Vol. C Issue 12 by The Vector

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Vol. C | Issue 12 Week of April 19, 2021

President Bloom’s Farewell Tour The Start of the NJIT Presidential Search By Daniil Ivanov | Senior Staff Writer & Jeremy Bedient | Contributing Writer After over three decades of service at NJIT, serving as Vice President of Academic Affairs and Student Services, the first Dean of the Albert Dorman Honors College and the President of NJIT, Dr. Joel Bloom’s tenure will soon be coming to an end. With the end of his presidential contract being June 30, 2022, Dr. Bloom has made the decision to conclude this chapter of his career. “One of the reasons I realized it's time to do something else for me, is this is a job that is very, very intense,” Bloom said. “The ability to maintain that intensity over a 10-year period is—it's time to do something else. There's no such thing being University President as a nine-to-five job…. I've been traveling 100,000 miles a year for the past seven or eight years.” With that, the Board of Trustees has begun the search process for the next president of NJIT. The process is posted on the Presidential Search section of the NJIT website and includes the current phase, Engaging the NJIT Community, followed by a search for candidates, an interview phase and then a conclusive selection from the finalists. The current phase is the most important, according to Board of Trustees Chair Robert Cohen. “Everybody thinks the real important stuff is the final five candidates. You only got those five final candidates because of the job description that was written now. So if we think there's something else important or not important, this is the time to have engagement. And this is probably the most important time to have an impact on the next president.” Students had an opportunity to have their voices heard at the first listening session on April 16, and will have another opportunity at 3 p.m. on April 28. Students unable to attend the virtual session can also submit a response on the online survey (Follow the QR Code). The results of the student feedback as well as feedback from faculty and staff will then be used to create a presidential profile. The University hired Isaacson Miller, an executive search firm, to use the presidential profile as a template for recruiting top candidates for the position. As many of these candidates will currently already be working in a position, this list

of candidates will remain private until the final few candidates are selected. The Search Committee, tasked with interviewing candidates from this August through October, consists of a broad range of leadership throughout the University. The committee includes three members of the Board of Trustees (including Cohen), two members of the Board of Overseers, Senior Administrator Ken Alexo, Dean of the Newark College of Engineering Moshe Kam, a faculty member from each college, Faculty Senate President Denis Blackmore, Dean of Students and Campus Life Marybeth Boger as a representative of the University Senate, Student Senate Designee Michael Moussa, a representative from the Lecturers and Educator Congress, a designee of the Graduate Student Association, a designee of the NJIT Alumni Association and a member of one of the college’s Board of Visitors. In November, the Board of Trustees will review and interview finalists before making the selection of the new president next winter. The president-to-be will then work alongside Dr. Bloom to be properly oriented to the position until assuming office in July 2022. The next president will have big shoes to fill after the last decade under President Bloom. As Cohen noted in his letter to the NJIT community, “NJIT has flourished under his leadership, with enrollment more than doubling, completion of a $500+ million campus transformation, receipt of many prestigious national and international rankings, and achievement of an R1 rating from the Carnegie Classification as one of the top research universities in the nation, among many other accomplishments.” The root of all of those accomplishments, according to Bloom, has been his persistent focus on students and their experience. “For those 20 years prior to becoming president—and when I leave here June 30, 2022—one of the things I am most proud of is students have and continue to be on the top of the list of this university…. The priority on this campus is students. It's very simple logic of course: without students there is no reason for NJIT or any of us to be here.”

