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The Voice of the College at Florham

"News is the first rough draft of history." - The Voice of the College at Florham

Tag Archives: m. heintz

Review: ‘The Pajama Game’

MEGAN HEINTZ
Managing Editor

I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical about attending a musical that takes place in a pajama factory. It sounded like a real snooze-fest if you ask me; pun intended. Yet I also have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised.

The story takes place at the Sleep-Tite Pajama Factory where the union is seeking a wage increase of seven-and-a-half cents an hour. Sid Sorokin (Matt Amerman), shop superintendent, and the feisty Babe Williams (Angelica Herndon) of the grievance committee are on opposite sides of the wage issue, which is why the romance that blooms between them is so intriguing. Yet when he fires her because she intentionally jams the machinery, tensions arise.
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U.N. Pathways welcomes Under-Secretary-General; Public information focus of U.N. Pathways event

Photo by Joe Castillo. Under-Secretary-General Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal, left, talks to students in Lenfell Hall.

Photo by Joe Castillo.
Under-Secretary-General Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal, left, talks to students in Lenfell Hall.


MEGAN HEINTZ
Managing Editor

On April 2 in Lenfell Hall, Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Public Information, gave a lecture titled, “Communications and Public Information: Key to U.N. Success or Failure?” Part of the Office of Global Learning’s U.N. Pathways program, it was about how the U.N. disseminates information.

Apart from the FDU community, Lehigh University and the general public were also welcomed.

Launsky-Tieffenthal was appointed to his current position in 2012. Prior to this appointment, he was a spokesman and head of the Department for Communication and Information of the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs, among others.
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Several FDU clubs host Dominican Independence Day celebration

MEGAN HEINTZ
Managing Editor

On Feb. 27, the members of Chi Epsilon Sigma, Lambda Theta Phi, the Latin American Student Organization (LASO) and the Melodies of Heaven Gospel Choir held an event in the Orangerie celebrating the 169th anniversary of Dominican independence.
A few students took turns presenting a PowerPoint on the background of the country including geography, dictatorship, government, food, music and how the country was able to become an independent nation.

They explained to the audience of about 60 people that the Dominican Republic, which has 10 million people, shares the island with Haiti. The mostly tropical climate dictates their diet with a mixture of African, Spanish, Taino and Indian influences.
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Review: Despite winter storm, ‘Identity Thief’ tops charts

MEGAN HEINTZ
Managing Editor

Although Winter Storm Nemo may have kept Northeastern audiences away from the opening night of “Identity Thief,” the movie took in $36.6 million in its first weekend.

The relatively inexpensive comedy ($35 million budget) directed by Seth Gordon (“Horrible Bosses,” “Four Christmases”), introduces Sandy Patterson (Jason Bateman), a family-man with three children, a wife and a perfect track record.

Yet, when Patterson falls victim to Diana (Melissa McCarthy), a professional con woman, his life is turned upside down. Now with his family, career, finances and credit score on the line, Patterson chooses the only option that can save them all: taking the 2,000 mile journey from Colorado to Florida to find and catch Diana in the act himself.

This search for Patterson’s identity spawns an unlikely friendship.

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Rutgers professor speaks about Martin Luther King, Jr.


MEGAN HEINTZ
Managing Editor

On Tuesday, Feb. 5, the first Politics on the PublicMind event of the semester took place in Lenfell Hall. In honor of Black History Month, Michael Aaron Rockland, a professor at Rutgers University and author of “An American Diplomat in Franco Spain,” recalled the day he spent with Martin Luther King, Jr.

After an introduction, Rockland took the microphone off the stand for a more casual and interactive discussion with the audience.

Rockland first discussed the history of his book, which has both English and Spanish versions. He handed out a copy of each to the audience to look at and pass around.

Before Rockland delved into the focus of the lecture, he talked about a chapter in his book called, “How I Managed to Not Shake Hands with Francisco Franco.” Franco, the dictator of Spain from 1936 until his death in 1975, was at the same party as Rockland. He recognized him from across the room and, in order to avoid contact, found a wall of photos to hide behind. He admitted he was scared and hoped that no one saw him.
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JBWS lecture seeks to answer relationship questions

MEGAN HEINTZ
News Editor

On Tuesday, April 10, Lona Whitmarsh, associate professor of psychology, helped lead a participatory lecture on gender and relationships in Twombly Lounge.

