Thompson Wins Student Org Election

INQUIRING PHOTOGRAPHER: What is the one thing you would like to see in your Easter basket this year? By Brett Williams

Kean University’s stUdent newspaper

Kean Reflects on Obama PresidencyBy D.J. Jean

The dream of a national healthcare plan is finally realized, now that millions of uninsured Americans will receive medical coverage.

On Sunday, March 21, the US House of Representatives, on a vote of 219-212, passed a Healthcare Reform bill that means the beginning of a total overhaul of our current healthcare system. It was met with resounding opposition from the Re-publican Party.

And Kean University students are cer-tainly interested.

At an event on Thursday, March 25, the Kean University Political Science depart-ment and members of the Kean chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha, the political science honor society, held an event called “Reflections on the Obama Presidency.”

The discussion included Political Sci-ence professors Dr. Lawrence Chang, Dr. Gilbert Kahn, Dr. Charles Kelly, Merle Treusch, and Dr. Jacqueline Keil, who was the moderator of the event. The event was open to everyone and questions were taken afterwards.

According to Prof. Treusch, the media was referring to President Obama early on as possibly a “transformational presi-dent.” A “transformational president” is a president who

By Joseph tingle anD melissa JeWels

Dare Thompson, the Independent can-didate, was elected the new president of Kean University’s Student Organization, according to preliminary voting results released Tuesday.

Thompson, a junior Finance major, pres-ident of the University Activities Board, and a brother of Phi Beta Sigma Frater-nity, defeated the UNI team candidate, Walmbe N’Dure, current vice president of student affairs.A whole new Executive Board was also elected, as were new class representatives for each class.

The Reformation team swept the race, winning all the seats it vied for, and com-ing in as victors in the class races as well.

The official tallies are scheduled to be announced Wednesday, but early results were released to the candidates and the press after online voting ended Tuesday evening.

“I’m still a little nervous,” Thompson told The Tower after the announcement. “I worked hard and was passionate about one goal—increasing student involve-ment. And I followed through with it. Thanks for the support.”

On the Executive Board, Benito Nieves, a member of the UNI team, won the race for vice president of funded groups. Also elected to the top SO board—all of whom were members of the Reformation tick-et—were Juan Lopez to director of pro-motions and advertising; Lester Bosea to assistant secretary; Olu Brown as assistant treasurer; Assoumou “JR” Sahou as vice president of committees, and Ned Shaikh as vice president for student affairs. Jes-sica LaMagra, who ran unopposed as an independent candidate, won as vice presi-

dent at Kean-Ocean campus. Reformation did not run candidates for the president’s seat or for VP-funded groups.

Incumbent president Carminda Bandei-ra thanked everyone for running a clean campaign. She said just four violations were called into question during the vot-ing process, they were investigated and nothing was found amiss. Last year, the election results were delayed because of alleged irregularities.

Kean’s Student Organization represents the university’s estimated 10,000-plus full time undergraduate students and has an operating budget of about $1 million. Vot-ing, which was handled by a service, was done by email to students and took place on April 5 and 6.

The new student government holds its first meeting May 7.

On March 25, Student Org had a debate —a first—in the University Center’s Little Theatre, which included various candi-dates running from the UNI Team and the Reformation League.

One issue was the lack of awareness about what Student Organization is and what it stands for. Freddy Echevestre, can-didate for vice president of committees said, he thought Student Org needed to advertise itself more on campus. “I would think it’s because of publicity.”

Assoumou “JR” Sahou said, when an-swering the question about a lack of awareness. “It needs to be known that we’re here and we’re doing stuff for you guys [the community],” said Sahou, who is also a candidate for vice president of com-mittees and a member of the Reformation ticket. Sahou stressed that advertising is the key to getting students more involved in their community.

Enise McCormickJunior, Film & Media

Aimee PaganJunior, Education

William ParrishJunior, Education/Marketing

Ericka WhiteFreshman, Elementary/Special Education

“Chocolate, because it’s the only time of the year I eat it.”

“Jellybeans, I just love them.” “The cure for my mother’s cancer. Just so she wouldn’t have to worry any-more, nor anyone else.”

“Anything from my family, because they always do little things to show they love us.”

www.kean.edu/~thetower

The World Wide Web of Comics 2

Repomen: A Rip-off? 5

More Pets Put Down 7

Arts & Entertainment 8-9

Editorial & View 10-11

Health & Fitness 12

Hoops for Heart 12

Sports 15

2010 MLB Predictions: John & Junior 16

Volume 10 • Issue 7 Apr. 7-Apr. 27, 2010

BE KEAN’S BIGGEST LOSER. (SEE PAGE 12)

(Continued on page 2)

World Wide Webof Comics P. 2

(Continued on page 4)

Assoumou Sahou Jr., candidate on the Team Reformation ticket, outside University Center campaigning for last minute votes as Student Org elections ended this week.

Tiger WoodsMattersP. 11

The Tower

Photo

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“The Passage of The healTh-Care bill lasT sunday Was suCh a signifiCanT evenT.”

honda’s C-rZ hybrid breaksbarriers P. 9

Money Saving

Coupons!

Pg 14

2 apr. 7-apr. 27, 2010 | The Tower

By Casey murphy

The traditional comic strip that led into comic books goes back as far as the late 1890’s, according to comicbookwebsites.com. But, according to comicbookbin.com, it wasn’t until 1992 that one of the first webcomics was introduced. That’s 102 years after the comic strip and only

18 years ago, but the webcomic still has an immense following that includes readers who like the traditional comic style, read-ers who like to catch their favorite manga series online, and even the artists who create their own series.

Suany M. Cañarte, a Speech Language Pathology major here at Kean University, is just one of the many people who enjoy making web comics on their spare time. When Cañarte was 17 she had three web-comics she was keeping up, none of which she works on now.

“I used to read a lot, probably more than I do now, and I used to write a lot,” said Cañarte. “I was in the process of writing a very poorly thought out novel at the time and I thought it would be cool if I could draw it out. I saw a webcomic and I thought, ‘That would be cool!’”

Keeping up with a webcomic isn’t as easy as some may think. Cañarte has

spent from several months, even years, going through other webcomic websites to see exactly how the creator manages and advertises their website. She also uses

twitter, comic forums, and an ad website where users bid for ad space in order to have her webcomic known.

Managing and advertising aren’t the only tough parts of having a webcomic. There is also keeping up the story line and drawing each page on a regular basis to put it up on time. In the past 6 years she has made five webcomics, none of which

have been finished.Although webcomics are one of Ca-

ñarte’s passions, she admits that she wouldn’t want to draw for a living.

“When I was a kid maybe, but when I was a kid I wanted to be a zookeeper, and an artist and every lavish thing I could possibly image,” said Cañarte. “For a while I considered graphic design, but I wasn’t

happy considering it. It was more of a last resort idea. I like to draw, and if I’m doing something that makes me not like to draw I don’t want to do it.”

Her first webcomic was titled “Unknown Forces” which a friend allowed her to post on his website, although in the end the project was stopped because he stopped letting her use it. At the same time she was working on a side project titled “Kitsune Light” which was based off both everyday events in her life. The third was “Weekly Window Pane” which only reached 14 pag-es before she decided she didn’t want to work on it any more.

“[“Weekly Window Pane”] was my at-tempt at humor and I’ve come to the con-clusion that I’m not that humorous,” said Cañarte.

Even though her first three webcomics were never finished, Cañarte didn’t give up. Her most recent webcomic is “Pyra-liss”, which comes from the Greek word “pyralis” meaning “of fire.” A doodle of the main character, Garai, was the spark of in-spiration to a very in depth and complex story.

“I made up the main character and started to write the story, which was orig-inally going to be a novel,” said Cañarte. “I got midway through chapter three and decided I wanted to draw it.”

Right now “Pyraliss” is 30 pages long, but the project is currently on hiatus be-cause of school. Canarte is planning on continuing “Pyraliss” in the summer.

To view “Pyraliss” go to www.pyraliss.com.

The World Wide Web of Comics

“i like To draW, and if i’M doing soMeThing ThaT Makes Me noT like To draW i don’T WanT To do iT.”

Another issue asked in the debate was not only how to get students to speak up about their concerns, but the “best way” to do so. Ned Shaikh, Ref-ormation candidate for vice president of student affairs, proposed an idea called the “concerns box” which would be set up in each building for students

to input their complaints. Another idea Shaikh proposed was to “have an event where students could come out freely and just be open” so that any problems could be addressed.

Luis Ayala, a UNI candidate for vice president of student Affairs, said most of what is done should be done through

Kean email accounts.“I promise you, that if I am voted in,

this campaign will work and will succeed,” said Ayala.

Thompson’s response was different.“My plan is to increase Kean’s cohesive-

ness from student to faculty, from student to administration, which will lead to an

environment that will also increase stu-dent’s education,” he said.

To learn more about Student Organi-zation, please visit http://www.kean.edu/ ~stuorg.

STUDENT ORG ELECTIONS OVER (Continued from page 1)

Suany M. Canarte (above); a sketch from chapter 2 of “Pyraliss” (left).

Photo: Joseph Pascale

| apr.7-apr. 27, 2010 3The Tower

Choose a Major Day Takes Over CAS By Charley FalkenBurg

The tables were brimming with fliers and hand-outs about various career op-tions. Several career counselors in tidy blue blazers dashed around providing helpful information and advice to puzzled undergraduates. It was a busy day for the Center for Academic Success as Kean stu-dents united on the nerve-racking quest of deciding a major.