Cohen, praising the work of Bloom, said, “You have to have unbelievable respect for what Dr. Bloom has done for this. It is actually beyond what a lot of people would think of a president…. Our faculty hiring has never been more robust: our concentration on research, our concentration on getting a national brand, looking into what was done between the Honors College, looking at what was done with some of the labs, and other focus areas. And then if you take a look at how strong our endowment is, how many scholarships we’re putting together, you cannot ask for a state college to actually have a [more] remarkable jump in that period of time.” One of the challenges Bloom has faced, and the next president will have to face, is that NJIT is a unique college. “One of the first things I did when I became president in 2011,” Bloom said, “I said let's identify who we are. We're a polytechnic university, we shouldn't try to be like other universities. We are distinct, we differentiate ourselves. To this day in the state of New Jersey we are the most STEM university that exists, 90% STEM, which has its upside and downside. The downside is, we don't have any inexpensive majors, faculty, staff, labs, lab techs, materials, supplies, equipment…. 10 years later, it's still the first

Illustration by Nicolas Arango Photos by Romer Jed Medina/Flicker thing I say, when given the opportunity to speak anywhere; we are New Jersey's public polytechnic university.” Being so specialized, NJIT has the responsibility of staying on the cutting edge. “As a polytechnic institution,” Bloom said, “we’re responsible for bringing to you the latest and greatest in knowledge and experience and thinking about the future…. So, the greatest challenge is how do we continue to grow and evolve. And I think the growth is important, because the demand for what we do exceeds the supply, and students work for us—in research, and just contributing to economic development of our state, nation and globe.” As for the future growth of the university, Cohen agrees that NJIT has the means to bring a supply for the demand, stating that “we're going to remain strong, not just in the tristate area. So we're going to get more national prominence and global prominence, not necessarily because students from everywhere in the world need to come here. But there's no reason that we don't become the source that industry wants to do research with, or other colleges around the world want to do research continued on page 3

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THE VECTOR

News

Week of April 19, 2021

Bloom's Farewell continued from page 1

but also what's important is to do relevant research, compelling research. We want our faculty that have publications, we want to keep feeding those publications and we want to keep going in a big kind of way.” Of course the unavoidable topic these days, and one in which NJIT has taken a leadership role is the COVID-19 pandemic. “If you asked me a year ago,” Cohen said, “and you asked me to assess all the risks associated with where we would be, I would tell you we might have some financial concerns. We might have quality of education concerns, we might have quality of our research concerns, quality for recruiting faculty concerns, right…. A credit to the administration here, that the school right now I can tell you exceeded expectations from a financial, from a governance perspective, from a safety perspective. And our brand has probably never been stronger with the visibility we have.” Bloom found the pandemic to be a learning experience that NJIT performed well under. “I think we've learned a lot

from COVID. So it's a challenge. We're still responding, and we've learned a lot. What did we learn? We learned we can pivot quickly. March 23, 2020 we closed down, and you guys have had to go online, right? We were able to do that. And we did it fairly well, we did it better than most.” Cohen attributed the success of NJIT in the past year to Bloom’s leadership and the solid administration that he has built around him. “Having a high performing administration, having a system in place, having a leader who was strong, who did not waver. There were other colleges in this area who decided they were going to do things financially to hunker down and whatever. You know, that's a defense that's not an offense. And a credit to Joel, there was an offense on how to get out of COVID. And a plan for worst case situation, plans for best case situation. And the interaction with the trustees was amazing.” As Bloom finishes his contract with NJIT and we continue to bring the pandemic to a close, NJIT and the future

president will still be feeling the effects of the pandemic. According to Cohen, the implications of the pandemic bring up many questions that the Board of Trustees and the next president will have to face. “What is the state of New Jersey going to do for reimbursement for universities?” Cohen asks. “What is the state of New Jersey going to do for financial aid? What are the demographics of the student population going to be coming out of the local high schools? How is it that we’re to reach and get the attention in the surrounding areas and states? How can we keep research going? Should this school have 20,000 students in 10 years or should we just stay at 12,000 students in New Jersey and enjoy it? The geographical constraints, the financial constraints as well as us making sure that NJIT never ever wavers in its commitment to a student education. That's a big, big responsibility. The next president walking in here has a really big job and one of the most important jobs in probably arguably one of the most pivotal times in the history of NJIT.” The hardest part of the presidential

search process, according to Cohen, is that “this is not something that was bad and we’ve got to make good now. We're taking something that's really good, and trying to evolve it and keep the goodness growing.” The process will continue through many more months, and students can look for updates on the Presidential Search website, but Cohen promises “an inclusive and transparent process that results in the selection of an outstanding leader to guide NJIT forward.”

