Vous êtes sur la page 1sur 1

Recent casino layoffs potentially affect CCC students

By TRACEY COSME and


SARAH GALZERANO
Staff Writers

Crisis has hit the Boardwalk, leaving almost 8,000 people
out of work and confused about
where to go. The shutdowns of
the Atlantic Club, the Showboat,
Revel, and Trump Plaza Hotel &
Casino have affected the Atlantic
City area hard. If the effects ripple
far enough, our regional economy
may suffer as well. Theres also a
strong possibility that the shutdowns may affect New Jerseys
tourism trade, real estate market,
and tax base. If this happens, it
will not only touch businesses in
Atlantic Citys surrounding towns,
but it will also begin to trickle-down to us.

Atlantic City, popular
for its gaming/gambling venues,
started the year with 12 casinos,
and is now down to eight. The
resort town that once boasted it
was stronger than the storm is
now falling like Pai Gow tiles. To
recap how badly the situation has
gotten; lets remember the Atlantic
Club shut down back in January, the Showboat on August
31st, Revel on September 2nd,
and Trump Plaza on September
16th. To make matters worse,

Trump Taj Mahal may be closing


in November. If this happens it
will increase the number of already
displaced workers by another
3000+, and thats not even taking
into account the small businesses
that rely solely on the casinos to
keep them afloat.

For the unemployed
casino workers, finding new jobs
in the area will be almost impossible; because there are not a great
deal of local jobs to be had. Rachel
Lewis, district manager of a shorebased store, Making Waves is
worried that every Shore town
under and above Atlantic City
relies on tourism, and that fewer
casinos means fewer hotels, which
equates to fewer tourists at her
stores.

You may be asking yourself why you should care about
something so tragic happening in
a near-by shore-town. These laidoff employees, even though they
would obviously prefer another
casino job, are out on the prowl
looking for employment. If we arent able to accommodate jobs for
them, we will soon see the effects.
How long will it be until our work
hours are getting downsized, and
our pay is getting cut? What can
we, as a college, do to try to alleviate some of this burden?


According to Vicki
the affected workers have actually
Simek, Executive Director of
applied for unemployment beneCCCs Workforce & Community
fits partly because of experiencing
Education office, The educawhat Simek terms a result
tional and occupational levels of
of personal shock. Simek also
the dislocated workers will vary
states, Workforce & Community
tremendously. Many of them
Education (office) will continue to
will need addiwork with our
The resort town that
tional training
One-Stop partto prepare them once boasted it was
ners to identify
for jobs outside stronger than the
job titles and
of the casino
(to) assess the
storm is now falling
industry, but
skills of these
we are currently like Pai Gow tiles.
displaced
working on
workers. We
those programs. Additionally,
will look for additional training
she states, The state of NJ is (in
opportunities that match workers
the process of ) writing a Nationskills that are in-demand
al Emergency Grant or NEG,
The New York Times
specifically for these workers and
reported that, to date, the NJ State
others who will lose jobs as a result Labor Department has planned
of the trickle down effect. This
eight job fairs to help displaced
funding is expected to be focused
Showboat employees, and ironion short-term skills training,
cally the one that was attended the
as opposed to college degrees.
most focused strictly on finding
However, the One-stop career
replacement casino jobs.
centers will still offer state grant

During a recent briefing
money for on-demand jobs
for ex-Showboat employees, it was
requiring degrees, as long as it can strongly suggested that they drive
be completed within one year.
75 minutes away for their new

CCCs Workforce &
careers, because casino gambling
Community Education office,
is on the rise in neighboring states
which is primarily Cumberland
such as, Pennsylvania, Delaware,
county-based, is still in the
and New York. It should be noted
process of gathering data, Simek
that when Pennsylvania opened
shares. Where less than 20% of
their slots-only casinos, four years

ago, they bumped Atlantic City


out of second place (behind Nevada) in annual gaming revenue.
According to a September 23,
2014 article in The Washington
Post, Pennsylvanias gross gaming
revenue was $3.1 billion. Almost
two-thirds of those winnings
came from eastern Pennsylvania
(where) gamblers who otherwise
would likely spend their money in
AC.
In an attempt to mend
Atlantic Citys ailing economy,
retail developments, residential
developments, and expansions
are being undergone. According
to CNBC, The Public Market, a
30,000 square foot indoor market
that will feature local farmers,
merchants and restaurants, is expected to break ground in downtown Atlantic City in late 2014.
Another store, expected to open in
spring-2015, is a Best of Bass Pro
shop. Casinos such as Tropicana,
Borgata, Caesars Entertainment,
and the Golden Nugget are all
working on renovations.

Hopefully, this will offer
viable job opportunities for those
recently laid-off. If this happens,
it will help CCC students, and
Cumberland County residents as
well, because there will be more
jobs created.

Its high school, but not really...


