title to “Inscription to the Reader.”
Whitman then wrote another three drafts, once again saving them in hand-made booklets.
In the 1870s, Whitman pasted these six booklets together in his last remaining copy of “Leaves of Grass.”
According to Benton, the book is really nothing more than a pile of scraps.
This edition is now located in the Lion Collection of the New York Public Library.
After the sixth booklet, according to Benton, Whitman worked on four one-page drafts of “Inscription.”
The College’s manuscript, entitled “Inscription from Author to Reader at the Entrance of Leaves of Grass” is the first of these four drafts.
Benton calls these four drafts the JUDY schema. The first draft is at the College, the second at the University of Virginia, the third at Dartmouth University and the fourth is at Yale University.
The College now has a glimpse inside the mind of arguably the greatest poet in American history.
(02/11/15 6:53pm)
By Kimberly Ilkowski
Features Editor
A bright full moon and fresh orders of cheese fries began the first Tuesday night CUBRat show of the semester which featured a highly anticipated performance by Sorority Noise and the local outfit Archie Alone on Feb. 3, in the Rathskeller.
Archie Alone opened the evening and played several new tracks for the Rat audience.
Vocalist Nicole Mesce, guitarist Cindy Ward, bassist Tony Mastrolia and drummer Pete Clark played songs like “Alone,” “Broken Pieces” and “Furlough,” a song inspired by the cult favorite Netflix original series, “Orange Is The New Black.”
The band, based in Essex County, N.J., is in the midst of recording an EP that is set for release in March.
In anticipation of the new music, the band is playing a show with nostalgia-heavy emo rockers, Hawthorne Heights, at the Stanhope House in March.
There was an angry edge to the band’s performance which boded well in the Rat’s intimate, dark setting.
As Sorority Noise took the stage, students pushed their way to the front to get in on all the musical action.
Comprised of Cameron Boucher on vocals and guitar, Ryan McKenna on bass, Adam Ackerman on guitar and Charlie Singer on drums, the band hails from Hartford, C.T.
The group played multiple tracks off its May 2014, debut full-length “Forgettable,” like “Mediocre At Best,” “Blonde Hair, Black Lungs,” “Dirty Ickes” and “Still Shrill.”
The end of its high-energy performance featured a quick cover of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs,” which inspired 30 seconds of chaos as people pushed and shoved each other in a pseudo-mosh pit.
The band is often compared to The Front Bottoms due to its earnest lyrics while stylistically following suit to fellow emo-revivalist, Modern Baseball.
Sorority Noise signed with Topshelf Records last month and just completed recording a sophomore LP set for release this summer.
“It’s definitely a more mature-sounding record,” frontman Boucher said.
In May, the band is set to play the third annual Skate and Surf Festival in Asbury Park, N.J., featuring other alternative acts.
“It was so crazy,” Boucher said. “Adam told me that morning, ‘I just got us tickets to Skate and Surf,’ and I was like, ‘Well, you’re gonna have to sell them ’cause we just got booked to play it.’”
(02/04/15 3:36pm)
By Kimberly Ilkowski
Features Editor
CUBRat had one of its biggest turnouts in years during its first show of the spring semester, with New Jersey bands Forever Losing Sleep and On Your Marks opening for alternative rockers Have Mercy on Friday, Jan. 30, in the Rathskeller.
Forever Losing Sleep opened the night with its dark and often times somber sounds. Made up of Joe Kelly on vocals and guitar, Aaron Facher on bass, Freddy Pruden and Anthony Webster on guitars and Noel Herbolario on drums, the band commanded the attention of the overflowing bar.
The band played multiple tracks off its October 2014 full-length release “I Lost Myself Again,” which features heavy emo influences.
Up next, On Your Marks brought their signature energy to the stage.
The punk quartet hailing from Oceanport, N.J. was comprised of vocalist and guitarist Alex Piraquive, drummer Matt Arnone, bassist Freddie Koechlin and guitarist Phil McGarry.
The first half of their set included songs off their new EP — which is expected for release in the spring — like “Reflect,” “Repeat” and “Replace.” The remainder of the set featured tracks off their LP “Ripped Out By The Roots,” including “Anxiety” and “Perfect.”
They dedicated their song “Cemetery Hill” to a friend that recently passed away at just 19 years old.
“I’m so fucking grateful to be alive and to be here playing music for you guys,” McGarry said before ripping into the songs first chords.
The band has previously played their own personal brand of fast pop punk at the Rathskeller last April for the Battle of the Bands competition.
On Your Marks is part of the Mayflower Collective, a new DIY entertainment group who recently set out on a small concert tour with the College’s own Save Face.
Finally, Baltimore-based band Have Mercy closed out the night.
Featuring Brian Swindle on vocals and guitar, Andrew Johnson on guitar, Todd Wallace on drums and Nick Woolford on bass, they played songs off their new album “A Place of Our Own,” released on Hopeless Records in October of 2014.