PRESIDENTIAL

SURVEY

Brownfields Assistance Center @ NJIT

Photo by Environmental Justice in the Ironbound - Brownfield Project

By Ethan O’Malley | Photography Editor The conclusion of this semester marks over a year of activity of one of NJIT’s newest endeavors, the NJ Brownfields Assistance Center. The project aims to provide free assistance to communities in Newark designed to repurpose brownfield sites. Brownfield refers to areas, often former industrial and commercial buildings, in which future development is impeded by suspected soil contamination. This is especially common in areas like the Ironbound, where former industrial sites operating near Port Newark generated waste in the form of petroleum, lead and other contaminants. As manufacturing in the northeastern United States began to decline in the latter half of the 20th century, many of these contaminant generating businesses went bankrupt, leaving behind land that required remediation before any future development could occur but no company left to foot the bill. Even if the company is still operational, the costly

nature of the process can cause companies to drag their feet in remediation, similar to what happened in the case of Ruggiero Seafood Co. in Ironbound. The process of remediating a brownfield site can be quite involved. A Licensed Site Remediation Professional must be hired to supervise the process including a site investigation that will confirm the presence of waste contamination and the extent to which it is present at the site. This will then yield a Remedial Action Plan, if not a clearance to use the site without any needed remediation. There are several methods of remediation that can be useful in different circumstances. Excavation and Capping is a very common way that involves the removal of a layer of contaminated soil and placing healthy soil or a layer of concrete on top. While it is relatively straightforward, this method must ensure a sufficient layer to prevent vola-

tile compounds from leaching through as vapors. Alternatively, Soil Vapor Extraction can address this directly by using an above ground vapor treatment system or the Plume and Treat method for groundwater contamination. The Brownfields Assistance Center @ NJIT has the stated aim of aiding in this process connecting community groups with funding and by providing the benefit of the team’s experience in engineering, environmental science, planning and other connected fields. The group’s strategy is built on communication with local stakeholder, assessment of the property and the creation of a “Brownfield Blueprint” to ensure that community groups can properly meet their needs in the remediation of these properties. They point towards examples such as the Gateway restoration in Bridgeport, Connecticut as successes of targeted brownfield remediation they

hope to mimic. Thus far, the group has created several webinars informing community groups on the process of remediation, community outreach, and other steps in the brownfield development process. Additionally, they have prepared an informative blueprint of the process on their website, including some easy-to-navigate infographics. However, regarding the direct involvement in brownfield projects, there does not seem to be much activity yet. This is likely due to a combination of the slowdown in development as a result of COVID-19 as well as the relative infancy of the organization compared to the long-term projects they aim to facilitate. The Brownfields Assistance Center seems to have much capability in fostering development throughout many abandoned areas in Newark. To what extent it meets this potential remains to be seen.

THE VECTOR

Features

Week of April 19, 2021

Vaccine Passports By Nick Merlino | Web and Multimedia Editor As of April 15, roughly 42% of New Jerseyans have received at least one COVID-19 vaccination dose and at least 23% are fully vaccinated. These numbers are increasing daily, and as vaccine distribution becomes more commonplace, the state government is becoming more pressed with discovering solutions on how to differentiate the citizens who have been vaccinated from those who have not. The most popular idea that has been circulating is for the government issuing ‘vaccine passports.’ Anyone who has already been vaccinated is in possession of a vaccine card. The vaccine card contains information on that individ-

ual, particularly their name, birthdate, and which vaccine they received. The passports are extensions of vaccination cards, and they are meant to act as a quick identification method to verify that a person is vaccinated. This verification would assist in lockdown reopening efforts, as private businesses would be able to check the vaccination status of their patrons in under a few seconds. Vaccine passports have been criticized by people who see them as being regressive and restrictive. Many are concerned about the implications of being required to have documents to enter certain spaces. These concerns are amplified by the disproportionate lack of

access to the vaccine amongst different minority groups. Due to these types of complications, the federal government has already declared its stance on vaccine passports. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki announced that the U.S. federal government would not issue them, citing concerns about inequitable distribution. New York has taken the opposite approach to vaccine passports, and recently became the first state to issue them to its residents. The New York State Excelsior Pass is a vaccine passport linked into the New York vaccination system, which contains data on all New York residents who have been vaccinated. The

