The Sklar Brothers take over Rowan University’s RAH

By: Erin Haskell

The Sklar Brothers gave a laugh-out-loud performance for Rowan University students in the Student Center Pit Saturday night as a part of Rowan After Hours (RAH).

Stand up comedians Randy and Jason Sklar, twin brothers from the outskirts of St. Louis, moved to New York City in 1994 in pursuit of their dream job in comedy. They were discovered by MTV talent executives who came up with a sitcom called “Apartment 2F,” based on Randy and Jason’s experiences living in New York City.

The short-lived sitcom allowed the Sklar Brothers to go viral online through their podcasts called “Sklarbro Country,” as well as on television, where they have guest-starred in multiple television shows such as “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Entourage,” and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” They have also made appearances in the films “Bubble Boy” and “Wild Hogs.”

The Sklar Brothers’ routine at RAH began with a few owl jokes at Rowan University’s expense.

“You guys have the weakest mascot,” Jason Sklar said, “What, is he going to give you extra work to do?”
“And why do owls always have glasses,” Randy Sklar added, “They can see in the dark!”

Students enjoyed the fact that the Sklar Brothers incorporated the campus into their routine.

“I thought they were very college-friendly,” said freshman chemical engineering major Tarynn Huitt.

The performance continued with their seemingly effortless back and forth banter, affirming their unique delivery style as a duo. This is presented to the audience by one brother talking over the other to finish a sentence or thought, through back and forth conversation, or by one agreeing with or adding onto the other’s thoughts.

“We need to put an end to fairy tales and you guys are the generation to do it,” Randy Sklar said emphatically.

“Because we know a lot of married people,”  Jason Sklar finished, “and nobody lives happily ever after.”
Students had mixed opinions on this delivery style.

“I thought they were pretty funny,” said freshman biology major Justen Dowling.  “The way they work together and coordinate with each other. I would see them again.”

“The performance was great,” said freshman chemical engineering major Matthew Rhodes. “It was kind of confusing since they talked over each other. I didn’t get who was talking some of the time.”

Towards the end of the performance, Jason Sklar’s microphone battery died. However, thanks to the RAH employees on standby in case of this particular incident, the battery was quickly changed and the performance recovered.

The show ended successfully with laughter, applause and an overwhelming positive reaction from the audience.

“I liked the performance a lot,” said Greg Silber, a junior, writing arts major and RAH employee. “I’ve seen them on television and their delivery is very funny. This is one of the better performances we’ve had at RAH.”

Currently, Randy and Jason Sklar write and appear in a segment on ESPN’s SportsCenter known as “The Bracket,” as well as guest host for Jim Rome on his radio show, “The Jim Rome Show.” They continue to perform stand-up all over the country and can be seen on TBS’s “Conan” Sept.14 as well as the Helium Comedy Club in Philadelphia Nov. 3 through 5.

Planning Board Supervisor Celebrates 23 Years in the Business

By : Erin Haskell

Vineland- Kathie Hicks, the Vineland Planning Board Supervisor celebrated her 23rd year working for Vineland’s Planning Board and City Hall this year.

Hicks, 58, graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor of science in geography and urban and regional planning. She then acquired a master’s degree in urban and regional planning from the University of Pittsburgh. Her first professional job was with Cumberland County in 1981. She worked there for seven years, was promoted to the position of Assistant Planning Director, and then came to Vineland’s Planning Board and has been there for the past 23 years.

“My job is varied,” said Hicks. “The primary function is supervising development review, like all applications for commercial industrial development have plans associated with them and they all need board approvals whether it’s Planning Board or Zoning Board, so I supervise that function.”

The job of Planning Board Supervisor allows Hicks to dabble in many different areas of the city.

“Being a Planner, I’m a generalist,” said Hicks. “So I have involvement in a lot of issues as they arise like recreation and affordable housing. Whatever the hot topic is at the time, I would have involvement as a city planner.”

At the current time, Hicks finds herself faced with primarily development applications because the city finished its amended master Plan in 2008. By law they are required to reexamine the Master Plan every six years but due to the current Master Plan’s prolonged planning, their work with it is finished for awhile.

A typical day in the office for Hicks includes multiple phone calls and walk-ins.

“Our policy is to make ourselves available,” said Hicks. “If people come to the desk, we provide them with guidance on how the process works, how we handle development applications, and what the requirements are.”

Lately, traffic through the Development office has been low due to the poor economy, except for those that seem to be taking advantage of the low construction costs offered by the city.

“We’ve got a number of churches being built that have gotten approval, like a Muslim Mosque and a Russian Orthodox Church,” said Hicks. “A number of these churches have come in to either build new or expand because of the low construction costs.”

When asked what she’s accomplished as Planning Board Supervisor, Hicks responded that she is most proud of obtaining a seat on a four county transportation planning organization that Vineland was not originally supposed to be a part of.

“In the past five years, I’ve brought in almost seven million dollars of funding,” said Hicks. “If I hadn’t been at that place, at that time and advised the city and if Mayor Romano (current Mayor Romano’s father) hadn’t been able to get us that seat we wouldn’t have gotten all of that funding over the years.”

