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By Sydney Shaw Editor-in-Chief In the wake of last semester’s fora on possible cuts to student organization funding, the Student Finance Board (SFB) is working to increase transparency and improve customer service by extending its office hours and revamping some key components of the board’s operations. "This year, the Student Finance Board is adapting to meet the changing needs of TCNJ students," said Robert Mitchals, SFB’s executive director. Mitchals outlined several new initiatives SFB has in store for this semester, including the announcement that within a couple of weeks, the board’s voucher log will be available online. “In the past, students would have to randomly come by to see if their reimbursement check was ready,” he said. “Sometimes, people would stop by three or four times a week. Now, they can see if their check is ready online.” Students will also be able to make nightly deposits by using SFB’s new dropbox, located outside its new office in room 214 of the Brower Student Center. “We’re in a time when TCNJ is cutting funding to student activities, while raising the cost of tuition,” Mitchals said, “so it’s important to us that we be transparent about everything that goes on and be accessible to students.” The board is also increasing its hours to be the longest in its 20-year history, according to Mitchals. Now, the office will remain open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., three days per week — Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays — from 9 a.m. to noon on Wednesdays and from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Fridays. “We’re SFB and we’re run by students, but we want this office to look like any other office on campus,” Mitchals said. Mitchals also outlined the process of reassigning liaisons to student organizations. In the past, SFB liaisons, or students responsible for improving organizations’ knowledge of SFB policies and procedures, were randomly assigned to student organizations. Now, SFB will delve into liaisons’ backgrounds to see if they might be better suited to assist some organizations over others. Mitchals said the board is aiming to pair organizations with a liaison who is familiar with their operations, but will be sure to avoid any conflicts of interest.
By Sydney Shaw Editor-in-Chief Students at the College who wish to be identified by a first, middle or last name that is different than the legal name they were given at birth may now use their preferred name in College-related documents, according to an email sent on Thursday, Sept. 1, by Kerri Tillett, associate vice president and chief diversity officer. “As we strive to make The College of New Jersey an inclusive community, I am happy to introduce the Preferred Name Policy,” Tillett wrote in the email. “This policy helps us to be a campus of choice to those who desire to work/live/learn in inclusive environments.” Tillett explained that this change does not include documents that require a legal name by law or policy. For students who wish to use their preferred name, they can make the change through their PAWS accounts. The new policy also applies to faculty and staff members, as well. They can change their preferred name through the College’s YESS network. Canvas should reflect the name change within 24 hours, according to Tillett, while other information technology systems will be updated to reflect the name change within the coming months.
By Sydney Shaw Editor-in-Chief When Madison Klarer sings “This is gonna be a great fucking day” in her resolute voice, you’d better believe her. ROMP rocked The Stanhope House in Stanhope, N.J., on Friday, May 27, opening its set with the pump-up anthem “Avoiding Boys” from the band’s latest record, “Departure From Venus.” “The end is so near, it’s almost time to let go / Summer’s finally here, this’ll be over in a blink,” Klarer sang — an appropriate choice for an evening that peaked at 87 degrees. Formed in New Brunswick. N.J., ROMP has quickly come up through the ranks in the punk rock scene over the past year, opening for bands like Screaming Females, Pinegrove and now Cayetana. They tout a no-nonsense sound reminiscent of Makthaverskan and Girlpool. On Friday, the group played all new tracks from “Departure from Venus,” excluding “Portrait” from last year’s EP, “Sorry, Not Sorry.” On “Portrait,” Klarer reflects on a relationship after a breakup. The song is lighter and more wistful than the band’s usual lo-fi, fuzzy punk rock sound. Klarer wields her powerful voice with delicate precision until the song’s emotional climax: "I don't want to be anyone's anything anymore.” Thanks to guitarist Lucas Dalakian and drummer Mike Linardi, “Yapshutter” begins with a burst of energy that doesn’t subside until the very end. Chris Beninato throws in a fun bass riff near the beginning of the track and provides a rumbling foundation throughout the rest of it. “If you knew what I was / If you knew how I felt / We could have glued it all back together again,” Klarer sings. The words are twinged with nostalgia, but ROMP delivers the song with intense buoyancy. With its sophomore release, ROMP succeeds in packing heavy punches with these simple yet poignant lyrics and its spunky sound. During the finale “Come Undone,” Klarer jammed on her keyboard and belted out the passionate chorus (“I punished myself hoping you’d notice me”). She ripped through her entire set in a similar fashion, exuding an effortless kind of cool. According to Klarer, ROMP hopes to keep touring in the summer and fall. Fortunately, “Departure From Venus” is edgy enough to get everyone by until the band’s next gig.
