Vol. C Issue 6 by The Vector

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ector

The Voice of NJIT with Magnitude and Direction Since 1924

Vol. C | Issue 6 Week of March 1, 2021

Twenty Year Old Time Capsule Unearthed By Daniil Ivanov | Editor-in-Chief

On Oct. 7, 2000, NJIT students and families came to campus for the yearly Family Day—what we now celebrate as Homecoming. Of the many activities laid out for NJIT families to enjoy on campus, one was a time capsule burial. The time capsule was a white plastic box with “Time Capsule Buried Oct. 7, 2000” written across the side in black. On the other side it read “Do Not Open Until 2020!” The lid was glued shut and then sealed with a lock, with the key taped on top of the box. On that October day the box was buried underneath the Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center, with the command that it would be untouched for 20 years. Plans changed when the demolition of the athletic center began in May of 2018—a few months after the opening of the new Wellness and Events Center— in order to make room for the Lubetkin Field at Mal Simon Stadium. The time capsule was dug up and stowed away in the sub basement of the Campus Center, and untouched until recently.

According to Anuj Patel, current Student Senate President, the plan was to unveil the time capsule and reveal the contents at a homecoming event this year for everyone to see. However, due to the pandemic, such an event would be impractical under COVID-19 restrictions and so the box was left untouched.

sule was not quite as picturesque as expected. “When we initially unboxed it,” Patel said, “we realized that all the contents were soaking wet and moldy. So we got a tarp and unpacked everything on the tarp to dry, and then set the opening date a week from then so we could actually unbox it and analyze the materials.”

The 2020 opening date came and went, until Patel was reminded that the time capsule was still waiting to be opened in the basement. With it already being 2021, Senate made the decision to reveal the contents of the time capsule via an Instagram Live Video with the Office of Student Life.

After drying under a table in the Senate office, the time capsule was officially made public on Feb. 25. Inside were signed t-shirts, copies of The Vector from that year, a Nucleus Yearbook, a Senate handbook, floppy discs and CDs, mugs, magnets, paperweights and more.

Not wanting to publicly document a struggle to pry open a 20-year-old box, Patel and other senators opened the time capsule in the Student Senate office. With the lock being old and water damaged, the key got stuck inside and the lock had to be pried open. A hammer was used to break through the glue seal and finally crack open the container. However, the inside of the time cap-

A map of the NJIT campus labeled MLK Boulevard “Fraternity Row,” and referred to Campus Center as the Hazel Center. Notably missing from the map were the Honors building and Greek Village behind it, both of which wouldn’t be built for over a decade. The Office of Residence Life contributed a ResLife mousepad and a housing catalog for room rates. A room in Laurel Hall that year cost $2,380, while 20 years

later rooms in Laurel start at $4,555. A thick course catalog from the Registrar was pulled out from the pile, representing a time when registering for classes was done in person and not at midnight on a computer. Senate’s Vice President of Administration and senior industrial engineering major Jeremy Bedient noted that IE461 on one of the pages is still Product Quality Assurance. Student Senate is already in the process of preparing a new time capsule to be opened in another 20 years. “We bought the time capsule already and this time we're making sure that it's not buried. We got a high quality one that will be water tight and sturdy,” Patel said. “We expect an Instagram post to come out in the next week or so publicizing that we want ideas of what to put in there,” Patel continued, “and in a month or two we will officially close it and put it away for storage.” A recording of the livestream can be found on Student Senate’s Instagram page.

ENTERTAINMENT

FEATURES

TRUST IN MEDIA

VACCINES, VARIANTS AND VIRULENCE

SHINEE'S BACK

See pages 3-4

See pages 5

See page 7

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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 concerning the NJIT community and provide a forum for purposeful, constructive discussion among its members. Deadline for Articles or Letters to the Editor is Thursdays prior to publication at 10 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

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VECTOR STAFF Copy Editors Victoria Nguyen Parth Agrawal James Nanchanatt Sreya Das Karim Gueye Yukthi Sangoi Anthony McInnis Contributing Writers Fatima Osman Alexandra Griffith Staff Writers Saanika Joshi Maksim Sokolov Samira Santana Nick Merlino

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POLICE BLOTTER

NJIT Vector Summary 3/1/2021 Times Shown are Times Reported

2/23/21 2:50PM Officers arrested a non-affiliate on Warren Street for stealing a snow blower from the Physical Plant Lot. The item was returned to Physical Plant. 2/24/21 1:30PM NJIT Detective Bureau was made aware of a Bias Incident (Zoom Bombing) that occurred during an NJIT Webex Session on 2/3/21 that possi-

bly followed a related event in July. All notifications made to the appropriate agencies and authorities to investigate the incident. 2/25/21 5:18PM Officers responded to a room smoke alarm in Oak Hall. The occupant had burned food while cooking. The alarm was reset, no further incidents were reported.

