ACR March 2016 Edition

8/18/2019 ACR March 2016 Edition

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John Anaya, 25, is acommunications majorfrom Hamilton Town-ship who gets to Atlan-tic Cape’s Mays Land-

ing campus by NJ TRANSIT bus. For him, it’s no joyride. “If you’re talking aboutconvenience, the bus is as incon-venient as it gets,” Anaya said. Anaya has attended At-

lantic Cape on and off since 2010.Though he does have his driver’slicense, Anaya does not have acar. His only mode of transpor-tation is the bus - to school andto work. Over the years, the bushas made him late for classes. Anaya said that’s notthe only nuisance caused by tak-ing the bus; the worst problem isthe waiting in whatever weather.

“The bus can take any-where from 30 minutes, if I’mlucky, to an hour and halfor two (to arrive),” he said.

How long he waits de-

pends on the bus schedule. If Ana-ya nishes a class, he may have towait up to an hour for the next busto leave. The bus stops at AtlanticCape at 6 a.m., 7 a.m., and 7:45a.m., and then just about everyhour after that until 10:30 p.m. But earth science endsat 1:45 p.m. _ and the bus leavesat 1:48 p.m. A student has threeminutes to nd his way to the on-

campus bus stop in front of theculinary building. If the studentmisses that bus, the next onedoes not arrive until 2:48 p.m. If a passenger is wonder-ing where the bus is and whenit’s coming, NJ TRANSIT has atext system: “Text your stop #to mybus (69287)” is displayedon a sign at every stop. It im-mediately replies with an alertof where the bus is and when itshould arrive at that location. NJ TRANSIT did notrespond to requests to comment(Continued on Page 2)

Follow us online! @ACReviewnews Atlantic Cape Review

MARCH 2016 EDITION

ATLANTIC CAPEREVIEW

The student newspaper of Atlantic Cape Community College, Mays Landing, N.J.

Cape Review photo by Nicole Mingo

COOL DUDES. Atlantic Cape Community College President Dr. Peter L. Mora, in background, recognizes Academy of Culinary Arts stu-dents at the 33rd Annual Atlantic Cape Community College Restaurant Gala March 24. Students donned sunglasses, in keeping with theGala’s theme, Mission: Possible, a play on the spy thriller series, Mission: Impossible. (More coverage on Page 3.)

Cape Review photo by Jessica Mounce

ALL ABOARD: Taking the bus to classes at Atlantic Cape may eliminate theneed for a car, but can be expensive and strain your patience.

Taking public transportation to class is no joyride

What’s cooking ACCC?Attendance: More than 800 Raised: $234,700 Restaurants: More than 40

By JESSICA MOUNCE, Assistant editor

ANNUAL RESTAURANT GALA


2/8

Staff

ACR Advisor:Peter Brophy

Editor:Nicole Mingo

Asst. Editor:Jessica Mounce

Secretary:Kyle Schachner

Business Manager:Taylor Henry

SGA Representative:

Mike McDevitt

Staff Writers:Neena Biello

Patrick BickelChris Devine

Mike McDevitt

Johnny Sanchez

Kyle Schachner

Contact us:

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Atlantic Cape ReviewEmail:

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Disclaimer:

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a public-forum student pub-

lication. The content of this

newspaper does not refect

the viewpoint of Atlantic

Cape Community College.

Any opinions expressed in

the publication are solely the

opinion of the writer unless

otherwise stated.

Corrections Policy:

The Atlantic Cape Review

strives for accuracy and

fairness. If you notice any

incorrect information, please

contact us.

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ACR reserves the right to re-

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2 Atlantic Cape ReviewMarch 2016 Edition

Taking the bus to college is no joyride

From the editor:Something for everyone in this edition

The middle of the semester is a tough

hump to get over, but I can assure you Atlan-tic Cape, summer is surely on its way. TheMarch 2016 edition of the ACR holds storiesof future importance for the college, such asKyle Schachner’s enrollment piece, JessicaMounce’s story on NJ Transit, and pieces onnew partnerships ACCC is creating with highschools and how new high school trends mayaffect us.

The commentary section is full ofpersonal stories and life tales. Chris Devinetells us why Philly sports fans aren’t actu-ally that bad (it’s up to you readers to decide,though) and I regale you once again with my own personalstory, this time on why Atlantic Cape is the right choice.

Our very own reviewers, Johnny Sanchez and Nee-na Biello, handed in two movie reviews (10 Clovereld Lane

and Batman vs. Superman) and one book review on Fangirl.In addition, the Atlantic Cape Review would also

like to welcome ‘She Speaks’ to the club table and congratu-lates them on their new club status.

The Atlantic Cape Restaurant Gala was covered byus, and there are photos to follow. The event raised $234,700and hosted 800 guests at Harrah’s in Atlantic City on March24. Forty restaurants were featured, and I can personally

tell you the dessert bar was the highlight of

the night. Our very own Taylor Henry wasso enamored with the desserts, that she tookseveral home for herself.

Last but not least, the AtlanticCape Review was honored to receive 12awards from the New Jersey CollegiatePress Association, including a rst place forKyle Schachner and Taylor Henry in Editori-al Writing and the Feature Writing sections,respectively.