New York system is free to all residents, and completely voluntary, but it also requires those who use it to have a form of legal identification on them to be paired with the Excelsior Pass. New Jersey has had an ambivalent attitude towards the implementation of a vaccine passport. Governor Phil Murphy in particular is not completely opposed to the idea of the state having some sort of vaccination verification system, but he is concerned about the inequality issues that might stem from implementing a vaccine passport. He alluded to being more open to a vaccine passport system if it could be reliable and fair for all citizens using it.

Jordan’s Royal Rift By Samira Santana | Staff Writer The country of Jordan, located in the Middle East, has long been perceived as a stable, peaceful country. Led by a monarchy since 1952 and even gaining the moniker “oasis of stability,” it has been a sight to behold in a turbulent region. However, recent events have unfolded to show the other side of the coin, the side many people, even Jordanians, have not known. The case of the reigning king, Abdullah II, and his half-brother, the former crown Prince Hamzah became public on April 3, when news articles covered a video statement of the former prince on house-arrest. The underlying reason behind the press coverage was the government’s accusation of his connection to a conspiracy that would undermine Jordan’s national security. This may come as a shock to many Jordanians as former crown Prince Hamzah has always been favored by the public as well as his father, King Al Hussein bin Talal, who crowned him prince of Jordan. The

following series of events can connect the dots revealing the current dynamic between the former prince and the king. Just five years after his father’s passing, King Abdullah appointed his son, Prince Hussein bin Abdullah, as the prince of Jordan in 2004. This move relieved Prince Hamzah of his power and generated a rift between Prince Hamzah’s supporters and the king. On top of this, the king stripped Prince Hamzah of his military titles. After these major events, many speculate about the real reason behind them: to rid him of his power and keep him away from Jordan’s ruling institutions. But Prince Hamzah had not taken this lightly; he became an anti-corruption figure for the Jordanian public and maintained his large supporter base. This brings us to the events of April 2021. As stated previously, former crown

Prince Hamzah was put on house arrest for conspiring against the government. But he recently fought back twice, with the first instance being a videotaped statement viewed by millions around the world via BBC News. He is seen denying any participation in a conspiracy against his half-brother. The other instance was an audio recording of a conversation he had with Jordan’s military chief about being targeted, but not for a conspiracy against the government. Most importantly, in the nearly six-minute statement, the prince accused Jordan’s kingdom of corruption, incompetence and harassment, making a very bold statement not only to the public but to the world as well. My grandfather on my mother’s side was from Zarca, Jordan. He had lived most of his life in this region after emigrating with his family from Lebanon to Jordan after a major war. Not only did he

know of King Al Hussein, but he adored him, and he wasn’t the only one. The majority of the country liked him and even considered him a father-figure. He was the only king my grandfather knew of and held dear to his heart. King Al Hussein provided his people with safety and security; he showed that he cared for them. The most essential thing is to look into the bold statements he addressed in his video. Jordan has had a long history of stability and protection for not only their own people but also for their refugees— things that former King Al Hussein provided. Some say these recent events won’t affect the future of the country, but others say it has opened the public’s eye to the accusations of nepotism, corruption and fraud happening in the country, and that is something people can’t overlook.

