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The Rider News

As a college journalist, I served as a feature editor for The Rider News for two years and the managing editor in my senior year. During my time as the managing editor, The Rider News was named the best four-year publication by the New Jersey Press Foundation in 2025 and took home 11 awards across all sections. I received third place in news writing, my investigative reporting on a department chair who was placed on unpaid leave. 

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Department chair on unpaid leave for offensive salute - The Rider News

By Hannah Newman


Performing arts department chair Todd Dellinger has been placed on unpaid administrative leave for the remainder of the Spring 2025 semester after emulating a raised-arm gesture that resembled the Nazi salute at a recent department meeting, according to a universitywide email from President Gregory Dell’Omo and Provost DonnaJean Fredeen on Feb. 1. 


Performing arts students, staff and faculty attended a department meeting on Jan. 27 where Dellinger closed out the assembly b...
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Dellinger’s replacements appointed; admin stands by decision - The Rider News

By Hannah Newman


Sean McCarther, a musical theater professor and voice coordinator,  was appointed interim performing arts department chair in place of Todd Dellinger, who was put on unpaid leave for the spring 2025 semester following an offensive gesture made at a department meeting that appeared to imitate a Nazi salute, according to the college dean.


Dellinger was scheduled to teach three courses for spring 2025. Three different people have been assigned to teach each of these courses:...
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Rider art gallery no longer functional - The Rider News

By Hannah Newman


With its first and last piece sold for $65,000 in 2023, the Rider Art Gallery remains a pre-pandemic memory and its art is no longer up for sale, according to External Affairs Vice President Kristine Brown. 


“It’s always been donated. Even a sculpture on campus … there’s one behind the library, there’s one over by Sweigert, they’re all donated and nothing’s been bought.”


The university has been collecting donations of artwork for the last 30 years. Many pieces of art ar...
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SGA moves forward with changes to election process - The Rider News

By Hannah Newman


Applications for Student Government Association positions were released Feb. 20. This year not every position will be on the ballot, but an interview process will take place, according to SGA President and senior political science major Christina Natoli.


A new bill was passed on Jan 30 that changes the election process. 


Student body president, executive vice president and vice president of administration and finances will stay on the ballot, while the other four open...
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Parking ticket debt puts a boot on student success - The Rider News

By Hannah Newman


Amid Rider’s ongoing parking conflicts, the payments have started to add up for students, bleeding into their academic careers and campus life.


Some students explained that paying for a parking permit adds a financial burden to their tuition and housing. Over time, the accumulation of parking tickets has become more weight to carry on their accounts. 


Sophomore business administration major Ava Graves, currently has $800 in tickets accumulating from last semester. Grav...
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New university model introduced at convocation - The Rider News

By Hannah Newman


Rider’s staff and faculty convocation on Aug. 29 shed light on the university’s current budget deficits and decreasing enrollment numbers, prompting Rider President Gregory Dell’Omo to plan for a new university model that must be smaller and more nimble.


“Higher education is at a crossroads and we face difficult decisions that will shape the future of our institution,” said Dell’Omo. “We don’t have the luxury of time to go through this process.”


The new plan involves b...
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Students reflect on general education courses - The Rider News

By Hannah Newman


The journey toward a college degree comes with some mandatory pit stops for students, even if they do not necessarily believe they will help reach their final destination. 


General education courses, required for Rider students to graduate, aim to prepare scholars for a wide variety of fields and professions, particularly if they do not go into jobs connected to their major.


As Rider’s Middle States accreditation approaches in 2027, the College of Arts and Sciences, as...
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Rider-MCCC partnership continues; TCNJ jumps in - The Rider News

By Hannah Newman


​​Rider has extended residency opportunities to Mercer County Community College students.The conversation began in the 2016-17 school year but died when the pandemic hit. The colleges’ relationship saw its peak post-pandemic, as the quantity of MCCC students has only grown since, according to Vice President of University Operations Mike Reca.


