MO Students Celebrate Black History Month With Lessons

By Cheryl Conway 

At the Mt. Olive Township Council meetings this month many issues were raised such as gun control, salary increases, anniversary of women’s suffrage, Seward House grant and electric car charging stations.

Read below to learn more. Meetings are also live streamed so residents who cannot attend can tune in to what is happening in town.  

Gun Resolution Hoedown At Townhall

Mt. Olive Township Council has shot down a resolution, for now, that would label the township a 2A Sanctuary City, which would declare itself a safe zone for gun rights.

After an outcry from local residents, who expressed their concerns for and against the idea, township officials decided to not even vote on the resolution that was introduced by Councilman Alex Roman this month. Residents discussed the resolution at the council meetings held Tuesdays, Feb. 4 and Feb. 18. 

With gun control laws on the surface, there has been an attempt by certain groups to encourage municipalities to take a stance on the second amendment. Like other jurisdictions in states, counties and municipalities in the United States, Mt. Olive joined in the debate at recent council meetings to discuss whether it should declare itself “a safe zone” for gun rights.

Known as a Second Amendment sanctuary, or gun sanctuary, municipalities have adopted laws or resolutions to prohibit or impede the enforcement of certain gun control measures such as universal gun background checks, assault weapon and high capacity magazine bans and red flag laws.

In an effort to soften the resolution, Roman had taken out the word ‘sanctuary’ and used ‘township.’

“Nothing in the resolution that I had proposed last meeting included the word sanctuary at all and nothing in the body of the resolution would ever be construed by anybody reasonable or otherwise that they would not be required to follow the laws in the state of NJ or the federal government,” said Roman in his defense of the resolution at the Feb. 18 meeting.

According to the resolution proposed by Roman, “the Second Amendment to the Constitution states, “A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not infringed;” as well as “an individual right to keep and bear arms not connected to the service of the militia.” It further states that an estimated 12 million Americans lawfully carry concealed firearms.

“The township of Mt. Olive Council declares to be a Second Amendment/Lawful Gun Owner Township by supporting “the rights of lawful gun owners to lawfully use firearms, defend themselves, their loved ones and other innocents; lawfully hunt and participate in shooting sports; opposes further interference with or abridging of the rights of lawful gun owners; opposes gun control, gun safety legislation or red flag laws, state, federal or local.”

Roman’s resolution was shot down after community members voiced their concerns.

“It would not be coming up for a vote for the township,” Council President Joe Nicastro announced.

Shelly Morningstar of Flanders led the discussion by asking the township attorney for her overview of legal findings in regards to the resolution.

Mt. Olive Township Attorney Susan Sharpe, responded by saying, “It would not have a force of law because that has to be done by ordinance, by municipal ordinance and that was a resolution and a resolution is basically just an opinion or a statement of opinion.”

Morningstar asked, Is there “any liability in passing a resolution that indicated in its writing that our local law enforcement, police department and our township council would not recognize the laws of the state of NJ?”

Sharpe replied, “Since it doesn’t have the effect of law 'no…it should not be construed as endorsing or directing police department or anyone else to ignore their constitutional obligations."

Morningstar was pleased with the board’s decision.

“I want to thank you all for listening to the community, for understanding that we have a constitution that respects all of the bill of rights and amendments,  and for most importantly not feeding into opinions one way or the other  that could potentially cause distress to the people who live here, confusion about the role of the police and most importantly continues to keep Mt. Olive a place where people want to live, raise a family, open a business and I applaud you all for giving this great consideration and thank you very much,” Morningstar said.

Resolution Not Dead

Displeased with the outcome of his proposed resolution, Roman responded, “I have not abandoned bringing this resolution back up at a future date. I don’t consider it closed by any means and I will continue to work with my fellow council members and the public to bring which I feel is an important resolution back up to the board.”

At the Feb. 4 meeting, Roman addressed the attendees as to his reason for the resolution. “I and many other Americans, council members and residents believe the state of NJ is infringing on our Second Amendment rights. I chose to remove the word sanctuary; labeling it a sanctuary has a connotation that we are endorsing not following the state of N.J. and the federal government. The title did not ring true to the body of the resolution.

