Public Servant-in-Residence Panel at Wilson Auditorium

The University hosted its second open-forum panel discussion with the Public Servant-in-Residence program on bridging the partisan divide in Wilson Auditorium on Friday, Nov. 30. 

The Office of the President and the Department of Political Science and Sociology coordinated the Public Servant-in-Residence program and is featuring former New Jersey state-Senator Joe Kyrillos (R-Monmouth) as its 2018-2019 Public Servant-in-Residence.

Along with Kyrillos, other panelists in this discussion included: Patrick Murray, Director of the Polling Institute; Julie Roginksy, Democratic strategist and founder of Optimus Communications; Jeanette Hoffman, Republican strategist and President of Marathon Public Affairs; and David Chen, a New York Times reporter.

During the discussion, the panelists evaluated the current political climate and causes of polarization, as well as how this polarization could reduce efficiency in government and what can be done to bridge the divide between political parties. 

“Partisanship in party politics are nothing new in America,” said Kyrillos. “Having spent the last three decades, if you can believe it, in public office, I can tell you from personal experience that our politics have become the least over that time span, angry and more toxic.”

Kyrillos explained that when he began his career as a state assemblyman in 1988, partisanship did exist, but there was a common understanding amongst leaders to combat it. “We had different priorities, we had different policy objectives, we strategized how to advance those objectives and gain the upper hand, off course we did all those things, but I seem to remember a culture of collegiality among legislatives much more so than today,” he explained. “At our best on both sides of the aisle there was an underlying willingness to have good faith negotiation strike principle compromises, to make the state better and make it stronger.”

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University Participates in Giving Tuesday

The University participated in Giving Tuesday, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving dedicated to creating an international day of charitable giving at the beginning holiday season, last Tuesday, Nov. 27.

The Office of Alumni Engagement and Annual Affairs set up a table in the Rebecca Stafford Student Center to encourage the students, faculty, and members on campus to make donations of any size to support the University and its fundraising initiatives. 

Efforts were made to raise money by asking donors to support University Athletics on Giving Tuesday by giving a gift to some of the 20 sports teams during the holiday season, as well as to raise money for the University’s new scholarship campaign, Together We Can.

The goal of this campaign is to raise $15 million in gifts and pledges by June 30, 2019. Even before its efforts on Giving Tuesday, the University has already made much progress toward reaching its goal for the campaign. Since October, development stands at $10.3 million, about 68 percent of the way to reaching the University’s goal.

Jonathan Meer, Vice President for University Advancement, explained that the Division of University Advancement is providing staffing support and overall daily logistical management of the Campaign. “One of our top priorities has been to recruit a volunteer committee (The Campaign Cabinet) that is fully representative of the breadth of the University community. That obviously includes students, faculty, staff, Trustees, alumni, parents, and local businesses,” he said. 

Efforts by the campaign are to reach and exceed its $15 million goal in order to accelerate the University’s trajectory of academic excellence, in order to enable highly qualified students from economically, geographically, and culturally diverse backgrounds to apply and attend.  

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Measles Outbreak Spreads Across NJ

Eighteen People Infected With Measles Across New Jersey

Eighteen people are infected with measles in Passaic County since the outbreak began in Ocean County, according to a recent report published by the Asbury Park Press on Saturday, Dec. 1. 

Kathy Maloney, Director of Health Services, explained that the symptoms of measles start with a fever (as high as 104 degrees Fahrenheit), runny nose, cough, sore throat, and red eyes and then progress with a rash that spreads across the entire body. “Measles is caused by a virus and is known medically as rubeola.,” Maloney said. People are considered contagious from four days before to four days after the rash appears. Measles cases typically last for 14 days. 

 Jeffrey Weisburg, a specialist professor of biology, said, “Measles are no joking matter and can be extremely dangerous. Usually a person infected with measles develops a rash that spread over the entire body that starts out flat but can eventually lead to a raised rash.”

Weisburg noted that the fever that accompanies the rash can be as high as 104 degrees. Measles can cause serious health complications including pneumonia and encephalitis (brain swelling). 

Students should be wary of interacting with other students that are infected with the measles virus, as it is highly contagious. Maloney said, “[Measles] is spread through direct contact with air droplets from an infected person.  The virus can remain in the air for up to two hours after an infected person leaves the area.” 

Emily Kania, a sophomore health studies student, said, “The measles outbreak is absolutely terrifying. There will be, without a doubt, more measles cases in the upcoming month. The worst part about it is that it is 100 percent preventable. I hope people educate themselves and take measures to keep themselves and family members safe.” 

