A Lady Cougar has her eyes on the prize. By: Kumarr Clark

By Vanessa J. Hawthorne
CCC Journalism Program

BLACKWOOD – Dr. Richard Carney, professor of computer science at Camden County College, will retire this May after teaching for 44 years.

Carney is a graduate of Audubon High School and attended La Salle University, Rowan University, Rutgers University, The University of Pennsylvania, Wilmington University and Princeton University.

“I am a lifelong learner. I went to school continuously for 28 years,” Carney says.

Carney began his teaching career in September 1969. Over the years, he has taught at many schools: Germantown High School, Deptford High School, Cherry Hill High School East, St. James High School, Salem Community College, Rowan University, The University of Pennsylvania and Camden County College. He has written 17 books on the subjects of mathematics and computer science; they have been used by 40,000 schools in the United States.

“This is what I was born to do. If I had to do it all over again, I would do the same thing. I can’t imagine doing anything else,” Carney says.

He decided to become a teacher because, he says, “My father worked in a factory, and the only other adults I knew were my teachers. I liked my teachers, so I decided to become a teacher when I was 14 years old in the eighth grade. I watched my teachers, learned what I liked about their teaching style and what I didn’t like. I used them as my trainers.”

Carney became interested in computer science while he was studying at Rowan University. “I was working on my master’s degree in community college teaching of mathematics, and I had to take two computer programming classes,” he says.

Carney says th least favorite experience of his teaching career was an incident that required him to remove a student from his classroom, something that has happened only once in his career.

“That is the biggest problem in all of education. You can’t teach properly if you have to discipline students with no focus or idea of where they’re going,” Carney says. “This is the major reason I moved from teaching at high school to higher education. Here, I get to teach with minimal disruptions.”

Each year, Carney sponsors a scholarship called the Carney/Keating Award. This award is dedicated to the memory of his parents, William Carney and Elizabeth Keating. This scholarship is presented during the graduation ceremonies to a student who has excelled in their computer science or computer information systems degree program.

“My fondest teaching memory will be the satisfaction of seeing students graduating. Over the years I have taught more than 10,000 students throughout New Jersey, and I’ve gotten hundreds of thank you emails for steering students in the right direction,” Carney states.

Carney’s words of advice to Camden County College students are: “This is your big chance; take advantage of it and fulfill your potential. The grades on your transcript will be with you for the rest of your life. Try to do your best every single day. Those who work hard always seem to get lucky.”

Dr. Richard Carney has taught at high schools and colleges around the area. By Vanessa Hawthorne, CCC Journalism Program

By Chris O’Grady
CCC Journalism Program

BLACKWOOD – Camden County College men’s soccer player Daniel Feiser was awarded Second Team All-Conference and Second Team All-Region last season. The 19-year-old, first-year student received the second most votes among rival coaches in the conference and in the region.

Feiser has been playing soccer for 13 years. He was recruited out of high school by CCC men’s head soccer coach Giuseppe Lamberti. Despite being a Gloucester County resident, Feiser chose to come to CCC because it had a better soccer program than other local schools. The 6-foot-3-inch student plays center defensive back for the Cougars, which was a move from the center midfield he played at Williamstown High School.

Feiser said the transition from high school soccer to playing at a collegiate level was difficult. “I had to meet all new teammates and coaches. I also had to get used to the higher skill level of college soccer.”

Feiser’s coaches, though, believe he transitioned well from playing in high school to playing at a college level. Lamberti said Feiser’s determination and work ethic have become contagious among his teammates. “His efforts make the rest of the team perform better both at practice and on game day. Dan’s leadership is what stands out to me the most. He is someone the rest of the team listens to and respects. He is my voice on the field and helps keep things together. His hard work on and off the field has helped him emerge as a captain figure. He is well respected by his teammates and always strives for the best from himself and his team.”

Feiser’s hard work also shows in the classroom, as he holds a 4.0 grade point average at CCC while concentrating his studies on being an education major. He is carrying five classes and plans to take two more classes this summer. He also plans to continue his studies at a four-year school and continue to play soccer after his time at CCC. He would like to finish his studies as an education major and teach at a high school and coach soccer.

Feiser is appreciative of the awards he received last season but is already looking toward next season. “I am looking forward to playing Ocean County Community College. They beat us twice last year, one which was playoffs, and both times we had the lead. We should have won both games and I still have a bitter taste in my mouth from losing to them.”

Defenseman Daniel Feiser of the men’s soccer team looks over his assignments before going to class. By Chris O’Grady, CCC Journalism Program

By Jordan Speed
CCC Journalism Program

Camden County College Italian Professor Maria Capuni has aspirations of becoming an economist after her teaching career concludes.