“It’s important this governing body pushes back on the state,” said Roman. “Lets the governor and state legislature know law abiding citizens are not the problem and restricting our rights does not make us safer.”

Martin Welzmuller, who has lived in Mt. Olive since he was three, debated why the issue is important to him: “Anytime the government has gotten involved in this state they have infringed on our rights, they have taken away our rights,” he said. They have no problem taking our rights but they have a hell of a time giving the rights back.

The Second Amendment, “It’s a right,” he said. “These rights are not just for me, they are for everyone. By doing this we are still following the laws of NJ. Putting the politicians on notice down in Trenton, that maybe the law abiding citizens have had enough. By doing this we are still fowling the laws of NJ.

“You are voting for the rights to stay the same as how they should be,” said Welzmuller. “You are not taking away the rights. I’m helping to run the Morris County 2A sanctuary program here working on doing this here and other towns on the resolution.”

Hoedown Continued

Erika Clarke said, “We are a really desirable town to live in. We are known for our education, stem and robotics program, parks are beautiful, our sports are huge… if it’s passed you google Mt. Olive and the first thing you are going to see is Second Amendment city. It brings a negative connotation, it just does.

“New Jersey already supports gun ownerships so I don’t know why we need a logo or t-shirt saying that Mt. Olive lets people own guns,” continued Clarke. “We already own guns. No matter what this amendment says there’s going to be some idiot in town who thinks this now means I can carry my gun to Turkey Brook. I don’t want to be at my son’s lacrosse game when that idiot gets mad at somebody.

“This is an extremely polarizing topic and this group was ready to pass it through,” said Clarke. “The town doesn’t even know this is happening. Shame on everybody for not allowing some type of town hall meeting because there are people for it and there are people against it…but no one had the decency to let everybody listen to what all the facts are on either side.

“This is an entryway for other laws to be changed in New Jersey,” said Clarke. “This is unacceptable. I have very good friends on the other side of this and I just do not agree with it all.”

Roman shot back at Clarke saying he “disagrees with her characterization of legal gun owners as being crazy and the fact of owning a gun does not turn you into a criminal. That some crazed person can just carry a gun. Those are called criminals.”

Clarke, agreed and said “Exactly; if someone who is borderline criminal….the word Second Amendment Sanctuary …someone might think that…it’s still negative.”

Roman disagreed and said, “As far as a town hall conversation this is what this is….it wasn’t a resolution to be voted on without discussion. Everyone had two to three weeks notice that this was coming up.”

Clarke shot back, “You know the majority of this town… how many people live in this town how many people are at this meeting.”

Roman replied “That is there choice.”

Irene Sergonis, democrat contender for council this past November, challenged Roman’s thought process in regards to his resolution by reading back his comments at a July 11, 2017 meeting when R. Bonte asked for a resolution supporting the Paris Accord to fight climate change.  This is what he said, "I am not a fan of resolutions that are feel good resolutions. I think this governing body should always enact legislation on resolutions that are meant to create an action and something that can be done. I know my opinion is probably not the most popular of opinions, but if all we ever wanted to do was just put out things that feel good, that accomplish nothing for the residents of Mt. Olive, we could be addressing resolutions every time we have a meeting."

Asked Sergonis, “So why aren’t we addressing the problems of Mt. Olive? My friends are leaving because the taxes are too high; my kids can’t afford to live in this town. Why are we looking at the resolutions and spending time on that?”

Roman responded: “This is not a feel good resolution. It is to address a situation that I see, have been seeing for a while coming. Legal gun owners are being told that they are the problem, not the criminals.”

Sergonis agreed that “It is not a feel good resolution.  It is a divisive resolution that accomplishes nothing.  I think climate change is more of a danger but you wouldn’t do a resolution for that.”

Roman threw it back in her face saying “if had you been elected you would have been more than welcome to introduce a resolution.”