The band thrashed through songs like “To Convey” and “Two Years” as well as the crowd favorite-turned-singalong “Let’s Talk About Your Hair,” off the 2013 full-length “The Earth Pushed Back.” For their final song, the band performed the melancholy “My Oldest Friends” off a 2012 EP of the same name.
“We never went to college, so we’re gonna pack it all into one night,” Johnson laughed as he proceeded to try and make plans with audience members after the show.
This year’s new CUBRat co-chair, sophomore communications major Connor Meany, organized the night’s show and was blown away by how many students and friends were in attendance.
“We had to have at least 130 kids in there, really packed the floor space and then some,” Meany said. “Have Mercy are some of the most genuine dudes I’ve met and really brought a crowd with them. It was just a really cool experience for my first Rat show, seeing my friends in On Your Marks and Forever Losing Sleep tear it up right before Have Mercy took the stage for a super intimate set.”
In between songs, Swindle couldn’t help but wonder what acts had come to the Rat before.
“You guys have Connor setting up these shows now,” Swindle said. “What if back in the day some hoity toity dude was like, ‘We’re gonna bring Beethoven over here!’”
Have Mercy is planing to tour this spring with Head North and You, Me & Everyone We Know.
Catch next week’s stacked Rat lineup with Superheaven, Elvis Depressedly, Young and Heartless and Glassgrade.
(02/04/15 3:27pm)
By Kimberly Ilkowski
Features Editor
Before it was The Signal, the College’s newspaper was called State Signal and was a bi-weekly publication. State Signal subscriptions went for $2.00 a year and single copies were sold for 15 cents. In March of 1960, the paper was only composed of a single page that documented the goings on around campus and the community. Activities available for students at the time included a Sock Hop in the gym, a showing of the film “Gentlemen Prefer Blonds” and a Saturday night semi-formal dance for the cost of just $1.50 per couple.
1960 also saw the emergence of the College radio station 91.3 FM WTSR. Formerly known as W.T.S.C. to stand for Trenton State College radio, their debut was captured on a front page story series that highlighted all the new and exciting aspects of college radio. Contributor William Gayton offered an inside look into one of the radio’s first speciality shows, “The Big Harangue.”
As many of you know, Trenton State College radio station, W.T.S.C., is now on the air. In the February 16, 1960 issue of the Signal, the purpose and personnel of W.T.S.C. was introduced to you. In the forthcoming issues, W.T.S.C. will give you, the students, an insight into the type of programs which will be presented during the remainder of the semester.
If any ardent listener of W.T.S.C. has been listening lately, I’m sure they have heard the familiar strains of The Sophisticated Swing by Jimmy Dorsey, playing over the air. This is a unique theme used by Ernie Rydell, senior English major, in introducing his program, “The Big Harangue.” This interesting show can be heard on Monday at 9:30 to 10:30 and on Friday from 8:30 to 9:30.
“The Big Harangue is a show which offers something for everyone. Ernie, in his cool relaxed manner, makes announcements concerning weather in this area, campus news and has quizzes which offer many unusual and humorous prizes.
The first half-hour of this show is dedicated to different guest stars (individuals or groups). Many of your favorite bands and instrumental and singing groups can be heard.
For those who prefer show tunes or some particulr style of music, Ernie devotes the second half-hour of his show. Here are heard jazz, dixie, and Broadway hit show tunes which appeal to everyone.
With his own intimate style, Ernie Rydell is quite capable of handling a show of this caliber. With his cheerful personality, timely quips and interesting highlights, Ernie is able to bring to you, the students of Trenton State College, a show worth listening to. Tune in his next show and see for yourself.
(02/04/15 3:24pm)
By Kimberly Ilkowski
Features Editor
There’s no better way to start off the semester than a night of dazzling lights, wicked dance moves and exuberant live performances. CUB’s Welcome Back Concert on Saturday, Jan. 31, featured the indie-pop sensation Misterwives and the Southern California, eight-piece folk rock group The Mowgli’s in Kendall Hall’s Main Stage Theater.
After its wildly successful EP “Reflections” and being named one of MTV’s Artists to Watch in 2015, Misterwives has already garnered a great amount of attention and acclaim for a band that has yet to release a full-length album.
The bubbly young group, comprised of vocalist Mandy Lee, bassist William Hehir, drummer Etienne Bowler, guitarist Marc Campbell and keyboard and trumpet player Jesse Blum, bopped around the stage playing a few tracks off its upcoming album for the first time ever live.
Dynamic frontwoman Lee danced around the stage with an ensemble and demeanor that matched Gwen Stefani’s fiery, girl-power persona.
Performing new tracks like “Vagabond” and “Not Your Way,” the band had the crowd moving and clapping to the music.