By Sydney Shaw Editor-in-Chief Weller capped off its 10-day tour at The Stanhope House in Stanhope, N.J., on Friday, May 27, alongside fellow Philadelphia-based headliner Cayetana, ROMP and Toy Cars. They played with an infectious energy, laughing with each other as they delivered a set largely based around their new EP. You never would have known that five days earlier, the trio was stranded nearly 700 miles away in La Porte, In. "We got here via the most cursed tour we've ever been on," singer Harrison Nantz said. En route to Chicago from the band’s show in Pittsburgh on Saturday, May 21, Nantz said their van started smoking — a blown transmission was to blame. As midnight was steadily approaching, and after struggling with roadside assistance, Travelodge’s public relations team and Enterprise, the band was able to secure a hotel room for the night. Tour Manager Emily Dubin called it “a tour of worst case scenarios.” Things began to look up for Weller on Tuesday, May 24, when the band stopped by Futureappletree Studio in Davenport, Iowa, to record a session with Daytrotter, a website dedicated to featuring up-and-coming indie music acts. “It was unbelievable,” Nantz told The Signal. “We got to play some really cool gear.” One 14-hour haul in a rental van later and Weller was back on the east coast. The band kicked off Friday night with “Record Breaker” from its new EP, “Career Fair.” “Tried to grow up without you / Realized there were still roots left under the tree,” Nantz sings on the upbeat track. He has a knack for combining honest and deep-reaching lyrics with light and catchy melodies. On the same song, he sings, “‘Cause I seek out the things I like / But settle for what I need.” This new EP could launch Weller onto a larger stage as its lyrics become status updates. After the first verse of “Record Breaker,” drummer Jeremy Berkin builds tension with powerful double hits on his set, spaced out by Nantz’s delicate guitar playing. Berkin, who already cemented himself as a good drummer during his soundcheck, rounded out “Ford Credit” with vocal harmony, while Evan Moorehead commanded the stage with expert bass playing. Aside from being a pleasure to listen to, it was a blast to watch the guys in Weller perform. For a band that said its collective favorite thing is memes, it makes sense that the trio radiated charisma. All three have distinct personalities that shine through on stage. Nantz, for example, told The Signal after the show that he loves Goodwill stores. According to Nantz and Dubin, Berkin’s favorite thing is Federal Donuts, a chain of shops in Philadelphia that sells coffee, donuts and chicken. As for Moorehead, he and his band mates called out his passion at the same time: history. His love for the subject was evident even earlier in the evening. Before Weller's set, Moorehead reached up to touch the ceiling of the venue — circa 1794. "This is a real tin ceiling," he said, beaming. "That's a big deal.” It’s refreshing to be around best friends who know each other as well as they know their instruments. “The other day, we talked about how if you say ‘I love you’ too often, it loses its meaning,” Nantz told the audience. “But I really do love this band.” No one captures their engaging dynamic better than Dubin, who doubles as the band’s photographer. She filmed, edited and directed the music video for “Record Breaker,” which premiered two days before the start of Weller’s tour. It kicked off with a show in Boston on Wednesday, May 18, alongside Massachusetts’s own Born Without Bones. The members of Weller are multitalented musicians. Moorehead also plays bass in Broken Beak and Slaughter Beach, Dog, and guitar for Steady Hands — all three bands feature members of Modern Baseball. Berkin is the singer in Plainview, a pop punk quartet formed at Drexel University. Their tour might be over, but Weller’s EP is available on the group’s Bandcamp.com page. “Career Fair” is an energetic first release for such a young band, so here’s hoping for a full-length album in the near future. With good friends and great music, there's no telling where the trio will go next.