Sergonis replied,  “I wouldn’t spend time doing resolutions. I’d spend time doing work. Like Mr. Stewart who works so hard to bring businesses here so we can get our taxes reduced. Like Mrs. Labow who works with our health department to make our health and safety our priority. I wouldn't be putting resolutions forth.”

Morningstar defended Sergonis and said: “Councilman Roman…your comment just now to a member of this community demonstrated political divisiveness when you used the language that you did.

You were elected dually to office, you swore and posted your photo so that everybody can see it either on the bible or the constitution or something January 2 to uphold the constitution of the state and the United States of America and the laws therein.

“The law is the law.  This is nothing more than an attempt to create political divisiveness, to change the narrative and I personally think that if you want to go support this personally not on behalf of Mt. Olive Township Council, not as a resolution  …you should join the Morris County Second Amendment group and march to Trenton and march to Virginia and wherever else you think your rights are being infringed upon.

“In the meantime there are a majority of us who think keeping our citizens safe and following the law and supporting our law enforcement under the laws that we have and expect our law elected officials to do the same.”

The battle came to a close when Mt. Olive Township Mayor Rob Greenbaum, who does not get a vote on the resolution, shared his opposition to the resolution. “I don’t want to get the town involved in national issues,” he said at the Feb. 4 meeting.

At the Feb. 18 meeting he concluded, “I don’t know that there is anything anybody could do to stop Councilman Roman from reintroducing the resolution; he has a right to do that. Council President Nicastro certainly indicated what the feeling was of the majority of the board that they are not in favor of moving forward with the resolution on behalf of the township.

“My opposition really to the entire resolution was more broad than just the second amendment issue that was put on the table,” said Greenbaum.

“We have worked very hard as a group, as a government, to bring the community together not to separate the community,” the mayor said. “There are many divisive issues, many different types of resolutions that we could  discuss and put on the table for adoption whether its  second amendment, sanctuary cities for illegal immigrants, birth control or any of those issues…which there are very important issues to be addressed, but not by this governing body as a whole.

“My position was no matter how you feel about it individually about any of these issues it’s not appropriate for us as a municipality to adopt a position which is so divisive that it does not represent 99 percent of the community,” Greenbaum said. Autism week, women’s suffrage…those are resolutions to adopt.

“As a governing body I caution all of you as we move forward, your own personal opinions you are free to move forward to say whatever you want to take whatever position you want, but as a body…no matter which side of the issue you are on there are divisive issues that we as a governing body should not be taking a position on behalf of the municipality… all you are doing is you are creating a divisive issue.

“Let’s move forward together; you can take whatever positions you want,” the mayor said. “I urge the council, as these issues come up, you need to be very careful on taking a position on behalf of the entire community. In my opinion it’s not right."

Since there is not a majority of council people in favor of moving forward with such a resolution, the mayor said the resolution will not be voted on.

Councilwoman Colleen Labow agreed with the mayor: “While I do appreciate that Alex likes to bring different subjects forward, I absolutely will not be voting in favor of that….don’t like to have the entire community so upset and concerned over something…we have no control over that.

“I’d rather spend my time on things we can actually do something about,” Labow said.

At the Feb. 4 meeting, Nicastro said he had a problem with the headline of the resolution that said “We’re making Mt. Olive a Second Amendment Township. I represent all citizens. I believe in the Second Amendment. I believe in good fair gun laws. It’s hard for me to involve the town in something.

“In my opinion,” Nicastro said, “I support it. If I had the time I would march but not something I feel comfortable saying we are a Second Amendment Township.”

In his surrender at the end of the meeting, Roman thanked the council for considering the resolution.

“Not to disagree with the mayor, I think it’s important for the governing body to touch in on issues that the state is imposing on townships, and protect rights of the minority and in this case, gun owning minority,” said Roman.

“I will defend any group that I think is being attacked or that a constitutional amendment is being attacked,” he said. “I will not stop. I will definitely not be bringing the resolution back up to see it fail. At least it brought light to the issue of the state constantly imposing new regulations that do not actually affect the safety of the residents of the state and the township.”

