By Lucas Vacco
Staff Writer  

After the first week of in-person classes, the College took another step towards normalcy by hosting its annual fall Student Involvement Fair on Sept. 2 at Lions Field. The College recognizes more than 230 clubs and organizations which include academic and career organizations, club sports, Greek life, advocacy organizations and more. 

The Office of Student Involvement organizes the Student Involvement Fair every year so students at the College can meet and interact with organizations or clubs of interest to them. Although the fair can be overwhelming for some students, many are thrilled that they are on campus engaging in college life instead of on a screen like last year’s fair, which was virtual.

This was one of the first large on-campus events the College hosted this year. Since this was the first time freshmen and sophomores experienced the fair in person, the turnout was higher than in previous years. 

“We were fairly confident that we’d have a decent turnout. Especially with two classes of undergraduates being brand new to the on-campus experience, we were very optimistic — and with good reason — about the number of students we thought would participate,” said Maria Quattrocchi, the Student Involvement and Transitions coordinator.

As the Involvement Fair started, Lions Stadium was filled with crowds of enthusiastic students walking around and exploring the variety of clubs and organizations the College has to offer. Many of these students were patiently waiting in lines to sign up for organizations.  

“At any given point throughout the night, we saw the field full of happy, dancing and energetic humans, who you could tell were thrilled to not only be at the event but to also just be on campus with their peers. It was really awesome to see,” Quattrocchi said. 

Sophomore computer engineering major Michael De George was optimistic about the Involvement Fair since he did not get the opportunity to experience an in-person fair during remote learning. 

“The Involvement Fair was a great chance to meet people who share the same interests,” De George said. “I think the fair turned out great. It was well organized and there was a big turnout from all students. It was great to see everyone out and about hanging out at the Lions Stadium.”

Freshman physics major Michael Polania was happy to observe that the college community was finally able to come together.  

“Being at the Involvement Fair and seeing the different interests students have truly excited me,” Polania said. “The fair showed me the diverse communities and interests people have at TCNJ. Personally, the fair helped me find organizations such as the Mathematics and Statistics Club.”

Having a variety of clubs and organizations allows students to branch out and join new communities. 

Junior accounting major Colleen Rauch is the president of TCNJ Treblemakers, which is a female acapella group. Rauch was extremely excited to present her group at the fair and recruit new members.

“It’s definitely a very exciting event when you are the one to promote the club you run,” Rauch said. “It was something very new to me, but nonetheless, I was very excited to potentially recruit new girls.”

The Involvement Fair was an event to remember for many students, especially the freshmen and sophomores who experienced it for the first time in person. Through the Involvement Fair, the College was able to, once again, come together as a community. 

By Emma Ferschweiler
Staff Writer

The once-barren campus of the College was alive again with the start of the school’s annual Welcome Week for first-year students, occurring from Aug. 26-30. This commemoration was canceled last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but was in full effect for 2021. Since they missed out on the traditional experience, sophomores were also given a Welcome Week, which spanned from Aug. 28-29, overlapping the two classes’ events. 

Students were able to enjoy a wide variety of fun activities including bingo, laser tag, silent disco and a hypnosis show. Freshmen also took part in Zoom and in-person lecture sessions that taught the importance of mindfulness, consent and inclusivity. 

Freshman biochemistry major Priyanka Chakrabarti said she enjoyed Welcome Week and the overall environment of the College.

“[Welcome Week]’s a little bit exhausting because there are so many events planned back to back, but overall, it’s a great way to meet new people and gain memories,” Chakrabarti said. 

Chakrabarti said she participated in games such as laser tag, growing plants and went to many icebreakers that were held for dorm floors. 

“I would love to see events similar to [these] in the school year. It was fun and laid-back and allowed for getting to know each other,” Chakrabarti said.

Many students in the past school year did not have a chance to make these close connections as Covid-19 forced many to attend school virtually. According to the data researcher USAFacts, 65% of households with children reported the use of online school during the pandemic. 

With having a Welcome Week on campus, Chakrabarti said she feels more familiar with the College and its environment which she describes as nice and competitive, allowing for one to reach their potential. 

“After staying home for so long and having little human interaction for a year, finally seeing people and getting to know them has been amazing,” Chakrabarti said. 

Freshman history secondary education major Michael Villanella enjoyed Welcome Week because it was a great introduction to the campus as well as a way to meet people and adjust to his living situation. He partook in the hypnosis show, volleyball tournament and other events but loved the meals and icebreakers the most. 

“I would absolutely love to see more stuff like this throughout the year. It was so much easier than having to juggle classes and building a social life within the first few days on campus,” Villanella said. 

Villanella said the celebration helped college feel like more than work, and was important in having a sense of normalcy and making connections after a year of isolation. 

“I thought the events were great but would have loved to see them a bit more organized, as it was very difficult to get into the more busy events,” Villanella said. 

Villanella said over the course of the week he was able to learn messages of open-mindedness, inclusivity and acceptance which he said made him feel safe

Director of the Office of Student Transitions (OST) Lindsay Barndt worked on scheduling the week and the entire transition process for freshmen, transfers and in the case of this year, sophomores. She described Welcome Week as a culmination of an entire summer of outreach initiatives and is supposed to create opportunities for students to feel more comfortable socially and physically on campus. 

“It’s a catalyst for starting some friendships, some will be friends with others prior to coming, some will know people from their high school. We did this summer virtual meetups and smaller orientation groups so there was more opportunity to meet other students and feel connected,” Barndt said.

Barndt said over the past two or three years the OST has been trying to normalize feelings that most students have including anxiousness and homesickness. With this goal, Barndt said Welcome Week introduced a new event called “Transition Stories” that gave upperclassmen a chance to talk about their experiences with these emotions. 

“All of those things are pieces that every student feels, but if they’re not exhibiting anything outwardly they may think they’re the only ones that are feeling that,” Barndt said.

Another adaptation Barndt said the OST took was making an optional sophomore Welcome Week which garnered a little under 350 attendees. Barndt said they enhanced some of the already scheduled programs to accommodate this crowd as well as transfer students such as by increasing the number of headphones at silent disco. 

“Something that I think all of campus is gonna feel at one point here is the reminder of how important community is and having people to rely on and support you and that was so clear during Welcome Week,” Barndt said. 

By Nevin Guler
Correspondent

Ever since I was a child, I loved reading books. I would always bring multiple books with me on vacation or request as many books as I could carry from my town’s library whenever I was home for winter break. When I first saw “The Invisible Life of Addie Larue” on the Book of the Month instagram account, I was immediately drawn to the novel, not only because of the beautiful, simplistic cover, but because of the book’s unique concept. The title invited me to dive into the first chapter, making me wonder: why is Addie invisible to the public eye?

The story feels real when the setting flashes back and forth to the past and present day since

we learn Addie’s backstory, with her ups and downs throughout her long life. Addie’s, and later Henry’s, backstories feel relatable as both characters have had their own wounds of the love and heartbreak of losing a loved one.

There are certain special books out there I can’t put down; the adult fantasy novel “The Invisible Life of Addie Larue,” written by V.E. Schwab is one of them. The story focuses on the character Adeline “Addie” Larue, born in 18th century France. Feeling tied down as a woman and wanting to avoid an arranged marriage, Addie makes a deal with a dark god whom Addie names Luc to allow her freedom at the cost of her soul. As a result, the god grants Addie immortality, but the price is that no one in her small town will remember her, including her parents. 

Whenever she leaves a room, even for just a moment, her acquaintances immediately forget who she is. She can’t write, say her name, or leave a mark through a pen or something as small as her footprints on the sand. Addie doesn’t even have her own home, having to sleep at multiple lovers’ apartments when they are out of town. And if she does come to said lover’s home with permission, they immediately forget who she is the next day, thinking that they were too drunk to remember her. For three hundred years, Addie continues to live her life despite the downside of not having the ability to leave her mark. 

