Since President Obama signed the health care act into law on March 30, people have been expressing their opinions about the changes that are soon to take place.
Although the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 has been headlining the media, it seems the health care debate overshadows the student-loan reform, which now makes the federal government the primary distributor of student loans, according to an article on ABC News’ Web site.
Starting July 1, all new federal student loans will be delivered and collected by private companies, which are under performance-based contracts with the Department of Education.
The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act is a student-lending program that will now replace the current program that subsidizes banks and other financial institutions for issuing loans, according to news reports. Instead, students will now be borrowing all loans directly from the federal government with interest rates that will be controlled and mandated by the government. Those rates change every year and are determined through voting.
“Basically, this cuts out the middle man,” said Vincent Tunstall, FDU’s director of financial aid.
Instead of having banks borrow money from the government to issue loans, the government will lend the funds directly.
For students, Tunstall added, there will be very little change. Students who have federal loans will simply have to re-sign their promissory note, which they can do electronically on FDU’s financial aid Web site starting May 15.
Simply put, the promissory note is a student’s contract and promise that he or she will repay the loan under the terms detailed within it, according to the Department of Education’s Web site.
“When students go to the Web site, there will be a box on the page that is hard to miss,” Tunstall said. “It will redirect them to the Department of Education Web site where they can sign the promissory note.”
The only change is that students, both graduate and undergraduate, who originally would only have to sign the note once when they first took out the loan, will have to re-sign it under the new law.
The interest rates for the federal loans will not change from what students previously had.
Tunstall also said that FDU hopes students sign the promissory note anytime after May 15, but before they return to school so their loans are ready for next semester.
The major revamping of federal student loan programs will eliminate fees paid to private banks to act as intermediaries, according a New York Times article.
Instead, the government will expand a direct lending program, and allow changes that are meant to revitalize community colleges and increase support for institutions that serve minorities and historically black colleges, according to ABC News.
The law will also put a cap on the loan payments for graduates, who have six months after their graduation date to begin repayment. The annual loan payments will not exceed 10 percent of their annual income.
The law also hopes to increase the number of Pell Grants, which provide need-based grants to low-income undergraduate and certain post baccalaureate students, according to the U.S. Department of Education Web site.
Grant amounts are determined by students’ Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) forms.
“Ninety percent of our students get grants and loans. Our financial aid budget ends up being about $56 million a year,” Tunstall said. “The average grant/scholarship for a student is about $15,000.”
The law will not affect the private loans for students who have exhausted all federal loan options and still need to take out private loans with banks. Those loans, which are generally meant to cover the gap of what the federal loans issue and a student’s cost of attendance, will still be credit-based loans and deal directly with the bank that issues the loan.
Private banks, however, lobbied against the student loan changes, which eliminate a long-flowing source of revenue for them, according to a New York Times article.
Although the government will now lend the funds directly, eliminating the need for student loan lenders such as Sallie Mae, the nation’s largest student loan distributor, the government will still use the companies to service the loans.
According to the New York Times article, the Congressional Budget Office said that by eliminating the middle man, the government will save taxpayers $61 billion over ten years.

On Monday, April 26, students will gather for the fourth annual Green Day, an indoor and outdoor (weather permitting) celebration of environmental awareness and FDU’s persistent effort to become a more green, sustainable campus.
Among the planned events are student presentations (both scientific and artistic, but all based around this year’s theme of sustainability), a vendor fair and expo, performances by the FDU Choir and Melodies of Heaven, and the unveiling of FDU’s very own perennial edible garden.
The garden is grown using the ideas of permaculture, which means it was designed to emulate the patterns and relationships that function in a natural ecology.
Green Day provides an opportunity for Fairleigh Dickinson students to enjoy nature and express their wishes to preserve it.
Outside the Mansion, vendors will provide many activities for students to enjoy even as they walk to class. Students who stop by will be rewarded with free cheesy bread from Domino’s Pizza.