Halfway through the show, the band switched gears and opted for a synth-happy cover of Cyndi Lauper’s 1983 hit, “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.”
Misterwives wrapped up its set with a bang, playing the new track “Our Own House,” which featured a fresh and funky trumpet and saxophone solo at the end.
The band’s first full-length album, also entitled “Our Own House,” will be released on Tuesday, Feb. 24, which will be followed by a spring headlining tour with opening act Borns.
In an interview with The Signal, Hehir recounted what went through his mind when he found out almost every show of the tour had sold out.
“Our manager called us up and was like, ‘We got the Bowery show ... We actually think it sold out,’ and we were like, ‘No way man, there had to be an error,” Hehir said. “It’s baffling for us to sell out in New York but then to have the opportunity to sell out around the country is the most humbling thing of all time.”
Last month, the group had the opportunity to record a song at the renowned Electric Lady Studios in New York City, covering a song by John Oates in part of a project with Kia, where the former Hall & Oates member surprised the band at the very end of the session.
“It was like a religious experience,” Hehir said. “We just walked into the place and immediately got goose bumps.”
The Mowgli’s kept the energy levels high as they took the stage next.
The band, made up of Colin Louis Dieden on vocals and guitar, Katie Jayne Earl on vocals, Matthew Di Panni on bass, Josh Hogan and Spencer Trent on guitar, Dave Appelbaum on keyboard and Andy Warren on drums, showcased its large sound with its equally large stage presence.
Aside from Dieden and Earl, the other members of the band also contributed vocals throughout many of the tracks, giving the songs a fuller sound.
Songs like “Emily,” “Clean Light” and “Love Is Easy” off its 2013 album “Waiting For The Dawn” made for upbeat sing-alongs, while never-before- heard releases like “I’m Good” and “Sunlight” offered a glimpse into what its new album “Kids In Love” will sound like when it is released in the next few months.
The group’s breezy, beach vibes and positivity radiated out of each member during the set, which was reminiscent of Grouplove when they performed at the College in the fall of 2013.
The night came to a close as The Mowgli’s performed its biggest hit “San Francisco,” which stirred the members of Misterwives — who were previously dancing in front of the stage with students — to hop on stage to join in on the dancing and singing.
For its new album, the band will be hitting the road again this spring, something the band members are all too familiar with at this point in their lives.
“We were out touring almost one year straight (before),” Earl said in an interview with The Signal. “And we’ve just gone completely crazy. We’re having fun, that’s how we’re still alive.”
Each band brought the crazy and the fun to Kendall to revitalize student spirits for the beginning of another semester, now complete with an exciting new soundtrack.
Thank you to our friends at LTV for filming the interview!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvAPpHnpnhg
(02/02/15 4:55pm)
By Kimberly Ilkowski
Features Editor
Time flies when you’re sleeping until noon everyday. Winter break, in all its frigid and festive glory, has finally come to an end. Whether you finally caught up from those countless all-nighters, or actually put on pants and went outside, it’s now time to get focused and ready for spring semester. Here’s how:
Start with a clean slate
If you want to get the most out of this semester you’re going to have to move on from some of the debacles that took place in the previous months. If you start this semester off with a clean slate you’ll be more open and willing to seize the opportunities on your horizon. So stop giving that girl in Eickhoff the death stare just because one time she stole your wok. Be flattered. You must make an awesome wok. Quit rolling your eyes at the guy that bailed on you for that group project (just kidding I don’t care what semester it is he’s still a jerk). And for crying out loud give your roommate her skirt back, she’s been looking for it for months. Grudges are not a good look and aren’t going to get you anywhere this spring.
A little change in attitude will go a long way. Except with group project guy, screw him man.
Get organized
Learning how to juggle responsibilities can be a real struggle, especially since I missed that day in gym class. Putting aside time for everything you need to get done in a week will seriously help relieve any oh-my-god-did-I-do-that-thing-I-needed-to-do? stress. That even means penciling in time to clean your room. It’s not uncommon for people to completely let themselves go in the height of semester stress. Having a day dedicated to cleaning, laundry and taking care of yourself will give you a fresh and pleasant dorm environment and you finally won’t smell like the take out you ordered two days ago.
Get involved/out more
As we enter February our will to go outside will plummet just as quickly as the temperature. It’s not as easy to socialize with everyone cooped up in their dorms and not hanging out outside. But make that conscious effort to get out and see things anyway. If there’s a fresh snowfall go out with friends and start a snowball fight, take pictures for Instagram, I don’t care (as long as you get 11 likes).
Stick to your goals
If you want to make Dean’s List, remind yourself and stay up the extra hour to study. If you want to be the best in Super Smash Bros., play religiously until you finally show your friends what’s up. It doesn’t matter if your goal this semester is to develop the characteristics of your favorite childhood animal the green sea turtle. Act like the turtle. Feel like the turtle. Be the turtle. Point being, give your goals everything you’ve got and you will succeed. Now go swim along and kick this semester’s ass.