It’s not until Addie meets Henry Strauss, a man who works at a small bookstore in New York City, that she hears three words she hasn’t heard in three hundred years: “I remember you.” 

Unlike Addie, Henry has clinical depression. Before he met Addie, he made a deal with Luc to be loved, but at the cost of not having a serious relationship with his friends or family members (and for them to see him only as who they want him to be). For example, despite Henry’s tumultuous relationship with his family, when he arrives to visit them, they welcome him with open arms and praise him for being a “hard worker,” something that he has never heard from them before. Henry is also seen as a perfect boyfriend, catching the attention of a barista before having to break up with her a week later after she attempts to burn all of his ex-girlfriend’s belongings. Even though he loves the praise and the attention he is receiving from friends, family, and even strangers, he does not feel validated from the compliments. Rather, he feels more alone than ever.

Reading V.E. Schwab’s novel feels like going on an adventure. I felt as if I was Addie Larue, traveling the world and visiting places such as New Orleans, Paris, Venice, Italy, London among others. 

Henry also comes across as relatable through his insecurities, especially with this line: “Take a drink every time you hear you’re not enough. Not the right fit. Not the right look. Not the right focus. Not the right drive. Not the right time. Not the right job. Not the right path.” 

I always love going back to this scene because I myself feel Henry’s anguish and always have thoughts regarding my own fears and insecurities. What I also love the most of this book is that all of the characters are flawed and mysterious in their own ways. For example, does Addie genuinely love Henry, or is she just elated at the fact that someone after three hundred years remembers her? Does Luc have feelings for Addie, or is he akin to an abusive partner by trying to put Addie down every time he visits her all the while waiting to take her soul?

In my opinion, you have to actually be drawn to the first sentence of a novel to see if you would actually like reading a particular novel, and I was instantly drawn by the first sentence. I could visualize all of Addie and Henry’s struggles and triumphs. I would rate this book five stars, and recently, I have heard that said novel will one day become a movie adaptation. Now, I don’t know about you, but I am excited to have an actual book being turned into a movie instead of Netflix’s nonsense stories from Wattpad (talking to you “The Kissing Booth” trilogy and “After”). 

Read “The Invisible Life of Addie Larue” and, even if it is not your cup of tea, I would at least recommend reading a good two chapters.

By Joey Gibbs
Staff Writer

The Gilded Age is a name that describes the fast economic growth in the United States during the late nineteenth century. It carries a double meaning, as gilded also means to thinly veil with gold and luxury. Essentially, the glitz and glamour covered up the millions of impoverished immigrants left to struggle to survive. While not so dire, LANY’s (an acronym for Los Angeles New York) new album “gg bb xx” is a hole of uninspiredness covered with suede and LED lights. The very radio friendly trio released the record on Sept. 3, having maintained the hype since their first single “Dancing in the Kitchen” dropped in June. 

This album left a bad taste in my mouth. Overall, the songs were alright — LANY has a vivid and masterful way with their production and have dug a snug niche into the ever expanding alt-bedroom pop genre. Nostalgia is a very common online theme, and LANY hits it home as the material on this record takes us back to that oh so lovely edge of 2015. However, with their rather quick rise, I feel as if they are getting overconfident. A lot of these songs are fluffy — beautiful production, nice vocals, but with no depth or meaning. “gg bb xx” provides the listener with what feels like student film music — nothing more than nice background noise to accent teen  melodrama. Their sonic and visual attempts to swindle young adults into their nostalgic edge comes across as shallow and, at this point, overdone. 

As much as I do not like saying this, a lot of songs on this album sound the same. There seems to be a trend now to create songs with the full intention of having them trend on TikTok. The production across the album is strictly electro-pop, almost begging you to take out your phone and film yourself with the old camcorder filter. “Care Less” specifically stuck out to me as the weakest song on the rose-colored collection. They really could not “care less” with the quality of this song — the verse and melody are annoyingly repetitive, the instrumentation feels outdated, and the vocals are overall mediocre. The song serves the reader a bland picture of 2015 and fails to inspire the teen in me, which would make sense because frontman Paul Klein was nearly thirty in 2015. 

Although I hold dearly the fact that all these songs sound the same, the lead single “dancing in the kitchen” is definitely the top track on this record. The vast well of human emotion and depth was fortunately tapped into for this track, as it twinkles and shimmers in all the right places. There is evident yearning in his voice, paired with pleasing background vocals that manages to bring out a little nostalgia in me. The track immediately after, “ex i never had,” is the second best track on the album. This tastefully atmospheric pop tune is vocaded beauty — a very successful blend of 2021 and 2015 youth. Not to mention, choruses on this album are wicked strong.

Like many albums of the 2020s, “gg bb xx” goes by really fast — rocking at roughly 39 minutes. Whether this be a nod to shortening attention spans or the desire to have excerpts of the song go viral, it adds dullness to the record. Music, like fiction, has the ability to teleport the consumer to a whole new world. However, these short albums simply do not have enough time to develop that teleporter. The focus, especially in the case of “gg bb xx,” seems to be on the individual song going viral rather than the songs working together as a collection. The album is lyrically lame — just an unoriginal rehashing of not feeling like you belong, whether it be in a relationship or a city. The production makes an attempt to tie this album together, but since it is basically the same across the board, my mind still focuses on silly questions like if the song changed or not. 

LANY is a very promising trio who has already had a large share of success, to which I give them a lot of credit for. This album, in their discography as a whole, is lazy and commercial. I want next from them something profound and maybe a dip into different elements of pop— something to show us they are not just in it for the streams and cash.

I give it 2/5 Stars.         

By Dr. Diane Bates

The 2021 United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report on the physical science explaining climate change, which was just released last month, indicated two expected changes in Eastern North America (including New Jersey): very likely increases in mean (average) and extreme (storm) rainfall; and likely increase in flooding related to both rivers rising and rainfall. Last week, we experienced pretty convincing evidence of both. In fact, Ida was the fourth tropical system to affect New Jersey this season, which is an unprecedented amount of tropical influence for the Garden State’s weather. As the IPCC report also documents, we can put to rest any doubt about whether climate change is occurring; it is.

The biggest remaining question is what are we going to do about it? The IPCC report establishes with great confidence that human activities are the underlying driver of climate change, particularly in the energy and agricultural sectors. Energy production and consumption is the greatest contributor to climate change by far. At a foundational level, then, human societies must reduce energy consumption that relies on any source that contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. TCNJ is taking deliberate steps in this direction, such as with the installation of solar panels. This installation should be commended, but they are just the start of our need to address our dependence on fossil fuels. Of course, this is a very long-term issue and not one that TCNJ can solve on its own.  

In the short and medium terms, we also need to talk about adaptation and mitigation.  Adaptation means that we must modify how people live in order to accommodate the changes in our local climate (and attendant weather patterns), while mitigation refers to taking steps to limit future (expected) damage. In the wake of Superstorm Sandy (2012), Jersey Shore communities instituted mandates such as elevating houses near the waterfront as part of its adaptation and mitigation strategies. Many of the costs of these changes have been borne by private homeowners (although often subsidized by the state and federal government), but the state has also committed public resources to restoring dunes, improving drainage and stability of roads and bridges, and investing in stormwater runoff systems. It is clear after Ida that we need even more public investment in adaptation and mitigation.

As the nation’s most densely populated state, full of highly valuable real estate, floods are going to continue to cause increasing damage to homes, businesses, and infrastructure in the foreseeable future. It is unrealistic to expect that New Jersey will be able to clear floodplains of existing structures, as was done after the Mississippi (2011) and Red River (1997) floods in the Midwest. We have two realistic options: 1) increase the direct and indirect subsidies for hazard insurance (e.g., flood insurance) and public expenditure for emergency services and disaster relief; and/or 2) increase public investment in long-term adaptation and mitigation strategies, including more resilient buildings and infrastructure, as well as making sure all future developments in New Jersey take climate change into account. Failure to make these investments (including the failure to move away from fossil fuels) means that by default, we are choosing the former — which is by far the more expensive strategy over the long term.

