The College of New Jersey Logo

Apply     Visit     Give     |     Alumni     Parents     Offices     TCNJ Today     Three Bar Menu

Dean’s Letter: Oct. 13, 2013

October 13

Dear Students:

October is national bullying prevention month.  Many of us think of bullies as kids in the playground or the schoolyard, but bullies are also college students and adults of all ages.  They include even our acquaintances, friends, and family members. I encourage you to think about what you might do if you are present when someone is being bullied: think about it before it happens so you can be ready to speak up.

Remember that your silence in a bullying situation condones the actions of the bully. Please, if you can do so with physical safety, speak up tactfully but confidently to share the message that everyone deserves respect.  This is just the kind of act of compassion that would resonate with kindness across our campus.

Don’t doubt your own inner strength to stand up and speak forcefully for respect and civil discourse.

Think of Malala Yousafzai, a 16-year old Pakistani girl who stood up to the Taliban to defend the rights of Pakistani girls, and girls all over the world, to go to school.  She was shot by the Taliban, but survived and was just named as the winner of the 2013 Andrei Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought.  Your struggle to speak up is, I hope, not nearly as frightening, but it is just as important.

Sincerely,

BR

PS Please don’t forget to fill out the annual HSS survey!

 

 

Congratulations

Congratulations to TCNJ’s Society for Parliamentary Debate. On Wed., Oct. 8, two members of the debate team squared off in a debate against Dean Rifkin (HSS) and Dean Keep (Business) on the resolution:  Resolved, this house believes that American Colleges and Universities should not establish satellite campuses in countries that do not respect freedom of speech.  It was a hard-fought debate, but ultimately the students won.  Bravo!

Congratulations to Aida Figueroa, a 2007 graduate with a double major in Psychology and Women’s and Gender Studies as well as a certificate from WILL, on the publication of an article on gender:

http://dga.rutgers.edu/index.php/2013/09/25/just-published-the-newest-edition-of-the-rutgers-humanist/

 

Opportunities

Apply to be a Compass Fellow: The Compass Fellowship, a national social entrepreneurship program, is coming to TCNJ! If you have an interest in business and/or social justice, you would probably make a great Compass Fellow! Apply to become part of this selective program that provides wonderful networking opportunities, a dynamic environment to develop entrepreneurial ideas, and weekly training. Meet other fellows from some of the nation’s top schools like Yale, Stanford, and the University of Pennsylvania.  Deadline to apply: October 21 http://compassfellows.org/application/.  Email: rodris10@tcnj.edu with any questions.

The Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals (CBYX), a fully-funded scholarship opportunity, is currently accepting applications with a December 1 deadline.  The Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals (CBYX) is a yearlong fellowship to study and work in Germany. CBYX is open to applicants in all career fields, though preference is given to students in STEM fields, agriculture, business, and vocational fields. Students traditionally underrepresented in study abroad opportunities are especially encouraged to apply. The fellowship is funded by the US and German governments through a grant provided by the US Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, under the authority of the Fulbright-Hays Act of 1961, as amended. More information can be found at www.CBYX.info.

The Council on Undergraduate Research and University of Kentucky, the NCUR 2014 host, invite undergraduate students to submit abstracts for posters, oral presentations, and creative and performing arts presentations through the December 6 deadline.  NCUR is a multidisciplinary conference for bright, motivated, and talented students, who come from all types of institutions including research universities, community colleges, comprehensive universities, and private liberal arts colleges.  This conference is an opportunity for students to present research to peers, receive feedback from faculty from other institutions, network with graduate school representatives, and hear from inspiring plenary speakers.  For your application, bear in mind that TCNJ is an institutional member of the Council on Undergraduate Research.  For more information, visit: http://www.cur.org/ncur_2014

Undergraduate students at The College of New Jersey are invited to attend HCURA’s National Collegiate Research Conference (NCRC) on January 22-25, 2014.  NCRC is an opportunity for undergraduate researchers to share their work at poster sessions and to give plenary speaker presentations while hearing from leaders in various fields of research. Topics in the sciences, humanities, and interdisciplinary fields are all encouraged.  Keynotes include Laurie Santos, Robert Gallo, and Stephen Wolfram.  Additionally, there is a prize pool of over $5,000 that will be awarded to the top poster presentations.  Apply at http://ncrc.hcura.org/apply/. More information about the application, travel scholarships, housing, and registration can be found on at http://ncrc.hcura.org/.

Job Search and Interview Workshop: In this economy, a typical job search will take about 6-8 months.  That means for seniors, the job search has to begin NOW if you plan to have a job when you graduate.  The MUSE and Honors Programs are teaming up with the Career Center to present an interactive Job Search and Interview Workshop.  You will learn today’s job search strategies that will help you land that first interview.  Most companies have moved to Skype style online interviews, which have new protocols.  Be prepared for that first online interview by learning about a tool available to TCNJ students, the Perfect Interview.  The workshop will be held on Friday, Oct. 18 from 3:30 to 4:30 in AIMM 230 and there are limited seats available.  If you have questions or to reserve your seat, contact fscollab@tcnj.edu.

Events

Tues., 10/15                Lecture by Dominic Stratford on the newest research taking place at one of the richest archaeology sites, the Sterkfontein Caves in South Africa, at 11:45 am – 12:15 pm in Education 115.

Wed., 10/16                 “For Those We Have Lost” Balloon Vigil from noon to 1:30 pm in the Alumni Grove.

Wed., 10/16                 LiNK will give a presentation on life in North Korea today from 3-4 pm in Roscoe West 202.

Wed., 10/16                 The film “Unlisted: A Story of Schizophrenia” will be shown from 3:30 to 5 pm in Education 115.  This is a moving first person account of a woman’s troubled relationship with her father and his mental illness. After more than a decade of separation she decides to reconnect. A family split apart…a family reunited…a story you will never forget.

Wed., 10/16                 Come to the first Visiting Writers’ Series event of the year at 5 pm in the Library Auditorium featuring poet Paul Legault, the co-founder of the translation press Telephone Books.  Legault has been published in numerous prestigious literary journals.  After the reading and a discussion, there will be a reception with light refreshments and a book signing.

Thurs., 10/17              Close Readings:  Dr. David Venturo (English) will present “Author, Author:  Satan’s Boast and God’s Practical Joke:  Heroic and Mock Heroic in Paradise Lost, Book 10, Lines 431-577” in the Business School Lounge from 11:30 to 12:30.  A light lunch will be served.

Thurs., 10/17              Robyn Ochs presents “Beyond Binaries:  Identity and Sexuality” from 8-10 pm in the Business Building Lounge.

Fri., 10/18                   Brown Bag Series Lecture:  “Imposters, Interlocutors, and Dilettantes,” by Jeffrey Cudlin, Mayo Concert Hall from 11:30 to 12:20.

 

Contact

School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Social Sciences Building, Room 302
The College of New Jersey
P.O. Box 7718
2000 Pennington Rd.
Ewing, NJ 08628

609.771.3434
hss@tcnj.edu

Top