COUNTY COLLEGE OF MORRIS AWARD-WINNING STUDENT NEWSPAPER T HE Y OUNGTOWN E DITION Gold Medalist, 2013 Columbia Scholastic Press Association • First Place Layout & Design 2012-2013 NJPA VOL. 91, NO. 6 WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2013 RANDOLPH, N.J. “It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.” -Albert Einstein T ODAY ’ S HEADLINES INDEX Features 3, 5, 7, 8 News 2 Opinions 5 Roving Reporter 8 Entertainment 6 Blockbuster Closing Blockbuster’s final days cause mixed reactions. Page 3 Games and poetry Check out the Poetry Corner and Fenwick’s Phrases. Page 6 Christie visits CCM to discuss ‘Building Our Future’ Bond Act BY MARINA DISTASI-GRAY Staff Writer On Nov. 12 in the Davidson Rooms, Gov. Chris Christie re- vealed how the Bond Act will en- hance County College of Morris’ engineering and science classes, and create a new music technol- ogy building. New Jersey colleges and uni- versities will receive $7.5 million from the Building Our Future Bond Act. Of that total, $1.5 mil- lion will be designated to county colleges. “If we want New Jersey to retain its best and brightest stu- dents, we have to invest in our colleges and our universities,” Christie said. “If we want to have New Jersey be a place where cut- ting-edge technologies are devel- oped and perfected and marketed, then we need to invest.” He received each future proj- ect after the committee made the recommendations to the Legisla- ture according to Christie. “I think it’s going to really, really enhance the educational opportunities here for residents of Morris County,” Christie said. A recording studio, more classroom space and an ex- perimental theater are a part of CCM’s new music technology building. The engineering and science labs will also be updated with more space and electronics available. Jeffrey Advokat, chair of the Board of Trustees, introduced the governor and discussed Christie’s past accomplishments. “Years ago, as soon as he moved to Morris County, Gov. Christie was extremely involved, active, cared about the communi- ty and worked so hard,” Advokat said. “Obviously he ran and be- came one of our freeholders and worked great as a freeholder.” Christie’s next move was becoming the United States attorney. “He had an unbelievable re- cord as U.S. attorney, probably the best ever,” Advokat said. “Governor Christie, now, we all know, is absolutely recognized as one of the strongest leaders in the entire country,” he continued. “And that’s based on all the great work he’s already done,” Advo- kat said. Students said they shared the excitement of having the gover- nor visit CCM. “I respect the fact that he took the time out of his busy ca- reer to visit our school. His visit reassures us that we have gov- ernmental backing to improve all of New Jersey’s schools,” said Michele Ciz, a business major at CCM. “It’s nice to know that the government is there for us during a much-needed time in our lives.” GPA: Grades, Pressure, Anxiety BY KHUSHBU KAPADIA Editor in Chief As soon as the school year begins, students set goals for themselves like obtaining a high- er GPA and earning straight A’s. Pressure can set in as students prepare and motivate themselves to perform the best he or she can on exams and assignments. However, what happens to that continued pressure on stu- dents once grades are eliminated entirely? There are a couple of colleg- es that adhere to non-traditional grading systems where no letter grades are issued. According to College Insid- er, an online college information source, such colleges without a traditional grading system in- clude: Evergreen State College, Union Institute & University, Goddard College, Hampshire College, Antioch University, New College of Florida and Harvey Mudd College, among others. According to Nora Dennehy, digital media studies with a con- centration in TV production at County College of Morris, more colleges and schools should ad- here to a non-traditional grading system. “The point of going to col- lege is to gain knowledge about things you’re interested in so you can hopefully go on to a career in that field,” Dennehy said. “Get- ting a letter grade doesn’t tell a student what they’re doing right or wrong; it just tells them if they did it right or wrong.” These colleges with non- traditional grading systems focus on motivating students with the pursuit of knowledge rather than a letter grade. According to Alfie Kohn, an author and lecturer who fo- cuses on topics including educa- tion, parenting and behavior, a non-traditional grading system is much better than receiving an A, B, C, D or F. Kohn performed a study where he analyzed students who are focus on grades compared with students who aren’t focused on grades. The study produced these results: “Grades tend to dimin- ish students’ interest in whatever they’re learning, grades create a preference for the easiest possible task and grades tend to reduce the quality of students’ thinking.” Another CCM student also sides with Dennehy in that schools without letter grades are more favorable than schools with letter grades. “I feel that colleges should definitely get rid of the grading system,” said Brian Weismantel, a journalism major. “It teaches kids that failing is bad when in re- ality you have to make mistakes in order to learn.” According to Kohn, instead of receiving a letter grade for a students’ performance, colleges with non-traditional grading systems adapt to alternative ap- proaches to review a student’s performance. These approaches, according Kohn, include narrative assess- ments or conferences and quali- tative summaries of the students’ performance. Alternative approaches have been successfully performed in many schools, including elemen- tary, middle and high schools, as well as colleges and other higher- education institutions. “It’s important not only to re- alize that such schools exist, but to investigate why they’ve elimi- nated grades, how they’ve man- aged to do so and what benefits they have realized,” stated Kohn in his article. PHOTO COURTESY OF CCM DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION AND COLLEGE RELATIONS Governor Chris Christie recognizes the impact of Building Our Future Bond Act at CCM. PHOTO BY MIKE DICOLA Students discuss academic endeavors. Students favor schools with non-traditional grading systems “Getting a letter grade doesn’t tell a student what they’re doing right or wrong; it just tells them if they did it right or wrong.” Nora Dennehy CCM Student FINAL EXAM SCHEDULE INSIDE
Transcript
COUNTY COLLEGE OF MORRIS AWARD-WINNING STUDENT NEWSPAPER
The Youngtown ediTionGold Medalist, 2013 Columbia Scholastic Press Association • First Place Layout & Design 2012-2013 NJPA
VOL. 91, NO. 6 WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2013 RANDOLPH, N.J.