So what can people at TCNJ do? We can all modify our personal behaviors to reduce consumption, both of non-renewable energy and the myriad products (including food) that depend on fossil fuels: walk, bike, or take public transit instead of driving; eat “lower on the food chain”; buy local and artisan food and products; avoid “fast-fashion” and other deliberately disposable consumer goods (including non-reusable containers). These are all good practices and will make a difference, but the most important changes need to be structural. This means that people need to work to change the institutions they can influence, including supporting sustainability initiatives at TCNJ. More fundamentally, this means active participation in community, private sector, and political activities that demand bold action and responsiveness to these ongoing environmental changes.  

And all hands on deck! We all share the risk and responsibilities of living in a place that is facing the immediate consequences of climate change. Both Democratic and Republican leadership in New Jersey have good track records of environmental stewardship, but neither party has fully embraced the qualitative shift that the IPCC indicates will be necessary to mitigate the damage from climate change, much less reverse it. Thus, we need to press both political parties to be more proactive about climate change, but we cannot be limited to formal political action. Change your individual behaviors; change how you live in your own home; change how your workplace and social organizations operate.

Editor’s Note: Dr. Diane Bates is a sociology professor at the College of New Jersey. She authored the book “Superstorm Sandy: The Inevitable Destruction and Reconstruction of the Jersey Shore” in 2016 and previously co-directed National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) research program. The views expressed in this commentary are her own.

Harrison Lavelle
Staff Writer

On Aug. 30, Israel has brokered a multifaceted deal with Palestine, according to AP. Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and drafted the two-part agreement which yielded two major outcomes: a $155 million loan and a promise to “resolve the residency status” of around 5,000 families residing in the war-torn Israeli-occupied West Bank.

The meeting comes as a surprise to the international community following years of unwavering tensions between the two foes. A particularly virulent outbreak of conflict came to a head following rioting earlier this May, with rocket attacks perpetrated by the terror groups Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). While Israel’s ‘Iron Dome’ defense system prevented most enemy incendiaries from reaching their desired targets, a few rockets slipped through its grasp and resulted in damage. 

Israel responded by undertaking a set of airstrikes on the Gaza Strip. The state of Palestine still has not obtained worldwide acknowledgement of its autonomy from Israel, though a majority of UN member states have accepted it as independent. 

To better understand the significance of the recent meeting between two oft-warring factions, one must first understand the roots of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The conflict began in 1947 when the UN drafted and approved a plan to partition Palestine for the sake of creating independent states for both the Jewish and Arab peoples. The British Empire had held the territory before the partitioning after acquiring it from the collapsing Ottoman Empire following World War I. By assenting to the establishment of a zionist state in their international territory, the British upheld the commitment to a Jewish Palestine that they had made in 1917. Given the post-war plight of many beleaguered Jewish survivors of the Holocaust, a Jewish Palestine seemed appealing to the victorious nations of Europe. Supplanted by European emigration, the previous Jewish minority began to garner enough influence to compete with the Arab population for political influence.

After the Arab faction in Palestine refused to approve of the partition, the Israeli-Arab war broke out, marking the onset of fighting that has continued sporadically to this day. The fight has revolved around the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, Palestinian territories that are almost fully controlled by Israel. Palestinian residents are still bound by the regulations and stipulations of Israeli law; the enforcement of such rules has led to many conflicts historically, including the aforementioned May outbreak. Many peace proposals have been proposed between the two sides, but it remains uncertain whether pressure from the international community will be enough to precipitate the realization of a two-state solution and the following cessation of conflict between the two states.

By providing economic support, Israel may be showing a newfound commitment to improving relations with the Palestinians, which AP reported that Gantz believes could reduce the amount of control that Israel must maintain over Palestinian territory in an effort to secure its own security. Equivalent to about $155 million US dollars, the loan will be reciprocated with tax funds that Israel normally collects for Palestinians. The Israeli government also plans to give out work permits to 15,000 more Palestinian workers while resolving the residency status of around 5,000 families.

While this meeting is certainly a notable first step in the direction of peace, a move as drastic as a two-state solution resulting in Palestinian autonomy remains up in the air. Though not as strict with regards to Palestinian policy as his predecessor Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister Bennett is still described as “a hard-liner who opposes Palestinian independence” by the Associated Press.

By Kevin Long
Columnist 

The longest season of the National Football League is upon us, bringing with it the longest season of fantasy football ever seen. Emerging young stars and proven veterans alike will be competing for the coveted Lombardi in an 18-week gauntlet which will undoubtedly shake the fantasy scene. 

I will be guiding fantasy managers at the College through this extended year. Over the course of the season I will be providing my recommendations on players that you should look at in order to build the perfect lineup and bring home the championship. 

Every matchup, every injury and every potential waiver wire steal will be looked over meticulously to bring you the best advice on a weekly basis. I hope to bring a level of quality which outpaces that of the paid services which look to siphon money in exchange for mediocre and biased picks which rarely pan out. With that said, I will kick off my preseason start and sit list heading into week one of the regular season.

Starts

Matt Ryan (Vs. PHI)

Finishing last season as QB12 puts Matt Ryan just outside most people’s top picks for smaller leagues. But I expect to see him put up significant numbers in week one against the Eagles. The departure of Julio Jones does hinder Ryan’s ceiling, but the addition of TE Kyle Pitts and breakout star WR Calvin Ridley set this QB for success. If the Falcons’ poor defense in 2020 is anything to go off of, expect the Falcons to lean on Ryan and the passing game in 2021.

Myles Gaskin (Vs. NE)

Largely overlooked last season due to injury and Covid-19, Gaskin looks to return to his early 2020 form by becoming the Dolphins’ RB1. Between Tua finding his footing in the pros, and the strong secondary the Pats have between stars Stephon Gilmore and J.C. Jackson, expect to see Gaskin a lot in week one. Miami features some studs in their WR corps and even at TE, but I still anticipate seeing Miami turn to Gaskin for the season opener.

Terry McLaurin (Vs. LAC)

Scary Terry made a name for himself last season. Even with the shaky QB play of the WFT, newly acquired QB Ryan Fitzpatrick just might be what he needed to join the ranks of the elite. Fitzpatrick brings with him safe pocket passer QB play that has been missing between players like Dwayne Haskins and Taylor Heinicke. His ability to top 1,000 yards without an elite QB speaks volumes for his potential fantasy value in 2021.

Mark Andrews (Vs. LV)

Despite his firm position in the top five, TE Mark Andrews has seen a unanimous decrease in stock going into the 2021 season due to WR additions Rashod Bateman and Sammy Watkins. But Baltimore has been dealing with injuries at the WR position as all three starting receivers have been missing time during camp, including Bateman, who is expected to miss multiple weeks following groin surgery. Couple this with the Raven’s TE2 Nick Boyle working his way back from injury, and it becomes clear why Andrews could emerge as a top three or higher TE this season.

Sits

Dak Prescott (Vs. TB)

Even though Dak will likely be the comeback player of the year, there is just too much risk surrounding Dallas’ star QB. The media has urged fans to trust that the issues in the shoulder of his throwing arm are overblown, and that his leg is healed completely, but this has yet to be seen on the field. Prescott’s huge upside is worth mentioning, but tread lightly considering Tampa’s stacked defense. 

Kareem Hunt (Vs. KC)

Hunt is a valuable flex player and a great addition to any roster, but this is a matchup where Hunt likely won’t see enough action to justify starting him. The Chiefs’ dominant passing game generally keeps opponents from establishing the run early on, forcing offensive coordinators to pass the ball just to keep up with Mahomes, Hill and Kelce. I suggest plugging a different player into your flex slot this week.

