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thursday, november 21, 2013
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U. admissions ignores social media posts for applicants By Alex Meier Associate New Editor
Kaplan Test Prep’s 2013 survey of college admissions officers shows that 29 percent of officers have Google searched an applicant’s name and 31 percent have visited an applicant’s Facebook or other social networking page, according to their report. This percentage is its highest since Kaplan star ted tracking the issue in 2008, when a repor ted 10 percent of of ficers checked See admissions on Page 5
New members bring success to Model UN By Sabrina Szteinbaum Correspondent
The Rutgers Model United Nations traveling team attended four conferences this fall at Columbia, Yale, Georgetown and the University of Pennsylvania. Atif Jalal Ahmad, treasurer of the Association of International Relations, said the team won multiple awards including best delegate, outstanding delegate and honorable mentions in every conference. Though the fall conference season is over, Ahmad said the team plans to travel to McGill, Harvard, the University of Virginia and the University of Chicago this spring. He said 2013 is the first time in several years the team has done consistently well. He attributes their success to new members. “What’s making us strong is we have a good number of kids who did well in high school … who joined our team,” Ahmad said. “Also we had very stratified training sessions where we trained these kids before the conferences on how college level is different from high school.” Students do not need to come in with the skills necessary to be successful because Ahmad said the club builds skills within students. He said decent public speaking skills, the ability to be persuasive and sell ideas and good writing skills are all necessary for success in Model U.N. Ahmad said competing against Ivy League schools and coming out with awards is a huge accomplishment for a state university. “We get to spend the weekend in four-to-five-star hotels, and it’s an incredible bonding experience with teammates,” he said.
Mark Robson, dean of Agricultural Programs, receives an Honorary Doctoral Degree in Public Health from the Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand. Robson was recently elected as a fellow of the Collegium Ramazzini. COURTESY OF MARK ROBSON
Dean elected to renowned international academy By Vaishali Gauba Correspondent
The walls in Mark Robson’s office are adorned with photographs from many different parts of the world. One is of a salt farmer in Thailand, another of a 100-hectare farm in China and yet another features floating market in Vietnam. On the back of the door hangs a shiny golden gown he received
from Chulalongkorn University in Thailand. Artifacts from India and Mexico sit atop one shelf. Other shelves carry his collection of 19th century microscopes and photographs of his graduate students. Robson, the dean of Agricultural Programs at the University, is also a professor of entomology in the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences and currently teaches three courses, including a Byrne seminar.
Robson was recently elected as a fellow of the Collegium Ramazzini. The Collegium Ramazzini is an independent, international academy comprised of 180 internationally renowned experts in the fields of occupational and environmental health, according to Collegium Ramazzini’s website. Robson, who grew up on a farm in South Jersey and spent his childhood watching his father on
his farm, said he believes farmers have healthier lifestyles but the modernization of agriculture has exposed them to many health and safety risks. “When I started studying health science, I realized that farmers, in some respects, are healthier than other people,” he said. “But as we modernize agriculture, there’s a lot See dean on Page 4
Alumnus aims to bring program to Rutgers By Vaishali Gauba Correspondent
Since 2007, the Global Connections Kenya program gives high school students the opportunity to travel to Kenya and perform community service. COURTESY OF DAVID ANGWENYI
Catherine Blair Brence spent the summer of 2012 with children and families in three cities in Kenya — Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisii. She fundraised that year to get supplies for children there and participated in various cultural ceremonies in the region. Brence, a Hopewell Valley Central High School junior in Pennington, was a participant in Global Connec-
tions Kenya, a program founded in 2005 by David Angwenyi. The program provides high school and college students the opportunity to travel to Kenya for about two weeks and provide service to the community. Angwenyi, chief executive officer of Global Connections Kenya, came to Rutgers from Kenya as a graduate student in 1994. After graduating from the Graduate School See PROGRAM on Page 5
Governing Councils update on semester’s progress By Charlie Melman Staff Writer
A number of student government associations exist throughout Rutgers University. Recently, they have been busy being involved with the happenings on campus. The School of Environmental and Biological Sciences Governing Council recently garnered attention for its involvement in the Skelly Field construction controversy, giving voice to student concern about the issue.
Vetri Velan, president of the Rutgers Engineering Governing Council, noticed students in the School of Engineering were not experiencing a crucial part of an engineer’s education: camaraderie. Velan, a School of Engineering junior, said one of the organization’s biggest goals for this year is to build a sense of community among engineering students. The EGC serves as an umbrella organization for 28 smaller engineering societies at Rutgers, Velan said. Its top priority is to allow ev-
ery smaller group to collaborate in a permissive environment. “It’s important to the student experience and … it’s just an important part of being an engineer,” he said. “Engineering is all about teamwork and kind of building a better future.” Velan said the EGC’s objective is threefold: to serve as an intermediary between engineering students, faculty and the administration, to give students a voice in the University’s decisions through representation and to oversee all engineering organizations at Rutgers.
EGC initiatives include the growth and promotion of the “NERD Olympics,” which take place during Engineers Week in February, the addition of bus route descriptions at bus stops and the installation of water bottle refilling stations in the Busch Campus Center, he said. Velan wants to incorporate other organizations into the Engineering Governing Council’s initiatives. “[We want to] work with the people who have the power to change these See councils on Page 4
VOLUME 145, ISSUE 178 • university ... 3 • ON THE WIRE ... 6 • pendulum ... 9 • opinions ... 10 • diversions ... 12 • classifieds ... 14 • SPORTS ... BACK