Township Officials Approve Own Pay Raise

The mayor and council will be getting higher salaries after the council unanimously approved on final passage Ordinance #3-2020 to amend Ordinance #25-19 which establishes salaries for mayor and council.

No public comments were heard at the meeting despite the debate by residents arguing the matter on the community Facebook page.

According to the ordinance the council is required to adopt the salaries of all employees annually for 2020 retroactive since Jan. 1, 2020.

With the increase, the mayor will receive $20,000; council president $11,000; and council members $10,000.

The last salary increase for these officials was in 2015: The mayor was getting paid $10,500; council president $8,500; and council members $8,000.

“It was not my idea,” says Greenbaum regarding the salary increases. “It’s there ballpark.” The township council votes for salary increases, says Greenbaum. “It’s always been that way.”

Greenbaum did include the figures into the 2020 budget, which is set for public hearing on Tuesday, March 3 at 7 p.m.

He says, in scope of the whole budget, the salary increases “it’s minimum expenditure; it wont affect taxes.”  

The funding to pay for the extra salaries does come from the 2020 operating municipal budget, says Andrew Tatarenko, Mt. Olive Township business administrator. He says the total increase between all eight members, that includes mayor and council, is $24,000.

In response to where these monies come from Tatarenko explains: “There is no simple way for me to answer your question. There is nothing being eliminated or reduced to pay for the salary increase.

“An operating budget is made up of very complex line items which can change on an annual basis,” he explains.  “The current municipal budget is over $31M (not including school, county, library or open space) which is made up of operating line items which decrease and increase every year depending on operational need.  Each line item is evaluated on a yearly basis to ensure the resources are available to maintain services.  The amount of revenue the township anticipates from various resources is also a factor (shared services, tax collection, permit fees, etc.) will also dictates the tax rate. 

“The utilization of what’s called “fund balance” is another mechanism used to stabilize taxes,” Tatarenko continues. “Fund balance is generated year after year and accumulates from budget revenues in excess of anticipated revenue, excess receipts of delinquent taxes, budget revenues not anticipated and cancelling of appropriation reserves.  Throughout the years,  Mt. Olive has been fiscally responsible and has accumulated a healthy reserve which gives us the ability to avoid the peaks and valleys of a changing tax rate. 

Purple Municipal Building Lights Up Town

Mt. Olive Township officials passed a resolution earlier this month to recognize the 100th anniversary protecting and guaranteeing women’s right to vote in the United States.

“In honor of the 100th Anniversary of the Ratification of the 19th Amendment, the Township of Mt. Olive will light the municipal building in purple, one of the colors of the New Jersey Suffrage movement, for the week of February 10,” clarifies Tatarenko. 

According to the resolution, on June 4, 1919, Congress passed the 19th Amendment guaranteeing all American women the right to vote. On Feb. 9, 1920, N.J. became the 29th state to ratify the 19th amendment granting women the right to vote.

Electric Charging Stations Coming To MO

Township officials are looking into installing electric charging stations around town.

“We would like to install EV Charging Stations at Turkey Brook Park and for future expansion to other Township owned properties (municipal lot and Flanders Park),” explains Tatarenko.   

The plan calls for the installation of two charging stations which can charge four cars at a time. 

Purpose of the station is “To encourage the use of electric vehicles which will assist in reducing harmful emissions,” says Tatarenko. 

“Councilman Nicastro brought up the idea as a way for Mt. Olive to be more environmentally friendly,” he explains. “It also compliments the Governor’s legislative action to boost plug-in electric vehicles in N.J.  He has made available several grant opportunities to offset the cost.   

With a significant number of electric cars in the area, Tatarenko says the need for these charging stations is growing.

Officials designated Turkey Brook as a prime location because “Turkey Brook Park is a regional destination,” says Tatarenko.  “Last year, over 70,000 people visited the park.  It was the best location to reach a maximum amount of people that would benefit from the charging stations.” 

Officials are moving fast with the idea.

