“Truth, No Matter The Cost” VOL. 27... NO. 1 TORCHBCC.COM SEPTEMBER 2018 Read The Torch ‘You Talk Like You’re White’ From Your Phone: LESHAY JONES STAFF WRITER OPINION One beautiful Sunday I also went to a Just because I don’t say the It is a shame that my morning, I was at my church in predominantly white school N-word in every other sentence, people still associate education Harlem having a conversation when I was a kid and, at one or just because I don’t use slang with white people. After all, with three of my friends before point, was the only African- 24/7 doesn’t mean that I talk consider what our people have service. American in my class. So, like like I’m “white.” done for us to be able to say we One of my friends stopped most children still learning A lot of black people still even have an education. our conversation and said, “I’m how to behave, I modeled my have that mentality that we live I have even been told that not gonna hold y’all, but y’all surroundings. separately from white people, I want to be white because of sound mad white.” What really bothers me and I get it. We have been the way I talk, which I find When it comes to language, is that Standard English, or scorned time and time again completely ridiculous. there are millions of dialects “proper” English as most by “the white man.” The color of your skin that people use depending on would call it, is associated Many black people talk and the way you speak should where they are from and how with being white. themselves down to the point have no correlation but, Featured they are brought up. I have an education - one where we can’t speak proper unfortunately, it still does. Many people would that is very expensive. I like English because that’s how I am an African-American expect me to speak in African- to use that education in my white people talk. woman and the way I speak Articles: American English (AAVE), speech. will never change that fact. especially my African- Venezuela Keeps American peers. Moving Forward However, I have been told more times than I can count that I talk like I am white. When you look into the world of linguistics of the American language, Standard English is the most commonly spoken version. Often times, people who speak AAVE know Page 3 how to switch to Standard English depending on their environment. It is almost like speaking two languages. I found at a young age that What The Hell’s it is tiring to keep switching Intersectionality the way that I talk, so I stuck with the one that I was more and Why Is It So comfortable with which was Important? Standard English. I grew up in a family that, for the most part, spoke Standard English. My grandmother, who doesn’t have much of an education, even tries her best to speak properly. However, similar to a lot of black people, we had our moments, and we still do. // Drawn by Edriel Fimbres BCC President Michael Redmond Promotes Page 5 ‘Excellence Through Inclusivity’ OWEN MCCLOSKEY EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Be More Chill: A BCC President Michael This is a huge problem for Rock Musical For Redmond’s first year as Bergen, especially in a time Interim President of Bergen of mass decline in student Generation Z Community College during the enrollment at community 2017-2018 academic year had colleges around the country. left his administration “putting Redmond even noticed that out small fires” on various the long lines that were strewn problems at Bergen. Following about Bergen on the first day the wake of the Walter were mainly comprised of administration, Redmond has students on academic probation had to deal with a wide array of waiting to speak with an issues, from the student return advisor, and felt concerned rate to a decline in enrollment. because he would “rather Page 8 Redmond was appointed see them in a classroom.” by the Board of Trustees to a This brings up a point that one-year contract, just before waiting for an advisor is Governor Phil Murphy signed counterintuitive, because if a law that would require only students on probation want to Organizational 60 credits for an Associate’s succeed, they should not be Tips for College Degree. Before the action was missing their first day of class. passed, Bergen required 64 Redmond is working to 66 credits to graduate, and with Mullaney to cut the this small change has forced probationary rate by 20 percent many colleges to revamp their over the course of the next year, entire curriculum. This has and cites “early alert systems” left Bergen’s administrators in as one of the biggest catalysts a complicated position, as it President Michael Redmond // BCC Public Relations to academic probation. now requires a large amount of Affairs Vice President Dr. “We have roughly 900 to “We need a better early curricular restructuring, said William Mullaney to solve the 1,000 students that at any one alert system. Students don’t Redmond. always know when they’re issue. point in time are on probation... Page 11 However, Redmond Redmond also cited the about 36 percent of them never getting in trouble in the assures a meticulously-planned large number of students at take another course, so that’s classroom until it’s too late... solution, and is currently Bergen who are on academic about a loss of 300 students We have an excellent tutoring working with Academic probation. each time.” continued on pg. 4 2 NEWS THE TORCH VOLUME 27 ISSUE 1 SEPTEMBER 2018 VOLUME 27 ISSUE 1 SEPTEMBER 2018 THE TORCH NEWS 3 SGA President Focuses on Student NEWS Involvement and Enrollment OWEN MCCLOSKEY Editor-In-Chief On Thursday, August 30th, I sat of them all. Bergen’s enrollment count Radio Hosts Call NJ Attorney General down with the incumbent student in the fall of 2017 was around 14,000, government president, Melvis Ventura. a sharp decrease from 15,651 students Ventura, is a General Natural Science in 2014. and Math major and proves himself This downward trend causes many an eloquent advocate for the student problems for BCC, and I was curious to ‘Turban Man,’ Get Suspended body, winning the last student election see the new SGA administration’s ideas on a campaign focused on student on solving this problem, among others. TIFFANY MARIE VELEZ involvement and registration. Bergen Community has attempted CO-EDITOR Melvis Ventura is dapper, with to remedy the enrollment situation with a soft-spoken disposition, and he is a new online self-service, but it has yet In July, Dennis Malloy and Judi passionate about the position of SGA Franco, hosts of WKXW-FM, were to be implemented en masse. However, president. This became apparent after I Melvis has confidence that Bergen’s suspended after calling New Jersey’s asked Melvis why he wanted to run for Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal a leadership has it under control, citing such a daunting official title. his utmost faith in President Michael “turban man” on air. The suspension “When I first came to Bergen, I only lasted 10 days. Before their Redmond. “We’re in good hands with wasn’t really aware of the importance Redmond,” Melvis said. derogatory remarks, they warned those of really getting involved. So, that’s that were tuned in that what they would I asked Melvis about the actual when I discovered SGA and their problem of student enrollment and if the say may be offensive to others, yet role [at] Bergen and how their main continued. SGA has any concrete policies to solve focus is to demonstrate the power and the problem. Due to the bureaucratic During a segment on New Jersey’s legitimacy of a student’s voice,” Melvis 101.5, titled The Dennis and Judi Show, nature of the SGA, the policies they said. enact could take a long time because a conversation regarding Grewal’s To understand how the SGA would initiative to suspend marijuana they have to be voted on by the senate. advocate for the students at Bergen, I Because of this, Melvis was unsure of prosecutions resulted in Dennis Malloy saw it fit to document the functions of referring to him as “the guy with the what policies could be enacted to solve SGA and the new electorates. the registration problem that would turban.” Franco proceeded to engage Alicia Moran, the vice president, with Malloy, singing “Turban man!” arrive in a concise timeframe. deals with the student senate: a body However, Melvis is confident that Malloy then responded, “If that offends that votes on policy proposals drafted you, then don’t wear the turban and, the SGA can ratify policies that will by the other members of the SGA. fix up the registration booth at Bergen maybe I’ll remember your name.” Marlen Herrera, the new In a response to these heinous and make it more appealing for newer treasurer, will oversee the House of students. remarks, Grewal posted on his Twitter Representatives, which consists of the account saying, “My name, for the No matter the challenge, it seems presidents of each individual club at that the incoming SGA can think up record, is Gurbir Grewal. I’m the 61st Bergen. Herrera will also oversee the Attorney General of NJ. I’m a Sikh new solutions to Bergen’s fundamental budget of all Student Life clubs and issues.