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.

Organization of the Year:
LASO, The Metro, Musicians Guild

Student Leader of the Year:
Eloy Delgado, Kayla Hastrup, Vanessa Muniz,
Sabrina Noel, Melinda Pinto

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.

Rife with comedy, charisma and choreography evocative of the “Austin Powers” movie series, Fairleigh Dickinson University’s rendition of “Sweet Charity” provided a light-hearted, satisfactory theater experience for audiences. And while many of the musical numbers were easily forgettable, the flawless comedic timing excused flubbed accents and acutely blasé acting.
The musical follows title character, Charity Hope Valentine, a ballroom hostess at the Fandango Club, in her search for love, happiness and, most importantly, a better life for herself. Encountering obstacles along the way, Charity finds herself waist deep in the waters of trouble (she literally falls into the lake three times) as she struggles to break away from the Fandango Club and discover herself. It is Charity’s internal conflict that drives the action within the play, towing along a long a trail of ho-hum musical numbers.
The show’s most memorable musical number, “Big Spender,” added the spice needed to pepper up a sluggish first act.
Cindy Fernandez shined as Nikki, Charity’s co-worker and best friend, in that number, seducing the Fandango Club customers with a come hither hiss and foxy feminine flair that perfectly underlined Nikki’s motives and skills as a seductress. Fernandez moved with conviction and determination, signaling Nikki’s strong, confident personality. She also portrayed Nikki’s vulnerability with slower movements and softer facial experssions in “Baby, Dream Your Dream.”
Michelle Cabot shined as Charity. Her flippant attitude and squirish mannerisms played perfectly to her character’s indecisions and uncertainties about her future. Cabot’s powerful voice, accompanied by fluid dance movements, empowered “If My Friends Could See Me Now,” making it one of Charity’s less dispensable comedic musical numbers. Cabot drove that number home and showed her knack for physical comedy when she danced on Vittorio Vidal’s (played by Louis Vetter) bed. Dreaming stares, excited moments and an overall bounciness were all devices that Cabot employed to portray Charity’s good-hearted nature and her naïveté.
Undoubtedly, the piece de resistance was Matt Sullivan’s role as claustrophobic, overanxious Oscar Lindquist. Sullivan played Oscar with careful, contemplative intention behind every movement. From the second that Sullivan stepped onto the stage, Oscar’s neuroticism was easily identifiable by fidgeting, pacing and strained breathing. Sullivan’s most memorable moment was undisputably the scene in which Charity and Oscar were stuck in the elevator. Clinging and climbing on the side of the elevator, Sullivan delivered his lines in a refreshingly hilarious yet uneasy manner, emphasizing his character’s discomfort and inner fears. In his duet with Cabot at the end of the first act, Sullivan’s musical chops were beautifully displayed with nearly perfect pitch and wonderful clarity.
However, the same can’t be said of the entire cast. Vetter’s performance as Vidal lacked the passion and strife that came with his character’s romance conflicts. It must be said, however, that his body language was exact and believable despite his waning attempt at a foreign accent. In his song, “Too Many Tomorrows” a few notes ran away from Vetter, however, that number was perhaps the one place where Vetter genuinely created Vidal into a sympathetic character through believable emotion and movement.
Rosemary Glennon’s performance of Ursula also felt forced. Her attraction and then disappointment with Vidal felt too fabricated. Her lines were delivered too matter-of-factly, especially when she left Vidal at the restaurant. But when she reunited with Vidal in his bedroom, her character began to feel more fleshed out. While her lines may have felt rushed, her voice was sincere as were her projected emotions.
The set, though simple, was an appropriate foil to the complex characters within the play, with some pieces doubling as buildings, structures and closets.
The cast and crew did a good job in spicing up a dull musical score. Even though it lacked pizazz, with careful attention to movement and comedic timing, the production was overall light and enjoyable.