Julio Jones (Vs. AZ)

Julio Jones is a dominant WR. But now Jones is going to be competing with rising star A.J. Brown for targets on a run-first Titans offense led by Derrick Henry. Combine this with potential injury concerns which hindered Jones’ production last season, and there is a case for benching this Canton-bound WR. His flex value remains, but it is best to observe the Titan’s offense in week one and see how much Jones is utilized in comparison to Brown.

Zach Ertz/Dallas Goedert (Vs. ATL)

Philadelphia has been the center of a potentially overblown QB controversy as sophomore Jalen Hurts gains his footing in the NFL. The bigger question is who will be the team’s TE1, if anyone. For this reason, I cannot suggest using either Philadelphia TE. Although both have the potential to produce, neither has shown they will be able to do so consistently in 2021. It is best to wait and see who Hurts comes to prefer targeting.

Connor Carlin
Staff Writer

On Aug. 17, Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released a statement highly critical of President Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, and announced an investigation into the Administration’s strategic and logistical failures which led to the collapse of the country to Taliban forces on Aug. 15.

The investigation seeks to understand why the United States was so chaotic in its exit and why the Taliban was able to so quickly retake Afghanistan. For context, according to Politico, experts warned that the Taliban may invade Kabul, the capital city of Afghanistan, within six months. In reality, the invasion occurred in only two weeks. 

The Taliban’s rapid victory and the near evaporation of the Afghan army have shocked both experts and the world at large. Menendez highlighted in his statement that the collapse was the product of months of growing instability and violence, which he stated could be tied to the Doha Agreement, an agreement between the Trump Administration and the Taliban. 

This deal stated that the Taliban would help prevent anti-American terrorist groups, namely Al-Qaeda, from using Afghanistan as a staging ground. In return, the US agreed to withdraw all allied military personnel from the country by May 1, 2021. Other key provisions included the release of 5,000 Taliban fighters and for the Taliban to negotiate a power-sharing agreement with the Afghan national government. Menendez stated that the “wholly inadequate deal,” which he claims failed to hold the Taliban to account or plan for the withdrawal, will also be reviewed as part of the investigation.

The Biden Administration has received criticism from both Republicans and Democrats for its slow evacuation from the country and its seeming lack of planning in the face of an emboldened Taliban. According to AP, Biden claimed that the Doha Agreement forced him into an impossible decision of either risking massive Taliban offenses against Americans or accepting a messy and chaotic withdrawal. In an interview with ABC News, President Biden also acknowledged that he would have “tried to figure out how to withdraw” himself if the Doha Agreement was not signed, a position he has held since his time serving in the Obama administration.

Lawmakers such as Menendez, who spoke out against Biden’s revised withdrawal deadline of Sept. 11, now seem prepared to end Congress’s honeymoon with the Administration. With Democrats in control of both chambers, there has been minimal pushback against the executive branch’s agenda until now. The coming investigations into the Afghanistan withdrawal represent the first major roadblock of congressional oversight, as committee leaders in both the House and Senate vow to press the Administration on, as Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, stated, “why we weren’t prepared for a worst-case scenario.”

While details are still being released, news outlets have begun to examine the available information to create a rough sketch of the crucial decisions made prior to the fall of Kabul. The New York Times reported that the Biden Administration overestimated the ability of the Afghan military and government to continue fighting without US support, and as a result prioritized the safe evacuation of US troops over American citizens and Afghan allies. At the same time, Afghanistan’s President Ghani pressed Biden to limit the number of exit visas to Afghan interpreters and prevent high-profile evacuations out of fear that such an event would seem as though the US had lost faith in his government. Together, these missteps led to Kabul being populated by US allies with limited access to exit visas, a rapidly diminishing US military presence, just as the Taliban were making their final advance on the capital.

While sections of the Afghan military fought back against Taliban forces across the country in the last days of the war, most of the armed forces surrendered without a fight, their confidence destroyed by the disappearance of US aid. Ghani, though publicly promising the Biden Administration that he would fight on, quickly fled Kabul by helicopter, not before ordering the passport office to stop issuing new documents to prevent a mass exodus of his citizens. Biden, though standing by his withdrawal plans, publicly stated that he “took the consensus opinion” that it was unlikely that the Taliban would take Afghanistan within the year, an opinion which has been shown to have been wrong. 

Questions are rampant over how to prepare for new dangers to American security with a renewed Taliban government, how 20 years of U.S. nation building could collapse so easily and what role America must play in handling the new humanitarian crisis it has been so instrumental in creating. All these questions will likely be answered in Senator Menendez’s investigation of the withdrawal, providing a final retrospective on a war that young Americans have never known a world without.

Hailey Ruane
Staff Writer

In just a little over a week, the Taliban has swiftly taken complete control over Afghanistan, causing millions throughout the country to flee their homes and seek safety outside of the borders. The Taliban has terrorized the population for decades, but escaping their power is as urgent as ever due to the Aug. 31 deadline for U.S troops to leave the country. According to CNBC, 48,000 people have been evacuated since Aug. 14, and placed in temporary locations including U.S camps throughout the Middle East and Europe.

Afghan Special Immigrant Visas (SIV) will be given to Afghans who assisted the United States during the 20-year military campaign which would give those people an opportunity to leave Afghanistan as soon as possible. The process involves multiple steps and is incredibly time-consuming due to lengthy biometric and biographic background checks at different stages. According to CNN, “the US brought several flights of Afghan SIV applicants who were at the very end stages of the process and their family members to Fort Lee, Virginia, to finish the process. Now, flights out of Kabul are transiting through countries like Qatar and Kuwait.”

Although SIVs may seem to be an efficient way to help Afghan refugees, Sunil Varghese, policy director at the International Refugee Assistance Project reported to CNN that, “it’s basically a black box. You put your name in and you hope the name comes out. You don’t know what’s happening and you don’t know why it’s taking years.”

Those who have already completed more steps in the SIV process prior to the Taliban takeover are still a long way from finding a permanent home inside the U.S, and even though the main goal is removing these civilians from Afghanistan, they have been scattered throughout the Middle East and Europe in temporary camps.

The U.S still has plans for the refugees who do not qualify for an SIV and, according to CBS, the Biden administration introduced a new category for Afghans who worked with U.S-based news outlets and non-governmental organizations in Biden’s P-2 Program. 

According to the U.S. State Department, citizens who are eligible for the P-2 Program include those “who do not meet the minimum time-in-service for an SIV but who work or worked as employees of contractors, locally-employed staff, interpreters/translators for the U.S. Government, United States Forces Afghanistan (USFOR-A), International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), or Resolute Support, Afghans who work or worked for a U.S. government-funded program or project in Afghanistan supported through a U.S. government grant or cooperative agreement, and Afghans who are or were employed in Afghanistan by a U.S.-based media organization or non-governmental organization.” 

This new category will help move along the documentation process, since the SIV Program has been backlogged for years, as well as giving more opportunities to those trying to leave the country. As reported by The Conversation, “But during the 2020-2021 fiscal year, just 11,800 refugees from around the world settled in the U.S. – among them were only 495 Afghan Special Immigrant Visa recipients. That number seems tiny compared to the approximately 20,000 Afghans who are currently in the pipeline waiting for an SIV and the additional 70,000 Afghans — including applicants and their immediate family members — who are eligible to apply.”

The most pressing matter is the time limit that has been put into place. With such a short amount of time, the massive number of SIVs and those who are eligible for other programs have a much lower chance of leaving the country before Aug. 31. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat, told CNN, “I think it’s very unlikely given the number of Americans who still need to be evacuated, the number of SIVs, the number of others who are members of the Afghan press, civil society leaders and women leaders. It’s hard for me to imagine all of that can be accomplished between now and the end of the month.”

