WEATHER Mostly Sunny High: 66 Low: 43
Serving the Rutgers community since 1869. Independent since 1980.
rutgers university—new brunswick
tuesdAy, October 22, 2013
ONLINE AT DAILYTARGUM.COM
Rockoff Hall to introduce new leasing model By Sabrina Szteinbaum Correspondent
For the first time, students will not have to stress over lottery numbers to snag a bed in Rockoff Hall. The New Brunswick Development Corporation sold the George Street apartment building to McKinney Properties in January 2013, making the 674-bed apartment complex another off-campus housing alternative, said E.J. Miranda, director of University Media Relations. Miranda said the property will remain under Rutgers jurisdiction until May 2014, at which point it will transition to a private residence. David Strassberg, leasing manager for Rockoff Hall, said like any other commercial property, students could take tours of the building, fill out an application and sign a lease. He said one advantage to living in Rockoff is the by-the-bed leasing model. “If you were to go to any other apartment building in the area, and say you and your roommate were to sign a lease, you would both be held equally responsible for the lease term,” Strassberg said. For most apartments, if one roommate cannot afford to pay the month’s rent or has to break the lease, their actions would be a breach of contract and would reflect badly on all of the roommates’ credit, Strassberg said. “It’s shocking how many students end up having their credit ruined because they were held responsible when a roommate didn’t pay his or her share of the lease and the utilities,” Strassberg said in a news release. At Rockoff, he said, it is no longer a problem. “Here, it’s by-[the]-bed, meaning if you were to sign a lease, you’re only responsible for your part of that lease agreement,” Strassberg said. Rodd Werstil, managing director of real estate investments for McKinney Properties, said this is the first time this nationally recognized student housing leasing model is coming to Rutgers. He said aside from being out of the lottery system, Rockoff Hall is offering students a roommate matching system. If students want to rent a house in New Brunswick, he said they need to know the six or seven others they are living with before they go to the landlord. “With Rockoff, you can come there, say, ‘Hey it’s only the two of us, we don’t know another group of people, we don’t have another group that wants to live with us, but we would like two bedrooms in a four-bedroom unit,’” Werstil said. Werstil said staff will assist in matching individuals or roommate See HALL on Page 4
Everglades National Park in Miami, Fla., is one of many national parks reopening after the US government shutdown ended last week. Researchers at Rutgers are still waiting on updates for research grants from federal agencies. GETTY IMAGES
US shutdown still impacting Rutgers researchers By Shawn Smith Correspondent
The U.S. government is officially back open for business. But while the national parks, museums and Panda Cam are getting back to business, some people and organizations are still feeling its effects. According to an article by CNN, President Barack Obama signed a bill early Thursday morning that ended the 16-day shutdown. The resolution came within hours of the countr y crashing into the debt ceiling, which would have resulted in the government running out
of money and being unable to pay its bills. The debt cushion now extends through Feb. 7, with current spending levels being authorized through Jan. 15, according to the article. Edward Tate, director of communications for the Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development, said the shutdown influenced certain steps in the research process. “The greatest impact was on the process of submitting proposals for new grants,” he said. Rutgers receives grants from more than 220 agencies, said Ter-
ri Kinzy, associate vice president for research administration for the Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development. Researchers now have to closely monitor the agencies for changes in deadlines and review panels. The website that was previously used to post updates about the government shutdown is now being used to post updates about the startup, Kinzy said. “The people who work for us and the research agencies have a really challenging job, as far as dealing with the shutdown and reschedul-
ing everything,” she said. “We are asking our faculty, and the agencies that are posting these hardworking people are doing their best.” Some of the agencies, like the National Science Foundation in Virginia, will continue to see some delays as they figure out how to move forward, Kinzy said. The shutdown also affected projects in the field, she said. The NSF has a lot of large projects off-site, including a research project in Antarctica monitored by Xenia Morin, grant facilitator supervisor for the See shutdown on Page 4
SC&I hosts ‘Free Speech Week’ with film, debate By Vaishali Gauba Correspondent
Steve Miller, coordinator of undergraduate studies in the SC&I, spoke yesterday about freedom of speech for the first event of ‘Free Speech Week.’ YESHA CHOKSHI / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Steve Miller, coordinator of Undergraduate Studies in Journalism and Media Studies, believes the freedom of speech and expression in the U.S. is what sets it apart from other nations. Miller said this inherent human right should not only be practiced but also celebrated every day. From a screening of the documentary “Trumbo” to a debate about “Why Snowden matters,” “Free Speech Week,” organized by the School of Communication and Information, aims to demonstrate and celebrate the essence of freedom of speech and expression. Free Speech Week began yesterday and runs through Oct. 24.
VOLUME 145, ISSUE 156 • university ... 3 • tech ... 5 • opinions ... 8 • diversions ... 10 • classifieds ... 12 • SPORTS ... BACK
The week began with a documentary about James Dalton Trumbo, a writer, actor and director who invoked the First Amendment. Trumbo was one of several people castigated and thrown in jail for practicing free speech rights, Miller said. Brian Householder, director of Undergraduate Studies in Communication said the SC&I partnered with freespeech.org, a non-profit organization that aims to promote freedom of speech. “We have the freedom to choose how to do the ‘Free Speech Week,’” he said. “Freespeech.org just promotes the idea. [The organization] gets people doing the thinking about the freedom of expression.” See WEEK on Page 4