On April 4, the College at Florham entertained a total of 1,250 students and guests for the Admitted Students Day.

More than 400 accepted freshmen attended and the comments from students and parents were very positive, according to Provost Kenneth Greene.
“Our target for next fall is 600 freshmen,” Greene said.
Last year, the College at Florham enrolled 603 freshmen.
Overall, however, FDU is expecting three percent fewer students (both graduate and undergraduate) than it had last fall.

“We won’t know the freshman to sophomore retention rate for last fall’s freshmen until next October,” Greene said. “However, our freshman to sophomore retention rate is usually around 75 percent.”

The sophomore to junior retention rate is usually about 84 percent and the junior to senior rate is approximately 95 percent.
Despite economic downturns, FDU has had a 15 percent increase in freshman applications and a 25 percent increase in acceptances.
According to Greene, the SAT scores for accepted freshmen are slightly higher than those of last year’s group.

FDU will not know for sure the number of students who are on campus until about the middle of September, according to Greene.

“I have talked with a number of administrators of other colleges and they agree that the economic climate is making predictions about fall enrollments very difficult,” he said.

According to an article in The New York Times, published college tuition fees increased 439 percent from 1982 to 2007, and the median family income rose only 147 percent.

The New York Times also reported that for most families, net tuition (the amount most students actually pay after financial aid, grants, tax benefits and scholarships) is usually more important than a college’s published tuition.

At private four-year institutions, the average net tuition is around $14,900. This is almost $10,000 less than the published price, according to The New York Times article. The net price has been growing more slowly than the published price.

KAYLA HASTRUP
News Editor

Two years ago, Fairleigh Dickinson University announced its plans for a new campaign to advance capital projects at both the College at Florham and the Metropolitan Campus. FDU Now, a $50 million enterprise, has several initiatives that will affect student life in the future, but for now, the plans have been put on hold because of the economic recession, according to Vice President of Advancement Richard Reiss.

As announced in the March 21, 2007 issue of The Metro, money from the FDU Now campaign will be put towards the Monninger Center for Learning and Research, a cutting-edge facility that will replace the current library at the College at Florham. The Monninger Center will include work spaces for both individuals and groups, brand new technological advances and an auditorium for large group presentations. The site for the center is currently marked by a sign by the library stairs.

Construction was set to begin on the center this spring, according to campus Provost Kenneth Greene, but the ground-breaking has been delayed, mostly because there have been stalls in fundraising over the past year. Reiss attributed the freeze to the worldwide economic crisis. He said bonds are a major part of the project’s financing, and there has been less lending reported in the past few months.

“The Monninger Center is being constructed through a combination of donations and borrowed money. The borrowed money comes from the sale of bonds,” he said. “The university was forced to delay the construction until the bond market opens up. This has affected not only FDU, but universities across the country that have had to delay major construction projects.”

The recession has also affected the donations that are fueling the campaign. While the goal for FDU Now is $50 million, the university has only raised $38 million so far, and fundraising was set to end in 2010. Individuals (mostly alumni), corporations and philanthropic foundations have all been giving to FDU, but donations have slowed this year.

“Sixty-five percent of the donations that come to the university are from individuals and the vast majority of those individuals are alumni. The university gets 25 percent of its gifts from corporations and 10 percent from philanthropic foundations,” said Reiss. “We still see some opportunities ahead but in general, people, companies and foundations are giving less. We have lost a few high-end donors but I believe that is only temporary. We are also seeing fewer gifts to the Fund for FDU, which is our unrestricted giving.”

Even though giving this year has slowed, donations that were promised in the past are still being sent to the university.

“Over the past few years we have received many multi-year pledges toward FDU Now,” said Reiss. “All of those pledges are being honored and paid on time.”

Other proposals that were included in the FDU Now campaign are a new student union at the Metropolitan Campus, several endowments – including scholarships for students – and updated facilities for athletics on both campuses.

The College at Florham in particular includes plans to build a new tennis complex and softball field, according to the campaign’s Web site on fdu.edu. A separate annual fund for athletics on both campuses will also make sure that facilities will be continually updated and maintained.

Along with new facilities, the Web site also promotes a plan for increasing the funding for the global learning initiatives program so the university’s mission can continue to grow.

To promote donations, FDU has created Leadership Giving clubs, as a way of getting donors to give more money to the university.

According to the Web site, club membership rates start at $100 (to join the Century Club) and end at an annual membership fee of $25,000 to join the President’s Circle. There are six other clubs in between that people of varying spending power can join.

