March 2006 - Bergen Community College

Transcription

March 2006
Vol. XI
It Is Finally Personal
BY: KIRYL BYCHKOUSKI
ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
Let’s take the most selfish, cynical, and
self-involved point of view, go over the
things that are going on in the world
right now, and see if any of them apply
to us directly, as well as see if we should
take any action upon these issues. This
practice might sound cruel and cold, but
we’re simply trying to find a direct link
between us and the issue. As humanitarians, good Samaritans, and leaders of the
free world, we should deal with all of
these issues, but as average human
beings getting an Associate Degree fro m
Bergen, we tend to let other more powe rful and well-positioned individuals
deal with them. Whilte genocide in the
Da rfur province of Sudan, the AIDS
epidemic, the War in Iraq, Bush’s
Wiretap program, Global Warming, and
Black Holes closing in on planet Eart h ,
are all issues we can safely ignore, the
2007 Fiscal Year budget proposal for the
state of New Jersey is one issue we cannot. Furthermore, we can skip most of
the 131 page budget report and go
straight to the part that concerns us,
New Jersey college students.
To keep things objective and professional, I will provide you with the
unadulterated text of the budget dealing with Higher Education, and let
you make your own conclusions and
decisions based on this information,
before I give you my own response.
See “OTHER INITIATIVES” on right
The question you are likely to ask is,
“What can I do about it?” and the
a n s wer to that is difficult, especially for
me, a fellow student. However, I’m positive that the first right step is being
aware that these things are happening,
and not letting such legislation catch
you off-guard. I was caught off guard
when I was offered the opportunity to
meet with the governor of New Jersey at
his mansion in Princeton. The governor
was having students from each of the
New Jersey colleges come in on Ma rch
30th (which meant 3 days notice), to
discuss his budget plan. I was called
there to re p resent Bergen. Since I did
not know whether I would be allowed
to make a short speech, or only ask a
s h o rt question, I typed up a dire c t
response to the proposal and took it
along with me to Princeton. Overall,
there we re about fifty students attending this affair in a cozy conference room
in the mansion. When I got my chance
to speak (although for a minute it
seemed like I would not get the opportunity), I managed to mention most of
these points. The other students that
were there with me seemed to be much
m o re support i ve of the governor, and
highly tolerant of his plan, so I ended
up being the only one providing acute
criticism. It was a slightly frustrating
experience, but the frustration was ove rs h a d owed by the fact that I did something about it. I had my say. My
response might have been overly emotional, or unrealistic, but I deemed it
a p p ropriate in the atmosphere of meek
acceptance of this plan. Below is the full
text of my response to the proposal that
the governor was forced to digest.
“In your budget it states, “Even in the
State’s current fiscal situation, continued
investment in higher education is critical
to New Jersey’s long-term economic and
social health.” How can you stand by
that statement, when right in the same
paragraph you propose a reduction of
170 million dollars in state funding to
higher education?
Your proposal goes on to say that, quote,
“educated individuals are less likely to be
unemployed or live in pove rt y.” Yet the
state’s 12 senior colleges are getting a 15%
reduction in funding, which amounts to
144 million dollars of support. This is a
blatant contradiction. Inevitable higher
tuition fees that will come as a result will
reduce the number of individuals able to
get higher education, and will in fact
make unemployment and pove rty more
likely in the state of New Jersey.
You suggest the reduction and elimination of low-priority programs, not specifying what those are. Something that means
low-priority to you and other politicians
might mean ve ry high priority to students.
I can’t help but think that you imply Fine
Arts and Music departments to be those
low priority programs. If those are not
what you consider as such, please specify for
all of us what you consider low priority.
You propose to charge out-of-state graduates full cost for their tuition. This will
significantly affect the lives of those seeking
an education in New Jersey, while it will
bring only 5.7 million into the state’s
budget. Is there nowhere else you can get
this money, and are the out-of-state students the only option?
You propose to eliminate the Higher
Education Incentive Endowment Fund,
while this Fund directly contributes to
the resources of higher education in New
Jersey, relieving the student tuition. This
cut will only save the state 3 million. I
don’t believe there are no other programs
in this state that could make up the difference. You admit this is a great, but an
under-funded program, yet you propose
to do away with it rather than make a
noble investment.
Finally, I come upon the issue which
affects me directly. You propose to cut
overall state funding of county colleges by
over 31 million, or 17 percent. My college is already in a one million dollar
deficit, and this cut will increase the
deficit by another million.
My question is: I want to know where
do the students, the future of America, fit
into your plan?”
P.S. On April 5th, the school administration made public the BCC budget
for 2006/2007 fiscal year, which was
devised in accordance with the state
budget proposal (assuming it will go
unchallenged during the legislation
process). Since the proposed state cuts
mean a $1.4 million decrease in state
funding for Bergen, that money will
have to be made up in tuition hikes of
3-8%, and other fee increases. These
changes will mean a per-semester raw
increase of $176 - $288 in student fees
(figures will vary for out-of-county and
out-of-state students). Can you deal
with that?
Issue 10
OTHER INITIATIVES
Higher Education
Even in the State’s current fiscal situation, continued investment in
higher education is critical to New Jersey’s long-term economic and
social health. Accordingly, this Budget provides over $1.9 billion in
overall support of the State’s higher education system in fiscal 2007.
Although this is a reduction of $169.1 million, or 7.9%, from fiscal
2006, and will certainly challenge New Jersey’s colleges and universities to find ways to improve the efficiency of their operations, this
Budget maintains New Jersey’s commitment to a diversified, accessible system of higher education.
In particular, programs providing need-based financial assistance to
students receive $6.3 million in increased funding in this Budget, to
assure that our neediest students will not be denied the opportunity
to go to college. Higher education benefits both the individual and
society in a variety of ways. Educated individuals are less likely to be
unemployed or live in poverty. Research has shown that, in addition
to contributing more to tax revenues than others do, adults with higher levels of education are less likely to depend on social safety-net programs, generating decreased demand on public budgets. Higher levels
of education also correlate with higher levels of civic participation,
including volunteer work, voting, and blood donation. This Budget
provides the State’s twelve senior public colleges and universities with
over $1.3 billion in overall support in fiscal 2007. This includes
$807.6 million in direct support, a reduction of $143.5 million, or
15.1%, and $545.7 million in indirect support through continued
funding for fringe benefits for college and university personnel. The
senior public institutions have several options available to offset the
fiscal 2007 reduction in State support:
• Low-priority or duplicative programs could be scaled back or eliminated.
• Operational efficiencies could be implemented.
• Non-State revenues could be increased.
For example, initiating a gradual four-year phase-in of charging outof-state undergraduates the full cost of their education would yield
additional fiscal 2007 re venue of approximately $5.7 million.
Approximately 7% of all undergraduates at the senior public institutions are out-of-state students, who are subsidized by New Jersey taxpayers in the estimated amount of $22.7 million annually. This
Budget also provides $208.1 million in support of the State’s county
colleges, a decline of $15.5 million, or 6.9%. Direct support declines
by $16.3 million, or 10%; this decline is partially offset by a net
increase of $745,000 in indirect support for these institutions. The
State’s 14 independent colleges and universities will receive $12 million in direct support during fiscal 2007, a reduction of 50% from fiscal 2006. These institutions serve an important role in providing
higher education for more than 24,000 New Jersey residents, and
must be supported even in this extremely difficult fiscal circumstance.
This Budget eliminates funding for the Higher Education Incentive
Endowment Fund, a savings of $3 million. This program’s purpose –
to create a matching incentive for private individuals and organizations to make large endowment contributions to New Jersey’s higher
education institutions – is a good one; however, the program has
never been adequately funded. The State cannot afford to provide the
funds, which would require a five-fold increase in appropriations, to
fully match eligible endowment contributions already received by the
colleges and universities.
Global Warming Possibilities
BY: ALEXANDER SHEPPARD
NEWS EDITOR
Global warming was the topic of the
evening on March 10, 2006, in Room
128 in the Tech Building. It was there
that Dr. James E. Hansen gave a speech
on the subject to a gathering of several
hundred people. I personally saw several
Bergen students I knew, and it is a sure
bet that there were many others attending. However, there were also a comparable number of staff members and assorted adults.
There we re several facts that I was able
to collect from the shower of information
that Dr. Hansen provided. One of the
most shocking facts was that a three
degree rise in temperature, the likely result
of the continuation of current trends,
could be expected to produce a 25- to 35meter rise in sea level. This level of change
in the depth of the ocean would inundate
much of New Jersey and Manhattan, plus
some other nearby locations. Our own
Paramus might literally become
b e a c h f ront property. Needless to
say, the economic effects of this
p rocess would easily dwarf those
from any other imaginable
weather-induced disaster. A good
portion of our infrastru c t u re
would be left uninhabitable, and
the material effects, if not the
effects on human life (we can
assume evacuation is a real possibility, though what happens
afterward would likely be very unpleasant
even in wealthy nations) would be comparable to those of a large nuclear war.
The question arises then, of how to
avert this potential catastrophe. Dr.
Hansen believes that by improving vehicle efficiency, it should be possible to
achieve substantial cuts in greenhouse gas
emissions. The likely economic effects
would be many times those of such ideas
as drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge (ANWR). Personally I might
note that the likely political effects are
sure to be beneficial as well, helping to
wean our country from its curre n t
alliance with certain Middle Eastern
governments. Yet Dr. Hansen noted that
to a large extent, the current political
leadership has failed to do this. One
might note that although George Bush is
not even clear on whether he believes
global warming exists, it is also true that
Ke r ry and most other high ranking
Democrats do not support the Kyoto
Accord. That is the main global warming-related treaty at this time. They claim
that its effects would be too disruptive to
the current economy.
An additional reason to be concerned
about global warming is the possible
effects on ecosystems worldwide. It has
been estimated that due to warming
which either has already happened or
inevitably will happen, 20% of all species
on Earth will go extinct. This could rise
to 60% in the event of a typical three
degree Celsius increase, an increase that
is reasonable to expect if society continues to adhere to present growth trends.
One species that may be at great risk is
the polar bear; warming will be most
acute at the poles, and so will have a disproportionate impact on arctic wildlife.
See Inside:
News . . . . . . . . . .p. 2 BCC Open Forum . . . .p. 5 Photos!!! . . . .p. 10-11 Arts & Entertainment . .p. 16
BCC Faculty Win Award for Teaching,
Bergen Students to Intern at National Lab
Financial Aid, Transportation, Bookstore,
Cafeteria, Add/Drop Fee, Public Safety
See who won Mr. & Mrs L.A.S.A. and the
contestants, Jack Dirr’s Celebration
Alison Brown, "Ah, Wilderness", Virtuosic
Music for Trio, The Zucchini Brothers
PAGE 2
MARCH 2006
BCC News
Bergen Community Bergen Science and Technology
College Faculty Win Students Selected to Intern at
Renowned National Lab
National Award for
Teaching Excellence
Bergen Community College faculty members –
Pro f e s s o r
Christine Henkel, of Maywood,
Professor of Diagnostic Medical
Sonography; Andy Krikun, of
Upper Nyack, NY, Instructor of
Music, and Dr. Anne Maganzini,
Wyckoff, Professor of Psychology –
have been selected to receive this
year’s Excellence Awards from the
National Institute for Staff and
Organizational
Development
(NISOD). These award recipients
we re nominated by the Be r g e n
Community College Office of the
Academic Vice President, in collaboration with the Di v i s i o n
Faculty and Dean.
Associate
Professor
Christine
Henkel, of Maywood, is an Associate
Professor of Diagnostic Me d i c a l
Sonography and Phi Theta Kappa
Faculty Advisor at Bergen Community
College. An alumna of Bergen
Community College, Professor Henkel
earned an Associate of Applied Science
degree from Bergen, a Bachelor of Arts
from William Paterson University, and
a Master of Science from the
University of Bridgeport, Connecticut.
Christine Henkel
Mr. Andy Krikun, of Upper Nyack,
NY, is a Music Instructor and Chair of
the co-curricular programming subcommittee for the Center for the Study
of In t e rcultural Understanding at
Bergen Community College. Mr.
Kuikun brings to the classroom over
30 years experience in composing,
recording, and performing. The
singer/songwriter and ethnomusicologist earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music
from City University of New York,
Hunter College; a Master of Arts in
Ethnomusicology from the University
of California, Los Angeles; and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Music
Education at New York University.
Andy Krikun
Dr. Anne Maganzini
Dr. Anne Maganzini, of Wyckoff, is
a Professor of Psychology at Bergen
Community College. A nationally
recognized pioneer in distance learning, Dr. Maganzini served as the lead
instructor for the nationally televised
PBS telecourse, The Growing Years
and introduced the PBS telecourse
Brain, Mind and Behavior. Currently,
Dr. Maganzini teaches online and
traditional classes in psychology and
is the faculty advisor to the
Ps ychology Club. She earned a
Bachelor of Science, a Master of Arts,
and a Ph.D. in psychology from
Fordham University.
Earn & Learn
WHILE HELPING YOURSELF AND OTHERS
PREPARE FOR THE INCLEX-RN
BECOME A TUTOR
Contact Dr. Fressola
Room B308
Email: [email protected]
Three Bergen Community College
science and technology students —
Peter Shin, of Old Tappan; Jung Min
Ryu, of Washington Twp.; and Maria
Mateo, of Bergenfield — have been
selected to participate in a summer
internship program at Brookhaven
National Laboratory, a Nobel Prizewinning laboratory operated by the
Brookhaven Science Associates for the
U.S. Department of Energy. Intended
to further expand the knowledge and
understanding of students who aspire
to work in the fields of science and
technology, Brookhaven’s program will
aid the students by developing their
career skills through hands-on educational experiences.
Shin, 23, a natural science major,
believes that the internship will supplement his educational background and
augment his knowledge of laboratory
technology, specifically with regards to
data visualizations.
“I see myself working in a laboratory
in the future,” Shin said. “Using data
creatively allows one to see things from
a perspective that originally may not
have been evident.”
