The Importance of July 2 and Caesar Rodney

As Americans, we are all raised with a reverential view of July 4th--our birthday as a nation. It is a time for backyard barbecues, baseball games (sadly, no more doubleheaders), and fireworks spectacles. How many of us realize that we really celebrate the wrong date?

The Second Continental Congress actually voted for independence on July 2, 1776--not July 4th. On the night of July 2, 1776 the Pennsylvania Evening Post published a statement that "This day the Continental Congress declared the United Colonies Free and Independent States.

On July 2, John Adams, wrote to his wife back home in Massachusetts that, finally, the Congress had adopted a resolution establishing the independence of the former colonies from Great Britain. Adams wrote his wife Abigail that he believed that July 2nd would be celebrated annually in this new country.

So why the confusion about July 4th? It was on July 4th that Congress approved the language of the Declaration of Independence, a statement to the world justifying the action taken by the Congress on July 2nd. The Declaration included the text of the July 2nd resolution in its concluding paragraph.

And who is Casear Rodney and why, except for natives of Delaware, is he lost in the "dustbin" of history? The Second Continental Congress wanted unanimity for its resolution of independence. The proponents of independence had resigned themselves to New York's perpetual "respectful abstention" on the issue but wanted to secure the approval of the 12 other colonies. Eleven colonies were in the fold with Delaware hanging in the balance. Delaware had a three-man delegation with two on opposite sides of the debate and the third, Caesar Rodney, very ill and struggling to balance his many responsibilities in Philadelphia and back at home .

Suffering from both facial cancer and asthma, Rodney learned of the split in the Delaware delegation. Resolved to end the stalemate, he embarked on an extremely dangerous overnight journey of 80 miles to Philadelphia through violent thunderstorms and torrential rain. He arrived on the afternoon of the 2nd, greatly fatigued, just in time to break the Delaware stalemate on the resolution of independence. Those who wrote about his dramatic entrance indicate that he stated the following :"As I believe the voice of my constituents and of all sensible and honest men is in favor of independence, my own judgement concurs with them. I vote for independence."

And so it was that the vote of one man, Casear Rodney, allowed these colonies to demonstrate unanimity and vote for independence on July 2, 1776.

Overview of the Criminal Justice Program

Middlesex County College's Criminal Justice major is unique in that students are required to complete two General Education Mathematics classes OR two General Education 4-credit Lab Science classes.

General Education Electives and the Nursing Program

Effective in the Fall 2010 semester, the MCC Nursing Program has the following GE electives in addition to the other core requirements:

• One course must be a GE Humanities elective.
• One course must be a GE Communications (SPE 121 or 123) or a GE Diversity or a GE Humanites or a GE Math, GE Science, or GE Technology or a GE Social Science.

An Overview of Information about Biology and Chemistry Courses

It is important that both students and advisors remember certain points about registering for certain Biology and Chemistry courses.

• BIO 010 has a corequisite of MAT 013.
• CHM 010 has a prerequisite of MAT 013.
• CHM 010 is the required course for Health Technology students who have no evidence of High School Lab Chemistry. CHM 020 is the required course for Science Transfer majors who have no evidence of High School Lab Chemistry.
• General Biology I (BIO 123) has prerequisites of MAT 013, BIO 010 and CHM 010.
• General Chemistry I (CHM 121/125) has prerequisites of MAT 014 and CHM 010. (Please note that there is no BIO prerequisite here and that MAT 014 and not merely MAT 013 is a prerequisite.)
• Human Anatomy and Physiology I (BIO 111) has prerequisites of MAT 013, BIO 010, and CHM 010.

America's Forgotten Holiday--Flag Day on June 14

The website devoted to a better understanding of the US flag, http://www.usflag.org/, is a wonderful font of information about the origins of our flag and the commemoration of Flag Day on June 14.

Contrary to legend, very few historians believe that Betsy Ross designed and created the flag for the new country. In fact, Francis Hopkinson, a Congressman from New Jersey, is believed to be the designer of the original flag.

In order to establish an official flag for the new nation, the Continental Congress passed the first Flag Act on June 14, 1777.
"Resolved, That the flag of the United States be made of thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation."

Flag Day - the anniversary of the Flag Resolution of 1777 - was officially established by a proclamation of President Woodrow Wilson on May 30th, 1916. However, it was not until August 3rd, 1949, that President Harry Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14th of each year as National Flag Day.

Reminder about Academic Probation or Restriction

As students turn their attention to registering for Fall courses, some have asked about the meaning of Academic Probation or Restriction. Here' s a reminder.

• Academic Probation means that a student can register for no more than 4 courses or 14 credits/credit equivalents, whichever is fewer.
• Academic Restriction means that a student can register for no more than 2 courses or 8 credits/credit equivalents, whichever is fewer.
• Students on Probation or Restriction need to have their holds lifted in the Academic Advising Center in order to register for their courses.

"Light" and the Academic Advising Center

One of the Advising Center's Coordinators, Robert Kaplan, recently vacationed in Italy where he photographed the accompanying picture of light from the roof of the Pantheon in Rome. It is the wish of everyone here in the Center that we can provide students with the "light" of our academic advice. We hope that our services provide students with information about the graduation requirements for their majors and "light the way" to commencement.