By Sydney Shaw Managing Editor “He’s been haunting my dreams at night.” A recording of Jake Ewald’s voice echoed through the sold-out Wonder Bar in Asbury Park, N.J., during Modern Baseball’s album release show on Friday, May 13. It’s the raw beginning to the title track of the band’s newest record, “Holy Ghost,” and a song that Ewald recorded in a bathroom. “I’ve been bleeding from tripping in the dark / Trying to turn on the light.” Ewald smiled up at the speakers as the recording of his own voice resounded from them, while bassist Ian Farmer adjusted the band that secured his glasses onto his head. The song details Ewald’s struggle to cope after the death of his grandfather. Sean Huber patiently looked down at his drum set while Ewald, Farmer and Brendan Lukens, co-lead singer and guitarist, slowly turned their backs to the audience. “But this time, my holy ghost is hovering over me / And I am passed out on the floor.” With four clicks of Huber’s drumsticks, the band launched into an explosive performance of “Wedding Singer,” the more upbeat sister-song to the first track on the album. Farmer shredded on his bass while Lukens commanded the venue with the song’s catchy melody. It was the most powerful opening to a Modern Baseball show to date. The Philly-based band played the first four songs from “Holy Ghost” in order, all written by Ewald. He was responsible for penning the lyrics for the first half of the album, while Lukens wrote the rest. Since 2012, the band has seen commercial success with its albums “Sports” and “You’re Gonna Miss It All,” selling out venues across the world and garnering a cult-like following. “Holy Ghost” is grittier and more evolved than past Modern Baseball records while still staying true to the band’s sound — something on the line between pop punk and emo. “Mass” is a nostalgic and honest account of being far away from the person you love, during which Ewald sings, “Sometimes I wish it was still last summer / And you still lived in South Philly / And I wasn't playing a show in Nebraska / Or Austin, Texas / Asking the kids what they ate for breakfast” — something Ewald actually asked every crowd during Modern Baseball’s last tour. Especially for those who have experienced it, that line stands out as a clever way to reflect on his time on the road. Lukens led the final song before the encore, “Just Another Face,” which he dedicated to Sorority Noise’s lead singer, Cameron Boucher. In recent years, the pair has been vocal about their personal struggles with depression, anxiety and other mental illnesses, and Lukens credits Boucher for pushing him to seek treatment. Sorority Noise, which signed to Boston-based independent label Topshelf Records about a year ago, was one of the show’s six openers, including Pinegrove, W.C. Lindsay, The Superweaks, The Obsessives and Sun Organ. Sorority Noise played just before Modern Baseball, sharing a set that was also largely based around mental illness. “Me and Brendan go through a lot of the same things,” Boucher said. “We live together. We see each other every day… I had thoughts of taking my own life. And the thought still crosses my mind, but the act… I will never do that.” Lukens’s song “Just Another Face” serves as an acknowledgement of those issues and a promise to try to recover. “I’m not just another face, I’m not just another name,” Lukens sang. “Even if you can’t see it now / We’re proud of what’s to come, and you.” That’s when Lukens’s bandmates turned to face him, and audience members pointed to him, in a compelling show of support. It’s almost as if Lukens is speaking to himself on the track, which is a recurring point across the album. The aptly named “Note to Self,” for example, is quite literally Ewald talking to himself (“Trying desperately to escape the glare from our stupid, spineless / Words just whining, every fucking day / What do I really want to say?”). On “Coding These to Lukens,” although it is Ewald who sings the encouraging words (“It’s not just what you say / Or how you’ve come so far”), the song is on the second half of the album, written by Lukens. Ewald passes the baton to Lukens, whose reply to the song’s first verse is a frantic string of concise words (“Spit fire, spit blood, spit fast — I’m heated”). Ewald’s verses are more developed, even in his most fragmented song, “Everyday,” his first real attempt at poetic imagery (“Your compass spins in reverse / The trees do time lapse speed growth / Your sky is lost behind / A sea of green”). The contemplative track meanders as Ewald reflects on seemingly insignificant life moments. “Holy Ghost” is breathtakingly honest and stunningly beautiful, and the album confirms what longtime fans already knew — Modern Baseball is a truly important band. Through Ewald’s and Lukens’s deep-reaching lyricism and the band’s advocacy for destigmatizing mental illness, their music has become an outlet for fans and the band members themselves to grieve, grow and come to terms with some of the more difficult things in life, together. As Lukens expresses on “Breathing in Stereo,” it’s often a knee-jerk reaction to isolate oneself to deal with mental illness (“Alone I feel safe”). Whether he is singing to his friends, his bandmates, a significant other or his fans, it’s clear that he’s grown away from that notion (“Still with you, I’m safe, intact and hopeful / We’ll make it together”). And as Lukens and his audience sang “I’ll be with you the whole way,” to each other on Friday night, it became even more apparent that they won’t ever be alone.