The Aug. 31 deadline is one that could still potentially be pushed back in order to maximize the number of people who can be taken out of Afghanistan. The date being moved also requires cooperation from both the Taliban and the U.S. According to Business Insider, President Biden stated “The sooner we can finish the better. Each day of operations brings added risk to our troops, but the completion by Aug. 31 depends upon the Taliban continuing to cooperate and allow access to the airport to those we’re transporting out — and no disruptions to our operations.”

If the Taliban decides against allowing the deadline to be pushed back, the urgency of getting SIVs completed and civilians into the P-2 Programs will be more pressed for time than ever. The possible date that could be used instead of Aug. 31 would be Sep. 11. There was plenty of debate about pushing this date back during the G-7 country meeting which took place on Aug. 23 which included Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union. According to AP News, President Biden seemed firm about avoiding moving the deadline because, “the risk of terror attacks was too great to accede to appeals from G-7 leaders to keep what are now 5,800 American troops at Kabul’s airport beyond the end of the month, anchoring the airlifts.”

According to CNN, Rep. Jason Crow, a Colorado Democrat who is insistent on changing the deadline, stated, “We’re in a different world now than we were in when that date was originally set. We have to respond to that different world and that different reality. We have to get the mission done,” Crow said. “The deadline is when the mission is accomplished and we bring our people. Full stop.”

Mike Sherr
International Editor

House Democrats attempted to overcome division over President Biden’s agenda during a debate on Aug. 23 and 24 before members of Congress returned to their districts for a week. The main concern of the debate is trying to fix the stalemate between the progressives and moderates of the majority party. 

Nine Democrats, including New Jersey Congressman Josh Gottenheimer, announced on Aug. 12 that they will not consider the $3.5 trillion budget resolution until after the $1 trillion infrastructure bill has been approved by the House. The resolution only needs support from Democrats as it is being implemented through the reconciliation process.

In a letter written by the Democrats, provided by The New York Times, they said that “[they] simply can’t afford months of unnecessary delays and risk squandering this once in a century, bipartisan infrastructure package.”

According to The Brookings Institute, reconciliation is a way for Congress to pass legislation relating to taxes, spending or debt with only a simple majority and has been used by both Republicans and Democrats. Normally, a bill would need a majority of votes in the House and 60 votes from the Senate to avoid a filibuster. Reconciliation is critical to Biden’s legislative agenda as the Senate is only controlled by the Democrats because of Vice President Kamala Harris and the $3.5 trillion package has little support from Republicans.

To use this process, both the House and the Senate need to pass a budget resolution for a given fiscal year that has reconciliation instructions embedded in it. Democrats are drafting a budget resolution for the 2022 fiscal year and will use it to enact Biden’s sweeping social spending plan. The recent dissent by moderate Democrats leaves the reconciliation process in jeopardy as the party only holds the House with a slim majority.        

On the left-wing of the party, members of the Progressive Caucus wrote a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer stating that a majority of its members will not vote in favor of the infrastructure bill unless the budget increase is voted on either simultaneously or prior to the budget resolution. 

Progressives are worried that moderates in the Senate will not pass the full $3.5 trillion package and instead will try to reduce the price. They demanded that measures for climate action, health care reform and a provision that makes community college tuition-free for two years be fully funded in the Senate’s version of the budget resolution. 

Pelosi hoped to break the stalemate and, according to Politico, set a deadline for the infrastructure bill vote on Sept. 27. While this decision resolves the problem for the moderates, the progressive’s demands are unresolved. 

By Kaitlyn Bonomo
Staff Writer

After nearly two full semesters of remote instruction, in-person classes have returned for the fall semester. As students brace for the return, professors at the College prepare to welcome students back into the classroom and adjust themselves to being back on campus. 

Although there were a few hybrid courses available for the 2021 spring semester, this upcoming semester will be the first to offer fully in-person classes since the pandemic has started.

“As hard as it’s been, I think the TCNJ community has done an amazing job staying flexible and centering our core values through profoundly unpredictable times,” said English Professor Catie Rosemugry. “Everyone is working hard to protect people, like me, who have medical conditions or disabilities and remain at increased risk. I’m frankly awed by how thoughtfully our community is navigating the swirl of competing concerns that face higher education during Covid.”

Though there will still be some remote instruction this semester, the College is expected to be full of life as it had been before the pandemic struck. “I know many students are excited and relieved to return to campus. So many folks are working hard to make that happen,” Rosemugry, who opted to keep her classes online, said.

“To be honest, it was exhausting for all of us,” Public Health Professor Dr. Natasha Patterson said, referencing remote learning. “However, I did have some pluses. My students showed up, not just physically, but also by engaging with the content. That was motivation for me.”

Patterson received an online teaching certificate in the fall of 2019, which she credited for having fresh ideas in mind for classroom engagement when moved online. 

“Public Health is a collaborative field,” she said. “Now that we are moving back to in-person with safety precautions in place, I will continue to use some of the virtual tools and use in-person teaching to debrief and touch on new topics.”

Though Covid-19 vaccines have made the return to campus possible, the rise of the Delta variant raises concern about the safety of being back on campus.

“The surge in the Delta variant changed my risk calculations and led my doctors to recommend I do not return to the physical classroom this semester,” Mathematics Professor Jana Gevertz said. “As the default teaching model this semester is in-person, my request to teach from home had to be approved by the College. Despite the fact that I will really miss being surrounded by our students and my colleagues, I know this is the right choice to protect my health and safety, and I’m grateful that TCNJ could accommodate me.”

The shift back to in-person classes may come with additional obstacles for professors and students alike. 

“From the faculty-side, we have to anticipate that there will be a plethora of reasons that some students may not be able to attend in-person classes on a given day – or meet a deadline. We have to be okay with this,” Dr. Gevertz said. “From the student side, students should anticipate that there may be reasons their professors need to quarantine or isolate and that their in-person course might have to temporarily move to an online setting.”

As exciting as returning to campus will be, it is important for students and staff to recognize the danger that Covid-19 can still present to the College.

“I want to ensure the safety of all who come to my class,” Patterson said. “I also have family members at home who are high risk and I want to make sure that I am being safe. I think we all have different concerns and challenges that we will need to navigate through.” 

For a smooth transition back to campus, students and professors are working in cooperation to safely execute the semester and create an accommodating, open-minded environment for all of the College community.

“Good communication isn’t just important – it’s the key that unlocks the potential of any classroom, remote or in-person,” Rosemugry said. “I encourage students to share their questions, concerns, and experiences with their teachers as they arise. Don’t struggle or wonder or worry – reach out.”

From moving out of dorms and missing the college experience, the campus shut down and moving classes online was devastating for students. Nevertheless, professors and students are all in the same boat coming back to shore.

“Demonstrating kindness, understanding and empathy will go a long way as we navigate this semester,” Patterson said. “We are all trying our best and dealing with things in our lives the best we know how, so if we can practice those three things along with being flexible, we should be able to adapt.”

By Diana Higgins
Staff Writer

‘It will only be two weeks,’ some students thought. ‘Just until we know more about the virus.’ 

The College was full of hope in March 2020 that the campus would spring back to life relatively quickly. However, after a year and a half of anticipation, students are finally coming back to campus for in-person classes. 

Excited, nervous and thrilled is how Lois Berchie, a freshman nursing major, feels about moving onto campus for the first time. 

Current sophomores are experiencing their first semester living on campus ??— along with the freshman.

“At least I know I’m not alone going through this college process, so it will be easier to talk about when I run into obstacles on campus,” Berchie said.

This year’s sophomores have the unique challenge of living on campus for the first time among the freshmen class who are just beginning their college experience.

“It’s weird, it’s like I’m a sophomore but I do feel like a freshman in the sense that I’m living away from home for the first time and I’m meeting upperclassmen for the first time,” said Nathaniel Laude, a sophomore music education major.