By the garden, located by the stairs near the rock in front of the Mansion, students will be able to view some artwork as they take a break from that day’s classes.
While this is the fourth year for the College at Florham’s Green Day, some changes will occur. Unlike previous years, speeches on sustainability will be coordinated with class times.
Also unlike previous years, free t-shirts will not be given out. The only way students can ensure they will receive a t-shirt is to volunteer, which also excuses them from classes. However, by attending GreenSpeak, students may receive a free tote bag.
“It’s great to see everyone come out [for Green Day] and it would be awesome for the interest and enthusiasm to carry over to the other 365 days,” said Chauna Mason, president of the College at Florham’s Green Club.
Mason is not the only one hoping to see a greener campus. The Sustainable Campus Committee, which demonstrates the faculty’s interest in a greener campus, has been actively increasing environmental awareness on campus.
The committee will also emphasize the goals and importance of RecycleMania during the Green Day events. RecycleMania has used gift certificates, t-shirts and pizza parties to reward students for demonstrating their recycling knowledge through quizzes, being caught “green handed,” and increasing the amount of recycling output in their dorms.
On Green Day, some student presentations will win cash prizes.
Students interested in helping with the perennial edible garden are welcome to come by on April 20 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. to plant something.

On Wednesday, April 1, Colleges Against Cancer held their second annual FDU Talent Show. The event, which was co-sponsored with Iota and Student Life, had 16 acts scheduled to perform. Three judges, who were faculty members from the Office of Student Life, Student Health Services and computing services, scored each act. First, second and third place winners were awarded cash prizes.
Michelle Cabot took first place for her a cappella rendition of “A Broken Wing,” by Martina McBride. She won a $100 prize.
The second place winners, Jared Wilson and Jensen Senat, who performed a dance routine, were awarded a $75 prize.
Finally, third place winners, Jenn Figueroa and Craig Davis, who sang a duet a cappella, were awarded a $50 prize.
Although not everyone won a cash prize, many other students showed off their talents.
The opening act of the show was a student band named Luna Laval, who performed and sang their personal songs. The audience seemed to enjoy the music, but complained that they could not hear the band.
The same reaction occurred with the second act. Shawnsy Billops played his guitar to a song he wrote about Hurricane Katrina. The audience appreciated the guitar music, but was annoyed that they could not hear him sing.
It was the third act, Sondra Hicks, which had the audience’s full attention. Hicks sang a cappella “Take A Bow” by Rihanna, and the audience loudly applauded Hicks for her talent.
The fourth act shocked everyone. Michael Conto was performing a comedy routine, but was instantly booed off the stage by the audience, for his jokes and swearing. He even swore at CAC for asking him to get off the stage, and for that, he was thrown out of the dining hall, where the event was held.
Luckily, Gordon Baker took over with his own comedy routine, and the audience was laughing in no time.
Other student talents included: Andrew Miles, who played a jazz and blues song on his keyboard without sheet music; Stevie Cohen, who performed hula hoop tricks accompanied by circus music; Brittaney Zudick, who recited a memorized monologue; and Javier Rodriguez, who performed a “hilarious” comedy act, according to one student.
Despite having sound-check problems, microphone difficulties, a comedy act thrown off stage, and continuously reminding the audience to respect the performers on stage, CAC considered this year’s talent show a successful event.

For many college students, Spring Break is a time to relax, party and enjoy a week off from school.
But some FDU students instead enjoyed their week by traveling abroad and across the nation.
From March 14 to 21, two groups of students participated in “Alternative Spring Break.”
Fifteen students traveled to New Orleans and 22 traveled to Arizona for various service projects.
Overseas, ten other FDU students attended lectures and theatrical performances in London, England, as part of “The London Theater Experience” course, taught by Professor Stephen Hollis.
For some students, the unique opportunities took them away from New Jersey for the first time.
“When I signed up for Spring Break Arizona, I had no idea what I was in for. Coming from a poor family, I have never traveled farther than New Jersey’s backyard,” said Angel Santiago.