THE VECTOR

Features

Week of March 1, 2021

Trust in Media By Katherine Ji | Managing Editor & Fatima Osman | Contributing Writer

National trust in traditional news and media has hit an all-time low, according to Edelman’s 2021 trust barometer report. For millions of Americans, trust in our governing institutions, including businesses, government and media has decreased significantly in the past decade, despite an increase in prioritizing information literacy. An astounding 56% of Americans agreed that “journalists and reporters are purposely trying to mislead people by saying things that they know are false or gross exaggerations,” with trust in the media declining further after the 2020 presidential election. However, Americans have indicated increased prioritization in media and information literacy as well as science literacy this past year. A poll conducted among NJIT students suggests that the gap between news consumption and trust in traditional media is even greater than the national average. Using the survey questions from Edelman, a similar poll was conducted among and sent out to students at NJIT. Regarding the importance of news consumption in 2020, of 206 responses, 75.7% of respondents said that increasing their media and information literacy was more important to them, dwarfing the 55% average. Giancarlo Calle, senior computer science student and administrator of the NJIT

Our government leaders are purposely trying to mislead people by saying things they know are false or gross exaggerations. politics Discord server, explained that his priorities in consuming news definitely increased over the past year: “I’m always trying to learn about what big event is going on, such as what’s going to affect my family, school and friends. As a senior who’s about to graduate, get a job and eventually move into my own house and become financially independent, I care more about that stuff that would affect my finances or my day-to-day life. I’ve been learning about how our gov-

ernment functions, more about the stock market, laws and how all of these institutions affect each other.” Additionally, 75.7% of NJIT respondents said becoming more politically aware became more important to them, and 63.1% said that speaking out when they saw a need for change and reforms had become a stronger prioritization, compared to Edelman’s averages of 51% and 47%, respectively. Interestingly, students have marked NJIT’s campus as more apolitical than most. Colton Prentzel, senior bio-

medical engineering major, explained that he founded the NJIT politics Discord server because he found that there wasn’t an organization or space for NJIT students to discuss politics. “It was kind of hard to find people that were open to have these conversations about politics,” said Prentzel. “It’s a great place to throw up current events or ideas and to learn from each other. It’s a good place to test our worldviews,” said Calle. Despite increased interest in politics, NJIT students approach traditional news

The media is not doing well at being objective and non-partisan. helping with that.”

outlets with plenty of skepticism. 84% believe that the media is not doing well at being objective and non-partisan. 90.8% of students “believe that government leaders are purposely trying to mislead people by saying things that they know are false or gross exaggerations,” compared to the 42% national average. Prentzel explained his inherent agreement with this statement, “when I go to my job, and I do poorly, I get fired. But a politician’s job is essentially to lie to us: when they go to their jobs and do poorly, they can fall back on lying to us and say that everything’s going fine in hopes to get reelected. Yes, politicians lie to us. And there’s not really a way to control that until we’re able to get a grasp of what really is the truth. Unfortunately, the media is not really

75.7% of NJIT respondents agreed that “journalists and reporters are purposely trying to mislead people by saying things that they know are false or gross exaggerations,” compared to a 56% national average. “A lot of news sources, especially those that have opinion pieces, well, they are going to give you the facts, but then they’ll give you their interpretation,” Calle continued. “They usually will never outright lie to you, but they will frame something in a way that implies something negative. For example, they’ll ask, how are they going to pay for this idea? They’re not saying the idea is impossible, but they promote a certain implication. Many news outlets definitely have an agenda.” Regarding the same question, Prentzel said, “by and large? No. I believe most journalists are honest people. However, I think that their organizations around them kind of lead them astray because they need high ratings.”

Journalists and reporters are purposely trying to mislead people by saying thing they know are false or gross exaggerations.

Both cited several events in 2020 that were mis-

continued on page 4

THE VECTOR

Features

Week of March 1, 2021

Trust in Media continued from page 3

represented in news, especially surrounding information around the COVID-19 pandemic. Prentzel recalled one time he was watching the news, where “CNN was roasting Trump for how he handled the coronavirus, how he didn’t give enough money to the task force, etc. I switched over to Fox News, and they’re saying that Democrats are more concerned with racism than they are with the pandemic. I just thought, wow, two groups can take one situation and really spin anything two different ways.”

when voting during the presidential election, after President Trump encouraged supporters to monitor polls for voter fraud and launched months-long investigations.