THE VECTOR

Entertainment

Week of April 19, 2021

“Godzilla vs. Kong” Review

Photo by Warner Bros

By Anthony McInnis | Senior Staff Writer To put it simply, “Godzilla vs Kong” is simultaneously a thrilling epic and a dumb mess. As the fourth, and possibly final, film in Warner Brothers’ “Monterverse” franchise, “Godzilla vs Kong” earnestly presents a showdown between the two most famous movie monsters in history. This is not the first time these two monsters faced off. The original “King Kong vs Godzilla” from 1962 was one of the most successful Japanese movies of all time. The original, while having very cheap special effects, embraced the inherent silliness of its premise and was more of a satirical comedy. The new “Godzilla vs Kong” lacks the wit and humor of the original but makes up for it with thrilling spectacle. The film sees Godzilla mysteriously attacking a facility of the cybernetics company Apex. This prompts humanity to see Godzilla as a dangerous threat again pursuing a mission to the Hollow Earth, the fictional homeland for all giant monsters that exists inside the Earth’s core, in order to retrieve a pow-

er source to create a weapon capable of stopping Godzilla. However, only King Kong can lead the humans to the mythic power source. Along the way, Godzilla challenges Kong for dominance. Now, that is an absolutely ridiculous and dumb plot setup. However, it only functions to move the movie along from one monster fight to another, so logical consistency shouldn’t be what one expects going into the movie. The fights are what people pay to see, and they do not disappoint. Each big monster fight has great cinematography, pacing and tension. The action is fast paced without sacrificing the monsters’ sheer size and weight. Godzilla and Kong’s battle is basically a high-profile wrestling match. The entire “Monsterverse” series is almost one big tournament, with this movie being the championship match. The movie smartly focuses on Kong as the main character. Audiences going to see this are here for the monsters, so it’s about time the studio gave characterization to them. Kong goes through an actu-

al arc of finding a new home and taking up the mantle left by his ancestors. There are many beautifully subtle scenes with Kong when the film is able to convey his thoughts even without any dialogue. We get to understand how Kong feels alone and desperately wants to be amongst his kind again. Because Godzilla is so overpowered, it’s often boring when he’s the good guy. So, the movie wisely makes him the antagonist. He’s the one initiating the fights because he is determined to take out any potential rival. Godzilla is the second main character of the movie, undergoing his own development of learning to respect Kong. While it’s no Oscar Winning character arc, it’s suitable enough for what it is. The human cast of characters is as bare bones as you can get. Hardly any of them have anything resembling development or an arc. They merely exist to move the plot forward. However, that does work in the favor. The main characters are the monsters, and the human cast is just a point of view for the audi-

ence to understand the story. Of course, every character in a movie should be written with motivation and depth and not just to be a vehicle for the plot. However, if the human characters aren’t going to be as interesting as the monsters to begin with, it’s best to keep their screen time limited to what is absolutely necessary. In a way, “Godzilla vs Kong” succeeds more by putting less effort. The one standout in the otherwise irrelevant human cast is the character of Jia, a deaf child who can communicate to Kong with sign language. Her relationship with Kong is the emotional heart of the movie. By being the bridge between the monster and human stories, she is made relevant and interesting. Frankly, the film is great whenever characters aren’t talking. When things like Kong’s journey are conveyed visually, the movie can be breathtaking. When characters are moving the plot, it’s basically filler material. Still, it achieves what it sets out to be: a high-profile wrestling match between two famous monsters that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

COLLECTIONS voices from around campus Submit your responses to @njit_vector on Instagram!

How are you celebrating Earth Day this year? "Sleeping on the floor to stay down to Earth"

"Walking around and catching pokemon to keep "hanging recycling our campus safe poster in dorm, from Team Rocket" spending time outdoors" "bike ride"

"NJITACM will be hosting an AWS Lambda workshop Apr. 22, but that may be anti earth day"

"With Andrew Christ (Happy Birthday!)" "Eating dirt" "growing microgreens"

THE VECTOR

Opinion

Week of April 19, 2021

Sleeping At Last's

Atlas: Enneagream By Emily Rejano | Staff Writer In this age of self-reflection, tools that serve as identity definitions are becoming increasingly popular. The Enneagram is a unique online personality test that characterizes people into nine distinct types representing the essence of people. Unlike other tests, the Enneagram is coined to unveil the flaws and strengths of each of the nine human archetypes through our coping addictions and defense mechanisms. Under the performer name Sleeping at Last, Ryan O’Neal released the album, “Atlas: Enneagram,” 2019 to focus on each of the nine human archetypes for character structure. O’Neal wrote this album as a safe place to discover the inner workings of our development. “Atlas: Enneagram” is comprised of nine songs that are sung through the perspective of each personality type, consisting of stories of the hardships and emotional endurance each type faces in life.

