Director of Anderson House in Readington leaves the ‘best job she’s ever had’
Meenal Vamburkar
Published: August 17, 2009
READINGTON — Joanne Furze said working at Anderson House is the best job she’s ever had.
After 12 years, Furze is leaving her position as executive director to be closer to family in Omaha, Neb.
Since joining the staff, Furze has seen the facility, a residential program for women recovering from alcoholism and drug addiction, expand and increase its capacity from five women to 14. Affordable housing for women who have completed the program but “don’t have a next step to move on to” has also been added, she said.
“I can remember coming here and not even knowing where Hunterdon County was,” Furze said. “I had been involved with other treatment facilities and nonprofit organizations prior to this. I came here because it just seemed to fit what my personal goals were.”
During her time at Anderson House, Furze said she has seen some trends among the residents who come in for treatment.
“The clients who come in have poly-substance abuses, which means there’s not just one drug, there’s a combination,” she said. “I’ve also seen a trend toward using a lot more prescription drugs than in the past.”
Furze emphasized the importance of halfway houses, especially in New Jersey, where the “need seems to be growing, not decreasing.”
The best part about working in a place of recovery, she said, was seeing a resident come in and completely transform. After coming back from a one-week vacation, Furze said she could hardly recognize one of her residents because she had changed so much.
“It’s amazing how when we change on the inside, how our on-the-outside also changed,” she said.
Cat population surges at St. Hubert’s shelters, including Branchburg center
Meenal Vamburkar & Joey Lewandowski
Published: August 12, 2009
BRANCHBURG — The cat population at St. Hubert’s animal shelters has surged 140 percent since January, and shelter officials are now urging the public to adopt a cat.
Colleen Harrington, the shelter manager at St. Hubert’s North Branch center, said she is not sure what the cause of the surge is, but noticed that kitten-breeding season came later than usual this year.
“I just remember it being mid-May and being worried that we only had a few kittens. And then we thought we were going to get hit hard with it later on,” Harrington said. “Kitten season might have come later because of the weather. You know, it was pretty cool back in April and May.”
St. Hubert’s, which also has a location in Madison, usually experiences increases in the cat population in “kitten season.” The season usually runs from May to September but has never been as big as this year’s. Currently, the Madison shelter has roughly 145 cats and the Branchburg shelter has 110. Only 22 cats from Branchburg are adult cats, which Harrington said is an unusual ratio.
“We’re always really full, but there are definitely more of them this year,” Harrington said.
Employees and volunteers at St. Hubert’s adoption center in Madison Township spent Monday the same way they start every week, relocating the animals and then scrubbing their cages. But not all Mondays are equal.
“When there are that many cats to clean up after, it definitely takes longer,” said Madison shelter manager Cindy Sanchez. “There’s more laundry, more litter pans and bowls to soak. It all definitely adds up.”
Meenal Vamburkar
Published: July 5, 2009
FRANKLIN — After retiring from a career in interior design, resident Joan Lerner has published a novel tackling controversial topics including abortion, homosexuality and euthanasia.
Lerner, 75, is former president of the New Jersey Chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers. However, she said she has been writing short stories for a long time. Her novel, “Among Us Women,” melds together aspects from her previously written stories.
“I picked out three women from my different short stories, and put myself into each one’s shoes,” she said. “Then the plot just came to me.”
The novel, set in the late 1980s and early 1990s, features women who each have personal tragedies that impact their views, according to Lerner.
One of the chapters takes place during a protest outside the office of Dr. George Tiller, a late-term abortion doctor who was recently murdered in Wichita, Kan. When she heard about his death, Lerner said she “felt terrible.”
“I felt like I knew him,” she said. “I had been clipping articles about him for years. His name has come up all the time when talking about late-term abortions.”
NJ agriculture secretary comes to taste salad with Branchburg third-graders
Meenal Vamburkar
Published: June 11, 2009
Old York School third-graders celebrated the results of their Seeds to Salad Program by inviting New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher, along with parents, teachers and volunteers, to sample their salad Wednesday during their Salad Extravaganza.
“We go to Wegman’s and the salad’s already there and bagged,” he said. “By participating in this program, the students really get to appreciate the process.”
Meenal Vamburkar
Published: Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Though cases already in progress, like Boston University graduate student Joel Tenenbaum’s much-delayed, maybe-webcast trial for allegedly illegally sharing 7 songs, will continue, the RIAA has gone on the record saying it is ending the lawsuit program targeting people who illegally download music.
After years of suing everyone from pre-teens dying to hear the hottest new Katy Perry track to baby boomers vying for a complete Rolling Stones discography and everyone in between, the Recording Industry Association of America has halted new lawsuits in favor of alternative deterrents to breaking copyright law, officials said.
