The Scene

The trio waited in anticipation as they rode the train to New York. As they pulled up, a 60-year-old woman with a sign reading “We want jobs not foreign occupation for oil,” helped direct them to the crowd.
“When we first got off the train I was very nervous because we had no idea where we were going,” said Hollingsworth, a senior history and education major. “But once you walk up and see this big group of people you just want to get in there and get on a soap box and start screaming about whatever you believe in.”
An estimated 2000 people occupied Wall Street while they visited. Though there are no leaders, a general reverence for order and democracy kept things in control. The protesters demanded that everyone keep it peaceful and allow for an environment of free-floating ideas. The protesters even print their own newspaper, “The Occupied Wall Street Journal.”
“We’re not really fighting for anything,” Flynn said. “We’re just trying to voice our opinions and go through democracy how democracy should take place: through voting and without wealth involved, without any money involved.”
“I feel like, unlike a lot of other movements, it’s not just some small segment of society focusing on one issue,” said Olla, a junior psychology major. “This is every person from every walk of life saying that we’ve had enough. It’s not like one thing that’s wrong it’s a lot of things that’s wrong and we can’t focus on one thing at a time, we have to tackle the whole problem at its root which happens to be corporate greed.”

Arrests

During a protest walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, police arrested Hollingsworth and 700 other individuals for obstructing the roadway. With police barricades out, Hollingsworth locked arms with strangers next to him and prepared for the zip-tie handcuffs.
The arrested protesters were spread across seven different police precincts. Supporters waited outside the police stations to welcome them upon release.
As Olla and Flynn looked for Hollingsworth, they became welcomers to other people. They helped one woman from California find her boyfriend. As the California man was being processed, the police allowed her to comfort him.
The jailed protesters passed the time by having a rock-paper-scissors tournament. Police released Hollingsworth around 2 a.m. and he headed toward Wall Street.
“You really got a sense of how much people were suffering by staying there over night because nobody can put up a tent. It was miserable,” Hollingsworth said. “When I got back to Wall Street around 2 in the morning you just see people with definitely not enough warmth. Just freezing. “
With traditional media ignoring Occupy Wall Street, social media alerted and helped educate them about the growing movement.
‘I think we’re slowly seeing that we don’t need mainstream media,” Olla said. “I don’t think a single person was there because they saw some coverage on FOX. They were there because they were on reddit, because they were on Facebook, because they were on Twitter. I think that’s just another example of the Internet playing a very large part in modern society.”

Impact

“If there’s going to be a big mistake in this it’s in underestimating the Glenn Becks of the world,” comments Sharon McCann, a Rowan University adjunct sociology professor. McCann has followed the protests since it began and worries about the direction of anger.
“I don’t think they know what to ask for,” McCann said. “They’ve got the energy and they’ve got what could turn into political clout but they don’t know what to do with it and because they’re trying to get business out of government they’re ending up attacking government.”
It is her biggest fear that the protests will cause free range corporations without the government to keep them in check. She agrees that the movement should attempt to sway the government to enforce pre-existing monopoly and anti-trust laws.
“What they appear to be after is that we actually uphold the laws we have so that they apply to everybody,” she said. “The people who violated property and contract law during the bailouts and prior to the bailouts, they should have been held accountable. And they still need to be held accountable.”
It’s no surprise to McCann that this movement attracts college-aged students. To her, it is the nature of revolution. Since Occupy Wall Street started, the idea has spread through major cities, including nearby Philadelphia, and onto individual college campuses with the Occupy Colleges movement.
“If you look at the demographic of who’s protesting, they’re being presented very much as being young people and the majority of revolutions that have ever occurred in any country have always started on college campuses and among college aged students,” McCann said. “They always start among college students because they are the group that has the most to lose, the most to gain and the time and energy to pursue it.”

Occupy Philadelphia

The three Rowan students plan on continuing their support for the Occupy Philly protests.
“I think the biggest thing would be to go to Philadelphia,” Hollingsworth said. “Even if you doubt it and don’t agree with it. Go to Philly and check it out. It’s a forum. You’ll be able to broaden your political horizons. You’ll learn a lot from your generation or from past generations.”
Since Oct. 6, protesters occupy Dilworth Plaza in front of Philadelphia City Hall.
“I think it already has the momentum to accomplish what will never be accomplished,” Olla said. “Maybe I’m being a little optimistic.”