By Colleen Murphy and Sydney Shaw Editor-in-Chief and Managing Editor According to U.S. Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman, the “smartest thing” former President Bill Clinton ever did was marry Hillary Rodham. On Friday, May 13, former President Clinton stopped by the College on behalf of his wife, Hillary, to hold a Hillary for America campaign speech in Packer Hall. During his talk, Clinton listed reasons why he thinks Hillary Clinton should be the next president of the country. This event comes less than a month before New Jersey is set to hold its primary election. In front of a packed gym, Watson Coleman introduced the former president to the audience. “Are you feeling that Hillary heat? Are you going to elect the first woman president of the United States of America? And by the way, we’re going to elect the most qualified individual that is running for that office, bar none,” Watson Coleman said before Clinton stepped onto the stage and after noting the accomplishments he achieved while serving as the country’s 42nd president. “We know that this president and this next president are an incredible gift to this United States of America because they not only understand and appreciate and love this country and all its domestic issues and concerns and opportunities, they also understand, substantively, how we deal with our global friends and how we deal with our enemies,” Watson Coleman said. To the upbeat tune of Pharrell's “Happy,” Clinton walked out to a crowd — comprising mostly students — with big applause. “I especially want to thank the students for coming. This election is really about you,” Clinton said. “I think, in large measure, how you vote in the election depends in part on whether you believe it is possible to raise middle class living standards and restore upward mobility and live together and govern together in the most diverse democracy in the world.” Clinton then listed for the audience three reasons why Hillary Clinton is the best choice for the presidency. “One (reason) is I think she’s got the best ideas that are most likely to help the largest number of people, to raise middle class incomes, restore upward mobility, reduce inequality and launch an explosion of economic activity,” Clinton said. “Second, she’s the only person left in either party that actually (has) a record of getting things done with members of the other party, as well as Democrats. And third, she’s the only person who’s really qualified in an extremely complicated and increasingly divided world to make good things happen around the world, keep big bad things from happening, to give us both the safety and the space we need to grow.” According to Clinton, one of Hillary Clinton’s main priorities has always been helping families. One of the ways she plans to continue this, if elected president, is to offer paid maternity leave to all mothers. “We’re one of only seven countries in the world that doesn’t give paid leave,” Clinton said. “You cannot ask a family to choose between succeeding in work and succeeding in raising children. So if we have paid leave, equal pay and affordable childcare, we will have equal participation in the workforce.” Clinton said that his wife also plans to pass comprehensive immigration reform to “lift the burden off the 11.5 million undocumented people in this country and the 5 million others who live in families with them.” “We need the youth and the diversity of our workforce and we need to settle these families down and stop people from having to live in all this fear and uncertainty,” he said. Another type of reform Hillary Clinton would attempt to pass if elected president, according to the former president, is prison reform. “I think every candidate agrees on this, but I’m pretty sure Hillary was the first person to say that we need to get a lot of these young people out of prison, who are in for nonviolent offenses, and into the workforce,” Clinton said. “But it isn’t enough to let people out if they’re gonna turn around and come back in. You have to have education, training and job placement.” Throughout his speech, he praised Hillary Clinton for her ability to work with politicians across the aisle. “Everything she did, she did it with Republicans,” he said, citing her work to help members of the military as an example. “She worked with Republicans to protect people who were sent to Afghanistan and Iraq and make sure they had protective gear and vehicles that wouldn’t make them so vulnerable to being killed or injured. When they came home, if they worked for the National Guard or Reserve, she made sure they got the same healthcare regular military people did.” Clinton also touched on the importance of keeping the economy strong, especially through incentivizing entrepreneurs to start up and continue small businesses. Raising wages, restoring mobility and reducing inequality are three other plans that he said Hillary Clinton has in order to create a life of prosperity for citizens. The high price of higher education was also mentioned. According to Clinton, the average student debt in America is $24,000, and he said that under a Clinton presidency, the aim would be to lower this number. “We have the best system of higher education in the world, but