The Daily Targum 2011-01-21

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THE DAILY TARGUM Vo l u m e 1 4 2 , N u m b e r 7 2

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

FRIDAY JANUARY 21, 2011

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Today: Snow

THE SHOWDOWN

High: 36 • Low: 13

The No. 14 Rutgers wrestling team plays host to No. 3 Virginia Tech tonight in the Louis Brown Athletic Center, as the Scarlet Knights battle the Hokies in their biggest match to date.

Vigil pays tribute to thousands killed on Gaza Strip BY AMY ROWE CORRESPONDENT

A vigil commemorating the second anniversary of the Gaza massacres in which 1,400 lives were lost was held last night on the steps of Brower Commons on the College Avenue campus. A crowd of 54 people stopped to listen to speakers from organizations including BAKA: Students United for Middle Eastern Justice, Journalists for Human Rights and Psi Sigma Phi men’s multi-cultural fraternity. “We want to spread awareness about Palestine and the br utal, criminal siege that killed hundreds of nonviolent civilians in Gaza,” said Hoda Mitwally, BAKA public relations of ficer. “The injustice continues today, and it must stop.” BAKA ran and co-sponsored the event along with the Arab Cultural Club and the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund. Members of BAKA wore traditional Arab keffiyeh scarves to symbolize the solidarity of

SEE VIGIL

ON

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SCOTT TSAI / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Students light candles and share a moment of silence on the steps of Brower Commons on the College Avenue campus last night to remember the lives lost during the Gaza massacres. Several attendees wore traditional scarves to symbolize solidarity for Palestine.

McCormick backs potential union between UMDNJ, U. BY MAXWELL BARNA CORRESPONDENT

RAMON DOMPOR / ASSOCIATE PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

The proposed merger would establish an official tie between Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and the University, which Gov. Chris Christie feels would help benefit in-state higher education.

Gov. Chris Christie released a report last month to announce his support of a merger between the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, School of Public Health and the University. University President Richard L. McCormick praised the report, stating it was a step in the right direction for not only University students, but also for students at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. “I’m fairly optimistic that this report could be a turning point for higher education in New Jersey,” McCormick said. “I’m referring to the whole report, not just the portion on Rutgers and UMDNJ.”

Backing both the report and the Christie administration, which many feel has not been supportive of higher education in N.J., McCormick said the governor’s response to the report was not surprising. “Gov. Christie has said many times that when the revenues are available, he will look into investing more in higher education,” McCormick said. Christie interacted with several community groups — including administrators, students, parents and stakeholders — to help mold his vision toward education in New Jersey, said Sean Conner, Christie’s deputy press secretary. “As part of the task force report, there was a recommendation to create an advisory

SEE UNION ON PAGE 4

RUSA committees brainstorm semester plans BY REENA DIAMANTE CORRESPONDENT

Committees of the Rutgers University Student Assembly convened last night at the Rutgers Student Center on the College Avenue campus to discuss their prospective projects and goals for the semester. The University Affairs committee, which focuses on reforming policies that affect students on campus, and its subcommittee on privacy talked about several of its initiatives. Most of the focus was on privacy, parking and tenant and environmental concerns. RUSA will pick up where it left off and fulfill unfinished tasks from last semester, said RUSA President Yousef Saleh. “Any other further things we need to be done that come up, we will address them at our meetings,” said Saleh, a School of Arts and Sciences senior. “Sometimes things come up on us and we get to react and help our administration in taking the pulse of the student body.” The privacy committee is researching University policies on privacy and is also using policies of other entities,

JEFFREY LAZARO / SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

At last night’s meeting, commitees of the Rutgers University Student Assembly discuss on-campus issues, like decreased parking spaces on Livingston campus.

such as Facebook and Twitter, for guidance, said Daniel Herbert, Busch senator for 2011. “We’re concerned with not just policy, but practice and where the practice deviates from policy,” said Herbert, a School of Arts and Sciences senior.

The privacy committee conducts research regarding residential, online and student worker privacy, Herbert said. The committee hopes that by the assembly’s second general body meeting of the semester they present an in-depth report of their findings.

“Once we have those results in hand we will be able to start phase two, where we actually look at what policies we have, how to change them and [whether] we have the power to publicize, so ever ything we do this semester is dependent on what we find out in the next couple of weeks,” Herbert said. One of the biggest concerns for the University Affairs committee is the parking on the Livingston campus, said Kristen Clarke, University Affairs chair. Construction of new facilities on Livingston campus left students with not only decreased parking spaces, but safety concerns as well, which stemmed from the removal of some parking closer to the main campus. “Students are walking on a side of the road in the dark with no lights,” said Clarke, a School of Arts and Sciences junior. “It’s just really dangerous. Our advisor works at Student Life, and she’s gotten a lot of e-mails concerned about the situation.” The University Affairs committee is tr ying to reach out to Jack

SEE PLANS ON PAGE 4

INDEX UNIVERSITY New Jersey Film Festival to feature the works of four campus individuals.

OPINIONS Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., compares GOP attacks on health care reform to Nazi propaganda.

UNIVERSITY . . . . . . . 3 PENDULUM . . . . . . . 6 OPINIONS . . . . . . . . 8 DIVERSIONS . . . . . . 10 CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . 12 SPORTS . . . . . . BACK

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