The actual principles for the new, non-lawsuit program are still confidential. The RIAA is currently working with Internet service providers on it, RIAA Chairman and CEO Mitch Bainwol said in a letter to the staff of the House and Senate Judiciary and Commerce Committees Dec. 23.
“While this process is ongoing, we have reached a confidential agreement on principles for such programs with several leading U.S. ISPs,” Bainwol said in the letter.
Comcast and AT&T are two of the ISPs that plan to cooperate with the program, according to a Jan. 28 CNET news article. It will probably involve ISPs forwarding “take-down notices” to people who are illegally sharing files, according to the article.
The RIAA also unveiled the revamped antipiracy Music Rules! program for grades three to eight last week to encourage education about the issue, according to the RIAA’s website.
However, some expressed doubt that there is any way to actually prevent users from illegally downloading because of how easy it is to get free music.
Wonderdrug Records President Ken Cmar told The Daily Free Press there is almost no way to stop illegal downloading, regardless of RIAA policies, because many people don’t see it as wrong.
“For some reason, people don’t equate it with doing anything wrong or illegal,” he said. “The RIAA did what they thought was best, and it didn’t solve the problem. There’s almost no way that you can solve the problem.”
The lawsuit program targeted those who illegally downloaded music through peer-to-peer networks as a last-resort attempt to solve the problem, Bainwol said in the letter.
“We knew that, in the absence of action on our part, that marketplace was destined to be destroyed by an attitude that suggested there were no property rights on the Internet,” he said. “So we chose our least preferable but only option — lawsuits against end users.”
Discontinuing the lawsuit program “basically gives license to people to download their face off,” Cmar said.
Cmar said the music industry may not remain a lucrative business, and the industry is in big trouble. This will also affect the film and television industries, he said.
BU spokesman Colin Riley said BU was caught in the middle because the RIAA used it as a means to prosecute students who allegedly violated copyright laws.
“We’re happy not to be forwarding pre-settlement letters or to be responding to subpoenas of alleged violations,” he said. “That never was a place that we wanted to be, and we encourage students to respect . . . property rights.”
He said the university is grateful the RIAA ended the lawsuit program because it “essentially created a lot of problems for students and members of the BU community that were unnecessary.”
It is too soon to predict long-term effects because it also depends on how long the new RIAA policy lasts, Riley said.
College of Communication freshman Sarah Coe said she thinks more students will continue to download music illegally because the consequences will not be as harsh.
“I would assume that this hinders progress in the music industry,” she said. “I haven’t bought a CD in so long. People don’t have a reason to since now you don’t have to buy everything.”
Meenal Vamburkar
Published: Friday, January 30, 2009
College of Communication senior Juno Kim never planned on going to graduate school when she first decided to pursue a major in advertising.
A gloomy job market, however, has caused her to seriously consider staying in school as an alternative to potential unemployment, a situation she said many of her friends are currently facing.
“I’m definitely worried about the market,” she said. “Some of my friends who graduated last year have either gotten laid off or still haven’t found a job.”
Though she said the price of staying in school is definitely a concern for her, she is worried her job opportunities in the field of advertising will be limited, especially because of the current economic crisis.
“I don’t even know what I would go to grad school for yet, but I know the longer you stay in school the more money you can make when you get out,” she said.
GROWTH IN GRE VOLUMES
The Graduate Record Examinations General Test is the graduate school counterpart to the SATs high school students take before entering college. Most graduate school applicants are required to take the GREs, which are administrated by the Educational Testing Service, according to ETS Manager of Media and External Relations Mark McNutt.
Although McNutt said the number of administrated GREs has decreased by two percent in 2008, this past September saw more GRE registrations than any other single month, which he said is not uncommon during a recession.
Meenal Vamburkar
Published: Thursday, January 29, 2009
The failing economy may seem discouraging to graduating college students as May creeps closer, but despite an unstable job market and increasing corporate layoffs, graduating students should be persistent in their job searches, Boston University professors and advisors said.
In other economically trying times, BU Office of Career Services Assistant Director Deborah Halliday said she noticed that students stopped applying for jobs all together, something she said students should not do.
“The first and foremost thing they should do is not give up,” Halliday said.
Students should proceed as if the economy is stable, Halliday said.
Though the job hunt may not be impossible, BU economics department Chairman Kevin Lang said students might have to lower their expectations.
“By and large, college graduates from good institutions . . . are able to get jobs,” he said. “However, they are not always able to get jobs that are as good as the ones that people who were comparable to them two years earlier were able to get.”