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Buddy and Me Program Hosted by School of Education

Buddy and Me Program Celebrated

The School of Education held a celebration for the Buddy and Me Program, a partnership between the University and the Amerigo A. Anastasia Elementary School in West Long Branch, in Anacon Hall on Thursday, Nov. 29. 

The event was held for the elementary students in the program to celebrate their new "Buddies," and to say goodbye to previous Buddies whose service hours were over this semester. University students participating in their service learning classes, and University staff who taught the service learning classes, and the coordinators of the program were all in attendance, along with the office staff from the C&I office in the School of Education.  

The students and staffers were served breakfast, and they participated in games like tic-tac-toe and musical chairs; and the Anastasia elementary school awarded the University students with a certificate for their work in the program. 

The program works with elementary school students from grades first to fifth, first to fifth grade students from the elementary school, the University’s first year and special education classes, and the Monmouth service learning project. It originated three years ago under the leadership of Ruth Morris, Ed.D., Chair of the Department of Early Childhood Education, Markus Rodriguez, a student advisor at the elementary school and Nikita Grinnell, a teacher of a third-grade self-contained class at the elementary school, to create a program that would change the lives of many underprivileged children. 

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Model UN Competes at National Competition in Washington, D.C.

The University’s Model United Nations (UN) Team competed at the National Model United Nations (NMUN) contest in Washington D.C., through the weekend of Friday, Nov. 9 through Sunday, Nov. 11.

NMUN is hosted by the United Nations, and over 100 universities participated, including domestic universities from all over the United States, and universities from Italy, China, Philippines, France, India, Fiji, and Canada. 

The University’s team was led by the following Head Delegates: Daniel Gerdon, a sophomore political science student; Nick Gibson, a sophomore political science student.

Sophomore finance student Teniya Manu and Mckenna Mallory, a junior political science and finance student, accompanied first time competers Katelyn Quino, a sophomore chemistry student; Kayvon Paul, a senior political science student, Nick Boice, a sophomore political science student; and Nicholas Coscarelli, a junior political science student.

Mackenzie Ricca, a co-President of the University’s Model UN team and sophomore political science student, said that Model UN is “an informative, eye-opening experience,” and that being involved in these vigorous competitions surrounded by other talented students helps team members work harder. 

To prepare for the conference, Ricca suggested to team members that they prepare binders full of research, elaborate speeches, and competitive policymaking strategies. 

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Legalized Betting Comes to New Jersey

The legalization of sports betting in New Jersey this past summer has brought a new audience to the once exclusively horse racing location of the Monmouth Park Racetrack, which opened the William Hill sportsbook on June 14. 

The United States Supreme Court declared unconstitutional a law passed by Congress a quarter century ago that forced states to keep sports gambling bans on the books this May. The justices ruled in 6-3 decision, clearing the way for other states to join Nevada in allowing bets to be placed on individual games.

“Now that the live racing season is over, sports betting has transformed Monmouth Park into a 12-month facility – taking bets seven days a week on pro football, basketball, hockey and much more,” said Brian Skirka, Marketing Manager at Monmouth Park. 

Governor of New Jersey Phil Murphy kicked off the opening of Monmouth Park sportsbook in Oceanport by placing the first legal sports bet in the state on June 14. 

Murphy placed two $20 wagers respectively on Germany to win the World Cup as well as the New Jersey Devils to win the Stanley Cup. 

“We had been fighting the sports betting battle for many years and were prepared to a certain extent leading up to the first day of wagering,” said Skirka. “There were certain wirings and equipment that by law we couldn’t receive until the actual Supreme Court ruling, so set-up for those things took a few weeks after the ruling.”  

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Heart Rate Monitors Provided to Student-Athletes

The University will be entering its second year of a five-year grant allowing athletic teams to use the Polar Team Pro performance tracking system.

According to their official website, Polar Team Pro combines GPS and motion tracking technology with heart rate monitoring to create the ultimate solution for player performance tracking in team sports. The Polar Team Pro system allows you to wear a strap and a heart rate monitor around your chest. After a hard workout, you plug the monitor and clip it back on the board, so that the data can be synced to the iPad provided. 

“A person’s heart rate can tell us how much stress the athlete is experiencing at a given time throughout the year: off-season, pre-season, and in-season. The heart rate isn’t the only thing that the Polar Team Pro system can do; however, it measures accelerations, decelerations, running distance (volume), and speed (intensity),” said Strength and Conditioning Assistant Bri Rubino. The additional factors give the strength and conditioning professionals the complete story in terms of the physiological stress that an athlete endures in lift, practice, and games. 