Maria Capuni has aspirations of becoming an economist after teaching Italian. By Jordan Speed, CCC Journalism Program

“I was on vacation and I wound up meeting my future husband. Because of that, I stayed,” she said.

Starting a family with her husband was part of the reason that drove Capuni to become an Italian professor, but Capuni never gave up on her dream of becoming an economist. Capuni has two daughters, one being 7 years old and the other being 6 months old, with her husband.

About starting a career as an economist, Capuni said, “Maybe after my children are old enough, I will start.”

Capuni wanted to become an economist at an early age. She loves numbers, which is essential in becoming an economist. Capuni went to school in Italy. She majored in economics but then switched her focus to becoming a teacher.

Even though becoming a professor wasn’t Capuni’s dream, she still loves doing it and her students have taken notice of that. Italian 2 student Brittany Aristone has become more interested in Italian culture because of Capuni.

“She influenced me to learn more about Italian culture,” Aristone said. “She explained to us about life in Italy and sparked my interest in how it was different from life in America.”

What also made Capuni become a professor was her interest in teaching people how to speak Italian. She realized many people wanted to learn Italian and she could help those people learn the language.

Capuni is also enjoying parenting. When asked if she wanted more children, Capuni said, “I would like to but two is enough.”

By Joseph M. Perkins
CCC Journalism Program

BLACKWOOD – Professor Robert Ralph of Camden County College will be turning 65 this August and is completely content with his purpose in life.

Ralph didn’t plan on becoming a teacher, however. His pursuit of higher education began at Johnson County Community College of Overland Park, Kan. He then transferred to Kansas University. He majored in mostly business classes, but then he went on to receive a bachelor of arts degree in theology and minored in philosophy at United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. He enjoyed the religious education because he grew up in a Catholic family.

For many years, he served in the Navy.

Ralph then planned on becoming a United States Postal Service examiner. This plan changed when his wife, being a teacher at a private church school, allowed him to teach some of her classes where theology and philosophy emerged.

When asked why he became a teacher, he answered, “I like to be around students.” During his time at Jackson County Community College, “the teachers made sure of the students doing well. I would like to pass that on to my students,” he said. “I feel fulfilled doing this.”

When asked why teach philosophy, he responded, “I feel that we all face the questions of why are we here and what is the purpose of existence, and I feel that philosophy has a practical application of answering these questions. Philosophy is a good motivator to give you purpose and meaning in life.”

Ralph has been a teacher at Camden County College for 18 years. He teaches Modern Philosophy, Introduction to Ethics, Introduction to Philosophy, and Logic and Reasoning.

When asked if he believes he has a positive influence on his students, he said several of his students came back to tell him they became teachers from experiencing his teaching. “There is a level of commitment to teach. I’ll walk a mile if a student really tries.”

Ralph also owns a business where he reupholsters and refurbishes stadium seating. He also worked with the art department for the stadium seating in the new Jackie Robinson movie “42.”

By Shanel Fort
CCC Journalism Program

BLACKWOOD – About 100 people attended International Day on April 18 at Camden County College in Blackwood. The event was held in the atrium inside the Connector Building from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Left to right, Sedef Hyhan, Mehmet Ergin and Elvan Yildirim gather at International Day. By Shanel Fort, CCC Journalism Program

Cheers, hand claps and laughter echoed throughout the Connector Building during the event. The aroma of tacos, egg rolls and Hispanic rice filled the room with their authentic smells. Guests were welcome to sample all of the foods, which were prepared by the CCC cafeteria staff.

At least 20 tables held displays of art, culture and fun facts about countries. When asked about Turkey, Mehmet Ergin, a representative, stated, “We speak Turkish. Our capital is Ankara, which is home to 75 million people. We enjoy treats like Turkish delights: a soft, powder, chewy candy.” Representatives also provided guests with free samples of a Turkish coffee called Kurukahveci.

Frandy Jean, an artist from Haiti, described an array of intricate bracelets, necklaces and bracelets he made. He stated, “I made them from recycled paper from a calendar.” He added, “Haiti was once ruled by France, so we speak French and Creole.”

Representatives of other countries such as Japan, Nigeria, Israel, Trinidad, Philippines, Vietnam and Syria also gave cultural backgrounds on their countries.

Two Asian fan dancers, dressed in pink and white, floor-length dresses, provided the next segment of entertainment. Three Syrian male dancers twirled tassels between their fingers, interlocked arms and danced down the aisle to sounds of Arabian tunes. An Indian drummer soloist, dressed in a red, glitter and gold dress, danced to the beat of her drum.

