Fall 2022 Issue 4

COVID-19:

By Ethan O'Malley | Photography Editor

What to Expect if

Infected on Campus

College may be back to its in-person format, but COVID-19 still remains a cause for concern, and a few Highlanders will certainly be catching the disease this year — some already have. So, it is best that you are prepared to know what to do when you think that you might have COVID-19.

NJIT runs a pandemic recovery website that states the current COVID-19 policies that students must follow. However, this guidance has changed rapidly alongside the evolving recommendations of the Cen ters for Disease Control and Prevention. We’ll use the experiences of infected students as well as the official information released by the CDC guide you through the process of getting COVID-19 as an NJIT student.

I think I have COVID-19. What should I do?

Your response depends significantly on the circum stances of this suspicion. If you are exhibiting any of the classic COVID-19 symptoms - fever, cough, fatigue, nausea, etc. — you should isolate yourself, notify Cam pus Health Services at covid.notify@njit.edu, and seek testing immediately. If you have merely been exposed to virus and are demonstrating no symptoms, however, then the best course of action per the CDC is to take precautions, such as wearing a mask, and to take a test at least five days after exposure or until you begin ex hibiting symptoms, to get tested. This ensures accurate test results.

You have several options, the first being to take a PCR test at a testing facility. In previous semesters, most students would go to the Mobile Medical Care Unit near Greek Village. However, now that it is not tak ing appointments, a near-campus option would be the Minute Clinic by Whole Foods.

Another good option is to buy an at-home COVID-19 rapid test. You can buy these at most pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens. These don’t require an appoint ment, can be taken from the comfort of home, and deliver results in 15 minutes. However, they are more prone to false negatives; this may be a concern if you

are symptomatic. As the CDC states that “negative re sults do not rule out SARS-CoV-2 infection and should not be used as the sole basis for treatment or patient management decisions,” you may need confirmation from other sources, especially if you are exhibiting symptoms.

My test came back positive. What now?

Firstly, you should inform people whom you have been in close contact with — for example, roommates or anyone you have attended gatherings with during the onset of symptoms. These people should likewise get tested after the five-day period.

At this point, you can follow what NJIT recommends on its Pandemic Recovery website by contacting the email address covid.notify@njit.edu and informing Campus Health Services of your positive test results. They will then direct you further on what you need to do; further steps may involve self-isolation in your room, in another residence hall, or at home. The expe rience of Eugene Osetskyy, a fourth-year mechanical engineering major who tested positive for COVID-19 this September and shared his correspondence with the school, will illustrate the process you might expect.

Osetskyy suspected he had the virus on Sept. 13 be cause of symptoms and took an at-home test that came out positive. He was first directed to “isolate until the end of the day” on Sept. 18, five days from when he first reported his positive result. He was instructed to “end isolation on Sept. 19 as long as you are fever free, with out taking any fever-reducing medication, for at least 24 hours prior to returning and other symptoms are improved.”

He was additionally informed he should “wear a well-fitting mask in all public and private areas when others are present until Sept. 23, notify anyone you have been in contact with from Sept. 11,” and “complete [a] form and return it to dos@njit.edu”; the Dean's Office will officially notify your instructors of an excused ab sence. The aforementioned form is a standard excused

absence form which includes your classes, time of ab sence, and the reason for your absence.

As Osetskyy’s permanent residence was within 50 miles of NJIT, he isolated there for the duration of the five days. However, students who live farther from cam pus and opt to stay at NJIT will need to follow different protocols. The COVID-19 Response and Support FAQs on the NJIT website state that “all residents testing posi tive for COVID-19 will be assigned to an isolation space in one of the residence halls. Students in single rooms may isolate in their current space. Residents with a roommate will move to an isolation space on campus.”

How will I keep up with my classes if I can’t attend school for a week?

Osetskyy did not struggle much with keeping up with work during his extended absence.