A second place was awarded toJohnny Sanchez for his story on armed secu-rity. Chris Devine and myself both brought in

third place awards in the Biography Category, the Editorialand Column/Opinion Writing. Our own Erik Conklin alsobrought in a solid third place for his sports piece on DeborahTanksley joining up with ACCC as a basketball coach.

The last award the ACR won was General Excel-lence, and I simply can’t express how proud I am of all the

journalists writing for us, who consistently give us effectiveand thoughtful pieces that matter to all of us here at Atlan-tic Cape.

If anyone is interested in joining our staff or contrib-uting, you can meet us on Thursdays at 12:30 or send us anemail at [email protected]

NICOLE MINGO

(Continued from front page)

for this story.

Anaya steps onto number 502and tells the driver, “Hamilton Mall,with a transfer.” The machine takeshis money and produces a receipt.

Anaya nds a seat, but doesn’t getcomfortable. Near the end of his four-minute trip to the mall, he pressesone of the yellow strips that line thebus to tell the driver he needs to stop. The Hamilton Mall stops havebus huts, which Anaya can sit underwhile he waits for the 553 bus. The hutsprovide cover from the rain and windand cold in winter, and from the hot sunon the warmer days. Anaya sometimesstudies and does homework on the bus,

but nds it hard to write and focus.He pays with cash, and hasthe option of buying tickets by mail.

According to njtransit.com, “Quik-Tik delivers your monthly rail, bus orlight rail pass to your mailbox eachmonth and bills your credit card auto-matically.” It is only an additional $3to the bus pass. A passenger pays the2nd week of every month and receivespasses the 3rd week of the month. NJ TRANSIT also has aUniversity Partnership Program inwhich full-time college students cansave 25 percent on monthly passes;

Alantic Cape Community College isthe rst school to participate in the

program. Students apply for the dis-count on their college’s website, sim-ply by searching “Student Pass.” If Anaya has to travel to schoolfor class Tuesday and Thursday, itcosts him about $12 for the week. Sinceeach class is 15 weeks long, the busfares add almost $185 to the amounthe is already paying for education. The college is the last stop onthe 502’s route, which begins on SouthCarolina Avenue in Atlantic City. Faresfor the bus break down as follows: a pas-senger pays based on how many zonesthey go through. One zone is $1.60, 2

zones is $2.25, 3 zones is $2.75, and 4zones is $3.35. Each bus has the samefare system. Only some buses have 11zones or more. If a passenger trans-fers buses, it is an additional 70 cents.

NJ TRANSIT has a discountfor senior citizens (62 and older) andchildren (5-11). The rst zone is 75cents and each additional zone is 25cents. The transfer fare is only 30 cents.

Rachel Paul, 37, a communi-cations and performing arts major,takes the 501 from Brigantine to Ham-ilton Mall, where she then picks upthe 502 to Atlantic Cape. “Basically

the buses are very reliable,” Paul said. Paul says there are benetsto public transportation: She doesn’thave to worry about a car and payingfor insurance. Yet this doesn’t deterher from saving for her own vehicle.

Fortunately, Paul also hasfriends, family, and co-workers thatgive her rides when she needs help. That’s not the case withStephanie Smith, 21, Absecon, a socialwork major, whose main transporta-tion is the bus. Smith suffers from thesame issues, yet she attends StocktonUniversity. She’s in her third semes-ter and the bus is an added expense.

“I’m trying to save mon-ey for school, for a car: I’m try-ing to better myself,” Smith said. Smith depends on the bus totake her to school ve days a weekand to her two jobs in Egg HarborTownship and Atlantic City. She of-ten nds herself writing papers andcompleting her homework on the bus.She strives to make sure she is al-ways on time for class and that the busschedule doesn’t affect her education.

But making sure the busschedule doesn’t affect her educationis not always easy. As Damon Mur-

ray, 19, a history major at StocktonUniversity who gets on the bus fromthe Hamilton Mall stop put it, “If I’mwaiting for the bus and it’s 15 min-utes late, I miss my next bus and canbe an hour late to class.”

Cape Review photo by Jessica Mounce

TOUGH SCHEDULE: Class schedules at Atlantic Cape don’t always line up withNJTRANSIT’S bus schedule.


3/8

3Atlantic Cape ReviewMarch 2016 Edition

‘Anybody who is anybody comes to this event’

Cape Review photos by Nicole Mingo

TIME FOR DINNER. Guests begin lling up the dining room at Harrah’s at the AnnualRestaurant Gala. At left is area meteorologist Dan Skeldon with friends.

Harrah’s Resort was the site

of the 33rd annual Atlantic CapeRestaurant Gala on March 24. The sold-out event raised$234,700 for the Atlantic Cape Cu-linary program and honors severalindividuals for their service to thecommunity. The money funds schol-arships for the Culinary Academy.

“The vibe here is great,” saidBriar Gibbons, Gala committee mem-ber and 2013 Atlantic Cape Commu-

nication Major of the Year. “I lovethe opportunity the gala provides forthe students; we sold out the event

with over 800 people attending.” “Anybody who is anybody in

Atlantic County comes to this event,”said Dr. Otto Hernandez, vice presi-dent of student affairs. “I love thenetworking and especially the food.” More than 50 of the best res-taurants in South Jersey were at theevent serving samples of their menuitems.