(01/28/15 7:56pm)
By Kimberly Ilkowski
Features Editor
This year, The Signal enters its 130th year of publication. To celebrate the occasion, we’ve wiped the dust off of Signals past and uncovered some of the most notable events through the College’s history.
In the Oct. 29, 1985, issue, Jim Schwartz of the College Press Service, wrote about a Supreme Court’s decision that could have changed living in dormitories on campus as we know it.
“Despite some negative input from a college president last week, Congress seems ready to pass a law forcing most college programs to treat male and female students equally.
The bill, actually called the Civil Rights Restoration Act, would overrule a 1984 decision that excused many college departments from having to pledge not to discriminate women.
But some administrators and apparently some students as well worry the measure would let the federal government “interfere” in campus programs.
“It sounds like a new fear to me,” says congressional aid Kris McManiman. “We get students calling up from Baptist colleges asking if (they’re) going to have to room with a man.”
“We want to protect our independence,” Charles MacKenzie, president of Grove City College (Pa.), told Congress in hearings last week. “The government at some point may want to impose their secular values on our campus.”
The bill’s sponsor say they only want to give college women a legal tool with which to challenge discrimination, which a court — not the government — would then treat.
Last week’s hearing only continued a debate that began when Congress approved Title IX of the Higher Education Amendments of 1972.
Title IX, of course, bars colleges that take federal money from discriminating on the basis of gender.
Many women’s groups say Title IX provided the legal tool to open admissions to certain degree programs to women, gain more resources for female students’ scholarship programs and even funnel money into women’s sports teams and facilities.
Several schools — the University of Richmond, Hilsdale College and Grove City College among them have gone to court to escape the law.
They’ve argued Title IX should not cover whole colleges, but only programs that get or use the federal government’s money. Grove City asserted the government simply should leave campus programs to campus administrators to run.
“We do not want to accept the principle of federal jurisdiction,” Mackenzie told Congress last week.
It was Grove City’s legal challenge to the jurisdiction that made it to the Supreme Court last year. The court ruled Title IX applied only to programs that directly got federal money, not to all programs on a campus that took some kind of federal aid.”
Here’s to another 130 years and more reflections on the College's past.
(01/27/15 8:25pm)
By Kimberly Ilkowski
Features Editor
After being together for six years and crafting several releases, the guys in Monterey have learned a thing or two.
Whether it’s how to survive a gig in a claustrophobe’s nightmare of an overflowing frat basement or how to stop riots at The Stone Pony, which ended with dudes being dragged out in headlocks by female bouncers, the band takes it all in stride. Following the fall release of their EP “Sailors” and a string of tour dates this winter, who knows what they’ll get themselves into next.
The rock trio, originally based out of New Brunswick, N.J., began as friends attending Rutgers University who discovered — and subsequently dove head first into — the rapidly growing underground music scene taking place there.
“For so long I didn’t even know it existed,” lead vocalist and guitarist Carter Henry said. “There’s all these houses, The Banana Stand, The Jock Strap, The Bomb Shelter, they organize these shows and they do a really awesome job.”
The basement shows, promoted and run by fellow college students, helped cement Monterey, and many other local bands like them, as regulars in New Brunswick’s well-oiled music machine.
“The fans are really awesome because it’s people that really like music, they come out to all the shows,” Henry said. “Because you’re in a basement you can talk to them after, you can be a part of the crowd more, you can get a little more reckless.”
After spending nearly five years in New Brunswick, though, it was time for a change of pace and a change of scenery for the guys. Recently moving the band’s headquarters to Belmar, N.J. to become more involved in the powerhouse music scene of Asbury Park, Monterey was finally able to find their true sound while recording at Lakehouse Recording Studio for the November 2014 release of “Sailors.”
“We felt like it captured the energy especially better than any project we’ve ever done,” bassist Chris Beninato said of the new recording space and team. Along with drummer Matt DeBenedetti, the band worked closely with head engineer Tim Pannella, who notably worked with The Front Bottoms.
“It was three days, 10 hours a day and then it’s all done, you just walk out of there. But there’s something about that, you just capture that feeling, that moment,” Henry said. “If you go in spaced out over a month singing the same song, adding pieces to it, it’s not that one coherent, cohesive piece of music.”
The songs off “Sailors” are just that: A snapshot of a certain time and place in the band’s history, their feelings, struggles, triumphs and setbacks. Through the four songs on the EP, the band was able to capture a fluid, yet dynamic range of emotions and riffs that display a heightened sense of maturity and self.
“A lot of it is that you have to be close with the people you play music with, in my mind, because it’s an intimate thing,” Henry said. “Everyone’s putting themselves out there. In a way it’s like a relationship, you put yourself and your feelings out there.”