Ryu, 25, is a non-degree seeking student who already holds a Bachelor of
Science in policy & management from
Carnegie Mellon University. Ryu said
her predilection for computer science
led her to apply for the internship.
“I am enthusiastic about working in
a national laboratory that has pro-
Peter Shin, Jung Min Ryu and Maria Mateo
duced so many technological breakthroughs that have benefited society,”
Ryu said. “Working in a lab-based
environment will allow me to gain the
practical experience I need to pursue a
career in science.”
Mateo, 21, a chemistry major, stated
that she hopes the knowledge she
accrues at Brookhaven will lead her
towards a career in organic chemistry,
conducting research.
“I hope to come out of Brookhaven
knowing how to work efficiently within a professional laboratory environment,” Mateo said. “I am excited to
think that my work and input will
contribute to a greater advancement.”
Bergen Community College Students
become Special Police Officers
19 Bergen Community College
Criminal Justice Program students
received “S – 1,” Special Law
Enforcement Officer certificates from
Hackensack Police Chief, Charles K.
Zisa at a graduation ceremony held on
December 5, 2005 at the Be r g e n
County Police Academy. The students
are members of the second graduating
class of a new program called “HCOP,” a partnership between Bergen
Community College and the
Hackensack Police Department, which
certifies them to be Special Law
Enforcement Officers in the State of
New Jersey.
The program is highly selective and
candidates are rigorously screened
before being accepted. They must
undergo background checks, psychological testing, and interviews prior to
being accepted and starting their 14week training at the Bergen County
Police Academy. The cost of the
screening and training is covered by
the Hackensack Police De p a rtment
which spends approximately $2500
per student. In exchange for the training they receive, the graduates volunteer their services to the Hackensack
Police De p a rtment for eight hours
each month.
Once they complete the program and
receive their S – 1 certificate, the graduates posses limited law enforcement
powers and may go out on patrols with
other Special Law Enforcement
Officers or regular Police Of f i c e r s ,
write tickets, direct traffic, and respond
to calls, among other duties. They may
be employed as Special Officers anywhere in the State and currently, several of the graduates are working at local
Police Departments. H-COP is one of
the offerings of the Criminal Justice
Program which gives students the
opportunity to learn outside of the
classroom and to provide them with
valuable real-life experience. “This is
another step that the Criminal Justice
Program has taken so that graduates
can get a taste of police work” said
Criminal Justice Program Professor
Ralph Rojas, “it gives the students a
chance to see if policing is the right
career for them.”
The 2005 graduates are:
Nicola Attansio
David Affinito of West Milford
Christopher Brennan of Mahwah
Thomas Broskie of Westwood
Christen Calabro of Totowa
Adam Fingeroth of Fair Lawn
Iosef Florian of Teaneck
Michael Golden of Wycoff
James Han of Palisades Park
Laura Harvey of North Haledon
Todd Housell of Hackensack
James Malgieri, Jr. of Ringwood
Dane Marble of Hackensack
Jaclyn Marsh of Clifton
Carmelo Musarra of Fort Lee
Manan Naik of Fair Lawn
Catherine Rojo-Ortiz of Paterson
Joissy Vildoso of Hackensack
Nenad Vuckovic of Kinnelon
MARCH 2006
PAGE 3
Monday, March 06, 2006
U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Law
Requiring Colleges to Provide
Access to Military Recruiters
BY KELLY FIELD
(ARTICLE EXCERPTED DIRECTLY FROM THE CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION)
The U.S. Su p reme Court
ruled unanimously this morning that the federal government
can withhold federal funds
from colleges that bar or restrict
military recruiting on their
campuses. In a 21-page opinion written by Chief Justice
John G. Roberts Jr., the courts
rejected arguments that colleges
have a First Amendment right
to exclude recruiters whose hiring practices conflict with their
own antidiscrimination policies. The court’s ruling was a
victory for the Department of
Defense, which has argued that
re c ruiting restrictions impede
its ability to bring talented
lawyers into the Judge Advocate
General’s Corps, which handles
legal affairs for the military.
The decision dealt a final blow
to efforts by a coalition of law
schools to strike down the
Solomon amendments, a
decade-old law that allows the
g overnment to deny federal
funds to colleges that limit
recruiting. Law schools have
contended that the statute
infringes on their constitutional
freedoms of speech and associa-
tion by forcing them to convey
the military’s message and to
assist an employer who discriminates against gay men and lesbians in hiring. The Supreme
Court’s decision in Rumsfield v.
forum for Academic and
Institutional rights, No. 041152, overturned a 2004 ruling
by the U.S. Court of Appeals
for the Third Circuit, which
found that the military had
failed to show that its recruiting
needs justified the intrusion on
law schools’ constitutional
rights. In its ruling, the
appeals court cited a 2000 decision by the U.S. Su p re m e
Court, Boy Scouts of America
v. Dale, that allowed the boy
Scouts to exclude a gay assistant
scoutmaster.
The Defense De p a rtment
appealed the case to the
Supreme Court last winter, and
the court heard arguments in
December. During those arguments, E. Joshua Rosenkranz, a
lawyer for the school coalition,
said the Solomon amendment
imposed unconstitutional conditions on the receipt of federal
funds by forcing law schools to
choose between federal assistance based on their constitutional rights. The ruling’s unanimity was one of its most
remarkable features, given that
the nondiscrimination arguments made by the law schools
were considered like an appeal
to the court’s more - l i b e r a l
members. Perhaps in part, the
outcome reflects the court’s
general deference to the military’s views of its needs, especially at a time when recruitment is at an all time low.
Conclusion: the American
Association of Un i versity
Professors argued that the law
interferes with academic selfg overnance. Many in both
houses of congress were concerned that if the So l o m o n
amendment was struck down
that congress could lose the
ability to attach conditions to
federal funds – the scared cow
of the taxpayer’s purse strings.
The key conclusion here is that
in wartime that De f e n s e
Department remains strong in
its recruitment resolve among
college-age prospects.
Banking Expert to Discuss Microfinance in
"The Hidden Wealth of the Poor" - 4/17
Tom Easton—banking expert and
the New York Bureau Chief for The
Economist—to
discuss
Microfinancing and the crucial role it
plays in improving the lives of the poor
on Monday, April 17, at 11:45 a.m. at
the Moses Family Meeting and
Training Center in the Technology
Education
Center,
Bergen
Community College, 400 Paramus
Road, Paramus, NJ. Mr. Easton is the
Keynote Speaker for “World Week,”
sponsored by the Bergen Community
College Office of Student Life. This
event is free and open to the public.
Mr. Easton’s talk, titled “The Hidden
Wealth of the Poor,” will address
Mi c rofinance—loans, savings, insurance, and other financial products targeted to low-income people. A relatively recent trend in financial circles,
Microfinance has proved to be highly
effective in improving the lives of the
poor, allowing them to plan for the
future rather than simply focusing on
day-to-day survival.
New Biology and
Mathematics
Transfer Agreements
with NJIT
Officials from Bergen Community College, Paramus, and
New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), Newark, recently signed a formal agreement for the A.S. degree in Biology
and the A.S. degree in Mathematics which will articulate
with the first two years of study at NJIT.
Students that earn an Associate in Science degree in
Biology will be able to apply their degree toward a Bachelor
of Arts or Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology, and students who earn an Associate in Science De g ree in
Mathematics will be able to apply their associate degree
toward a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mathematics.
Mr. Easton, a graduate of Brown
University, Columbia Business School,
and Yale Law School, has been with
The Economist in New York since
2001, first as a Senior Correspondent
and, since 2002, as Bu reau Chief.
Previously, he was a Senior Editor for
Forbes, New York and Tokyo Bureau
Chief for the Ba l t i m o re Sun, and
Associate Professor at the Columbia
Journalism School.
Bergen Community College and
St. John’s University Announce
Transfer Agreements for Eleven
Baccalaureate Programs
Officials from Bergen Community College and St. John’s
University recently signed a formal articulation agreement
for eleven baccalaureate programs offered at St. John’s
University.
Students that earn the appropriate associate degree at
Bergen (A.A., A.S., or A.A.S.), will be able to apply their
degree toward a bachelor degree in Education (Childhood
or Secondary), Accounting, Economics, Fi n a n c e ,
Management, Management Information Sy s t e m s ,
Marketing, Risk Management and Insurance, and Criminal
Justice.
Students with a Grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or better are also eligible for transfer scholarships ranging from
$7,000 to $10,000 per year based on evaluation of the Free
Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Special consideration will also be provided to Phi Theta Kappa members and Honors Program participants, Phi Theta Kappa
members will receive an additional $1,000 toward their first
year tuition. All pending graduates of Bergen who apply to
transfer to St. John’s will have the application fee waived. St.
John’s University will also provide a Lap Top Computer for
each registered, incoming transfer student.
Guest Speakers in
the month of March
Inventing the Rest of
Our Lives:
Women in Second
Adulthood.
Suzanne Braun Levine
Author and journalist Suzanne Braun
Levine, the first editor of Ms.
Magazine, helps women address the
three crucial questions of second adulthood: What matters? What work s ?
What’s next? New brain research is
proving that women at midlife really
do start to see the world differently.
Some 37 million women now entering
their 50’s & 60’s are refashioning their
lives, with dramatic results. They have
fulfilled the prescribed roles---daughter, wife, mother, employee, but they’re
ready to experience more. Levine’s
book provides a fun, smart, and
tremendously informative road map
through the challenging and uncharted
territory that lies ahead.
Suzanne Braun Levine
Feminist Art and
Theories since the 70’s
Lecture with Parsons School of Design
Mira Schor
Mira Schor, Professor of Fine Arts,
Parsons School of Design, is a painter
and writer. Her paintings explore
written language as visual image as she
proposes a critical theory of painting
that bridges the gap between cognition and materiality. She is the author
or Wet: On Painting, Feminism, and
Art Culture and co-editor of
M/E/A/N/I/N/G: An Anthology of
Artist’s Writings, Theory, and
Criticism. She is the recipient of a
1985 National Endowment for the
Arts in Painting: a 1992 Guggenheim
Fellowship in Painting: a PollockKrasner Foundation grant in Painting;
and the 1999 College Art
Association’s Frank Jewett Mather
Award in Art Criticism.
Mira Schor
The Literary Arts Series
Judith Ortiz Cofer’s
The Latin Deli
Judith Ortiz Cofer
Judith Ortiz Cofer is a poet, nove l i s t
and essayist who explores the process of
change and assimilation in Latino
American culture. She spent her forma t i ve years between her native Pu e rt o
Rico and Paterson, New Jersey.
Cu r rently Franklin Professor of English
at the Un i versity of Georgia. Cofer har
re c e i ved various awards, including the
Anisfield-Wolf Book Aw a rd for The
Latin Deli. New Yo rk Times Book
Re v i e w has re c o g n i zed Cofer as “a
writer of authentic gifts, with a genuine
and important story to tell.”
I had brains for sure and some talent
in writing. These facts were a constant
in my life. My skin color, my size, and
my apereance we re variables-things
that were judged according to my current self-image, the aesthetic values of
the times, the places I was in, and the
people I met. My studies, later my
writing, the respect of people who saw
me as an individual person they cared
about, these were the criteria for my
sense of self-worth that I would concentrate on in my adult life. - “The
Story of My Body,” The Latin Deli
PAGE 4
MARCH 2006
LIFE IS NOT A GAME!
Local agencies teach BCC students
consequences of high-risk behaviors
and decision-making skills
Contact: Carol Adelson, RD, MS,
Program Coordinator
It's Your Life 411 Program
email: [email protected]
phone: 201-930-1570
Date: Thursday, April 20, 2006
Time: 8:00 am—1:30 pm
(time students will be coming to the gym)
Place: Bergen Community College Gymnasium
Paramus, NJ-- Did you ever woefully
say to yourself, "I wish I knew then
what I know now" ? In an effort to
prevent our students from feeling this
way, the BCC Administration and the
Wellness Center are presenting the It’s
Your Life 411 (IYL 411) Program for
all BCC students on Thursday, April
20, 2006 in the BCC gymnasium.
It's Your Life 411 is a structured roleplaying activity that teaches students
where they can get help for problems
that college students face daily including relationship problems; dealing
with stressful family situations; domestic violence; sexual assault; coping with
various illnesses; how to get free health
coverage for children 18 and under;
eating disorders or cutting behaviors;
feelings of depression, suicide; or lack
of self-confidence; how to manage
expenses, where to get help for physical
or learning disabilities, and even how
to find a job. Over 100 representatives
from 60 Bergen County social service,
mental health and criminal justice
agencies will be located at tables in the
gym ready to help students find solutions to their problems. Each student
will be given a scenario card that
describes a problem and lists the
a p p ropriate agencies that can help
solve the problem. The students will
then "pretend" that the scenarios are
real and interact with the appropriate
agency representatives who will counsel them as though they were “real
clients.” In this way, the students will
learn first-hand how to discuss problems with agency personnel and about
the invaluable Bergen County
resources that can improve their quality of life. Students are encouraged to
take advantage of having so many
agencies in one location to seek help
for REAL LIFE problems instead of
following their scenario cards and, they
do not have to disclose that the problem is real unless they want to do so.
Professor Pignatelli, Director of the
Wellness Center added, "It's Your Life
411 is so effective because when students actually “experience” how easy it
is to discuss problems with agencies
and discover that help is available for a
variety of situations, they will be more
likely to seek appropriate help if needed.”
During the program, students will
also learn the consequences of
indulging in high risk behaviors such
as abusing drugs and alcohol; using
internet chatrooms, vandalism; violence; bullying and hazing; bias crimes;
and gambling all in the safety of our
own gym. If a student has a criminal
scenario, he/she will have to speak to
the police officers, attorneys, and probation officers in the gym who will tell
them what sanctions they will impose
for the student’s poor decisions. Some
students may have to spend time in the
“IYL 411 Jail” that will be built for this
event, others will have to go to the
Bergen County Drug Court table, and
others will have to complete a community service sanction in the gym. Thus,
students will find out for themselves
that some behaviors lead to very serious problems that have no easy solutions. According to Carol Adelson,
R.D., M.S., who has implemented
"It's Your Life 411" for over 9700 students in 17 Bergen and Passaic County
schools, "students take the scenarios
seriously, get frustrated if there are no
good solutions to their problems, and
then realize that the decisions they
make now will affect them for the rest
of their lives!"