The event was sponsored by Jersey Battered Women’s Service (JBWS) and corresponded with the story of Michela in the freshman reading requirement, “In the Company of Angels,” by Thomas E. Kennedy.

The event, which lasted about an hour-and-a-half, began with a series of questions.

Based on the opinions of the audience, the room was divided into sections of those who strongly agree to those who strongly disagree.

Whitmarsh posed the questions, some of which included: “Are girls more emotional than boys?” “Are boys born more aggressive than girls?” and “Is it a man’s responsibility to pay on a date?”

These questions brought about discussion.

Society plays a major role in the socialization of a child. For instance, an emotion that is acceptable for men to express is anger, but if a woman is aggressive she is looked down upon.

American culture, as a whole, has an immense impact on gender, in particular. From the moment a baby is born, he or she is often wrapped in pink or blue blankets, told to play with Barbies or toy cars, and taught to dance or play football.

One woman in the crowd brought up a hypothetical situation of two toddlers, one boy and one girl, who both want to wear nail polish.

The comment stirred up quite a bit of controversy and a mix of opinions.

Many argued that by not letting the boy paint his nails, more problems would arise in the long run, while others were startled by her comment.

Yet one of the questions that produced the strongest opinions and a plethora of oohs and ahhs was, “Are men and women treated equally in society?”
Whitmarsh repeated this question a few times.

Although most students, including the men, went to the “strongly disagree” side, some thought that women were making great strides, for example, in terms of careers.
The other question was what helped lead the group into watching a video clip of an infatuated girl and her overbearing boyfriend. “Do women who dress sexy share some responsibility for date rape?”

It was apparent that the video was slightly disturbing to some and made people uncomfortable enough to squirm in their seats.

Megan and Anna were best friends until Megan found a boyfriend in high school and spent nearly all of her time with him. They began drifting apart, though Anna could tell Matthew was too possessive. He made her change her clothes if he thought they were too revealing, pushed her to the ground, and fooled her into sexual acts she did not wish to do.

Megan claimed to be in love, but she barely knew Matthew. He told her he loved her after two dates.

Whitmarsh referred to their relationship as an onion; they only know the first layer of one another.

She continued, saying, “Instant love is like instant mashed potatoes.” In other words, there is no substance yet.

Arguably no one is being themselves in the first few dates, the audience said. Each one is putting his or her best foot forward and doing everything right.
Megan thought that if she loved Matthew enough he would change; yet the reality is that most do not.

According to JBWS, one in three college women have been in an abusive relationship, whether sexually, physically or mentally.

Sometimes women are fooled by the men who shower them with affection before controlling their every move. After all, asked Whitmarsh, “If someone punched you in the face on a first date, would you go out with them?”

Get out of your Dunkin’ cars: Obesity due to sitting at the drive-thru

MEGAN HEINTZ
News Editor

America runs on Dunkin.’ Or drives.

A recent trip to the coffee franchise Dunkin’ Donuts in Franklin, N.J., revealed the increasing laziness of Americans. As if the food sold at fast-food chains wasn’t detrimental enough to people’s health, the introduction of the drive-thru has widened waistlines even more.

The bumper-to-bumper line of cars circled the orange and pink building. There had to have been at least ten. Yet not one car was parked.

There was not a cloud in the sky, and although it was January, global warming seemed to have brought spring-like conditions early this year. There was a slight breeze, which brought the temperature to the comfortable 50s. Yet it still wasn’t warm enough for people to park and take the ten steps to the front door of the building. Instead, they waited on the long line to get their lattes and muffins, all while increasing their muffin tops.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, the past 20 years have shown a dramatic increase in obesity in the United States with more than one-third (35.7 percent) of the U.S. adult population obese.

And it is easy to see why.

The epidemic has been on the rise, not just because of Dunkin’ Donuts, but other fast-food chains as well.

Americans are all about getting more bang for their buck, which is the philosophy of places like Taco Bell and Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). The Volcano Box from Taco Bell includes a crunchy beef taco, cinnamon twists, a large drink and the Volcano Double Beef Burrito. Although you might need a friend to finish it, you won’t need a friend to split the cost at only $6.99, according to Taco Bell’s website.

KFC just came out with a new Variety Big Box Meal, which consists of a drumstick, a crispy strip, an individual box of popcorn chicken, two homestyle sides, a biscuit and a “refreshing” 32 oz. drink, says the franchise’s website.