Some of the restaurants

included Mama Mia’s, GordonRamsey’s Pub & Grill, Guy Fi-eri’s Chophouse, McCormick and

Schmicks, Buddakan, Knife andFork Inn, Il Verdi, Vic & Anthony’sSteakhouse and many more.

Chef Steven Serano, a teach-er and graduate of the Culinary Acad-emy, was honored at the event, alongwith brothers Jack and Will Morey;the Moreys maintain Morely’s Pieron the Wildwood Boardwalk.

Atlantic County Freeholder Alex Marino said he looks forward to

the gala each year. “The gala gets bigger andbetter every year,” Marino said. “I

come for the people, for the camara-derie, the networking, support - andthe seafood, of course.” Following the Gala, Joe Mas-saglia, chairman of the Gala Commit-tee and head chef of Mama Mia’s inSeaville, refected on this year’s success.

“Everyone had a great timeas always” Massaglia said. “It was agreat event. We put on the best galathat we’ve had in years.”

By CHRIS DEVINE, Staff reporter

Cape Review photos by Nicole Mingo

FACES IN THE CROWD: Peopleseen at March 24’s Restaurant Gala

included Dr. Mitchell Levy, left inabove photo, Mike DeLullo, right in

right photo, and Stockton UniversityPresident Dr. Harvey Kesselman,

center, at bottom.


4/8


‘Fangirl’ nds an uneasy freedom

COMMENTARY

I

f you are a fan of any sports team not located in Philadel-phia, you probably think Philly fans are a bunch of savages.

As a die-hard Philly sports fan, let me tell you that you’rewrong.

But you’re also right. I’ve been a Philadelphia sports fan since my 1995 birth inSouth Jersey. My family roots go back to the Irish neighborhoodsof Northeast Philadelphia.

The Eagles were the rst sports team I remember watch -ing (sort of). Born in September, my father held me in his armswhen I was only 2 days old and watched the Eagles lose to theChargers. I slept.

For my 2nd birthday, my father got me an Irving Fryar jersey;from then my love for the Philadelphia Eagles has not waned. And I g-ured if I cheered for one Philadelphia team, it was my duty to support all ofthem. I started watching the 76ers, just after Allen Iverson was drafted.Then baseball became fun to watch, even if the Phillies of the late 1990sweren’t. Ice hockey was fast and physical, so that started my love for theFlyers and the Legion of Doom. Merchandise began to pile up in my room: Shirts, jerseys, pictures,

shoes, socks, even underwear with a Philadelphia sports teams logo on itfound their way into my bedroom.

Eventually, people began to identify me as “The Philly Sports guy” inelementary school. It’s a title I still answer to today. Over the years, I began to see and hear the negative connotations

of being a Philadelphia sports fans. We are labeled as the most violent,vulgar, and disgusting fans in all of sports. We are known for pelting SantaClaus with snowballs, pelting J.D. Drew with batteries and starting ghtswith opposing fans just for wearing their jersey in Philly.

But are we really that bad? Just because a couple of drunk fans assault an off-duty New YorkCity police ofcer outside of Geno’s Steaks after the 2012 Winter Classicdoesn’t mean that we are all that way. Are we loud? Yes.

Are we vulgar? To uphold the integrity of this publication, I’ll justanswer with yes.

It’s simple: Our support for our teams reects our blue-collar workethic. Philadelphia has always been described as a “beer and a hoagie”kind of town; this reputation extends into the suburbs of South Jersey and

the Lehigh Valley. The culture of the Philadelphia area is unparalleled.Plus, we’ve been through so much heartache, all we can do is be

angry all the time.In my lifetime, I’ve had to witness each Philly team lose a champi-

onship series at least once.I salivated at the signing of Andrew Bynum, only to watch him

never put that Sixers jersey on for a single game and leave the followingyear.

I was a member of “T.O. Mania” in 2004, just to chant “T.O. Sucks”shortly after as he joined the Cowboys.

I enjoyed the Chip Kelly era at rst, as he appeared to have rein -vented football, and then watched him systematically destroy the Eaglesfranchise in one offseason.

But I’ve lived through some great moments as well: a combined 18 di-vision titles, ve conference titles and a World Championship (thankyou 2008 Phillies), 4th and 26, Doc Halladay’s dominance in 2010

and the Miracle at the Meadowlands II. I’ve seen every positive in Phillysports over the past 20 years.

But even that one World Series title is not enough for me to callthis a “complete life.” I want more … no, WE want more. We as Philadelphians want to be #1 in everything: Sports, music,competitive eating contests. We want to be the best. We want others to know that they are inPhiladelphia.

We are the most passionate fans in all of sports. We have a reputa-tion to uphold. If we have to throw a few expletives at someone to prove it,

we will. Are we as bad as people say we are? It simply depends on whomyou ask.