But the sophomores have a whole year of school already under their belts. Laude feels more mentally prepared and equipped this year than last year because of this. “I do feel less nervous because I’ve gained some of the college experience, so it won’t hit me all at once,” he said.

Gillian Roberts, a junior math and secondary education major, has apprehensions about this semester. “I feel like my ability to focus has declined since I feel burnt out from being online,” she said.

Learning and going to classes is not the only aspect of college that will be shifting. The social parts of the college experience may be nerve-racking for students who have to readjust to campus life. Being a student-athlete, Roberts worries about how sports will be affected.

“I feel worried that any gathering or social event will jeopardize our ability to participate in sports and will shut down our teams,” she said.

Socializing during a pandemic ultimately means having to be cautious. Even though the Covid-19 vaccine has been included as part of the required vaccinations for students, everyone is still required to wear a mask indoors.

“[You] can’t just hit the crowded lib on a Wednesday afternoon or Tdubs whenever you’re hungry,” said Stephanie Shen, a senior communications major. “It’s gonna take a lot more planning and caution and less freedom.”

In spite of the caution many students will be utilizing, Shen points out that others may not follow the guidelines set by the school and the CDC.

“College students are college students, and some of us do some questionable things,” she said. “So I’m sure a few will find a way to do things the ‘old way.’” She listed the ‘old way,’ as basement parties, fraternity parties and formals, which may turn out to be super spreader events. 

After the initial two weeks at the start of the pandemic turned into over a hundred more, students will repopulate the campus once again.

Even with the indoor mask mandate still in place, along with other covid protocols, many students are eager to return to a sense of normalcy.

“Honestly, anything to get back in person is worth it,” Roberts said.

By Kristen Hunt
Arts & Entertainment Assistant Editor

The strict prohibition of on-campus activities last year left students at the College with nowhere to socialize or escape the burnout of online classes. With the College reopening this semester, things are looking up in the social atmosphere; something crucial to the college experience. 

The College Union Board (CUB) hosted its first in-person event of the semester — a concert featuring hip hop artist HDBeenDope. CUB members couldn’t be more excited to finally provide students with some much-needed fun to kick off the semester.

“We have been waiting for this moment all year, and it feels fantastic to finally bring our previously-stored event ideas back into action,” said Patrick Riordan, a senior marketing major serving as CUB’s Co-Alternative Programming Chair. 

Despite the challenge of social event planning with the College’s safety restrictions, CUB members feel that in-person events are necessary for students to destress — especially after last year’s socially isolating online classes.

“It honestly has been a big relief to be able to have in-person events,” said CUB Executive Director and senior communications major Wandally Vargas. “As much as we enjoyed virtual events, there is a different energy with seeing familiar and new faces at events and getting to really expose CUB to everyone.” 

Some students were equally as excited to get back into the swing of things with the first concert. 

“I’m really excited! I feel like [the concert] is something fun we can do just coming back on campus,” said Tashana Noel, a sophomore biology major. “Everyone’s nervous for class, so this could be a great way to unwind and listen to some good music.”

Sophomore public health major Emma Kenny felt similarly, stating, “I think everyone’s a little antsy to get out and have some fun, and I feel like a concert would be a great way to start that.”

Along with the exciting news, CUB also made sure to inform students of the concert’s Covid-19 guidelines. All guests had to wear masks and social distance as well as scan a QR code upon entry for contact tracing.  

“Abiding by TCNJ’s Covid protocols has been a process we are taking very seriously, ensuring all students are comfortable and safe throughout the semester,” said Riordan.

Nonetheless, some students worry about how strictly attendees will abide by these regulations for future in-person events.

“It seems a little bit stressful considering Covid cases are so high already,” said sophomore psychology major Alicia Mullen. “It depends on how seriously students take wearing their masks.”

After kicking off the semester with a hip-hop concert, CUB is preparing its usual variety of events throughout the semester. 

“Some events we are working on are our alternative shows and student soloist nights,” said Vargas. “We have our nooners that we are getting back in action, as well as some big-named live events that are also in the works.”  

Students rejoiced in the return to live entertainment on campus.

“When [HDBeenDope] came out the vibe just changed — a bunch of people just jumped on stage, me included, and it was a great time,” said sophomore biology major Holly Fischer.

The first show back on campus did not go without hiccups, but students were satisfied by the end of the night. 

“The opening band wasn’t that great. They didn’t engage with the crowd as well as HDBeenDope did, but they gave out really nice tee shirts with embroidered designs,” said sophomore accounting major Josephine Salluce.   

CUB has not disclosed whether or not the College’s highly-anticipated fall concert will be happening.

“At the moment, we are unable to disclose any information due to pending campus policies and our organization wanting to ensure the health and safety of all campus students at our larger events,” Vargas said. 

By Maia Venuti
Staff Writer

“Candyman” (2021) is the revival and sequel to the original film with the same title from 1992. Directed by Nia DaCosta and written by Jordan Peele, the film takes place in modern day, almost thirty years after the original “Candyman” film. 

In a now renovated Cabrini Green, Chicago, struggling artist Anthony McCoy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) lives with his girlfriend Brianna (Teyonah Parris), when he begins to research Cabrini Green’s past: the projects. Through this, he learns of the horrific, violent crimes that occurred in the past, and the legend of Candyman, which inspires his art. The more he learns about Candyman, the more Anthony’s mental state slowly begins to deteriorate, affecting everyone around him. 

“Candyman” (2021) is beyond worthy of every bit of praise it has received. Nia DaCosta and Jordan Peele used this story to make not only a fantastic sequel of the story of Candyman, but to make social commentary about the Black community. The theme of gentrification and its negative impact on the Black community of Chicago and Cabrini Green is seen throughout, and the white ignorance of gentrification’s impact is used to further push this point. The white characters in the film show a large amount of ignorance toward the damage that gentrification did to low income communities of color like the pre-gentrification Cabrini Green community. 

The acting and cinematography in this film make the story highly realistic, with the cinematography working with the story to further enhance the viewing experience. Also, the use of mirrors throughout the film was impeccable. The Candyman can only be seen in the mirror, so one can only see him committing acts of violence in mirrors and reflections. The film shows what appears to be an invisible force dragging the victims around and hurting them, but to the side of the screen not in focus, one can see the Candyman holding his victim by their feet, using his hook to kill them.

Without giving too much away, the most terrifying part of this film was the way that DaCosta and Peele were able to make a character as fictitious and unrealistic as the Candyman so real. Peele uses horror to not only create a feeling of fear, but also to start a conversation about racial injustice in the world through an uncomfortable medium. The real reason for the existence of the Candyman is systemic. The commonality between the many Candymen throughout the centuries is that they were all Black men killed by white people and police in brutal, unspeakable ways, for nothing more than the color of their skin. Every Candyman was an innocent and harmless person who was hunted down and brutally murdered for something they cannot control. Candyman’s immortality in the Cabrini Green Chicago area comes from generations and generations of systemic racism and abuse of the Black community. He is not just one person; Candyman is a manifestation of hundreds of years of violence, trauma and an incomprehensible Black pain that people of color have endured for far too long. 

There is a line said by a character named William in conversation with Anthony that gave me chills throughout my whole body both times I saw this film. 

“Candyman is how we deal with the fact that these things happen. That they’re still happening,” in reference to the centuries of innocent Black men who have been murdered by racist white people and white police. 

This line sat with me and breathed an indescribable sense of life into this classic horror character, giving him depth that is not seen in other horror films.

The year is 2015. You just got back from another stressful day of your freshman year of high school, throw your backpack on the floor and escape to your bedroom sanctuary as soon as possible. You plug in your dollar store earbuds and load up YouTube, melting away into the edge and fantasy that is Halsey’s “Badlands.”

The last time I really engaged with Halsey was her online debut over half a decade ago. To me, she is a champion of the radio; however, the video of her awkwardly singing Blink-182’s “I Miss You” has never left my mind. I remember the sheer potency of her collaboration with the Chainsmokers released a year later, arguably granting Boulder, Colorado its infamous status. 