This kind of heart-on-your-sleeve openness can only be found amongst lifelong friends. In fact, Beninato and Henry first developed a friendship and a love of their instruments in the eighth grade — a bond that has helped them in good times and bad.
“Even if there is an issue or something, it’s all because there’s so much passion behind the project,” Beninato said. “Issues are almost a good thing in the sense that we’re gonna get something done and get further along with the song. Every day I feel like we write a new song.”
With this plethora of new material comes time dedicated to analyzing and rearranging verses to get them just right. Vibing off one another has helped not only in creating the instrumentals but writing the lyrics. Many fans noticed a harder sound on this EP than on the April 2014 EP “The King’s Head,” which the band agrees to be true.
“It’s a little more angry, a little more emotional,” Beninato said.
Henry was helped in the writing process by DeBenedetti, who suggested he write a song about a man on trial for a murder he didn’t commit. What originally came as a challenge was ultimately fulfilling for Henry, and eventually became the somber “The Pit and the Pendulum.”
“I wrote about something that had never happened to me personally, but you draw from your own experiences so no matter what you do, that’s still going to come out in your writing,” Henry said. “No matter what you write, whether its lyrics or poetry or books, pieces of you will come out.”
In the past few years, Monterey has narrowly escaped having their amps destroyed by jungle juice and has taken the heat for their friends beelining the stage and causing chaos. Although sometimes the guys have no control over what happens at their shows, there’s one thing they know for sure: as long as they have each other, they can conquer whatever life (or rowdy fans) throw at them.
(12/05/14 12:51am)
By Kimberly Ilkowski
Review Editor
As we enter December and finals week and drag our bodies over the finish line of this semester all anyone can think about is finally going home. Getting the chance to see relatives and friends and celebrate the holidays is a nice reward after fighting our way through the last few weeks of classes. After a while though, you’ll realize the little things at the College you just can’t get anywhere else.
1) The people on your floor
Will I miss the guy next door to me constantly reciting raps for what’s sure to be a flourishing future music career? Probably not, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have someone right down the hall you’ll miss this winter break. Maybe it’s the girl with total disregard for quiet hours. Perhaps it’s the guys in the room above you that get the sudden and incessant urge to rearrange their bedroom furniture at 2 in the morning. Whoever your quirky neighbors may be — whether they make you laugh or want to cry — you’ll miss the silly shenanigans that take place in your residence hall.
2) The workers
Who will remind me it’s hump day while I’m at home? Who will super-size my order of french fries? Who’s going to countdown the days until the weekend? How any of us will survive without Big Larry, Eve or any of the other great people that work at the College is a mystery. Looks like we’ll have to rely on self motivation until January 25.
3) Meal Equiv
I’ll miss those beautiful 2 ½ hours where anything is possible. Do I want a cheesesteak from the Rat or sushi from the Lion’s Den? There’s only one thing better than food: free food. At home we’re going to have to get used to buying things with actual money. Don’t feel bad if you hand the cashier at Wawa or Quik Chek your student i.d., it happens to the best of us. May our love affair with meal equiv never die.
4) Sports/clubs/organization
If you’re lucky, you’ll find a group of people on campus just as crazy as you are! No matter what sports team, club or organization you’re in, you’re bound to miss them the month you’ll be away. I’m happy to be able to call the editors at The Signal a second family. If me screaming into my pillow after every production night is any indication then, yes, I just CAN’T WAIT to be back next semester. With whatever you may be involved in, enjoy it to the utmost degree and get excited for the fun the spring will hold.
5) Relative independence
It’s going to be strange going back to living under your parents roof and rules. Say goodbye to the judgement free zone of Netflix binge watching in your dorm room. Three episodes in, your mother will probably tell you to get a hobby. And it’s looking like ordering a large pizza for a late night snack isn’t as normal at home as it is at school. So, run, boys and girls, don’t eat your vegetables, relish in the glory of not having to wear pants and do whatever the hell you want to do now before it’s too late.
6) The wifi/communal bathrooms/homework
Oh, wait, wrong list. Disregard number 6.
(12/04/14 10:48pm)
By Kimberly Ilkowski
Review Editor
Comedian Seaton Smith saw a crackhead pick up a rat and smack a woman in the face with it.
“I saw that with my Christian eyes. I saw a woman get rat-smacked,” Smith said as he began his lurid tale of an unlikely encounter in Washington, D.C.
So began the College Union Board’s fall comedy show, featuring the explosive personality of opener Smith and self-deprecating humor of longtime “Saturday Night Live” writer John Mulaney in Kendall Hall on Saturday, Nov. 22.
Smith went on to explain the origins of the rodent based brawl — a crackhead was holding a giant rat and upon seeing this, a woman told the man it was disgusting.
“I saw the crackhead pick up the rat and start swingin’. Let me back up, I don’t actually know if he was a crackhead, at this point, I just hope,” Smith said. “I hope there’s no man skipping doing crack and going right to swinging rats.”