Are Philly sports fans

jerks? (Spoiler: Yes)But here’s why you should

love us anyway

By CHRIS DEVINE, Staff reporter

Photo provided by Harry and Chris Devine

TIME FOR DINNER. Guests begin lling up the dining room at Harrah’s at the AnnualRestaurant Gala. At left is area meteorologist Dan Skeldon with friends.

“Fangirl” by Rainbow Rowell: St.Martin’s Grifn/Press, September 10,2013, 448 pages. Between $6 (paper-back) and $14 (hardcover). ISBN-13:9781250073785

College is an adventure. Young adults feel free as they eetheir parents’ protective nests and

journey to the next chapter of life,where they are able to make theirown decisions.

Others may feel they are freefrom the limitations of high schooland no longer have to feel ashamed oftheir interests or personalities.

However, a few nd college tobe rather dreadful, anxiety-inducing,and discomforting. In Rainbow Row-ell’s novel ‘Fangirl,’protagonist Cath

Avery falls into the latter category.Cath is an intelligent and shy

girl who adores fanction and hasa severe anxiety disorder. She hasbeen the mother gure to her moreoutgoing and irresponsible twin sisterWren, and to her bipolar father, sinceher mother abandoned the familywhen she and Wren were 8.

Cath and Wren grew upobsessed with Simon Snow, a book se-ries about a boy wizard of that name.Cath writes fanction for the SimonSnow series, often romantically pair-ing Simon Snow with his nemesisBaz Pitch.

College proves difcult forCath at rst: Wren relinquishes herlove for Simon Snow and abandonsCath for a different group of friends;Cath’s dad is in an emotional turmoilliving without his daughters; Cath’s

creative writing class proves to bechallenging; Cath barely has time tonish her last Simon Snow fanction,Carry On, Simon; and Cath strugglesto make friends due to her severeanxiety disorder.

However, with the help ofher roommate, Reagan, and Rea-gan’s friend Levi, Cath may be ableto break out of her shell, reconcilewith Wren, and realize that her life isabout more than writing fanction.

“Fangirl” is a quirky, yetengaging book; the novel describesthe inner feelings of a newbie collegestudent, as well as sheds light on theemotional pains of anxiety disorderand bipolar disorder. Cath is a prom-ising protagonist, and the novel itselfis better than the fanction Cathwrites.

By NEENA BIELLO, Staff reporterWant to write

for the

Atlantic Cape

Review?

All students

are welcome

Join our staff

meeting on

Thursday, 12:30 p.m.,

in the

Student Life Center.


5/8

COMMENTARY


In 2013 I found myself in aprecarious position. I had aless-than-shining GPA, whichreected three moves to dif -ferent parts of the country

during my high school years, andSAT scores that would make me“slightly smarter than Dumb” in theDumb and Dumber lms.

I was on the cusp of gradu-

ation, yet still had no college plan- and my mother was starting toworry. My father worried as well,but only because the prospect of memoving out was shrinking more andmore each day.

A severe reality check wasneeded in those last few months ofdependency. It nally came whenfriends started to receive college ac-ceptance letters.

That put me over the edge:seeing those letters on Facebook orInstagram and not having one ofmy own.

In the December-Januaryedition of the Atlantic Cape Review,

I wrote about dealing with anxiety.That anxiety returned every timeI tried to sit down and nish anapplication, or every time I tried tosend a transcript. I knew I wasn’tthe smartest kid in my class orthat I didn’t have the best SATscores, and that hard truth keptme from applying to colleges whilemy friends plopped right into theirchosen schools.

By April 2013 I was certainlyscrewed. In January of thatyear my father learned he

was being transferred to NewJersey, from Seattle, for work. In

military speak, he “received neworders” and our family was alongfor the ride - again.

In April, when I realized Iwas in a considerably large pickle,I decided to Google “communitycolleges in southern New Jersey” (Iwas unaware at the time that thecorrect term is “South Jersey”).

Atlantic Cape CommunityCollege was the rst school that

came up. I could say it was fate, butit was probably alphabetical.

When I applied to AtlanticCape I felt slightly at ease. It waslike I had half a plan. The term“community college” was still a put-off. I still felt stupid, like I couldn’teven get into a four-year school; Icouldn’t make it to the “City Upona Hill.” Before I came to AtlanticCape I saw community colleges asmost students probably do: as a

“13th grade.” I’ve since found, however,that that assumption is incredibly

judgmental and underscores theimportance of the community col-lege system, at least here in SouthJersey.

A ccording to the American

Association of CommunityColleges, about half of un-

dergraduate students in the UnitedStates pass through a commu-nity college at some point in theirpostsecondary education. For most,the arguments in favor of commu-nity colleges are the same: Savingmoney is at the top of that list, aswell as convenience, and building abetter GPA before transferring.

However, regardless ofwhether one is saving money orhas less-than-stunning grades, I’vecome to nd that it’s time to shedthat unpleasant stereotype thatsurrounds community college. Inmy own life, I’ve found that if I hadindeed pushed myself into a four-year school and forced myself tokeep up with my friends, I wouldhave dropped out. I would havebeen in a signicantly worse posi-tion than what I’m in now.