“It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.” -Albert Einstein
To
da
y’s
h
ea
dl
ine
s
ind
ex Features 3, 5, 7, 8 News 2
Opinions 5 Roving Reporter 8
Entertainment 6
Blockbuster Closing Blockbuster’s final days cause mixed reactions.
Page 3
Games and poetryCheck out the Poetry Corner and Fenwick’s Phrases.
Page 6
Christie visits CCM to discuss ‘Building Our Future’ Bond ActBY MARINA DISTASI-GRAYStaff Writer
On Nov. 12 in the Davidson Rooms, Gov. Chris Christie re-vealed how the Bond Act will en-hance County College of Morris’ engineering and science classes, and create a new music technol-ogy building.
New Jersey colleges and uni-versities will receive $7.5 million from the Building Our Future Bond Act. Of that total, $1.5 mil-lion will be designated to county colleges.
“If we want New Jersey to retain its best and brightest stu-dents, we have to invest in our colleges and our universities,” Christie said. “If we want to have New Jersey be a place where cut-ting-edge technologies are devel-oped and perfected and marketed, then we need to invest.”
He received each future proj-ect after the committee made the recommendations to the Legisla-ture according to Christie.
“I think it’s going to really, really enhance the educational opportunities here for residents of
Morris County,” Christie said. A recording studio, more
classroom space and an ex-perimental theater are a part of CCM’s new music technology building. The engineering and
science labs will also be updated with more space and electronics available.
Jeffrey Advokat, chair of the Board of Trustees, introduced the governor and discussed Christie’s
past accomplishments.“Years ago, as soon as he
moved to Morris County, Gov. Christie was extremely involved, active, cared about the communi-ty and worked so hard,” Advokat
said. “Obviously he ran and be-came one of our freeholders and worked great as a freeholder.”
Christie’s next move was becoming the United States attorney.
“He had an unbelievable re-cord as U.S. attorney, probably the best ever,” Advokat said.
“Governor Christie, now, we all know, is absolutely recognized as one of the strongest leaders in the entire country,” he continued. “And that’s based on all the great work he’s already done,” Advo-kat said.
Students said they shared the excitement of having the gover-nor visit CCM.
“I respect the fact that he took the time out of his busy ca-reer to visit our school. His visit reassures us that we have gov-ernmental backing to improve all of New Jersey’s schools,” said Michele Ciz, a business major at CCM. “It’s nice to know that the government is there for us during a much-needed time in our lives.”
GPA: Grades, Pressure, Anxiety
BY KHUSHBU KAPADIAEditor in Chief
As soon as the school year begins, students set goals for themselves like obtaining a high-er GPA and earning straight A’s. Pressure can set in as students prepare and motivate themselves to perform the best he or she can on exams and assignments.
However, what happens to that continued pressure on stu-dents once grades are eliminated entirely?
There are a couple of colleg-es that adhere to non-traditional grading systems where no letter grades are issued.
According to College Insid-er, an online college information source, such colleges without a traditional grading system in-clude: Evergreen State College, Union Institute & University, Goddard College, Hampshire College, Antioch University, New College of Florida and Harvey Mudd College, among others.
According to Nora Dennehy, digital media studies with a con-centration in TV production at
County College of Morris, more colleges and schools should ad-here to a non-traditional grading system.
“The point of going to col-lege is to gain knowledge about things you’re interested in so you can hopefully go on to a career in that field,” Dennehy said. “Get-ting a letter grade doesn’t tell a student what they’re doing right or wrong; it just tells them if they
did it right or wrong.” These colleges with non-
traditional grading systems focus on motivating students with the pursuit of knowledge rather than a letter grade.
According to Alfie Kohn, an author and lecturer who fo-cuses on topics including educa-tion, parenting and behavior, a non-traditional grading system is much better than receiving an A, B, C, D or F.
Kohn performed a study where he analyzed students who are focus on grades compared with students who aren’t focused on grades.
The study produced these results: “Grades tend to dimin-ish students’ interest in whatever they’re learning, grades create a preference for the easiest possible task and grades tend to reduce the quality of students’ thinking.”
Another CCM student also sides with Dennehy in that schools without letter grades are more favorable than schools with letter grades.
“I feel that colleges should definitely get rid of the grading system,” said Brian Weismantel, a journalism major. “It teaches kids that failing is bad when in re-ality you have to make mistakes in order to learn.”
According to Kohn, instead of receiving a letter grade for a students’ performance, colleges with non-traditional grading systems adapt to alternative ap-proaches to review a student’s performance.
These approaches, according
Kohn, include narrative assess-ments or conferences and quali-tative summaries of the students’ performance.
Alternative approaches have been successfully performed in many schools, including elemen-tary, middle and high schools, as well as colleges and other higher-education institutions.
“It’s important not only to re-alize that such schools exist, but to investigate why they’ve elimi-nated grades, how they’ve man-aged to do so and what benefits they have realized,” stated Kohn in his article.
PHOTO COURTESY OF CCM DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION AND COLLEGE RELATIONS
Governor Chris Christie recognizes the impact of Building Our Future Bond Act at CCM.
PHOTO BY MIKE DICOLA
Students discuss academic endeavors.
Students favor schools with non-traditional grading systems
“Getting a letter grade doesn’t tell a student
what they’re doing right or wrong; it just tells
them if they did it right or wrong.”
Nora Dennehy CCM Student
FINAL EXAM SCHEDULE INSIDE
Page 2 The YoungTown ediTion NEWS november 20, 2013
Undocumented Latino immigrants find new opportunities at CCM BY JOSEF LUFTMANLayout Editor
Hispanics’ views on ille-gal immigration of Latinos has grown more positive since 2010, according to a recent Pew Re-search Center nationwide survey of 5,103 Hispanic adults.
This trend of greater accep-tance has affected the ability of immigrant students to seek an ed-ucation at some higher-education institutions, such as County Col-lege of Morris.
CCM’s recent decision to al-low undocumented immigrants to enroll at the college has cre-
ated more educational oppor-tunities for this segment of the population.