Students will be given a Be r g e n
Community College "It's Your Life
411 Program" Resource Directory listing the names, addresses, phone numbers, and services provided by all 60
participating agencies so that the students and their families can contact the
agencies if needed in the future. The
President of BCC summed it up this
way, "It's Your Life 411 teaches our
students two of the most valuable lessons they can learn for the rest of their
lives: Think before you act and, Think
for yourself!"
F.Y.I.
New Address, Name for Tutoring Center
COMPOSED BY THE LEARNING
ASSISTANCE CENTER ASSISTANT
SUPERVISOR LENA BAKIR,
IN COLLABORATION WITH
ALEXANDER SHEPPARD
The Tutoring Center has moved to
L125 and now falls under a new name:
The He n ry and Edith Cerullo Learning
Assistance Center. The He n ry and
Edith Cerullo Learning Assistance
Center serves as an umbrella for the
Tutoring Center, Writing Center and
English Language Re s o u rce Center
(still located in Ender Hall 126).
Se rving over 4500 students a ye a r, the
He n ry and Edith Cerullo Learning
Assistance Center is a valuable facet of
Bergen Community College (BCC).
Looking at the facility and the range
of services it offers now, it is a wonder
that tutorial services at BCC started in
1991 with 20 tutors assisting 500 students a year from two small classrooms. At that time tutoring was separated according to discipline and the
EOF department had its own tutorial
services. In 1994 all disciplines merged
together, including the EOF tutorial
program, and were collectively known
as the Tutoring Center.
In 1995, Henry Cerullo, a long time
BCC Foundation member, took a tour
of the Bergen Community College
campus and became interested in all
aspects of the Tutoring Center’s work.
Mr. Cerullo was impressed with the
Center’s services and decided to support its efforts. When naming opportunities arose at the college, Henry and
Edith Cerullo resolved to donate a gift
to the college to make a difference for
students who utilize tutoring at BCC.
In 2003, Mr. and Mrs. Cerullo made a
pledge to name the Tutoring Center
with their gift going into an endowment to provide monies to the Center
for such needs as equipment, software,
educational support and awards.
During spring 2005 the Tutoring
Center, English Language Re s o u rc e
Center, and Writing Center were collectively known as the He n ry and
Edith Cerullo Learning Assistance
Center. Presently, our center employs
over 90 tutors and staff members and
serves over 4500 students a year. Room
L125 physically houses the Tutoring
Center and the Writing Center, while
the English Language Resource Center
remains in Ender Hall in E126. Our
new location boasts a modern and
newly renovated facility equipped with
sound proof partitioning which
divides a much larger area into sections
for small groups, mathematics walk-in
hours and one-on-one tutoring. Two
small classrooms are dedicated to offer
a variety of workshops, study groups,
supplemental instruction and tutorial
training sessions. There are also participating faculty members from various
disciplines in the Cerullo Learning
Assistance Center enhancing our services. With an ever-increasing population of students and growing staff,
L125 provides the opportunity for
expansion and enhancement.
Our hours of operation are Monday
through Saturday: Mondays, Tuesdays
and Thursdays from 9:00 am to 8:00
pm, Wednesdays from 9:00 pm to
5:00 pm and Fridays and Saturdays
from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. The
C e rullo Learning Assistance Center
may be reached at 201-447-7489 to
make an appointment. Tutors are
available in most of the major fields
taught at BCC. This includes all levels
of mathematics, and English composition, foreign languages, and various
sciences, including chemistry and
computer science.
Thanks to the support and collaboration of BCC administrators, faculty,
staff and students, our new home in
L125 became possible. Come visit the
C e rullo Learning Assistance Center
and see what everyone is talking about.
DID YOU KNOW THAT THE FOLLOWING FORMS
ARE AVAILABLE ON WWW.BERGEN.EDU
Transcript Request
Application for Graduation
Student Verification
Audit Request
Application for Admission
Change of Curriculum Form (Allied Health)
Click on Registration,
Click on Forms
And Print
MARCH 2006
PAGE 5
OPEN FORUM OUTCOME!!!
BY: SHERYL PABATAO
S.G.C. VICE PRESIDENT
Financial Aid:
• Cut down the budget due to dropping classes and becoming part time
students.
• Financial Aid Refunds are always late and students needed it to buy
books and other stuff they needed for school.
• Financial Aid doesn’t notified students earlier about cutting down their
budget until half of the semester.
Transportation:
• Parking Lot A is always packed and students parked where the U-Turn is
supposed to be and most of them don’t get tickets but some does. Why
don’t the public safety patrol at least every half hour and see if the students are violating the parking law.
• Bus directory in the main building and east hall to be more convenient
for the students who commute.
• Bus fare discounts for the students or free fare for the students who lives
in Bergen County or at least 3 zones away from the school.
• Parking lot in upcoming building West Hall.
• Parking space for the students.
• More buses coming on campus such as BUS 163(even just for the winter
time).
• Shuttle bus traveling from BCC to Garden State Plaza for the students
who needs to transfer to another bus.
• Have a shuttle for handicapped students.
Bookstore:
• Expanding the bookstore space to shorten the line in the beginning of the
semester.
• Other alternatives about buy backs being too low and books being too
expensive.
• Book voucher for the financial aid students.
• Have another place or room to pick up books that were ordered online.
Cafeteria:
• Discounts for the meals.
• Suggest other alternatives to replace the snack bar by Dunkin Donuts.
• Shorten the lines in the cafeteria.
• Have more vending machine around school to be more convenient for
the night students.
• Some of the vending machine is money eater machine.
• More variety of food in the cafeteria.
• ATM machines in the cafeteria.
• Students should be allowed to pay with Credit Card or Debit Card to
buy food in the cafeteria.
• Meal Plan suggestions like other colleges.
• Have more variety of foods than usual.
Add/Drop Fee:
• New students are not informed very well about Add/Drop fee.
• Are there any more options rather than a $10 fee for adding and dro p p i n g ?
• Have at least a week for adding and dropping a class until they start
charging for the $10 fee.
• Put posters around, send mails, or pop-up windows in the website to
inform all students about Add/Drop Fee.
• Is there a possibility to have a standard fee instead of a $10 fee for adding
and dropping?
Public Safety:
• Public Safety should be more aware about narcotics selling around school.
• The smoking area should be clearer to students.
• Public Safety should be more lenient to students and give them warning
about giving out tickets especially those students that doesn’t have
parking decals.
• Public Safety should be more aware about student’s safety around school.
General Issues:
• Some professors don’t teach very well and students cannot comprehend
to them. They are paying for quality education and they want the school
to hire, respectable, well educated professors to teach the students.
• BCC is a very diverse campus and one concerns that the student brought
up is having a praying room for Muslim students at least one in East Hall,
Main Building or Technology building.
• Staff in the bursar’s office should be more respectful instead of being
rude, I know that they get abuse by the students but at the same time,
not all students are rude, so they should treat students fairly the way the
students treat them.
• Teachers/Professors should be more respectful with the students because
some time teachers/professors are treating students bad even though they
don’t deserve it. Some Professors doesn’t care.
• International Students should be allowed to register on web advisor.
• Computer Labs in East Hall should open longer than the regular hours.
• There should be more variety of sports here in BCC.
• There should be more School Spirit. Advertise all the sports events perfectly so students will know and will be able to watch it.
• There should be discounts (tuition fee or books) for the students who
play sports so students will be encouraged to play.
• Any students who have complain about a faculty or staff please write it
down in paper and showed it to V.P. Gary Porter or Student life office to
address the issues.
• Review the code of conduct and see if it is good enough.
PAGE 6
MARCH 2006
Rejoicing of a Nobel Women
BY: KELECHI NJOKU
STAFF WRITER
“When you are willing to make
sacrifices for a great cause, you will
never be alone”- Coretta Scott
King.
Correta Scott Kings was known
to be one of the most influential
women today for her life’s long
commitment to social justice and
peace. Many admired her dignity,
elegance, courage, faith and
strength. “First lady” to Dr. Martin
Luther King, she was his partner in
the mission for racial peace and
nonviolent social change. Mrs.
King had been dealing with failing
health since a stroke and heart
attack. After years of struggling
with her health, Mrs. King died in
her sleep at Santa Monica hospital,
in Baja California, at age 78. In the
same way Dr. King lived to fight
for his beliefs, Mrs. King has been
an inspirational figure around the
world. An indefatigable presence
and advocate to her husband’s
causes, Mrs. King embodied the
ideals Dr. King fought for.
“ Those of you who believe in
what Ma rtin Luther King, Jr.,
stood for; I would challenge you
today to see that his spirit never
dies. - Correta Scott King
Coretta Scott King
Chronology
1927- April 27- Coretta Scott born to Obadiah Scott and Bernice McMurry
Scott in Marion, Alabama
1945- Graduated Lincoln High school as valedictorian in May
1951- A.B. in Elementary Education and Music from Antioch College
1953- Married to Martin Luther King Jr. on June 18th
1954- Receives MusB. degree in Education with a Major in Voice and minor in
Violin from New England Conservatory of Music
Interviewing Skills, or What it
Takes to Get a Job You Want.
BY: MARIYA GONOR
STAFF WRITER
Remember getting your first job? It
was not that hard, was it? Now, howe ver, eve rything is going to change. As we
are graduating college or just trying to
get a good internship, we have to face
some serious competition in the workplace. It is not only a fight to survive
and keep the job, but most import a n tly, it is a fight for that one pre c i o u s
position. T h a t’s where the interviewing
skills come in. I don’t think that anyone is really fond of being evaluated or
judged by other people; however, that
is exactly what happens during job
interviews. And even worse you have
somewhere around 15 minutes to make
a good first impression. Also, there is a
90% possibility that the decision about
your employment will be made within
that little amount of time. So read on
to find out what it takes to be successful in that fight for the job.
– First of all, you should arrive on
time. . . better yet, arrive 15 minutes earlier. Coming late on your
fist interview. . . eek. . . it is even
worse than talking about commitment on the first date. Coming 40
minutes early on the other hand is
not showing anything good about
you either. It is just pathetic.
– The next thing is your attire. I had
a friend who showed up on an
interview wearing jeans. How
smart is that? What you want to
wear is a nice suit with that terribly
uncomfortable tie. If you don’t
have a suit for some reason, get
those dressy pants and a shirt out
of the closet. It is needless to say
that a girl should not be wearing
the shortest skirt from her closet. It
most certainly is not going to get
you the job.
– It is a good idea to have your
resume ready for the interv i ew
even if it is not required. It will
show that you are confident in
yourself.
– Try to act confident. Don’t show
that you are nervous. Try to speak
slowly and not use any “bad
words,” and also if it is possible try
not to use any slang either. The
interviewers will try to make you as
comfortable as possible, but you
must remember that they are still
evaluating you.
– In addition, it is a good idea to do
some research on the company or
individual that is interviewing you.
Obviously, you should be knowledgeable about requirements for
the position that you are going for.
It is not hard to be great, lovable and
totally adorable on an interview – just
be charming like you always are…
good luck.
August 28- joins her husband at great march on Washington
1964 - Landmark civil rights act of 1964 enacted. In December Mrs. Kings travels with Dr. King to Oslo, Norway where he receives the Nobel peace
prize on December 10.
1965 – Mrs. King helps Dr. King lead the Selma to Montgomery march for voting rights. The voting rights act is passed and signed on august 5th by
President Johnson.
1967 - Mrs. King convenes a group of supporters of Dr. King to discuss retrieval
of his papers from Boston University and the preservation and plan for a
place to house them in Atlanta.
April 8- Accompanied by her three oldest children, Mrs. King leads march in
Memphis, which Dr. King was scheduled to lead.
1969- January 15th- King center sponsors first birthday celebration in honor of
Dr. King at Ebenezer Baptist Church, followed by King Center MLK
birthday observance program every year afterward. On January 17th
Mrs. King announces plans for the program and building of the Martin
Luther King, Jr. Memorial Center.
WILL YOU HAVE A QUARTER
LIFE CRISIS?
BY: NICOLE CASAMENTO
STAFF WRITER
You might have thought you were
safe from having a life crisis for many
years, but according to the book The
Qu a rter Life Crisis by Alexandra
Robbins, most people today will have
one by the age of thirty - you may
already be in the middle of one. So
what is a quarter life crisis exactly?
Basically, it's a point in the life of a
young adult where he or she is struggling with questions about self-identity a.ka.-figuring out what you really
want out of life and coping with adulthood. You may have asked yourself
questions like these:
What if I don't know what I want?
1973- As a result of Mrs. King’s initiatives, National Park Service declares the
area containing Dr. King’s birthplace home, The King Center, his crypt
and Ebenezer Baptist Church as a national historic district.
How do I find my passion?
1982- Mrs. King dedicates King Center’s freedom hall complex.
How do I know if I'm dating
The One?
1983- August 27- To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the great march
on Washington , Mrs. King’s center convenes the new Coalition of
Conscience, which brings together 750 organizations in the most massive nonviolent civil and human rights coalition in U.S history. The number one legislative priority was the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Bill,
which Congress passed approximately three weeks later. In October,
Mrs. King attended the ceremony at the White House where President
Reagan signs legislation establishing Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal
Holiday.
1986- Mrs. King leads first Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday march.
1990- Serves as chairperson of the Atlanta Committee, which hosts visit of
Nelson and Winnie Mandela. Introduces Nelson Mandela to mass rally
in Atlanta.
1997- Receives Chairman’s Award, Congressional Black Caucus.
2004- Receives Antioch University’s Horace Mann award.
January 13, 2006- Mrs. King makes final public appearance at annual King
Center “salute to greatness” dinner.
January 30, 2006- Transition of Mrs. Coretta Scott king.