Now, in spring 2016, I see

myself as a better person not justbecause I took the road that I knewwas appropriate, but because I’vegiven myself time to mature as anadult and as a student. The personI was at 17 was not ready to moveout. She was not ready to be on herown, and now, at almost 21, I’vecome to terms with that truth. Be-ing in community college for almostthree years has set me on a path I

know I can follow, whereas if I had jumped into a four-year school Imight have become totally lost.

Iknow I am not the only personhere at Atlantic Cape with sucha story, and even though we’ve

all got our reasons for being here,I still hear some of the same lines.“Community college is for dumbkids who couldn’t get into a four-year school,” or “It’s for the less-mo-tivated types,” or my own personal

favorite: “The education qualityof community colleges really isn’tthat great.” Anyone who has beenthrough classes here at AtlanticCape knows that simply isn’t true.

Whether one buys intothose stereotypes or not, the ben-ets of a community college greatlyoutweigh the negatives. Here I’velearned that college must be aunique experience, made for theindividual student. Filtering into afour-year school is not, and shouldnot, be the only solution for approxi-mately 12.2 million undergraduatecollege students nationwide. Thank-fully, it’s not.

Community colleges offeran alternative, one that is bettersuited for students such as myselfwho were simply not ready to go onto a four-year university. Smaller,more personal class sizes, the abil-ity to live at home and mature, andthe ability to save money for the“big move” are tantalizing enoughto 7.5 million undergraduatestudents nationwide who attend acommunity college.

Here at Atlantic Cape pro-grams such as the PriorLearning Assessment,

services for veterans, and multiple

transfer agreements with four-yearschools such as Stockton and Rut-gers make the next step easier.

Beyond all this, it’s hard tosay choosing community college wasa bad choice. When I arrived on theMays Landing campus in Septem-ber 2013, I thought I would be inand out in one semester. I honestlythought and expected I could makethat work. Three years and six

semesters later, I’m nally leaving.However, I’m leaving a little bitmore open-minded and less harshon our two-year friends.

I can conrm that I’ll beat Rowan University in fall 2016,and to be honest I don’t think Iwould have made it there if I hadn’tcome here rst. My parents nallybreathed that sigh of relief whenthe letter came in the mail because“Finally, she’s moving out!”

A few weeks ago I visitedthe four-year campus for the rsttime, and I must say, we’ve beenspoiled here at Atlantic Cape. AtRowan I walked the distance oftwo ACCC quads before I really gotanywhere. I know rolling backpackshave a reputation here, but theycertainly would be nice on a campussuch as Rowan. I’ll miss this small,intimate campus as I traverse thebarren wasteland that is the RowanUniversity quad.

It will take a while for com-munity colleges to really get theirdue. I suspect for most people, theymust seem like a lazy alternative;to be honest, I used to agree withthat belief. That was until I foundmyself at a community college andwas myself humbled.

The culture of this school haschanged who I am, and I’vefound myself thanks to At-

lantic Cape. All of this “I found whoI am” stuff sounds very cliché, butit’s true. I discovered what kind ofperson I am, how strong I am, andI’ve learned that sometimes vendingmachines just don’t want to workno matter how many times you puta dollar in. At least in my time hereI’ve seen some tangible gains: that

cool coffee machine in the cafeteriais pretty interesting, the STEMbuilding is (nally) nished. Thosechairs in the lab rooms go up reallyhigh. I think it’s the little thingslike that that’ll pop up in my mindwhen I’m at “the big school.”

It’s those little (and the bigthings too, OK) things that mademe realize I made the right choice.

By NICOLE MINGO, Review editor

Yep, Atlantic Cape was right choiceCommunity college benets greatly outweigh the negatives

Are you interested in women’s

rights and promoting equality, both homeand abroad, for females?

If so, the new club She-Speaksclub is perfect for you.

`The She-Speaks club, headed bypresident Melissa Polizzi, is about fur-thering female rights.

Formed in February, the club

welcomes all students to come in and join,or discuss and deal with problems facingtoday’s women.

Meeting times are Tuesdays be-tween 12:30 P.M. and 1:30 P.M. in build-ing B,Room 121. Questions can be answered bycontacting president of She-Speaks, Me-

lissa Polizzi, at [email protected].

New club focuses on women’s equality

By PATRICK BICKEL, Staff reporter

MELISSA POLIZZI

What

Goes On

Experienced vinyl,

and clothing.

Pre-read books.

T-shirts & posters.

3912 Boardwalk

Wildwood, N.J.


6/8


Rodriguez is Atlantic Cape’srst HERO of Year selectee

Photo by The HERO Campaign

SAFE DRIVING: A banner showing Manny Rodriguez ’s photo will be displayed on the AtlanticCape Community College campus in Mays Landing.

Manny Rodriguez was named AtlanticCape’s rst HERO of the Year on March 29. Rodriguez, 24, is a Hamilton Townshipresident who is majoring in education at Atlan-tic Cape. He will graduate in May, and hopes toattend Stockton University in the fall. Manny was among several nominees tobe Atlantic Cape’s HERO of the Year. A panelof students and administration staff selectedManny from among the nominations.