For other students, Spring Break was a chance to revisit previous travel experiences.
Senior Heather Lonergan said she signed up for the theater course to return to London.
“I studied abroad in Wroxton in fall of 2008, so when the opportunity presented itself, I was ecstatic to have the chance to travel again,” she said.

To read more, see “The London Theater Experience”
To read more, see Alternative Spring Break.

For FDU’s Alternative Spring Break teams, the opportunity to travel was just a small bonus to the work they were doing in Arizona and Louisiana.
“In college they say you experience the world and differences of life, but sadly not until Arizona have I experienced that difference,” said Anassa Tulloch. “Arizona revived a dormant emotion that was covered by exhaustion and worry about my direction.”
Sponsored by the Student Government Association, the Alternative Spring Break trips gave students opportunities to help and improve the communities of their respective destinations.
Kristen Lettenberger and Troy McClellan were in charge of planning and organizing a trip to New Orleans for 15 students. They traveled there to help rebuild the city, which still suffers from Hurricane Katrina, according to McClellan. Lettenberger and McClellan wanted to offer these students the same opportunity and experience that they had the year before.
This year “Team NOLA” set out to work at a charter school in the 7th Ward of New Orleans with the Relief Spark organization, McClellan said. The mission was school beautification, while working with the children at the school as well. The team also worked on a garden for the students and repainted interior walls throughout the school. Along with the physical labor, some students decided to help in the classrooms and tutor children.
The other destination for SGA’s Alternative Spring Break was Tuba City, Ariz., where students volunteered their time with the Navajo Reservation. There, they had the opportunity to participate in programs under the Amizade organization and worked with children from the local Boys and Girls Club.
For many students involved, the trips were unforgettable.
“This trip not only created a better understanding and relationship among the students with the people of the Navajo Nation, but also each other and ultimately with themselves,” said Ryan Elwood, one of the 22 students who volunteered in Arizona.

FDU, which prides itself as being a leader in global education, offers many courses that allow students the opportunity to study abroad for short periods of time.
FDU has sent students abroad to Spain, Peru and Costa Rica, to name a few.
This Spring Break, ten students, led by Professor Stephen Hollis, had a unique opportunity to travel to London and study theater.
“The London Theater Experience” is a three-credit course offered to all students and all majors, according to Hollis, who is from London. Before traveling to London, students studied two plays that they then got to see performed live.
“Thanks to Stephen’s vast knowledge of London’s theatrics, we were able to experience a great deal more of personal contact than we would have with someone less aware,” said senior Alex Pepperman, who is in the course.
In London, the students saw seven live plays, including “Waiting for Godot,” “Enron” and “War Horse.”
Students also got the opportunity to attend an acting workshop at the famous Globe Theatre and got a backstage tour of the National Theatre, according to senior Heather Lonergan.
“Aside from the obvious theater-going, we went to a few museums such as the Victoria and Albert and The New Tate,” said Pepperman. “We [also] ate at wonderful pubs to get a feel for culture.”
This is the fourth year that Hollis has offered the course. For the first three years, Hollis said he partnered up with a colleague from Montclair State and students from both colleges went on the trip.
“This year we did it alone,” said Hollis. “I hope to continue doing it on a yearly basis.”
The only complaint Hollis had was the time span spent in London. “We were terribly rushed,” he said. “But in this economy, we just can’t afford to spend any longer. I try to keep the cost under $2,500.”
Despite the extremely structured one-week span, Hollis said he has gotten a lot of positive feedback from the students who have gone.
“Every museum, theater and notable area we visited was a learning experience unlike any other,” said Pepperman.
Lonergan, who is a psychology major, learned to look at theater in a new way.
“Personally, this course taught me to understand theater more and its many possibilities,” she said. “It was a truly wonderful experience to study and discuss the different plays, then to be able to see them live in one of the most theatrical cities in the world.”

