v “community colleges are inclusive…”...mohamed abdelghany. a resident of clifton, abdelghany...
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Limited Clinton Edition May 16, 2016
OUR COUNTRY SHOULD WORK LIKE COMMUNITY COLLEGES
By Thomas Feliciano, Managing Editor
Former President Bill Clinton greets audience members
The election season is almost drawing to its
climax. Still, two of the most important primaries in
the race for the Democratic nomination are
upcoming. California and New Jersey will vote on
June 7 to determine the close race between Senator
Bernie Sanders and Secretary of State, Hillary
Clinton.
The campaign trail brought former President
Bill Clinton to the state of NJ on Friday, May 13. He
was scheduled to appear at Passaic County
Community College's gymnasium at 12:00 p.m. Mr.
Clinton arrived a little before 12:45, but his speech
was preceded by several important people in Hillary's
race for the White House.
First to the podium was PCCC student,
Mohamed Abdelghany. A resident of Clifton,
Abdelghany told the story about how he was focused
on athletics throughout his high school career at
Clifton High School. This came to a crashing halt
when he tore his ACL and was unable to continue his
pursuit of a sporting scholarship.
His journey changed paths, with a focus on
academics that lead him to PCCC, where Abdelghany
obtained a 4.0 GPA and was steadfast in his drive to
better himself. He mentioned that it was no
coincidence that former President Clinton was born
in Hope, Arkansas, as he provided hope to the country
when they needed it the most.
Next to
the
podium
was
Senator
Nellie
Pou,
who
serves
the New
Jersey
Senate from the 35th District, and has since 2012. She
spoke about Paterson as “the most diverse city in the
most diverse state in the most diverse country.”
Senator Pou made no qualms about who she supports
in the upcoming NJ Primary with the assertive claim,
“I'm with her. Part of her backing of Hillary revolves
around her promise to “keep immigrant families
intact.” She also claimed that Hillary “fights for us.”
Senator Pou claimed that the “future of our great
nation depends on” the NJ Primary on June 7. She
“Community Colleges are
inclusive…”
- Former President, Bill Clinton
said there has “never been a more important election
in history.” Senator Pou closed her speech with the
claim that Hillary will be the “People's President.”
Up next was
Chair John
Currie of the
New Jersey
Democratic
State
Committee. He
claimed that NJ
is “truly Clinton
Country.” He urged supporters that if they want to
continue President Barack Obama's legacy, then
voting for Hillary is their only option. He said that the
“next President and first female President” will look
out for the Middle Class. He also said that Hillary has
the “best qualifications” to be the next Leader of the
Free World.
Chairman Currie's speech wrapped up around
12:20 p.m. After some delay, he retook the podium to
inform the
audience that
former
President
Clinton was
delayed due to
a traffic
accident.
Music played
in the
meantime, until Congressman Bill Pascrell took the
stage for the introductory remarks.
Congressman Pascrell of NJ's 9th District
opened with the claim that Hillary would “break
barriers” as the next President. He said that the
Republican Candidate (Donald Trump) “strokes the
flames of bigotry and hatred.”
“Rather than building walls, Hillary Clinton is
focused on bringing everyone to the table,”
Congressman Pascrell said. He continued with, “It's
hard to overstate how dangerous Donald Trump's
policies would be.”
One such policy, defaulting on our National
Debt, is something that Congressman Pascrell
warned that even the most hard-line conservative
economists are against. He said, “We pay our debts
as Americans.”
Congressman Pascrell finished his speech
with the claim that it “could be New Jersey that
determines the difference on June 7.” He finished his
speech to much acclaim, before introducing the 42nd
President of the United States, William Jefferson
Clinton.
Former President Clinton's address lasted
nearly 45 minutes. The highlight of his speech was
that “Our country would work better if it worked like
community colleges.” This is because they are all
inclusive, turn nobody away, are incredibly
affordable, and give the most opportunities to
anybody who comes seeking them.
Former President Clinton remarked that in his
earlier discussion with our very own esteemed Dr.
Steve Rose, PCCC's President told former President
Clinton that he was the first of America's leaders to
mention
community
colleges in his
speeches.
President
Clinton then
moved on the the
story of the
Chobani Yogurt
company. He said that its founder, a Turkish
immigrant named Hamdi Ulukaya, set the standard
for what American business should represent.
PCCC President Dr. Steve Rose, center, circulates
gymnasium prior to speech
The company founded in 2005 and officially
opened its doors in 2007. As of 2016, Chobani is
worth billions. Ulukaya not only made himself rich,
but also the company's 2000 employees. Before going
public later this year, Ulukaya distributed a portion of
the company to everybody who works at Chobani.
The total adds up to 10 percent of the company, or [at
least] $150,000 per employee.
This is the foundation of selflessness and
giving back to one's employees that former President
Clinton would like to see emulated again and again.
The next portion of his speech was a reaction
to Senator Sanders' proposal for tuition-free public
colleges and universities. Although former President
Clinton said the idea sounded noble in premise, he
disagreed with the notion that would potentially put
many institutes of higher education out of business.
He asserted that those who can afford tuition
should pay, while those who can't should have every
opportunity to attend. This included expanding the
Pell Grant program and increasing student loan
forgiveness. The goal laid out by the Clinton
Campaign is to make “everybody eligible for debt-
free college.”