Kean held its “Choose a Major Day” event in the CAS lobby on Mar. 9. Unde-cided and undeclared students banded to-gether to learn about different education fields that Kean has to offer and the career choices that they entail.

Jean Brown, the advisor to all unde-clared and undecided students, says she created this event to help the many un-dergraduates who are unsure, confused, or curious about the different directions their lives can take.

“I usually have 485 undecided and undeclared students each semester,” Brown said.

During the exhibit, Brown held an as-

sembly to provide expert guidance on the process of deciding and declaring a major. She stressed the importance of making educated decisions about career choices and following the guide sheets.

“Your guide sheet is your Bible... it is your road map to classes you are going to take at Kean,” Brown said.

Undergrads received the opportunity to talk to various faculty members of differ-ent education departments. The colleges of business and public administration, education, humanities and social sciences, visual and performing arts, and natural, applied, and health sciences were present to educate attendees about different ma-jors and career choices

Each department had its own table with different kinds of visual aids and informa-tion sheets. Representatives of the de-partments displayed an array of posters, pictures, and pamphlets to help interested individuals figure out if that particular field is right for them.

This fair helps give me an idea of what different careers are about,” Said one freshmen, Anne-Marie Faruolo.

While many students went to the event to satisfy their curiosity, attendance was mandatory for undecided students. While some students felt a little pressure, others welcomed the event.

“It gives me the push to come to a decision which is good or else I would be here forever,” said Stephanie Santos, a freshman.

By Junior Jean-Baptiste

The “Young Gunz Owtlatz,” of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity Inc., Beta Xi chapter, will be hosting a step show on Saturday, May 1, 2010 at Wilkins Theatre at Kean University.

“Don’t call it a comeback,” said Herlens Arnaud, graduate student and brother at Kean. “We’re happy we’re back on track to serve our community at Kean. We want to give back what Kean gave to us.”

Not only does the fraternity want to re-build its name, but also to get the whole Divine Nine and Greek Senate unified.

So why a stepping show? A step team is when a fraternity or sorority combine beats together with their feet and hands and most of the time do skits along with them.

“The whole purpose is to promote unity amongst the Greeks in stepping, says Pe-ter Edwards, brother of the fraternity and graduate of Kean. Unity amongst the Di-vine Nine and Greek Senate as well.”

The Divine Nine are the four sororities and five fraternities, historically black, which makes up the NPHC (National Pan-Hellenic Council) which is now celebrating its 80 year anniversary. The four sororities

are Alpha Kappa Alpha, Delta Sigma The-ta, Zeta Phi Beta, and Sigma Gamma Rho. The five fraternities are Alpha Phi Alpha, Kappa Alpha Psi, Omega Psi Phi, Phi Beta Sigma, and Iota Phi Theta Fraternity.

Iota Phi Theta Fraternity Inc was founded September 19, 1963 at Morgan State University. At a time where blacks struggled for equality and the Civil rights groups protesting on the streets, the fra-ternity felt the need to do something in order to unite black men together and serve their community on the campus. It is now the nation’s fifth largest, predomi-nately African-American social, service fraternity. The fraternity’s purpose is the development and perpetuation of scholar-ship, leadership, citizenship, fidelity, and brotherhood among men.

“I’m a new brother and the experience is the best teacher, says Chudi Onyia, 24 sophomore and Biological Science major at Kean. I’ll know when next time how to set up an event like this.”

There are five undergraduate brothers on campus and many alumni brothers who come in to support the fraternity and the school. At the Meet the Greeks event, almost every fraternity and sorority meet together, but the fraternity wanted some-thing else to unify Greek life as well.

“It’s a good experience and it’s a chance to meet the Greeks again for students without going to Meet the Greeks events we have every semester,” said LaLa Allen, 19, freshman Psychology major.

Any fraternity or sorority interested in participating in this event, please con-tact Brother Peter Edwards by Facebook or contacting him at 908-397-2657. Also, the step teams can be outside the school as well, just notify Brother Edwards of it.

The show will start promptly at 7 p.m. and there will be five fraternities and five sororities who will be able to participate in the event. The first place prize of $1500 will go to the best fraternity and sorority step team. It’s the first time since 1994 that the fraternity has hosted the show.

Iota Phi Theta Fraternity Step Show

“your guide sheeT is your bible. . . iT is your road MaP To Classes you are going To Take aT kean.”

Iota Shield, Fraternity logo

Nonprofit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDKean University

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Graduate Open House

DOCTORAL PROGRAMS: Doctor of Psychology (PSY.D.) School and Clinical PsychologyDoctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Urban Leadership

Arts and HumanitiesFine Arts, Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Liberal Studies, PoliticalScience, Sociology and Social Justice, English and Writing Studies,and more

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EducationLearn about our many Master's and Certification programs inareas such as Early Childhood Education, Educational Adminis-tration, Instruction and Curriculum, Reading Specialization, andSpecial Education

Criminal Justice and Public AdministrationCriminal Justice, Health Services Administration, Nonprofit Man-agement and Environmental Management

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Attend the Nathan Weiss Graduate Open House and learn more about our exciting programs to advanceyour career. Explore our beautiful location on the East Campus and learn about financial aid and gradu-ate assistantships at Kean. APPLICATION FEE WILL BE WAIVED FOR ALL ATTENDEES.

SUNDAY, APRIL 11, 2010Open House: 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on the East Campus, Kean University, 215 North Avenue, Hillside, NJ 07205Our program coordinators will be available to provide in-depth information and answer your questions throughout the event.Health & Fitness Center tours at Harwood Arena (shuttle service from East Campus will be available at 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m.).

Visit www.kean.edu/~keangrad for more information and to register, or call 908-737-GRAD.

April 08 – All Day Young Screenwriters Series: Master Class with David Kukoff •CAS 408

April 11 – 1PM-3PM Nathan Weiss Graduate College Open House. East Campus•April 13 – All Day Event. GameStop Tournament. UC Atrium•April 14 – 10 AM Cougar Fair. UC Atrium•April 15 – 1 PM Photo Frenzy. UC Atrium•April 19 – 3:30 PM CVPA Professional Enrichment Series Designing My Life, UC Little •

Theatre. Free Admission.April 20 – 3 PM Volleyball Tournament, UC Volleyball Court. •April 21 – 10 AM Cougar Fair UC Atrium• 5 PM The Kean University Senior Award Ceremony. Down’s Hall.• 8 PM Movie Night, UC Little Theatre•April 23 – Deadline to schedule move-out appointment with your RA by 4 p.m.•April 27 – 3 PM Ping Pong Tournament. Greek Lounge•April 28 – 10 AM Cougar Fair UC Atrium•April 29 – 3 PM Ice Cream Social UC Atrium•May 03– All Day Event Spring 2010 Move Outs•

KEAN ACADEMIC CALENDAR

4 apr. 7-apr. 27, 2010 | The Tower

By Joseph tingle

Record flooding shut down Kean’s Rhode Island-based tuition service last week, just as the deadline for monthly tuition pay-ments was due. Kean students, however, don’t need to worry about negative conse-quences for any late April payments.

According to Tuition Management Sys-tems’ website at afford.com, students who hadn’t made their monthly payment before the deadline on April 1 won’t be charged with any service fees or penalties.

A Student Accounting employee at Kean also said that students who have made all of their other payments won’t have their schedules dropped as a result of late payments. According to a Tuition Management Systems’ customer service representative, Kean and TMS have been in contact, and Kean has been informed of the situation regarding their tuition man-agement service.

Tuition Management Systems’ website went down with internet servers all over Rhode Island.

The flooding, which began early last week, continued for three days and rep-resents the worst flooding that has taken place in Rhode Island for two centuries. It also affected other areas in New England. What costs the flood will have on Rhode Island and the rest of New England re-mains to be seen, though last time Rhode Island flooded—a drastically less potent flood—businesses alone lost upwards of $750,000, according to an article at NPR.org, National Public Radio’s website.

On April 1, Tuition Management Sys-

tems’ customer service representatives, were not sure when the tuition company’s servers would be back up, but were hope-ful that it would be sometime this week.

Tuition Management Systems is the service used by Kean University for all tuition and housing related matters. Students who want to pay their tuition must do so at the Student Accounting of-fice, or through the TMS via afford.com or snail-mail.

Massive Flooding Cripples Kean’s Tuition Service

is able to transform the American politi-cal system and make large-scale change within the American community.

He cited political scientist Michael Nelson, who talked about “presidents of achievement.” According to Nelson, three criteria need to be met, in order for a pres-ident to be called a president of achieve-ment. The three criteria a president needs to meet are big ideas, public support, and passing issues through congress.

“The passage of the healthcare bill last Sunday was such a significant event,” pro-fessor Treusch said. “If he had not been able to achieve that, if that had been put off until next year, the chances of the Obama presidency being a success would probably have been very small.”

Dr. Chang, who was the first to deliver his opening statement among the panel, said if he was to engage in the Obama panel discussion prior to Sunday’s passing

of the Healthcare Reform bill, his assess-ment of the Obama presidency could be a little different. Dr. Kelly was in agree-ment with this standpoint, expressing similar sentiment.

“A month ago, my analysis of the presi-dency was a lackluster presidency,” Dr. Kelly said.