On March 11, students appreciated the beautiful weather as they waited outside in a line that extended well beyond the front doors of the Mansion. The traffic was caused by the visit of Jimmy Santiago Baca, acclaimed poet and novelist, who read from his most recent novel, “A Glass of Water.”
Lenfell Hall was overflowing with anxious listeners, who ultimately had to line up against the sides of the room or plop down on the floor.
Close to 4 p.m., Baca’s appearance was met with whistling and clapping. He began by stating that poets do not make a lot of money, but that he has been one of the really lucky writers.
“I’ve been successful without being a popular culture icon,” said Baca, who prefers to stay with his family.
Raised by his grandmother before being placed in an orphanage at 13, he explained that his father, mother and two brothers were killed.
“What I really wanted in life was to be loved, have a family, have a house,” said Baca of his youthful desires.
Baca briefly recounted his early years of adolescence and his incarceration at the age of 18 for drugs. During his five years in prison, Baca taught himself how to read and write, which prompted the beginning of his poetry career.
“Life is so incredibly strange sometimes,” said Baca. “Because of poetry, I no longer had to fight.”
The audience then got a taste of Baca’s latest novel: “But when that man cut my throat I never had a thirst so fierce, a thirst for life as mine was being drained. I tell you, never a thirst so fierce as wanting one more second of life with my family.”
The reading was followed by the announcement that Baca had sold the movie rights for this work, and that actor Benjamin Bratt is set to star.
Baca also said that he recently completed two documentaries for Showtime, and his next big project is a two-hour piece for HBO on the mentally ill, in honor of his brother.
Freshman Patricia Jones is studying Baca’s work in her Research Writing course at FDU.
“He has so much depth and personality. All of the things he’s been through has led him to look at the world in an untainted, romantic view,” Jones said.
“It’s refreshing to see somebody who’s been through so much and can talk about it with a smile on their face.”
After the session in the Mansion, Baca and students went to the Bottle Hill Pub where students showcased pieces before an audience.
Megan Kellerman, creative writing graduate assistant, read three poems. Then, student Tyler Masterson played two original songs on his acoustic guitar.
Baca then read “Dream Instructions,” one of many poems found in his book, “Black Mesa Poems.” He said it was one of the very first poems written in prison, which reflected the terror he experienced. What inspired the content and title was a dream that he attributed to a vision.
Baca stuck around to autograph books and talk to students. He said that his day at FDU “has given me an extraordinary experience.”

As part of FDU’s Politics on the PublicMind series, guest speakers recently discussed the media and law.
On March 8, Lucy Dalglish, executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, spoke about “Shield Laws and the Press.”
On March 22, Bruce Baron, founder of Baron Associates P.C., attorney and legal commentator for Fox News, MSNBC, CNN and Court TV, spoke about “The Media’s Influence on Law in the 21st Century.”
Journalists are bound to meet with opposition at some point in their career. They will encounter unresponsive sources, retracted statements, even possible lawsuits. When it comes to legal charges, however, specific legislation has been passed to help combat reporters being subpoenaed when involving confidential sources, evidence, or notes.
Shield laws were specifically created to defend newsgatherers’ rights to protect the identities of their sources or classified information.
“One of the most important credos is act independently and if you make a promise to someone, keep that promise,” said Dalglish, former journalist and attorney.
“No federal shield law or explicit protection for journalists exists. But many states have enacted their own shield laws and other legal protections for journalists working within their borders,” according to the Poynter Institute.
Presently, 37 states have statutory laws where reporters do not have to testify, according to Dalglish. Yet, if a journalist is subpoenaed to testify before a federal proceeding, the federal government laws apply.
In the struggle to establish federal shield laws, one of the challenges faced by Dalglish’s organization is defining who is covered under the bill.
“You have to prove that you’re earning income, that you’re a professional journalist. On the other side, we have a narrow scope of coverage. You have agreed to protect the identity of your source, but the Senate has a broader sense: ‘Who’s a journalist? Are you going to let one of those damn bloggers to be covered?’” mimicked Dalglish.