“Three” – Threes are natural born leaders and are named “the achiever.” These people strive for appreciative recognition through curated success. Threes are disconnected from their own hearts due to trauma. In their childhood, Threes were admired by their caregiver, and they equated that to the idea of love as shown in the lyrics “maybe I’ve done enough, and your golden child grew up. Maybe this trophy isn’t real love.” The combination of pianoforte and vibrato violin amplifies the vulnerability that Threes have because while their success is incredible, it is not essential to the value of who they are. O’Neal uses a different tactic in “Three” by including no chorus and instead only three verses with three self-realizations that the Three is worthy of love. At the end, they come to the realization that “for the first time I see an image of my brokenness. Utterly worthy of love.”

“One” – One's personality can be characterized as “the reformer,” someone who strives for principal excellence as a moral duty. As children, Ones connected the notion of earning titles, awards and words of affirmation to equal love. They have an inner ache from the idealism that their world needs to be perfect. The haunting melodies of “One” portray the vulnerability of wanting to be appreciated for their effort, yet never being enough in their own eyes. “One” is told in a conversational format between the One and their own inner critic, where in the lyrics you can hear the interruptions and disagreements between them. After fighting to be heard by their inner voice, the One in the song finally interrupts with “hold on let me finish,” gaining control of their fears. This resentment that One feels is a mental preoccupation with them feeling like they are not good enough.

“Four” – Out of all the Enneagram personalities, Four is the most in touch with their emotions, with the name “the individualist.” Fours are known to have a fundamental need to be unique and a drive to uncover their own essence. O’Neal wrote the lyrics to be poetic and have a visual aesthetic, to describe the Four’s ache to be understood. In the lyrics, “what if we already are who we’ve been dying to become. In certain light I can plainly see a reflection of magnificence hidden in you, maybe even in me,” the Four has this newfound realization that the significance and beauty they have discovered in others is in themselves, too. Fours had to embrace their empathic nature and emotional intelligence in attempts to sway the feeling of loneliness from their youth.

“Two” – Twos are labeled as “the helpers,” as they strive for love through self-sacrifice. “Two” is written as a love letter from the Two’s perspective to themselves, telling the story of a Two struggling with identity and love, learning not to diminish their needs. As children, Twos were rejected by their caregivers and assumed the nurturing stance to replace the protection lost by the child. While composing “Two,” O’Neal concentrates on the orchestra and hauntingly beautiful piano chords to emphasize the self-destructive nature of a Two. A nod to the empath antenna that Twos possess is the lyrics “tell me, is something wrong? If something’s wrong, you can count on me. You know I’ll take my heart clean apart if it helps yours beat.” “Two” is a grandiose piece of love and vulnerability, and this song honors the force of love that Twos are in this world.

“Five” – These are “the observers” who are always looking for answers, analyzing and problem-solving their way through life. The utilitarianism of the Five is their very sensible practicality; they are known to overthink their pain because they are such keen observers of human behavior. Five’s coping mecha-

