Since We Saw You Last…

A first for TCNJ > The college’s inaugural Lavender Graduation honored graduating seniors who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgendered; studied LGBT-related issues in their coursework; or were involved with LGBT-related advocacy initiatives or organizations. Provost Jacqueline Taylor commended the 23 graduating students and 30 faculty and staff allies in attendance for their “willingness […]

Words by TCNJ Editorial Staff

A first for TCNJ >

The college’s inaugural Lavender Graduation honored graduating seniors who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgendered; studied LGBT-related issues in their coursework; or were involved with LGBT-related advocacy initiatives or organizations. Provost Jacqueline Taylor commended the 23 graduating students and 30 faculty and staff allies in attendance for their “willingness to stand up, stand out, and be counted as vocal advocates for a more just world.” 

She’s got spirit, how ’bout you? >

Talk about leaving your mark on your alma mater: Hayley Graves ’15 won first place in TCNJ’s Spirit Mark Competition, which challenged art students to draw a cartoon version of Roscoe, the college’s mascot. Her design, which will be used in casual settings, joins the school seal and the college and athletics logos as part of TCNJ’s official visual identity.

A hull lot of fun >

The Cardboard Boat Regatta, for which students construct cardboard boats and then race them on Lake Ceva, is an end-of-the-year campus tradition that dates back to at least the 1980s. The hilarious regatta is a foolproof indicator as to which participants are engineering majors and which ones aren’t. For the second year in a row, electrical engineering majors Alin Bojkovic ’17, Thomas Approvato ’17, Eric Brokaw ’17, and Tim Laux ’17 won the competition. Their 2015 time was 45 seconds faster than the runner-up. We smell a dynasty.

Campus gets its om on >

February’s Breathe In-Breathe Out Mindfulness Challenge, which was named the top collegiate wellness challenge in the U.S. by the National Consortium for Building Healthy Academic Communities, invited TCNJ students, staff, and faculty to engage in a friendly competition of mindfulness-related activities—think yoga and meditation—to help everyone de-stress. Which begs the question: isn’t a destressing competition a bit of an oxymoron?

—Tamara Fuentes contributed to this report.