Bruce Peabody, chair of the Department of Social Sciences, offered his opinion on the matter of bloggers.
“The problem, obviously, is how do ordinary citizens, already awash in news and other forms of data, sort through more and less important and penetrating accounts of the world? One answer: those citizens should make sure they have a strong liberal arts training so they can critically scrutinize sources of news and navigate information,” Peabody said.
Overall, there is very little opposition on the House of Representatives side, but the Senate seems less supportive of the proposed Free Flow of Information bill, instead opting for a reformed draft, which would only require a reporter to “disclose confidential information during criminal investigations or prosecutions, or in civil cases where the information obtained is ‘essential’ to settling the matter,” according to a September 2009 article in The Washington Post.
“On the federal side, what would we do about national security? All you have to do is burp out ‘national security’ and they will have to testify,” said Dalglish regarding the federal defense reason to not pass the bill.
However, Dalglish remains confident. She said that in the 37 states with shield laws, the laws have worked well.
“I am very encouraged,” she said. “Now we’re just trying to tweak who is covered by this privilege.”
Dalglish believes that sources could recognize the same standards when it comes to determining who to share information with.
“Sources also want to know that you’re going to give them something, and that you’re going to stand up and provide a certain level of protection. Someone who works for a news organization has stood up for this,” she said.
Citing anonymous sources is controversial in the journalism world.
“There are many news editors that will not let them report the information unless they get another source to confirm that information,” said Dalglish.
The conversation about the media and law didn’t end with Dalglish.
Baron’s speech began with a statement about how media and law are a balancing act. “The U.S. Supreme Court remains the holdout. The situation is that Americans believe in transparency,” he said.
The balancing process, however, may ultimately lead to controversy. High-profile cases over the years have been subject to distortion due to the media’s following of trials. Viewers may be swayed by media figures such as talk show hosts, reporters, or radio broadcasters, succumbing to the presence and influence of these “talking heads,” and formatting their opinions based on what they have witnessed through mass-media outlets.
Baron said this could taint the jury pool. He referenced the 2009 David Letterman scandal, declaring that media coverage of it put in the jurors’ minds the idea “that David Letterman’s not clean.” He affirmed that a jury or judge should never put his or her own opinions or experiences into a case.
Later, Baron asked: “What happened to presumption of innocence?” He added that when something is tried in the court of public opinion instead of a court of law, there is a “rush for judgment, not justice.”
On another note, Baron offered some advice to students pursuing legal careers, saying he firmly believes in internships.
“It’s a very bad job market out there,” he said. “It’s a good idea not to sit back and whine about how the economy is not good. Get experience and knowledge to put on your resume.”
Baron called online social networks such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter a treasure trove of evidence and information. “What you do today on that Facebook can help or hurt you in years to come.”
“He’s not preaching anything he doesn’t preach to his own kids,” said his daughter, sophomore Amanda Baron. “The mentality has been in my family that conduct yourself in person as you would on the computer.”

For the third year running, FDU’s own Words and Music Festival (Wamfest) continues with even bigger and better artists.
One major upcoming event will be a discussion and performance featuring Robert Pinsky, John Wesley Harding and New Jersey’s own Bruce Springsteen.
Specific dates and details for the Springsteen/Pinsky event have not yet been announced. With the exception of that event, all Wamfest events are open to all students and the public, said David Daniel, director of FDU’s creative writing program and creator of Wamfest.
“We just don’t have the capacity to handle that with Bruce, as you can imagine,” Daniel said.
The first Wamfest event, “Fiction Fest,” is set for next week. On April 6, it will feature Thomas E. Kennedy, and on April 7, Peter Carey and Wesley Stace.
“The people who’ve come and are coming are exactly the people I had in mind to begin with, which is an amazing blessing,” Daniel said.
“In most cases, they are groundbreaking, radical thinkers and artists - people who have brought something very special into the world, usually fighting for those who are dispossessed or overlooked in our culture,” he said.