He added, “While reaching out to the Dean of Stu dents, I also reached out to my professors individually. I was informed on how I could catch up with my work. And luckily for me, it was only the second week, so there was not a lot to catch up on. Most of the work that I did have to do was able to be submitted online.”

If you reach out to your professors to get the resourc es that you need — such as lecture slides, chapters be ing covered, and homework problems — hopefully you will not struggle with classwork, even as the semes ter progresses. However, if you are worried about the amount of material you are missing, reach out to class mates for information to help your learning. If illness gets in the way of your studies, asking professors for extensions may be beneficial as well.

With missing a week of classes, isolating from all your friends, and being ill, a case of COVID-19 can put a serious damper on the college experience. Nev ertheless, the process is far from insurmountable and knowing what to expect can help you navigate it. Stay healthy, Highlanders!

The Voice of NJIT with Magnitude and Direction Since

Layout by Areej Qamar

THE VECTOR About

As the official student newspaper of the New Jersey Institute of Technology, our mission is to inform and entertain our readers, cultivate awareness of issues con cerning the NJIT community and provide a forum for purposeful, constructive discussion among its members.

Deadline for Articles or Letters to the Editor is the Thursday the week prior to publication at 10:00 p.m. For more information on submissions, e-mail: managing-editor@njitvector.com.

Advertisement Reservations are due two weeks prior to publication and should be sent to: business-manager@njitvector.com

FIND US ONLINE

WEATHER

MEET THE TEAM

ADVISORS

Operational Advisor Matthew Blanar Faculty Advisor Miriam Ascarelli

EXECUTIVE BOARD eboard@njitvector.com

Editor-in-Chief Yukthi Sangoi editor-in-chief@njitvector.com

Managing Editor Mrunmayi Joshi managing-editor@njitvector.com

Executive Editor Areej Qamar executive-editor@njitvector.com

Business Manager Samira Santana business-manager@njitvector.com

Photography Editor Ethan O'Malley photography-editor@njitvector.com

Web and Multimedia Editor Nick Merlino multimedia-editor@njitvector.com

Join our Friday meetings from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at NJIT Campus Center, Room 466

Memor

MONDAY, Oct. 3rd

4:00 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.

5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

4:00 pm - 7:00 pm

TUESDAY, Oct. 4th

2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 5th

4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

POLICE BLOTTER

Monday, Oct. 3rd 69ºF | 51°F 8 mph

Wednesday, Oct. 5th 70°F | 49°F 7 mph

Tuesday, Oct. 4th 68°F | 50°F 6 mph

Thursday, Oct. 6th 68°F | 48°F 4 mph

Copy Editors

Mustafa Shaikh Alfred Simpson

Staff Writers

Rushi Desai Aaron Dimaya Paridhi Bhardwaj

Contributing Writers Ann Ibrahim Pranav Anthapu Matthew Fleishman

VECTOR STAFF

Senior Staff Sean Slusarz Alfred Simpson

Upcoming Events

Let's Talk Drop-in Support Group

Newman Catholic Club Game Night SAC DIY Day

Robotics VEX Programming Training

Love Letters for Literacy

9/18/2022

10:08 a.m. Officers were flagged down at the intersec tion of James Street and Boyden Street on the report of an individual sleeping in a car at a traffic light. Officers conducted a motor vehicle stop after the vehicle began driving away and failed to maintain lane. The non-affil iate driver failed a field sobriety test and was placed un der arrest for suspicion of driving under the influence. The driver was transported to NJIT Police Headquarters for further processing.

5:00 p.m. A NJIT student came to NJIT Police Headquar ters to make a fraud report involving the student’s identi fication card that was lost a few months prior and is now being used in an attempt for fraudulent transactions. The investigation is ongoing.

9/19/2022

9:58 p.m. Officers conducted a motor vehicle stop at the intersection of Sussex Avenue and Dey Street for im proper display of license plates. Non-affiliate driver was confirmed to have an open warrant. Officers completed paperwork to get the driver a new court date and the driver was sent on their way.