Though Dr. Kelly did not agree with the idea of Obama being a “transformational president”, he believes Obama to be more of a “good” president. Some of the issues he touched on were the Healthcare reform bill and how Obama needed to succeed at negotiations with Russia on nuclear weap-ons, the issue of foreign policy, and our involvement in the Middle East.

Subsequent to Dr. Kelly was Dr. Kahn. He began by thanking the audience for such a great turnout before getting into his part of the discussion. Like the other panelists, Dr. Kahn discussed the Health-

care Reform bill.Dr. Kahn said that the healthcare bill

would determine President Obama’s place in history, and that the vote for the health-care bill was comparable to social security for Franklin D. Roosevelt and medicare for Lyndon Johnson.

According to Dr. Kahn, the passing of healthcare reform on Sunday, probably saved the House of Representatives from going Republican, especially with the nu-ances that took place during the eventual passing of the bill, like President Obama’s bargaining with pro-life democratic repre-sentative Bart Dupak.

As the panel turned over to the audience for questions, the discussion switched to the “protagonist/antagonist” mentality that the Republican and Democratic Party seem to share about each other.

Dr. Chang said in one of his political sci-ence classes, a student described the rela-

tionship between both parties as a nasty divorce, with the American people as the children being caught in between.

All in all, the panel discussion was a well-informed dissection of Obama as President of the United States, taking a retrospective approach, going as far back as to the day he was inaugurated, to fore-shadowing the impending question of a possible second term for our 44th presi-dent of the United States.

The panel discussion concluded with the audience receiving a parting gift, which was a booklet of the constitution called “The U.S. Constitution And Fascinating Facts About It” from Pi Sigma Alpha. The booklet encompassed of everything from facts about the founding fathers, the con-stitution, the Supreme Court to the actual Constitution and its amendments.

KEAN REFLECTS ON OBAMA PRESIDENCY (Continued from page 1)

| apr.7-apr. 27, 2010 5The Tower

By Casey murphy

If you could buy new organs to replace your own, would you? Even if it meant the possibility of having those same organs repossessed if you cannot keep up with payments? This is the concept of both the movie Repomen, which hit theaters Friday March 19th, and the cult classic rock op-era Repo!: The Genetic Opera (also known as Repo!).

Many followers of the cult classic are up in arms about the release of Repomen, claiming the author, Eric Garcia, (who wrote the book, The Repossession Mam-bo), of Repomen stole the idea from the creators of Repo!, Darren Smith and Ter-rance Zdunich.

Repo! was spawned from a ten-minute opera Smith and Zdunich made titled “The Necro-Merchant’s Debt.” In the ear-ly 2000’s Repo! began performances as a stage play and in 2007 was made into a motion picture directed by Darren Lynn Bousman (director of Saw II, Saw III and Saw IV).

Repo! is set in a futuristic gothic world where an epidemic of organ failure sparks the idea for an organ-financing company, Geneco, run by Rotti Largo (Paul Sorvi-no). The story follows Shilo Wallace (Alexa Vega), a young girl diagnosed with a blood disease who is not allowed to leave her own home. Defying her father, who is also her doctor, Shilo secretly leaves the house in order to search for the cure to her own rare disease. She ends up involved with Geneco, meeting Rotti, and finding out in-

formation about her family that she never knew. Starring Anthony Head (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) as Nathan Wallace, and Paris Hilton as Amber Sweet, it’s surpris-ing that more people don’t know about this musical horror.

On the other side of the spectrum, Repomen is also based in a futuristic set-ting with a organ-financing company, The Union. This movie follows Remy (Jude Law), a Repo Man that works for The Union. After a freak accident that almost kills Remy on a repossession job, he is

given a new heart from the company he works for. His problem: he can’t pay the bill. Now Remy must find a way to stop The Union from repossessing his heart, as well as the organs of his lover, Beth (Alice Braga). Also starring Forest Whitaker (The Great Debaters and Panic Room) as Remy’s partner Jake, and Liev Schreiber (X-Men Origins: Wolverine), Repomen will have the viewer at the edge of their seat and is a must see.

But despite the differences, there is con-troversy. The ordeal started back right be-

fore filming for Repo! began, when Smith and Zdunich found out that Universal was planning on producing a movie called Re-possession Mambo, which was the original title for Repomen. According to Zdunich’s blog, both him and Smith put together any information they could give to their lawyers about the creation of Repo! so Universal couldn’t sue them. After they had documentation showing the progress of Repo! over a span of ten years, they be-gan to wonder if they could potentially sue Universal. The final answer was no.

“Several entertainment attorneys told us that while the script, characters, and music of REPO! are copyright protected, the ideas are not,” said Zdunich on his blog. “In other words: unless exact lines of dialogue or identical lyrics were lifted from REPO! and placed into Repomen—which would prove beyond a doubt that plagiarism had occurred—that we did not have a case.”

Although Universal didn’t plagiarize, fans are still furious about the Hollywood rendition, believing it will get viewers to believe that Repo! is the copycat, when there is evidence that the idea was made up before the novel Repossession Mambo was published.

Whether Repomen is a rip off, or wheth-er it is an entirely unique piece of its own, both Repo! and Repomen are artistically brilliant in their own way, and a must see for every fan of repossession.

“Repomen:” A Rip Off?

Repo!: The Genetic Opera movie poster (above); Repomen movie poster (right)

6 apr. 7-apr. 27, 2010 | The Tower

By shayneiCe elaine northan

The Jersey Shore may be the summer-time playground for Mike “The Situation,” Snookie, and Pauley D., but did you know that the Jersey shore practically aided in our independence? It’s true, but that’s not all that New Jersey is responsible for but only history will tell.

David Hackett Fischer, a historian and Pulitzer Prize winner for his book Wash-ington’s Crossing—graced the Kean cam-pus last Thursday March 4th. Several Kean students and teachers, as well as outside Fischer followers gathered throughout a few buildings to learn about the great importance that New Jersey and George Washington had during the Revolution-ary War. Fischer attempted to send a valu-able message in which he illustrated by bringing the audience back to basics in his lecture entitled: “New Jersey in the Amer-ican Revolution,” but the message may have been a bit hard to interpret—due to technical difficulties.

New Jersey is home to several historical

sites: it is the “ground zero” for the Ameri-can Revolution. Unfortunately these sites are becoming endangered, according to Fischer. This is detrimental for our chil-dren and ultimately the future because history is an important factor to consider when moving forward—can’t go where you’re going if you don’t know where you’ve been.

“It’s important to do history on the ground and to teach history on the ground…We’re not doing so well with young people in the schools,” said Fischer.

From March to July of 1777—an ex-tremely volatile period in history, Wash-ington and his troops were stationed in familiar places like: New Brunswick, Perth Amboy, and Morristown—also the residence of Washington’s Headquarters. Fischer also acknowledged that several battles took place in Garden State towns such as Princeton, Monmouth, and Fort Lee. New Jersey also contributed about 50 percent of its men to this war—that’s more than any other state!

The war lead by General Washington has

been quite disappointing: he’d lost much of his army in attacks, some 90 percent. “Washington’s despair has been reduced to tears of helplessness…,” said Fischer. He had lost more battles than any other general which was pretty discouraging, and many lost hope.

“Washington was sitting on the Jersey Shore—wondering if he should just call it off,” said Fischer. Luckily he decided not to call it off: could it have been the happi-ness and fun atmosphere that the Jersey shore promotes?

Washington knew that a new approach had to be taken: so he decided to try something new as a leader by experiment-ing through trial and error. He began to listen to his army of “cantankerous Yan-kees” as well as the public—an unfamil-iar approach in Great Britain, according to Fischer.”They [Great Britain] were not good at listening, a peculiar form of social deafness,” Fischer noted.

Washington discovered that people wanted a leader with prudence, one who would do the right thing. He started to

plan ahead by formulating complex op-erations and organizing his troops into sectors—he wanted to be prepared. These leadership strategies helped lead a victori-ous revolution, followed by his presidency in which he was unanimously chosen by the people.

Unlike opposing leaders, Washington lead the way a true leader should: from the front, Fischer said. He adopted a policy of humanity within his leadership because he knew that people had the right to life. To Washington, this was which included humanity had a cause: that of liberty and freedom—a sort of “meta-idea” that he adopted by intertwining these values ac-cording to Fischer.

“I think there is much we have to learn with this,” said Fischer. Washington is an authentic model of leadership for this country: he brought together so many on the basis of fair leadership to carry out the American Revolution.

“I think we can go with a little more fair-ness along with our freedom, and that’s the whole punch line…”

Once Upon a Time In New Jersey

By laura urBan

Freedom was the thing most sought af-

ter during the American Revolution. The American colonies wanted to be freed from the rule of the British monarchy, and American slaves desired freedom from the chains that bonded them to their owners.

New Jersey hosted a slave society dur-ing this time and slaves were relied on for labor demands, such as farming.

“The natural right for liberty was not the language of the day,” said Dr. Sue Ko-zel of Kean University, who along with other panelists discussed the experience of slaves during the American Revolution in the Carriage House at Liberty Hall.

Here are some of the facts mentioned during the discussion:

• Therunawayslaverate inNJwasrela-tively low compared to other colonies. The opportunity to escape slavery was minimal and most slaves in NJ stayed enslaved to minimize the risks of being separated from their families.

• InNJduringtheAmericanRevolution,the male to female ratio of slaves was al-most equal. Slave owners usually lived close to one another, which allowed slaves to interact with each other and start families.