for many people, it’s priced out of reach, or many young people have debt that they can’t repay and they feel trapped by it,” Clinton said. While Clinton was telling those in attendance about Hillary Clinton’s ideas for higher incomes and reduced debt, one audience member shouted out “What about Gaza?” “What about Gaza?” Clinton answered back. “Hillary got the only three face-to-face meetings between Mr. Netanyahu and the leader of the Palestinians, President Abbas.” After Clinton and the student had a brief back-and-forth discussion, the former president expressed his appreciation that they were able to voice their differences. “You have to ask yourself… What do you want the world to look like in 10 years? What do you want the world to look like in 20 years? When you have children your age, what do you want the world to look like? Do you want a group like this, in this college, 20 years from now to be even more diverse than you are? Do you want people to feel naturally comfortable with the conversation we just had? I like that (idea).” Most students, including senior finance major Payal Handiwala, were excited to have the opportunity to hear a former president speak and to have some of the election’s action take place on the College’s campus. “I thought it was very good and pretty inspiring, and he enlightened (the crowd) on some good political issues,” said Handiwala, who plans on voting for Hillary Clinton. Even many of those who do not plan on voting for Hillary Clinton, or who are undecided with their vote, thought it was an informative experience to hear from a U.S. president. “I feel like (Clinton) knew who he was talking to and he was trying to appeal to us and talk about stuff we would find interesting and relevant,” junior finance major Liam Kennedy said. “I definitely have to do more research about (for whom I will vote), but it was good to hear his perspective on issues.” However, not everyone was eager to hear what the former president had to say on his wife’s behalf. A group of five students stood in the parking lot outside of Packer Hall handing out buttons and pamphlets in support of Bernie Sanders. Clinton compared Sanders and Hillary Clinton by looking at the way they voted while they were both in the Senate together. “Ninety-three percent of the time, they voted the same way,” he said. “When they didn’t agree… I personally think she was right.” Before he left the College, the former president encouraged the audience to consider their futures when deciding which candidate to vote for in the presidential election. “We live in an interdependent world, and for all of you who are young, the next 20 or 30 years will be spent in defining the terms of your interdependence with the people you live and learn and work with, with the people you share a nation with, and with people around the world,” Clinton said. “You (have to) have somebody who can represent and reflect and push forward our greatest potential and beat back our greatest problems.” And Clinton believes that his wife, Hillary Clinton, is the person to do just that. “I believe that you should nominate and elect the best change-maker available. I believe you should nominate and elect somebody who has proven that every day,” Clinton said about his wife. “And under whatever circumstance and no matter what happens, or what they say about her or what they do to her, she finds a way to make something good happen for somebody else because I believe, in my age, that that’s all that matters.” More quotes from former President Bill Clinton: On looking to the future: “We’re in a better position for the future here than in any place on earth because of our diversity, because of our youth, because of our institutional education possibility, because we’re proving that if you train people and protect labor rights we can do any kind of job in the world, we just have to make the right decision here and you will see between now and November the darndest attempts to divide, to distract you, to confuse you, to make you think about anything but what you want the world to look like when your children are your age and what you want your own journey to be like. That is all that matters.” On building a better nation: “It does not take long to live life. There are no permanent victories and there are no permanent defeats in politics and economics, but there can be a more or less permanent commitment to a society with harmony and decency and fairness and inclusion and uplift.” On protecting the country from terrorism: “San Bernardino, our latest terrorist incident, was because of people converted over the internet. America desperately needs its Muslims who love freedom and hate terror and want to be part of this country to be a part of winning that battle. Look at this crowd. It is a rebuke to all those people who are afraid of diversity.” On moving forward: “You can’t run away from the future, you’ve got to put everybody on a conveyor belt to it. People are afraid of the future because they think it can’t get any better. If we can all rise together, they won’t be afraid anymore, and you’ve got to have a president who can do that, so that’s my simple case (for why Hillary Clinton should be elected president).” Thanks for LTV for filming the speech.