nism of hiding behind this armor around their hearts as a way not to be hurt is described in the lines “a white flag waves in the dark between my head and my heart. My armor falls apart, as if I could let myself be seen, even deeply known. Like I was already brave enough to let go.” In “Five,” O’Neal uses vivid imagery and wrote the lyrics in paragraph format, as a tribute to the Five’s researcher tactics. He also chose to not include lyrics until halfway through the song to emphasize the crescendo of orchestra instrumentals towards the lyrics. “Six” – Sixes are best described as “the loyalists” or the guardians of all the enneagram. Composed as a waltz, “Six” captures the loyalty and courage of a Six to protect those they love before themselves. The provocative notes of a small orchestra coordinate with the sad underlying tones of this song. To understand the Six’s character structure you must recognize that their basic fear is not having the support or guidance that they need. In childhood, they would attach to their caregiver, and they viewed that protective energy as love. The lyrics “oh God I’m so tired of being afraid. What would it feel like to put this baggage down? If I’m being honest, I’m not sure I’d know how” describes the Six reaching a breaking point from the anxiety of having too much sway in them. Sixes’ need to protect and be a sanctuary for loved ones at the risk of losing themselves is displayed in the ending lines, “No, I choose to believe that I was made to become a sanctuary. Fear won’t go away, but I can keep it at bay.” “Seven” – Sevens are known as “the enthusiasts.” This type tends to lean towards the extroverted side; they are high spirited and are always seeking new experiences. Their overzealous need to be on the move and seek overwhelming positivity comes from the stress fractures on their souls. Their caregiver let go too soon in their youth, and that pain is clearly heard in the lyrics “I needed your heart to feel mine, so why did you take it because when you took it mine went with you.” To separate themselves from the pain, Sevens fill their lives with provocative things to do. O’Neal took an interesting route when composing

“Seven” by telling their redemption story through three repeated mantras: “I’m restless” in the first chorus, “I’m hungry” in second chorus and “I’m ready” in third chorus. The mantras define Seven’s new perspective, finding that some of the best parts of life can be found exactly where you are on the other side of pain. “Eight” – As “the challenger,” Eights are renowned for being a force to be reckoned with since they are very protective of their heart and their loved ones. This basic fear of letting themselves be emotionally vulnerable is derived from their youth, where a caregiver was emotionally unavailable which left the Eight to assume their role. O’Neal wanted to emphasize the emotional shield that Eights wear in his lyrics, “I was just a kid who grew up strong enough to pick this armor up, and suddenly it fit. God, that was so long ago. I was little, I was weak and perfectly naïve and I grew up too quick.” Additionally, he used a variation of musical affirmations such as staccato rhythm in the first half of the song to resemble musical stabs chipping away at the Eight’s armor. He chooses to end the song by revealing that the Eight is ready to be vulnerable. “Nine” – Nines are known as “the peacemakers,” and are typically the mediators of the group. They are caring, optimistic individuals that tend to see the best in everyone. While Nines are perpetually known for keeping the peace, this comes with a burden of mental numbness from concentrating on others than themselves. O’Neal identifies as a Nine himself and tries to convey his own past experiences through this song. You can hear the emotional depth of sadness from carrying this stressful weight through the lyrics “It looks like empathy to understand all sides, but I’m just trying to find myself through someone else’s eyes.” Nines tend to repress their anger and hide it from themselves as if it is a guitar string of frustration that will release this intense eruption of anger if it is ever plucked. This instinct to repress their emotions is from their childhood wound of parents splitting up and trying to bridge the gap between those two caregivers. Each song in “Atlas: Enneagram” is meant to help us see ourselves from a different perspective, showing the ugliest parts of ourselves, because we can only try to fix something while knowing the root cause. The nine human archetypes are meant to only guide us into learning our originality and essence. It is even common to relate to several of the types, but one type may stand out to you more because of the shared pain from childhood. O’Neal wrote this album as nine redemptive stories for each type, bringing light to our emotional pain we endured throughout our lives that molded us to be the people we are today.

THE VECTOR

Opinion

Week of April 19, 2021

Horoscopes

Do You Even Sudoku?

By @poetastrologers

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

It has happened already. In some far off space, it has occurred. Remember that when you get scared. There is no wrong choice.

You will meet your match. There will be pleasure and also candles. In the green arrangement you might put a rose or two. If you can, write it all down.

In one hand there is a golden ring. In the other there is the future. You are stuck deep down in what you feel might be endless. But that’s the last thing you want.

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

You are a great friend. Many people will thank you for what you have done for them. No one will be more grateful than your future self. Behind you will be all of the things you have earned.