Hicks hopes to keep doing what they’re doing and delve into more proactive planning in the future.

“I like this career because I’m a generalist,” said Hicks. “ I can stick my toe in anything, it’s different everyday, and I like that I’m not bored by it.”

Street Name Change Has Upset Residents of Vineland

By: Erin Haskell

Vineland- The Vineland Planning Board has received several complaints in the past few months from residents over a street name change due to an in-fill project.

An application for a major subdivision called Woodcrest Fields was before the Planning Board.  This project, intended to create new building lots, including construction of a street that would connect existing streets called Woodcrest and Joshua Drives.

 “We wanted them to have the same street name because Woodcrest was an older neighborhood with older homes, “said Kathie Hicks, Planning Board Supervisor. “ The public, when that went to City Council, was not happy about having their street name changed.”

Residents of Joshua Walk have been advocating against the street name change during recent board and council meetings, stating that the added cost to the existing residents is a burden and should be charged to the developer.

“A gentleman came in (to the October Planning Board Meeting) and expressed the opinion that a developer should have to stick to existing street names,” said Hicks. “It was explained that the developer didn’t advocate changing the street name, but rather the Planning Board required it.  It was also explained that generally existing street names are retained, but in this particular instance where existing streets were being connected, one name had to be selected.  Councilman Albrecht advocated that the ordinance be changed to require the developer to pay for the costs incurred by existing residents (change of address, driver’s licenses, etc.). 

The issue of the ordinance being changed to require the developer to pay the costs was further discussed at the November Board meeting, where Frank DiDomenico, Board Solicitor, explained that State statute doesn’t allow the cost to be put on the developer.  

Neither the City Council Members nor the Planning Board Solicitor could be reached for comment.

“The positive (of the street name change) is that there is a single street name, which is better for emergency management,” said Hicks.

   

Continuous Warm Temperatures in Vineland Give Way to Freezing Temperatures Quickly

By: Erin Haskell

Vineland- After an unseasonably warm summer, Vineland sees increasingly cold temperatures early in the fall season. 

The Vineland climate is often warm during the summer when temperatures tend to be in the 70's and very cold during the winter when temperatures tend to be in the 30's. The warmest month of the year is July with an average maximum temperature of 85.90 degrees Fahrenheit, while the coldest month of the year is January with an average minimum temperature of 24.10 degrees Fahrenheit.

This past summer season, Vineland experienced record temperatures and was recorded to be one of the hottest summers in New Jersey, with at least thirty four days of temperatures warmer than ninety degrees. The warm temperatures also began earlier in the season than normal, starting in early March.

Temperatures continued to be warm up until the weekend of October 31 when a cold front swept in, allowing for many areas to experience their first freezing temperatures of the season. 

Although the temperatures are only minimally lower than the average for Vineland this time of year, it will feel colder because of the unseasonably warm temperatures the previous few months. 

This week’s forecast for Vineland will see a slight temperature increase since the last few weeks with temperatures reaching highs in the low 60’s and lows in the high to low 30’s. There will not be much precipitation over the next five day forecast, only sun and partly cloudy in areas. 

Next week, Vineland will be getting hit with some rain and clouds and an estimated downfall of 1.04 inches throughout the week. 

Temperatures will continue to get lower as the coldest months of the season approach. Residents of Vineland will experience freezing temperatures normal to the average for this time of year. 

Glassboro Mayor McCabe Voted In for Another Term

By: Erin Haskell

Glassboro- Democrat Leo J. McCabe was voted in for another term as Mayor of Glassboro on November 2, 2010 over Republican opponent Claude Butch Cox.

The official county election results confirmed on Tuesday that McCabe won over Cox with 2,932 votes to Cox’s 1,324.

Neither party could be reached for comment on their win or loss.

Mayor McCabe has been the Mayor of Glassboro since January 2002. He is a native of Rhode Island. He and his wife Mary have lived in Glassboro since 1962. They have three children and five grandchildren.

McCabe has a lot of involvement in the Glassboro community and has served on several committees including, The Glassboro Planning Board from 1964-66 and again in 2000, The Glassboro Library Board during the 1970's, was an elected member of the Glassboro School Board from 1973-92, and President of the Glassboro Education Foundation from 1998 to 2001, and in 2002, a founding member of the Boys and Girls Club of Glassboro.

McCabe has a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Ohio State University and a Bachelor of Science from Providence College.

McCabe’s positions for election are as follows: controlling taxes, creating jobs, redevelopment, increasing quality of life for Glassboro residents, and sharing services.

McCabe’s primary focus is on job creation, with 400 temporary jobs being created for Rowan Boulevard construction and 700 permanent jobs becoming available upon completion.

 Downtown redevelopment will bring in $225 million in annual sales. Rowan Boulevard is just part of an overall downtown redevelopment effort that will bring 125 new retail businesses and $1.2 million in annual property taxes to Glassboro.