This too, will not break the bank, which is why so many opt for the fast-food option.
Evan B. Weinstein, sophomore and fast-food frequenter, loves its convenience.

He said, “I love having it as a snack. Sometimes it’s a full meal, and when it isn’t, it carries me to the next meal.”
Weinstein admits to eating fast food every day, unless he has work. In that case, he limits his consumption to at least twice a week.

In today’s society, people seem too busy to cook and too cheap to spend the money to buy something healthier.
With fast food, there is no cooking, a lot of food and low cost. If only the calories were low, too.

There have been movements to combat this disease.

First lady Michelle Obama, for example, has been addressing the issue in her program, “Let’s Move.”

There are also dozens of commercials for weight-loss programs, dietary supplements and exercise equipment that make it seem like Americans are on the path to regain their lives and not regain their weight. Yet the proof is in the statistics.

America is still growing wider.

The first step, literally, to becoming healthy is to at least walk into the building to get the food rather than wait inside a car, or better yet, cook something yourself. At least then you would know that what you were consuming wasn’t some sort of mystery processed substance.

Yet some may argue that many have no other option except fast food.

According to Pennsylvania State University’s Medieval Technology and American History website, this quick and easy convenience has been feeding poor mouths since as early as the 12th century with “fast food” areas on the Thames River, for example.

These people had no cooking utensils nor the fuel needed to prepare the food.

Today, many are in the same situation.

However, according to The Huffington Post, people tend to think obesity is only a lower-class epidemic. A recent UC-Davis study of the demographics of fast food shows that people who eat at these chain restaurants often aren’t poor people, but those in the middle class.

Fast food consumption doesn’t start to decline until household income hits $60,000.

Researchers even found high rates of fast food intake in households making as much as $80,000 or $90,000 a year.

The reasons for this are stated in the The Post’s article, “Fast Food: Middle Class Indulges More Often Than Poor People Do.”

For example, the middle class are pressed for time and appreciate the convenience of drive-thru windows. In addition, food stamps usually don’t cover fast-food restaurants.
The United States has become a gluttonous grease pit overwhelmed by overeating.

With food available right at our fatty fingertips, many can hardly resist the urge to indulge. Yet they can, however, resist the urge, or lack thereof, to get out of their cars and indulge.

America runs on Dunkin’ should be taken literally. America drives on Dunkin’ just doesn’t have the same ring to it.

Review: ‘Gypsy’ musical makes anticipated opening

MEGAN HEINTZ
News Editor

Friday’s performance of the musical “Gypsy” showed the talent and professionalism of Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Visual and Performing Arts Department.

It is said to be one of the most quintessential and beloved musicals of the 20th century and is the ultimate story of the aggressive stage mother, Mama Rose (Carole Healey), and her quest to get her daughters into show business, something she wishes she had done when she was younger.

Rose, Baby June (Zoe Considine) and Young Louise (Montana Byrne) travel throughout the United States in the 1920s when vaudeville is dying and burlesque is booming.
For this production, directors Stephen Hollis and Allen Cohen decided to bring in children from the community, as well as a professional actress to assist in the enhancement of the musical.

Mama Rose is such a major part of the show and so demanding, the two thought it would be “unfair and unrealistic to expect a student to carry off the emotional and technical skills the role requires,” according to the playbill.

Healey has acted and directed in many major regional theaters throughout the United States, including The Oregon Shakespeare Company, Missouri Repertory Company and Two Rivers Theater Company.

She has also been on television shows like “Law and Order” and “Guiding Light.”

Healey made Mama Rose a loathed character, which was the point. There were many times where I wanted to go on the stage and yell at her; this is how you know she did her job well.

Arguably, Healey is not the only actress with impressive credits to her name. Considine could be considered a professional actress as well. Most recently, she was on Nickelodeon’s Kids Promo Awards with Will Smith and Cameron Diaz and “Saturday Night Live,” where she played HPV girl with Kristen Wiig.

Byrne has sung alongside Elmo, Rosita and Baby Bear on “Sesame Street” and with talented recording artists like Kenny Rogers.
The musical went off without a hitch, initially.

Yet no more than ten minutes into the show, the adorable Baby June ran off the stage during her song. The others in the scene with her kept going, making the audience think that it was part of the show.

Yet everyone quickly learned that she fell ill.