Although each club has its own page on the FDU Now Web site, it seems they are just categories made to label how much people can donate any given year. According to Reiss, higher level donors are invited to special university events.

While plans for the Monninger Center and other projects have been put on hold, Reiss is still optimistic. Even though construction of the center has been delayed, it should start up again within a year. He hopes to still have FDU Now completed by 2010 and then to start another campaign for university advancement.

“Since the inception of FDU Now, giving to the university has quadrupled,” he said. “Our goal is to complete FDU Now in 2010 and prepare the university for its next major capital campaign shortly thereafter.”

MAGGY PATRICK
Editor-in-Chief

On April 20, Fairleigh Dickinson University celebrated its third annual Green Day.
The activities included a tree planting, various workshops on recycling and energy, a vendor fair and performances by Melodies of Heaven, the FDU choir, and an address by FDU President J. Michael Adams.

“Green Day is a student-focused community celebration of Fairleigh Dickinson University’s venture into environmental sustainability. Its purpose is to recognize, share and celebrate the contribution that each member of the campus and the community can make to the overall goal of sustainability,” according to the Green Club’s Web site.

Many students gave presentations on being and staying “green.”
“The truth is that we live in a very lazy society and people want to do only what is beneficial to them. The Green Day committee is trying to show students that being ‘green’ is not only easy but is quite beneficial in terms of health and economics,” said Green Club President Priyal Patel.

One seminar during Green Day was on E-Waste, or electronic waste. Eduardo Zamora from Principia NP was expected to talk about how his company takes items such as iPods, old televisions, computers, toasters and any other electronics and gives most of the money made to high school scholarships.
The keynote speaker was Steve Morgan, president of JCP&L, who recently set forth a new grid system in which New Jersey’s energy will benefit and “may be key to meeting future electricity demand and accomplishing the goals of the New Jersey Energy Master Plan,” according to Metering.com.

One thing that the Green Club is concerned about is the controversial issue of global warming.
“Many people have doubts about global warming and do not recycle or be energy efficient because they do not think it will help the Earth in any way,” Patel said. “Green Day is trying to show these people that they should practice sustainability for other reasons as well. … Less pollution will mean fewer toxins in our food and water. In turn, fewer toxins will mean a decrease in the occurences of a number of diseases like certain types of cancers.”

The Green Club has also created such programs as Project Move-Out 2008, which encouraged students who were leaving campus for break to donate anything that they wouldn’t be using any more, such as shoes, books and non-perishable items, to charities like The Red Cross and Market Street Mission.

Recyclemania is another Green Club initiative. It involves colleges around the United States competing against each other to see which campus can recycle the most. Recyclemania has been running since 2007.

As for Earth Day, which was just two days after Green Day, it is not the Green Club’s intention to upstage it.
“The purpose of Green Day is not to replace Earth Day, but is rather to complement it,” said Patel.

ANGELA SPARANDERA
Assistant Editor

Clubs and organizations at the College at Florham are experiencing a deficit in club members.
The past academic year has proven to be difficult for clubs on campus as they struggle with the upkeep of the organization. Meetings are dry, with not many people to fill in the gaps, and events are not as they once were.

“I’m not sure what brought about the lack of participation,” said junior Jaclyn Chua. “Being that FDU is a relatively small school, there is only a handful of students that basically run the clubs and organizations on campus.”

Chua also offered that as an explanation as to why clubs are suffering. She said students who hold positions in clubs become overwhelmed and forget to recruit underclassmen.
Chua herself is involved in several groups, including the Student Government Association, Green Club, Women’s Coalition and Resident Student Association.

Sophomore Melissa Stackpole, who is involved in Colleges Against Cancer and the Student Volunteer Association, thinks there may be another reason for the lack of club spirit at FDU.

“I think the lack of participation among students is partly due to the economy right now,” said Stackpole. “So many students are struggling to find jobs and make money in order to afford things.”
Many students don’t have time to be as involved as they used to be. Instead, much of their free time is devoted to work, whether it be on campus or off.
“Between classes and work schedules few people have time to participate in clubs and organizations,” said Stackpole.

Most student leaders believe that, while it’s good to be socially involved, basic living expenses trump all and students are placed in situations where they must choose.
For some there is no hope in turning this problem around.

“I think this will continue, if not worsen, next year,” said Stackpole. “Many of the people that are left in the clubs and organizations and keeping everything running are juniors and seniors. Once these individuals graduate the club will be left to the few members that are left and the club will be struggling to stay alive on campus.”