• Several freedom suitswere brought tothe Supreme Court of New Jersey where slaves sued their owners for illegally en-slaving them. As a result, freedom of certain slaves was granted.

• TheSupremeCourtofNewJerseysawan opportunity to establish decorum in the practicing of slavery. The court granted freedom to slaves that were held illegally by their owners.

Another outlet that slaves had towards freedom was joining the British army dur-ing the American Revolution. The British, who had not yet outlawed slavery, offered American slaves the chance of freedom if they could provide service to their army.

“The Patriots were not offering anything like that,” said Professor Timothy Hack of Salem County College, who was also a part of the panel discussion.

Despite the offer from the British, however, many slaves, including those in NJ, continued to stay working for their owners.

“As much as slaves wanted freedom, we cannot use that against those who wanted to stay with their families because it was a difficult decision,” said Emily Blanck of Rowan University, a panelist during the discussion.

The panel was chaired by Dr. Mark Lend-er, interim vice president for academic af-fairs and included original research find-ings on the topic of slavery and freedom in New Jersey. Jonathan Mercantini of Kean University also spoke as a panelist.

Slavery as it Existed in New Jersey During the American Revolution

Prof. Timothy Hack of Salem County College speaks on a panel discussion about slavery and freedom in New Jersey around the American Revolution.

Photo: Laura Urban

• AdministrationBuilding,Firstfloorlobby• BruceHall,FirstFloorLounge• CenterforAcademicSuccess,Lobby• CommunicationsDepartmentOffice,

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| apr.7-apr. 27, 2010 7The Tower

By mattheW marChesano

Today, it seems that an ever-increasing amount of American citizens are keeping a watchful eye on their monetary funds, and spending less. With the economy in such shambles, it has become harder for some to maintain their normal lives, especially while our national unemployment rate continues to rise. This ‘penny-pinching’ lifestyle that many unfortunately endure has left too many homeless and without money to feed themselves. Perhaps even more unfortunate are those who can no longer support their pets, leaving their helpless animals abandoned and starving.

This has become a real problem. Accord-ing to Petfinder.com, in the last year “...84 percent of shelters and rescue groups are reporting pet surrenders because of the economic downturn, foreclosures and/or job losses.” This means that the economic downfall of our working class is so severe that thousands of affected pet owners can no longer afford their pets! Theoretically, hungry people have been forced into a

spot where they can either feed them-selves or feed their animals; both are no longer an option.

Adoptions have also become less popu-lar. According to Petfinder.com, “...37 per-cent of shelters and rescue groups have seen a decrease in pet adoptions over the past year.”

These harsh truths lead to overcrowded adoption facilities. Other than the estab-

lished ‘non-kill’ typed centers, some exces-sively busy establishments must instate restrictions on how long they keep each animal. Some facilities can house these animals for up to three weeks; others, just five days. Regardless, if nobody claims

or adopts the animal by deadline, the cen-ter puts it down to make room for the next stray.

Adopting a pet is incredibly easy and very rewarding. One easy was is by us-ing Petfinder.com, which is the largest pet adoption website, A potential pet owner can browse the listings of over 200,000 pets ranging from dogs, cats, rab-bits, birds and horses, along with many others. The listings are compiled from animals of rescue centers, which can be searched by zip code. In New Jersey alone, the website lists over 13,000 cats and nearly 10,000 dogs.

Animals are living beings, capable of emotions and susceptible to hunger pains as humans are. It is easy to point the blame solely at our government for put-ting us in this money-crisis situation and to shrug off any notions of adoption, feel-ing no guilt.

The only certainty is innocent animals are forced to die because of the situations beyond their control. The financial woes of the nation are not the faults of our ani-mals. There is no logic in severely burden-ing our four-(or two with wings) legged friends and treating them unethically.

Economic Failure Forces Increase in Pets Put Down

“The only CerTainTy is innoCenT aniMals are forCed To die beCause of The siTuaTions beyond Their ConTrol.”

If you loved Television Daddy (and especially if you missed it), you must go see Professor Susanna Rich in The Drive Home: A Staged Poetry Reading directed by Professor Ernest Wiggins. In the tradition of On the Road, My Mother the Car, and Thelma and Louise, The Drive Home puts us on a high-energy romp of American roads.

Poem after high-octane a makes the car a faithful companion and symbol for the journey of life and love and the yearning for home. Come for a heartwarming evening of laughs, tears, fun, and surprises. Sponsored by three Kean Departments—English, Theatre, and Women’s Studies—this free event opens at Kean in The Little Theatre, University Center, Monday, April 12th at 7:30 PM. A second performance will follow on Wednesday, April 14th at 7:30 PM.

Hope to see you there!

Thousands of pet owners can no longer keep up with the needs of their pets.

Photo: Kelsey Marchesano

8 apr. 7-apr. 27, 2010 | The Tower

If you think Allen Colter’s “Remember me” is a classic love story that leads to a classic happy ever after ending, then you are dead wrong. Though the movie does display a classic love story scenario, it ends with a flipped script that reminds of what a love tragedy is. Though Robert Pattinson warned fans on the emotional influence the movie would bring before hand, the audiences are still walking out of theaters is disbelief.

Robert Pattinson stars as Tyler Hawkins, a troubled teenager who tries to cope with his brother’s death. He

also deals with abandonment issues towards his father, (Pierce Brosnan) by picking fights and getting arrested. Up until now, the only girl in his life that he cares for is his little sister Janie, played by Kate Burton, and he tries his best to shield her heart from her father’s negligent habits.

Emilie de Ravin stars as Ally Craig, who also suffers the loss of her mother at a young age. Like Tyler, Craig also has difficulty with her fa-ther (played by Chris Cooper); however, unlike Tyler, Emilie’s father has problems letting her live her own life because he still sees her as a little girl.

Tate Ellington stars as Aidan Hall who is Ty-ler’s best friend and roommate. Aidan is arrested with Taylor and encourages him to use Emilie for revenge. But his plan back fires because he doesn’t realize how much they care for each other and how much he hurts both of them.

The concept of the movie is the same as any other love story, but the tragedy of the movie is unique and shocking. Interested in love stories? Watch “Remember Me.”

A & EARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Movies

Vampires and Werewolves and Mortals, Oh my! From director Chris Weitz comes the next thrilling installment in the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer, New Moon. Mortal Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) developed a romantic relationship in the previous movie, Twilight, and the romance deepens throughout New Moon, which came out in DVD March 20.

Edward and Bella’s relationship is put to the test when Edward tells Bella he has to leave and she doesn’t belong in his world. When he leaves, Bella falls into a deep depres-sion, as she narrates that Edward’s departure “left a deep hole in her chest.”

In order to help her snap out of her depressive state, Bella’s father, Charlie (Billy Burke) sends her to La Push to visit her friend Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), who re-veals that he and his tribe are in fact werewolves.

A turning point in the movie is when the characters go to the Voultorri, the ancient and powerful coven of vampires similar to human’s royal family. Bella ventures there in order to save Edward from himself. But does she?

The movie becomes even more interesting when every-one begins telling Bella how she should handle the situa-tion she has gotten herself into.

With a twist of events there is a proposal, a treaty with the vampires and an ending that will leave you begging for more.

Being a fan of “Twilight,” I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. Yes, I am Team Edward, have been since the first movie, and my loyalty shall not be shifted.

If you are a fan of paranormal romance, or just vampires and werewolves in general, I definitely recommend buying or renting New Moon. You will not be disappointed.

“neW Moon” has risen on dvd By erin Baliya

The name Smokey Joe’s Café conjures up the image of the 1950’s scene; cigarette smoke fogs the air, enhanced by the dim lighting and quite chatter of it’s clientele. In the corner sits a businessman, his suit jacket unbuttoned, his tie loose. The quiet din of plates clanging as they are bused away from tables is just another sound that brings out the feel of the name.

What people don’t expect, however, is high lighting and mood music. They don’t expect ginseng tea’s or Chai lattes. And they certainly do no expect the college students, sitting around and discussing the common plagues of tests or homework.

Enter Rockin’ Joes, the new baby sister of Smokey Joe’s café. The chain is expanding by taking their services to a younger crowd, in a more modern coffee shop feel. Rockin’ Joes, which has close locations in both a Westfield and Millburn, is a lively alternative to the Starbucks type establishment that are slowly becoming overdone.

roCkin’ Coffee WiTh a good feel By raChel rothspan

Hollywood’s zombie obsession contin-ues in the spirit of movies such as Dawn of the Dead, and the more recent Zombie-land, and now with the latest film of the genre, entitled The Crazies.

This movie stars Timothy Olyphant as David Hutton, a sheriff in a small town who finds himself and friends in the middle of a struggle when the residents are infected by mysterious strokes of insanity causing them to do heinous acts of violence.

Intertwining elements of both Resident Evil and 28 Days Later, The Crazies doesn’t disappoint with its abundance of complete mayhem and actions of des-peration of human survival. There are also plenty of references to ex-perimental bio-weaponry as well as numerous scenes in which the true manipulation of human psychology through disasters is evident. With features such as bloodshot eyes and veiny skin, producers were able to achieve the look of intense insanity.

Throughout the film there are also plenty of hair-raising suspense scenes and jump out of your seat shocks as you reach the ultimate and final conclusion. All in all, The Crazies was a good film pick and worth-while for anybody out there that is looking for a decent zombie flick with a different back-story.