The memorial was completed for the anniversary and opened for relatives of the victims on Sept. 11. The public opening took place Sept. 12.

According to the memorial’s website, 911memorial.org, “The names of the nearly 3,000 victims of the Sept. 11, 2011 and Feb. 26, 1993 terrorist attacks will be inscribed on bronze panels lining the two pools.”

The memorial will also include waterfalls, a plaza filled with oak trees and a Survivor Tree, which was nursed back to health after the 9/11 attacks.

It’s fantastic that instead of building something commercial over the area that a memorial will be created in its place.  It’s also very nice that during the ceremony affected family members, rather than an impersonal speaker, will read the names of the victims.

There was, however, a group of important people missing from the ceremony.

According to the International Business Times, “It is true; the first responders are not, in fact, invited to the 9/11 National Memorial for the upcoming 10^th anniversary commemoration.”

It’s a travesty that those who risked their lives to save others, most of which were volunteers, were not invited to the ceremony.

“The decision, which Mayor Michael Bloomberg, made over a month ago but was not widely publicized until this Wednesday, has attracted a great deal of backlash,” according to the International Business Times.

Those people should have had a place right beside everyone else who attended the ceremony.

According to Samantha Gross and Larry Neumeister at the Associated Press, only the relatives of the victims were invited.

That is understandable, but still raises a question as to why the firefighters, who were called to save lives, were not invited.

Another rumor flying around was that this year’s anniversary would be the last to read the victims’ names aloud.

The Los Angeles Times reported Sunday morning, “On previous anniversaries, the names of the 2,753 victims who died at the World Trade Center have been read aloud at an annual memorial ceremony. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that could end after this year’s ceremony.”

The Los Angeles Times also added that Bloomberg said during his weekly radio show that the foundation board will talk about it, with  family members and surviving first responders to see what people think.

Now he wants the opinion of the first responders. It all seems a bit confusing.

Along with the memorial in New York, ceremonies took place all over the world including Rowan University.

A remembrance walk was held on campus Sunday as well as time for remembrance in the Eynon Ballroom and guest speakers.

Carnations were handed out to students to be placed at the Sept. 11 Memorial plaque placed between Savitz Hall and Campbell Library.

Most students at Rowan remember the day of Sept. 11 and it’s a spectacular thing that they can come together for a day and remember something that happened, even if it did not directly affect them.

In time, she appears all over television, where the viewers quickly realize that she has no extraordinary talents or gifts to qualify her for fame. Television exploits her and she becomes a universal punch line.

Fast-forward 57 years.

A naïve young girl dreams of Hollywood stardom. Her parents use their money to pay for a professionally produced music video. Through the viral nature of the Internet, the young girl becomes an overnight celebrity.

The young girl is named Rebecca Black, and the music video is called “Friday.” Since Feb. 10, the video has been viewed over 30 million times.

Black’s meteoric rise, like those of many other YouTube sensations, started innocently.

Living in an age where a young boy can become an international pop music superstar, an NBA All Star Weekend Legend and Celebrities Game MVP after being discovered on YouTube, Black aspired to becoming a pop star herself.

Her parents, seeing their daughter’s aspirations and trying to give her a gift, paid for ARK Music Factory, a Los Angeles-based music production company to produce the music video.

This, perhaps, is where the problem started, and her dreams went from innocent to unfortunate.

ARK Music Factory took Black’s face, voice and image, and put them into a music video so cliché, trite, generic and mindless that it blurs the line between parody and reality.

Scratch that: “Friday” is the line between parody and reality.

If you haven’t seen it, here’s the recap: A girl wakes up, walks through her house asserting that it’s Friday and goes to the bus stop. Here she is greeted warmly and in slow-motion by her friends in their convertible, although none of the passengers appear old enough to legally drive a moped. The girl questions the philosophical implications of picking the car’s front seat over the back, finally gets in the back, and once more asserts that it is, in fact, Friday.

They go to a driveway, presumably that of a party, though again, none of the participants appear “old enough to party.” The girl sings about the perennial joys of Friday, particularly noting the cyclical nature of the weekend, and the order in which the days occur.

Cue traditional rap bridge featuring a much older male of African descent, who also voices his appreciation for Fridays.

The video’s climactic third act features Black atop a platform of some kind, basking in the adulation of her peers, interspersed with footage of Black in a poorly lit room, wailing away the lyrics of her song.