What can be done? There’s only one definite answer: Students must get involved.
“Even if you can’t make the meeting, you can still join a club or organization,” said Stackpole.
While it is up to the students to get involved it’s also up to the clubs and organizations themselves.
“Many clubs and organizations settle with being under-rated,” said Chua. “That should not be the case on a campus where students always seem to be complaining that there is nothing to do.”

“Clubs need to find ways to meet the needs of the students,” said Stackpole. “Meeting later at night helps more people be able to attend because they are usually out of class and work by then.”
Stackpole also thinks work should be distributed evenly to ensure that one person does not get stressed and overwhelmed.

One final consensus is that clubs should target underclassmen, FDU’s future leaders.
So how long will this deficit continue? Will things start to change as the economy gets better?
In the end, both clubs and students need to make the effort.

“All it takes is devoting a little bit of time to that club and doing what you can to help out all the other members and really get the club’s name out there on campus,” said Stackpole.

KRISTIN FULTON
Assistant Editor

On Monday, April 6, Dorian Solot and Marshall Miller brought their knowledge and sense of humor to FDU with their interactive sex-education workshop, The Female Orgasm. The presentation was informative and entertaining for both male and female students. In fact, its popularity required additional seating in Lenfell Hall, where the presentation was held.

Solot and Miller began by asking about their audience’s sex-ed history. The general consensus was that, throughout high school, students had been taught the various ways to “say no” to sex. Solot continued by addressing the fact that, by college, many students are sexually active, despite abstinence-only education.

“We haven’t been taught to say yes to sex, but what happens when you’ve reached the right age and you’re with the right person? We’ve only been taught to say no,” said Solot.

Her point was well made and received cheers from various students in the crowd. Miller continued by discussing the importance of pleasure in healthy relationships, which led to the heart of the presentation: the female orgasm.

At this point, male students left with Miller to discuss things from the men’s point of view, while the female audience stayed with Solot.

“We used to do this presentation as a female-only event, but we’d get knocks on the door and it would be a guy. He’d ask if he could sit in on the presentation and I would have to turn him away,” Solot said.

She went on to explain how that had inspired them to include men in the presentation. But since Solot and Miller were afraid that women would be less willing to share in front of men, they developed the divided presentation based on gender.

During the female-only time, Solot asked her audience about their personal sexual experiences. The discussion included anything from shower heads and vibrators to last month’s Cosmo. The goal was to create a list of “pointers” for the guys who would soon return from their male-only time with Miller.

In their discussion, Miller explained the importance of realizing the differences between men and women when it comes to sex.

Solot and Miller’s presentation was entertaining and fun. When the men returned with Miller, Solot discussed what the women had talked about and presented the list of pointers they had come up with. The men took mental notes as Solot explained the various items on the list, which included ideas of trust and commitment as well as the importance of understanding the female body.

“I heart female orgasm” t-shirts and pins were sold afterwards and can now be seen around campus.
Audience participation throughout the presentation created an interactive environment for the students, who seemed to thoroughly enjoy the event.

RACHEL HIGHLEY
Staff Writer

Many students are unaware that the Study Abroad Office at FDU offers more than just a semester abroad at Wroxton. In the past, students have visited various destinations, including Brazil, Argentina, Australia, Ireland and South Africa, according to the FDU Web site.

Brian Swanzey, director of Wroxton and Study Abroad, said his office has organized a few programs that will be available this summer and during the fall.

As usual, courses are being offered at Wroxton this summer. According to the FDU Web site, classes start June 8 and run through July 18, with five different courses being offered in areas ranging from communication and literature to criminal justice. Swanzey said there is also a course being offered by Professor Ken Sammond called “Invading England.”

Students who have attended Wroxton tend to agree that it was a high point of their college years.
Senior Gina Chiarella, who attended Wroxton last spring, said studying in England was perfect for getting abroad and experiencing something entirely new.

“I have always wanted to travel and being that FDU offered the Wroxton program, I jumped at the opportunity. My uncle also attended FDU and traveled to Wroxton and told me I would be missing out if I did not experience it,” she said.

Junior Brandon Battersby, who also studied in Wroxton last spring, said that although it was an amazing experience, he would prefer immersing himself in an entirely different culture. “I would absolutely go abroad again. If it’s worlds different than Wroxton and affordable,” he said. “I loved Wroxton but I would much rather spend the money tackling a new culture.”