“There was a lot of misinformation,” explained Calle, such as around mask-wearing early on during the pandemic or misrepresenting COVID-19 data in different states in attempts to criticize the opposition.

“It’s all led by people like Trump,” continued Calle. “He’s like, this is fake news, that is fake news. And to an extent, he’s right. There’s bias everywhere. You really have to watch out when you say one outlet is fake news, while another isn’t.”

In some ways, 2020 was the perfect storm for highlighting weaknesses in our traditional news and media outlets. This past year we were faced to confront a longstanding pandemic, saw wide coverage in Black shootings and other racial injustices and saw marked distrust among the most democratic institutions

“People are opening their eyes to this kind of stuff,” said Calle. “People are recognizing certain agendas, and finding out that their favorite politicians aren’t as great as they used to be while learning more about the political system. Many people are quote-on-quote ‘opening their eyes’ to the fact that big media corporations are being funded.”

Increasing my media and information literacy

Both agree that trust can be restored, on the side of consumers. “People should also not outright reject something that the news says just because it comes from one outlet. Sure, there’s bias, but what’s important is that you can still retain the facts they bring up and can separate out the biased opinions.” “We all can be a little less naive in consuming media in general,” Prentzel noted.

Being more politically aware.

Speaking out when I see the need for changes and reforms.

NJIT Students On Getting Vaccinated By Ethan O'Malley | Photography Editor As of Tuesday, March 2, the state of New Jersey has administered over 1.8 million doses of coronavirus vaccines, with over 14% of the state population receiving at least one dose. Currently in phase 1B, vaccine distribution is focused on first responders, healthcare workers, the elderly, the immunocompromised and other priority individuals. This group has included some NJIT students.

showing identification, health screening, administering the vaccine took only 10 minutes when receiving his first dose and 20 when receiving his second, with the extra 10-minute wait primarily due to the center needing to thaw out another batch of vaccines. Patients were required to wait an additional 15-minute observation period to monitor for allergic reactions.

Srijan Thota, a second year biochemistry major, is a volunteer with an EMT squad in Union County, qualifying him for phase 1A vaccine access. He received two doses of the vaccine in one of the county’s vaccine distribution sites in Elizabeth. “They were very organized, keeping you at a six foot distance the whole time” noted Thota. The process of

Gautum Mereddy, a second year biology major, had a similar path to vaccination. As a volunteer line attendant with the Essex Community College vaccine distribution center, Mereddy was also eligible for phase 1A vaccination. Mereddy described his work as a “managing the amount of people coming in and out to maintain both the social distancing

and to ensure that the registration is not overwhelmed.” He described the vaccination center as remarkably efficient especially compared to other sites in the area. “I remember on my first shift, one of the people said he actually went to [the East Rutherford mega-site for his first shot], he was complaining that there were lines going out of the center itself.” He credits this efficiency to the large number of volunteers, especially student volunteers that ECC had access to from the surrounding colleges. Mereddy noted relatively mild side effects for both doses. he said the only effect he had experienced included a sore arm. Unfortunately, this was not the case for Thota. His first dose resulted in a fever of 99 degrees as well as migraines

lasting two days. After his second dose, he developed a persistent cough over the next three weeks. “I didn’t have a pleasant experience with the vaccine personally, but I know a lot of people they just cruise by.” Though it does seem that we are quite a way away from returning to some semblance of normal life, these vaccinations do give some hope. As per Gautum Mereddy “As someone who’s worked in a vaccination center, there's a lot of people coming in which is great to see. I’m hopeful that people will begin getting vaccinated at a rate that is necessary to achieve herd immunity by the summer. Whether or not that is tangible is hard to say. But I’m hopeful we’ll reach a good amount of people being vaccinated.”