Rowan Boulevard represents a public-private partnership that is bringing in jobs, creating revenue and generating economic activity for the benefit of residents, students and local businesses alike. Since Rowan University housing is owned by the developer and leased by the University, it makes for a greater revenue generator.   

Planning Board Rejects Environmental Commission Request

By: Erin Haskell


Vineland- The Vineland Planning Board rejected a request from the Environmental Commission Board to incorporate them into the City Master Plan during a board meeting on Wednesday, October 13,2010.

Kathie Hicks, Supervising Planner to the Board said, “ The way the law is written, when they (Environmental Commission) give that (Environmental Resource Inventory) to both boards (Planning and Zoning), we then have to provide them with all applications for them to review and give comment.”

However, the Environmental Commission requested that the Planning Board incorporate them into there City Master Plan which would give them a lot more say in the decisions being made by the board.

“I objected to this strongly and so did the Board Solicitor,” said Hicks. “With a Master Plan you need to find a balance point between everything from economic development to schools and business. Nobody’s truly happy but you have to find a medium.”

The request from the Environmental Commission was first presented to the Board by Hicks during the pre-meeting and was addressed in front of the public during the regular open meeting. It was determined that the statute mandates the boards to send copies of plans to the Commission for comment but the comments are advisory.

Board Solicitor Frank DiDomenico, proposed during the meeting that it is not certain that the Environmental Resource Inventory complies with the rest of the Master Plan nor whether it complies with the Land Use Ordinance generated from the Master Plan. If the document were to be incorporated into the Master Plan, it could cause problems for both the Master Plan and the Land Ordinance.

“We felt that this would tilt the scale too much towards environment,” said Hicks. “Putting all that environment information in, it weighs it heavily.”

After much discussion, the Planning Board entertained a motion to not incorporate the document into the Master Plan either as a conservation element or an appendix. There were unanimous yeses from all board members.

“Fortunately, the board went along with our recommendation,” said Hicks. “Of course I have some members of the Environmental Commission Board who are not too happy with me right now but…tough.”

Future Planning Board meetings promise to hold discussions about a popular new fad in Vineland, solar field requests.

“We’re getting a lot of solar field applications for businesses, houses, electric, everybody,” said Hicks. “All the company’s say that New Jersey is the best state for solar because they offer the most incentive.”

Mayor Robert Romano of Vineland said, “Everybody and their grandmother wants to put a solar field up. We are doing four ourselves. The way the city’s doing it, even with the industry, they’ll let you put up your solar but we’re not going to get into that industry of buying electricity if they overproduce, so that’s the big thing.”

Deanne Fitzmaurice, Pulitzer Prize Photographer Visits Rowan University

By: Erin Haskell

“Effective storytelling includes making pictures with your heart,” Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Deanne Fitzmaurice told students Oct. 6 in a speech at Rowan University. Fitzmaurice gave pointers to students on effective visual storytelling.

Fitzmaurice started her photography career at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. While a staff photographer at the San Francisco Chronicle, Fitzmaurice won the Pulitzer Prize in 2005 for documenting Saleh, a 9-year-old Iraqi boy’s struggle for life after sustaining near fatal wounds during a bomb explosion.

Fitzmaurice lectures frequently on photojournalism and upcoming multimedia in the field.

In her speech, Fitzmaurice commented on where journalism is going.

“The audience has shifted from print in newspapers to online and that audience is growing,” said Fitzmaurice. “But let’s not forget as great as these new tools are we still have to have a good story and strong images.”

Fitzmaurice stressed the importance of knowing the key elements in order to find and write an effective and interesting story.

“It’s about seeing, it’s about making pictures with our hearts, our minds, and our souls,” said Fitzmaurice. “It’s about being curious and being passionate. No matter what technology you use you have to have a good story.”

Building and maintaining relationships with people is an important part of what Fitzmaurice does. It is also an important part of the profession of photojournalism.

“I try to understand the lives of the people I photograph,” said Fitzmaurice. “I find that it puts people at ease and I get much more real photographs when I connect with my subject.”

She also discussed various multimedia and how having audio builds a lot of depth and richness into her stories.

“We’re in the midst of an evolving profession,” Fitzmaurice said. “The future is in new media.”

While using audio, it is important to note that the audio is the most important part of the piece. Pictures to go with the audio are often added around it so that the audio flows the way it should.

“Each time you add something, you add another dimension to the piece,” said Fitzmaurice. “Really start listening to the audio.”

Fitzmaurice shared her work with the Rowan community, including her Pulitzer Prize winning story about Saleh. His story was told through interviews with him and photographs of him at the hospital, and now at age 16, living with his family in America. He hopes to become a basketball player some day.

While sharing things she’s learned throughout her career, Fitzmaurice stressed the importance of being honest.

“Storytelling is about trust,” said Fitzmaurice. “One of the things that I’ve learned is to really speak from the heart and to really be honest.”

For more information on multimedia, visit NPR’s website www.npr.org, Media Storm www.mediastorm.org, and The New York Times Lens Blog http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com.