Dr. Marcia Picallo, a Spanish professor at CCM, described the resulting increase in the number of Latino students at the college as a “wonderful thing.”
“We are providing a uni-versity education to these young people who have all the potential in the world, so I’m very happy about that,” she said. “We are headed in the right direction.”
While grateful for the grow-ing acceptance of undocumented Latino immigrants, some CCM students feel that a negative per-
ception remains among the gen-eral public.
Carlos Herrera, a commu-nication major who emigrated legally from Honduras about 15 years ago, feels the media plays a significant role in the negative portrayal of this ethnic group.
“The media has a way of expressing the negative impact of Latino immigration,” he said. “But personally… I’ve had a pos-itive [view of] immigration.”
Mayre Barrios, a criminal justice major and president of the United Latino Organization at CCM, agreed that undocumented Latino immigrants are having
a positive effect on the United States.
“From what I have expe-rienced, Latinos are the ones who do the unwanted jobs, most things that people don’t want to do,” Barrios said. “They are … the backbone of everything.”
Herrera said he believes these immigrants are willing to start at the bottom and risk deportation in order start a new life because of the “opportunities that come from being in America” and the idea of the “American dream.”
Chris Guerbi, a digital media major, is a first generation student of Argentine descent who also
agrees that these undocumented immigrants are making a positive contribution.
“I mean, yes, they came here illegally,” he said, “but they’ve helped so much. They’ve helped a lot for this country.”
Picallo believes diversity benefits everyone by creating the opportunity for a better under-standing of people from all walks of life.
“I think that the more diverse we become, the more opportuni-ties we offer,” she said, “not just with Latinos, but with anybody.”
PRESS RELEASE:
College named
Fulbright Top
ProducerCounty College of Morris is
one of only 23 community col-leges nationwide to be included in the Fulbright Program Top Producers list for 2013-14. The listing recognizes institutions for their participation in the Ful-bright Program’s highly com-petitive international educational exchanges.
Dr. Edward J. Yaw, president of CCM, was one of five commu-nity college administrators across the country awarded a Fulbright Scholar Grant to take part in the Community College Administra-tors Seminar in Russia this past spring. As a participant, Yaw spent two weeks meeting with higher education and other offi-cials in Kazan and Moscow.
“It was a true honor to take part in such a prestigious pro-gram, to meet with such wonder-ful people and visit some extraor-dinary colleges and universities,” says Yaw. “I am grateful both for that opportunity and for this latest recognition which places CCM among an impressive listing of outstanding higher education institutions.”
The listing, published in the October 28 edition of The Chron-icle of Higher Education, http://tinyurl.com/kdafrtz, is broken down by type of institution. Also included on the Top Producers list are master’s and research institu-tions including Boston Univer-sity, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Penn State, the Univer-sity of University of California at Berkeley, University of Michigan and William Paterson University. CCM is the only community col-lege in New Jersey to be included in the list.
The Fulbright Program is sponsored by the U.S. Depart-ment of State, Bureau of Educa-tional and Cultural Affairs.
BY MELISSA DELLACATO Managing Editor
On Nov. 5, New Jersey citizens voted “yes” to question two on the ballot, amend-ing the state constitution to include a $1 minimum wage increase from $7.25 to $8.25 effective January 2014.
“I think it’s a great idea,” said Meghan Clark, a 19-year-old liberal arts major at County College of Morris.
“People with minimum wage jobs are often college kids and they deserve some credit. We’re all trying to move up in the world.”
More than one million votes were cast, and 61 percent of them were in favor of the proposed amendment.
“Everything’s getting more expen-sive,” Clark said. “You have to compensate for the constant inflation.”
Another student, Angela Schooner, an 18-year-old early childhood education ma-jor, takes a similar stance.
“I think it’s good,” she said. “It’s giv-ing people a chance to earn better incomes for families if they have to help them.”
Dr. Calvin Hoy, professor of econom-ics, disagrees and anticipates an “unintend-ed consequence” as a result of this.
“When it takes effect, people with jobs will keep them, but fewer people may get hired ... because it went up,” he said. “I’m concerned about the effects on young peo-ple. I don’t think it’s going to help. It may make the unemployment number larger.”
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the youth unemployment rate is 22.2 percent.
“This is depression level,” Hoy said. “By raising [minimum wage], we may get further unemployment among youth. Is someone going to hire them who wouldn’t have when the minimum wage was $7.25?”
Hoy referred to the philosophy of John Stuart Mill, a philosopher and economist
from the 19th century, to further explain his position on the issue.
“Mill argued ‘a case is not good unless it’s good in the extreme,’” he said.
In other words, Hoy explained, even if the minimum wage was $1 million dollars, it would still have negative effects. Since raising the minimum wage in the extreme is not good, it is not good in any form.
“Even if it’s raised a little, it could have a bad effect on some people,” Hoy said. “Some will gain and some will lose.”
The federal minimum wage has been $7.25 since 2009, according to the United States Department of Labor. While most states use this as their minimum wage, there are some who revise their state con-stitutions to change it.
The revised New Jersey Constitution reads: “Every employer shall, beginning the January 1 ... pay each employee subject to the ‘New Jersey State Wage and Hour Law,’ ... a wage rate of not less than the rate required by that act, or $8.25 per hour, whichever is more.”
According to nj.com, in 2012, Gov. Chris Christie dismissed the idea of a state constitutional amendment to raise the min-imum wage.
“That is just a stupid way to do it,” he said at a news conference in Long Branch, N.J. “That is not what the constitution is there for.”
He rejected a bill sent from the state Legislature to raise the minimum wage to $8.50 in January, and decided to let voters make the call in November.
Once the minimum wage increase goes into effect, New Jersey will have the fourth highest minimum wage rate in the nation, behind Washington, Oregon and Vermont.
“Some young people will get paid more; others won’t get jobs because of it,” Hoy said. “It is not a great instrument for alleviating poverty.”