Graduates might not be able to get jobs that are “as well paid or as exciting . . . as they could in an expansion,” Lang said.
Lang said the unstable job market should not discourage students, but warned the recession is not likely to be short-lived.
“The most important role in any job search, even in a good economy, is to remember that you only need one job and the next place you apply may be that job,” he said.
“Clearly, this year’s graduates are going to face a more difficult market, and I think most people think that next year’s graduates will also,” Lang said.
Some areas in the job market have been hit harder others, while areas like economic consulting are still doing well, Lang said.
“Jobs in finance have really dried up,” Lang said. “So, a lot of people in SMG [the School of Management] coming out with degrees in finance will have more difficulty finding those jobs.”
SMG sophomore Kelly Wei said she knows several people who have failed to land jobs despite their good resumes.
“I have friends who have done really well in school and graduated from places like Northwestern University or MIT [Massachusetts Institute of Technology], and they still haven’t been able to get jobs,” Wei said.
College of Engineering Career Development Office Director Debbie Dunklee said some areas of the market are still strong. The job market for engineering is not as dire as other sectors, such as finance, she said.
“What seems strong right now are software and IT [Information Technology] positions,” Dunklee said. “Electrical computer engineering or computer science seem to be most in demand, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t positions for others.”
Both Dunklee and Halliday said it is important for students to take advantage of the resources available from BU career services.
“They should come in to Career Services and have someone take a look at their resumes and go to career fairs,” Halliday said. “The one thing you don’t want to do is nothing.”
Meenal Vamburkar
Published: Monday, December 8, 2008
 "Photo: Alex Boyd")
Photo Credit: Alex Boyd
Only about 15 percent of each class at Boston University is of Asian descent, but everyone should be aware of last month’s terrorist attacks on Mumbai, India, students said.
More than 200 students gathered silently in Marsh Chapel on Friday to commemorate the victims of the Mumbai terror attacks, which began Nov. 26 and ended Nov. 29, killed nearly 200 people and injured more than 300 others.
“What happened is unbelievable,” College of Arts and Science freshman Shailee Dave said. “I knew people who live around the area, and it’s horrible.”
Invoking messages of peace and unity, 16 Boston University South Asian organizations collaborated to organize the vigil. A representative from each organization lit a candle, followed by a moment of silence in remembrance of the victims.
“This shows that we’re all united, and we want to organize together,” CAS junior Shuchi Lakhanpal said. “We’ve been organizing it since we got back from Thanksgiving break.”
BU India Club President Nirav Bhavsar said it was important for all the organizations to come together because the incident “affects everyone.”
“Being born and brought up here, a lot of us don’t think that much about issues happening there,” Bhavsar, a College of Engineering senior, said. “It’s important, though, to stay connected because, we do have heritage in India.”
CAS senior Qasim Salimi said he worries people tend to only pay attention to events in their own countries
“It is important to promote awareness, because there is a lot of ignorance about events that occur in other countries,” Salimi said. “Terrorism is a global concern.”
Event organizers raised funds by selling white ribbons to those who attended. Organizers said all proceeds would go to whichever charity they decide will be most effective toward aiding the situation in Mumbai.
Though India is no stranger to terror attacks, it is important to hold a vigil in remembrance of the Mumbai victims, students said.
“Having a vigil is important, because it makes people reflect and think about why something like this happened,” CAS senior Ayda Zugay said. “Then we can think about how to prevent it in the future.”
College of Communication sophomore Omar Aqeel said he thinks it is important for him to show his support, despite not being South Asian.
“We should know about these things,” he said. “By gaining knowledge about it, we can broaden our perspective of the world, which is important.”
Suno, BU’s Hindi a cappella group, concluded by singing India’s national anthem.
COM junior Mihika Verma said the incident was especially personal for her.
“I’m from India, and I know a commando who died during the attacks,” she said. “Initially, I was not very surprised, but it’s always sad.”
Filed under: Bylines | Tags: college, daily free press, frost nixon, zelnick
Meenal Vamburkar
Published: Friday, November 21, 2008
The distrust of government and air of executive secrecy the United States has experienced during the Bush administration is nothing new, as a quick look back at the Watergate era will show.
Boston University journalism professor Bob Zelnick stood in as former President Richard Nixon when preparing talk show host David Frost for his 1977 series of televised interviews with Nixon.
Now, actor Oliver Platt is playing Zelnick in the Ron Howard film, Frost/Nixon, a movie based on the interviews Frost held with Nixon, in which he probed him about the Watergate scandal and his alleged abuses in foreign and domestic policy. The movie is based on a Peter Morgan play of the same name.