When Smith admitted he didn’t try to stop this confrontation, he simply explained the silent agreement between everyone living in a major city.
“If you live in any city there’s a universal rule — when you see a mad man swinging a rat over his head, that guy needs some space,” Smith said.
Smith, who co-stars with Mulaney on the recent Fox television sitcom “Mulaney,” brought a bold energy to the stage, tackling hard-hitting and taboo topics with confidence.
The D.C.-based comedian discussed various topics in politics and his confusion with black politicians dating white Republicans. Before long, Smith recognized some audience members were not accustomed to his blunt sense of humor, especially when it came to race, political beliefs and the strings of expletives he used.
Smith also spoke candidly about the legacy Martin Luther King Jr. left on the world and the influence he had on his family.
“I feel bad for Coretta Scott King,” Smith started, referring to King’s late wife, then pointed to a couple sitting in the audience.
“Let’s say you guys are together for a long time and then he saves an entire race of people, could you say shit to him?” Smith asked. “No, you couldn’t be like, ‘Martin, you better stay home tonight.’ Bitch, please. Let me explain one thing. I am a holiday.”
In an interview with The Signal, Smith divulged about his recent transition from stand up to acting for “Mulaney” and how he would like to continue doing both in the future.
“They’re different sides of the same art form,” Smith said. “I like learning and growing and all that jazz.”
Smith will be on tour in the following months and has plans to release a new comedy album this spring.
Following Smith’s performance, a dapper Mulaney, dressed in his signature suit and tie style, greeted Kendall with The Signal in hand as he proceeded to discover what really takes place on campus via stories on the front page.
Mulaney got married this summer, and he and his wife Annemarie share their home with their tiny French bulldog puppy, Petunia. Upon hearing about all of Petunia’s adorable antics, students let out audible oohs and awes.
“You better get those awes out of your system, cause there’s a lot more comin’,” Mulaney teased.
Throughout the evening, Mulaney engaged the audience in this way, even responding to hecklers and picking people out to ask about their majors and time at the College, adding an inclusive feeling to an otherwise large crowd.
Many of Mulaney’s jokes stemmed from outrageous personal experiences while performing. He also detailed grappling with the unintended side effects of his slender appearance and friendly demeanor.
At one point, Mulaney looked back on when he used to perform at The Stress Factory in New Brunswick, N.J., and how he was nearly beaten up.
“I give off a vibe that I wasn’t beat up enough,” Mulaney said. “Some people give off the vibe of like, ‘Do not fuck with me.’ My vibe is more like, ‘You can pour soup in my lap and I’ll probably apologize to you.’”
In another account of the horrors of stand up, Mulaney said he once performed in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, on a makeshift stage of 2x4s that were lying in the dirt.
The people at the event were not a fan of Mulaney’s work and were more fixated on the beer truck that was parked directly next to him.
One heckler there finally shouted in a deep southern accent, “Excuse me sir, I think I speak for everyone here when I say that we would enjoy silence more than the sound of your voice.”
Mulaney was captivated by how simultaneously mean and eloquently worded the insult was.
“If that was the last line of a Maya Angelou poem, you would just close the book and look out the window and think about what you did with your life,” Mulaney said.
He and his wife don’t have any children yet, but Mulaney believes kids have the most rapidly growing rights in America.
“Kids get everything they want now — there’s two ‘Rio’s now, three ‘Madagascar’s, two ‘Happy Feet,’ two ‘Kung Fu Panda’s and five ‘Ice Age’ movies,” Mulaney said. “I’m not saying they’re bad movies, I’m just saying this is a lot of entertainment for an audience of people that if you put them in a room and turned the lights off and said ‘go to bed,’ they would go to bed.”
In an interview with The Signal, Mulaney elaborated on what techniques work better in stand up and those that work best while acting on “Mulaney.”
“Stand up is really about the people in front of you, and the TV show, even though we have a live audience, it’s a lot more doing it to the camera so that it’s to the audience at home,” Mulaney said. “Here, the live audience is the final word, but on a TV show you’re using the live audience for energy and as an ingredient rather than judge and jury.”
(12/04/14 10:02pm)
By Kimberly Ilkowski
Review Editor
Napkin dispensers and bottles of condiments were tossed around the stage as students threw down at the Rathskeller for the final student band night of the semester, on Friday, Nov. 21. CUBRat, in part with The Public Health Communication’s Club, brought in all-student bands including Schiffing and Handling, Good Luck Spaceman and Save Face to help raise awareness for men’s health issues for Movember.
The first band of the evening, Schiffing and Handling, was comprised of seniors Brandon Schiff on vocals and guitar, Jake Perlman on drums and junior Cameron Schiff on bass.
Each of them is a member of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity on campus and had a sea of support as their brothers occupied every table in the packed house.