Halsey has been very successful in  her endeavors, but her music post “Badlands” just never stuck around to me. Nothing quite left that magical nostalgic impression on me like her debut record did. She began to give off a faux self-made vibe that left a bad taste in my mouth. That, along with the internet’s constant field day with her indie vocals drew me away from Halsey. Her 2020 album, “Manic,” was a masterpiece of a record, but you could never find me putting Halsey on the aux. Her music, stained by her negatively gilded reputation, honestly left me disinterested. Her omnipresence on the radio took away from the true Halsey and unfortunately left an image of overplayed tackiness. Suffice to say, she lacked depth — leaving her true self only in hidden gems across her discography.

While these preconceptions still affect my mind, there is no doubt that “If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power” is an excellent album. For this record, Halsey teamed up with recent Oscar award-winning musicians Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, also known as the iconic rock band Nine Inch Nails. The alt-pop mother released the album along with an hour-long special of the same name. The movie is an artful expression of the joys and burdens of motherhood, shining a truthful and delectable light on the artist. It tastefully works with the album and it really adds dimension, confidently putting the word ‘concept’ into ‘concept album.’ 

This rock album brings a new definition to rawness in music. The album and special in tandem explore themes of motherhood, rebellion, and coming to terms with yourself and the world around you. Through a magnificent blend of pop-rock and a hefty dose of experimentalism, Halsey weaves a web of wonder unparalleled to not only what I expected from her, but also to other contemporary artists. Halsey’s independence profusely saturates this album, and her vocals are simply heavenly.

This record is truly genre-fluid, as she flawlessly transitions from radio-friendly to garage band styles. I must note her infectious melodies are consistent throughout each genre she explores, and her lyricism is powerfully blunt. It’s a beautiful blend of the well-known fantastical nostalgia found in “Badlands” combined with subjects that are deeply personal.

Nostalgia is strong on this record but it is genuine and captured through the sound, rather than the edge and image as in her older material. On this record, I hear Lana del Rey, Fallout Boy, Michelle Branch, and Paramore — but most importantly, I hear Halsey as an artist, as a performer, and as a mother. 

Top Tracks

1. Bells in Santa Fe
2. Lilith
3. The Lighthouse

By Derek Hubbard
Correspondent

In his first public remark since the fall of Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, President Joe Biden largely ignored his administration’s grave miscalculations of the Taliban’s ability to rapidly overthrow the Afghan government. Instead, the president focused on the obvious — he inherited a difficult situation and had to make a decision in the best interest of the American people. Biden said he had two options: withdraw from the nearly two-decade-long war or continue to fight an unwinnable conflict.

However, 19 years of military and political blunders by his predecessors do not absolve the president of his responsibility to ensure the safety of American citizens and the Afghan civilians who assisted American forces. After serving as the vice president for eight years alongside former President Obama, and 12 years on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Biden hardly lacks foreign policy experience. Yet thousands of Americans are now stranded and Afghan civilians would rather cling on to American military planes than face retribution from the Taliban. Clearly something has gone amiss, and Biden, a tactful politician, prefers to convolute the issue rather than take responsibility for the chaotic evacuation.

We need to understand the distinct issues that the Biden Administration conveniently combines: the withdrawal and the evacuation. If nearly twenty years of fighting has taught Americans anything, it is that sheer military power combined with the goodwill of taxpayers cannot rebuild a perpetually war-torn country. Voters are fed up with fighting a seemingly never-ending war. Biden, an apt politician, acknowledges this reality. As such, administration officials often quip that he stands by his decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan. It is a good sound byte: the soldiers are coming home.

An evacuation comes with a particular difficulty not seen in a military withdrawal. American forces have the proper equipment to defend themselves and comparatively easy access to transportation out of the country. The same cannot be said for the countless civilian Americans and Afghans who urgently need to leave the terrorist-controlled country. Civilians require protection to reach airports and an adequate number of planes to swiftly evacuate. It is a difficult endeavor.

A troop withdrawal requires an orderly evacuation to save Americans and thousands of Afghans who are likely to become Taliban targets. With The Taliban in control of the country, allegedly looking for Afghans who helped U.S. forces and beating up civilians trying to reach American planes, the Biden Administration has failed to protect those most in need of protection.

Surely, the administration anticipated the security situation to deteriorate with the end of U.S. military assistance, albeit not at the rapid pace seen within the last few weeks. So why not conduct a full evacuation while there is still a significant American presence in the country? This is a question that the administration should answer as 6,000 soldiers frantically head to Taliban-controlled Kabul to assist in evacuation efforts.

Mistakes, even grave ones, do happen. Biden may have favored his own foreign policy expertise over the reports of his intelligence officials. The reports themselves may have been inaccurate. Either way, Biden and his team have failed to adequately take responsibility for the recent failures in Afghanistan. Instead, he spent the vast majority of his Aug. 16 speech defending his decision to withdraw from Afghanistan, distracting from his administration’s own failures.

Administration briefings often focus on largely indisputable assertions: Afghanistan is a mess, the American people want to leave, the president wanted to leave, and the president still wants to leave. Biden officials continue with this charade until they are pressed to take at least partial responsibility. Why not do so from the start? A sign on former President Harry S. Truman’s desk read “The Buck Stops Here.” What does the sign on President Biden’s desk say?

By Nevin Guler
Correspondent

As a rising sophomore at the College, I have had a bumpy year. 

I was stuck at home, bored out of my mind, staring at my computer screen for countless hours of classes. Though I was able to make friends in college and meet new people if they were close by, it was still hard to not experience the joys of living on campus. 

I couldn’t join any clubs in person or visit the famous “Campus Town,” since I was far from campus. Being on Zoom felt more like a chore than a learning experience. To make matters worse, after moving my belongings in for the Spring semester, I took a rapid Covid test on campus that day and found out I had the virus. Despite being asymptomatic, I had to stay home for a few days and come back to campus late, just as everyone was having a good time before classes started.

Luckily I was able to find my footing on campus. There were some perks in being there. I did not have to stand in crowded lines at Eickhoff’s cafeteria for too long and was able to get the gist of what foods to stay away from. I also had a dorm room to myself. I have some college friends that chose not to live on campus last spring and are frantically buying dorm room supplies, whereas I still have my bed sheets from Target ready to be on my twin-sized mattress once again.

I enjoyed the simple pleasures in life on campus, like the scenery and the luxury of having my friends around to drive me around instead of waiting for an Uber.

Now here we are, and this semester we will hopefully have a full year of in-person experiences on campus. A part of me feels ready to take on the world again — ready to write papers and to see classmates in person. Although I am fully vaccinated, there are still tensions lurking beneath the surface, especially with the ever-present delta variant. Another part of me dreads an email saying once again that all students will be home this semester.

So now I wonder what it would be like living on campus for a full year. I am excited to have a roommate and to have more access to in-person activities, sports events, and flexible dining locations. I want to see the College be brought back to life like fireworks lighting up the sky — filled with lots of excited students.

Some in-person activities will be back this semester, and even though there will likely still be precautions — given that we have been in this pandemic for almost a year and a half — we know how to put on a mask and how to always wash our hands and have hand sanitizer at all times. By continuing to take these precautions, we will ultimately be able to transition into the semester this year.

If there’s one thing that this pandemic has taught me about the College’s class of 2020 and 2021 is that we are resilient.

Sometimes we ask for help, sometimes we find ways to adapt to new changes. We look for a loophole where we can still enjoy our passions or activities, whether it’s online or cheering on the sidelines rooting for your teammates. All we can do now is keep breathing and keep looking forward to each new day. I would rather keep doing that than living my life in fear hoarding toilet paper and granola bars in my dorm room. 