“Many of us have developed training plans over time based on trial and error as well as scientifically-backed research that has worked for others in the field, but the Polar Team Pro system makes this much easier,” said Rubino. She explained that she feels that it is no longer necessary to guess which energy system is being taxed during a given conditioning session or drill.

“The heart rate monitors tell us what heart zone each athlete is currently in and what percentage of time they are in each zone. There is no longer a need to guess how long it will take an athlete to recover from a difficult practice or game,” she said. 

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Debate Team Goes Undefeated, Wins NYU Tournament

The University’s Debate Team went undefeated and won the championship round in the novice division at the New York University (NYU) tournament the weekend of Friday, Nov. 9 through Sunday, Nov. 11. 

Junior political science students Matthew Gruhler and JP Suttile were the two competing in the novice division that brought the University’s team to win the tournament’s championship round. 

“Going into the NYU tournament Matt and I were much more comfortable and prepared as compared to the first tournament at West Point. In every round we worked well together and had a great team dynamic,” said Suttile. 

Gruhler explained that he also believes that he and his partner Suttile did so well because of their compatibility as partners, as well as their ability to create various arguments and rebuttals within the debate round together. “A compatible partnership is an essential factor for success in debate, and some of the best debating teams typically have the best harmony,” he said.

During the two-day debate tournament, three other of the University’s teams made it into the playoff round in this division, including: Anastasia Francisquini, a sophomore English student, and Chyna Walker, a sophomore criminal justice student, with 5-1 record; Julia Bialy, a junior political science student, and Maddy Doe, a junior political science student, with a 4-2 record; and Mia Ardovini-Brooker, a sophomore political science student, and Tayna Tabis, a sophomore political science student, with a 3-3 record. 

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New Interactive Digital Media Lab in Plangere Center

Renovations for the Interactive Digital Media (IDM) Lab in room 135 of the Jules L. Plangere Jr. Center for Communication and Instructional Technology began this semester. The idea was proposed to the University by assistant professor Dickie Cox and is expected to welcome its first class, CO-404 Responsive Media, in spring 2019. 

Cox said, “The [IDM] Lab will give students the opportunity to explore storytelling and content production for emerging and soon-to-be technological media platforms in socially responsible ways.”

Cox explained that the technologies in the research lab would morph with new discoveries and research over time. He said, “At the initial launch of the lab, the lab will have high-end virtual reality headsets, augmented reality headsets, game design software, interactive media programming software, computer vision hardware, digital fabrication tools, interactive exhibition tools, video projection re-mapping tools, creative coding tools, and an area for gaming research.”   

One of the supporting faculty members for this project is Aaron Furgason, Ph.D., Chair of the Communication Department. Furgason said, “The new Interactive Digital Media program offers students across the University and the communication program, tools that will allow them to compete for employment in the tech-driven marketplace.” 

Furgason explained, “The requirements for the program include classes in business, art, and computer science, which give all students tangible skills to meet marketplace demands within the communication field.”

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University Honored First-Generation College Students

First-Generation Students Celebrated

The University celebrated first-generation students by participating in the country's annual National First-Generation Day. This entailed a discussion panel on Nov. 6 in Anacon Hall and a tabling event on Nov. 8 in the Rebecca Stafford Student Center. 

The day was established in 2017 by the Center for First-Generation Student Success, described on their website as a nonprofit organization “dedicated to furthering the expansion of college opportunities for low-income, first-generation students, and students with disabilities.” This is the second year of the annual celebration.

The initial panel session consisted of eight first-generation students who spoke about the successes of first-generation students of the campus community. This was a tabling event that was held to raise awareness about and celebrate first-generation students in the Student Center. 

The panel was moderated by Claude Taylor, Advisor-in-Residence for Academic Transition and Inclusion, who was joined by Jennifer Shendock, Coordinator of Transfer and Undeclared Services; panel members were asked to share academic, social and cultural issues related to being a first-generation student. Students and faculty were present in the audience, as well as University President Grey Dimenna, Esq., and Mary Anne Nagy, Vice President for Student Life and Leadership Engagement.

“It was informative and powerful to hear students and staff talk about what it means to be first-generation and also the successes and challenges they face as a part of their first-generation identity,” said Taylor. “The most moving discussion was about the family challenges students face in terms of meeting expectations and feeling a strong sense of responsibility and obligation to their loved ones that sometimes can be a source of stress.”

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