9/20/2022

3:12 p.m. Officers responded to the intersection of Sus sex Avenue and Dey Street for a NJIT student who had their vehicle broken into and an item taken. Officers gen erated a report and the investigation is ongoing.

3:57 p.m. Officers responded to 9 Sussex Avenue on the report of an individual loitering on the porch. Individual left the area without incident.

9/21/2022

11:37 a.m. Officers responded to 9 Sussex Avenue on the report of an individual loitering on the porch. Individual

left the area without incident.

Layout Assistants Nicolas Arango Ivy Sosing

Photographers Sean Slusarz Akash Patel Sebastian Lopez Eric Camargo David Bendezu

105

1:26 p.m. Officers responded to the plaza area on the report of an individual soliciting in the area. Upon arriv al, Officers saw an individual matching the description given entering a private event hosted in the Central King Building. Officers contacted the individual who was con firmed to be a NJIT student. Officers gave the student a verbal warning after explaining proper procedures.

9/22/2022

10:36 a.m. Officers responded to Eberhardt Hall on the report of an individual trespassing. Officers contacted the individual, who is a former student that has been issued trespass warnings in the past. Therefore, the in dividual was placed under arrest for defiant trespassing and transported to NJIT Police Headquarters for pro cessing.

4:57 p.m. Officers responded to the West Deck on the re port of individuals revving their engines causing parked vehicle alarms to go off. The individuals were all students that were trying to start an auto show club. The students were given the proper information on how to go about that.

5:37 p.m. Officers responded to the area of Summit Street and New Street on the report of a panhandler in the area. However, the individual was gone prior to the officers’ arrival.

9/23/2022

1:48 a.m. Officers responded to the plaza area on the report of a vehicle crashing into the metal ballots and benches trying to access the street. Officers stopped the vehicle, and the non-affiliate driver was later placed un der arrest for suspicion of driving under the influence af ter failing a field sobriety test. The driver was transported to NJIT Police Headquarters for processing.

Online Issues The Vector: NJIT’s Student Newspaper @njit_vector @TheNJITVector Njitvector.com Layout by Ivy Sosing

Week of September 25, 2022THE VECTOR 2 w Distribution Manager Kevin Colonia

Club Spotlight Knit N' Crochet

By Areej Qamar | Executive Editor

The author is a member of the organization.

It is common hour on Friday, and yarn enthusiasts are gathered in room 124 in the Central King Building. Many are sitting at desks and furiously cro cheting away, while others watch tutori als, trying to follow along with their own hooks and yarn. Calming music plays from a speaker next to boxes of sup plies, where several students are sorting through skeins of yarn.

This is a typical meeting for the Knit N’ Crochet Club, one of NJIT’s many service-oriented organizations. Since its founding, the Knit N’ Crochet Club has provided a way for students interested in the textile arts to hone their craft while serving the Newark community.

The club collects a variety of hand made items — hats, scarves, socks, blan kets, stuffed animals — and donates them to shelters in Newark, such as The Apostles’ House. Varsha Thampi, a thirdyear biomedical engineering student and president of the Knit N’ Crochet Club, notes that the number of dona tions has steadily been increasing each year, with almost 200 items donated to the shelters last semester.

Thampi believes that the club’s in creasing success can largely be at tributed to the influx of students who took interest in its activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. She mentioned, "Many people — myself included — picked up crochet hooks and knitting needles for the first time during quar antine. Now, these people are the ones teaching new club members how to

knit and crochet, so it is very beginner friendly, and all the tools are provided. It is wonderful to see so many members contributing to the donations and giving back to the community.”

In addition to their work with the Newark community, the Knit N’ Crochet Club actively engages students on cam pus, with frequent contests and boba nights. They also hold alternating “Knit at Night” Wednesday evening and “Cro chet by Day” Friday morning meetings, where members are welcome to ask questions or troubleshoot for various projects.

For the coming semesters, the Knit N’ Crochet Club is looking to expand their activities and increase collaboration. In the past, the club has worked with oth er service organizations and fraternities such as Alpha Phi Omega for distribu tion of donations.