When do I let go of my dream?
Why do I have trouble meeting
people?
How do I weigh doing something I
love versus making enough
money?
What if I feel like I'm "stuck?"
What if my friends and I are
drifting apart?
How do I stop comparing myself
to other people?
What if I can't deal with
adulthood?
What do I do if life seems boring
or meaningless?
How do I stop feeling so
overwhelmed?
Will I ever look forward to growing
older?
What if I don't like myself?
or
Will I ever be happy?
While this may not sound so great
there's actually good news. According
to Alexandra's research, by having a
quarter life crisis now and dealing with
it correctly, you can skip a mid-life crisis all together. The reason mid-life
crises became so prevalent for previous
generations seems to be due to the lack
of choices they had when they were
younger, especially for women. Instead
of having time to think about who
they are and what they really want,
most young adults were forced, either
literally or through social pressure, to
get married, find a decent job that will
pay the bills and start a family as soon
as possible-everything else was put to
the side. With family being the main
priority for a long time, all personal
dreams and aspirations had to wait but
once the children got a little older or
they just became too miserable, the crisis would kick in. Now they'd start
thinking about what they really wanted and worrying that the chance may
have passed.
But today the pressure to start a family as soon as possible isn't as strong
due to many factors such as the economy, the social acceptance of different
lifestyles and the need for higher education. So the stress for our generation
isn't the lack of choices but the abundance of them. In the sequel,
Conquering Your Quarter Life Crisis,
young modern adults who have been
there and survived give their own personal stories and advice on every question you could possibly imagine.
There's not an exact science to finding the life of your dreams but the consensus of all the contributors was not
to rush it, but rather follow your
instincts and don't be afraid to take
risks – it's the best time in life to do so.
And to those still trying to decide what
to major in or what career path to follow, don't worry about the money yet;
there are ways to make enough money
for whatever you love. Whether it takes
you five weeks or five years, eventually
you'll figure out what you really want
and how to get there. In the meantime,
enjoy both your failures and successes
because they both contribute to the
future of your dreams. According to
research, when most people look back
on their lives, their biggest re g re t s
regard the things they didn't do (all the
"what if..." questions), not the things
they did do – even if it blew up in their
face
Member Profile
The Torch
Spring 06’ Baseball & Softball Team Profiles
Amy Delvalle
Jessica Bergman
Maria Héléna Geldern Cheryl Jones
Born: 10-9-87
Team Position:
Born: 9-13-87
Team Position:
Born: 10-13-85
Team Position:
Born: May 3rd
Team Position:
Outfield
Pitcher,
Waldo
Pitcher, 1st
base
1st + 2nd
Base
Seeking Degree
in: Speech
Seeking Degree
in: Psychology
Softball
Experience:
Seeking Degree
in: Accounting
Softball
Experience:
Baseball &
High School
Softball
Played since I
was 6.
Pitched since
I was 9.
3 years of
varsity in
High School 2nd year @
Bergen
Eleven years
school and
recreation
Before the
game I: Eat
Before the
game I: listen
Real Life
Experience:
Traveled to
Softball
Mexico and
Jamaica and soon Bahamas
Before the game I: Listen to my “fav”
music to get pumped up!
Favorite Drink: Vitamin Water
Hobbies: Playing Cards, Starbucks
A.K.A: Tall Cheryl
Favorite Food: Empanadas
What the Softball Staff say about ME: I
am too tall
Favorite Saying: “What the F%@#?”
Strangest Experience: Living in South
Carolina for three months.
Seeking Degree
in: Undecided
Softball
Experience:
Pathology
Softball
Experience:
High School
Real Life
Experience:
Softball
lots of candy
Favorite Drink: Water
Hobbies: Basketball & Softball
Favorite Food: Burger King
What the Softball Staff say about ME:
I talk too much
Favorite Saying: Dude
Shannon Robinson
Born: 6-2-86
Team Position:
3rd, Catcher,
Outfield
Softball
to music to get pumped
Favorite Drink: Gatorade
Hobbies: Chillen with my team
A.K.A : Pancakes
Favorite Food: IHOP
I’m annoying because I get songs
stuck in their head.
Favorite Saying: I’m in love with a
stripper
Strangest Experience: Meeting my
teammates. I love these girls!
Priscilla H.
Rodrigez - Vivas
Born: 2-18-81
Team Position:
Catcher
Seeking Degree
in: Criminal
Justice
Softball
Experience:
meeting my
teammates!
Real Life
Experience:
Softball
I’m a student, been working since I
was 16, athlete entire life
Before the game I: listen to music to
get pumped up
Favorite Drink: Capri Sun, Propel
Hobbies: artist, horseback riding,
basketball
Favorite Food: Burger King
A.K.A.: rabbit
Favorite Saying: I’m in love with a
stripper
Strangest Experience: Bergen’s softball team, we are the strangest
yet most awesome team.
Melissa Surace
Seeking
Degree in:
Real Life
Experience:
have learned
leadership
qualities
Softball
Before the
game I: say a prayer, telling team-
mates to have fun
Favorite Drink: Water!
Hobbies: Playing Softball, hanging
out w/ friends
A.K.A.: PICO
Favorite Food: IHOP
they call me grandma
Favorite Saying: “GETTEM”
Strangest Experience: Getting
knocked at cascious last year
Born: 5-19-84
Team Position:
Computers
3rd Base
Softball
Experience:
Real Life
Experience:
Seeking Degree
in: Law
Softball
Experience:
playing since I
was 5
Play since
3rd grade
High School
Softball
Before the
game I: listen to music
Hobbies: Softball
A.K.A: Shanno
Favorite Food: IHOP
That I talk to much
Favorite Saying: Buddy!
Strangest Experience: Van rides to
away games
Jorge Hernandez
Real Life
Experience:
Getting MVP
Plague
Before the
game I: listen
Softball
to music & pee
Hobbies: Sports
A.K.A: Rock “n” Roll
Favorite Food: Food that you chew
Favorite Saying: say “ello” to my little
friend
Strangest Experience: strip club + getting a lap dance
Mario A. Cala
John Accardi
Brian Carlino
Jason Castillo
Born: 9-18-85
Team Position:
Born: 12-2-85
Team Position:
Born: 1-5-87
Team Position:
Born: 2-2-85
Team Position:
Pitcher, 1st
base, 3rd base
(captain)
Short Stop
3rd Base
(Captain)
Seeking Degree
in: Exercise
Education
Seeking
Degree in:
Centerfield /
Pitcher
(captain)
Baseball Team
Experience: I’ve
Criminal
Justice
been playing
baseball since I
can remember
+ don’t plan on
stopping
Baseball Team
Experience: 14
Seeking Degree
in: Physical
Science
Baseball Team
Experience: 14
years.
Favorite Drink:
Gatorade
Hobbies:
Baseball Coach
Derek Rosenfeld
Baseball, basketball, music
A.K.A: MAC
Favorite Food: Pasta
Baseball
Tommy J. Balistnéry
Born: 12-20-86
Team Position:
Real Life
Experience: I
Baseball
shattered my
collar bone my sophomore year of
HS but continued playing the following year
Before the game I: Stretch, run + throw
Hobbies: Basketball, video games
A.K.A: Shades
Favorite Food: Meatball Parm
off (left)
Seeking Degree
in: Criminal
Baseball Asst. Coach
Justice
Steve Almonte
Baseball Team
Experience: 10
Born: 9-8-78
Team Position:
years .
Pitcher
Real Life
Experience: I
Seeking
Degree in:
just take one
day at a time
Occupational
Therapy
Before the
game I:
Before the
game I: Get
Baseball
years.
ing to Paul in
state playoffs
Real Life
Experience:
Before the
game I: Make
when I tore
my ACL
Baseball
Before the game I: Call my Girlfriend
A.K.A: B Money
Favorite Food: pizza
Paul Cingire
Steve Snyder
Left Field
Born: 8-8-86
Team Position:
Right Field
Seeking Degree
in: Hotel /
hanging out
with teammates off the
field
Restaurant
Management
Before the
game I: sleep
Favorite Drink:
Before the
game I: pack a
lip
myself
Mentally and
physically
ready
Favorite Drink:
What the Baseball Team say about ME:
Water
“you’r a good MAN Charlie Brown”
- Steve A.
Favorite Saying: Don’t have one
Strangest Experience: Don’t remember
Hobbies: Movies, Basketball
Favorite Food: Spicy food
Favorite Saying: I don’t ask how and
Favorite Drink:
Baseball
sure I use the
Baseball
bathroom
Hobbies: Entertaining My Girlfriend
A.K.A: Teeth
Favorite Food: spanish food
Strangest Experience: starting as a
pitcher
Born: 12-21-85
Team Position:
Seeking Degree
in: Phys Ed
Baseball Team
Experience:
Stretch, run, thrown
Favorite Drink: Gatorade/Powerade
Hobbies: lifting
A.K.A: T.J.
Favorite Food: grilled chicken
I wait for God to show up.
Seeking Degree
in: Phys Ed
Baseball Team
Experience: los-
Juice Juice
Baseball
orange soda /
propel
Hobbies: playing songs on the Juke
Box
A.K.A: Paul Wall / iceman
Favorite Food: anything Italian
What the Baseball team say about ME: I
play like Mantle
Favorite Saying: That’s so money
Hobbies:
Drinking and
playing baseball
A.K.A: Drago
Baseball
Favorite Food: Buffalo Wings
What the Baseball team say about ME:
Nervous wreck during the games
PAGE 8
MARCH 2006
Member Profile
BCC Baseball
Robert Barraza
Evan O’Donovan
Daniel German
Mike Incognito
Jorge Pardo
Born: 12-16-84
Team Position:
Born: 8-29-85
Team Position:
Born: 7-20-85
Team Position:
Born: 7-28-87
Team Position:
Born: 6-26-88
Team Position:
2nd Base,
Catcher
Pitcher
Right Field
Seeking Degree
in: N/A
Baseball Team
Experience:
Seeking
Degree in:
2nd Base,
Short Stop,
Pitcher
Catcher / 1st
Base
Seeking
Degree in:
Architecture
/ Graphic
Design
Before the
game I: put on
my uniform
Watching
Melvin Pin
Germ
Vitamin
water
Favorite Drink:
Baseball
Buying my own car
Before the game I: Buy 5 dollars
worth of sunflower seeds
Favorite Drink: Inca Cola
Hobbies: cars, music, art, bird watching, bottle cap collecting
A.K.A: Barraza
Favorite Food: Seafood/Pasta/Fast
food
I am very attractive with long and
short hair -lolFavorite Saying: Don’t get mad get $
Strangest Experience: Waking up in
my friends door step after a long
night (New Years)
Arthur Canestrino
Born: 3-13-84
Team Position:
2nd Base /
Pitcher
Baseball
Melvin Francisco
Born: 2-21-84
Team Position:
Manager
Seeking Degree
in: AAS
Criminal
Justice
years Pony/
little league/
Babe Ruth 1
year college.
Baseball
life guard
Before the game I: eat breakfast
Favorite Drink: fruit punch
Favorite Food: breakfast
Run Meldog
Strangest Experience: Injuring
wrestling coach in high school
Seeking Degree
in: Criminal
Justice
Baseball Team
Experience: 15
Real Life
Experience:
Winning the
super bowl in
6th grade/
football
Training
A.K.A: The Legend
Favorite Food: Chicken
Favorite Saying: What doesn’t kill
you makes you stronger
sports, working out
A.K.A: Big
Papi
Took a line
drive off my
knee cap while
pitching in H.S.
Baseball
Before the game I: take a nap
Hobbies: sports
A.K.A: Incog
Favorite Food: pasta
I’m Crazy
Favorite Saying: Wow you
fascinate me
Seeking
Degree in:
run, throw
Baseball
Gatorade
Hobbies: Sports, TV, Music
A.K.A: D Train
Favorite Food: pasta
out
Favorite Drink:
Gatorade
Catcher
Seeking Degree
in: Music Bus.
Baseball Team
Experience: I
Baseball
Playing for a
showcase
team when I was 2 yrs younger than
everyone else
Hobbies: Chilling with my friends
and listening to music. Sports
A.K.A: Sunshine, Zach Morris, surfer
man
Favorite Drink:
Before the
game I: hang
Born: 11-16-86
Team Position:
Real Life
Experience:
Before the
game I: stetch,
Criminal
Justice
Zach Licaro
Pitcher / 1st
Base
been playing
baseball my
whole life
1st Base,
Pitcher
A.K.A:
Hobbies:
Real Life
Experience:
Born: 12-1-86
Team Position:
Derek Greenstein
Baseball Team
Experience: I’ve
Team Position:
Before the game I: Pray
Favorite Drink: Gatorade/Water
Hobbies: Athletics / Fitness
Favorite Drink:
Orange juice
12 years
have been playing baseball on
numerals allstar teams
since I was 4
Arts
Born: 1-24-87
Baseball
I’,m cocky with boy who throw
around a few good jokes, flirts
with beautiful babes
Favorite Saying: “Never underestimate a man who overestimates himself
Strangest Experience: I want to be
either a ninja or a boy band leader
Seeking Degree
in: Liberal
Nick Russo
years.
15 years I
have impressed
and woowed
the crowd
with my
Baseball
charismatic
ability and style or play
Real Life Experience: The party at Nick
Russo’s house last night was sick. I
can’t wait til his parents go away
again
Before the game I: try to get real
focused and relaxed . . . in the zone
Hobbies: keeping it real
A.K.A: “Torito” (little bull) “Germ”
Favorite Food: Cheeseburger
Phys. Ed.
Baseball Team
Experience: 8
Real Life
Experience:
Seeking
Degree in:
Seeking Degree
in: History
Baseball Team
Experience:
Baseball Team
Experience: for
Alot
Baseball Team
Experience:
Real Life
Experience:
Political
Science
I’m the cool kid from California.