Religion was also included in the day. Muslim women covered in garbs and head wraps offered pamphlets about the Quran, while a Jewish sponsor, wearing a yarmulke, informed passersby about the Star of David and the Jewish way of life.

Jesse Orlando, director of the CCC International Office, stood at the podium and ended the day with a statement of acknowledgments and thanks. He stated, “It’s like a family here.”

Students who want to represent their country at next year’s International Day should visit Orlando’s office in Room 107 of the Community Center.

By student writer Pauline Taylor
With changes to federal Pell Grant guidelines, students planning to transfer to a four-year university must become proactive and resourceful in finding other means to finance higher education.
For many of us with dreams of a bachelor degree and beyond, scholarships represent the new means for financial aid.
Associations and establishments award scholarships based on merit, financial need, ethnicity, military service, or major; not always GPA based. Campus and community involvement is required.
The Camden County College Foundation (CCCF), established in 1992, oversees the student scholarship program. CCC offers scholarship packets each academic year.
The applications are available throughout the campuses and online beginning in November; the deadline is February. The scholarship award ceremony is in May for the following academic year.
Melissa Daly, CCCF development associate, said, “There are always more applications than scholarship awards.” A total of 130 CCC students completed the scholarship packet for 2013-2014; 30 students will receive awards and only three students will receive full tuition waivers to attend CCC for one year. “Some of the scholarships can be used for transfer or continuing education,” Daly said.
The numbers do not lie. Students must do their own exploration on scholarships because the need is greater than the awards.
Altheia Anderson, a first-year, early childhood education student said, “I didn’t know about a scholarship program here at CCC,” nor did Skye Young, also a first-year student, who said, “My mom will have me first in line, November 2013.”
Below are links to scholarship identifiers:

http://www.educationplanner.com/parents/scholarship-search.shtml

http://www.njccc.org/transferschol.htm

http://www.collegefish.org/

http://www.scholarships.com/

http://edu.fastweb.com/v/p_reg/flow/?utm_source=fwppc&utm_medium=sPo4Ed44B&utm_content=13044245523&utm_campaign=google_SEM_RegFlow_General_US&dtp=scholarships_e&gclid=CIOctYHjwrYCFRCZ4AodFiUATw

By Joel Davidson
CCC Journalism Program

The Campus Press, Camden County College’s student newspaper, can be found in several campus hallways and online, but does anyone read it?

According to a random survey of 30 students at the Blackwood campus, only one was said to regularly read the Campus Press, compared to 15 who said they did not and five who were unaware there was a Campus Press.

A monthly and occasionally bimonthly publication, the Campus Press covers school events, clubs, and entertainment as well as fashion, music, and movies.

Despite the small readership, some say the Campus Press has had a positive effect on its audience.

Bridget Carroll, a senior majoring in communications, said her knowledge of CCC activities improved through reading the Campus Press.

“It’s just a great overview… of what’s happening,” Carroll said, adding that she found the paper’s printed form convenient because she can pick it up on the way to class.

Despite recommending the Campus Press, Carroll doesn’t believe many other students read it. “I think people, especially our generation, will immediately rather go to the website than pick up the paper if they’re looking for news,” Carroll said.

Noreen Peebles, journalist and Campus Press representative, encourages students who don’t read or like the paper to get involved, saying that the staff is always open to ideas or material from other students, either through new articles, new sections, or improvements to the current format.

Contributing to the Campus Press provides several advantages. Peebles said writers get to deal with deadline pressure, interviewing sources, covering events, and ultimately writing a published work, all helpful assets for transferring to other schools, internships in the communications field, or putting together a resume.

Past issues of the Campus Press and more information on how to contribute to it can be found at camdencc.edu/studentlife/campuspress.cfm.

by Malik Demby
CCC Journalism Program

The International Club is a club for all the students, the purpose of having this club is to break the ice between international and American students, and to have those of all cultures understand the differences and recognize the similarities.

The club has about 150 members, according to the club’s president Soufiane Ellamte, the mission statement is “recognize our differences and embrace and make use of our similarities.”

Ellamte majors in business administration and has been the president of the club for five months. Ellamte was a member of the club for 3 years before becoming president.

To join the club, a student, must go to the international office room (107) and ask to complete the signup sheet. Second, he or she must a herd a meeting, in which they would present themself to the members of the club.

The club held an international day event on April 18th at 11 in the morning until 1 in the afternoon on Blackwood campus in the connector building. At this event they had a fusion show. In which participants dress in his or her native clothing.