“I’m particularly interested in col laborating to add variety to our events and types of service opportunities," said Thampi. “For example, we are planning presentations with organizations to pro mote sustainability and waste reduc tion. We would like to go over upcycling and repurposing clothes, as well as hold events during which members learn how to knit their own bags and baskets.”

The Knit N’ Crochet Club welcomes all new members, regardless of their skill level. For more information on how to join the organization and to learn more about their meetings and activities, email njitknitcrochet@gmail.com.

Initiative Feature:

By Paridhi Bhardwaj | Staff Writer

There is a significant gender gap in employment in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.

The United States census states that in 1970, women made up 38% of all U.S. workers and 8% of STEM work ers. Today, women make up 48% of all workers, but rep resent only 27% of the STEM population. Women with STEM jobs earn 33% more than women in non-STEM jobs, but for every $1.00 earned by a man in STEM, women in STEM earn only $0.86, according to the Unit ed States Department of Commerce.

Seeing other girls around campus gives fellow wom en in STEM a sense of belonging. It can be difficult to find more than 10 girls in computer science and en gineering classes. Not having many women around makes it tough to make new friends who can relate to your experiences.

However, there is steady improvement; the NJIT Class of 2026 reported a record-breaking increase in female students. “31% of the incoming [class of 2026] identify as women, and in the Honors College, we’re up

to 44%,” commented Dr. Burcak Ozludil, associate dean of the Honors College. In terms of the total enrollment, 1108 are men and 503 are women.

The statistics above demonstrate the need to encour age and support young women pursuing increasingly important STEM disciplines. Women With STEAM is an Albert Dorman Honors College initiative to en gage, empower, and incentivize students who identify as women and non-binary students and are pursuing their studies in STEAM.

Lois Chipepo, a former member of the Honors Col lege team, initially founded a scholarship program for female students. After Chipepo retired, Women with STEAM was taken over by Ozludil, who visualized a more interactive organization with frequent events among students, faculty members, and alumnae. It has two components, the first being the scholarship and the other being an opportunity where members, fac ulty and alumnae meet and network with one another. Rather than a standard club, Women with STEAM is governed by students, alumni, and the Honors College team.

With STEAM

They organize events such as a Meet and Greet at the start of the school year, where the organization wel comes new members and introduces alumnae men tors. Additionally, they host talks on gender-related topics and networking events. Selected scholars are in vited to all events and have the opportunity to become a leader within the program. The selected scholars will have the opportunity to interact with their STEM coach, who will be an alumna experiences in a STEM field.

In the last year, Women With STEAM have worked on launching a mentorship program, which will be launching during the Fall 2022 semester. They are also collaborating with the Murray Center for Women in Technology to create more programs for women to in teract with mentors in industry and the university. The group is strict about attendance; they want scholars to be outspoken and share their viewpoints and ideas. The program aims to empower women and girls in STEAM disciplines.

For any queries, email bozludil@njit.edu.

Photos from Knit N' Crochet Club & Photography Club

Layout by Ivy Sosing & Areej Qamar

Maple Hall Murder Mystery

Students from NJIT's new Maple Hall gathered in the Campus Center Atrium last Friday styled as a 1920s speak-easy. Students were tasked with investigating a series of colorful characters in order to solve the underlying mystery.

Latin Night

Photos by Ethan O'Malley

Photos by David Bendezu

The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers along with Lambda Sigma Upsilon and Lambda Upsilon Lambda hosted a Latin Night last Friday in the Highlander Pub. The night included live music and free food.