End scene.

Maybe if it had only been shown at the girl’s sweet sixteen party, or once in a while for a joke at family parties, Rebecca wouldn’t have gained the notoriety. However, ARK Music Factory actively promotes their “artists,” and the video went onto YouTube and iTunes, sparking a viral outbreak that trumped both Charlie Sheen and the disaster in Japan.

Since being posted, the video has attracted an incredible amount of criticism from viewers, with many assigning it such superlatives as “worst video ever,” “worst song ever,” and “worst lyrics ever.”

Black, in an interview on Good Morning America, shrugged off the insults, saying, “It doesn’t bother me.”

The Internet can be a cruel place and anyone to put their likeness up online in today’s world should be aware of the consequences. While it allows viewers from all over the world to experience something, being it art, news or culture, it also allows for a vast amount of criticism and ridicule.

Rebecca Black is another casualty in the Internet’s inadvertent war on dignity and she won’t be the last.

This comes as a blow to students who rely on the current food venues for their daily meals.  The Press, as well as the Mexican and salad venues provided students with a quick meal and healthy alternatives to those available in Prof’s Place.

While the hours of the Marketplace and Owl’s Nest are being extended to compensate for the closed food venues, concerns still arise, as as the Marketplace currently offers an extremely limited menu between meal times. Instead of quick, consistent options like a panini or burrito (which, incidentally, students could grab on the go), it seems we’re to be funneled into the cafeteria to wait in a line for a wonderful variety of food options: hamburgers, cereal and cold cuts.  The cafeteria’s refusal to allow students to take food out of it eliminates the “grab and go” convenience the food court offered.

Additionally, these renovations are poorly timed.  Instead of starting during winter or summer break,  the revamping of the food court comes during the semester.  Lines that are already too long at meal times will get longer. The crowded cafeteria will soon be even harder to find a seat in.

It’s hard not to overlook the Owl’s Nest. In fact, many students aren’t even aware of its existence. One of the benefits of the food court was the cost effectiveness. Even after the Owl’s Nest allows meal plan options, do we have to tip the servers? And does the typical Owl’s Nest crowd, which usually consists of University administration and support staff, really want to share their mealtimes with the students?

As previously stated,  the cost of the renovations will total approximately $750,000.  This spending seems irresponsible in the school’s current landscape, as we’ve just doled out money to buy out President Farish’s contract and to hire the lawyers used to buy him out.

The new food court will feature the foosball and air hockey tables that currently reside in the Student Center game room, another room in the Student Center that could be managed better.

To be fair, it’s nice that the University is taking an interest in the affairs of the students. A well-lit, welcoming food court would be a great improvement over the current dingy dungeon.

Just some food for thought.

My understanding of college is that you are here to prepare for your career.

A writer learns to write professionally, an accountant learns to account professionally, and a filmmaker learns to make films. Professionally.

Modern technology offers would-be directors endless opportunities to create and display their work.  Youtube, Facebook, and countless other online outlets have given everyone a voice.

Not to take anything away from Flip camera impresarios, but there’s something to be said for production value.  Learning the proper way to write a script, to light a scene, and to shoot a conversation is what separates webcam heroes like Keenan Cahill from an actual film student with a degree from, let’s say Rowan University, for argument’s sake.

I recently had the opportunity to direct a short film for the RTF department’s Film Production II course.  Having never directed before, I jumped at the chance to see my ideas put on a large screen for all to see.  I looked at it as a chance to “come of age” or “spread my wings.”

I’ve always believed that you get out of your education what you put into it.  The radio/television/film major was always sold to me as “rather than fail,” basically, an easy way to get through college without doing much work.

By that token, though, a case could be made that it’s possible to coast through any major if you try hard enough.

For me, making this film would be a statement to myself that I’m not taking the easy way out.

It is possible for one person to make a film, but we aren’t just here to make a film.  In Rowan’s RTF department, we’re here to make a film professionally.

For those of you who aren’t aware of what goes into making a film, let me put it on paper.

A producer finds a concept, a writer puts the concept into a script, a director is hired, actors are cast, scenes are storyboarded, sets either get built or booked, scenes and shots are meticulously choreographed.  All this planning and forethought is falls under the heading of preproduction.

Days of work go into preproduction, even for something as simple as a group project for class, and no matter how much planning you do, on the day of shooting, nothing will go as planned.