THE VECTOR

Features

Week of March 1, 2021

COVID-19: Vaccines, Variants and Virulence

By Yukthi Sangoi | Senior Staff Writer The light at the end of the dark tunnel has been seen for quite some time with vaccines developed and distributed across the world. With the Biden administration’s major leap forward in working with vaccine manufacturers, there has been more certainty, though not yet complete certainty, for the American population. Stanley H. Weiss, MD, chair of the Epidemiology Section of the New Jersey Public Health Association as well as professor at the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and the Rutgers School Of Public Health, stated that field and local health officials are “receiving now more doses of COVID-19 vaccines, but still nowhere near as much as they’d like. Another change is that they’re getting a little more advanced notice of when they’re going to be received. They were getting lots of surprises until just weeks ago.” Pfizer and Moderna have already promised to have 300 million Americans fully vaccinated by the end of July before the addition of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in play, which has just been authorized by Food and Drug Administration this past weekend and is being reviewed by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as Infectious Diseases Society of America. With the addition, the United States might have a surplus of doses available, enough for 400 million people. This is also due to J&J’s being only one dose, as opposed to the two doses necessary for Pfizer’s and Moderna’s. The J&J dose is currently being put forward as a single shot vaccine. It can be stored in normal refrigerators for months before being administered, allowing for its storage in “primary care offices, pharmacies and community health centers,” said Simone Wildes, an infectious diseases specialist at South Shore Health. The easy-to-access loca-

tions will enable even more people to be vaccinated in a shorter amount of time. ABC News reported that it gives 74% protection against asymptomatic disease, significantly mitigating transmission. Moreover, the vaccine has proven to perform best, with 85% efficacy in the most important cases: severe cases, and 100% efficacy against hospitalizations and deaths across all trial sites. However, Dr. Weiss notes that “the initial data from J&J shows significantly reduced efficacy in older persons, the very persons where among those unvaccinated significantly increased morbidity and death had been demonstrated.” Professor Weiss stated that the vaccines provided by Pfizer and Moderna have been able to target the variant identified in the United Kingdom, which first was detected in the fall, based on immunogenicity studies. Their clinical trials occurred before these variants had become as prevalent as they are now, and these variants are gaining in prevalence. Thus, Dr. Weiss noted this is a fluid situation, and that the US FDA has just issued new guidance to vaccine manufacturers to take these variants into account. Professor of Ecology and Evolution of Disease at NJIT Gareth Russell mentioned that “none of the vaccines developed so far are 100% effective, even against the original strain,” leading to most infectious disease experts expecting COVID-19 to remain like the flu. He said that the flu changes each year, and the vaccine administered each season is based on what is expected to come with the virus. “No one really knows how COVID is likely to evolve! The new variants are more transmissible, but we don’t yet know if they are more or less virulent,” he explained. Russell, however, identified one strange thing about COVID-19, “its ability to transmit asymptomatically,

which is highly unusual for what is fundamentally a respiratory illness.” As a result, COVID-19 may evade an evolutionary trade-off between transmissibility and virulence, in which the destructiveness of a virus keeps itself from spreading too much. While evidence for future variants is not absolute at the moment, something certain is that “there are disparities in vaccination reads in general, not just for COVID-19” according to Stephanie Silvera, epidemiologist and professor in the Public Health Department at Montclair State University. The pandemic has simply “highlight[ed] disparities that have always existed,” referring to the structural inequalities existing by race across the country. Founding director of Salvation and Social Justice and Reverend Charles Boyer described the healthcare system in the nation as “corporatized” and “demarketized” in regards to the coverage. He said it underlines “the major deficit that there’s no public health system in the United States.” The priority at the moment, according to Weiss, “should be to administer

the vaccines in the manner in which they were demonstrated to be effective in the randomized placebo controlled clinical trials,” which he states were done extremely well by the companies. With this hope, however, he is concerned that some vaccinated persons may take the safety precautions that still should be taken, such as mask wearing and social distancing too lightly, since we are still far from a level of herd immunity. Similarly, Russell claimed that “The biggest failings of our response to COVID-19 are not scientific but social (such as reluctance to wear masks) and logistical (such as insufficient hospital capacity, disorganized vaccine distribution and the global failure to monitor for and share information on emerging diseases).” Silvera, Boyer, Weiss and Russell have all commented on the causes of and impacts on the COVID-19 pandemic derived from the social elements in the country. With more companies coming up with approved vaccines, the hope of more evenly distributed doses and a safer future is more closely in reach.