November 20, 2013 NEWS The YouNgTowN ediTioN Page 3
Blockbuster’s final days cause mixed reactionsBY KELBY CLARKFeatures Editor
On Wednesday, Nov. 6, DISH Network announced its plan to close the remaining 300 Blockbuster retail stores and can-cel the company’s DVD-by-mail service.
DISH Network purchased the bankrupt Blockbuster LLC in 2011 for $234 million, but af-ter two years of low profits and sharp declines in their customer base, DISH has decided to shut the chain down by early January 2
Within the past decade, plac-es across the United States have seen the once frequented video stores shut down and replaced with other retail outlets, like the CVS pharmacy on Claremont Av-enue in Montclair, N.J. or Title Boxing Club on state Route 46 in Parsippany, N.J.
Many County College of Morris students, like 22-year-old Diego Arenas, a psychology ma-jor, have experienced this change firsthand in their hometowns. Arenas admitted that he was a lit-
tle nostalgic about the shutdowns, and he believes that the loss of Blockbuster is a loss of an era.
“I used to love Blockbuster, it used to be one of my favorite places as a kid,” Arenas said. “I remembered roaming the aisles finding all sorts of movies and games.”
The first Blockbuster retail store opened in 1985 in Dallas and once was the leader in video rent-als, dominating the market. At the company’s height, Blockbuster had an extensive retail presence with approximately 9,000 stores worldwide.
“The company’s reputation
is pretty much non-existent [now] … thanks to Netflix and other competitors like Amazon, but go back a decade and it used to be one of the best places to go to during a weekend night,” Arenas said. “It almost felt like a staple of the 21st cen-tury.”
For many years, no other company in the industry could compete with Blockbuster. However, from the time that Net-flix went public in 2002, Block-buster’s control of the industry was challenged. Netflix redefined the way people watched movies with a new, more convenient way of renting DVDs and the intro-duction of streaming content over the Internet.
Clarissa Danif, a mechanical engineering major at CCM, is an avid Netflix user.
“Things change,” Danif said. “I used to go to Blockbuster like 10 years ago … Blockbuster had
its time. I feel that losing some-thing important when it’s closing is sad, but a sign of progress.”
The rising popularity of Net-flix and other online movie rental companies such as Redbox that provide their subscribers with online rentals, streamable movies and television programs now con-trol the majority of Blockbuster’s former market. These fast-grow-ing companies will reap even more benefits when the stores close next year.
Redbox is predicted to rake in between $200 million and $300 million in additional revenue with the closing of Blockbuster.
Although this is exciting news for Redbox, Blockbuster and its employees are suffering as more than 2,700 people are set to lose their job once the final stores close next year, according to Ya-hoo News.
With a global presence that spanned nearly three decades, the closing of Blockbuster stores across the country marks the end of an era for many generations.
The giant bright blue and yel-
low signs that once called for ro-mantic date nights and family get-togethers over a bowl of freshly popped Orville Redenbacher’s popcorn will soon be taken down
However, Blockbuster left behind a long-lasting legacy and the memories it created will never be removed from people’s hearts, explained Greg Brozuski, a business administration major at CCM.
“Blockbuster is, and now was, the example of the old movie night,” he said. “[A Blockbuster retail store] used to be open near my house and the company was a great company for movie rentals; but, when it came to the digital age and video streaming … they lacked in knowing what their cus-tomer base wanted.”
Whether consumers are sad-dened by the loss of Blockbuster or glad to be moving away from the outdated practice of video renting, those $20 outstanding late fees will soon just be painful childhood memories.
PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVID FRIEDMAN / GETTY IMAGES NEWS / GETTY IMAGES / UNIVERSAL IMAGES GROUP
New Jersey voters approve minimum wage increase
PHOTO BY PATRICK SMAIL
The New Jersey minimum wage will increase to $8.25 January 2014.
Visit www.youngtownedition.wordpress.com
Page 4 The YoungTown ediTion november 20, 2013
BY HELEN CLEMENTEContributor
To lay groundwork for what follows, I begin my discussion by paraphrasing a song made famous by popular Folk Singer, Pete Seeger:
“Where have all the ‘adjec-tives’ gone/Long Time passing/Where have all the ‘adjectives’ gone/Long time ago/Where have all the ‘adjectives’ gone/Gone to graveyards every one/When will they ever learn/When will they ever learn.”
There is a word up for dis-cussion which is not a word found in my daily vocabulary. To be certain, I do not wish anyone to mistake my abbreviation of this word for something else. The word is F***. I painfully whis-pered that.
That was a difficult word for me to say, and one that I dislike to the umpt degree. It doesn’t roll off my tongue easily, the way it streams from the mouths of many young people and even more mature ones today. The persons making frequent use of this word crisscross all demographic pos-sibilities. Scores of members of society, whether deemed smart, streetwise, intellectual, upper class, lower class, the college student, the teenager, or even the pre-teen indulge.
There must be a factor which is part of their thinking, that is obviously missing from my thinking, that the use of this aw-ful word gives credibility to their statements. Emphasis perhaps, but not when abused. For many of my years, I believed that this
word was the exclusive rite of long-shore-men and thugs, but now it appears to have jumped barriers into the everyday ver-nacular of many of today’s Amer-icans, male and female.
For the remainder of this discussion, this despicable word shall be written simply as “F..”.
The versatility of the word “F***” is like no other. It can be a noun, a verb, an adjective or an adverb. Here are some examples:
“That F***er always gets his way.” (noun)
“Ali F***ed Paterson” (verb) Not necessarily sexual in meaning.
“That F***in’ train was late again.” (adjective)
“We had a F***in’ good time yesterday.” (adverb)
See! The same word used to express “everything.” Ev-ery mood, every emotion, every thought, every color. And as a substitution for nouns it can be the object of a sentence or its subject. The amazing thing is that in whatever way the speaker uses it in a sentence, the meaning is understood by the listener. Or, could it be that the listener really doesn’t care, or is not interested in what the speaker means to say. After all, if he wanted clari-fication he could ask a probing question or two. But he usually doesn’t. Seemingly, people are satisfied with what is said and they allow it to pass, not even raising an eyebrow.