“The CraZies” seTs a neW bar for The ZoMbie obsessed By Brett Williams

➦

loCal eaTsBecause they offer meal food as well as coffee classics, Rockin Joe’s is a great place

to sit with friends and discuss life in general. The walls are a bright color, and modern artwork hangs next to original creations, including a bulletin board filled with local flyers and business cards, and a hand drawn sign with the day’s recommendation. The room feels lively as the sounds of Vampire Weekend and other new and edgy musicians playing at the perfect level- not loud enough to drown out good conversation, but not soft enough to strain the ear.

Even the website for the locations has a strong over tone to it, providing television interviews, media events, and merchandise categories. Hooked into the corner is the phrase “coffeelounge eats”, a motto that holds true to the swanky style of Smokey Joes while expressing the mission of this new franchise.

Rockin Joe’s is stepping it up, bringing the rocky feel of this generation to the cof-fee shop experience that is revolutionizing social networking. Try it for yourself- the Millburn location is a short drive away from campus. Located in the heart of Millburn, the café sits across from a park and playground, the perfect place to picnic with take out if all the chairs are taken. Either way, it would be a shame to miss out on this inviting experience.

For more information, check out the website at: http://www.rocknjoe.net/

“reMeMber Me” By Carlos m reynosa

"like seeing The TiTaniC buT you didn’T see The iCeberg CoMing.”

➦

| apr.7-apr. 27, 2010 9The Tower

The crowd was larger than anything I could've anticipated. I've been to a couple of anime conventions, but this was my first gaming convention. A gaming conven-tion with a bunch of huge sponsors exhibiting at the event. All I could ask myself is, "How much different can this be from an anime convention?"

A lot, apparently.This is the first time the Penny Arcade Expo (com-

monly referred to as PAX) has hit the East Coast. Mas-sachusetts was the ideal location for the convention considering the numerous colleges offering a game de-sign academic program. PAX was created back in 2007 in Seattle, Washington and has been hosted there ever since. The next PAX Prime (as the West Coast PAX is referred to) is set to begin this (MONTH OF PRIME) for it's fourth convention.

PAX East 2010 ran at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston from March 26th to the 28th. It not only appealed to video gamers, but also the gaming crowd interested in various tabletop games, such as Magic: The Gathering, and board games, like The Settlers of Catan.

Unlike anime conventions, which I described in my Katsucon review last month, game conventions have such a different atmosphere. They don't have a Dealer's Room dedicated to purchasing merchandise, rather the room is stocked with ex-hibitors who are showing off their products, selling stuff, or just providing infor-mation on their company.

The Fangamer booth was one that gained popularity. Formerly known as Star-men.net, the group is most recognized their responsibility in a fan translation of the sequel to Nintendo's Earthbound, Mother 3. To this day, the game remains unre-leased in the United States. The group sold various clothing and other trinkets such as pins, stickers with a brilliant art direction as well as various articles of clothing. The entire clothing selection could be found on their website: http://fangamer.net.

All Points Bulletin was another eye-popping booth. Developed by EA Games, All Points Bulletin is a Grand Theft Auto styled game produced as a Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (or MMORPG). The theme of the game is to perform

various missions with the help of other gamers. It also offers substantial amounts of customization such as a clothing designer and tattoo artist. The game rates the user on general skill as opposed to the level-up system that the most games pro-vide. The release date is unknown.

yyr games, another vender at the convention, devel-ops independent games that are readily available on the XBOX LIVE Indie Games section. Lead designer and Founder of yyr games, Aaron Teplitsky wanted to combine his love for video games and arcades into the games he creates. One of his games, Snake360, has a multiplayer mode that pits you against up to four friends in a last man standing match where you try to block your opponent from moving. Although it sounds simple, it's an experience that you have to try yourself to appreciate the game.

Along with the countless video games, various musical acts were also featured at PAX East. Artists ranging from The Protomen, Jonathan Coulton, Metroid Metal, and The Video Game Orchestra are just a few artists that showed off their musical talents at the convention. The different genres of music that were shown at these concerts were as varied as the people in attendance.

Keynote speaker, Wil Wheaton, an actor and writer, most commonly known for his role as Wesley Crusher in Star Trek: The Next Generation, hit the nail on his head when he said, "the three days you spend here will go by faster than you think."

PaX easT 2010 revieW By eriC alBuen

Cars

➦"The Three days you sPend here Will go by fasTer Than you Think."

honda redefines “sPorT Car” By Charley FalkenBurg

Sport cars have earned the reputation of being fast, powerful, and expensive. Their gas-guzzling ways continue to anger environmentalists, and a cop’s radar gun seems to always follow them on the highways. For years their aerodynamic body styles and inefficient gas mileage have gone hand-in-hand with horsepower and speed: until now. Honda is about to break barriers by redefining the term “sport car” with its new CR-Z hybrid.

The 2011 Honda CR-Z hybrid sports coupe defies the performance concept. A sports car that is eco-friendly and runs partially on a battery seems unreal, but Honda has created the unthinkable. According to www.hybridcars.com, CR-Z stands for “Compact Renaissance Zero” which signifies Honda’s desire to give birth to a new era for compact highly efficient vehicles.

The coupe is equipped with a 1.5 liter i-VTEC engine that reaches 122 horsepow-er at 6,000 RPMs. The numbers may not sound too impressive, but this new “sports car” isn’t focused on digits. CR-Z.Honda.com says, “The car isn’t about horsepower

numbers, it is about a nimble responsive drive.” This sports hybrid emphasizes the driver’s choice with its three-mode drive

system, which tailors the driving experience based on the individual. The ECON mode is tuned for optimal economy, which is every commuter’s dream. It is espe-cially useful in rush-hour traffic and city driving. The sport mode makes the engine throttle more responsive and sharpens the electric power steering making the ride fun and more aggressive. The normal mode is the default position, which includes standard settings for steering and engine response. According to CR-Z.Honda.com, this hybrid gets an estimated 36 mpg in the city and 38 mpg on the highway.

The CR-Z is also available in a six-speed manual transmission. Www.hybridcars.com states that this option makes the CR-Z the only hybrid on the market with manual gears. If the manual option doesn’t sound appealing, the hybrid is also available in a CVT automatic transmission, which maximizes the fuel economy.

Honda enthusiasts will be excited to know that the CR-Z overall shape is similar to the Honda CR-X which ended production in 1991. The coupe is designed to look compact, sporty, and futuristic. Along with an eye-catching body style, the base model comes complete with automatic climate control, remote entry, cruise con-

trol, and a 160-Watt stereo. The 2011 Honda CR-Z Hybrid is set to grace the United States sometime during

the late summer. While an exact price has yet to be disclosed, www.hybridcars.com estimates that the figure should be around $25,000.

The CR-Z sports hybrid shows that a sports car doesn’t have to make insane amounts of power to be considered a “performance vehicle”. If it happens to help out the environment, keep the cops at bay, and make your mother happy, that doesn’t hurt either.

"The Car isn’T abouT horsePoWer nuMbers, iT is abouT a niMble resPonsive drive."

➦ gaMes

10 apr. 7-apr. 27, 2010 | The Tower

In these tough economic times, the fear is always that the arts programs will be the first to get cut. They are viewed as extra programs when schools are under financial pressures. But what many people overlook as dispensable, are so important to the development of a well-rounded institution.

One of my favorite examples of fine art will be the upcoming Ars Vitalis concert on Thursday, April 8 at 8:00 pm at Enlow Hall. Ars Vitalis, a yearly concert put on by music department profes-sor, Dr. Matthew Halper, director of the composition program at Kean, will feature all new music from living composers, many who are from the NJ area.

The arts, which include theatre and drama, fine arts, and music, are important subjects throughout all cultures. In addition to the vast psychological benefits of an experience in the arts, they also enrich people’s lives.

If we cut the music department or theatre department, essentially what we are saying is that these subjects are not worth studying; that they are not important.

And since an education in the arts is a growing profession, it is important that these programs be allowed to grow.

So often, the programs that are so important and courses that are important to students are the ones that don’t get the publicity. They tend to be the smaller programs. An education in the arts allows students and faculty to integrate among different departments. The arts are the in-terwoven disciplines that together make up the cultural community of an institution.

Raquel Fernandes Editor-in-Chief

A NOT-SO-SOUR NOTE

EDITORIAL

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The Tower welcomes guest columns and letters to the editor from any source. Such material should be submitted to tower@kean.edu or left atTheTower’soffices.Toverifysourcesofwrittenmaterial,submissionsmust include the writer’s name and contact information. Students should include their class (sophomore, graduate, etc.) and major. Faculty and staff should include campus title or position.On request, namesmaybe withheld from publication if The Tower staff determines there is a legitimate reason to do so, but no anonymous letters will be accepted for publication.TheTowerreservestherighttoedit,andrefusepublicationof any submission.

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sMall Talk By Dan Pata

By Joseph tingle

Do you know who the president of your university is?

At an especially candid address to stu-dents and faculty last month entitled “Dr. Farahi’s Success Story,” Kean University President Dawood Farahi seemed intent on making sure students knew just that.

“I want students to know they can speak with me about anything,” said Dr. Farahi, as he talked and joked with students en-joying pizza and other refreshments sup-plied at the event.

The event, which was sponsored by the sophomore class of Student Organization, took place in Hennings Hall 113 on March 9, and was meant as a way to give students a chance to meet with Dr. Farahi and talk to him one-on-one, according to sopho-more class president Jessenia Levy.