“They have programs that are very unique, and people do come a distance, and that’s why they had approached us,” said Reca. “We had...
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Engaged Learning Program becomes ‘fabric’ of Rider - The Rider News

By Hannah Newman


Graduating from Rider consists of more than a GPA requirement. It is mandatory for students to also earn Engaged Learning Points by involving themselves in hands-on learning and campus activities. This program, introduced in 2018, ensured all students had the chance to enhance their experiences beyond the classroom. 


Assistant Vice President for Career Development, Engaged Learning and Leadership Kim Barberich said, “A lot of schools have experiential education programs,...
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Rider named top school for veterans, military spouses - The Rider News

By Hannah Newman


Rider was named a top school for veterans and military spouses by a national ranking organization based on its efforts to continue educating veterans and their family members, a university article published in April said. 


The organization, VIQTORY, states in the article that the university earned gold status in a survey that consisted of 1,800 schools.


According to Assistant Dean of Students Keith Kemo, who oversees Rider’s Dr. Eugene Marsh Center for Veterans and Mil...
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New Res Life director brings modern mindset to campus - The Rider News

By Hannah Newman


In late August, Rider welcomed a new Residence Life director, Sean Killion, whose passion for a vibrant on-campus living community and impactful roommate experience are evident in his use of modern, roommate-selection technology.


“Roommate conflicts are one of the greatest challenges that we deal with in our field, especially in the first two to four weeks of the semester, and just figuring out how to maximize success in that experience is pretty important,” said Killion....
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2024 international class is largest in 10 years - The Rider News

By Hannah Newman


Rider welcomed 84 international students this fall from 30 different countries, making the largest international class the university has seen in over a decade, if not ever, according to Kim Algeo, director of the Office of International Education.


“It’s definitely the most [students] in 10 years. It could be ever, but we just don’t have the data analytics to track it,” said Algeo.


Since last year, the number of international students has grown by 14.


Among the 84 st...
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Navigation Office cut; faculty advising becomes focus - The Rider News

By Hannah Newman


As the university balances an ongoing budget deficit, Rider administrators decided to cut the Student Navigation Office over the summer, along with multiple other staff positions.


“It was certainly having a positive impact in terms of what we ended up with for retention last year, but at the same time, it’s … your wants versus your needs,” said Provost DonnaJean Fredeen in an interview on Sept. 9 with The Rider News. “What we need is very strong faculty advising. What we w...
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Budget cuts create change for Rider News - The Rider News

By Jake Tiger and Hannah Newman


University administrators informed The Rider News on Aug. 1 that our print publication budget was completely cut for the current fiscal year in the midst of institution-wide, ongoing cost reductions. 


The Rider News is deeply disappointed by the decision, as the print edition of the paper has been a constant on campus for nearly a century; however, we also understand that Rider’s current financial situation and recurring deficits need to be fixed with diffic...
The Rider News •

Model UN wins 15th year in a row - The Rider News

By Hannah Newman


Rider’s 2024 Model United Nations team brought home its 15th Outstanding Delegation award from the National Model UN simulation in New York City, the highest award in the conference representing Poland. 


The team has a 57-year history at Rider and has become a tradition, giving students a chance to participate in a simulation of what the United Nations does in real life.


Head delegate and senior global studies major Paola Carlesso said, “This year we were Poland and Pol...
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Venture Magazine brought back after four-year hiatus - The Rider News

By Hannah Newman


A realm of creative freedom, a chance to bring ideas to life and the chance to learn the ins and outs of publication are among the elements of Venture Magazine, a student-run publication that came back to life after a four-year hiatus due to COVID-19.


Venture Magazine was a club birthed through an English class, Editing for Literary Publishing, which gives students experience in editing for publication. 


Although the magazine was offered as an extracurricular activity t...
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Library staff looks for silver lining amid cuts - The Rider News

By Hannah Newman


Moore Library had a budget of $1.25 million when Sharon Whitfield, an associate professor-librarian, started working at Rider in 2019. 