“The biggest failings of our response to COVID-19 are not scientific but social and logistical.” Gareth Russell NJIT Professor of Ecology and Evolution of Disease

THE VECTOR

Opinion

Week of March 1, 2021

“Living Inside a Fishbowl”: Reflecting on the Pandemic By Evan Markowitz | Senior Staff Writer

It’s weird to think that a year ago I was figuring out my spring break plans. I wanted to travel to see friends, and take a couple days off just relax a bit. After all, that’s what spring break is all about! Sure, there was this whole “coronavirus thing” that had just made its way to New York, but it was only a couple of cases… I thought it would be gone before we knew it. I think we all know what happened with that. When the inevitable happened and the majority of us went back home, I couldn’t help but have this strange mix of emotions. On the one hand, I was relieved that I wouldn’t be on campus when cases were on their way up, but I knew I was going to miss my friends, colleagues and instructors. I was the type of student who would be all over

campus for most of the day, so the idea of finishing the spring semester on Webex didn’t seem too appealing. My friends were mostly confident that we would be back to normal, in-person instruction by Fall 2020. Another student asked me in jest what NJIT was doing to maintain the safety of the cones on campus. I wouldn’t say that the situation was treated as a joke, as many students definitely took this very seriously, but there was almost an air of disbelief that we were even in this mess. Fast forward to the present, and while I refuse to call any of this normal, I think many students have adjusted to it insofar as they’ve gotten accustomed to the lonely world of online

learning. Personally, I’ve been home since March 2020, living with my parents, siblings and uncle about an hour away from NJIT. Social interactions have mostly taken place over the Discord chat service and any activity away from my desk has been rare. It is sort of like living on the inside of a fishbowl: you can see everyone and everyone can see you, but there’s an impenetrable wall separating you. That feeling of isolation is unfortunately one that rarely goes away. As someone who is a fairly busy person, to put it lightly, the lack of productivity recently has definitely been disheartening, but the constant reminder that this is not normal is honestly helpful. It isn’t our fault that we are in this situation and I’m sure the

amount of screen time that students are forced to endure can’t be healthy either. In reality, I don’t think anyone should be at fault for not performing their best, whether they’re students or faculty. From daily check-ins with friends to shared movie and music listening sessions, however, I like to think I’ve made the most of my quarantined life, but I certainly can’t wait to be on campus again. Here’s hoping that the vaccine rollout continues at the pace it's at and we can begin to live in what has been charitably called “the new normal.” I’ve been cautiously optimistic up to this point, but I’m hoping the optimism can outweigh the caution if not just this once.

Dining Indoors Overrated By Evan Markowitz | Senior Staff Writer Imagine walking into your doctor’s office and sheepishly admitting that you caught COVID-19 not from a party, not from a crazy hookup, but from a Denny’s. I can’t imagine a greater embarrassment. This exact scenario, however, is one plaguing the nation and the world at large. Let me start with a full disclosure: since March 2020, I have only eaten away from home once. I ate outside at an Italian restaurant for my grandmother’s birthday after many weeks of isolation. It was delicious and I believe that my family practiced the correct social distancing

protocols and etiquette. That said, you wouldn’t catch me dead eating indoors at a restaurant right now. It just doesn’t make any sense to. We live in a world where literally any cuisine is available at the push of a button. What was once limited to pizza and Chinese takeout is now all-inclusive. I could open my phone right now and get chicken from Popeyes, a shake from Sonic or a delicious acaí bowl from Playa Bowls without leaving my chair. In an age like this, why do we even need to go out to eat? Let’s face it: we’re NJIT students. It isn’t like we’re trying to impress

people on fancy date nights. Taco Bell on the floor of your dorm will do just fine, thank you. That said, I know that an opportunity to feel fancy and dare I say human, can be a good thing from time to time. With that in mind, I would like to introduce the amazing innovation of cooking! For probably half the cost of a meal at a restaurant and a few hours to watch Binging with Babish videos, you can make yourself and a date a delicious meal for two. Don some fancy clothes, maybe order some nice silverware from Amazon and voila! A date night that you

and your partner will never forget, all with the added benefit of not contracting a once-in-a-generation plague from the family in the booth next to you being a bit overzealous while blowing out birthday candles. As someone who misses the luxuries we took for granted in the before times, I can totally understand wanting a bit of normalcy, but of all the creature comforts the pre-COVID-19 world had to offer, eating inside at a restaurant is definitely the most overrated.