On the horizon the pink abundance. But right here there is happiness. Don’t sing a song you don’t know. Be in the midst of what you do.

Your friendships are strong now. You will go to the edge of it and speak what you feel. What you dream of will be good and long-lasting. You are proud of the work you have done.

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

There’s a sight of you in the middle of the forest. Who is waiting there. You have dreams of what might become of all of this. Keep looking and moving forward.

Someone holds the flower for you. They smile when they are around because you bring light to them. Try as best as you can to trust it. Take the flower.

You are looking out of the window. All you see are stars that hold the ineffable. There will be waiting and then rejoicing. It’s ecstasy in the boldest places.

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Against the peach wall there are roses. You stand close to them now. You will continue to breathe in the sweetness. On the edge of the forest there is a note.

You have focus now. It might be a good time to start the plan again. Or to have a new plan that bears everything intensely. You are running to meet someone.

It’s clear what part this is for. You are now in the front of the car moving it forward. It’s often that you get to say what you want to. Now say it loudly.

EASY

MEDIUM

HARD

Comics EVIL

Crossword Crossword credited to onlinecrosswords.net

Tweet @TheNJITVector a photo of your completed crossword puzzle (only if you can solve it, though)! Across 1. Honorless bid 6. Corrodes 11. Author's offerings (Abbr.) 14. Former Israeli statesman Dayan 15. Legally impede 16. Stop waffling 17. One with a full house 19. Powerful lobby 20. Wrinkled dog 21. Horse opera 23. Clerk who gets the lead

out 27. "___ me, you villain!" 30. "(Thing Called) Love" singer 31. Best man's assignment 32. Unilateral 36. Hinny's mother 37. "Roots" Emmy winner 39. ___ de cologne 40. Svengali's forte, perhaps 43. Display poor sportsmanship 45. San Antonio landmark

46. Ski house style 47. One with a tight fist 51. YSL fragrance 52. Loose overcoats 56. H2O below 32 degrees 57. Killjoy 61. Fifth diatonic tone 62. Deplete 63. Red as ___ 64. Aliens 65. "Full House" star 66. Latin land

Down 1. Ill-behaved children 2. Eeyore's friend 3. "___ silly question ..." 4. Himalayan guides 5. Infamous garden creature 6. Sentimental keepsake 7. Member of NATO 8. Pig's digs 9. Little piggy 10. Healthy salad additions 11. Calendar page 12. Shopping binge 13. "Fab Four" member 18. Hang 22. Sparkling wine source

24. Affixes with heat, as a decal 25. Kegler's domain 26. Waterfront sight 27. Brigham Young's destination 28. Overly inquisitive 29. Door fastener 33. Bargain 34. Cushiness 35. "You Don't Bring Me Flowers," e.g. 37. Memo imperative 38. California valley 41. Half of a Mork utterance 42. Mount of the gods

43. Start of an Edward Albee title 44. Stud locale 46. English bloke 47. Composure under duress 48. Disney park 49. Physicist Bohr 50. Underground chamber 53. Mimic 54. ___-do-well 55. Madrid Miss, briefly 58. Simile words 59. Size of a sports coat, in short 60. Datebook abbr.

THE VECTOR

Week of April 19, 2021

HELP KEEP NJIT’S CAMPUS SAFE...

BY GETTING TESTED!

To ensure the health and safety of

*Volunteers accepted based on availability of test kits.

the university community, NJIT is conducting weekly COVID rapid antigen testing of 400 individuals on campus. That’s 320 students and 80 faculty and staff each week. Invitations to be tested will be sent out via email. We strongly encourage voluntary registrations as well.* Testing will be administered by New Jersey Innovation Institute in conjunction with Bergen New Bridge Medical Center.

TESTING HOURS Monday: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Tuesday: 2 p.m. - 6 p.m. Wednesday: 2 p.m. - 6 p.m. Thursday: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

NEW TESTING LOCATION M2CU Unit Corner of Warren & Lock Streets (across from WEC)