If England is not your thing, there is a list of courses in other countries that are up for grabs. The Department of Literature, Language, Writing and Philosophy has a few faculty-led courses being offered this summer and in the fall and spring semesters. Professor Laureano Corces, the director of modern languages, explained that most courses that include a study-abroad portion are broken up into on-campus study and a sort of “field work,” which takes place in a specific country.
“This format allows students who work part-time jobs, or have other obligations, to still be able to include study abroad,” he said.

According to Corces, Professor Gloria Pastorino will lead a program in Alassio, Italy. The FDU Web site mentions a summer trip to Greece and the Greek Islands for the course “Leading Culturally Diverse Workplaces.”

During the fall, Corces explained that there are a few courses planned, including “Latin American Culture and Civilization,” which will have a study-abroad component in Peru. There are also plans to have the “Spanish Culture and Civilization” class held in Spain in the spring.

“Experiential learning in Spain in the past has included visits to Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Cordoba, among other cities. In general, the cultural excursion includes three different Spanish regions,” Corces said.

According to Swanzey, two courses will be offered in Paris, led by Professor Elliot Hoffman, with one concentrating on production and the other concentrating on web design. Two courses will also be held in Vancouver at the end of the summer. In January, a trip to Costa Rica will be led by Professor Dan Twomey.

Those who have attended Wroxton generally agree that students should take advantage of all the different programs that are being offered.

“Traveling is such a great experience and life-changing event,” Chiarella said.
Besides the number of courses available in the upcoming semesters, FDU also has a number of partnerships with universities in Spain and Germany. Another partnership in India is in the works.
FDU having partnerships with other universities basically means that students will continue as “normal FDU students,” as Swanzey puts it. They will pay the same tuition and continue to receive scholarships and other aid.

Students have a range of time that they can study abroad; they do not have to commit to an entire semester. Swanzey said the short-term faculty-led programs are some of the most popular among students. He said it is understandable that a 15-week program “scares” students, as being away from home and the financial aspect of staying abroad for a long time can put a major strain on them.
“Students can spend up to $3,000 to $5,000 in spending money alone during a semester abroad, compared to a couple hundred for a short-term trip,” Swanzey said.
There are some major advantages to studying abroad.

“Students have the opportunity to experience the foreign cultures first hand. They eat the foods, meet the local populations, visit the major sites, and in general get fully immersed rather quickly,” Corces said.

Chiarella said that studying at Wroxton for a semester helped her live a new culture in a hands-on way. “I adapted to the style of teaching, which is very different from that of FDU. I gained a more personal relationship with my professors, as each class had so few students in them. I gained the knowledge and awareness of cultures other than my own.”

Swanzey said the greatest experience of studying abroad is the fact that students are out of their comfort zone, fully immersing themselves in another culture.
“Courses of culture and civilizations bring to life readings, as it is a hands-on experience,” Corces said. “The entire nation becomes an extended classroom.”

Corces recommends students wait at least until their sophomore year to study abroad, since freshmen generally have too much on their plates.

Students interested in studying abroad should sit down with their advisor to plan their course loads accordingly.

Although a lot of planning is necessary, and the appropriate funds are needed, students who have studied abroad highly recommend the experience to their peers.
“I would study abroad in a heartbeat if I had the chance again,” Chiarella said. “It was the best experience of my life so far.”

Battersby encourages students to take the leap. “Go abroad. Get lost. Get found,” he said. “Studying abroad is simply a life-altering experience that you can’t miss in your college career.”

LORENA CHOUZA
Executive Editor

It’s been a busy spring semester for the new senate of SGA, and ambitions have been off to a great start. The senate of 2009 recently started an initiative which involves the delegation of one to two school clubs/organizations to every member of SGA. In hopes of establishing a relationship between SGA and every club and organization, an SGA representative attends at least one meeting a month to ensure that any needs of their club/organization are met and concerns are heard. If you are a part of a club or organization that has not had any SGA representative attend your meetings, please contact President Melinda Pinto at m_pinto@student.fdu.edu.

Your SGA has been working on the creation of the new SGA Web site, where upcoming events and other information from various clubs and organizations will be available to all students through the main page of the FDU Web site. Vice President of Communications and Technology Jay Garzone has been working diligently on this project and hopes to have it complete by the end of summer 2009. If you or your club/organization would like to add something to the Web site, contact Jay Garzone at jaygarzone@gmail.com.