Farahi, who spoke to a medium-sized audience, opened his presentation by talk-ing about his arrival to the United States in 1973. The first lesson he learned was that

he’d have to talk to other English speakers if he ever wanted to learn English.

Throughout, Farahi consistently iden-tified “pride” as a virtue necessary for success, and emphasized what he called the “three p’s”: pride in oneself, pride in one’s heritage, and pride in one’s school or work place.

“If you don’t believe you have potential, no one else will,” Farahi said, reminding students that before he became President of Kean University, he had never been a chairperson or a dean.

For Farahi, the evidence that his mission at Kean is succeeding is visually obvious.

“Just look at the residence halls you live in, and then remember Whiteman and Dougall,” Farahi joked.

Farahi, however, admits that at least a few people aren’t happy with all the changes that have taken place since he’s become president. In the wake of budget

cuts, a class schedule change, and the con-solidation of some academic departments, things have not always been quiet, or easy. But Farahi insists that students “aren’t the ones screaming bloody murder,” and says that those who are don’t bother him.

“You have this kind of behavior in any institution,” Farahi said, who also insists that he does not have any issues listening to the ideas of people who disagree with him, granted they’re willing to work hard and put more on the table. “Over two-thirds of our faculty do a great job for our students,” he went on to say.

To the dismay of some students and or-ganizers, an unidentified person or group had littered sheets of paper on which pro-fane language was used to describe Stu-dent Organization, Dr. Farahi, the Univer-sity and the event. Farahi addressed the issue, and claimed that, while disappoint-ing, that kind of behavior is typical of any big institution.

“It’s such a sad thing to see all that en-ergy wasted,” Farahi said.

Kean President Connects With Students at “Success Story” Event

“if you don’T believe you have PoTenTial, no one else Will.”

Kean University President Dr. Dawood Farahi.

| apr.7-apr. 27, 2010 11The Tower

Just days before Google officially pulled out of mainland China, Xinhua, the govern-ment-run press agency of the People’s Republic of China, posted a document on its website that blasted the United States on, of all things, the subject of human rights.

The document, which can be found at news.xinhuanet.com, criticized the United States for carrying itself as the “world judge of human rights,” and listed a plethora of widely-known and widely-documented abuses in the United States—sometimes accurately, and sometimes twisted and stretched beyond what many American Citizens could rec-ognize as reality.

“The Human Rights Record of the United States in 2009 is prepared to help people around the world understand the real situation of human rights in the United States,” the Chinese government-run document says.

The six-part document lampoons the United States on, among others, the topics of racial inequality, rights for women and children, and what it calls “United States abuses of human rights in other nations.” Examples pruned to fit the document’s agenda range from accurate and noteworthy to downright absurd. For example, on the issue of work-er’s right the document notes that,

“Only eight percent of those who suffered serious injuries on the job filed for com-pensation. Up to 26 percent of those surveyed were paid less than the national mini-mum wage. Among those who complained about wages or treatment, 43 percent had experienced retaliation or dismissal (The New York Times, September 2, 2009),” before matter-of-factly stating:

“according to a report by the USA Today on July 20, 2009, a total of 5,657 people died at workplaces across the U.S. in 2007, about 17 deaths each day.”

The example provided by the Xinhua article completely neglects to mention that most of those people likely die for reasons other than “their rights being severely violated,” and thus fails to convey any reasonable understanding of real problems faced by work-ers in the United States.

On wealth and racial inequality, the document asserts that, “according to a report is-sued by the U.S. Bureau of Census, the real median income for American households in 2008 was 50,303 U.S. dollars. That of the non-Hispanic white households was 55,530 U.S. dollars, Hispanic households 37,913 U.S. dollars, black households only 34,218 U.S. dollars.”

But for every good point the document makes, there’s a silly, over-exaggerated blan-ket statement to counter it, like, “[American] Children are exposed to violence and liv-ing in fear.”

Then, there was the documents criticism of what it called the United States’ hege-

monic goals.“The United States with its strong military power has pursued hegemony in the world,

trampling upon the sovereignty of other countries and trespassing their human rights,” the document claimed.

What may have been most ironic, though, was the government agency’s treatment of freedom of the press in the United States.

According to the document:“The so-called ‘freedom of the press’ of the United States was in fact completely sub-

ordinate to its national interests, and was manipulated by the U.S. government. Accord-ing to media reports, the U.S. government and the Pentagon had recruited a number of former military officers to become TV and radio news commentators to give “positive comments” and analysis as “military experts” for the U.S. war in Iraq and Afghanistan, in order to guide public opinions, glorify the wars, and gain public support of its anti-terrorism ideology (The New York Times, April 20, 2009) […] In September 2009, pro-testers using the social-networking site Twitter and text messages to coordinate dem-onstrations clashed with the police several times in Pittsburgh, where the Group of 20 summit was held. Elliot Madison, 41, was later charged with hindering apprehension of the protesters through the Internet. The police also searched his home (http://www.ny-times.com, October 5, 2009). Vic Walczak, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, said the same conduct in other countries would be called human rights violations whereas in the United States it was called necessary crime control.”

For a government that was just abandoned by Google for censoring searches and hack-ing into human rights leader’s e-mail accounts, this bit about “freedom of the press” was probably the most ironic of all.

Overall, China’s critique of the United States on human rights was sometimes accu-rate, sometimes twisted, and sometimes just plain silly.

But, increasingly, the US demands for China to take human rights seriously have been met more and more with replies from China that amount to little more than “shut up, America. You don’t talk to us that way.”

As China continues to develop as a world power, it’s important that the United States and China exist as “partners” rather than “competitors.”

But when the relationship between these two powerful nations boils down to propa-ganda-driven lies; when mutual business interests fall apart; and when misrepresenta-tions of problems meant solely to discredit become more common, articles like the one in Xinhua don’t seem so funny anymore.

CHINA FIRES BACK AT U.S . ON HUMAN RIGHTSBy Joseph tingle

VIEW

By matt Chin

Honda is a car company. Sony is an electronics company. Pepsi is a beverage company. Tiger Woods is the world’s top-ranked golfer. What do all these things have in common?

They are all major, worldwide brands. What separates Tiger Woods from all

these brands? In the last four months a sex scandal centered on Woods has caused his world to spiral out of control and im-plode.

Woods is the world’s number one golfer. In the gap between him and Jack Nicklaus, in his prime, there were other number one golfers. Woods won his first Masters, was considered golf ’s most prestigious major tournament at the age of 21, and sepa-rated himself from the rest. The rest after that is history.

Major companies such as Accenture, Gillette, Nike, and Gatorade sponsored Woods and he instantly became worth millions of dollars. In 2009, Forbes esti-mated Woods worth at $110 million – first on the list of athletes. The next closest was a tie between Kobe Bryant of the Los An-geles Lakers and retired basketball great Michael Jordan valued at $45 million.

People purchased products because he

used them. They bought Nike golf clubs and golf balls because he used them. Ath-letes drank Woods’ Gatorade brand be-cause it had his name.

Quite simply, people spent their hard-earned dollars because those companies smacked his name on their products.

In the 90s there was the “Like Mike” catch phrase because everyone wanted to be like Michael Jordan. In the 2000s, even though a catch phrase for Woods didn’t exist, people wanted to be like him.

But in the case of Woods, I never felt be-trayed. Yes, people cheat on their spouses all the time, but I was disappointed with Woods. It’s tragic to see the all-time greats fall from their pedestals of greatness.

Even though people wanted to be like him, people never really knew Woods. He kept his affairs hidden from the world for almost a decade. Even his wife, Elin, never really knew the real Tiger Woods.

He constructed a posse of his most trust-ed friends to help hide his extracurricular activities.

In his interview with Tom Rinaldi of ESPN, he said the life he was living was a lie. And when asked if people know him better now, he answered “A lot better now.”

Unfortunately, it took the losses of mul-timillion-dollar endorsements for Woods to realize that his actions affect people. In America, cheating on a spouse is viewed as the ultimate evil. A lot of Americans base their lives on moral character, and a lot of

people put their faith in Woods. But Woods’ loss of endorsements is

more far reaching than expected. Our economy loses money.

Obviously our economy isn’t going to crumble because companies dropped Woods from their label. When a company pulls products, like Gatorade did when they dropped his endorsement and pulled four Tiger Gatorade flavors from store shelves, that company has to somehow make up for their lack of a product. And more likely than not, they don’t have a product with as much marketing power to replace it right away.

There is an old cliché saying that time heals all wounds. I’d like to offer a differ-ent one for Woods’ case since after all, he’s in a situation that not many of us will ever deal with in our lives: Championships heal all wounds.

It’s probably silly to think that a simple win on the golf course will grant Woods automatic forgiveness. It will. I promise anyone that it will. Tiger needs to make a comeback.

There’s nothing people like better than to see a comeback. Tiger Woods is the world’s most prominent athlete in a sport full of obscure athletes.

Tiger Woods Matters to the People

“iT’s TragiC To see The all-TiMe greaTs fall froM Their PedesTals of greaTness.”

Tiger Woods.

Photo: Baltimore Sun

JOIN THE TOWER

12 apr. 7-apr. 27, 2010 | The Tower

By Dr. Josh palgi anD Dr. JessiCa aDams

In 1915 a group of physicians and social workers formed the first association for the prevention and relief of heart disease in New York City. The interest spread wide-ly in other cities across the United States and Canada. Six cardiologists represent-ing several groups founded the American Heart Association (AHA) in 1924. Since then the AHA has grown rapidly in size, fi-nancial resources, involvement with medi-cal and non-medical volunteers, and influ-ence, both nationally and internationally.