That figure has now been slashed in half. 


In 2020, budget cuts befell the university during the pandemic, the library facing its largest one in that time frame, according to Whitfield. Now, the staff is looking for ways to reconstruct leadership, services and resources on a smaller allowance. 


Alongside the cuts, employment inconsis...
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Presidential search committee sources student opinion - The Rider News

By Hannah Newman


Following Rider President Gregory Dell’Omo’s retirement announcement on Sept. 10, the Board of Trustees started the search process for Rider’s next president.


A student listening session regarding the search for a new president was held on Oct. 4 so students have a voice in the selection process and can give input on what they are looking for in a president.


Student voices heard


Leading the search is Trustee Joseph McDougall ’93 with the help of Diversified Search Gr...
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Rider alum Lorelei Colbert discusses how kindness is the key to survival - The Rider News

By Hannah Newman


One voice, one act of kindness, one life-changing cancer diagnosis.


In summer 2020, Rider alum Lorelei Colbert ’14, a 28-year-old newly married woman who had plans to move to Japan with her husband on military orders, was blindsided by reality.


With a need to update health records prior to moving overseas, Colbert made an appointment to discuss birth control options with her doctor and was told that a breast exam wasn’t necessary; however, Colbert was quick to challenge...
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The evolution of concerts at Rider  - The Rider News

By Hannah Newman and Tristan E. M. Leach 


THE evolution of music has traveled through history and left a staple in every decade. In the midst of music making history, Rider has showcased many historical artists dating back as far as the ’60s. 


When the tradition first originated, the College Union Board (CUB) worked alongside Rider’s Student Government Association (SGA) by networking figures to perform on campus. 


The CUB was a sub-government of SGA at the time, which did the work of wh...
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The reality of sports betting: how major is the wager? - The Rider News

By Hannah Newman


Instant money, marketing and gratification are synonymous with a single concept that many know by name but not entirely by effect: gambling. Today, there isn’t a need to visit a casino, just access to a smartphone app.


After the U.S. Supreme Court made the legalization of gambling a state matter in 2018, it made its way to universities, as approximately 75% of college students gamble and 67% sports bet as of May 2023, according to CollegeGambling.org and the NCAA.


As th...
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‘Quitting is not an option’ for Ogemuno-Johnson - The Rider News

By Hannah Newman


Nine years and nearly 5,500 miles away from home and one passion steering the wheel toward success. 


From being a two-year varsity starter and captain at Monsignor Bonner in Pennsylvania, to a five-year contributor who became Rider’s program leader in games played, graduate student forward Ajiri Ogemuno-Johnson has made the court more than just a reason to play basketball, but a reason to score a new beginning.


“At the end I know what my goal is so quitting is not an op...
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The making of Moonshots and Moneymakers in Oxford   - The Rider News

By Hannah Newman 


THE annual Moonshots and Moneymakers conference gave 18 Rider students the opportunity to meet over 60 entrepreneurs at Oxford University in August 2023. 


The conference was established during the COVID-19 pandemic when Norm Brodsky, Rider alum ‘64 refused to let this freeze period in life stop him from creating a difference in the world. 


While adhering to COVID-19 restrictions, Brodsky would invite entrepreneurs to meetup on the balcony of his office in Williamsburg,...
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Freshman wins free tuition and a start to her business  - The Rider News

By Hannah Newman 


ALTHOUGH the pandemic felt like a step back from reality, freshman marketing major Brianna Bogos used the time to step forward in her career as she begins her first year as a Bronc with a full-tuition scholarship from the Norm Brodsky Business Concept Competition. 


Her business entry, Find the Perfect Outfit, LLC, won the annual competition in which students compete to win a scholarship gifted by Norm Brodsky, Rider alum ’64. 


“Once you have a passion for something, I...
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