The HERO of the Year is a person whobest exemplies ‘HERO’ qualities in being a safe

and sober designated driver for friends and fam-ily. It is sponsored by The John R. Elliott HEROCampaign for Designated Drivers. Rodriguez was announced as the HEROof the Year at a ceremony in the cafeteria in JBuilding.

On hand to speak at the event were At-lantic Cape President Dr. Peter Mora, AtlanticCounty Freeholder Alex Marino and HamiltonTownship Mayor Roger Silva.

Assemblyman Chris Brown, who was

unable to attend, sent an Assembly Proclama-tion honoring Roriguez.

State Sen. James Whelan, who had aconicting engagement, stopped in before theevent to congratulate Rodriguez. Also present were William and MurielElliott, who created The HERO Campaign in2000 in honor of their son. John R. Elliott waskilled by a drunk driver in 2000 shortly aftergraduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in An-napolis. This is the HERO Campaign’s rst

HERO of the Year at a two-year college. HE-ROES of the Year are also selected at Stocktonand Monmouth universities, Rider College andThe College of New Jersey. Rowan Universityplans to announce its HERO of the Year in

April. For more information on the HEROCampaign and how you can take the HEROPledge and become one of the ‘100,000 HE-ROES’ go to:

www.herocampaign.org

By JOHNNY SANCHEZ, Film reviewer

10 Clovereld Lane stars MaryElizabeth Winstead, John Goodman andJohn Gallagher Jr. in a psychologicalthriller directed by Dan Trachtenberg. The story centers on Michelle(Winstead), who is trapped in a bunkerwith Howard (Goodman) and Emmett(Gallagher) after a supposed attack onthe nation. Michelle, having woken froma car accident, is very hesitant to believethe premise of the attack Howard givesand believes that he may have a hiddenagenda.

10 Clovereld Lane is a spiritualsuccessor to the 2008 monster lm, Clo-vereld. For the past eight years, fanshave been clamoring for the return of theClover monster. Is 10 Clovereld Lane thetriumphant return of the monster? Well …no; 10 Clovereld Lane has little to no con-nection to the rst Clovereld. This lm is a self-contained storythat delves into the idea that monsterscome in many forms. John Goodman stealsthe lm with a performance so chillingthat every scene he is in sends the tensionto maximum levels. He can be calming,yet with a ip of a switch he can become afrightening and imposing man.

While not completely overshad-owed, Mary Elizabeth Winstead portraysone of the strongest female protagonistssince Ripley from the Alien franchise. Ev-ery action she does seems believable, andshe is never presented gullible.

John Gallagher Jr., while not athis best, still gives an above-average per-formance.

One of the best qualities of this lmis the sound editing. The unnerving silenceto the loud and terrifying clanks of the bun-ker’s latched doors added immensely to theatmosphere. Even when the opening of thedoor is apparent, it is still startling.

The only negative to the lm is thelast 15 minutes. While I will not spoil it,the nal act to the lm doesn’t seem toquite mesh with the fantastical psycho-logical thrill ride we were presented in therst two acts. It doesn’t negate the previ-ous acts, but it does feel a bit out of place.

10 Clovereld Lane is one of thebest thrillers I have seen in theaters. Itkept me tense and completely hooked fromthe opening title sequence. The Clover-eld franchise may seem unconnected, butif this transforms to an anthology seriesthen I am feverishly waiting for a follow-up.

FILM REVIEW

10 Cloverfeld

Lane:Monsters in

a new form

9th Annual Communication Awards

Friday, April 22. 7 p.m.

Walter Edge Theater

Hosted by SOJO’s

Heather DeLuca


7/8


Casinos aren’t the only AtlanticCounty businesses that are strug-gling.

According to Atlantic CapeCommunity College’s scal year

2016 Annual Budget Message, enrollment isdown 9 percent from 2014 — and down 14percent since 2010. That’s not the college’s fault: The

problem is that fewer casinos mean fewer jobs, which means fewer county residents,which means fewer students.

According to RealtyTrac, a marketresearch rm, the percentage of foreclosedhomes in Atlantic County increased 740 per-cent from February 2015 to February 2016;Cape May County increased 775 percent.

While Cape May County’s foreclosurerate — the amount of homes that are foreclo-sure compared to the total number of homes

_ is only .02 percent above the national aver-age. But Atlantic County’s rate is almost vetimes the national average; Atlantic Countycontinues to lead the nation in foreclosures. In January and February 2016, there

have been more than 800 new foreclosures in Atlantic County, and more than 150 in CapeMay County.

Despite this mass exodus of AtlanticCounty residents, Atlantic Cape saw only a$3 increase per creditand $4 increase peronline class credit for2015.

That’s going tochange, how-ever. At a re-

cent board meeting,college trustees ap-proved a $4.70 increase per credit and the ad-dition of a $20 fee for the armed security that

now patrols all three campuses for the 2017school year.

There were steeper increases percredit in certain programs: the culinary pro-gram fee was raised $9, the nursing clinicalfee was raised $8, technology and aviationfees were raised $10. The Learning DisabilityTesting fee saw the steepest increase at $25.

The 2016-17 budget will be $500,000less than this year’s, with the eliminationof 21 full-time positions (but an addition offour new positions) and a salary decrease of$557,000, The Press of Atlantic City reported.