Strangest Experience: Skydiving and
surfing
Lucas Rodriguez
Born: 12-22-86
Team Position:
2nd Base /
Catcher
Seeking Degree
in: Physical
Education
Baseball Team
Experience: 13
years
Before the
game I:
stretch and
throw
Favorite Drink:
Baseball
Gatorade
Hobbies: TV, video games, poker,
driving
A.K.A: LROD
Favorite Food: Steak
Knocleballer Tim Wakefield
Favorite Saying: A bagillion
Tommy Rochford
Born: 3-12-85
Team Position:
Outfield
Seeking
Degree in:
Communications
Baseball Team
Experience: 1
year.
Real Life
Experience: 20
yrs of baseball
Before the
game I: Listen
Baseball
Tourettes
Baseball
What the Baseball
team say about ME: I’m a clown
Favorite Food: steak
to music
Baseball
Favorite Drink: Gatorade (any flavor)
Hobbies: Baseball!
A.K.A: Rock
Favorite Food: Pizza
I’m out of control
Favorite Saying: nice-thats awesome
I’m a cool dude.
Spring ‘06
Bulldog Scoreboard
Men’s Baseball
Mar. 24
Mar. 27
Mar. 29
Mar. 31
Apr. 2
Apr. 2
Apr. 4
Apr. 6
Apr. 6
Suffolk West
Union
Sussex
Usmaps
Gloucester
Gloucester
Union
Bronx
Bronx
Men’s Baseball
W, 1-0
L, 1-1
L, 1-2
W, 2-2
L, 2-3
L, 2-4
L, 2-5
L, 5-7
L, 5-15
Women’s Softball
Mar. 29
Mar. 29
Mar. 31
Mar. 31
Apr. 2
Apr. 2
Morris
Morris
Cumberland
Cumberland
Ocean
Ocean
Upcoming Games
L, 0-1
L, 0-2
L, 0-3
L, 0-4
L, 0-5
L, 0-6
Apr. 11
Apr. 14
Apr. 18
Apr. 26
Apr. 29
May 2
Brookdale
Camden
Raritan Valley
Burlington CC
Middlesex CC
Cumberland CC
H, 3:30
A, 2:00
A, 3:00
A, 3:30
H, 12:00
A, 3:00
Women’s Softball
Apr.
Apr.
Apr.
Apr.
Apr.
Apr.
Apr.
Apr.
11
13
15
18
20
21
23
25
Brookdale CC
Sussex CC
Salem CC
Raritan Valley
Burlington CC
Mercer Co. CC
Gloucester CC
Camden CC
A, 3:30
H, 3:30
A, 12:00
A, 3:00
H, 3:30
H, 3:30
H, 12:00
A, 3:30
BCC Golf
Team
It’s not too late
to join the team!
Any interested golfer
must be a full-time
student and be able
to shoot in the high
80’s to low 90’s
Please call Coach Bob
Rhein (201-403-8750) or
come to the Athletic
Office G-201 ASAP
Fernando Ribetro
Andrea Rodriguez
Gabriel Luque
Jenny
Juan
Mayda Ramos
Francisco Merino
Gaby
Liliana Betonces
Nelson
Juliana
Alan Manzueta
Diana Fabara
Romel
Stephanie
Manuel
Mr. & Mrs. L.A.S.A.
Mr. & Mrs.
L.A.S.A.
Deiby
On Friday, March 31, L.A.S.A. Organized a Beauty Pageant hosted by the
L.A.S.A. President Gigi Lopez.
The event had diffe rent levels of competion, casual wear: dress in outfits that
most represent yourself, evening wear: formal outfits and a talent showcase.
The funds for the Mr. & Mrs. L.A.S.A. event were contributed to
the Franco Miranda Scholarship
Grace S. Gomez
Baris serenading the ladies.
Ahhh . . . . Baris
Mrs. L.A.S.A. and
Francisco Rivaldeneira
Grace, Pituco and Liliana
Christina and Mr. L.A.S.A.
Contestants pose for the camera
Dr. Ralph
Choonoo and
SGC President
present Jack
with a plaque
of appreciation for his
contribution
to S.G.C. &
S.A.B.
Jack’s Retirement
Celebration
SGC & SAB Alumn
Fred Salberg
Jack and Wife
Jack and Family
Gene Calderon
Sharock Jones shares some words to Jack
Grace opens Celebration
Umm!!! Cake
Jack volunteered his time without expecting
anything in return but having satisfaction of
seeing students succeed, he is a true leader!
We’ll Miss You Jack!
Grace Gomez
S.G.C President
Jack Dirr
Jack, Thanks for the Memories!
-on Behalf of Office of Student Life
PAGE 12
MARCH 2006
Opinions & Editorial
Letter from the Editor
A recent correspondence received by the Torch was a reminder of a tragic
event. A criticism of lack of coverage of our student newspaper emerged,
although the Torch has faced the same dilemma for many years. Yes, years.
For as long as I can recall, the Torch continually faced the lack of reliability of
news coverage, along with the consistency of limitation of covering only what
may interest an individual and not another. Every semester, the Torch faces a
predicament of students using the office as a place to check their emails, and
as a “hangout” location between classes. The few staff members, those who
the Torch is lucky enough to have, desperately juggle their academics, their
article deadlines as well as assignments they have to cover because “the others”
suddenly forgot that they had an assignment due. This edition is not about
the blame-game within the Torch, but rather I hope to bring to light an issue
that not only concerns the Torch, but Bergen Community College. There
have been too many times that not only I, but others as well, have been told,
“this is Bergen.” Mediocrity is tolerated, apparently, because “this is Bergen.”
Yes, it may be true; every semester, students come in and out of the campus,
but that should not be a reason why lack of quality should be tolerated.
Student organizations are meant to assist student’s growth. The transition of
attending college may be difficult for some, but, as an Editor-in-Chief, my
goal and mission is not to settle for any less. But, it needs to start somewhere;
who makes a decision about how standards should measure? A community
college like Bergen is an opportunity to know one’s potential. In reality, even
if it is a community college, one’s potential should also exist outside of term
papers, midterms & finals. Faculty and staff need to work together to help
students transition not only during college years, but also beyond. Perhaps,
will make one the best news reporter in the country. After all, this is a learning
environment. After all, this is Bergen Community College.
Editor-In-Chief
Copy Editor
News Editor
Sports Editor
Entertainment Editor
Fashion Editor
Layout Editor
Photographer
Illustrator
Advisor
John Almanzar
Nicole Casamento
Rowell Garcia
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
President John F. Kennedy once said,
“Let us think of education as the means
of developing our greatest abilities,
because in each of us there is a private
hope and dream which, fulfilled, can be
translated into benefit for everyone.”
It’s a simple quotation, yet it somehow
manages to subtly encompass what I consider to be the true essence of the learning process. Education can serve as a
means to expand knowledge and understanding, and can open a countless number of doors when it comes to choosing a
career path. But an even more important
facet of our ongoing edification is the
contribution that it has to our personal
growth and development. The lifelong
process of education helps to mold our
personalities and empowers us to achieve
our hopes, goals, and dreams.
Eve rybody learns something new every
day from his or her personal experiences
both consciously and subconsciously.
Conversely, no matter how much a person
learns from their own endeavors, their
experiences can never be comprehensive.
In order to have a more complete education, children attend school to learn from
other people’s experiences and discoveries.
In grade school, much of what is taught
revolves around social development and
rudimentary material to build upon in
later years. Once students begin college
however, the constitution of the material
changes and it becomes more focused on
facts and information. Personally, I feel
that since college classes are more focused
on retention of information (with a few
exceptions), it should be up to the student to select his own method of learning. As this is my last semester at Bergen
Community College, I have taken many
classes and understand what needs to be
done to get good grades. Since I know
that I can just open a book and read and
comprehend the material for most classes, I feel that I simply do not need the
supplementary lecture on a regular basis.
I know that many other students can also
read from the text to learn the material,
yet many teachers find it necessary to
instate attendance policies.
Some teachers even go as far as to lower
a student’s grade for as little as two or
more absences. This is simply uncalled
for, especially when a student has managed to learn all of the material. The purpose of college is to learn; why should
proficient students be punished for not
attending classes every single day?
Putting aside poor attendance based on
students not wanting to sit through a lecture about material that they already
know, some students are very busy and
just can’t make it to class sometimes. Also,
many times students get sick for prolonged periods of time. Last semester I
had mononucleosis and my chemistry
p rofessor refused to let me make up my
labs despite the fact that I had a doctor’s
note. It was only when I told him I would
Mariya Gonor
Alon Melamed
Kelechi Njuko
Mailing Address:
400 Paramus Road
Paramus, NJ 076552-1595
Room L-115
Phone: 201-493-5006
Fax: 201-493-5008
[email protected]
A is for Absence
go to the dean that he allowed me to make
them up. My grade was almost seve re l y
and unfairly lowe red because of circ u mstances that we re out of my control.
In addition to these types of situations,
sometimes there are family emergencies
or unexpected events that impact a student’s attendance. Although most professors are generally understanding when it
comes to these types of unfortunate
events, some believe they are being lied to
when they are not.
Certain classes such as physical education or lab classes or even classes that are
based on discussions center on attendance, which is understandable unless
the student has a legitimate exc u s e .
However, the evaluation process of academic classes that consist mainly of
memorization and compre h e n s i o n
should be based only on how much of
the information the student has actually
learned. Many professors understand
that this is the important part of the class
and evaluate students only by examinations, papers, or projects.
Education is a lifelong process with
many ups and downs. In childhood it
revolves around learning how to behave
and how to learn, but once these subjects
are covered and the students become
adults, it is time to relinquish control of
the learning process to the students.
Some professors say that if students don’t
come to class they do poorly. My
response to that is that those students are
probably indifferent to begin with and
that is their choice. In other words, it is
impossible to make a general statement
about students who don’t come to class
because in order to know if attendance
really affected grades a professor would
have to teach the same student in two
separate but identical classes; one class he
would have to regularly attend and the
other one he would have to routinely
skip. And even then, there are variables
that could affect the outcome of the
experiment.
We are all adults and choosing to continue our education was our own decision. How we learn the material presented to us should also be our choice. A
grade of an A means that the student has
learned the material and has completed
the requirements for the class. Lowering
this grade due to bad attendance is
unethical and just unnecessary. Because
Bergen is only a two-year school, professors should also take into account that
lowering grades out of what can only be
called spite may affect their student’s
chances of transferring to a good school
when in truth they earned a higher grade.
Completing one’s education not only
opens his or her mind, it changes that person in an irre vocable way. Kennedy
described it as “means of developing our
g reatest abilities,” and that is really what it
is. With an education the possibilities are
unlimited and as long as students thoroughly learn everything they need to know
for a given course the professors should
respect their study method of choice.
Dr. Ralph Choonoo
Staff Writers:
Louis Campos
Editor-In-Chief
BY: DANIEL NER
Louis Campos
Francine Lucas
Alex Sheppard
Danny LaFaso
Kiryl Bychkouski
Amanda Ferrante
Louis Campos
Sergio Lopez
Moses Agwai
The Torch , a member of the Associated College Press and the
College Media Association, is the official student newspaper of
Bergen Community College. The purpose of the The Torch is to
report on the events at BCC and the local community and to offer the
BCC community a forum for the expression. The opinions expressed
in The Torch are not necessarily those of The Torch. All the materials
submitted to The Torch become property of The Torch.
Propaganda in the Media
BY: ALEX SHEPPARD
NEWS EDITOR
The title of USA Today’s front page
recently was “Bush’s budget big on
security.” The problem is that this
statement is completely false; Bush’s
budget is big on insecurity. It makes
America less secure in many important
ways. The title highlights the way the
national media often parrots the words
of government officials and other
agenda-setters, rarely letting differing
perspectives enter the marketplace of
ideas. A quick glance at the evidence
reveals this claim about security to be
highly dubious, but for all their
re s o u rces, the agenda-setting media
has apparently refused to consider it.
For instance, the media could have
considered the numerous re p o rts written by various institutes and academic
bodies, or the opinions of specialists in
the field of Middle East politics. The
International Institute for Strategic
Studies, a London-based research gro u p,
recently noted that the risk of terrorism
“appeared to increase after the Iraq war
began in March 2003.” This was not
simply an error on the part of US leaders but a predictable consequence of
war: “the Iraq invasion was always likely
in the short term to enhance Jihadist
re c ruitment and intensify al Qa e d a’s
motivation.” Even CIA Di rector Porter
Goss, who was appointed by George
Bush, noted that, “The Iraq conflict,
while not a cause of extremism, has
become a cause for extremists…Those
jihadists who survive will leave Iraq
experienced in and focused on acts of
urban terrorism. They re p resent a
potential pool of contacts to build
transnational terrorist cells.”
Perhaps more notable still is the fact
that over half of the US population also
agrees that the war increased the risk,
proving that for the press, the views of
the population are sometimes irre l e vant
to how the debate is framed. In the case
of close US allies, the population is
even more strongly polarized, with two
t h i rds or more of the population believing the war made things worse. In
countries which did not support the
war from the outset, almost nobody
thought the war had decreased the
p roblem. Even the governments of
allies have sometimes been forced to
admit the realities; a press re p o rt fro m
Sydney read, “Australia’s newly re - e l e c ted government conceded for the first
time Wednesday that its decision to
p a rticipate in the Iraq conflict may
h a ve increased the terrorist threat.”
Apart from Iraq, our government’s
policy on nuclear weapons is decidedly
a dangerous one; hypocritically, it tries
to persuade countries like Iran to abandon such projects, and then does
everything to increase its own nuclear
advantage. In his first term in office,
George Bush pulled out of both the
Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, which
bans the testing of nuclear weapons, as
well as the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty,
which bans the development of “missile shields.” The pullouts were criticized by nearly every other country in
the world. They fear that these actions
will drive nuclear competition, ultimately making the world a more dangerous place. The treaties had been in
place for many decades.