Bookworms now have an excuse to put aside those academic textbooks in favor of a little recreational reading. Created with the intention of promoting “for-fun reading and robust discussion,” Fairleigh Dickinson University’s new Book Club provides students from all majors with the opportunity to do some light reading outside of the classroom.
The Book Club’s co-founders, Amara Schertz and Amanda Alford, started the club with help from Professor Bethany Rabinowitz of the Literature, Language, Writing and Philosophy Department and Assistant Director and Learning Specialist Mary Ford of Freshman Intensive Studies.
Schertz and Alford, on separate occasions, went to Ford and Rabinowitz, respectively, and inquired about the existence of a book club on campus.
After learning that no such club existed, Schertz and Alford expressed interest in starting a book club. Alford, who works for the Dean of Students Office, already contacted Director of Student Life Sarah Azavedo, who referred her to Rabinowitz. Ford recommended Schertz to Rabinowitz and Rabinowitz suggested that Schertz speak to Alford.
With the common goal of providing fun, leisurely reading in a non-academic atmosphere, the founders took the first steps in starting the club and hosted their first interest meeting at the Jimmy Santiago Baca reading on March 11.
Roughly 30 to 40 people signed up online for the interest meeting weeks prior, but only a handful showed up to the actual meeting.
The founders remain hopeful, however. “We started it because we know a lot people like to read,” said Schertz.
“It is a great way for these people to find new books and expand their reading repertoire,” added Alford.
The school requires that the club have a roster of at least 10 members, a constitution and an executive board before they are officially recognized as a club on campus, the founders said.
“We’re still working out the quirks,” said Schertz. “We want our members to be involved so we are waiting on our members before we make any decisions.”
One of those decisions involves the material to be read and discussed at the meetings. The founders want to decide collectively as a group what will be read and discussed. They do not want to limit the selections to one genre or author. Fiction, non-fiction, plays and graphic novels are just some of the many genres that the club hopes to read and discuss.
“The club might also have different reading groups within the club,” said Alford. “We can have separate genre groups who will read different pieces and come together to discuss. This will fuel interest in different types of books and keep all the members active.”
Another decision the club will have to make is in regards to the financial matters. The founders are considering several options, one of which may be paying a flat membership fee to cover books for the semester or year, said Schertz. Alford also added that they are considering utilizing FDU’s library as well.
While the club has its required advisers, Rabinowitz and Ford, Schertz and Alford do not want to deviate from the club’s mission to keep the reading leisurely and less structured than a classroom setting.
“We want to let members lead the discussions and keep it fun,” said Alford.
Looking ahead toward the fall semester, Schertz and Alford anticipate hosting events. They plan on working closely with Rabinowitz, Ford and David Daniel, director of FDU’s creative writing program.
With faculty help, they hope to bring in authors for readings and panel discussions.
To keep the reading schedule leisurely and fun, members of the book club will only meet twice monthly.
The first meeting of the month would be dedicated to selecting pieces to read for that month and planning ahead for the following month, said Schertz and Alford.
Members would then have the month to read the selections and the group would reconvene at the end of the month for a discussion.
The club would also host interim meetings as needed to plan events, fundraisers or charity events.
Member involvement is the core component of this club and both Schertz and Alford anticipate a strong showing at their next interest meeting on April 22 at 5 p.m. in the cafeteria.