Underrated

By Sabastian Fernandes | Senior Staff Writer The midday lunch break at a local eatery is a staple in modern work and school culture, acting as a godsent milestone marker in the midst of all your overdue projects that lets you know “good job, you deserve a break.” However, according to a study by the National Restaurant Association back in December, 17% of US restaurants have closed permanently or long-term, with many more suspended indefinitely. Small food businesses, especially those that can’t offer outdoor dining, are being bought out and overtaken by large drive-through and chain corporations with priority partnerships with DoorDash, Uber Eats, Postmates and others. What can we do to save these local restaurants? Under the right safety conditions, returning to the brick-and-

mortar establishments could be a starting point. The CDC has worked closely with public services such as restaurant businesses to develop a set of guidelines towards maintaining healthy environments in indoor dining areas. Such mandates include cleaning and disinfection, improved air filtering systems, reduced maximum occupancy and newly installed sneeze barriers. The effect is such that NY contact tracing research shows that eating indoors only accounts for 1.43% of the state’s total confirmed exposures. All of these provisions, when implemented effectively in conjunction with one another, makes the dangers of indoor dining virtually indistinguishable from the dangers of any other level of

safe social interaction. Eating indoors is also certainly better on your wallet, which service fees, delivery fees and merchant fees from ordering online piling up significantly, with some restaurants like Tops Diner listing meal prices even higher on delivery apps. Local restaurants are often neglected in the face of corporate food factories, when not only are they often higher quality establishments, but they also often give back to the community that populates their stores by buying locally. I think we owe it to our favorite local restaurants to support them through these times, when choosing your favorite mom and pop shop over a McDonalds could really be the difference be-

tween life and death for some of these businesses. Now more than ever, people should be taking their health and safety to the highest levels of concern. By all means, a meal is no reason to gamble a life over, especially if you are at a higher risk of infection. Eating out at restaurants offering indoor dining isn’t for everybody, but for the general public, there is a significantly lowered risk in going every once in a while. As long as restaurants continue following CDC and state guidelines, indoor, in-person dining can be reclaimed in the name of ‘normalcy’ during this uncertain time during the slowly-but-surely improving prospects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

THE VECTOR

Week of March 1, 2021

Entertainment

SHINee’s Back with “Don’t Call Me”

By Saanika Joshi | Staff Writer Before the release of “Don’t Call Me” last week, it had been about three years since the princes of K-pop, SHINee, released their last hit album. The four-man band entered into a hiatus in 2018, as most of the members attended to their mandatory military service in South Korea. Onew joined the military, Key joined the military band as a vocalist and Minho joined the Marines. During this time, Taemin worked on his solo work and debuted in the supergroup SuperM. SHINee’s title track “Don’t Call Me” has been in SM Entertainment’s reservoir for a while. It was originally given to the “Queen of K-pop,” BoA, who thought it would be better suited for a group. With its hook and well-pronounced hip hop beat, most fans assumed that the group in mind was NCT. Other fans that I talked to claim that this song is like the child of NCT’s Cherry bomb and EXO’s Obsession. The music is not as impressive as a title track, especially considering the previous songs of SHINee that blew it out of the water, but the vocal production is enjoyable all the way to the end. While the title track is all about keeping with today’s trends when it comes to K-pop, the rest of the songs are closer to SHINee’s traditional sound. “Heart Attack” is one of the songs that follows the traditional, charming SHINee sound. It starts off with a beating baseline and then transitions to bouncy and groovy beats that give it a funky vibe, while the guitar makes it more exciting. The pre-chorus creates a sort of drama that crashes down in the chorus. The group's harmonies and Taemin and Onew’s vocals shine in this song. The next song, “Marry You” is prob-

Photo by Metro ably my favorite, and has stuck with me since fans were able to get a preview of the song last month. While this is SHINee’s B-side, it was also beautiful. Inspired by 90’s R&B, this downtempo pop song is a cleanser. Its highlight is in the chorus and the feel-good tugging melody. Their falsetto is layered to maximum, taking your breath away. One of SHINee’s trademark sounds is powerful, synth-laden choruses with thick vocal layering espousing a funk vibe. “Code” is just that, using deep house beats. It is the Classic SM sound that all fans know with the group's color and style. This song’s chorus will give longtime fans nostalgia towards SHINee’s golden era. The beginning stomping beats after the rap is reminded of the Taemin’s solo song “Criminal.” The pre-chorus builds tension to the dominating chorus. If you want to know what SHINee’s sound truly is, this is the song for you. Things switch up with “I Really Want You,” being more upbeat and heavy on the drums. Despite feeling more like today’s songs, the catchy and energetic chorus made me want to smile. This song continues the nostalgic feeling of the last song as it feels like they have sung this song before. This is probably because they have a song called “I Want You,” but who am I to question the feeling? “Kiss Kiss” goes on a retro vibe, as retro 70/80s tracks have been a popular in the K-pop industry. This is a song that you could play in the car while on a roadtrip. The reggae-inspired pop song, “Body Rhythm,” shows a more mature side of SHINee. Minho’s and Key’s vocals really shine in this song. Key’s vocals make a huge impact on the chorus, before the

rest show off beautiful harmonies. Overall, I feel that “Marry You” is the best song in the album, but “Attention” is a vocal masterpiece. It has a funky club beat that gives off a sexy, yet sleek vibe. The song is energetic with the best vocal assignment and placement in this

proves why they are called princes of K-pop, the vocals here are out of this world. The high singing and flawless runs and harmonies, my mind could not comprehend. Even after so long, most members having served in the military, the form that they convey is amazing.