Today the AHA is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is “building” healthier lives, free of cardiovascular dis-ease and strokes. The association’s impact goal is to reduce coronary heart disease, stroke, and risk by 25% by 2010. Progress toward the goal will be measured accord-ing to these indicators:

Reduce the death rate from coronary heart disease and stroke by 25%

Reduce the prevalence of smoking, high blood cholesterol, and physical inactivity by 25%.

Reduce the rate of uncontrolled high blood pressure by 25%

Eliminate the growth of obesity and diabetes.

Hoops for Heart (HFH) is a national fundraising program sponsored jointly by the American alliance for health, physical education, recreation, and dance (AAH-PERD) and AHA. HFH is a program that promotes physical activity, heart healthy living, and community service to chil-dren. It provides opportunity to teach the younger generation how regular exercise, a healthy diet and knowledge of risk fac-tors contribute to a long healthy life. Each year more than 7 million children partici-pate in HFH events, uniting parents, stu-dents and the community.

The money that is being raised will go to the AHA to help pay for science and research to discover new medicine and

treatments for the 36,000 kids who are born every year with congenital heart de-fect. On April 28, Kean University Physical Education Major Club, with the leadership of Dr. Jessica Adams, the club advisor, and student Tracy Kelly, club president, will join more than 40,000 schools nationwide in increasing awareness for heart disease, strokes, and healthier lives in our commu-nity. The event will take place in the Har-wood Arena from 11:30 a.m.-1p.m.

Drs. Palgi and Adams are professors in the Kean University Physical Education, Recreation, and Health Department.

Taking care of your amazing machine, your body, requires you to keep a healthy lifestyle. A healthy diet is one important component of a healthy lifestyle. Making sure your body gets all of the important nutrients it needs to function properly. We get some of the nutrients we need from food, but due to poor manufacturing and handling processes, a big portion of the food we eat is depleted or even com-pletely devoid of essential nutrients.

Dietary supplements are vitamins, min-erals, herbs and other substances meant to improve your diet. Dietary supple-ments, also known as food supplements or nutritional supplements, are intended to supplement the diet of some people but not to replace the balance of the va-riety of food important to a healthy diet. According to a study conducted in 2009 by IPSOS Public Affairs on behalf of the council for responsible nutrition (CRN), 65% of adults in the U.S. report taking dietary supplements (48% regularly, 15%, occasionally and 3% seasonally). 72% of women take supplements compared to 59% of men. 68% of adults aged 35 and older take supplements compared to 59% of those under the age of 35.

Multivitamins are by far the most con-sumed supplement of all, with 54% of the U.S. adult population reporting to take a multivitamin; 78% taking it regularly, 20% occasionally and 2% seasonally. The

proportion of adults who are confident in dietary supplements has increased from 79% in 2006, 80% in 2007, 81% in 2008, and 84% in 2009. Women are more likely than men to be confident in the safety, quality and effectiveness of supplements ( 86% vs 80%).

The U.S. Congress defined the term “di-etary supplement” in The Dietary Supple-ment Health and Education Act (DSHEA) of 1994. A dietary supplement is a prod-uct taken by mouth that contains a “di-etary ingredient” intended to supplement the diet. The dietary ingredients may in-clude vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids, and substances such as enzymes, organ tissues, glandular, and metabolites. Dietary supplements can also be extracts or concentrates, and may be found in many forms such as tab-lets, capsules, softgels, gelcaps, liquid, or powders. They can also be in other forms, such as a bar. Whatever their form may be, DSHEA places dietary supplements in a special category under the general um-brella of “foods”, not drugs, and requires that every supplement be labeled a dietary supplement. Information that must be on a dietary supplement label includes: a de-scriptive name of the product stating that it is a “supplement”, the name and place of business of the manufacturer, packer, or distributor, a complete list of ingredients, and the net contents of the product.

The United State Department of Agri-culture (USDA) determines what food is grown and how it’s used in this country. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA determines what ingredients and chemi-cals are allowed in our food. The FDA is responsible for protecting the public health by assuring the safety, efficacy, and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, medical services, our good supply, cosmetics, and products that emit radiation. The Federal Trade Com-

mission (FTC) regulates advertising of di-etary supplements in national or regional newspapers and magazines and in radio and television commercials. The FTC re-quires that all information about supple-ments be truthful and not misleading. Many people take dietary supplements in an effort to be well and stay healthy. To take a supplement as safely as possible:

• Tellyourdoctoraboutanydietarysup-plements you use

• Donottakeabiggerdosethanthelabelrecommends

• Stop taking it if you have side effects.Read trustworthy information about the supplement

The bottom line is that a poor diet plus supplements is still a poor diet. Food is still your #1 option for getting the nutri-ents you need for healthy living.

Article submitted by: Drs. Josh Palgi and Jes-sica Adams—Kean University, Physical Edu-cation, Recreation, and Health Department.

It Takes Heart to be a HeroHEALTH & FITNESS

By megan muller

Did you make a New Year’s resolution to lose weight? NBC’s The Biggest Loser has proven successful in boosting numerous contestants’ weight loss goals, and now students at Kean have the opportunity to take advantage of a similar program.

Fit to Be Kean, a weight-loss competi-tion offered to the campus, is a tool to help students meet their shape up goal. With the assistance of a personal trainer during each meeting, as well as a journal for tracking his or her eating habits and workout routines, each participant will be able to see where they need help.

“The program is open to everyone,” said Lori Purwin, R.N. in the Office of Health Services. “A lot of people are not over weight, but also not in shape.”

For a small fee of $20, students will par-ticipate in weekly weigh-ins, be assisted in nutrition and have the opportunity to work out with a certified personal trainer. The competition part of the program is both a single and group competition, and is based off a point system; one point for eating vegetables, three points for walking a mile, three points per pound lost, etc.

Half of the program fee will be donated

to the Haitian relief, whereas the other $10 will be added to a collection for do-nation to a charity chosen by the win-ning team. The winning individual will also be rewarded with a prize that will be announced during the last meeting. Ac-cording to Purwin, not knowing the prize throughout the competition can be used as a “motivational skill.”

If this type of competitions is not for you, there are still numerous ways in which you can focus on better eating hab-its and exercise routines. Suit101.com rec-ommends focusing on a sleep schedule as well as carrying a water bottle with you. This will help students reach the desired 64 ounces of water a day and focus less on sugary substitutes such as soda.

Pack yourself a few snacks to take on the go as well, especially if your classes are back to back throughout the day. Purwin recommends healthy snacking between meals to “keep your metabolism going.”

According to the Kean website, $135 of your student fees go towards athletics and recreation activities, which includes the gym! Take advantage of your “mem-bership” and hit the weights; a 30-minute date with the treadmill is bound to make you feel better.

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Theeventwilltakeplaceinthe

Harwood arena on Wednesday, April 28th from

11:30-1:00pm. All are welcome to partici-

pate. Shouldyouhaveany

questions,pleasecontactDr.Adams in D’angola 219

or E-mail Tracy at:

KellTrac@Kean.edu.

But if the structured workout calls to you, Fit to be Kean began on March 4th and will run until April 29th, and meets on Thursdays from 3:15-4:30 pm in room 191 of the D’Angelo Building. Although the competition has already begun, new

participants can still take advantage of the program’s benefits.

For more information please contact the Health Services office at (908) 737-4880.

| apr.7-apr. 27, 2010 13The Tower

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| apr.7-apr. 27, 2010 15The Tower

POWER TO THE TOWER

CAMPUS SPORTS

By anDreW CzirJak

Kean University’s baseball team just can’t seem to lose asthe Cougars are on a five game winning steak. They are now 11-4 mid-way through the regular season.

However, Neil Ioviero, Head Coach of the baseball program, believes the Cou-gars can still improve their game.

“Part of being a good coach is know-ingyour players can succeed,” said Ioviero. “However it’s nerve racking when half of your entire pitching staff is new to the team. Some of our freshmen mem-bers were not able to play their best when the pressure was on. There was some in-consistency with the young guns on the mound. But we’ve been working on that. Still the freshmen members on squad are coming along nicely. The freshmen pitchers are still very young, but they are extremely talented.”

But, according to Ioviero, with every loss you learn something.

“You have to take lumps and your going to have to battle,” said Ioviero. “In order to play your best, you have to be tested by the best.”

And that is exactly what the Cougars did on March 15 when they edged past last year’s College World Series runners-up, The College of Wooster, 16-15.

“We weren’t slated to play Wooster,” said Ioviero. “This year our schedule got mixed up. The trip to Port Charlotte, Florida was unexpected. [Our team] played some games they weren’t supposed to. But, to be great you have to play some good compe-tition. When we faced Wooster, the most important thing the guys realized in that game was that you have to play all nine in-nings. Just because you have a huge lead in a game doesn’t guarantee you will win.”

The Cougars found that out the hard way

as Wooster rallied with seven runs of their own in the fourth inning. As the teams headed into the seventh inning, Wooster struck again, scoring five runs and trailed Kean by one.

“The Cougars had a big lead. They made some easy errors. They got a head of them-selves,” said Ioviero. “Wooster started to battle back. And we saw that even though Wooster was losing they did not quit un-til the 27th out. The [Cougars] learned something from [Wooster], if you want to win the CWS you can’t give up. No matter what the score says.”