Layout by Areej Qamar

Russian Refugee Crisis

Writer's Note

I am a second-generation American of Russian descent and the first member of my immediate family to be born in the United States. The past seven months have been some of the most trying for our community. Our people have grappled with the reality that the leadership of their country of origin has committed the atrocity of attacking as neighboring country, with which tens of millions of Russians have a direct personal, familial, or professional connection — my own brother runs a business with production based in Kharkiv. The Russian-American community has organized to raise money and material aid to Ukraine. My aforementioned brother has sent the equivalent of more than a million dollars through his supply line while simultaneously facing down a barrage of Russophobia associated with our language and our physical presence. For example, my sister’s car was vandalized with a swastika. Now, with a mass mobilization underway in Russia and the government likely days away from shutting the borders to able-bodied men, it is critical to update our immigration policy in relation to these people. You can help us by sending the following letter to our congressional representatives! Simply enter your zip code at sires.house.gov or payne.house. gov by entering the Newark zip code 07102 and copy the following email.

By Matthew Fleishman | Contributing Writer

A Letter to Your Representatives

[Your name]

[Your address]

The Honorable Representatives Sires and Payne US House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515

Dear Representatives,

My name is [your name], and I reside in your district. I write to you today to urge you to pass a bill classifying Russian citizens fleeing Putin’s mobilization as refugees, making them eligible for asylum in the United States.

After a seven-month-long unprovoked and unjustified war in Ukraine, Putin is facing a strong possibility of defeat. On Sep. 21, 2022, in a pathetic and desperate attempt to avoid facing defeat, he ordered the mobilization of hundreds of thousands of new troops. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced the conscrip tion of at least 300,000 men with military backgrounds in a press statement.

Mere minutes after his announcement, countless flights out of Russia sold out, as very few people want to die for the dictator’s power grab. They now face an uncertain future, as most only have tourist visas at best. Several bordering Baltic states, including Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia and Poland, have explicitly stated they will not allow Russian tourists entry.

Back in Russia, protests ranging in the tens of thousands have erupted in every city from the Baltic to the Pacific. At least 1,300 people were arrested on Sep. 21, tens of thousands have fled the country and at least ten military enlistment offices have been set on fire, according to the Associated Press. These figures continue to grow rapidly.

By granting asylum to Russians escaping Putin’s mobilization, the United States can weaken Russia’s military without having fired a single shot by preventing the military from reaching its recruiting goals. Such a policy will also save countless military and civilian lives.

These people will be an asset to the United States’ economy. Forbes reports that 450,000 students graduate from Russian universities with engineering degrees every year; this number is one of the highest in the world. This applies to many other STEM fields and can be observed in the established Russian immigrant community in the United States.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I hope you will consider classifying Russians fleeing mobilization as refugees, making them eligible for asylum in the United States. Please contact me should you wish to discuss this further.

Sincerely,

[Your name]

[Your title]

[Your email]

[Your phone number]

Scan the QR code for an online link to this petition.

Layout by Areej Qamar

'The Gray Man' Personalities from Gray to Dark

By Pranav Anthapu | Contributing Writer

This review contains spoilers.

As with almost every Netflix Original, this was either bound to be a surprise hit, a complete failure, or a rela tively quiet film. Somehow, this movie was none of the above. It was a moderate hit amongst the general pub lic, yet average for movie critics.

Directed by the Russo brothers, the all-famous di rectors of "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Avengers: End game," this film had much action. Honestly, it felt that there were too many explosions and too much action at times. Rather than a movie from the Russo brothers, it felt like a Michael Bay film. Thankfully, it wasn’t, but the star-studded cast ensured that the entirety of the action was valuable and creative.

“The Gray Man” featured Ryan Gosling as the pro tagonist Six, Chris Evans as the antagonist Lloyd Han sen, and supporting actors Ana de Armas, Jessica Hen wick, Regé-Jean Page and Dhanush.

The story starts in 2003, with a CIA official named

Fitzroy (Billy Bob Thornton) visiting Six, a prisoner at the time, in an interrogation room. Six had gone to pris on for killing his abusive father. Fitzroy offered Six free dom in exchange for becoming an assassin in the CIA Sierra program.