Interested in reading? Every semester, SGA holds a trip to Barnes & Noble, making it more convenient for students to access books of interest. A great way to have any book that you would like to read made available at our library is to add it to our “Student Picks” selection. This is easily done by requesting a book to the FDU account at the Barnes & Noble on Route 10. The SGA has made an effort to collect well over 50 books during this semester, and they hope that this initiative continues to expand. Contact Academic Senator Laura Rios at laura_rios@student.fdu.edu for more information.
The “Devils Den” is yet another project in the works for this semester’s SGA. As a student fan group, the “Devils Den” aims to boost the morale on campus and foster school spirit. If anyone is interested in helping with this initiative, please contact Vice President of Student Affairs Andrew Stoltzfus at fus@student.fdu.edu.

Your academic affairs board continues to fight the ongoing battle of making Web Advisor more convenient by making academic checksheets available online. CORE and distant learning classes are also undergoing a series of revisions in order to improve the teaching approach of the classes. In addition, the SGA is currently working on expanding and improving FDU’s mission of cultivating the “global perspective” by increasing the amount of study abroad classes. Hot Topics continue to be a success, with the most recent one on April 21 in Hartman Lounge titled, “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry: The Gay Marriage Controversy.” The SGA would like to thank the student representatives, Allison Rose Carr and Nicole Aiello, for generously lending their time and efforts to spread knowledge on this ongoing issue. If you are interested in a certain topic or would like to serve as a student representative on one of the future panels, please contact Vice President of Academic Affairs Bryan Danzi at bdanz@student.fdu.edu.

Whether you are representing a club or organization, an athlete, a resident, or a commuter, every opinion and suggestion is truly valued. There are numerous ways in which the SGA is available. Weekly meetings are held on Wednesdays at 3:30 p.m. in the Wroxton Room of the Student Center and are open to all students and administration. With your support, the SGA hopes to continue bringing improvements to the lives of the students whom they represent. If you are interested in becoming an SGA class senator, applications will be made available by the end of the semester! Any other questions, comments, or feedback would be greatly appreciated and can be sent to sga.fdu@gmail.com.

- Submitted by the Student Government Association

The uneventful 2008-2009 theatre season finally has a worthwhile play and an incredible performance to its credit. In a season full of forgettable musicals and mediocre performances, “Irena’s Vow” stands out as a well-acted, riveting piece of theatre.

“Irena’s Vow” is based on the true story of Irena Gut Opdyke, a young Catholic, Polish woman who hid Jews during the Holocaust. While working as a housekeeper for an SS officer, Irena discovers the Nazis’ plan for extermination. She also encounters brutal murders in the ghetto. As a result, she makes a vow and decides that when she can do something to help, she will. So, Irena hides a dozen Jews under a gazebo at the officer’s villa. The play explores how Irena is able to keep them hidden.
Tovah Feldshuh plays Irena in her 20s and in her 70s. Feldshuh is believable as both an innocent young woman as well as an old woman, who witnessed terrible acts against humanity. She switches effortlessly between the two ages, and she never overacts, even in moments when excessive tearshed might be justifiable. Also, Feldshuh’s Irena never asks for pity or admiration, just as the real Irena did not expect accolades for her actions. Feldshuh never acts as an actress who is knowingly giving the performance of a lifetime.

The rest of the company keeps up with Feldshuh, as each performer gives a truthful performance. Thomas Ryan, as the German major for whom Irena works, is a standout actor.

Ryan faces the difficult task of playing a somewhat likeable Nazi. He skillfully and believably conveys the major’s indifference to the Nazis’ work, in addition to tender feelings for Irena. The audience cannot help but like the major, until certain events make it impossible to respect him.

The wonderful performances are the result not only of the actors’ talents, but also that of the writer, Dan Gordon, who has written a delicate and, oftentimes, moving play. While some moments in the play feel like a history lesson, Gordon has crafted a play that is unlike any of its kind. “Irena’s Vow” focuses on a woman who has chosen to do the right thing. In fact, the moment when Irena explains why she has made her vow is simple and not manipulative in the slightest, so the audience cannot help but reflect on their own lives. Gordon has even managed to find humor in this story, and because the audience has a chance to laugh, the tears they shed later in the play are more meaningful.

“Irena’s Vow” is a must-see for anyone who appreciates nuanced performances and a hopeful story.

MICHELE KOLE
Staff Writer

Well-known comedian Seth Rogan’s recently released movie “Observe and Report” wasn’t exactly the funniest movie ever created. Actually, it was difficult to find any sort of comedy in the film. Any attempts at comedy were somewhat boring and dim. In fact, there were a couple of moments when I was sitting in the theater thinking, “When is this torture going to end?”