Along with the fusion show, each participant had his own table full of pictures, artifacts, maps, flags, or what so ever to answer student questions about their countries. They also had free food. There were also guests representing Voorhees Muslim community, Rowan, and Rutgers University.

The international club doesn’t organize trips to historic and religious sites in New Jersey.

By Kim Broomall
CCC Journalism Program

It has been a big season for the Camden County College baseball team.

The Cougars recently ranked at seventh place, in a national poll conducted by the National Junior College Athletic Association. The poll was for Division III schools, whose athletes do not get scholarships or financial support from their schools’ athletic department.

According to the NJCAA, the team has played 34 games so far this season, tying with Gloucester County College. Though the Gloucester County team has 1037 at bats, fourteen more than the Camden County team, the Cougars are still ahead with 377 hits.

The Cougars’ highest ranking in the categories is with doubles, where they earned first place for scoring 94 so far. Their lowest ranking is with extra base hits, where they are ranked 84th. The team’s batting average is currently a .369.

On April 9th, the team won a game 16-3 against Cumberland County College. Jim Carothers, a fan of the Cumberland team, said he “respects the team as athletes.” The Cougars followed up that win with another, 9-2, against Atlantic Cape Community College on the evening of April 10th.

Their seven-win streak was interrupted on April 14th when they lost 1-3 against Northampton. Nevertheless, the team bounced back, winning five games in a row between April 16th and 20th.

Representatives of the team and the CCC Athletics Department could not be reached for comment.

By Jasmine Conyer
CCC Journalism Program

BLACKWOOD – Living the dream is what current student Lynette Hebron calls pursuing her degree at Camden County College. From once being a veteran to a mother and hard worker, Hebron has had her fair share of adjusting to the school life this semester.

“I just wanted to do something different with my life, something that I could look forward to doing,” she said. From Mays Landing, N.J., Hebron grew up in a big family consisting of five brothers and four sisters. Not knowing exactly what she wanted to do with her life during high school, she looked to her eldest brother for inspiration. After graduation, Hebron enlisted in the Navy.

“I was the black sheep of the girls because I was in the middle so I hung with my brothers,” she said.

From a family of men who served in national defense branches, grandfather, father and brother, Hebron was the first female in her family to serve in a branch of defense. “I did two out of my four years because I ran into some personal troubles but I don’t regret any of it,” she said. Staying connected in some type of way when she returned home, she remained in the reserves.

Now 52, Hebron is enrolled as a full-time student. Majoring in addiction counseling, she was a little hesitant about returning to school after so many years of Navy influences and working.

“They were once on a regiment as far as being told what time to eat, sleep and get up. As far as older veterans, they may have a little more of a struggle because they may be apprehensive in returning to school versus the younger vets,” said Zaida Nogue, veterans adviser of the Blackwood campus.

Although Hebron kept busy by working and being a mother, she knew something new and incomplete was missing that would not only help herself but others as well. “Honestly it wasn’t hard for me to decide to come to school. The hardest part so far is learning the new style of teaching. This stuff is completely different,” she said.

Striving for success is the next step in Hebron’s plans. “I know what it is like as an older veteran and person in general to struggle. I am involved with the VA hospital in Philadelphia so I see different types of people and by listening to their hardships I hope to be somewhat of an inspiration,” she said. “I am blessed.”

Some Camden County College students believe student government is almost nonexistent, hindering its communication with students.

After asking several students if they were aware that Camden County College had a student government, only a few recognized the organization with many not knowing what its role.

Summer Gonzalez, a freshman and communications major from Sicklerville, claimed she only “heard of student government after someone asked for her vote during a presidential race, but that’s about it.”

“I feel that nobody really knows about student government and that there should be more student involvement,” she said.

The student government is aware of this issue and steps are being taken to establish a firm reputation.

Amanda De Nardo, the vice president of student government, said she is attempting to increase awareness and student involvement not only for student government but for all clubs at the college through use of the internet.

She said she would like to “focus on the campus webpage, a location that is used daily by students for access to WebAdvisor and WebStudy” and take advantage of “informative social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter” to communicate with the student body.

However, De Nardo said that the government itself takes more of a “suggestive role than active role” and primarily focuses on activity planning rather than  addressing student issues and concerns.

De Nardo wishes the college would take student government more seriously and allow student representatives more power and authority when it comes to any issues within the student body and hopes the college would “invest some of their faith in the students who have been dutifully elected be their peers to do just that.”

On April 19 2013 Camden County College, Blackwood Campus held International Day 2013. This event helps the international students share their culture with the college community and was held from 12 -2 pm. There were vendors selling goods from abroad and lunch was provided for all.

Kenneth D. Aston Jr
CCC Photo-Journalism Program

The international flags of the world.