The group did covers of The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” and Silversun Pickups’ “Lazy Eye” while also playing some all-original jams such as “Polyester” and “T.T.F.O.T.A.I.A.W.O.T.,” which stands for “trying to figure out the acronym is a waste of time.”
For it’s final song, the band brought AEPi and class of ’14 alumnus Avi Yehudai on stage to play saxophone during an impressive rendition of “Sultans of Swing” by Dire Straits — a cover Brandon admits he has been trying to perfect for a long time.
This performance marks the last time Brandon and company will play at the Rat, following three and a half years of entertaining the crowd with vivacious energy and a characteristic sound.
Up next was Good Luck Spaceman, an indie unit made up of vocalist and guitarist Jake Rubin, bassist Kyle Newins, drummer Mikey Rosen and synth and keyboardist Mike Laudenbach, all of whom are sophomores, along with guitarist Danny Galli.
The guys brought their stellar sound during a set that included original songs like “Appeal” and “Pixie Dust,” as well as a cover of The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside.”
During a cover of Nirvana’s “Tourette’s,” the Rat became a chaotic scene as Laudenbach took over the vocals and screamed at the top of his lungs while his bandmates jumped spastically around him and tossed fistfuls of napkins into the air.
With its elevated penchant for mischief, the band encouraged audience members to throw things at them while they played and to get out of their seats and break things. At one point, a bottle of ketchup was thrown on to the stage which Galli promptly threw right back, accidentally launching it into family members sitting in the front row.
“Ketchup at parents? Let’s start the song,” Newins quipped before the band got down to business and wrapped up its set.
The band also has big plans to release a new EP in the upcoming months.
Closing out the night was Save Face, a band quite familiar with the Rat stage, having played there just this April with well-known hardcore acts Major League and Batten Down The Hatches.
With juniors Tyler Povanda on vocals and guitar, Chris Hranj on bass, Shane Dermanjian on guitar and Chris Flannery on drums, the band played songs “Sharks and Eddies,” “No Harm Done” and “Hunt With the Hounds” off its 2014 EP “I Won’t Let This Take My Life” and 2013 EP “Lost At Heart.”
“We usually don’t play too many songs from our first two EPs anymore, but the atmosphere at the Rat is very accepting of whatever a band or soloist will play, so it was good to play some older songs again,” Dermanjian said after the show. “A lot of our friends that see us regularly ask for us to play some of our older tunes and being (that) they were there. I’m glad we made them happy.”
(11/21/14 8:22pm)
By Kimberly Ilkowski
Review Editor
At the beginning of each practice, members of the College’s storied Kokikai Aikido Club dress in proper attire, set up mats and go through a series of stretches and warm-ups. The Senseis discuss what will be addressed in practice before students work on their training, technique and form, just like they have for the last 28 years — with one crucial difference. For the first time in the club’s history at the College, the Aikido Club is practicing in the Rec Center tennis courts rather than the Packer Hall wrestling room.
This has been a source of conflict and tension between the wrestling program and Aikido Club, which has been offering free defensive martial arts classes since 1986. Aikido — a form of self-defense — is overseen by psychology professor Arthur Hohmuth, and the club has been practicing on the same days and times for years, with hundreds of students and faculty members.
“It’s not only about the community for me, now it’s the love for the art itself. The things I’ve learned in Aikido have become guiding principles for my own life,” class of ’11 alumnus Lloyd Woods said. “I walked in my freshman year and saw the amazing things people could do to others twice their size.”
The Aikido Club may be permanently prevented from returning to the wrestling room, though, as the wrestling team’s concern with skin rashes has become more pronounced under head Coach and Assistant Director of Athletics Joseph Galante.
After being relocated to the Rec Center, the club was not allowed to keep its Monday and Wednesday practice schedule times. And when intramural basketball season started and the groups’ schedules overlapped, Aikido was forced to change yet again to accommodate another organization. This resulted in unworkable scheduling conflicts for the Aikido club, preventing a fifth of its members from being able to attend meetings, according to Hohmouth. The club also lost the instruction of beloved Sensai Anchuing “Chewie” Wang, class of ’05 alumnus and third degree black belt, who can no longer lead practices around his work schedule.
“The basketball team has to share the courts, the swimming team has to share the pools,” Wang said. “The wrestlers own the mats, but not the room.”
When the Aikido Club asked the wrestling team what caused this change in policy, they were told “times have changed” — in other words, the priorities of the wrestling team had been adjusted since longtime head coach Dave Icenhower retired in 2011.
“Coach Icenhower was here for 35 years,” Galante said. “He was a wrestling coach. He was also assistant director of athletics, and a wrestling coach gets competitions — they sign you up, they train the guys, go to the competitions, come back, train them again and on and on and on. This is a different job now: It’s about making money, reaching out to alumni and making sure that everyone is involved, so I kind of understand the pieces a little bit differently than he understood them.”