Each time I hear that hard, blunt, coarse word my shoulder-scringe and I want to hand the
person a Book of Adjectives. It is such an ugly word. Ugly, that’s an adjective! One of many such.
Why do people choose to limit themselves when there are so many beautiful and expressive words in the English language which can add to the value and impression of what is said. It doesn’t make any sense to me. I know that the Brits use the word “bloody” in their vernacular. I guess for the same reasons. I wonder if people of other nations have a catch-all word in their language. I’ll have to investigate that some day.
Let’s try this again:
“That student always gets his way.” (noun)
“Ali beat Paterson.” (verb)“That new train was late
again.” (adjective)“We had a really good time
yesterday.” (adverb)
Now isn’t that better? Aren’t we now better able to draw a clearer understanding and visu-alize a scene? Could one reason people have for using the “F” word be that they are lazy? It is easy not having to remember all those ‘frivolous’ words. In addi-tion, it enables one to effortlessly blurt out words while not having to think. It causes one to ponder the question: Does the memoriz-ing of “special words” tax a per-son’s brain too much?
How difficult it has become to find a modern-day motion pic-ture which doesn’t use this “F” word at least once. And when you consider its use, most of the time, it isn’t necessary to the scene. Please see ONE WORD on
Page 6
November 20, 2013 FEATURES & OPINIONS The YouNgTowN ediTioN Page 5
New staff draw advice from student panelBY JORDAN BARTHManaging Editor
On Thursday, Nov. 14, Dr. Bette Simmons, Vice President of Student Development and En-rollment Management, held a stu-dent-driven forum for faculty and staff who are new to CCM.
She described the forum as her “second favorite,” with the first being the discussion she leads. Her thoughts generated giggles from those in the crowd.
“This session reminds me why I get up everyday,” Simmons said.
Students in the panel includ-ed leaders of well-known campus clubs with various ages and matu-rity levels. Diego Arenas, Carlos Herrera, Jonathan Solondz, Te-resa Mendoza,, Nick Cirillo, An-gelique Onorati, and many oth-ers were given the freedom to be completely honest and forthcom-ing in providing their thoughts.
One of the first questions asked was “Why CCM?”
“I came here a week after graduating high school … had a lot of autoimmune disorders,”
Raziel Franchi said. “CCM goes above and beyond the require-ments of the state law.”
Franchi went on to praise the CCM faculty and staff for their handling of students who have disabilities.
Nick Cirillo, president of the Student Activities Planning Board, spent about nine years as a bartender in Miami between high school and college. He character-
ized his experience as it being “not the life that [he] wanted to live.”
Jonathan Solondz, a biology major on campus “came from a big university and transferred af-ter [his] first semester.”
He went on to praise CCM professors for understanding his strengths and weaknesses and the benefits of small class sizes.
“I appreciate it when profes-
sors spend time with me,” An-gelique Onorati said.
Referring to faculty and staff, “What could we be doing better?” Simmons asked the panel.
“Just be mindful of the stu-dent’s life outside of school and keep smiling,” Cirillo said.
“Don’t be afraid to tell the students to shut up even though they are paying,” Franchi said.
One statement generated a lot a buzz amongst the panel members that came from one of their own. His statement contrast-ed the majority opinion.
Dr. Loryn Keating, recently hired assistant professor in chem-istry, asked about the role of cell phones in the classroom. She pre-viously taught at Union County College. She has her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemical engineering from Johns Hopkins University.
He prefaced by agreeing that it was rude and disrespectful to have your phone out but chal-lenged the audience to look at the situation differently.
“You are obviously not con-
necting with the student in some way,” he said. “They are finding that using their phone is more in-teresting than what’s going on in class. So there is some disconnect happening along the line here.”
The panel member then rec-ommended ways to integrate mo-bile devices in the classroom us-ing applications to increase class participation.
Simmons elaborated on the panelist’s opinion with the dif-ferent technologies on the mar-ket. She alluded to the work of Dr. Maryanne Garbowsky in her work integrating the devices.
Professor Alexis Thurman, chairperson of the mathematics department, added to the discus-sion by saying, “If it doesn’t keep you alive, you don’t need it.
Thurman challenged profes-sors to want students to attend their class in an impassioned speech.
“It is my job on Monday morning, to make sure students understand,” she said.
One word fits all: ‘F’-word is unecessary
PHOTO BY JORDAN BARTH
Professor Thurman speaks to staff and panel members.
Page 6 The YoungTown ediTion ENTERTAINMENT november 20, 2013
Poetry Corner:
SandwichBY ARMANDO DEMARCHIContributor
She placed it down in front of me
Between my napkin and my tea
The club sandwich looked quite pleasant,
So why was I so hesitant?
I took a nibble. “What’s in here?”
“Just all the things you like, my dear,
Tomato, lettuce, turkey, cheese,
Condiments of the finest degrees.”
It tasted off. “Babe, you’re the best,
This is outstanding turkey breast.
Is there something else you threw in?
Between my slices of gluten?”
She smiled oddly, “As I said,
Don’t worry off your cau-tious head.
I wanted to make you a treat,
Now I beg of you, eat babe, eat.”
I’m halfway through,My stomach
churning,Eyes watery,
And throat burning.
“Did you use spice? Or Franks’ Red Hot?
My stomach’s twisted in a knot.”
“Nope,” she said with a sly smile,
I did not trust her covered guile.
“What is this?!” I fell to the floor,
Coughing up blood in crimson gore,
She said, “Ah just as I suspect,
The poison’s taking its effect.”
As I blacked out, the last thing I could see,
Was her frame standing over me.
I should’ve known, I had a hunch,
When she said she’d make me a killer lunch.