“I feel pretty good about it,” Zelnick said. “Any time that a 5-foot-6-inch guy like me can be portrayed by a 6-foot-5-inch fellow like Oliver Platt, I feel I’ve gained something.”
Zelnick’s role as executive editor for the Frost interviews involved researching Watergate and preparing Frost for the interviews by playing the role of Nixon.
“David would ask me the questions that he would expect to ask Nixon, and I would respond with the way I thought Nixon would answer,” Zelnick said.
In the film’s production notes, Platt said a lot of research went into making the movie, and he went through “a big box of clippings, books, DVDs of research” to get a better sense of the Zelnick’s role.
BU journalism professor Anne Donohue said the movie parallels America’s current political situation.
“We’re at a period now where we’ve come off of eight years of a not terribly honest or forthright presidency,” she said. “I hope it’s a good reminder to people that we need to keep tabs on our government and watch it carefully.”
This is an important movie for the younger generation to see, and BU should have a screening of the movie on campus, journalism lecturer Terry Ann Knopf said.
“I find that students’ knowledge of recent history is not very great,” she said. “So I think as a history lesson, a film like this can be very important.”
Zelnick’s students said they were excited to have their professor portrayed in the important role he played in history.
“I was aware of his prestige when I took the course, so it doesn’t come as a surprise,” College of Communication graduate student Solomon Syed said. “I think it’s great, and I wish I could have gone to the premiere.”
Zelnick attended the movie’s New York City premiere Monday and said it was an excellent movie that allowed him to relive an important episode in his life.
BU Evergreen Program student Victor Darish said he felt honored to be auditing a class with Zelnick.
“I think it’s unbelievable,” he said. “To be able to listen to someone who was involved at the time is very exciting.”
Zelnick said although the movie is not completely accurate, he expects people who see it to have a good time and see a new backstage perspective of a well-known historical scandal.
“I think that people will gain some insight into what the event was all about, even though it’s more like a historical novel than history,” he said. “It’s fun anyway.”
Meenal Vamburkar
Published: Monday, November 10, 2008
Nearly a quarter century after the 1984 anti-Sikh massacre in India, students gathered for a candlelight vigil to promote remembrance as well as tolerance for Sikh and other cultures around the world.
The vigil, which brought about 40 people to Marsh Chapel Saturday, included a video and presentation by speaker Sarbpreet Singh, a Boston-based communications executive who also acts as a public speaker against discrimination.
“The main point I want to make is that creating awareness tends to prevent these kinds of things from being repeated,” he said.
The anti-Sikh massacre happened on Oct. 31, 1984, after two Sikh bodyguards assassinated former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The following day, the Congress Party, an Indian political bloc, led retaliatory attacks against the Sikhs. The mobs carried weapons, including knives, clubs and kerosene, and killed every Sikh man they found. Although a definitive count of the dead was never recorded, it is estimated that hundreds of citizens died.
Sikhism is a religion that began in India 500 years ago and has a following of more than 20 million people today. Singh emphasized the need to stop oppression against all human beings.
“It is a Sikh’s creed to worry about the oppressed everywhere,” he said. “There is a lot you can do. Mobilize the people around you.”
As he told his story of moving to the United States at 21 years old and discovering himself as a Sikh, he encouraged tolerance and remembering those who were killed in 1984 because, “remembering them is honoring them, and if we do not then we are being disrespectful.”
Singh also touched upon Sept. 11 and its effect on the Sikh community. People confused Sikhs for Arabs because of their turbans and uncut hair, resulting in several instances of violence against them. This, he said, motivated him to spread awareness.
“There were huge grassroots efforts made to condemn violence against Sikhs and Arabs,” he said. “This is an opportunity for us to educate people about who we are and what our beliefs were.”
Anger about past events is natural, but “we should channel that anger into doing something about it,” he said.
Students who attended said they agreed with Singh’s message of tolerance and increased awareness.
“I come here to understand things that affect other faiths,” School of Management senior Haziq Haque said. “It’s my motivation, and I always learn something new.”
School of Medicine student Monica Jain said listening to Singh’s speech was her favorite part of the vigil.
“It was moving,” she said. “[Singh] had a lot of good things to say that related to us. I’m not a Sikh, but I don’t think it’s controversial because it’s about educating. He didn’t say anything negative.”
The Sikh Association at BU hopes to keep the memory of 1984 alive and to overcome racial barriers, Vice President Aanchal Sharma said.
“If we educate people and spread awareness, they won’t repeat the same mistakes,” Sharma, a College of Arts and Sciences junior, said.