Zachary Brooks show his American sprit during the International day fashion show

Jashel Linchangco was one of the models during the fashion show at the 2013 International Day event.

International student,Fidele Donadje from Benin, West Africa.

Students set up tables for International Day 2013 at Camden County College, Blackwood Campus.

Students pick up general information about Islam and the Muslim religion.

Student Ayesha Sharmeen (C) and Kaur Harleem (L) talk to a fellow student about their display.

Food and drink

Students Sung Won Ho(L) and Sung Min Ho(R) preform a Korean Fan dance.

By: Kolbi Paolini

Next time you walk by those colorful booklets with “Summer” written across the front, you should stop and take a look inside.

Camden County College offers a variety of summer classes. The classes range from credit classes to self-enrichment classes.

Students have many opinions on the advantages and disadvantages of taking summer classes. “I took a summer class here before and enjoyed the class a lot, the class was smaller and more personal” said Gabrielle Aslanian, 20, a psychology major, from Cherry Hill.

The average summer class at CCC is either eight, seven, or five weeks long. These classes vary from one to three hours long and the attendance varies from three to four times a week.

“I was thinking about taking a summer class this summer to graduate faster but the hours may not fit my schedule” said Connor Funkhouser, 20, a criminal justice major, from Sicklerville.

Students have a difficult time fitting the tedious classes into their work schedule which is why some choose to take online classes as another solution.

“I go to an out of state college but also applied to CCC so I was able to take an online English class that transferred to my other college” said Jason Kirschner, 22, a sports psychology major.

Students have a variety of options when taking summer classes at CCC. The hours are a disadvantage but the opportunity to check a class credit off your transcript is an advantage.

By Mike Poiesz
CCC Journalism Program

BLACKWOOD – Dr. Craig Bauer gave a passionate lecture on Monday, April 8 on the impact of the Polish and the British’s cracking of the German’s Enigma cipher machine.

The Enigma, pictured above, was used to demonstrate how the Nazis used it during WWII. By Mike Poiesz, CCC Journalism Program

The lecture, Enigma: The Cipher Machine that Changed World War II, was held in the Connector Building’s Civic Hall and was attended by roughly 120 people. Bauer, author of Secret History: The Story of Cryptology and editor in chief of the cryptology journal, Cryptologia, gave a PowerPoint presentation explaining the purpose and functions of ciphers.

Before the lecture began, Bauer passed out copies of chapter eight from his book and demonstrated how to work the Enigma. Whenever he pressed a letter on the keyboard, a different bulb would light up, and the rotors at the top would move. The rotors, which are the primary control of the machine’s enciphering process, turn once every time a letter is pressed. It rotates 26 times before a full rotation is met. Then, it will move onto the second rotor and eventually the third.

Ciphers, secret messages concealed in code, were put into effect during the Second World War by the Nazis to ensure sensitive information could not be intercepted. The Enigma was often operated by more than one person. Usually there would be one reading the message, one typing it and one writing down which bulbs lit up, revealing the cipher message.

Because the Germans’ cipher was broken by the Polish and shared with the British, the tide of the war was changed in the favor of the Allied Powers. But, in 1942, Germany’s navy added a fourth rotor to the Enigma, bringing deciphering to a complete halt. When the codes were being deciphered, only 600,000 tons of Allied ships sank. When they weren’t, nearly 2,600,000 tons of Allied ships sank. The Enigma was again cracked later in the year.

During the lecture, Bauer said, “The reward for the Polish cryptanalysts was that whenever they saw large groups of people, they knew that some of them wouldn’t be there if they hadn’t broken the Nazi ciphers. This holds true today; many people owe their existence to the fact that broken ciphers shortened the war, saving the lives of their parents or their grandparents.”

Bauer ended the lecture answering questions from the audience and showing curious attendees how to operate the Enigma. He also suggested the National Cryptologic Museum for anyone wanting to look further into cryptology.

Professor Greg Brellochs shows students the joy of art. By Kumarr Clark

Students from (L to R) Eloiza Jiemenez, Vick B, and Rashuan Davis represent The Criminal Justice Societies booth at the CCC Camden Campus annual ” Spring Fling”. By: Kumarr Clark

Dj Randy Smooth provides Spring Fling with some great sounds. By Kumarr Clark

Balloon artist Stacy Myers make balloon animals for students at CCC campus “Spring Fling”. By: Kumarr Clark

(From L to R) Mike Molder, Jim Brennan and Mike Bartfalvi represent the American Legion # 286 in Pine Hill, NJ at the annual Spring Fling. By: Kumarr Clark