Ac c o rding to its Nuclear Posture
Re v i ew, this administration is looking
into the possibility of small “useable” or
“bunker busting” nuclear weapons, and
has considered the use of such weapons
against states like Iran, North Ko re a ,
Libya and Syria, if a war broke out
b e t ween them and the US. This is a
n ew idea in US foreign policy, because
these states do not have nuclear
weapons. The Bush administration also
discussed the idea of using nuclear
weapons against Iraq, perhaps in
response to the use of gas or biological
agents against US soldiers, or perhaps
simply to destroy underground targets.
Yet, if USA Today is any example,
these realities are largely not reflected
in US media coverage. A recent article
on his State of the Union speech notes
that Bush “challenged Iran to abandon
its nuclear ambitions,” chastising him
for having “never mentioned North
Korea.” The problem is that nowhere
does the article mention Bush’s own
ambitions! The ambitions of the
President himself are surely a more
important topic than that of a third
world country; but the article goes on
as if these did not exist at all.
A similar display is the case for Iraq.
Though the article states that, “the
thrust of the speech was a justification
of Bush’s decision to go to war with
Iraq and the need to stay the course
there,” nowhere does it mention any
potential problems that he omitted on
this issue. We are given no impression
one way or another. This is despite that
most experts and most of the public
feel the war has actually worsened
security, and that Bush remains totally
committed to continuing the occupation, refusing to set any kind of
timetable. It would seem that if one is
going to note what Bush didn’t say,
these huge holes ought to be mentioned. Yet the author does not do this,
and so leaves the reader with equally
large gaps in their understanding.
Some clarification is necessary here.
The problem with the media is not
that they do not criticize. The article
above, to cite only one example, contains a variety of criticisms. The central
problem, however, is that the criticisms
are often trivial, or made inside a larger framework that is favorable toward
the government. Bush’s budget may be
open to criticism on the grounds that
it drives up the debt, but only after we
have admitted that it is “strong on
security.” We may note that Bush didn’t mention No rth Ko rea’s nuclear
weapons, but only after forgetting that
he himself has the world’s most
extreme nuclear ambition. In this way,
the media can often appear to be critical of the government, while accepting
at face value its most crucial (and often
wrong) assertions.
MARCH 2006
PAGE 13
Inside
Outside Me
BY: KISS
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
I’ve felt like an outsider for most of
my life. I don’t know if it’s me or if it
is the people I have surrounded myself
with didn’t fit. Like a fish out of water,
maybe. It’s as if I was stuck growing up
in between two worlds, both completely opposite of each other. My early
childhood breeding was for one world;
the other I had to adapt to, making
many mistakes along the way. Finding
myself has been no easy task and I am
still not finished searching.
I came bursting out of the womb at
4:22 am on July 24, 1984, after eighteen hours of labor. I was born at Ho l y
Name Hospital in Teaneck, NJ , a quiet
little suburban town twenty minutes
outside of New York City. This was my
first home. I lived on Windsor Road in
a four bedroom house, half brick and
half white vinyl siding. I remember we
had a homemade swing tied to the
biggest tree that I have ever seen. It was
as wide as a truck and was located
directly in the middle of the backyard .
I spent my first seven years of life
growing up in Teaneck. I attended
Bryant School when it was still just a
kindergarten school; from there I went
to Whittier School until the second
grade. I was one of the few black kids
in the mainly Jewish populated school,
but I was one of the top students. I
was raised with the basis that education was more important than anything else because once it is obtained it
can never be taken away.
It was not long after I started on the
right path that the road got slippery.
My mother and father went through a
horrible divorce, with name calling
and defamation of characters on either
side. In the end, my brother and I
were put under sole custody of my
mother, who lived in Mount Vernon,
New York. Mount Vernon was completely different than Teaneck. There
we re no Jewish people, barely any
white people and an over populated
black community. The town is only
four square miles but has a population
of 75,000 people, in which I knew no
one and didn’t know what to expect.
I remember that I was unable to sleep
for a while when I first moved It was so
noisy. All night long I would hear loud
music that would echo the walls of my
apartment. Police and ambulance
sirens howled at any given time of the
night and early mornings. The sound
that was the worst that I had to learn to
recognize was the gun shots. They
sounded like rapid thunder in no given
pattern. I hated the hood at that age.
Starting school was the beginning of
my troubles. I was new and different.
I wore tight Levi’s jeans, my shoes were
from Payless and I had a tail, a single
braid in the back of my head. I got
teased for dressing a certain way and I
talked proper and got good grades,
which was more ammo for the hood
kids. They were mean, dirty looking
and cared about music and clothing
more than they did for learning. Not
to mention that they were angry. They
had animalistic tendencies. Easily provoked, they fought over accidental
bumpings, stepping on ones shoes and
teasing to name a few. I saw the battle
for respect where not much of anything was respected, at this young age,
and it soon became my way of life.
My schooling had faded to a distant
goal; maintaining just enough to move
up a grade yearly. I soon became one
of the hoods. Mt. Vernon High
School was more of a distraction than
a center for education. Before you got
into the building you were made to
wait on long lines to be thoroughly
searched and had to go through a
metal detector. The security guards
would rip your book bag apart searching for anything they could get you
arrested for. You had to take off your
shoes and open your mouth in the
search for weapons; if the metal detector beeped three times and nothing
was found you were sent away, your
school day was over before it began.
With all of these precautions there
we re still several guns, numerous
knives and blades and pounds of drugs
circulating around the school at any
given time.
I would go to school for the main purpose of hanging out. Me and my band
of hoodlums ran the halls torturing staff
and students alike. We would fight
a n yone who opposed us or stooped our
gain. We as a team sucked the life and
money out of those dirty brainless halls.
I could hustle with the best of them. I
had no real introduction to this life but
my intellect carried me most of the way.
After graduating I expanded my
plans to make it by any means necessary. I hung out with the older thugs
in the neighborhood. These guys were
no joke. I was surrounded by guys
with multiple felonies, with histories of
d rugs, weapons and violent arrests.
They were crack dealers, con artists,
armed robbers; some they never talked
about it, but you can tell they had
killed before. They had stab wounds
from screw drivers to hatchets and
numerous chipped teeth and gun shot
wounds. And then there was me,
never been arrested, luckily, and the
worst thing that happened to me was
bruised knuckles or a swollen eye.
I loved those guys though. They tre a ted me as one of their own, like a man.
But I was still different. I still liked to
read and my outlook on life was different from theirs. Call it naive but, I still
looked for the good in people. They
always thought somebody was trying to
do them wrong; probably because they
did so many people wrong. This was
their life. I felt like I was just visiting. I
always felt smarter than them; especially
when these older hardened criminals
would ask me for advice how to write
something as simple as a resume.
I was in deep; to proud to back out
and to scared to go further. I never
wanted to become like them completely but I was noticing things about
myself that I hated. I had seen a lot of
bad things happen to good people. By
twenty one I had been to ten times
more wakes than weddings and my
heart was getting cold. Fearing my life
would be lost to this world of
unchanging, unruly sorrow, I knew a
change had to be made before it was to
late to save my soul.
In a few months time with the help
of my aunt who lives in New Jersey, I
applied to Bergen Community College
and moved in with her. Just like that,
out of the blue, I left everything that I
had grown to know and love. I was
finally rid of my old life, which was
never mine to begin with. Now with
all those lessons learned and no other
choice but to do good I return to New
Jersey; after over ten years, hoping to
find a place that fits, but again I start
out as an outsider.
You CAN Study Abroad . . .
ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS PLAN AHEAD
• Earn College credit in summer, and semester
programs
• Affordable cost
• Federal financial aid may be applicable
• Foreign language proficiency not required
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Bulgaria
Canada
China
Costa Rica
Czech Republic
Denmark
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
England
France
Germany
Greece
India
Ireland
Italy
Japan
Mexico
Morocco
New Zealand
For more information visit
Prof. Amparo Codding
(your Study Abroad Advisor)
in room A-335A
or visit this website:
www.bergen.edu/study_abroad
Peru
Portugal
Russia
Scotland
Spain
Switzerland
PAGE 14
MARCH 2006
Fashion
Men’s Looks for Under $100
Every Girl Will Be Asking “Who’s That Boy?”
BY: AMANDA FERRANTE
FASHION EDITOR
Okay, boys, you don’t want to spend
too much money on your apparel
(that’s a fancy word for the stuff you
wear) and you don’t want to look like
you spent the afternoon with your
head in GQ looking for tips to get stylish. Come on, your boys wouldn’t
have that. You’d never live it down,
pretty boy! So, here are three looks
compiled from Old Navy for the men
who still have taste but a rather tight
budget. We’ve got you covered with
outfits under $100!
The Chilled-Out Look: You’re the
surfboard clad guy ready to get your
game on at the beach. Maybe you’re
off to meet some lovely ladies (also
decked out in Old Navy) and you want
to look decent. This effortless look is
sure to please. Here’s the 411: LongSleeved Linen-Blend Shirt in Light
Blue, $24.50; Classic Tee in White,
$8.50; Seersucker Pants in New
Thatch Brown, $29.50; Canvas SlipOn Sneakers in Plaid, $19.50. Don’t
fall into the trap; wear a belt, gentle-
men! Check out the Special Edition
Leather Belts for only $19.50 (she’ll
l ove it!) Your grand total: $101.
Including the belt! Not so bad for a
laid back ladies man, huh?
The Sophisticated and Ready Look:
You’re going places and everybody
knows it! Show off your ambitious
disposition with the proper attire and
it’s go time for you, cutie! This look is
a little tricky. For those of you who
have animosity towards pink shirts,
I’m with you. Pink just doesn’t scream
“manly” whatsoever. Go for it in
another color. Fight me all you want,
it just doesn’t work. Back to style: this
look is a sure fit. Here’s the 411:
Oxford Shirt (in any other color
besides pink), $19.50; Regular Fit
Super Khakis, $24.50; and if you’re
daring enough, Messenger Bag in
Black, $19.50. You’re looking at a
grand total of $63.50. Including the
bag! Not too shabby!
The Classic Denim Look: You’re the
cliché cute boy we all love to look at
and wonder if you’re looking back at
us. Thanks for the eye candy! You’re
looking for simplicity with a dash of
Chilling Out
On the Go
cool and perhaps a relaxed fit. Here’s
the 411: Destination Tee in Taupe,
$12.50; Long-Sl e e ved Linen Bl e n d
Shirt in White, $24.50; Leather Flip
Flops in Grommets, $19.50. Your
grand total: $91; this is just too good!
Classic
These are looks you can mix and
match and at such great prices, you can
even cop more than one! Remember
boys, there is no excuse to look anything but your best. Being smart with
fashion is just something you’ll have to
learn and this article teaches you right
here! Instead of heading out to get
wasted this weekend, get to Old Navy
and shop!
$16.50. The total for this fun versatile
look: $91.50!
Feisty
&
Fabulous: You’re a
little bit edgier, daring, and all around
alluring. You’re a
babe to be reckoned with and offer
perhaps a dash of
attitude. This is all
about you, girl!
He re’s the 411:
Embellished
“Brazil” V-Neck in
O’Donnell Green
(not available in
some
store s )
$15.00; Seersucker
Bermuda Shorts in
Flip Flop, $19.50;
Embellished
Flirty Fashion
Messenger Bag in Khaki, $14.50;
Retro Flip -Flops in Cenote; $7.50.
Your total: $56.50
Flirty Fashion: You’re somewhere in
between simple and feisty. You’re looking for sophistication but not interested in going over the top. Have we got
a look for you, hot stuff! Ready for
some fun? Here’s the 411: V-Neck
Cami in Black, $8.50; V-Neck Cami
in White, $8.50; Roll-Up Cargos in
Hibernation Blue, $29.50; Ring
Sandals, $16.50. Your total: $63;
sweet!
The best thing about these buys is
they can be mixed and matched or laye red for extra special individuality!
You’re bound to find the right look at
Old Navy, and if you can’t seem to get
around hit up OldNavy.com with special offers! You’ve got to get this look!
Ladies Looks for Under $100
Who’s That Foxy Lady?
BY: AMANDA FERRANTE
FASHION EDITOR
in Earth Brown, $8.50, Cu t - Of f
Denim Capris in Authentic, $24:50;
Sometimes we have a hard time
defining ourselves from the typical
day-to-day looks. With these steals for
Old Navy, you’re in this spring with
your very own look to make the boys
cry! Tears of joy, that is! There’s nothing like screaming individuality with
your own buys, and for less. We’ve got
you covered with looks from head to
toe for under $100.
Simple Chic: Are you a simple girl in
a complex world? Then this look is for
you. Y ou don’t overdo things, you
don’t need diamonds or pearls, and
you like to keep your simple wallet
full. This is your time to shine with
your very own look. Here’s the 411:
Crochet-Trim Wrap Shirt in Natural
White, $29.50; Long-Layering Cami
Simple Chic
Reversible Hobo Bag in Black Print,
$12.50; Rings Sandals in Bronze,
Feisty & Fabulous
Espadrille Elation
BY: AMANDA FERRANTE
FASHION EDITOR
The hunt continues for outrageous
apparel to make us feel like Cindy
Crawford in the early 90's, yet results
show us nothing short of Cindy's current budget. Too many zeros are no
fun when making purchases. Let's get
real fashionistas; money doesn't circulate our way in large quantities (large
enough for our taste, that is.) Fancy
footwear has always proven problematic. The shoes fit, they go with that
sexy black dress your boyfriend loves to
Dasia Espadrille
Holly Espadrille
see you in, and they even grace your
footsies with the utmost in comfort.
The problematic part? Cost, cost, cost,
cost, cost!
Sacrifice no more,
Espadrille Elation is here! This spring
we love Espadrilles! They're sporty,
sexy, comfy, and come in so many different styles you can find a perfect fit
for your personality. Amanda has
done her duty to the girls and enlisted
the help of the heaven-sent internet for
the cheapest footwear around. We're
looking out for you! Why do we love
the Espadrille? It's classic and chic.
Thanks to the Spanish, this shoe is
crafted from the finest of materials for
style and comfort.