“We are currently developing bid specifications to find a vendor who will install and maintain the charging stations,” says Tatarenko.  “I anticipate charging stations will be available this spring, early summer.”

He says typical range for charging stations is $1-$2 per hour. “Parking would be limited to two to four hours so that others have an opportunity to charge.” 

Good news is there would be zero cost to the town, says Tatarenko.

“We are structuring our bid specifications for the vendor to pay for all installation, equipment and maintenance,” he explains. “In return, they are allowed to keep the revenue generated.”   

Seward House Receives Grant

The township was awarded $504,675 to continue the preservation of the Seward House located at Turkey Brook Park in Budd Lake. The township plans to match the grant with prior grant awards from the Morris County Historic Preservation Fund.

Council passed a resolution Tuesday, Feb. 4. 

“The grant money we are receiving from the N.J. State Historic Trust will be used to complete the structural upgrades and roof, roof drainage and chimney restoration as well as the continuation of the exterior restoration including restoration and repair of the masonry, front porch and trim,” says Tatarenko.

This is a multi-phase capital request as additional resources will be needed to complete the work,” he says.  “The goal is to use the Seward House as a community center and serve as the home to the Mount Olive Historical Society.” 

CCM President Selected For New Presidents Fellowship Program 

Dr. Anthony J. Iacono, president of County College of Morris in Randolph, has been selected by the Aspen Institute to join the 2020-21 inaugural class of the Aspen New Presidents Fellowship, a new initiative designed to support community college presidents in the early years of their tenure to accelerate transformational change on behalf of students.

Iacono is one of 25 Aspen Fellows selected from more than 100 applicants nationwide for this opportunity, which is fully funded by JPMorgan Chase & Co. and run by the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program. The leaders, all of whom are in their first five years as a college president, will engage in a seven-month fellowship beginning in June 2020.

“We are delighted that Dr. Iacono is being recognized by such a prestigious organization for the outstanding work he has been doing at CCM to ensure the success of our students and to provide the pathways for individuals to reach their dreams and build a better for life for themselves, their families and communities,” said Thomas Pepe, chair of the college’s Board of Trustees.

The fellows were selected for their commitment to student success and equity, willingness to take risks to improve outcomes, understanding of the importance of community partnerships, and ability to lead change.

“We know more than ever before about how community colleges can improve outcomes for students, both in and after college,” said Josh Wyner, executive director of the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program. “And the urgency for them to do so only increases – especially for students of color and low-income students. These fellows have shown they are fully, urgently committed to excellence and equity, and we look forward to working alongside them.”

Nearly 80 percent of community college presidents nationwide plan to retire in the next decade. Through this fellowship and its other leadership programs, Aspen is committed to helping to replace those exiting the presidency with an exceptionally capable and highly diverse talent pool. According to the American Council on Education, only 36 percent of community college presidents are female, and 20 percent are people of color. The incoming class of Aspen fellows is 48 percent female, and 40 percent are people of color. Their institutions span 15 states and vary widely, from a rural college with fewer than 2,000 students to a statewide system that educates more than 150,000.

The program for new presidents is an addition to the Aspen Presidential Fellowship for Community College Excellence, which has been serving aspiring presidents since 2016. Of the nearly 160 fellows who have taken part in the Rising Presidents Fellowship, 41 are now community college presidents, serving more than 500,000 students.

“By preparing students and workers for in-demand jobs and meeting the training needs of businesses, community colleges are critical institutions for their regions’ prosperity and development,” said Jennie Sparandara, head of workforce initiatives, JPMorgan Chase. “JPMorgan Chase is proud to partner with the Aspen Institute’s College Excellence Program to build the next generation of diverse community college leaders.”

JPMorgan Chase is funding the Aspen Presidential Fellowship as part of New Skills at Work, a five-year, $350 million investment to support community colleges and other pathways to great careers and economic mobility.

As a Presidential Fellow, Iacono will attend two residential seminars led by Aspen faculty and other leading community college professionals, analyze CCM’s student outcomes, devise plans to tackle student success challenges and take part in networking and other learning opportunities.