One word: Why it’s used so often? On several prime-time TV stations, restrictions apply and it can
be distracting when watching a film only to have every other word bleeped out. The bleeps can be just as disturbing as the dirty words themselves. I say words (plural) because there is more than just the one obscenity used today, which are almost as crude. Something nearly as bothersome occurs when the profanity is blanked out by removing the sound. You see mouths moving, but experi-ence intermitent silence. After watching that I get curious at what I just missed.
Back in the olden days of black and white films, (after talkies), it was unthink-able for these handsome movie idols to speak in taboo terms. Off-color words were certainly around then. I knew of them and even used them myself at times.
Could a reason be that common usage of F*** in films today is due to a lack of talent amongst screenwriters? If they could come up with more interesting plots, maybe then they would not have to overuse shock-value dialogue and car chases? It’s sort of the “chicken and egg” debate. Which came first; vulgarity in film or its reflection of bad language in real life?
There was an incident, I recall all too well, when my father bought a black chalkboard for my brother and me. My father was in another
part of the house, and so I felt safe to write on the board the words
“F*** you,” (only it was spelled out). Why did I do that? Because I
wanted to. My brother, usually my protector, spotted it and ratted on
me to my father, who then came running toward me from three rooms
away. Hurriedly, I smudged out the words with my hand, but the out-
line was still visible. My brother then shouted out, “See! you can still
see it there.” I got quite a whipping for that incident. The difference 60
years can make.
As I walk the halls of the college I at-
tend, I hear the “F” word, in all forms,
bouncing off the walls and flying at me from
every direction. This is a learning institu-
tion, isn’t it? Isn’t the next step the business
world? How does one turn off the vulgarity
and refrain from using this word after devel-
oping such a habit?
What will it take to turn things around? Will it take the prospect of
not having a career or the fear of standing, arms extended with hands
palm side up on a bread line? Will upright man be forced to accept, as
normal, today’s commonly used vulgarity? How will such a serious
dilemma as this wind up?
v Fenwick’s Phrases v
Number OneEach of the clues leads to a phrase that includes the number ONE.
EXAMPLE: A last drink before you go. “One for the road”
1. Three Dog Night sang this song about being alone.
2. Not very good odds.
3. A very short joke.
4. Return to the beginning.
5. Care only about yourself.
6. The slogan of The Three Musketeers.
7. To proceed slowly and carefully.
8. An object or person who is extremely rare.
Taste the RainbowEach of these clues leads to a common phrase that includes a COLOR.
EXAMPLE: If you receive one of these, you don’t work here anymore. Pink slip
1. To be adept at growing vegetables.
2. A particularly nasty wasp.
3. A very rare event, astronomically speaking.
4. The container in which you bring your own lunch.
5. The path into the Academy Awards.
6. An armed forces award for sustaining injury.
7. This is not true, but it shouldn’t be too damaging.
8. A high class of martial artist.
Just Sayin’Each of the clues is answered by a phrase or name of 2 words: the first starts with J, the second starts with S.
EXAMPLE: He realized that “It’s a Wonderful Life,” and suffered from “Vertigo.” Jimmy Stewart
1. Neither The Situation nor Snooki are actually from here.
2. Bach’s first 2 names.
3. Get a quick lead on the race.
4. Co-star of “How I Met Your Mother” and “The Muppets.” 5. Vodka in gelatin.
6. Friend of George and Kramer.
7. Web browsers may run code in this language.
8. His wife could eat no lean.
ANSWERS: Number One: (1) “One is the Loneliest Number” (2) One in a Million (3) One liner (4) Go back to square one (5) Look out for number one (6) “One for all, and all for one” (7) One step at a time/One day at a time (8) One of a kindTaste the Rainbow: (1) To have a Green thumb (2) Yellow Jacket (3) Once in a blue moon (4) Brown bag (5) Red carpet (6) Purple heart (7) White lie (8) Black beltJust Sayin’: (1) Jersey Shore (2) Johann Sebastian (3) Jump start (4) Jason Segel (5) Jello shot (6) Jerry Seinfeld (7) Java Script (8) Jack Sprat
BY CHRISTOPHER FENWICK
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5
I hear the “F” word, in all forms, bouncing off the walls and flying
at me from every direction. This is a learning institution, isn’t it? Isn’t the next step the business world?
November 20, 2013 FEATURES The YouNgTowN ediTioN Page 7
De-stress workshop motivates studentsBY JOSEF LUFTMANLayout Editor
On Thursday, Nov. 7, the Office of Counseling Services & Student Success at County Col-lege of Morris conducted a work-shop on ways to combat negative stress.
“Bad stress ... impacts one’s life in a negative way,” said Ariel-la Heisler, a counselor at CCM. “I see many students for a variety of different reasons, and depending on the person’s coping strategies, and the situation, stress levels can be higher or lower.”
To enable attendees to learn
the best methods of dealing with situations and worries that can cause stress, she led them through a variety of techniques such as stretching, yoga breathing and relaxing mental imagery. Heisler also offered suggestions for other ways to reduce stress like engag-ing in different hobbies, medita-tion, music or even knitting.
The small group of attendees was extremely interested in the topic and expressed difficulties coping with stressful situations. Such as tests and balancing work with school responsibilities and family obligations. The workshop offered their own suggestions for
reducing stress, like hanging out with friends, drawing, writing and hiking.
Having a positive attitude and developing effective tools that allow students to take control of their study habits and environ-ment helps reduce stress levels. Some examples of these stress reduction measures are develop-ing optimism, being organized, managing time wisely and creat-ing a good study environment to get your work done, according to about.com.
However, stress is not al-ways negative.
“Positive stress is expe-
rienced when people are in a situation that they feel they can handle. Positive stress gives you the encouragement to take more risks and do things to reach a par-ticular goal,” Heisler said. “An example would be asking some-one on a date. It pushes one out of his/her comfort zone and creates a growth or change in one’s life. Without positive stress, life can be boring and/or complacent.”
Through the Office of Coun-seling Services & Student Suc-cess at CCM, Heisler and other counselors are available to stu-dents who are in need of help combating the stress of college
life and other problems. Counseling services “strives
to maximize students’ individual growth and development by ... [encouraging] openness to new experiences, self-awareness, self acceptance, assuming responsi-bility for one’s life, developing relationships and developing a philosophy of life,” according to the CCM website.