By the time I send The Metro’s second to last issue of the semester out to the printer, there will be 37 days left until graduation.
It’s hard to believe that the past four years have gone by so fast and my college experience will soon come to an end.
Looking back, I wonder if I accomplished all the goals I set for myself when I first entered college. Did I make the most of it? Should I have chosen a different major? Would I have done something different? Could I have had a better experience?
Shoulda, woulda, coulda…
If there is one thing I have learned, it is that you can’t drone about the past and what you “shoulda, woulda, coulda” done instead. Regardless of the mistakes and failures I faced (and trust me there were plenty), those experiences were just as important, if not more important, than the successes I have also had.
Not only do the failures and mishaps make you stronger as an individual, they prepare you for the future. I have found that it’s inevitable for people to have regrets or to think, “I wish I did that instead,” but it is important for people to understand those experiences make them who they are today.
I recently held a program where five men from the Market Street Mission’s “Rehab and Recovery” program shared their life stories and how they got to where they are today.
Starting from when they were even too young to drive, these men battled addictions that eventually led them to a meaningless life filled with drugs and alcohol. They bravely shared their testimonies and how they felt lost and hopeless when all they looked forward to was feeding their addiction for the day.
One of the men shared that his addiction led him to a life a crime that in return sent him to prison from age 29 to 41. “Not a single day of my 30s was spent as a free man,” he said.
Even though he spent over a decade in the confines of prison, those experiences made him who he is today. For him, and the other four men, their life of crime and drug addiction was a part of the journey that led them to their now successful lives.
Should he have made better decisions? Maybe. Would those better decisions have changed his life? Probably. Could he be the strong, independent person he is today without them? No.
Everyone has regrets or wishes they made better decisions, but regret, I think, is a useless emotion. I always say that “I wish I knew what I know now when I was younger,” but that also is a useless wish.
Life and time will move forward, whether you want it to or not, and people simply need to embrace the past and learn from their mistakes. Had the Market Street Mission men given up during their all-time low, they would have never experienced a life of love and happiness.
So, should I have done more with my college experience? Would it have been better? Could it have made a difference? These are questions I’m done asking. I realized that it truly does not matter, nor should it. My regrets, failures and successes alike have made me who I am today.
As I walk through my life journey, I believe it is important to keep looking ahead because the moment I look behind me is the moment I’ll trip and lose sight of what’s to come.

This will be the first of many columns from the College at Florham’s Student Government Association to be published in The Metro as a way to create communication between students and their SGA.
The column is intended to bridge gaps between the students and the government and act as an opportunity for students to come to us with any concerns or suggestions.
Being the first column, a brief overview of SGA’s activities this semester will be addressed and students are encouraged to respond.
At our annual retreat held on March 6, we had a goal-setting seminar. It was during this seminar that we decided our principal goal was to increase openness and accessibility by being more visibly effective.
What this means is that we wanted to be known as an organization for students and by students. One of the policies we implemented to increase awareness of SGA activities was the initiation of office hours throughout the week.
The office hours are designated times, during which each board of SGA (communications and technology, financial, student affairs, academic affairs and class senators) will be available in the SGA office to answer any questions.
The SGA Web site will also be regularly updated with the agenda of the most recent meeting, allowing students to see what is discussed during the Wednesday SGA meetings.
During our most recent meeting, Provost Kenneth Greene spoke to the SGA and all those in attendance about the different things happening at our university.
One particular issue he addressed was the renovation of Dreyfuss, which was originally set to be completed by April, but pushed back due to unexpected complications and weather conditions. The completion date was also set back due to the loss of valuable classroom space and the need to expand the building outward to make up for it, according to Greene.
The main purpose, he said, is to make the building more handicap accessible by installing an elevator.
As for future events, the SGA will be hosting a Cinco de Mayo barbeque on May 5, in the village by the basketball court, which will hopefully be newly renovated by then.
As a final note, the SGA would like to encourage all students to come and voice their opinions at SGA meetings, which are held weekly on Wednesdays at 3:30 p.m. in the Wroxton room.
The door will always be open, as will our ears and minds. We’re here for the students because we realize that our job is to represent their interests as best as we possibly can.