Iacono became CCM’s third president in 2016. A community college graduate, he is a strong believer in the power of community colleges to transform lives. Under his leadership, CCM has developed an academic success center, a food pantry, a childcare assistance program and other support services to assist students in meeting their goal of obtaining a college education.   He also has focused on expanding the number of partnerships with community organizations to provide as many people as possible with pathways to realize their dreams for a better future. As he likes to note, “Every individual deserves a great education regardless of the circumstances of their birth.” Included among those efforts, CCM has launched Dover College Promise to provide middle and high school students in Dover, NJ, a predominately Hispanic community, with free after-school support services, mentoring and a pathway to attend college. Should they elect to attend CCM, those students will have their tuition fully funded under that program.

Also during his tenure as president, CCM has redesigned its vocational and technical education training programs to better prepare individuals interested in careers in such fields as advanced manufacturing and engineering. Supporting that effort, CCM is constructing a 31,500-square-foot Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering that is schedule to open this fall. Last year, CCM also received a $4 million U.S. Department of Labor grant to lead a consortium of New Jersey community colleges in designing a network of apprenticeship programs in advanced manufacturing.         

The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program aims to advance higher education practices and leadership strategies that significantly improve student outcomes. Through the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the Aspen Presidential Fellowship for Community College Excellence, and other initiatives, the College Excellence Program works to improve colleges’ understanding and capacity to teach and graduate students, especially the growing population of low-income students and students of color on American campuses. For more information, visit highered.aspeninstitute.org and follow us on Twitter at @AspenHigherEd.

Centenary Unveiled New Baseball Complex Home Opener  

The calendar may still say winter, but Centenary University’s baseball team isn’t waiting to open its spring season. The Cyclones was set to host its first-ever home baseball game on Friday, Feb. 21, at Our Diamond of Dreams, the University’s new baseball complex, located on the Hackettstown campus.

The home opener was a doubleheader vs. Lehman College, with games scheduled at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. The event featured musical entertainment, refreshments and lots of Cyclone spirit.

Diamond of Dreams is a state-of-the-art complex located at the southeast corner of the Centenary University campus. At a field dedication last fall, Steve Somers ’19 HA, who with his wife, Sharon, was lead donor for the new complex, threw out the first pitch at the field. The Cyclones also played a friendly game against Centenary baseball alumni to christen the field.

Centenary Co-hosts Night To Shine Prom 

Centenary University in Hackettstown partnered with St. Luke Special Needs Ministry to host its second annual Night to Shine sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation on Friday, Feb. 7. Held in the David and Carol Lackland Center, the free event offered an unforgettable prom experience for teens and adults with special needs, ages 14 and up.

At Night to Shine held on Centenary’s campus, every guest received a red-carpet welcome, complete with a friendly crowd and paparazzi. Once inside, the royal treatment for guests included stations for hair, makeup, and shoe shining, limousine rides, corsages and boutonnieres, a catered dinner, dancing, professional photos, and a respite room for parents and caretakers. Staffing the event were Centenary University students and representatives from St. Luke Special Needs Ministry. Based at St. Luke Parish in Long Valley, the ministry provides an inclusive spiritual, social, and educational environment for children and adults with special needs and their families.

Hackettstown police officers served as special guests, recreating last year’s big Night to Shine moment with their performance of The Village People’s “YMCA” at the request of attendees. Police officers also posed with attendees throughout the evening.

Rachel Danitz, community engagement coordinator at Centenary University, noted that the event promotes inclusion and fosters community pride.

“We were so proud to again host this special night on our campus,” Danitz explained. “It was a chance for our community to join together and create awareness for those with special needs, as well as making these remarkable members of our community feel special. It truly was a night to remember.”

Now in its sixth year, Night to Shine is a worldwide movement that changes the narrative on how people with special needs are viewed. Events are held simultaneously on one night each February. This year, 721 host organizations and 215,000 volunteers—including Centenary University students—in 50 states and 24 countries celebrated 115,000 honored guests with special needs.