After the remarks about student debt, an
individual from the crowd interrupted, asking former
President Clinton why he “put people in jail.” Some
of the crowd booed, but former President Clinton
cordially allowed the man to finish, before answering
in due kind.
He referenced the Crime Bill that he signed in
1994. He also admitted that, “We overdid sentencing
in the 90s; we need to reverse it.” The man left the
venue with chants of “Feel the Bern” to which several
students responded with chants of “Hillary.”
Former President Clinton showed poise in his
reaction to this unscheduled event. He said that
America is the least racist, sexist, homophobic, and
xenophobic we've ever been, but we have a problem
when two people with opposing views can't sit in the
same room with one another.
Almost on cue, another eruption from the
crowd rocked the venue. A woman asked former
President Clinton to help “release money for
elementary schools.” He responded with, “That's a
New Jersey problem.”
Former President Clinton then said that
Americans should “prove our country is a model for
the 21st Century.” He said that we need terror-hating,
peace-loving Muslim-Americans to join the fight
against extremism here at home.
Dr. Christine Redman-Waldeyer, English Dpt. Faculty
Advisor pictured with Thomas Feliciano, Managing
Editor, Visions
He proposed an allegory that saw a wall built
at the Mexican and Canadian border, as well as
around the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. He continued
by placing the United States Air Force in the sky at
all hours to monitor traffic going in and out. President
Clinton claimed that even with those measures in
place, Social Media would still infiltrate. The same
Social Media that prepared the terrorists of San
Bernardino to commit their heinous actions against
their countrymen.
CNN correspondent reporting in the press stands
Former President Clinton said America
should be concerned with “bridge building not wall
building.” He also said the country needs a politician
who has proven to get things done with policy and
also by working with Republicans. He promised that
his wife is the “most gifted changer America has ever
seen.”
At this, he left the stage to shake hands with
those in the crowd, kiss a few babies, and pose for
selfies. He left PCCC’s gymnasium a little after 2
p.m.
Bill Clinton Continues Legacy of
Appealing to Young Voters By Joseph M. Reiner, Staff Writer
Former President Bill Clinton’s surprise
speech on Friday, May 13th, at PCCC was officially
confirmed just a day earlier. Even with such short
notice, an undeniable feeling of celebrity status swept
through the air as attendees shuffled in and out of the
gymnasium where he spoke.
Betsy Marinace, Executive Director of Enrollment
Mgmt; Vice President Dr. Jacqueline Kineavy, and
Josephine Hernandez, Vice President for Passaic
Academic Center in attendance
Mr. Clinton touched upon wife Hillary
Rodham Clinton’s many accomplishments
throughout her career in politics and law making. His
words were crisp, confident, and beyond one or two
notable exceptions, met with roars of applause.
Beyond her endorsement, however, Bill Clinton is an
influential Democrat with a long history of being well
liked by the college community.
Mr. Clinton’s track record of action geared
toward the youth vote extends before many PCCC
students were even born. In fact, in a move that would
be seen as far less risky today, it was “MTV, the
music video channel that put Mr. Clinton on a
program titled ‘Choose or Lose: Facing the Future
with Bill Clinton’,”1 back in 1992.
PCCC Board of Trustees Chairman, Harvey J. Nutter
For 90 minutes, Mr. Clinton took challenging
personal questions from a mixed crowd of college
students. He connected to them with a grace and
swagger not seen in American politics since JFK.
Some political analysts believe his appearance on the
channel largely won over the crucial demographic in
the ’92 general election, the year he was first elected
president.
Fourteen years later, members of the press
and public officials anxiously joined PCCC staff and
students at the college’s Main Campus for the chance
to see Bill in the flesh. Mr. Clinton appeared dapper
and in high spirits, despite getting a dose of typical
tri-state traffic, “stuck behind a truck accident on the
Tappan Zee Bridge”2 during the overcast morning.
Eager supporters in the crowd
History Professors Martha A. Brozyna and Petar
Drakulich pictured with their children left to right,
Justine Brozyna-McNamara, age 10; Helena
Drakulich, 9 and Liam Brozyna-McNamara, age 9
greeted him with notably more enthusiasm than he’s
received at other college campuses on the HRC
campaign trail.
Senior Dean for Academic Affairs, Dr. Bassel Stassis
When he spoke of Hillary’s proposed
increases to tuition aid funding, the crowd met the
notion with universal agreement. After the speech,
as students pushed forward for a chance to shake
hands with the former president, one thing about the
Clinton camp became clear: Bill can still connect to
young people in a way that critics say his better half
has struggled with this past election cycle. Only
time can tell what these continued appeals to college
students will spell out for Hillary on November 8th.
Left to right - Michelle Baldino, Accountant; Sandy
Levit, Controller; Laura Perez, Counselor; Margo
Murray, Counselor
Citations:
1. Gwen Ifill. “THE 1992 CAMPAIGN: Youth Vote;
Clinton Goes Eye to Eye With MTV Generation.” The
New York Times. 06/07/1992. Retrieved 05/15/2016.
2. Annie Karni. “Bill Clinton’s rough day on the trail.”
Politico. 05/13/2016. Retrieved 05/15/2016.
In collaboration with
Editor-in-Chief, Kevin Leiva
and Faculty Advisor,
Dr. Christine Redman-Waldeyer
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