Atlantic Cape has dealt with enroll-ment decline by hiring an outside consultantto evaluate the college’s departments and

their staffs to “do more with less resources,”said Andre Richburg, dean of enrollment ser-vices and college relations. “There may be va-cant positions that won’t be lled,” he said. For instance, an Atlantic City campusadmissions worker was cross-trained for thenancial aid ofce. Although this was due tothe inability to hire a full-time nancial aidofce worker, it also allows the worker to bemore informed and therefore more helpful tostudents. Atlantic Cape can’t do anything aboutdisappearing Atlantic City casinos or changesin demographics, Richburg said. All it can do

is focus on the students that are coming to thecollege. “Our bottom line is to serve our stu-dents the best we can,” he said. Another way that Atlantic Cape isdealing with enrollment decline is with fund-raising and scholarships.

According to Maria Kellett, seniordirector of resource development and commu-nity and alumni outreach, about 80 percent

of Atlantic Cape students receive some formof nancial aid. Despite the economic assis-tance, 65 percent of the student populationmust work full time.

K ellett is also an associate director ofthe Atlantic Cape Community CollegeFoundation — which raises money for

the college and supports students.“There’s so much need out there,”

Kellett said. “I’m a rm believer that charitybegins at home.” She hopes that the scholar-ships the foundation providescan help stu-dents achieve their academic dreams.

The foundation garners thousands ofdollars through donations from alumni andother outside entities, which students can ap-

ply for with the “yellow scholarship packets.”Some scholarships are used to draw

in new students, Kellett said. For instance,the Hunter-Doherty scholarship is for newstudents, which the admissions department

uses as a recruitingtool with local highschools. But if thereare less students togive scholarshipsto, the college’s bot-tom line still won’tchange. It’s supply

and demand: If the supply of students con-tinues to dwindle, the price per student will

continue to increase in order to sustain thecollege.

The ramications are already presentwith class cancellations due to lack of enroll-ment.

Jessica Mounce, a 20-year-old com-munication major, is in her last semester at

Atlantic Cape. She needed to take Organiza-tional Communication this semester to fulllher major requirements and graduate.

A course section needs at least 10 stu-dents signed up before the semester begins torun. Mounce’s Organizational Communica-tion course fell short, and the class was cutweeks before it would have begun.

So, Mounce feared that she wouldn’t

graduate due to enrollment issues. “Thank God I knew Dr. Jones,”Mounce said.

Dr. Joy Jones, assistant professor ofcommunication and instructor of the course,assigned Mounce the course as independentstudy.Now, Mounce will be able to graduate. Butshe is missing out on “interacting with a classand learning through group work.”

“I hope no one else has to deal withstuff like that. To graduate in two years isvery difcult. I wasn’t going to stay anothersemester,” Mounce said.

South Jersey economy declines,drags Atlantic Cape enrollment

By KYLE SCHACHNER, Staff reporter

As jobs disappear, so does population

Atlantic County continues

to lead the nation in number

of home foreclosures.


8/8


E

gg Harbor Township has joined a grow-ing trend among area high schools witha new “Communications Academy.” The trend may be bringing vitalityto those schools, but could be damaging

college programs of the same nature, some educa-tors fear. In recent years, high schools such as OceanCity, Mainland, Absegami, Cedar Creek and Oak-crest have also established media programs. At thehelm of the EHT “academy” are Denise Steet andDennis Heenan, both English teachers.

“We’ve had a media program here at thehigh school, and we felt it was time to progress it,meaning update it in terms of curriculum, establisha sense of professionalism and have more hands-onactivities that will gear them towards a professionand further into college,” Steet said.

“By revamping this program, and givingthem an area of focus, they’ll be able to build their

skills throughout their four years here and be ableto walk away with a portfolio of their work and realworld experience as well,” she said.

“The big thing we looked at was: we have allthis equipment, these great facilities, and we shouldtry to use them to the best of our abilities,” Heenansaid.

The next goal is bridging the gap to the mid-dle schools.

“There’s a lot of buzz going on in the middleschools. We’re starting now to get applications fromthose schools,” Heenan said.

“The applications actually just opened up,and we have a few, but we think we’ll cap it at 50.That’s our number,” Steet said. Fostering the interest in media from a youngage and helping it grow throughout high school isone of the goals for the two founders.

“We’re looking for professionalism, and pro-fessional experience is the end goal. We’re hopingthat by the time they leave that they’ll have somesort of idea of what track they want to stay in: publicrelations, broadcast journalism, etc.,” Heenan said.

For former EHT student Juan Chamorro,it’s something he would have taken advantage of,since he is now communication student at AtlanticCape.

“Hopefully, it will prepare students whoplan to attend Atlantic Cape Community Collegeand major in communication,” he said. “At least,I would hope that it would expose students to thecommunication eld, which they might otherwisenot have known about or even considered.”

The goal of programs such as this are toreach out to students who may have an interest inmedia and communication and to foster that inter-est potentially into college.

“Speaking as a rst-generation [citizen] togo to college in the U.S., I had little to no guidancefrom either my high school or my parents about howcollege works. To this day, we are still nding thingsout and stumbling our way through. More programslike this need to be introduced at the high schoollevel to get us ready for college and the real world,”Chamorro said.