Student Coach Inspires Centenary’s Men’s B-Ball Team 

Centenary University freshman Kyle O’Brien of Hopatcong knows a lot about defying the odds. It all began at age 8, when he was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor.

Doctors predicted that the sports-loving kid would: Die three months after diagnosis; spend his life in a wheelchair; need special education classes; give up the sports he loved.

O’Brien’s response: a resounding, “No way!” With fierce determination, he fought back. His parents, Jen and Pat O’Brien, searched the country for the right doctor. As a youth, he endured grueling chemotherapy and radiation, as well as multiple surgeries to treat the non-malignant tumor in his brainstem. The treatments left him weak, affecting his reflexes and making him unable to walk. O’Brien pressed on, attending school in a wheelchair, but dragging himself onto the family’s treadmill in the evening to build his strength. Eventually, he would spend three hours on the treadmill each night.

Throughout O’Brien’s treatments, his mother insisted that he continue going to school, although his elementary school offered to send a home tutor. The kid who doctors predicted would suffer from severe memory loss instead became an honor student.

Thankfully, the tumor stabilized, and O’Brien grew stronger. A glaring problem remained: He missed sports. By then a teenager, O’Brien channeled his passion into coaching, attending coaching camps and learning all he could before stepping up to help coach the Hopatcong High School basketball and baseball teams for four years.

Today, O’Brien’s tumor has remained stable for nine years. He is a freshman at Centenary University in Hackettstown, where he helps to coach the university’s men’s basketball team. His job: Breakdown of films and special situations. After spending a full day in classes—where he maintains a perfect 4.0 average—and the team’s practice, O’Brien goes home to settle into homework and several hours of analyzing film. He’s generally finished at about 1:30 a.m., grabbing a few hours’ sleep before starting the next day at 6 a.m. Kyle’s dedication to academics and coaching is a key part of his determination to keep the tumor at bay.

While O’Brien’s position is unpaid, Assistant Coach Paul Jones is quick to point out that this is no sympathy position.

“We really consider him a part of the staff,” said Jones, who met the O’Brien family when coaching younger brother, Jason. “Kyle is really good at diving into special situations. When another team is running a play, Kyle calls it. He’s been lights out for us with that.”

At first, players may have found it odd to be coached by a freshman. That has quickly faded.

“The respect they give me is unbelievable,” O’Brien explained.

When things get tough on the court, Kyle delivers an important message: Never give up.

He tells players, “You can have a bad day and not score. You can get hurt and be out a week. It’s not the end of the world. I can never play again, but I didn’t sit and feel sorry for myself. I found another way to pursue the career I love.”

Someday, O’Brien would like to coach on the college level, or become a college athletic director. A Centenary business major with a concentration in sports and entertainment management, he is hoping to launch his career by becoming a graduate assistant at a Division I university.

At the beginning of the season, Centenary’s coaching staff dubbed O’Brien “Kobe,” after NBA legend Kobe Bryant. That moniker has taken on extra special meaning with the recent death of Bryant.

“Kyle is our hero,” Jones explained. “He’s the engine that gets us going. Every day, we look at him and say, ‘If he can do it, why can’t we?’”

Lecturer Challenges Perceptions About Disabilities

Renowned authority on access and design for the disabled Dr. Amanda Kraus,  recently presented “Everyday Ableism: Challenging What We Think We Know about Disability” in the latest installment of Centenary University’s Gates-Ferry Distinguished Visiting Lecture series in Hackettstown.

A well-known speaker in the United States and abroad, Kraus identified stereotypes that contribute to ableist policy, practice, and attitudes to move toward practical strategies that create more inclusive and welcoming spaces, processes and experiences. The Tucson, Ariz., resident is assistant vice president for campus life and executive director for disability resources and housing & residential life at the University of Arizona. Outside of work, Kraus is an avid wheelchair tennis player. As past president of the United States Tennis Association Southern Arizona District Board, she works to grow opportunities for disabled players and increase the national visibility of wheelchair tennis.