I think critic Peter Howell of the Toronto Sun said it best when he stated, “[Director] Hill evidently intends his film to be satirical. But satire requires intelligence to succeed. ‘Observe and Report’ has a moronic sense of humour, trading in racism, sexism, profanity and violence at every predictable corner.”

Brutal, but true. The film is filled with idiotic statements, profanity is heard every five seconds, there’s substance abuse and, lastly, the mother of Rogan’s character is drunk morning, noon and night. A lot of really good influences for the younger generation. Plus, it is a very violent film, which, to me, is not a bad thing because I love violence, but it comes unexpectedly in this film. As if the violence were not crude enough, having a man running around naked for part of the movie is a bit over-the-top.

Even though there’s a diverse group of characters in the movie the only one it mainly focuses on is Ronnie (Rogan), who is supposed to be the heroic protagonist that audiences root for. Despite that fact, I found myself despising this character and booing him more than cheering him on. He was very arrogant and thought he deserved to have everything in the world from the dream job to the perfect girl. At times, he kind of reminded me of a horrible version of Batman. He’s supposed to be the hero with a darker side, but I saw him as trying to be a hero with an overshadowing dark side. Luckily, in the end, he learns that you can’t have everything and that sometimes it’s okay to settle with the next best thing. Regardless, he’s still very arrogant and cocky.

The only thing I liked, or I should say I found surprising, was how athletic and tough Rogan really is. There were a couple of fight scenes that he was involved in where he really showed everybody that he’s strong and can fight back even though his character comes off as dumb and weak.

Anna Faris, famously known for her role as Cindy Campbell in the “Scary Movie” series, and Ray Liotta, who starred in the acclaimed movie “Goodfellas,” co-starred in the movie, but you rarely saw them since there was such a focus on Ronnie. Faris played the woman that Ronnie sought after, while Liotta was a detective. He was really the antagonist of the film since he tried holding Ronnie back from fulfilling his dream.

Rogan, Faris and Liotta might be amazing actors and great comedians, but, unfortunately with “Observe and Report,” it turned out to be more of a snooze-fest then a laugh-fest.

LISA ARPINO
Staff Writer

“It started out as me sitting in a boring literature class and became a rant of me sitting in class not wanting to be there,” said Jonathan Avella, author of “First Light” and former FDU student.

The fast-paced, easy-to-read novel follows the life of Banty Witter, a college student who is trying to stay sober long enough to graduate. The novel takes place on a small New Jersey college campus.

Avella admitted that part of the novel comes from real-life experiences, but is loosely based on his experiences at FDU. “Banty had a much better time [in college] than I did,” Avella joked, in reference to his character’s partying. The most nonfictional part of the novel is the setting itself. In the book, Banty lives in “the Commons,” which was based off of the dorms located in the Village at the College at Florham.

Avella attended FDU from 2000 to about 2004 and, much like Banty, he had some problems going to class and actually passing. Originally from Maryland, Avella found himself at FDU after getting his GED and attending community college to get his grades up. His father, an FDU graduate, was teaching at the school at the time, and Avella decided upon FDU since “it was the only college I could get into,” he joked. “I was not the model student.”

“For me, FDU was the first time living on my own,” he said. “I did abuse the freedom, but it definitely shaped my independent lifestyle and without being on my own and fending for myself I wouldn’t have been able to build a new life for myself out in California.”

After his time at FDU, Avella graduated from Empire State College, an online-based college out of New York City, with a degree in creative writing. “I needed to get a full time job and wasn’t able to do both [go to school and work].”

Avella wrote “First Light” between 2001 and 2003. It was ready to go to print about a year and a half ago. “It was a struggle to edit it,” Avella said. “Professor [Rene] Steinke put a lot of time and effort to help and edit the book before I went on my own.”

Another challenge Avella faced was simply coming up with the money to get it published. The novel is self-published, in an effort for Avella to eventually build an audience and then take other work to a publisher. “It is a better way to get my foot in the door,” Avella said. “A lot of publishers won’t talk to you unless you have an agent and a lot of agents won’t talk to you unless you have been published.”
Since publishing “First Light,” Avella has adapted the novel into a screenplay. He has gotten a couple of local bookstores in his current residence near San Diego, Calif. to carry the novel and hopes to soon move away from online publishing.

Avella has also written two other novels since “First Light” and has recently adapted the novel into a screenplay. Besides continuous writing, Avella currently manages and bartends at an English pub. “The ultimate goal is to become a writer and not have to bartend,” Avella said.

Check out a passage from “First Light” on page 11.

KAYLA HASTRUP
News Editor