Luckily, it was at the point of the show where Baby June was no longer a baby anymore so June (Julie Dwoskin) was able to take over the role.
Friday’s performance included some beautiful songs and great acting.

A favorite of mine was “If Mama was Married,” which showcased Louise (Megan Barrios) and June’s voices perfectly. The harmonies in that song were enough to leave me with chills.

“Everything’s Coming Up Roses,” a song that many people have probably heard before, was another hit. Healey sang the song with intense passion.

Furthermore, some of the most memorable acting came from Mama Rose’s love interest, Herbie (Reuben Natan), and quick-witted secretary, Miss Cratchitt (Ashley La Selva), whose simple walk to answer the telephone got audiences laughing every time.

Overall, the play was entertaining. If you have not yet seen “Gypsy,” there are still some performances left: April 13 and 14 at 8 p.m. and April 15 at 2:30 p.m.

ClickAFlick Inc.,DVD and game rental kiosk, comes to FDU

MEGAN HEINTZ
News Editor

Thanks to the new addition in the Student Center, students no longer have to go out to rent a DVD or video game or re-watch the same movies on instant Netflix.
ClickAFlick, Inc., a DVD and game rental kiosk, has been brought to campus after months of hard work from two of Fairleigh Dickinson University’s own students.

Joseph Getts and Matthew Fishman, both junior entrepreneurial studies majors, have put “blood, sweat and tears” into making this possible, said Getts.
Getts and Fishman met in an interpersonal business skills class as sophomores and found that they had a lot in common when it came to their ambition and ideas for the future and their careers.

The two have been working at Agent Anything, an eBay-like business for services based in New York City. They are heavily involved in PR and marketing for the company.
The idea for ClickAFlick, Inc. came about through a series of events. To begin with, FDU is nationally recognized for its entrepreneurial studies major, yet Getts noticed that no one had been taking advantage of that.

In Fall 2011, Getts and Fishman created Launch Pad, an entrepreneurial club on campus. All students are welcome to join, even if they are not studying in that field.
“Business has a way of coming around to everyone,” Getts said.

Although Launch Pad has a solid executive board, the club needs sufficient funds for all that its members wish to achieve.

For example, next semester they hope to assemble a business panel to help tweak ideas for a junior business class and possibly give grants to these students based on their efforts. The ultimate goal for the club is to become a self-sustainable entity, just like a company.

The first annual pitch contest was held last semester, and Getts and Fishman thought this would be a great way to get the idea for a rental kiosk heard.

The process began over the summer, when they created a one-page business plan and had a conference call, during which the two were told their financials were completely off. But they welcomed the constructive criticism.

Ultimately, their idea placed second in the contest and was given a $2,000 grant.

With this money, the search began for a quality machine that was both visually appealing and inexpensive, which proved quite difficult.

They looked into DVD Now and other places before finding Signifi, a company that makes ATMs, food/drink machines and, of course, movie/video game consoles.

After receiving a quote, an estimated price of $19,000 would cover 500 cases for discs, 500 rfid stickers (able to recognize the movie through scanning), shipping and handling, installation and “all that good stuff,” said Getts. Yet that left $17,000 to make up the difference that the grant did not cover.

And so the search continued.

Getts began calling relatives and banks about possible loans. After being rejected from family because they were unsure about the idea and not receiving phone calls back from the banks, he decided to look into leasing a kiosk. Yet he was deterred once again when he and his father read about the “absurd” 25 percent interest rate.
Finally, Getts contacted Paula Star, a loan outreach coordinator from UCEDC, a federally-backed non-profit economic development corporation. Star was impressed with the idea and said that this is exactly the direction the company would like to go and put their name on.

Star even came to campus to make sure there was a strong support group and that it was more than just an idea.

After three recommendations, one from Getts’ father and the others from Professor Arthur Schultzer and Dr. Ethne Swartz, they received a $12,000 loan. Getts personally put in $2,500 of his own money into the project and his father loaned him $6,000.

Throughout this process, Schultzer has been a good source of legal information and Swartz has provided many networking connections.
For Getts and Fishman, the whole thing has been a learning experience.

A contract was signed through 2019 for the ClickAFlick kiosk. They also had to take out business insurance and life insurance, meet with a credit card transaction company, and will continue to pay for inventory on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, depending on what movies people want to watch and how often.