Over the years, the festival has grown and expanded beyond Daniel’s “wildest dreams.”
“At first, I thought the focus would be on just poetry and songwriting, but that quickly expanded to include fiction writers, critics and journalists, filmmakers and actors,” he said.
While the first official Wamfest event was two years ago, Daniel has wanted to create something like it for a long time.
“I first had the idea when I was driving back from New Jersey to Cambridge four years ago,” Daniel said. “The name came and the whole concept, as a kind of epiphany. I immediately and somewhat illegally, since I was driving, called two of my best friends - one a poet and the other a songwriter - and told them about it, and when they reacted enthusiastically, I knew I was on to something.”
Since then, Wamfest has hosted numerous events, including one last year that featured Rosanne Cash.
“We have had several of the world’s greatest living artists come to campus to talk with students and perform in an intimate setting,” Daniel said. “And they’re not doing it for money […] because they believe in the vision of Wamfest and in the great community that’s at FDU.”
For example, he mentioned that Cash said Wamfest was her favorite event of last year because the students were so wonderful and she felt inspired by them.
With the positive feedback, as well as help and support from all of his colleagues, Daniel believes FDU has been able to establish a truly wonderful program.
“When I was first hired by FDU to direct the new creative writing program, I wanted to make it the best in the country,” Daniel said.
“I really wanted to bring something unique to the students - something they could really be proud of - to give them a chance to be around these people, to get to know them a little, and to provide models for them.”
While Wamfest originated at FDU, it has been expanding to other institutions, including the Academy of American Poets, the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Brookdale Community College, according to Daniel.
Upcoming events for this year’s Wamfest include a comedy program on May 4 featuring Eugene Mirman (“Flight of the Conchords”), Michael Showalter (MTV’s “The State” and “Michael and Michael Have Issues”), Leo Allen (“Comedy Central Presents” and former “Saturday Night Live” writer), and Kumail Nanjiani (“Colbert Report” and “The Late Show with David Letterman”).
The following day, there will be a performance and discussion featuring Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Paul Muldoon with John Wesley Harding, who is the Wamfest Artist in Residence, Daniel said.
The success of Wamfest so far couldn’t make Daniel happier. For the future, however, he said he wants to see more student awareness and involvement in the events.
“So far, it’s mostly been me dreaming things up, but the idea is that this becomes something where the students’ visions become more central to it,” he said. “I’m old and out of touch, you know, and I want the students to know, absolutely and primarily, this is for them. Also, I’d like to see Wamfest put FDU at the very center of the national arts and education scenes - and I’m very proud to say that we’re well on our way.”

Overnight from Friday, March 26, through Saturday, March 27, students of Fairleigh Dickinson University, Drew University and the College of Saint Elizabeth gathered at Drew to honor cancer survivors, pay tribute to those who lost their lives to cancer and help raise money to fight cancer.
This was the fourth year that Relay for Life, hosted by the American Cancer Society and FDU’s Colleges Against Cancer, came to the three colleges of Madison, N.J.
Next year, the event will take place at the College of Saint Elizabeth.
This year, 52 teams participated through recorded donation or by appearing at the event.
They raised a total of $16,294.02.
The top five teams that raised the most money for Relay for Life were LASO Goes Green, which was a merger of LASO and the Green Club, with $853; VRC with $1,140; Kung Fu for the Cure with $1,150; Undetermined at the Moment with $1,230; and Beast from the East with $3,020.
During the night, a variety of activities took place. After the Opening Ceremony and Survivor Lap, students had the option of partaking in a Zumba lesson, as long as at least one team member from each team was walking the track.
Other activities included karaoke and a performance by Drew’s a capella singing group.
The highlight of the night was the Luminaria Ceremony, which was held to honor cancer survivors and to remember loved ones who lost their lives to cancer.
It took place around the track in the gym. Glow sticks were used to represent candles and they were placed in paper bags and lined up around the track.
For one hour, students walked silently in the dark, remembering the reasons why they were participating in this event and who they were paying tribute to.