The students in attendance seemed to feel a greater sense of empowerment and control over the stress levels in his or her ev-eryday lives.
The Student Government Association at County Col-lege of Morris discussed student issues in length during both business and senate meetings this past semester so far.
The SGA is all too familiar with the student issues surrounding both scholars and faculty on campus. The association’s mission is to represent the student body in every way possible.
“At the moment we are looking specifically into parking, Internet and Wi-Fi productivity, and rising food prices as issues that are repeatedly coming to us,” said Michael Neier, president pro tempore, a title given to an elected senate member that speaks on behalf of the senators.
The pro tempore and senators have been meeting ev-ery Tuesday at 4 p.m. in the Student Community Center. Their job in resolving these student issues continues even after a meeting’s adjournment because of the need to seek out the correct people with whom to talk.
The hardest part for the SGA comes in knowing ex-actly where to take a student issue and how to present it afterward. Due to the process, the task may seem a lot more daunting than one might think.
Students involved in the SGA are members of com-mittees that deal with specific criteria at CCM such as safety, curriculum, and student affairs. These committee meetings dictate their own matters in ways of resolv-ing, pursuing, or even abandoning if no other outcome is possible.
After a student issue makes its way to its respective committee, if the matter is pursued, it may make it to Col-lege Council. This tier allows for motions and recommen-dations to be made that will directly influence the college.
PRESS RELEASE: Student Government Association
BY JONATHAN COOKNews Editor
Social media may not have a profound impact on the news industry as first be-lieved. Only eight percent of Americans who have Twitter accounts consume news from the site’s forum of tweets, according to a recent study conducted by the Pew Re-search Center. The same study found that 30 percent of Americans “get” news from Facebook.
These results were collected over a two-part report that surveyed 5,000 Ameri-cans. News was defined as “information about events and issues that involve more than just your friends or family,” according to the Pew Research Center.
Facebook is still more popular than
Twitter as approximately 64 percent of Americans have an account on the site compared to just 16 percent who can tweet, according to the study.
Alicia Arnold, a biology major from Pequannock, N.J., described herself as a “passive” Facebook user. She said that news-gathering from the site could lead to some people being “misinformed.”
“People usually post things that side with whatever that they’re interested in,” Arnold said. “[There is] a lot of bias.”
Arnold said that the last major news event she discovered through Facebook was the recent shooting at the Garden State Plaza in Paramus, N.J.
“People just posted [comments] say-ing things like ‘I’m not going to the mall
today’,” Arnold said.After discovering that a shooting
occurred through social media, she re-searched more information from the crime scene through Google.
Deirdre Stjohn, a journalism major from Lake Hiawatha, also found social media “reliable” to keep updated with a major news event.
According to Stjohn, she “constantly posts on Twitter” and just “reads” her Face-book feed. These habits assisted her during the aftermath of the Hurricane Sandy.
“Probably the hurricane that we had. I follow Parsippany focus [Facebook page]. They update you on a lot of things in Par-sippany,” Stjohn said. “So they gave a lot of updates on the hurricane and what’s go-
ing on. That’s how I stayed in touch with
the area.”
Colin Bayne, a liberal arts major from
Boonton, N.J., does not have an account on
Facebook or Twitter, but he said some of
his friends are active users.
Bayne said receiving news from social
media is as reliable as traditional media
sources, despite not participating in it and
that getting news there is “more of a good
thing than a bad thing, because you have so
much access.”
“If you’re already on Twitter and
Facebook, then it’s probably the most like-
ly place you will get your news,” Bayne
said.
Social media impacts CCM students
Page 8 The YoungTown ediTion FEATURES november 20, 2013
BY RACHEL NIDER
Emma Buk18Culinary Arts & Sciences
“The smell of the seasoned candles”
Jeremy Forrester20Culinary Arts & Sciences
“The weather, the leaves, Halloween, pumpkins and bonfires.”
Demi Jorge21Visual Arts “My favorite thing about fall is the leaves changing and going hiking.”
Cristian Ramirez19Hotel Hospitality Management “The color of the leaves reminds me of the cycle of life, so it reminds me to enjoy life to the fullest.”
Lorraine Pepe19Humanities and Social Sciences “My favorite thing do in the fall is spending time with family and friends and going shopping for fall clothes.”
The YoungTown ediTionThe Student Newspaper of County College of MorrisCounty College of Morris • Mail Station SCC 226
214 Center Grove Rd., Randolph, NJ 07869-2086Phone #: (973) 328-5224 Fax #: (973) 361-4031
Editor in Chief .............................................................Khushbu KapadiaManaging Editor .........................................................Melissa DellacatoManaging Editor ................................................................. Jordan BarthBusiness Manager ........................................................... Lauren ForniniAssistant Business Manager ..........................................Michael ScaliceNews Editor ......................................................................Jonathan CookAssistant News Editor ............................................. Giovanna RomaziniFeatures Editor .....................................................................Kelby ClarkEntertainment Editor ...................................................Danny GonzalezSports Editor ...................................................................................OpenOpinions Editor ..................................................................... Daniel EngPhotography Editor ............................................................Mike DiColaAssistant Photography Editors ..............Nicole Versandi, Rachel NiderLayout Editor ....................................................................Josef LuftmanCopy Editor .....................................................................Kaitlyn AlegriaOnline Editor ...................................................................... Toni DeMaioSocial Media Editor ..........................................................Nicole DarrahCirculation Manager.....................................................Cassandra KadelTechnical Adviser ..............................................................Wilma Martin
Faculty Adviser: John SoltesThe Youngtown Edition is printed every other Wednesday during the fall and spring
semesters. Unless specified, the opinions of the editorial page are those of the editorial board. Signed letters to the editor of 250 words or fewer are welcome and should be e-mailed to [email protected]. Students are welcome to contribute articles. However, stu-dents cannot receive a byline if they belong to the organization on which they are reporting. The deadline for submission is the Wednesday prior to the date of publication.