Every day is an adventure and while we should be careful, don’t let this pandemic consume your life. To everyone on campus, I wish you the best of luck. Remember that just like being injured or doing poorly on a test, you will bounce back stronger than ever. With a bit of luck and by considering not just our needs, but everyone else’s as well, I believe that all of us will be ready to live on campus this semester.

By Lucas Vacco
Staff Writer

The Covid-19 vaccine mandate for all students at the College is allowing many more students to reside on campus this semester than in the previous academic year. Since residence halls will be almost fully occupied this semester, the College implemented precautions for students while moving in.

To make the move-in for fall 2021 smooth and safe, Residential Education and Housing implemented drop-and-go move-in appointments. Between Aug. 21 and 25, dorming students scheduled 3-hour move-in appointments to drop off their possessions and return home. First year and sophomore students returned to campus as early as 2 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 26 to begin their Welcome Week activities. 

The College has given an alternative option for students to move in and reside on campus the same day, but with a limited number of move-in appointments. 

Sophomore urban elementary education and African American studies major Ashauna Francis said that the drop-and-go move-ins were actually very convenient since she was able to observe how big her room was. 

“It would have been helpful to get a physical walk-through of the room before the drop-and-go move-in appointment, but three hours was a decent amount of time,” Francis said.

Sophomore biology major Jessica Damanski also found the drop-and-go move-ins to be convenient and effective since it allowed her to feel safe while moving in. 

“I like that I was able to assess the room and then go to the store and buy extra storage bins, etc. that I could bring back later,” Damanski said. However, she noted that she did not have enough time to completely move in her belongings.

Housing Business Manager Raymond Gonzalez said the process of the drop-and-go move-ins was successful due to planning ahead of time.

“One of the goals of this process was to allow for a less dense move-in environment and to provide an additional level of safety to the move-in process. We were able to make adjustments based on what we learned in January but overall, it went as planned,” Gonzalez said. 

Gonzalez said the drop-and-go process was continued this semester because of the state of the pandemic. Effective Aug. 16, the College implemented a mandatory mask policy for indoor areas regardless of vaccination status because of rising concern of the Delta variant of the virus.

“We decided to continue to utilize a drop-and-go process this semester,” Gonzales said, “similar to what we did in January because we are still in a pandemic, and we are following the recommendations provided by the [CDC] and the Department of Education regarding de-densifying these types of events.”

Mainstream music may crowd top-hit playlists and play repeatedly on the radio, but new up-and-coming artists from time to time break away from the norm, letting their creativity and originality shine. Patrick Shafer — a senior biology major who goes by the stage name Pat for Now — is a prime example.

“A lot of kids my age and just independent artists and people who try to make music in general tend to stick to the mainstream,” Shafer said. “They like to make what other people like to hear and they cater to (the) mainstream.”

Shafer strives to come up with unique songs instead of carbon copies of popular hits.

“All of the artists that I use for inspiration are like that in a way,” Shafer said. “They don’t really make mainstream [music]. They try to just stick to the art in themselves and their creativity and just use that. I feel like people interpret art and have different types of creativity.”

Shafer gets his inspiration from versatile artists like Mac Miller and Chance The Rapper. Both artists influenced his “Broke College Kids” debut mixtape, which was released June 23. Shafer described his mixtape as an “alternative hip-hop, alternative R&B project with a lot of good, melodic singing, combined with quick and seamless rapping flows.” 

“I like to incorporate both into the music just so people can enjoy, ‘cause I love rhythm,” he added. “The themes of the tape are just about savoring your youth, enjoying growing up and coming-of-age in general. It’s about learning, making mistakes. But everyone at this age is doing stupid things, they learn from that, they make mistakes, they move on, they grow and that’s the heart of what the album is. It’s also just happy, go-lucky, have fun too.”

While Shafer may have loved music ever since he was little, picking up the saxophone in secondary school, his passion for music grew two years ago when he started researching how to produce music electronically, as well as how to record instruments. Shafer attended webinars and watched hours of YouTube videos in order to learn how to produce music. 

This past year, he got in contact with the LA-based, multi-platinum music engineer Vic Cuccia, who has worked with huge artists like Ty Dolla $ign and Jake Miller. Together, they worked to professionally produce “Broke College Kids.”

“[Working with Cuccia] was awesome,” Shafer said. “He’s a really nice guy. He really liked the music that I pitched to him just because it was all good-vibes, very catchy, so he was very excited to work on it. He was a very understanding person. He catered to my needs whenever I wanted and, just beyond that, we really clicked just as people and lovers and understanders of music. I showed him song by song, and then we worked individually on each song.”

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While Shafer and Cuccia met online, they quickly exchanged phone numbers and started sending each other audio messages. 

“The best thing I got from that experience was the relationship I established with him because that’s a big connection right there, and also it was one of the most fulfilling experiences,” Shafer said. “When you produce a song, and you’re finished producing the song, it sounds good, but it’s just not really high quality, it’s not professional quality. Working with this engineer, he is phenomenal at what he does, so it was amazing and extremely fulfilling to hear all of my songs that I’ve been working on for months sound extremely top-notch and professional, like something you would hear on the radio or on a top-hits chart.”

After working with Cuccia, Shafer’s songs got placed on 30 Spotify featured playlists, including Mark Evans Chills and Vibes, RnB Discoveries, R and also B, Ambient and Study Vibes, Coffeed, Hip Hop Bars, Happy Life, Indie Mellow, Indiependently, Pop Rock Folk Hits and Quice.

While “Broke College Kids” is already out, Shafer plans on releasing three singles during the fall semester. His first single “License Plate” will be released Friday, Sept. 3, in the first week of school.

“(License Plate) is a very upbeat summer kind of song,” Shafer said. “It’s about savoring the present and just enjoying the summer.”

When asked what he would tell fellow students who want to pursue music, he said they should definitely go for it.

“It’s fulfilling. It’s fun. It helps you express yourself. It helps you stay creative. Also, it’s a good way to destress. You have nothing to lose,” Shafer said. “Music is subjective, so if you want to create music and put it out there, that’s all power to you. One of the hardest things that I’ve had to overcome is promoting myself and putting myself out there. It’s a gift and curse because the people who love it, they give you a lot of positive feedback, but people who don’t like it, they give you that negative feedback. So, like I said, you’re putting yourself out there.”

Regardless of the positive or negative feedback, for Shafer, the magic is in putting a song together.

“When I have those moments when the juices start flowing in the middle of writing a song or maybe at the very beginning — which is ideal when you first write a song — that’s the moment I live for,” Shafer said.

By Ian Krietzberg
Managing Editor

Indoor face coverings will be required for everyone on campus regardless of vaccination status amid rising Delta variant concerns, President Foster announced in a campus-wide email Thursday morning.

“Accordingly, effective Monday, August 16, 2021, TCNJ requires all persons on campus, regardless of vaccination status, to wear a mask while indoors.”

This does not apply to students in residence halls, Foster noted in her email.

“In addition,” Foster added, “any in-person mandates for one-on-one or small-group meetings, such as counseling, advising, office hours, or mentoring sessions, are hereby relaxed to allow such meetings to occur via Zoom or other medium when requested by a participant.”

Despite the rising levels of the Delta variant throughout the country and state, classes will remain in-person, with the Academic Affairs Readiness Task Force providing guidance to faculty on how best to “navigate” instruction while this indoor mask mandate remains in effect. 

In addition, and effective on August 30, 2021, unvaccinated students and employees who come to campus will now be required to take a Covid-19 test twice weekly. 

“Let me emphasize that the enhanced masking requirement and other measures are temporary. We will continually monitor case metrics and will amend these new restrictions once case numbers and transmissibility fall to safer levels,” Foster said. “We are heartened by data from Europe and other U.S. states that show rapid declines in case rates after a spike. We hope that this is our experience as well and that the campus community will live, work, and learn on campus this fall semester as originally planned.”