Photo by Teen Vogue album. This is one of the songs that you HAVE to listen to, even if you haven’t listened to SHINee. I can’t wait until I hear get to this song live. The Album’s ending song “Kind” is a song for the fans, about the fans. Starting off with a filtered and synthesized introduction that leads to a piano-based ballad. “Kind” has become the song SHINee fans resonate with the most. This song

Overall, this album was vocally amazing which in itself is a treat as most songs are performance-based and vocally negligent, here in the fourth generation. The fact that it’s SHINee on top of that, just proves how unique this group is. I am so happy to have this second generation group back in action.

THE VECTOR

Entertainment

Week of March 1, 2021

My Little Airport Releases New Song “I didn’t know at that time” By Sreya Das | Web & Multimedia Editor On Feb. 2, 2021, the Hong Kong indie duo My Little Airport released a new single which translates to “I didn’t know at that time.” Comprised of Hong Kong natives Nicole Au and Ah P, the band debuted in 2004 and released songs in both English and Cantonese. Sung in Cantonese, the lyrics were written by Ah P with vocals provided by Nicole Au and her younger sister, Karena Au. I stumbled upon this song recently by chance via the Spotify Release Radar. According to the official artist biography, the duo initially met in 2001 in Hong Kong Shue Yan University, where they were both studying journalism and communications. Fitting for their journalism background, previous My Little Airport discography includes political titles such as “divvying up Stephen Lam's $300000 salary,” in reference to Former Chief Secretary for Administration of Hong Kong, and “I love the country not the party.” Their last song (translated as “K Classmate”) was released back in 2019, so fans were pleasantly surprised when the duo unexpectedly came back with this new single. The two-and-a-half-minute song begins with simple keyboard chords, quickly joined by Nicole’s murmuring voice. Simple percussion and an electric guitar, along with Karena’s backing vocals, are then layered on top, providing

more depth to the simple melody. The sudden saxophone solo in the middle contrasted with the rest of the acoustic tone, but overall helped tie together the whole song. Meanwhile, the lyrics evoke a sense of nostalgia, making reference to old photographs from the nineties. The title itself, “I didn’t know at that time,” reminds me of someone looking back on halcyon days, as if to say I didn’t realize how carefree my childhood was. This theme of reminiscence and uncertainty is echoed in My Little Airport’s previous works as well. “Starting from the very beginning, most songs have been about Ah P’s life, which set the tone for My Little Airport’s songs— the idea of not being attached to certain people or things, validating a free spirit and acknowledging the uncertainty in life,” said Nicole Au in an interview with lifestyle media website Honeycombers Hong Kong, published Apr. 2020. In the same interview, Ah P said, “Now that we’ve matured a bit, there is this nostalgia that grows from within me and makes me want to help preserve the good things in Hong Kong. For example, we covered these old Canto songs like live, as these oldie hits probably are unheard of amongst the younger generations. It’s a song from the compilation album called ‘Huang Hou

Photo by Amazon Music Da Dao Dong’ by Music Factory in the 90s. It’s quite meaningful and I want to share it with others.” While “I didn’t know at that time” is a bit more sentimental and acoustic than my usual listening habits, and while I do not understand Cantonese, I

found charm in the soothing vocals and relaxed instrumentals despite it being a one-off song I stumbled on. My Little Airport quickly impresses with their quietly relatable yet daring meanings, and I’m looking forward to more.

COLLECTIONS voices from around campus

Submit your responses to @njit_vector on Instagram!

What do you wish grew on trees? "leaves" "Happiness" "degrees" "puppies" "I wouldnt mind some kombucha" "money LOL" "nutritional yeast" "novels"

"condoms bc they add up" "alt girls"

"love" "my completed midterm"

"Car Air Fresheners... That way NJIT can smell decent"

"I think itd be cool if "a boyfriend" "GUITARS THAT paper grew from trees... PLAYED THEMSELVES" would really help with "fruit but it contains all paper production" the nutritional value "I wish trees grew needed for a single branches that were "my lab report" day while erasing a hollowed out like flutes day's worth of appetite so they'd sing in the "meat" thereby eliminating the wind" need to eat more than "Trees" once a day my tuition "want a tree that just dreams" has straight up working "a 4.0 gpa" electrical outlets"

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Entertainment

Week of March 1, 2021

Horoscopes

Do You Even Sudoku?