The Cougars play 40 to 50 games a sea-

son, and they are not going to win every game. However, a key win, like beating Wooster, gave Kean‘s baseball team the belief that they can win the College World Series, which is always the main goal.

Even though Coach Ioviero said the Cougars are “still getting their feet wet” as a team, he is confident his players can win.

“There were a few games that got away from us that I thought the team should have won. But, the guys remained calm and didn’t get discouraged. And that was important. You know your going to suf-fer some loses It’s what you learn from those mistakes that ultimately makes you a better team. Even though it is still early into the season I believe if we keep playing like we have been for the last five games and keep on improving we can get to the College World Series.”

Room For Improvement as Cougars Continue to Devour Competition

“i Think honesTly, We should be Playing beTTer Than We are righT noW.”

By matt Chin

The Kean women’s softball team may be young team this year, but that hasn’t stopped head coach Margie Acker from dreaming big.

“Obviously our number one goal is to make to the NJAC tournament,” said Acker.

The team played with 10 freshmen dur-ing a spring break road trip in south Flor-ida, in which they finished 8-2 to start the season.

“I think we were pleasantly surprised at what the outcome was,” said Acker. “We had a freshman we ended up putting in a lead off spot, and she hit .400 or .417 and we managed to manufacture some runs with her.”

With the team lacking in veteran play-ers, the five senior girls on the team helped the freshmen players learn the game.

“They played an integral role in letting the freshmen know what to expect when they got there,” said Acker. “…them giving some insight of what to expect-whether it being running bases, or pinch running, or pinch hitting.”

During the games, assistant coach Melanie Helterbran witnessed veteran players playing the mentor role to the underclassmen.

“We have seniors in the field or on the bench that do a great job of just mak-ing sure that everybody’s involved,” said Helterbran. “Whether it’s just cheering

or picking a player up, if they’re at bat or grabbing their gloves.”

In addition to the seniors teaching them, the week spent in Florida forced the freshmen players to learn how differ-ent the game is from high school.

“The game is quicker, people throw harder, pitch harder and slide harder,” said Acker.

Not only is the softball team full of freshmen, but also some of the girls may be inexperienced in some areas of the game.

“Throwing the freshman or inexperi-enced players—we have a shortstop that didn’t play shortstop last year, we have a second basemen that didn’t play second base last year – so we have a lot of inexpe-rience at different positions,” said Acker.

Acker believes that treating each day like it’s a game day will help her young team find success.

“Whether it’s a team in first or a team in last, we need to prepare ourselves the same way every single day,” said Acker. “We just think that if we can continue to play the way we are we’ll keep growing as a team, and we’ll be right there as one of the contenders.”

Softball Team Young, But Learning Fast

“The gaMe is quiCker, PeoPle ThroW harder, PiTCh harder and slide harder.”

By anDreW CzirJak

The Kean University men’s lacrosse team regained their confidence on March 24 as they crushed Centenary College, 20-3. The win was a much needed win since the Cougars were coming off a two game losing streak.

The night match started off with Nick Angrisani, a sophomore at Kean, scor-ing the first goal just 61 seconds into the game. The Cougars would go on to score three more goals in the first quarter, tak-ing a 3-0 lead.

The Cougars dominance over Cente-

nary continued throughout the rest of the game.

In the second quarter, the Cougars got off to a quick start. Kean scored four more goals, including netting three in a two minute span. With 1:20 minutes remain-ing in the first half, the Cougars held an 8-1 lead at break.

In the third quarter, Kean scored five more times, extending the lead to 13-1. Kean would go on to net seven more goals that night, scoring a season-high of 20 goals. The Cougars are now 4-4 overall for the season.

Men’s Lacrosse Team Back on Track With Recent Win

16 apr. 7-apr. 27, 2010 | The Tower

PoINT by John Cherry

CoUNTERPoINT by Junior Jean-baptiste

You’re right, John. The Yankees are coming out of winning their 27th World Series championship and look good in pursuing the run again. However, I see Boston winning the American League East this year, and perhaps the World Series.

It’s happened before. The bitter rivalry between Boston and New York- I smell a repeat of 2004 when the Red Sox were down 3-0 against the Yankees and turned the so-called “curse” around to head to the World Series and win. With the Yan-kees loss of Johnny Damon to the Detroit Tigers, the Red Sox look to seize the opportunity of not having to play against their former teammate as much, which could have been a curse for them.

Since the Red Sox signed top free agent pitcher John Lackey this year, their rotation rounded out. The Red Sox

will give the Yankees a first taste of what will happen in the playoffs when they meet in the first game of the regular season this month. l. Also, pitcher John Lester looked pretty good pitching in Spring training for the Red Sox.

We all know the Mets are coming out of one of their worst years in baseball and will most likely not win the National League East, since the Philadelphia Phillies will most likely dominate the division again. This year is a rebuilding mode for the Mets in finding some leaders and veterans on the team who will have to step up if they have any hope of making it to the playoffs this year.

This year should be interesting and fun for baseball, with lots of competi-tion. We’ll see which team shows up and which team will want it more. I don’t believe the Yankees will be seeing the Phillies again since these picks seem more realistic.

al east Boston Red Soxal Central Detroit Tigersal West Los Angeles Anaheim Angels al Wild Card New York Yankees

nl east Philadelphia Phillies nl Central St. Louis Cardinals nl West Colorado Rockiesnl Wild Card Los Angeles Dodgers

al pennant Red Sox over Yankeesnl pennant Phillies over Rockies

World series Red Sox over Phillies

Baseball is back and what a difference a year makes for the two New York teams. The New York Yankees are coming off their 27th World Series title and the New York Mets are coming off from a season that was a complete disaster.

Not only did the two best teams in baseball meet in the World Series last year, but improved their abilities in the off season. With the addition of Curtis Grand-erson, Javier Vazquez, and Nick Johnson, the Yankees added what could be their number two starter by year’s end, and 30 plus homerunner, Granderson. He should feast in what is now a hitter friendly Yankee Stadium.

The Philadelphia Phillies didn’t just sit back and do nothing, either. They add-ed one of the best pitchers in baseball to their team, Roy Halladay. Although they gave up Cliff Lee to get him, they did not mortgage the future by dealing all their prospects for him.

When it comes to who is going to make the playoffs in the National League, there are the Phillies and everyone else. You can put it in the books now, barring any devastating injuries for the Phillies, they will be representing the National League for the third straight year. The lineup is too deadly and the pitching staff is stronger than ever.

The Mets will have to get through a lot of adver-sity, as it is, just to fight for the Wild Card. The di-vision is out of the picture for them because they have no chance of keeping up with the Phillies.

The addition of Jason Bay to their lineup will help the loss of Carlos Beltran for the first month and a half of the season. For the Mets, though, it will all depend on what has been a shaky pitching staff at best. The Mets will make the playoffs if John Maine, Mike Pelfrey, and Oliver Perez can regain their 2007 and 2008 form.

The Yankees, on the other hand, will have a much tougher road back to the World Series, simply because the American League is leaps and bounds better than the National League, outside of the Phillies.

The AL East alone has two teams other than the Yankees that are much better than any team in the NL: The Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays. Both have improvied much and are going to be tough teams all year for the Yankees.

The Red Sox have quite possibly the best five man rotation anyone has seen in baseball in many years. With the addition of John Lackey and the emergence of John Lester and Clay Bucholz this rotation is stacked.

The Rays are two years removed from a World Series appearance and have even more up and coming youngsters from their farm system.

This Yankee team is battle tested and is playing with house money. They have a better lineup than they did last year and a better rotation.

al east NY Yankeesal Central Chicago White Soxal West Anaheim Angelsal Wild Card Tampa Bay Rays

nl east Philadelphia Philliesnl Central St. Louis Cardinalsnl West San Francisco Giantsnl Wild Card Florida Marlins

al pennant Yankees over Raysnl pennant Phillies over Giants

World series Yankees over Phillies

Will the Curse Be Reversed? 2010 Major League Baseball PredictionsSPORTS

Red Sox David Ortiz.

“The red soX signing ToP free agenT PiTCher John laCkey This year Will really helP The TeaM’s ChanCe in The defensive side of The ball gaMes.”

“This yankee TeaM is baTTle TesTed.”NY Yankees Mariano Rivera.

April 09 3:00 PM Baseball vs. TCNJApril 13 3:00 PM Softball vs William Paterson UniversityApril 14 4:00 PM Women’s Lacross vs SUNY Maritime CollegeApril 17 11:30 AM Baseball vs Ramapo College 7:00 PM Men’s Lacross vs. Montclair StateApril 18 12:00 PM Sotfball vs FDU- FlorhamApril 20 3:00 PM Softball vs New Jersey City UniversityApril 21 7:00 PM Men’s lacrosse vs Farmingdale State College

April 23 3:30 PM PM Baseball vs Rutgers-CamdenApril 24 1:00 PM Women’s Lacrosse vs Farmingdale State College 4:00 PM Men’s Lacrosse vs SUNY Maritime CollegeApril 27 3:00 PM Softball vs Ramapo CollegeApril 28 3:30 PM PM Baseball vs Drew UniversityApril 29 3:00 PM Softball vs Drew University 3:30 PM Baseball vs Rowan UniversityMay 01 11:30 AM Baseball vs William Paterson University

KEAN SPORTS SCHEDULE: