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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 2014
Lethal Mold in RAC; Dance Marathon in Question BY MICHAEL LAZAROPOULOS NEWS EDITOR Routine inspections revealed a shocking discovery to the Rutgers community yesterday, as a toxic species of mold was found growing in the ceiling of the Louis Brown Athletic Center. Officials report that the mold, Stachybotrys chartarum, is known to be extremely deadly to those who come into direct contact with its toxins. Middlesex Health Officials assessed the condition of the RAC and has determined that it is unsafe for use. As a result, the gymnasium has been closed indefinitely while mold removal services clean the RAC of this lethal strain. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention provides an extensive list of symptoms that Stachybotrys chartarum causes in victims. These include hallucinations, seizure, pulmonary hemorrhage, jaundice, and infertility. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms or have been inside of the RAC within the past two months, Health Services urges students to seek medical consultation immediately. The report of this closing puts the annual Rutgers Dance Marathon in question. The decision to move Dance Marathon to the RAC was made to accommodate the growing student attendance, solidifying Dance Marathon as a premier event for the majority of the students during the academic year. Many student groups are discouraged by this news, as many
of these organizations have given much of their time throughout the year to raise funds for the Embrace Kids Foundation, which supports children afflicted with cancer and other serious disorders. With Dance Marathon only a few days away, Embrace Kids is working tirelessly with the Office of Sorority and Fraternity Affairs and Rutgers Student Life to plan a rescheduled event for another date. The greatest challenge these organizations face now is finding an available date this semester to hold Dance Marathon and a location that is not already booked for another event. Fraternities and sororities have remained hopeful despite these recent events. The Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic Council have made plans to hold an informal event that will take place on April 5th during the time formerly allotted for Dance Marathon. On this committee is Ashton Hannigan of Omega Theta Pi, who spoke the press to discuss the details of the event that the Greek community has planned. “We are all very disappointed that Dance Marathon will most likely be cancelled. All of the Greeks have put in so much time to help out these children and families and we want to have one last celebration of the year to show them how much we care about them. So, many of the fraternities and sororities have been discussing and we now have a great new event for this weekend.
Artist rendering of the new dining hall facility. Devco, the company responsebie for Rockoff Hall and The Heldrich will built it. DEVCO IMAGE/ WEATHERS CONSULTING FIRM
Cooper Dining Hall to Reopen in Fall BY ADAM ROMATOWSKI OPINIONS EDITOR After closing its doors in 2006 due to rising costs to stay open, Rutgers Dining Services announced that Cooper Dining Hall would be reopening for the fall semester. “We are very excited to bring another dining option back to Rutgers University,” announced director of dining services Joseph Charette. Cooper Dining Hall, which is located near the Jameson Residence Hall, has become the center of making all of the
students, including the greatest options for vegetarian and vegan students,” stated Charette. With the new dining options, the University hopes to draw huge crowds who are looking for a more diverse option, and from the students who have classes in the Mason Gross/College Hall area. With Douglass becoming more popular in recent years and with the influx of more students in the past semesters, the university has finally been able to allocate funds to reopening Cooper. SEE COOPER ON PAGE 4
First Transit to Eliminate C Bus Route by Next Fall Semester BY LEE MATALON STAFF WRITER
SEE RAC ON PAGE 4
packaged foods that are sold in places such as the DCC and Cook Café, however it will be returning as a fully functioning dining hall for next semester. Cooper will be returning the tradition of Intermezzo, which offers students high quality dining for a single meal swipe, but the dining hall will be offering new special nights as well. “The plan is to have international cuisine at all times, from Chinese stir fry to French desserts and Middle Eastern and Indian foods. We want to create a diverse dining option for our
Early last week, First Transit, the company which operates the Rutgers University campus bus system, announced plans to phase out an underused bus route as the first step in its three-year consolidation initiative. Citing excessive costs, lack of demand and better cooperation with the University’s plans, the C Bus route, called the “Busch Commuter Loop”, which serves only four stops on the Busch campus, is expected to be out of service by
next fall. “Cooperation with the University is one of our foremost goals,” announced First Transit regional VP Alan Versky, “and when the University announces its strategic initiative for improvement, it’s up to everyone contracted by Rutgers to ask, ‘How can we better use their money?’” Versky was always in favor of consolidating the bus routes; in June 2010, he was one of the board members who voted to eliminate the L bus, which served the College Avenue and Livingston campuses via Highland Park.
“Look at the facts,” continued Versky. “Buses serve the purpose of facilitating the movement of people. The C route is completely contained within one part of Busch campus. There are no highways or major roads to cross. Furthermore, it only serves four stops – all of which are currently served by the other routes. There is one bus that running the loop. Statistically speaking, if that bus was absorbed by another Busch route, it wouldn’t even affect those who ride it.” SEE BUS ON PAGE 4
Above: The RAC will be closed until further notice as sanitation teams clean the area of the mold. Below: The Scarlet Knight dancing at 2013 Dance Marathon. KNIVES CHAU
Image of generic bus on College Ave. It represents First Transit and the Rutgers bus system. FILE PHOTO/ JOHN DENVER/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER VOLUME 47, ISSUE 6 • UNIVERSITY ... 3 • NATIONAL ... 7 • PENDULUM ... 8 • OPINIONS ... 10 • DIVERSIONS ... 12 • CLASSIFIEDS ... 14 • SPORTS ... BACK