Here are some styles for you to check
out: For the girlie girls, The Holly
Espadrille sandal by Tommy Hilfiger is
as sweet as candy at only $35.95! With
ice purple stripes and blue stitching,
this is one babe on a budget buy! It’s a
perfect finish for a perfect look. For
my more sophisticated and daring
divas, The Lana Espadrille sandal by
VOLATILE is a sure fit. It’s sexy and
Lana Espadrille
edgy, just like you. In pink
or black (the ultimate diva
colors), you'll find the perfect look for $45.95 at zappos.com. Now plain Janes,
I didn't forget about you!
Sometimes you just want to
be simple! The clean classy
look of The Dasia
Espadrille sandal by MIA is
the footwear for you! It's a
simple sandal for a simple
girl in a wide array of colors, it's sure to please.
Check them out at zappos.com for $53.95!
The H-Band Espadrille
sandal by Lerner’s
Catalog is the biggest
steal at $29.99! They are fresh and
flirty in every color you see pictured. They’re the classic musthave! The best part of my picks is
that they’re all available with free
shipping! Act fast, these offers
might not last!
Espadrille Elation is the greatest
thing to happen to fashion with a
new look of comfort and style.
There are so many options for so
H-Band Espadrilles
many lovely ladies. Check out these
websites for more shoe shopping!
Mandee.com
Shopzilla.com
Espadrilles.com
OldNavy.com
Zappos.com
Chadwicks.com
eBay.com
MARCH 2006
PAGE 15
Artwork - Women in History
BY: MOSES AGWAI
ILLUSTRATOR
Everybody today seems to be in such a terrible rush, anxious for greater developments
and greater riches and so on, so that children have very little time for their parents.
Parents have very little time for each other, and in the home begins the disruption of
peace of the world.
Mother Theresa
For everyone of us that succeeds, it's because there's somebody there to show you the
way out. The light doesn't always necessarily have to be in your family; for me it was
teachers and school.
Oprah Winfrey
Only do what your heart tells you.
Princess Diana
No matter what you think about the Iraq war, there is one thing we can all
agree on for the next days - we have to salute the courage and bravery of
those who are risking their lives to vote and those brave Iraqi and
American soldiers fighting to protect their right to vote.
Hillary Clinton
PAGE 16
MARCH 2006
Arts & Entertainment
The Alison Brown Quartet "JazzGrass" Banjo & More, 5/5
The Alison Brown Quartet, with its
unique “JazzGrass” banjo sound, will
perform on Friday, May 5, at 8:00
p.m. in the Anna Maria Ciccone
T h e a t re at Bergen Community
College, 400 Paramus Road, Paramus,
NJ. Tickets are $22 for general admission and $20 for students and seniors
(65+) and are available at 201-4477428. Seating is reserved and advance
ticket purchase is recommended.
Featuring the technically rich and
highly musical banjo playing of Alison
Brown, the Quartet is famous for its
groundbreaking acoustic music which
bridges the genres of bluegrass and
jazz. Named “Banjo Pl a yer of the
Year,” by the International Bluegrass
Music Association and nominated for
“2005 Instrumentalist of the Year,” by
the Americana Music Association,
Brown has blazed new trails through
her composition and playing. She has
recorded seven critically acclaimed solo
albums including the 2001 Grammy
winning “Fair We a t h e r” and the
Grammy
nominated
“Simple
Pleasures.” She has received international acclaim for showcasing the
banjo outside its familiar Appalachian
roots, and for opening new frontiers to
banjo players.
Brown began performing as a teenager and by the time she graduated from
high school, she had traveled extensively playing at festivals and contests
and had even re c o rded an album
together with fiddler Stuart Duncan.
She then took a detour in her professional music career to study history
and literature at Harva rd and to
receive an MBA from UCLA. After
two years working as an investment
banker, she decided to return to her
composition and recording career and
has gone on to open whole new vistas
for an instrument that was once solely
associated with “pickin’ ‘n’ grinnin’.”
The Alison Brown Quartet is coming
to Bergen Community College as part
of the College’s Performing Arts Series,
“This & That from Here & There.”
Call Bergen’s Office of Community
and Cultural Affairs at 201-447-7248
for a full schedule of events or visit
them online at www.bergen.edu/community_events.
Alison Brown
"Ah, Wilderness" to be Staged April 21-30 Virtuosic Music for Trio to
Perform at Bergen, 4/9
“Ah, Wilderness,” a play by Eugene
O’Neill, will be performed at the Anna
Maria Ciccone T h e a t re at Bergen
Community College, 400 Paramus
Road, Paramus, NJ, Fridays and
Saturdays, April 21, 22, 28 and 29 at
7:30 p.m. The matinees will be on
Sundays, April 23 and 30 at 3:00 p.m.
Tickets are $10 for general admission
and $5 for students and seniors (65+).
To purchase tickets visit the Office of
Community and Cultural Affairs,
Room A-315 at the College or call
201-447-7428.
“Ah, Wilderness,” a delightful “comedy of recollection,” is true to the
spirit of the American small town at
the turn of the 20th century—full of
the positive atmosphere, patriotic sentiment, and romantic mood of our
ideal homeland. Eugene O’Ne i l l ,
recipient of the Nobel Prize for
L i t e r a t u re and four-time winner of
the Pu l i t zer Pr i ze for Drama, has captured this mood perfectly. This
charming slice of life is guaranteed to
l e a ve the audience smiling.
Vi rtuosic Music for Trio, an ensemble
of three world-class artists, will perform
musical works ranging from the Classics
to Ragtime on Sunday, April 9, at 3:00
p.m. in the Anna Maria Ciccone
Theatre at Bergen Community College,
400 Paramus Road, Paramus, NJ.
Tickets are $12 for general admission
and $10 for students and seniors (65+)
and are available at 201-447-7428.
Seating is reserved and advance ticket
purchase is recommended.
The virtuoso artists—clarinetist
Murray Colosimo, pianist Peggy
DeArmond, and violinist Du o m i n g
Ba—combine forces to perform an array
of musical works by composers such as
Igor Stravinsky, Philip Glass, and Darius
Milhoud. It is sure to be an afternoon of
exceptional and varied music.
Clarinetist and conductor Murray
Colosimo, who has performed as a
soloist and in chamber ensembles, is
also a music educator at Be r g e n
Community College. Pianist Peggy
DeArmond—an active soloist, guest
artist and accompanist—has been with
the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra
for 18 years. Violinist Duoming Ba,
who is stepping in for ailing regular
member, Vladmir Tsypin, was born in
China and came to the U.S. in 1996.
She was a member of the New Jersey
Symphony Orchestra prior to joining
the New York Philharmonic in 2003.
The performance is part of Bergen
Community College’s 2005-2006
Performing Arts Series, “This & That
from Here & There.” Call Bergen’s
Office of Community and Cultural
Affairs at 201-447-7428 for the full
schedule, or view their Web site at
h t t p : / / w w w. b e r g e n . e d u /
community_events.
From Left to Right Top: Dennis Subriezi of New Milford and
Diamond Simms of Cliffside Park. Bottom: Brian Arya of West New
York and Heather Ebhardt of Bergenfield.
The cast includes:
Elizabeth Marsh, from Fair Lawn as Essie Miller
Renato Coda, from Clifton as Nat Miller
Diamond Simms, from Cliffside Park as Richard Miller
Dennis Subriezi, from New Milford as Arthur Miller
Heather Ebhardt, from Bergenfield as Mildred Miller
Brian Arya, from West New York as Tommy Miller
Lindsay Astarita, from Dumont as Lily Miller
Billy Alzaher, from Englewood as Sid Davis
Addam Asderian, from Dumont as Wint Selby
Stephen Siano, from Ha s b rouck Heights as David
McComber
Kelly Durr, from Wayne as Muriel McComber
Marcela Sanchez, from Garfield as Belle
Kyle Scatliffe, from Westwood as Bartender
Richard Lurie, from Paramus as Salesman
Kathleen Cronin, from Paramus as Nora
The understudies:
Brian Arya, from West New York for Richard Miller
Daniel Chelemer, from Tenafly for Tommy Miller
The production team:
Directed by Ken Bonnaffons of Central Valley, NY
Set Designed by Michael LaPointe of Metuchen
Lighting Designed by Jared Saltzman of Clifton
Costumes Designed by Marie Natali of Hawthorne
Props Coordinated by Rebecca Leclercq of Dumont
Stage Managed by Aubriana Sabino of Elmwood Park
“The Beatles of Kids’ Music” – The Zucchini Brothers 4/1
The Zucchini Brothers – kids’
favorite fun rockers – will perform on
Saturday, April 1, at 3:00 p.m. in the
Anna Maria Ciccone T h e a t re at
Bergen Community College, 400
Paramus Road, Paramus, NJ. Tickets
are $9 for adults and $6 for children
under 18 and are available at 201-4477428. Seating is reserved and advance
ticket purchase is recommended.
Winners of the NAPPA Gold Award
and the Parent’s Choice Gold Award,
the critically acclaimed Zu c c h i n i
Brothers deliver “Words of Wisdom
Set to Foot-Tapping Music.” Known as
“The Beatles of Kids’ Music,” The
Zucchini Brothers are renowned for
their work in schools, theaters, and festivals nationwide, as well as for their
nationally syndicated daily radio show,
“The Zucchini Brothers Live! At the
Clubhouse.” With their 100% healthy
and 100% fun style the zany Zucchinis
bridge the musical gap between kids
and adults.
This performance is part of Bergen
Community College’s 2005-2006
Performing Arts Series, “This & That
from Here & There.” Call Bergen’s
Office of Community and Cultural
Affairs at 201-447-7428 for the full
schedule, or view their Web site at
http://www.bergen.edu/community_e
vents.
MARCH 2006
PAGE 17
Book Review: The Age of Spiritual Machines
BY: ALEX SHEPPARD
NEWS EDITOR
The world is on the verge of a great
re volution. That re volution will be
caused by the emergence of computers
which are faster, and more capable,
than the brain of any human.
Or at least, that is Ray Kurzweil’s
view.
Kurzweil, an award-winning inventor and businessman, has authored a
number of books in recent years foretelling of an age when we will no
longer need real bodies, having
uploaded our consciousness onto the
internet. If we need to interact with
the real world, we’ll be able to use
clouds of tiny robots to do it, which
will be able to quickly assemble into
anything we desire—buildings, cars,
you name it. Humans will have
become obsolete, having transformed
themselves into machines.
The rationale for these seemingly
bizarre ideas is that the power of computers has been following a set pattern
in the last century. If we project that
same pattern into the first half of the
twenty-first century, we quickly find
something extraord i n a ry happening
around 2020: namely, personal (desktop) computers begin to reach a speed
comparable with the human brain. By
2030, they should be somewhat faster,
and by then our software will have
evolved to keep pace with the changes.
Computer programs will act ve ry
much like humans, and a fundamental
shift will have occurred in history—
and it will no longer be merely human
history.
As one commentator puts it,
Kurzweil’s predictions make “all other
roads to the computer future look like
goat paths in Patagonia,” heralding the
imminent arrival, within the lifetimes
of many people alive today, of the
transformation of humans into
posthumans, a word which Kurzweil
himself frowns upon, but which many
commentators have adopted to
describe the predicted state of consciousness in the late 21st century. The
term transhumanist is now widely used
in some circles to describe the view
that humans can and should transform
themselves into more capable entities.
Kurzweil’s book posits that eventually, all manner of human expression and
feeling will move online. By 2030,
Ku rz weil believes, “the majority of
communication [will] not involve a
human…the majority of communication involving a human [will be]
between a human and a machine”.
Furthermore, in this future world, “in
all of the arts—musical, visual, literary,
virtual experience…many of the leading artists are machines.” The largest
human profession will be education, it
not yet being possible for humans to
d ownload
knowledge
directly.
Nevertheless, many teachers will be
computer programs.
On the front of human health,
Kurzweil imagines that a quarter century hence, life expectancy for most
humans will be around 120. Tiny
robots will float around in people’s
blood stream and detect emerging cancer, far before it becomes visible to a
doctor or perceivable by the patient.
Disabled individuals will have access to
bionic, artificial limbs, whose capability is similar to the real thing.
Ne u rological implants will make it
possible to experience many sensations
directly over the internet; implants will
also be becoming available to enhance
“interpretation, memory, and reasoning.”
People will increasingly treat
machines as human, and automated
personalities will often be realistic.
Much of the range of emotional contact that humans currently have with
each other will be possible to experience with machines, many of whom
will be considered “virtual humans.”
One is reminded of the recent instant
messaging phenomenon. If Kurzweil is
correct, some people on our buddy list
may eventually not be people.
Kurzweil also believes that sexual relationships with virtual people will
become possible, like a kind of online
dating service that has been taken to its
ultimate limit.
A variety of individuals also believe
that these predictions will never come
to pass. The philosopher John Searle,
for instance, thinks that it is impossible
for computers to ever have minds; he
has developed an elaborate argument
on this subject. Francis Fukuyama, a
writer on the potential of biotechnology, devoted only a few pages of his
book to dispensing with the humansbecome-machines scenario; ironically,
his work was entitled Our Posthuman
Future. Still others agree that computers will eventually become conscious,
but that the consequences may be terrible, rather than beneficial. There is
little shortage of debate; but in any
case, Kurzweil’s book constitutes a rich
contribution to our thinking about the
future.
Live life as Jack Bauer and others in 24: THE GAME
BY: DANNY LAFASO
SPORTS EDITOR
Have you ever wondered what 24
hours in the life of TV hero Jack Bauer
and friends would be like? Well, yours
and the prayers of all fans of the critically acclaimed FOX show will get
your shot in 24: THE GAME, now
available exclusively on the PlayStation
2 console.
Actor Kiefer Sutherland, who portrays Jack Bauer, lent his likeness and
voice to the game’s production team, as
did several other cast members, making the game that much more like a
full season of the show. The game is set
between seasons 2 and 3 of the series,
and helps viewers answer some of the
questions they may have asked during
the show’s 3rd season. Why and how
did Kim Bauer, Jack’s daughter, get a
job at CTU? How did she become
romantically invo l ved with agent
Chase Edmunds? These and many
more questions are answered as you
attempt to help Jack and his fellow
CTU agents foil yet another terrorist
plot.