By SARAH GALZERANO
Staff Writer

Do you, or somebody
you know need to
get their high school
diploma, but cant
attend high school?

Instead of earning a
GED (if standardized tests are
not your strong suit), there is an
interesting alternative that New
Jersey offers through community
colleges, where you can earn a
state-issued high school diploma.
Its called the Thirty-College
Credit Route Program, and you
can participate in it at CCC.

To apply for NJs
Thirty-College Credit Route
you must be 16+ years of age.
All courses must be college level
(remedial classes dont count).
Students taking this program
are required to take three credits
in each, English/Language Arts,
Mathematics, Science, Social
Studies (like classes taken in high
school). Also required, are six total
credits between the categories of
Performing Arts, Health/Phys.
Ed., Technology, and 21st Century Life and Careers. This leaves 12

credits for electives. The student


must also maintain a minimum
of a C (2.0) grade point average.
There is no time limit when completing this program.

I interviewed 18-yearold, Chase Farabella, Criminal
Justice major, who participated
in this program last year at CCC.
He attended Sacred Heart High
School before it closed. He benefitted by transferring here, because
the tuition was cheaper than at
his private high school. Chase was
able to share a lot with me about
his experience in this program. He
liked it better than high school
because of the flexibility of his
schedule. He also found it easier
than high school, because he could
take courses geared towards his
career choice (which you cant do
at every high school). Chase also
shared that this program made
him a lot more focused on his
future. When asked if he would
recommend this program to others, he said, Yes, because it can
put you ahead (depending on your
age) and possibly save you money.

I also interviewed
Program advisor Diana Appel,
who has been assisting students
through this program for approxi-

mately five years.


Q: How many students have you
helped through this program?
A: This past spring nine students
obtained their high school diploma via the 30-college credit route.
At least two have received their
CCC degree since the program
started.
Q: Do you enjoy working with
this program? Why?
A: I enjoy working with the
program because it is a pleasure to
work with motivated students. Its
a comprehensive program and students can complete the 30 credits
within two semesters.
Q: Do you think this program is
a good opportunity/ alternative
for adults who never graduated, or
teenagers that just cant deal with
high school? Why?
A: Well, it can potentially be a
great alternative for many people.
For the adult who is determined
to complete their degree, obtaining their HS diplomas as part
of the process may be a huge
stepping-stone.
For a student who is thinking
about leaving high school to
follow this alternative, I caution
them to think about missing their
prom(s), high school graduation,

Sarah galzerano/ staff photographer

Diana Appel, Student Development Advisor, works on the Thirty-College Credit Route Program.

and they are not eligible to play a


sport.
Q: What kind of student should a
person be to enter this program?
A: I would say the student should
be one who is mature-minded and
goal-oriented, ready to achieve
this milestone in his or her life.

One downfall of this
program is the cost factor, if youre
used to free schooling. Students
participating in the Thirty-College
Credit Route are not eligible for
financial aid, NJ Stars, or School
Counts. This means that an average semester (5, 3 credit classes)
would cost $2,100 (not including
book fees). Some people cant
afford this, which is why this route
doesnt work for everyone.


However, the ThirtyCollege Credit Route Program
can help you out in the long run.
It might be easier to accomplish
for adults, but its a great learning experience for teenagers. If a
student enters this program at 16
and finishes it in a year, he not
only graduated high school a
year in advance, but hes also now
a sophomore in college at the age
of 17. This will open up great opportunities, and who doesnt want
to be a part of that?

To find out more about
this program, you can read the full
article online at cccvoice.wordpress.com.

Smartphones: Too little, too much


By SARAH GALZERANO
Staff Writer

Children and smartphones are two things we see
attached to each other, it seems
like everywhere we go. Why
should this bother me? Heck, Im
still a kid myself. Its just annoying
when I see kids with an unhealthy
obsession for technology that,
in my opinion, they shouldnt
have. It wasnt until recently that I
learned how many negative effects
that too much screen-time can
have on a child (or anybody).
According to The New
York Times, in an interview with
Steve Jobs, he was asked, So,
your kids must love the iPad? to
which he replied, They havent
used it We limit how much
technology our kids use at home.
This shocked me, coming from
one of the biggest names in
technology. The fact that a tech
C.E.O. wouldnt bathe his kids in
all the fancy products he invented, makes me wonder if he knew
things that most parents dont
know, or dont care about.
The major negative effect
of screen-time for children is
having no face-to-face interaction.
As babies, face-to-face interaction
is really the only type of communication we have, and its the primary way we learn. According to
pediatrician, Dr. Jenny Radeskey,
They (children) learn language,
they learn about their own emotions, they learn how to regulate
them They learn by watching

us how to have a conversation,


how to read other peoples facial
expressions. And if thats not happening, children are missing out
on important development milestones. I have already observed
children, mostly pre-teens, who
have addictions to their phones,
showing signs of being socially
awkward. I have heard kids my
own age saying they find it weird
when their friends parents talk to
them, and just want to leave the
conversation. Ive always loved
talking to my friends parents, and
dont understand why one would
feel uncomfortable in such a situation. Its just communication.