Many years later, Six had to hunt down another as sassin called Four in the Sierra program. The mission confused him, and he wanted to get to the bottom of the mystery. At the same time, Lloyd Hansen hunted him down at the request of the CIA due to Six’s dan gerous nature. Simultaneously, Six had to rescue Fitz roy and Fitzroy’s niece from Hansen’s base with Agent Dani Miranda (de Armas), who turned against the CIA. He also fought against the mercenary Lone Wolf (Dha nush), who eventually decided to help Six and Agent Miranda succeed. In the end, Six surrendered after kill ing Hansen while Agent Miranda made a deal with the CIA.

This movie didn’t have any breaks in between the ac tion to breathe. If you went to the bathroom, you would miss an important scene. There was no love tragedy, no

useless dialogues — and no story whatsoever. The en tire movie was just a compilation of action scenes over a mediocre script.

However, the movie did flow smoothly, and the Rus so brothers did an excellent job ensuring that the audi ence could understand and enjoy the film. While I am upset that there wasn’t much of an emotional build-up to the characters, it was at least explicit who the “good guys” and “bad guys” are. The action scenes completely masked any sign of poor storytelling because the entire film was simply building up to the point where Chris Evans and Ryan Gosling fought each other directly. The Russo brothers made the movie with the audience in mind because while it is entertaining, critics technical ly cannot give this a fantastic review.

I do not think that this movie was terrible, but it cer tainly wasn’t one of the best I’ve ever seen. I hope for much better from the Russo brothers, so I am still excit ed about this film's sequel(s). If you are looking not to be bored and you have Netflix, this is the movie for you.

COLLECTIONS

voices from around campus

"The Vector, of course!"

"VECTOR !! and knit n' crochet is p fun too"

"Vector is probably the dopest but the new njit information and cybersecurity club seems pretty cool"

"100% Vector, but yk the NJIT Robotics Club (shoutout to Umair) is pretty fun as well"

"VECTOR!! Duh…. Google DSC that’s cool too! SAC!"

"the scalar, obviously! so glad it's calling out vector about all its scams"

"having fun in SOMA & jazz band right now but looking to join FINEST at some point as well (there was a mandatory honors colloquium during the first GBM )"

"let’s make a I LOVE TAYLOR SWIFT CLUB "

"Archery. Totally not a biased answer or anything"

"my answer is the book club because I am a treasurer there "

"NICC for cybersecurity, WJTB for radio, and The Vector for the people! But honestly, there are so many clubs to choose from it's hard to decide where to divide your time."

What cool clubs/orgs have you found and are interested in joining?

Photo from Netflix

Layout by Areej Qamar

Entertainment

Horoscopes

ARIES

I know it's been a rough Septem ber, but your time to shine is coming soon. So don't mess it up.

TAURUS

Take better care of yourself. I know for a fact you've been neglecting your health.

GEMINI

What you want isn't out of reach. Just look at how you want to get it from a new perspective.

Do You Even Sudoku?

EASY

Seal the deal. Get help to do so if you need it.

Don't be afraid to try something new. Give yourself some self-love, love..

CANCER LIBRA CAPRICORN

Things should be turning around the corner for you. If they're not, some thing's wrong. Figure it out.

You're more than ready to get your flirt on. GO TALK TO PEOPLE.

If it's been rough, go out with friends for some coffee. Enjoy the fall.

LEO SCORPIO AQUARIUS

Find a way to make yourself smile ev eryday. Trust me, you'll be happier :)

Word Search

Find:

COVID Infected Gray Gosling Evans STEAM Women Gender Refugee Russian Representatives Maple

Murder Latin Mentorship Knit Crochet

Comic

Buy some cute sweaters or hallow een decorations. Just don't go broke.

Take an impulsive road-trip with your friends. It'll be one to remem ber.

VIRGO SAGITTARIUS PISCES

Move into your intimacy zone. Or else I'll do it for you.

MEDIUM

HARD

EVIL

Tag @njit_vector in your Instagram story with a photo of your completed word search and suduko puzzles (only if you can solve them, though)!

From Clairvoyant Cancer Conveying the Current Chances

Week of September 25, 2022 THE VECTOR 8 From Filbert Cartoons

Layout by Ivy Sosing