Throughout the game’s many actionpacked levels, you get to experience life
as a CTU agent in many different
facets. You get to infiltrate terrorist
camps and lairs as Jack Bauer, chase
after suspects in SUV’s, sports cars,
interrogate suspects as only Jack Bauer
can, and also play as other characters,
such as Tony Almeida, Chase
Edmunds and Michelle De s s l e r, to
name a few.
As an avid fan of the hit show, I
could not wait to pop the game into
my PlayStation 2 and get a taste of the
Jack Bauer life. As soon as the opening
scene took place, I knew I was in for a
wild ride. Needless to say, the game’s
plot and scene structure, as well as
gameplay and overall thrill factor are
outstanding. The game’s scenes and
plot were developed and written by
one of the show’s writers, so you get an
authentic 24 feel right from the beginning.
If this game were a student, and I a
professor, an A+ would not even be
good enough of a grade to give it. Get
to your nearest game retailer and pick
up 24: THE GAME, fan or not, you
will not regret it for one heart-pounding second.
Cool Beans
for Darrin
BY: AMANDA FERRANTE
FASHION EDITOR
Usually you’ll catch Darrin Bradbury
outside the main building on campus
inhaling his usual afternoon smoke.
When in doubt, you’ll find him playing his guitar for his friends at random
locations. In his self titled CD, Darrin
showcases his endeavors growing up
around drug addicts, recalls comings
and goings of girlfriends, and even calls
out to the waiters and waitresses fed up
with lousy tips in “Jack’s Soup of the
Day.” When asked what he’d like people to take from his songs he tells me,
“there’s no supreme message in my
songs; what it means to you is what it
means to me.” I caught up with Darrin
at Cool Beans in Oradell to watch his
five-song acoustic set.
Along with the soft, relaxing couches
and contemporary décor are Darrin’s
number one supporters: his friends.
Everyone’s got a coffee beverage and
their ears are in tune for listening
pleasure. Darrin’s disposition is that of
a calm yet excited musician ready to
play for his friends. He modestly introduces himself with classic jeans and a
simple black buttoned-down shirt. I
found myself thrown into the mix of
Darrin’s groupies swaying to his upbeat
guitar rhythms after his first song “Call
Me a Coward.” I found myself clapping…and meaning it. You must be
thinking, “Another guy with his guitar?” Yes. Darrin takes the “me and my
guitar” cliché and runs with it. Five
songs later, Darrin thanks everyone
and retreats to the bench outside to his
loyal pack of cigarettes. He chats with
his friends and attains his “humble guitar playing guy” attitude.
Overall, he’s refreshing, and his songs
possess meaning everyone can relate to
or just jam to. His five track CD leaves
my ride to school from Dumont anything but tedious. Calling all servers:
when you’re finished serving the “Soup
of the Day,” get onto Darrin’s website
at www.DarrinBradbury.com to get
these tunes and check him out live.
You’ll be enchanted with artwork and
more.
Tentative Schedule:
AFRICA WEEK:
Monday: April 24th at 8am in B202 The Genocide Factor
April 24th at 9:30 in C324 The Genocide Factor
The Genocide Factor, narrated by Jon Voight, focuses on the war
in Rwanda and explores what can be done to avoid genocides.
Tuesday April 25th on the green; 12:30-2:00PM
BBQ/CLUB DAY
Tuesday April 25th at 1:40 in S305
The Genocide Factor
Wednesday: April 26th 12”30-2:00 pm
Kofi African Drummer: Student Center
Thursday April 27th at 9:30 in C32
“Work in Africa” session scheduled featuring Douglas Short, career
counselor here at the college and Professor Charles Bordogna.
Thursday April 27th at 1:30.
Theresa Hicks: Born in Canada, she went to Liberia in 1970 to
work as a nurse among lepers. For over twenty years she ran
the medical clinic in the poorest area in Liberia.
For the last few years she has been preparing lay missionaries
to work in Africa. She has been featured on Canadian television and has been called the “Mother Theresa of Liberia.”
Theresa will be joined by Professor Tom Rubino from Allied
health and Professor Charles Bordogna
Thursday April 27th at 8am in B202 The Child Brides
The Child Brides focuses on the problem of arranged marriages
of very young girls in Africa as well as in other areas.
PAGE 18
MARCH 2006
BCC Sports
BCC Welcomes New Coaches for Baseball Team
Head Coach Jorge Hernandez and Asst. Coach Derek Rosenfeld
The Bergen Community College
Atheletic Department is pleased to
announce the hiring of its new baseball coaching staff for the upcoming
Spring 2006 season.
New Head Coach Jorge Hernandez
comes to the Bulldogs after seven
years of assisting at several tri-state
area NCAA Division III programs,
including Ramapo College, RutgersNewark University and John Jay
College. A native of nearby Teaneck,
Coach Hernandez is an extremely
confident and experienced veteran of
collegiate baseball, both as a coach
and as a player.
A 1992 graduate of Teaneck High
School, He r n a n d ezwas an All-County
1st Baseman and won the team’s MVP
award his senior season. Upon graduating, he attended competitive
Division III Greensboro College in
No rth Carolina, where he won the
baseball team’s Coach Award in 1993.
In 1995, he transferred back to his
home state and enrolled at Ramapo
College in Mahwah. That season,
Coach Hernandez batted .400 and
won both All-N.J.A.C. and the team’s
Most Outstanding Pl a yer honors.
Hernandez secured his first assistant
coaching job in 1998 under thenHead Coach Dan Palumbo at Ramapo
College and continued to work with
Coach Palumbo over the next seve n
seasons, spending two at Ramapo, one
at Rutgers-New a rk, and the last for at
John Jay College of Criminal Justice in
Manhattan. He is currently studying
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in physical
education at William Paterson
Un i versity in Paterson, N.J. and also
runs the Teaneck Stars, a member of
the competative North Jersey Ma j o r s
woodbat baseball league, where he has
p l a yed for several teams since 1993.
To round out the staff, Coach
Hernandez brings along his former
Ramapo College teammate Derek
Rosenfeld as Assistant Coach. Coach
Rosenfeld, originally of Oakland,
graduated from Indian Hills H.S. in
1992 and from Ramapo in 1997 with
a B.A. in Writing.
Through he didn’t begin to play
competative baseball until he was 20,
when he transferred to Ramapo after
attending West Virginia University,
Rosenfeld became a fast learner,
becoming a three-year starter at 2nd
Base while accumulating a lifetime
.337 batting average, twice being
named to the All-N.J.A.C. squad, and
twice being selected to the N.J.C.B.A.
All-Star game, where he won M.V.P.
honors in 1997. Rosenfeld also played
in and was selected as an All-Star for
the semi-pro Met League, Westchester
(N.Y.) County Baseball Association,
Pedrin Zorrilla (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
League and N.J. Stan Musial League.
His first coaching job was at his alma
mater, Ramapo, in 2000.
Today, Rosenfeld plays 2nd Base &
Shortstop for Coach Hernandez on
the Teaneck Stars. He is currently
employed as an Analyst for the
Economic Development Corporation
in downtown Manhattan and lives in
Fairview, N.J.
Spring 2006 Baseball Team
See you in Deutschland
BY: SERGEI MILEDIN
STAFF WRITER
Soccer fans around the world have
waited four long years and with June
fast approaching the wait is almost
over. The FIFA 2006 World Cup will
kick off in Germany on June 9th and
will run through July 9th. The tournament will feature 32 of the top national teams. Among the favorites returning to this ye a r’s competition are
Brazil, England, France, Italy, Spain
and the United States. Germany automatically qualified since they are the
host country. There are also many new
faces appearing on the world stage for
the first time including Angola, Ivory
Coast, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago and
Ukraine. The Czech Republic will also
make its first appearance since the split
of Czechoslovakia in 1992. The games
will take place in 13 different German
cities such as Frankfurt, Munich and
the capital Berlin.
World cup fans here in the states will
be glad to know that the time difference between Germany and the U.S. is
only 6 hours as opposed to the 14
hours during World Cup 2002 in
Seoul, Ko rea. The United States hopes
to build on their early exit from the
quarterfinals in which they faced
Germany, who in turn went on to face
Brazil in the finals. The U.S. moved up
to number 5 in the world in the latest
FIFA rankings released earlier this
month. Howe ver a high ranking does
not guarantee a place in the elimination
rounds and this year will be no different. The Americans have been paired
with Italy, Ghana, and Czech Republic,
all of whom are dangerous when it
comes to strikers and midfielders.
Defending champions Brazil will
look to defend their crown as they
bring the most dangerous team to
Ge r m a n y, and having the number 1
ranking in the world certainly does not
h u rt either. Along with having one of
best keepers in the world in Dida (AC
Milan), Brazil’s offense is easily the best
in football. Pl a yers such as Ronaldinho
( Ba rcelona), Kaka (AC Mi l a n ) ,
Ronaldo and Robinho (both of Real
Madrid) will be on the pitch
to help further extend Br a z i l’s
legacy and overall cups to 6.
T h e re is no pre s s u re on
Brazil to win FIFA’s showc a s e
event again but the same can
not be said for Ge r m a n y. The
home team faces tremendous
pre s s u re from their fans and
national media. Ever since
losing to Brazil in 2002 the
German national team has
p l a yed sloppy at best. Earlier
this month Germany suffere d
an embarrassing 4-1 loss at the
hands of Italy and questions
about the team’s composure
and satiability we re raised by
fans nationwide. Conversely,
Germany returned the favor to
the United States this week
with a 4-1 win in Dortmund.
Goals by Ba yern Munich’s Mi c h a e l
Ballack and Bastian Schwe i n s t e i g e r
helped Germany end the ridicule it had
been facing from the media.
This year’s tournament could prove
to be better than those in the past with
new teams and potential major upsets.
Ratings in the States can almost be
guaranteed to be much higher due to
the America’s world ranking vastly
improving since 2002 and the convenient time difference. Hopefully more
Americans will get a better understanding of the world’s favorite sport
and cheer their country to victory.
Fast Facts about Fast Food
B :A
M
2.
5.
S
W
6.
3.
Y
LON
TAFF
ELAMED
RITER
Have you ever wondered what the
origin of “fast food” is? Perhaps you
wanted to know where the first
McDonald’s was built. Here are some
neat facts about this evolving industry:
1.
In early society, each culture
had their own “fast food” stand.
Ancient Roman cities handed out
bread and olives
Early Asian suburbs provided
soup noodles and Middle Eastern
cuisines gave away falafel.
Though many people think
“McDonald’s” is the first modern hamburger chain, it was actually “White
Castle” opening the first restaurant in
1921.
4.
Mc Do n a l d’s is the world’s
largest fast food chain in the world.
Such terms from the worldwide
McDonald’s dictionary included a “Big
Mac,” “French Fries,” and many more.
The first McDonald’s was actually a small hot dog stand.
Wendy’s is credited with the
first “d r i ve - t h ru” window prov i d i n g
fast food.
The National Restaurant Association
predicts that fast food restaurants in
the United States will reach 142
Billion Dollars!
GOLEO VI: Official Mascot of the 2006 FIFA World Cup™
ATTENTION:
ALL STUDENTS:
THE TUTORING CENTER,
AND THE WRITING CENTER,
HAVE MOVED!!
WE ARE NOW IN
ROOM NUMBER L-125.
MARCH 2006
PAGE 19
Sell Your Books With us The Torch
Sell your books with The Torch, post your
unused books in the college paper for no
charge, space is limited Act Now! e-mail to:
[email protected]
Include: Subject, Course #
Title of Book
Author of Book
Edition
ISBN
Contact info
Price:
Subject - Course #
Title of Book
Author of Book
Edition
ISBN
Contact info
Price
BIO-108
Environmental Science,
Working with the Earth,
Miller, G.T., Jr.
Ninth Edition
ISBN: 0-534-38-988-0
Contact: 1-201-###-####
Price: $$$$$
Available Books for sale:
WEX - 101
WRT - 101
WRT - 101
WRT - 101
Dynamics of Fitness
& Health
F. Compton Jenkins
Eighth Edition
The Blair Reader
Laurie G. Kirszner
Stephen R. Mandell
Fourth Edition
The Blair Handbook
Toby Fulwiler
Alan R. Hayakawa
Fourth Edition
The Writer’s
Harbrace Handbook
Glenn, Miller, Webb
Second Edition
The Bean Trees
Barbara Kinsolver
N/A
0-7575-2099-X
0-13-091066-X
0-13-099350-6
0-8384-0338-7
Contact:
[email protected]
Price: $20.00.
Contact:
[email protected]
Price: $30.00
Contact:
[email protected]
Price: $30.00
Contact:
[email protected]
Price: $40.00
Contact:
[email protected]
Price: $8.00
Join us for hikes and exciting trips!!
Contact: John Smalley ( [email protected] ) or
Mary Flannery ( [email protected] )
WRT - 101
0-06-109731-4
Join the International
Student Association!!!
President : Ms. Monique Julius
Vice President: Ms. Deanna Zagorski
Secretary: Mr. Chee Thye Neo
Treasurer: Mr. Seung Won Shin
STOP
DO YOU NEED HELP?
Call
THE TUTORING CENTER FOR
NURSING STUDENTS
Join in the fun and
become a member!
Come to an ISA meeting (Tuesdays)
April 4th and 11th
May 2nd
Room L-149, 12:30 – 1:25pm
201-447-7489
NURSING TUTORS ARE AVAILABLE
TO HELP YOU WITH:
• Course Content
• Test Taking Skills
• Nursing Care Plans
• Process Recording
• Pharmacology/Calculations
• Exit Exam Preparation
• Private Tutoring Sessions
Check the Bulletin Board for scheduled days
and times when nursing tutors are available
ATTENTION!!!!!!
MAY 2006
GRADUATION APPLICANTS
If you hand in your Application
for Degree after April 13, 2006,
your name will not appear on
the Commencement Program

March 2006 - Bergen Community College

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