Getts has been using social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter multiple times daily, not only as promotion devices but also as a way of choosing what movies the public wants to see. The box essentially has to sell itself; there is no one sitting at a desk selling the DVDs, so advertising is important. Discounts and free offers will also be on these sites to act as incentives to take advantage of ClickAFlick. Eventually they would love to get advertising on the site for local businesses and clubs on campus or even RA events.

Currently there are 336 movies in the machine with one or two copies each.

There has been some controversy, however, when it comes to the price of the DVDs. Even Twitter’s @fduproblems tweeted about the expensive price. Unlike Redbox, a similar DVD kiosk system which sells its movies for $.99, ClickAFlick charges $1.99.

Yet Getts wanted to make it clear that the money generated from rental sales goes back to the university and directly to the Launch Pad account; it is not to make a profit. This is something created by students, for students. That’s why they were able to negotiate with the university over rent cost.

Initially they would have had to pay what any other business does in the Student Center. But because the money goes back to the university and to the students, rent comes to a mere $1 per year.

Although this isn’t something Getts or Fishman necessarily see expanding to other campuses unless it really took off, they are willing to go wherever it takes them.
Technology is ever-changing and in the future the demand for a DVD vending machine may be obsolete; it is all about what the market needs. In that case, they look forward to “wiping their hands clean and moving on to the next opportunity,” Getts said.

He continued, “We’ll ride it out as long as we can and as long as it’s popular. The possibilities are endless.”

To see sophomore Michelle Hickey’s graphic design logo and the latest movies in the ClickAFlick kiosk, visit the Twitter and Facebook accounts or log onto www.clickaflicknj.com.

LaunchPad meets Thursdays at 4:30 in the Wroxton Room.

‘Gypsy,’ the ‘greatest’ American musical, to come to FDU

MEGAN HEINTZ 
News Editor

On March 31, the Fairleigh Dickinson University Alumni Association is sponsoring a dinner and a special performance of the musical “Gypsy.”

Directed by Stephen Hollis and musical director Allen Cohen, along with choreographer Cindy Thole, “Gypsy” is based on a book by Arthur Laurents and is also said to be loosely based on the 1957 memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, a famous striptease artist.

The musical follows the dreams of Rose, Gypsy’s mother, while simultaneously raising her two daughters to perform on stage, casting a light on the hardships of the show business industry.

“Gypsy is a show about the American dream, about family and about letting go. It’s a woman’s story of courage and drive and ultimately the need to be noticed,” said Thole.

It is considered to be the last great musical comedy and the greatest American musical for its complex characters and popular songs like, “Everything’s Coming up Roses,” “Some People,” “Small World” and “Let Me Entertain You.”

Theater critic Clive Barnes wrote, “Gypsy is one of the best musicals…”

FDU’s cast has been working for months to live up to these reviews.

According to Thole, they will meet these expectations.

“There is lots of period dance in the show, Burlesque scenes and musical staging. I love that I get to spend my days doing something I am passionate about, using the language of dance to help tell a story. The students have been very dedicated and committed to making this a first rate production of ‘Gypsy.’”

Students are not the only ones involved in the production; children from the community and professional faculty also are in the show. Actress Carole Healey plays the part of Mama Rose.

Patrick Brockway, who plays Yonkers in “Gypsy,” likes that he and his castmates get to act alongside Healey.

“This theater department has wanted to do ‘Gypsy’ for a very long time and finally has the opportunity to perform this show. The lyrics are by Stephen Sondheim, probably the most known musical lyricist of our day and students are getting the opportunity to perform alongside one of their teachers on stage,” said Brockway.

Thole encourages students to come out and see it and agrees with Brockway’s view of Sondheim.

“I hope many students take advantage of seeing this great American musical. It is entertaining, emotional and gives a ring side seat to a mother-daughter struggle that is timeless. The music by Jule Styne and the lyrics by Stephen Sondheim are classics. Some of the best music ever written for the theatre. Come on over and see us!”

Anyone who would like to attend the dinner and performance may register by Tuesday, March 27.

Tickets are $40 for adults (includes dinner, cocktails and theater ticket) and $20 for anyone under 21 (includes dinner and theater ticket).

Dinner begins at 6 p.m. in Lenfell Hall and the production starts at 8 p.m. in the Dreyfuss Theater. With each ticket purchase, attendees are eligible to win several prizes.

In addition to the March 31 dinner and performance, “Gypsy” will be presented at the Dreyfuss Theater from March 28 through April 1, according to FDU’s website.