The second phase of production is appropriately called production.  This is the collection of the actual video and audio content that will go into the final product.  In addition to the jobs that you’re probably already aware of, like director, actors and cameraman, there is also a boom microphone operator, a sound guy, a lighting crew, assistant directors, associate producers and a continuity secretary.

Post-production is the third phase, and an extremely complicated one.  In post-production, the final decisions are made on what the film is going to look like. If you didn’t do everything right in pre-production and production, you’re responsible for it. Bad audio, bad video, continuity errors, bad lighting and bad acting all have a way of sneaking up on a filmmaker in post, and only so much can be done to fix it.

One person can’t do this on their own.  Not well, anyway.  In addition to learning how to make a movie, we learned how to make a movie together as a crew.

Things went wrong and morale got low, but our group of student filmmakers sucked it up and did what had to be done.

The final cuts will premiere in the weeks to come, and our film will be screened along with everyone else’s.  The audience at the premiere will sit in Bozorth auditorium and see a student film featuring both moments of brilliance and blatant mistakes.

The crews that made the movie will focus more on the flaws than on what they did right, but that’s because for them, it isn’t just a movie, it’s a process.

As students, we have an obligation to look at our own work and find fault.  The second we look at something we wrote, painted or filmed and call it perfect is the second we stop learning.

My experience on this film taught me to work as a part of a film crew.  Professionally.  But as the process draws to a close along with my college career, my understanding of college has changed.

We aren’t here to learn our profession.  We’re here to learn how to keep learning.  Professionally.

For some, that was pretty much the only downer during Saturday’s uproarious show at Rowan University.

“I liked it a lot; I thought it was really funny,” said Will Miller, a sophomore management information systems major. “I heard some good things about him from my friends so I expected him to be good and he didn’t disappoint.”

Ansari stars in the popular NBC show “Parks and Recreation” and has appeared in various movies and television shows such as “Funny People,” “I Love You Man,” “Scrubs” and “Human Giant.” He is a notable stand-up comedian, appearing frequently on Comedy Central.

Joe Mande opened the show on the right foot. The comedian got a good response from the audience as the crowd got more and more excited for Ansari to make his entrance.

“The first comedian was actually very funny,” said Dan Reeves, a sophomore math and secondary education major and member of SUP, which hosted the event.

Mande is a New York City native who’s appeared on Comedy Central’s “Live at Gotham.” He was also named the Best New Comedian of 2009 by “Time Out New York” Magazine.

Aziz Ansari went on soon after and certainly delivered. Ansari hit on topics ranging from his relatives to racial slurs, all using his chaotic personality and physicality.

“He drew elements from his real life,” said Stephan Brinkman, a sophomore mechanical engineering major. “He’s informative while being funny, which is interesting.”

After the initial performance, Ansari came back out and asked the audience about what topics they’d like for him to talk about.

The comedian heard requests for older bits, characters he’s played in the past like Randy from “Funny People,” and pop culture icons that needed cutting up. Ansari didn’t hold back when talking about R. Kelly or Kanye West. For the latter, he unloaded a long, hilarious rant.

Rowan students might not have gotten to see the late, great Randy but the show put on by Ansari definitely made up for it.

“It should be an entertaining and hilarious show that showcases a popular television personality,” said Tommy Balicky, Assistant Director of Late Night Programming and Special Events.

Bailey is the host of Discovery Channel’s “Cash Cab,” a game show played in a Toyota mini-van disguised as a taxicab. Bailey picks up people off the streets of New York City and gives them the chance to win money by correctly answering trivia questions on the way to their desired destinations; if they get three wrong, they’re out on the street.

“I think what makes Ben different is that he is known as a game show host and not a comedian to many people,” Balicky said. “His stand-up is hilarious and this will give students who only know him as the host of ‘Cash Cab’ an opportunity to see him in a different light.”

The comedy event has already received positive comments.

“I’m an avid ‘Cash Cab’ fan. I’ve caught (Bailey) on Comedy Central a few times and he’s a witty guy. He’s definitely good for a belly laugh,” said Lewis Bivona, junior political science major.

Rowan After Hours will also provide various other activities for the evening, including a game room, board games and free billiards.  The night will end with a free midnight macaroni and cheese bar.

Doors open at 9 p.m. D.C. Benny, who has performed on the show “Comedy Central Presents,” will serve as the opening act for Bailey. The event is free to all students with their student I.D.

