THE DAILY TARGUM Vo l u m e 1 4 2 , N u m b e r 7 1
S E R V I N G
T H E
R U T G E R S
C O M M U N I T Y
S I N C E
Today: Cloudy
HEAD OVER HEELS
High: 29 • Low: 23
While the snow may have people living in their rainboots, Inside Beat tries on some of the most whimsical and stunning shoes to ever grace feet.
THURSDAY JANUARY 20, 2011
1 8 6 9
Anti-bullying law sparks U. to reassess policy
City residents raise concerns at meeting
BY NEIL KYPERS
BY AMY ROWE
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
CORRESPONDENT
A city council meeting last night marked a new year of resolutions and a number of complaints from New Brunswick residents in attendance. Prior to the meeting, council President Robert Recine presided over an honorary ceremony for outgoing council members Blanquita Valenti and Joseph Egan. Recine, the new president replacing member Elizabeth Garlatti, presented Valenti with a plaque for her 10 years of service to the council, while Egan’s commemorated his 17 years as a part of municipal government. “We are honored and thankful for both of their ser vices,” Recine said. “We hope this presentation will be a ‘thank you’ ser ved with distinction, caring and thoughtfulness for these two people who really cared about our city of New Brunswick.”
CAMERON STROUD / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
City Attorney William Hamilton and New Brunswick City Council President Robert Recine discuss plans for the city’s future at last night’s council meeting on Bayard Street.
SEE CITY ON PAGE 4
HOUSE REPEALS HEALTH CARE LEGISLATION The House of Representatives voted yesterday to repeal President Barack Obama’s and the Democrat’s historic health care act. In a 245 to 189 vote, all Republicans and three Democrats — Reps. Dan Boren, Okla., Mike McIntyre, N.C., and Mike Ross, Ark. — voted in the majority to repeal the Affordable Health Care for America Act, according to a New York Times article. The House debated the issue for five hours Tuesday, with Republicans claiming the law is governmental intrusion, forcing employers to remove jobs, creat-
ing an unsustainable entitlement program, burdening governments with costs and hurting the doctor-patient relationship, according to the article. They also said it does not diminish high medical costs. “Repeal means paving the way for better solutions that will lower the cost without destroying jobs or bankrupting our government,” Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, said in the article. “Repeal means keeping a promise. This is what we said we would do.” The Democrats believe the law has many benefits, such as protecting mil-
lions who would otherwise be denied coverage, keeping Americans under their parents’ plans until the age of 26 and implementing tax breaks for small businesses that help provide insurance to their employees. “It is unbelievable that with so many people out of work and millions of people uninsured, the first act of this new Congress is to take health care away from people who just got coverage,” Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., said in the ar ticle.
With the signing of the new Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights, the first of its kind to set deadlines on school teachers and administrators to combat bullying, the University is now taking steps to adjust its own policy. According to the bill, the only requirement for institutes of higher education is to adopt a policy that will be included in the student code of conduct, which prohibits harassment, intimidation and bullying. The bill details what constitutes these three criteria as well as requiring the institution to detail the disciplinary actions that will ensue if any student violates the code of conduct. Anne Newman, director of the Office of Student Conduct, said the University has a policy similar to the legislation’s requirements. “Currently, one of the [Student] Code [of Conduct] violations is a violation of the Student Life Policy Against Verbal Assault, Defamation and Harassment. This policy covers behaviors that constitute bullying,” Newman said via email correspondence. The policy outlines the criteria that constitute a violation as well as what punishment befalls a student who is found to have been in violation. “Verbal assault, defamation, or harassment interferes with the mission of the University. Each member of this community is expected to be sufficiently tolerant of others so that all students are free to pursue their goals in an open environment, able to participate in the free exchange of ideas and able to share equally in the benefits of our educational opportunities,” according to the policy. Regardless of similarities, Newman’s office is working with the University’s legal counsel in an effort to make some changes to the Code of Conduct.
— Mary Diduch
SEE LAW ON PAGE 5
Third Zeitgeist film addresses power of money BY MAXWELL BARNA CORRESPONDENT
In support of the Jan. 15 release of activist and director Peter Joseph’s newest documentary, University student group The Zeitgeist Movement hosted a screening of “Zeitgeist: Moving For ward,” last night in the Student Activities Center on the College Avenue campus. The documentary is the third installment in a series of films that critique the power of money over people and questions the role of people and institutions in positions of power, like the U.S. government’s role in the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, the validity of religion and the bureaucratic use of economic hit men. The subject matter in this documentary differs from that of its predecessors, said event co-coordinator Seth Rosen. “[Moving For ward] lends itself a little more credibility that this is the kind of material that can be screened in theaters,” Rosen said. “Having it here at
Rutgers is really important to us because I think ever y major movement that has lasted has begun in a university setting.” The documentary also covers topics like eliminating the need for human labor through mechanization and a gradual transition to a resource-based economy instead of monetary systems. “It touches on the economic fallacies that we have today,” said David Lam, also an event coordinator. “One of the primary examples is planned obsolescence, which cannot be addressed by our current system.” The event’s coordinators, volunteers from The Zeitgeist Movement, were optimistic about the film and the audience’s reaction. “The screening tonight as a grassroots effort was incredible,” Lam said. “It’s directly hosted by volunteers who work and take classes on their own time [and] the turnout has been spectacular.”
SEE FILM ON PAGE 5
INDEX UNIVERSITY Campus voices reflect on the governor’s performance after a full year in office.
OPINIONS Gov. Chris Christie recently proposed that caps on tuition for public universities be removed.
UNIVERSITY . . . . . . . 3 METRO . . . . . . . . . . 7 NATION . . . . . . . . . . 8 OPINIONS . . . . . . . . 10 DIVERSIONS . . . . . . 12 CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . 14 NICHOLAS BRASOWSKI / SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
The University chapter of the Zeitgeist Movement holds a screening of “Zeitgeist: Moving Forward” yesterday on the College Avenue campus. The film touched on economic problems.
SPORTS . . . . . . BACK
ONLINE @
DAILYTARGUM.COM