By @poetastrologers

ARIES TAURUS It’s time to listen to what the

GEMINI

guides are saying. You need to do this and to finish what you’ve started. Maybe it’s an ending you are scared of but no, it’s only a beginning. You will feel all of the rushing warmth again.

Gold and a little flair and yes, you’re smiling again. Holding three ideas is definitely better than one, but how can you combine them? Give a hug to the day that brings you oranges. Take note of who is listening.

Floating on a cloud is where they will find you. It could be a new infusion of love is helping you rethink things. Or maybe the ways of holding have helped you understand again what is real. Make sure you understand what is worth.

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

Two things set up on top of the table. It might be time to make a cake again. Whatever the case, it will be time to celebrate. Red infused in the tabletop will also yield green.

Standing among the plants will be some sort of gold locket. The light from the planet will be in half. And from the lamp, there will an even brighter light. You can use it to study what has happened..

It’s now so clear what you need to do. You will think that this has happened or has been said before. Instead love will ring around night and all its confessions. Bright pink auras and echoes of love long past and present.

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

There is a bit of understanding that will need to happen for others to understand. You can’t make them and you can’t make the light appear brighter. Instead it’s with action that you can see the blue and green. You hold a ring in your palm as a gift.

A sense of calm and balance will be pervasive. You will want to tell someone something, finally, but won’t find the words at the ready. Just because they don’t jump immediately doesn’t mean they don’t want to. Like every time, they wait, too.

It’s a surprise really, the way you find yourself swinging back and forth now. Too much though you are going on the up of the ride, ready to miss the inevitable. Looking to the left you will see the purple sun. You have really left the song now.

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

An even newer beginning is working. So many things are held up in two hands. But with one movement you will make things peaceful again. A friend will come into the picture.

Perfectly placed are the ideas that arise from dreams. You might smile a lot. There will also be lots of picture taking as you move around the bend. Wisps of grey and green make harmony as you continue.

So much has happened already you will be quick to judge it. But better yet to let the form of it settle into the air. Two companions have already committed to the journey. Whoever is next is ready to be there forever.

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. Game summary 6. Fly-by-night 11. Buck Rogers portrayer Gerard 14. Toughen or harden 15. Netherlands seat of government (with "The") 16. A Gabor 17. Poodle breeder's ad? 19. Pop top 20. Guarantee 21. Self-interested governor? 22. Sicilian volcano 23. "All My Children," et

al. 25. Jazz fan? 27. A Costanza, on "Seinfeld" 30. Union member 31. British time 32. D-Day town 34. Make a new proposal 37. Sulu of classic TV 40. La's lead-in 41. Battery terminal 42. Words with bend or lend 43. "Indeed!" overseas 45. Flamenco accolade 46. Large land area

48. Part of a shop 51. The Parthenon is dedicated to her 53. Conserve, in a way 54. Told a story 55. Fifth day of Kwanzaa 57. Tower Bridge river 61. Seaman 62. Clock store's ad? 64. Man-mouse link 65. Hit musical and film 66. Keepsake 67. Spring runner 68. Pine product 69. Noisy inhalation

Down 1. Latvian capital 2. Slaughter of baseball lore 3. Reduces 4. Wake up 5. Gas, to Brits 6. Eve was the first 7. God of the underworld 8. Very excited 9. Indian canoe 10. Survey choice, perhaps 11. Shoe store's ad? 12. Donald's ex 13. Father of Rachel and

Leah 18. Convalesces 22. What most baked goods are? 24. Mind the pooch, in a way 26. Skating star Lipinski 27. Singer James 28. First name in Bonds 29. Record store's ad? 30. Comfort 33. Part of UCLA 35. Kind of chatter 36. Big bucks? 38. Like some seals 39. Neighbor of Turkmen-

istan 44. Early days 47. Boxer, for one 49. Ballpark figures 50. Spruce up 51. Some choristers 52. Papal headgear 53. Diameter fractions 56. Places to stay 58. Otis' pal 59. Eastern title 60. Faction 62. Distant 63. Word that has ended many fights

THE VECTOR

Week of March 1, 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)