More information on the event is available at rowan.edu/afterhours.

This past summer, I had the opportunity to intern in the fashion department of OK! Magazine in New York City. Working at a fashion magazine has been on my bucket list since I was 12 years-old, but honestly, I never thought that it would actually happen.

I come from a very small town that we refer to as the “Haddonfield bubble.” People live there all their lives, go away to college, then come back and start families. So when I found out I was offered the internship, I can’t say truthfully that I was elated. The idea of leaving everything I had known my whole life to move to Manhattan, a place I had only visited and where I only knew one person, was terrifying.

I remember calling my mom crying, making excuses about why I couldn’t just up and leave for four months. My mother wasn’t having it; she told me there wasn’t an option. I was going to accept the internship and we’d hammer out the details later. I’m lucky my family stood behind me, because if they hadn’t, I would’ve missed out on the best summer of my life.

The city made me anxious at first, especially the subway system, but I fell in love with my job. My internship taught me things I would never have learned sitting in a classroom. It was like stepping into a whole new world and discovering that I fit.

I got to see the latest Prada bags, go to stores on Fifth Avenue and pull clothes for celebrities. I’d run wardrobes to photographers, pick up dresses at designers like Badgley Mischka for celebrity photo shoots, and do photo research for specific celebrity looks or trends. I was also lucky enough to meet a few celebrities, like American Idol winner Lee DeWyze, designer Christian Siriano and reality TV personality and athlete Doug Reinhardt.

The biggest benefit was that the magazine offered intern seminars, in which the different department heads would speak to us about their career paths, the details of their jobs and vital lessons they learned along the way.

Outside my internship, New York City was just as mystical. I lived four blocks from Central Park and worked one block away from Times Square, visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the MoMa and the International Center for Photography. I went to shows and even ate at “Top Chef” Tom Colicchio’s restaurant, Craft. To think that all of this unfolded with one interview is crazy.

Working in fashion or magazines may not be your dream job, but search for internships related to your desired field. Try to complete at least two internships before you graduate.

Check out sites like Ed2010.com and Jerseyintern.com for ideas, use the CAP Center resources and ask family and friends. Go out and experience new things. See other parts of the country and the world. It may shock you how many doors are actually open to you and what you’re capable of achieving if you just go out and do it.

There are three places that I re-visit time that continuously re-capture my attention and offer a sense of contentment. These comprise my “place” relationship with New York City.

1. 555 West 24th Street (Chelsea): The Gagosian Gallery’s flagship location is the most renowned contemporary art gallery in the vicinity. The sleek, minimalist, 25,000 square foot space is certainly “scene” – but it is also a beautiful escape for those wishing to escape the turbulence of the city. Passion, parody and severity are conveyed in each exhibition piece.

2. Between 40th and 42nd Streets & Fifth and Sixth Avenues (Midtown Manhattan): Bryant Park may be best known for Fashion Week, but it also serves as a peaceful site for those employed nearby. As a result, the 9.603 acre lawn is where I often go to meet friends at the end of the day. The Euro-like outdoor space offers fresh air (unheard of within midtown) and much-needed conversational spots for an interesting crowd.

3. 28 Bond Street (SoHo): Between Lafayette Street and Bowery is Oak, a deconstructed, low-key yet luxe space consisting of white walls and small racks of perfectly imperfect, edgy, individualistic clothing and accessories from Alexandre Herchcovich, Band of Outsiders, Superfine and Vena Cava. The minimalist interior induces clever, creative and highly personal visual interpretations of outfits.

The fashion industry is one of inconsistency. Everyone – designers, publicists, editors, assistants and writers – needs time and space to breathe and reflect. Emotionally connecting with a place and enjoying the moments spent there are intrinsic to a well-rounded life.

Gagosian Gallery (Chelsea)

555 West 24th Street

New York, NY 10011

+1 212 741 1111

Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Bryant Park (Midtown Manhattan)

Between 40th and 42nd Streets & Fifth and Sixth Avenues

New York, NY 10036

+1 212 768 4242

Hours: Sunday – Saturday 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. (October); Sunday –  Saturday 7:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. (November – December)

Oak (SoHo)

28 Bond Street

New York, New York 10012

+1 212 677 1293

Hours: Monday – Saturday 11:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.; Sunday 11:00 a.m. – 7 p.m.