What is your favorite thing about fall?
Volunteer Club ‘sees smiles and spirits lifted’BY NIKKI VERSANDIAssistant Photography Editor
Every Thursday at 1 p.m. in the Student Center of County College of Morris, the Volunteer Club is steadily working to make the world a better place by helping as much as possible. On a routine basis, they work with nonprofit organizations to raise money and awareness for various causes.
Theresa Davis, a 20-year-old full-time student and Volunteer Club president, has spent most of her life working to help others and uses her lifelong pas-sion to lead the Volunteer Club.
“I know so many different organizations, one example being Relay for Life, the American Cancer Society,” Davis said. “We helped them last year and they just love us; our club is so well-known through-out the organization.”
Davis has used her knowledge and history of volunteering to help push the club to new levels. Within the past year, the club has participated in a breast cancer walk, construction and park cleanups after Superstorm Sandy and saving animals from kill shelters among many other events.
“Our fundraising is very important to me, es-pecially our bake sales because the best way to re-ally help organizations is to fundraise,” Davis said. “I have a lot of techniques to raise a lot of money. We’ve risen over $1,000 in one bake sale.”
On Tuesday, Oct. 29, members gathered and created an array of baked goods to sell on campus for Breast Cancer Awareness Month and were work-ing diligently to beat their $1,000 record.
“We get in the student activity packet and every time we see it, it makes all the hard work worth it,” Davis said.
The club is not only about helping others but also building strong connections among friends and creating a stronger sense of oneself.
“[In] the beginning of college I really wanted to make friends. I wanted to get to know and meet new people and to just have friends,” said Monica Ochoa, a 19-year old exercise science major. “There’s a lot of interaction with each other, and you get to know another person very well. Cause with volunteering, you’re doing it out of your heart, because you want to, not just because it looks good on a resume.”
Ochoa said she has met some of her best friends during her year-and-a-half venture with the club.
“You want to meet new people, go to new plac-es, and that is what I’ve experienced so far and it’s phenomenal,” Ochoa said.
Participating in the club has turned Ochoa, a timid and shy person, into an outgoing and confi-dent individual.
“I feel accomplished; I feel I’ve done some-thing right, and I feel great about myself,” Ochoa said. “I’ve helped others and once I have that feeling I just want to continue to do better and just spread the love throughout the world.”
Ochoa is not the only member who has turned her passion into a positive impact on lives.
“I find that at least the community around me is warming up,” said Sachin Persaud, 21-year-old en-gineering science student and volunteer club mem-ber. “It could be for a lot of reasons, but I see a com-ing together, the likes of which hasn’t been seen in a long time looming on the horizon.”
Persaud said how refreshing and uplifting it can be to help others. Being a full-time student, holding down a part-time job and being an active member of various clubs makes Persaud a busy individual. But he still finds time to work with the club to plan events and projects.
“I was attracted to this club because I’ve always had a passion for helping others,” Persaud said. “This group gives me an outlet to team up with like-minded individuals and do just that.”
PHOTO BY NIKKI VERSANDI
Cupcakes await purchase at CCM bake sale.
Students share opinions on relationshipsBY KAITLYN ALEGRIACopy Editor
Every individual perceives someone as attractive for differ-ent reasons. Students at County College of Morris are typically waiting for the right person to be in his or her life for a long period of time.
“I don’t see a point in dating for fun,” said Keri Jameson, a stu-dent for three semesters at CCM. “I feel it should be something special… You should love them.”
Appearance does matter for attraction, according to Jameson, who desires someone that looks nice and proper.
“I wish it didn’t matter but it’s human nature. Personally, they should look like they know what they are doing,” Jameson said. “Clothes don’t matter much to me.”
Long distance relationships are difficult to overcome, accord-ing to several students. For some relationships to work, individuals must see each other and keep in contact frequently for it to work.
“The person I like right now
lives in another state,” Jameson said. “We keep in contact through letters. We communicate through Facebook and other social web-sites. We stay close because of this.”
Long distance does not work, according to David Donnelly, a humanities and social sciences major.
“We learn in psychology that the laws of attraction is the closer you are to somebody, the more at-tached you are to them,” Donnel-ly said. “Long distance relation-ships will not work out because of these rules.”
Students are taught in classes like psychology that distance, looks and personality play a co-lossal part in attraction. Donnelly said he thinks intelligence is im-portant too.
“She has to be someone I re-late to,” he said. “I need to be able to agree with her and [she should be] someone I can talk to.”
In the rules of attraction, op-posites might attract but might not last as long as a relationship with a lot of common ground.
“A relationship only lasts
if two people have similar inter-ests,” Donnelly said. “A lot of people say opposites attract. [The relationship between opposites] is exciting at first, but when you get to know each other, you run out of things to talk about.”
According to Miguelle Reyn-olds, a computer science major, manners matter.
“Being rude is a huge turn-off,” Reynolds said. “Anyone that isn’t funny or has a dry sense of humor can be boring when you are with that person.”
Being nice is important for attraction, according to Reynolds. Being kind and caring can give an individual security and stability.
The rules of attraction could be important to everyday situa-tions. An individual could follow these simple rules to find some-one new and important for his or her future. Online dating, long distance relationships and age are subjects that bring up contrasting opinions.
“There [are] no set rules for rules of attraction,” Jameson said. “It’s different for everyone.”
Staff: Luke Heinbockel, Aura Monterroso, Nick Kuzevski, Colleen Pepe, Leo Silveira, Stephanie Brady, Mike Avallone,
Patrick Smail, Nicholas Minervini
The YoungTown Final exam Schedule Page a
FALL 2013 FINAL EXAM SCHEDULESECT. NO COURSE TITLE INSTRUCTOR DAY TIME ROOM
FINAL EXAM SCHEDULE FALL 2013
DATE: .............THURSDAY, DEC. 12, through WEDNESDAY, DEC. 18