Due to the alleged health risks of having an outside club in the space, Galante is not sure “if they should have been in there in the first place.” Before the Aikido Club began using the mats which the Student Finance Board purchased for them, they were using wrestling mats purchased by the team itself, which posed a question of safety and cleanliness for Galante.
“(We’re) mopping the mats at eight each morning, Sunday through Saturday,” Galante said. “At the beginning of practice, we hold skin checks where the wrestlers form a line, take off their shirt, hold out their arms to both sides (and) we check their skin for any open cuts, lesions or bacterial infections. After practice we mop the mats again at 6 p.m.”
The club had seen a steady incline in membership over the past several years until this semester, when numbers dropped. Thirty-one students signed up for the first interest session following the fall activities fair, only to be met with three practice mats and insufficient space to allow everyone to safely participate.
“The wrestling room is much bigger and allows them to do much more and go into more complicated techniques,” said Hohmuth, who has been practicing Aikido for more than 40 years.
The Aikido Club has been joining forces with other organizations to promote self-defense techniques. The club already held two self-defense courses with sororities in the past, and on Wednesday, Nov. 12, they held an open invitation with the TCNJ Off-Campus Student Organization and the Brazilian Ju Jitsu club on-campus.
“With the school’s ongoing concerns with the safety of their students, you would think they would know the importance of mixed martial arts training,” said Rachel Alderman, the club’s secretary.
Along with the previously stated precautionary measures, the wrestling team also has a trainer in practice each day to stop, clean up and cover any bleeding that occurs, as well as high-power, high temperature washers that are used each day to clean the teams practice clothes.
“It is an NCAA violation if you were to wrestle with any type of skin infection and we do have these skin checks everyday and along with these skin checks if we go out on a mat and have a skin infection we automatically get disqualified and not allowed to step on the mat,” sophomore wrestler Patrick Schinder said. “Is this Aikido Club going through the same process?”
Due to the room only being used by wrestlers this semester Galante said, “ringworm, MRSA, infantigo, staff — we don’t see issues with that nearly as much as last year.”
“If we’re fundraising and making the dollars, and if our dollars are going into what we’re doing, we’re a little more apprehensive of just inviting someone in if it’s going to cost us possible health problems.”
However, the Aikido Club was caught off guard by the skin allegations, as Hohmuth said there have been no recorded skin rashes in the club’s history.
“First and foremost, we aspire to (have) a clean, safe environment to practice, from the mat to uniforms and clothing, personal hygiene, including covering cuts or abrasions, clipping nails and limiting offensive odors as well as perfume,” said Bryan Gibbons, the lone remaining Aikido instructor at the College. “If blood is found on the mat or a uniform all practice stops, all students are checked, cleaned, covered and mitigated.”
This is not the first time the group has been disallowed from using the wrestling room. For an entire semester in 2011, the group lost access to the room without warning. Members were forced to scavenge for any open areas on campus to practice, like the Sundial Lawn, Hausdoerffer and Ely, Allen and Brewster lounges — all places that were not properly equipped and were considered a safety hazard.
“When we were previously in the wrestling room, we were able to sweep and mop to our hearts content,” Gibbons said. “We had the perfect practice space. Then ousted and eventually moved to the North Gym, we were confronted with carpeted mats used by the cheerleaders, dance and anybody else that walked in. There was no oversight with all sorts of outdoor traffic and debris on the mats with no program for properly cleaning them.”
A lack of proper communication between organizations may be to blame for the inconsistent cleaning policies of both groups.
“For 25 of the 26 years that we used the wrestling room, the room was swept and disinfected prior to each class,” Hohmuth said. “In the summer of 2013, Coach Galante told us not to disinfect, that he would take care of that if we would sweep. I don’t know why he did not want us to disinfect, but last year we did not.”
With Galante’s new measures, concerns of cleanliness arose for the Aikido Club.
“In 2013, back in the wrestling room … our biggest issue with cleanliness continue(d) — outdoor shoes on the mat,” Gibbons added. “Now unable to clean them, we face a reality that there are others using these mats with outdoor shoes — and in this case, shoes that have likely walked from the locker room via the bathrooms.”
In response to the Aikido Club losing access to the wrestling room, Rob Simels, head of the Office of Recreation and director of Club Sports and Intramurals, said, “I’m a big safety, risk management person personally, so to me right now it’s best.”
At the moment, he cannot help them directly because he only oversees athletic clubs.
It is unclear whether both organizations will be able to compromise on the issues at hand.
“I would not mind working with Aikido or Brazilian Jiu Jitsu on coming up with the correct skin procedures and policies,” Galante said. “Does that mean that even if they have them I’m just going to allow them to come right back into the room or ask them to come right back into the room? No, because I still think they should be using their own mats, still think they should be following their policies and procedures, and if we’re not there to monitor those, its going to be very, very difficult.”