There are many other
negative outcomes of too much
screen-time with children. One
effect has to do with rapid brain
growth. According to The Huffington Post, an infants brain is in a
continuous state of rapid development until they turn 21 years old.
Over exposure to technology can
cause attention deficit disorder,
impaired learning, cognitive
delays, delayed development and
more. The most interesting negative effect I discovered is addiction
to technology, which is my main
reason for judging children with
smartphones. One in 11 children,
8-18 years are addicted to technology. Some more obvious, negative
effects of too much technology
are obesity, sleep deprivation, and
aggression (from violent media).
A 2014 AT&T survey
revealed that the average child receives his first cell phone just after

he turns 12, a third of which are


smart-phones. Children should
not be that attached to their cell
phones, even though smartphones are very easy to become
addicted to. Something I didnt
come across while researching
this topic was the differentiating
opinion between smartphones
and general cell phones. I think,
in todays society, a normal cell
phone (that can only make text/
calls) is practically a necessity for
kids age 10+, for safety purposes. However, I dont think its
necessary for young kids to have
unlimited plans, they only use it
to gab with their friends all day
(unless theyre monitored). Also,
I think its highly uncalled-for to
buy them smartphones, because
to them, they are toys.

In the long run, smartphones can be helpful, if used
in the correct way. Some adults,
that are very busy, use smartphones for all that they are
worth- helpful tools, to research
on the go, easy communication,
and much more. I believe that
smartphones for children are
just expensive toys that destroy
communication skills, and
they shouldnt have them. My
main opinion, however, is that
the benefit of smartphones for
children is too little, and the
possibility of negative effects is
too much.

To Wheat or Not to Wheat ?


By SARAH GALZERANO &
SEBASTIAN PIATT

Staff Writer

Not to Wheat?

That is the question,
which was presented to 40 students here at CCC. Out of these
students, 40% said they dont
incorporate wheat into their diet
daily, and 60% said they do. The
main reason why these students
dont eat wheat daily is because
they either dont keep it in the
house or just dont think to eat
it. The main reason why students
do eat wheat daily is because its
healthier. But is wheat really as
healthy as they think?

Today, wheat products
you eat are different than what
your grandparents ate. Modern
wheat contains known toxins,
and is a 2 foot tall plant with 42
chromosomes- it used to be 4 feet
tall with 28 chromosomes.

In the 1950s, scientists began crossbreeding wheat
to make it harder, shorter, and
more abundant. According to Dr.
William Davis, author of Wheat
Belly wheat is a geneticist- created artificial plant that is a far
genetic and biochemical distance
away from any wheat that ever
existed in nature.
Now, it still may seem that wheat
is healthy when its compared

to white flour, but not when its


of food choices. The absence of
alone. Wheat itself can cause
vital nutrients after the grain-reblood sugar spikes, increased
fining process leaves the grain
hunger, and Celiac disease (when
lacking in health benefits. Typing
the small intestine cant properly
bad carbs in any online search
digest gluten).
engine will bring up a bevy of

Now, we arent all prone
negative information. However,
to Celiac disease, but wheat
the consumption of refined wheat
can still steal nutrients from us.
products can still provide a small
According to authoritynutrition.
amount of healthy nutrients.
com, wheat contains Phytic acid,

The Whole Grains
which binds important minerals
Council provides a decent amount
and prevents them
of information
from being ababout refined
Today, wheat
sorbed. Also, grains
grains. Refined
products you eat are wheat products
are digested quickly, which leads to
different than what can still retain
drops in blood
your grandparents nutrients that
sugar, making you
the body needs.
ate.
want another highThe refining
carb meal. This
process may
behavior will just keep repeating
strip the grain of healthy dietary
itself. The more fibrous the wheat
fiber but many manufacturers enis, the less this will happen.
rich the grain prior to further food

So, what is there to eat if processing. The enriched refined
you cant eat wheat? For breakfast,
grains have an increased amount
instead of eating wheat products
of dietary fiber and have been foryou can eat eggs, bacon, cheese,
tified with a few vitamins such as
yoghurt, fruit, veggies, brown rice, folic acid. Folic acid is a B vitamin
and certain oatmeal (may contain
that can help prevent cancer. The
gluten). For lunch/dinner, you can amount of nutrition is not equiveat soup, salad, meat, fish, beans,
alent but enriched refined grains
cheese, and legumes. There are so
have been artificially modified to
many alternatives to wheat or
provide a small amount.
not to wheat? Its up to you.

To Wheat?

Its not a secret that refined grains are not the healthiest

Vous aimerez peut-être aussi