In terms of redundancy, it depends on who’steaching for some students.

“When you take classes in the eld of

communication(s) I would say that almost 80% ofwhat you learn depends on your professor,” saidRyan Baitinger, 21, communication major.

“You could theoretically take the same classwith a different professor each time and come outwith a different experience,” Baitinger said.

“We have great professors here at ACCC,professors that will teach you things that youcouldn’t learn anywhere else. There is no class orteacher that can teach you what you learn herein the Atlantic Cape communication program,” hesaid.

“I can think that some (students will be ex-posed to) double information,” Heenan said. “They’re

only semester-long classes for us. At the pace a highschool class would go, it probably doesn’t cover thesame amount of information you would cover in col-lege.

“What we’re hoping is that it won’t be tooredundant. These are survey courses, like introcourses,” Heenan said.

The redundancies, however, could lead tomore college and high school connections.

“It is possible that the communica-tion program at the high school mightmake things more redundant at Atlantic

Cape Community College,” Chamorro said. “In thatcase, I would either suggest having the high schoolclasses count toward college credits or restructuringthe communication program at Atlantic Cape Com-

munity College to not repeat classes unnecessarily.” Atlantic Cape has partnered with CedarCreek and Wildwood High Schools in the past, andthe teachers at Egg Harbor Township are open tosuch pairings, such as one that already exists withStockton, which offers a dual credit in Honors Mul-timedia Production. Students at Atlantic Cape believe the con-nections would denitely be benecial to the pro-gram already in place.

“I do think that it is good for high schools tomake a connection with colleges through programslike this,” Baitinger said. “This program not onlyshows future students what they could be expectinggoing into colleges like this, but also shows them thestructure of classes and curriculum.

“I remember only having three people in my

class and how much better it would’ve been to havemore people,” Baitinger said. “Even here at Atlan-tic Cape we struggle with nding people to help outwith certain activities involving our communica-tions program, like the communications awards.” Current students of Atlantic Cape’s com-munication program welcome those students of thefuture. For some of them, programs such as EHT’scould have offered more streamlined guidancethroughout their own high school years.

It’s a matter of making connections, of com-municating. A bond formed now will help studentsof the future and help to prepare them for a life inthe media industry and the students here at Atlan-tic Cape are open to new connections.

By NICOLE MINGO, Review editor

Collegecommunications

goes tohigh school

By JOHNNY SANCHEZ, Film reviewer

Batman v Superman Dawn of Justicehas been the most anticipated lm of 2016.

The DC Comics iconic heroes, Super-

man and Batman, are sharing the same screenafter 75 years. Bruce Wayne (Ben Afeck), hav-ing witnessed the destruction of Metropolis at

the hands of Superman (Henry Cavill), is nowengaged in a vendetta to stop him. Also, LexLuthor (Jesse Eisenberg) seems to be creating

a new weapon to eliminate Superman. As Luthor has been claiming in pro-motional material, this is the world’s greatest

gladiator match. God versus man. Day versusnight. Last Son of Krypton versus The CapedCrusader. So … does the lm live up to the high

expectation?Well, yes - and no. The lm delivers in

the introduction of a new Batman and the long-

awaited confrontation between the two heavy-weights. Afeck quickly and without questioneliminates any worry of his casting as Bruce

Wayne/ Batman. He plays the duality perfectlyand shows a more aggressive and battle-wornBatman.

Cavill’s Superman / Clark Kent isslightly different from his previous outing inMan of Steel, but he still seems to be lacking

personality in his Superman persona. ClarkKent seemed more interesting with his philo-

sophical viewpoint of what justice means clash-ing with that of Bruce Wayne’s.

The most divisive character in the lmis Lex Luthor. Eisenberg plays Luthor as a

maniacal genius, but at times his performanceseems campy. The supporting cast delivers ex-cellent performance, including Jeremy Irons

and Laurence Fishburne as Alfred Pennyworthand Perry White, respectfully.

The action and lm’s score is very

exciting and operatic. Zack Synder paints abeautiful lm with each scene breathtaking inits cinematography. The combination of Hans

Zimmer and Junkie XL on the lm’s score isepic and relentless in conveying an emotionalcatharsis to exhilarating action tempo.

Unfortunately, Synder is more ashthen substance. At times the plot is unsure onhow to connect Wayne’s vendetta with Luthor’s

mission. The lm is more concerned in intro-ducing the Justice League rather than telling acomplete arc of character for both Batman and

Superman. It’s a shame that this isn’t the greatestsuperhero lm, but it does lay the groundwork

to the ever-growing DC cinematic universe.While not a bad lm, its pacing and plot struc-ture keep it from reaching a level of greatness.

Still, go see this lm on the big screen, justdon’t go in expecting a Batman versus Super-man lm.

FILM REVIEW

‘Batman v

Superman

Dawn of

Justice’Provided by EHT High School

GETTING GOOD USE: Egg Harbor Township

High School is now making better use of its broad-cast equipment.

ACR March 2016 Edition

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Transcript of ACR March 2016 Edition