Sincerely,
The Student Government Association

As I am writing this there are still three days left in the NBA regular season; by the time you read this the playoff seeding will be set. As it is right now, the Western Conference is a jumbled mess.
There is no telling who will be the number two through eight seeds in the West. The Lakers are the number one seed; that has been set in stone for some time. As of April 12, Portland, San Antonio and Oklahoma City will be battling it out for the sixth, seventh and eighth seeds, while Dallas, Denver, Utah and Phoenix are fighting for the two through five slots. There is no telling how these last three days will play out and what matchups will come in the playoffs.
What makes this so great is it really doesn’t matter who gets seeded where. Well, not to your average basketball fan; we win no matter what. There are so many different intriguing matchups that it would be impossible to see a potential matchup that wouldn’t be interesting.
The West is loaded with a bunch of great teams besides the Lakers; still, most people seem to think the Lakers will steamroll right through the conference and find themselves back in the championship. I have my doubts about the Lakers, but I also have a hard time seeing anyone beat them in the West.
Full disclosure here: I’m a Nets fan and I have a natural hatred in my heart for the Celtics and Lakers. So, yes, I do have some biases against said teams, but believe it or not the biases will not come into play here.
What happens to me during the course of any sports season is that I root for my team, and those teams have never changed, then if my team is out of it I start rooting for the teams or players I enjoy watching the most. Which means I will be rooting for the LeBrons and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Unless you’re an NBA junkie like me, with the NBA League Pass and two televisions set up next to each other, you probably haven’t had a chance to fall in love with the way the Thunder play basketball. Kevin Durant is quietly becoming the third best player in the league, behind Kobe and LeBron, of course, and your average fan isn’t even aware of this transformation.
The average fan will hear bits and pieces of this type of talk, but will brush it off as pure hype. For those that do I feel sorry for you; you don’t know what you’re missing. The hype is real; in fact, he needs more hype. This kid is only 21 years old and is already going to win a scoring title on a playoff team. He is averaging 30.1 points per game with 7.6 rebounds a game. He is 6-9, but handles the basketball like a point guard, has probably the nicest pure shot since Reggie Miller and has all the confidence in the world. I have watched numerous Thunder games this year and I ‘m shocked at how many times I saw Durant step up and take over a game with ease.
Durant is not the only reason to like the Thunder. They have one of the best young point guards in the league in Russell Westbrook. They are surrounded by a core of young, talented role players, who know their role and do not get in the way of the stars, unlike some other teams built around a superstar and role players who think they can be superstars too.
I will be rooting for the Thunder, but the reality of the NBA is that they are too young to win more than a round or possibly two depending on who they get matched up against, but they could very easily get bounced in the first round. Teams don’t just make the playoffs for the first time and win championships in the NBA; you need to go through a couple of tough playoff defeats before you can move on.
In the East, it’s LeBron I’m rooting for and it is pretty self explanatory. The man is a freak of nature, the things he does, the speed he moves at and the intensity he shows are all enough to leave you in awe, especially when you see him play live. You can’t even begin to imagine the difference in seeing him play live, just the energy he brings into the building is enough to get anyone excited. LeBron is clearly the most dominant player in the league; the problem is his team is terrible, I mean really terrible. He is surrounded by shooters, who continually fail to make big shots when they count and for some reason these people insist on taking the shots instead of just giving LeBron the ball and getting out of his way. Their best offense is when LeBron grabs a defensive rebound, runs up the court himself and 3.2 seconds later is dunking the ball.
The NBA is a star-powered league; there is no real reason why the championship shouldn’t be the Cavs vs. the Lakers, except for the ego of their teammates getting in the way. Artest, you are not Kobe Bryant, even when you were still good you were never Kobe level good, stop pretending you are and get out of Kobe’s way. The same goes for Mo Williams and anyone not named Antwuan Jamison on the Cavs. Watching random Lakers and Cavs games I constantly find myself wondering how these teams can possibly win playing like this; there are so many better teams than them, but there just aren’t many teams that can beat either of them in a seven-game series. Boston is too old and fragile, Atlanta will make it harder than most people think, but they are not getting four wins against LeBron. The Magic could actually beat the Cavs again, but that’s it, nobody else is posing the slightest threat.
In the West, Utah can’t win a road game, Dallas and Phoenix are too soft, San Antonio is too old, Oklahoma City and Portland are too young. In the next couple of years you will see some of these teams - Thunder, Bulls, Bucks, Trailblazers etc. - emerge as powerhouses, but that will have to wait. The moment has passed for teams like the Spurs and Celtics; the time is for Kobe and LeBron, unless Dwight Howard decides he has something to prove. Still, in the end, it will most likely come down to the fact that Kobe will be Kobe and LeBron will be LeBron when it matters and I, of course, will be rooting for the LeBrons.