Issuu

The student newspaper of Stevens Institute of Technology, and creator of Attila the Duck.

Is it winter or spring? We can’t tell

We write Stevens history VOLUME CXIX No. 16

HOBOKEN, NJ | FEBRUARY 25, 2022

www.thestute.com Instagram @thestute facebook.com/stevensthestute NEW STUTE EVERY FRIDAY • EST. 1904

Study abroad: virtual and AN ADMINISTRATIVE INSIGHT INTO in-person updates THE NEW SHUTTLES ON CAMPUS BY STEPHANIE SEARING, NEWS EDITOR In March 2020, the pandemic provided a major obstacle for Stevens’ study abroad programs. In an interview with Susan Rachouh, Director of International Programs at Stevens, Rachouh stated that “students were recommended to come home” from their respective countries once travel restrictions were beginning to be placed. Since then, the Office of International Programs has worked hard to continue to provide international opportunities. Although real travel overseas was not permitted for the previous two summers and in January 2021, there have been many opportunities to get a virtual international internship. Additionally, in January 2021, taking virtual international courses became available. These courses could contribute to a general elective requirement or a humanities requirement, for example. Overall, approximately 100 students have participated in virtual study abroad. According to Rachouh, there has been overwhelmingly positive feedback about these virtual international programs, and many students did not expect the experience to be as rewarding as it was.

Alpha Phi’s Mr. Hearthrob BY JORDYN RAMELLI, BUSINESS MANAGER On February 18, 2022, the Alpha Phi sorority held their annual Mr. Heartthrob pageant to raise money for their philanthropy, women’s heart health. The event started at 7 p.m. and ended around 9 p.m., taking place in the Debaun auditorium. Mr. Heartthrob was directed by members Elizabeth Cannizzo, Vice President of Health, Wellness, and Accountability, and Serena Platt, Director of Philanthropy, with assistance from Alexis McKelvey, President of Alpha Phi. All members of Alpha Phi helped run the event as well. The pageant consisted of one participant from the following fraternities: Alpha Sigma Phi, Beta Theta Pi, Chi Phi, Chi Psi, Kappa Sigma, Nu Alpha Phi, Phi Sigma Kappa, Sigma Nu, and Theta Xi. The judging panel consisted of one member from the following sororities: Alpha Phi, Delta Phi Epsilon, Phi Sigma Sigma, Sigma Delta Tau, and Theta Phi Alpha. Cannizzo explained, “Mr. Heartthrob is a pageant-like competition

SEE HEART PAGE 2

Although it was virtual, there were still ways to be immersed in the culture of other countries. To get students more involved in the cultural aspect, study abroad providers that collaborate with Stevens connected study abroad students with students from other countries. Additionally, CIS Abroad, a study abroad provider that Stevens works with, posted two Stevens students’ virtual experiences. In the summer before her junior year, senior biomedical engineer Madison Dejong, interned “with a company based in Quito, Ecuador called Robots Crate,” where she was “a design intern developing robotic prosthetic ears for people with microtia.” When talking about her experience, she said “I came into this summer with no expectations, and yet somehow the experience exceeded my expectations anyways.” Another student, Amanda Thompson ‘21, also participated in a virtual internship. Her “engineering virtual internship placement was at the Intillacta Reserve in the Choco Cloud Forest.” She “worked for Robots Crate on a solar tree project,” and more specifically, she was “focused on developing a carbon dioxide sequestration system that would be built into the tree.” About

SEE ABROAD PAGE 2

KEVIN GRUNDER COURTESY OF HIMSELF

BY CHRISTA RUIZ, CONTRIBUTOR Stevens has welcomed Kevin Grunder as the new Assistant Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life. In an email interview with The Stute, Grunder discussed his role and the ambitions he has for Stevens’ Greek Life. Q1: Tell me about yourself and past experiences that brought you to this position. “My name is Kevin SCIENCE (6)

Alpha Phi’s Mr. Heartthrob event lights up the stage Read more about an event that supported Women’s Heart Health.

How will 5G affect airports? Energy crisis in Europe

Check out the Black History Month Feature Learn more about the creator of Juneteenth and Black History Month Art in Hoboken

As The Stute has already voiced the Stevens students’ opinion in response to the new Via shuttle buses, The Stute reached out to Stevens administration to gather more details regarding the new service. According to Luke Hansen, Stevens’ Transportation and Sustainability Development Manager, “We knew the previous shuttle service was not meeting riders’ needs or expectations, which is why we turned to a tech-enabled model that

Kevin Grunder joins Stevens as the new Assistant Director of Greek Life

NEWS (2)

FEATURES (4-5)

BEMIN SHAKER FOR THE STUTE

BY TREVOR DAMEIKA, NEWS EDITOR

OPINION (7-10)

Editorial Mind of a Freshman Senioritis Scientific Curmudgeon Not Financial Times (NFT) Off The Press The Conversation Second-Year Freshman

Grunder (he/him/his) and I am so excited to be a member of the Stevens’ community as its new Assistant Director for Fraternity and Sorority Life!” Grunder said to introduce himself. He then went into detail about his background that brought him to this position, and explained that he earned his “M.A. in Student Affairs Administration in Higher Ed-

SEE GREEK PAGE 2

uses intelligent booking and routing software to optimize trips, makes it easier for riders to book rides through an app, and provides extended operating hours.” Via’s TransitTech service helps to eliminate issues with transportation accessibility and traffic congestion, when it may be difficult for many to get to their desired locations in time. Additionally, with the switch, a focus was placed on sustainability and a decrease in gas consumption. Hansen stated, “The new Stevens Shuttle eliminates gas-guzzling trips with no passen-

gers by replacing unnecessary loops during non-peak times with a system that only deploys a vehicle when ride requests are made, and places riders headed in the same direction in the same vehicle.” This focus translates to seeing fewer appearances of these shuttles but focuses on the essential capability to request transportation rather than having to wait for a missed shuttle. The change also provides a sense of more extensive accessibility. The new shuttle service provides wheelchair accessibility, which the previous shuttle service did not

provide. In addition to this inclusivity, the shuttle service provides an opportunity for students to take “a safe ride home” service. From 8:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m., seven days a week, this service allows students, upon request, to reach their homes or essential locations, such as the Hoboken University Hospital or Hoboken Terminal. These changes in accessibility help invite users to more frequently use the service and use it when necessary. With the launch of this service, demand for Stevens

SEE SHUTTLE PAGE 2

S.C. Williams Library obtains subscription to The Chronicle of Higher Education BY BENJAMIN KNOBLOCH, CONTRIBUTING REPORTER Access to a site license subscription to The Chronicle of Higher Education through the Samuel C. Williams Library is now available, Stevens has announced. The Chronicle of Higher Education is a Washington D.C. newspaper that focuses on university faculty and student affairs, and it is also known for posting college job listings. The change makes The Chronicle, including its articles, statistics, and newsletters, with the exception of the Daily Briefing newsletter, available to all enrolled students as well as employed faculty and staff. The site license provides unlimited access to The Chronicle’s website, including the viewing of limitless articles and essays, as well as special issues, such as The Almanac of Higher Education and The Trends Report. By accessing The Chronicle through the Library’s database page, these services will be available to Stevens community members without the need

for an account or a membership. Users who are not on campus, however, will need to sign up for an account using their Stevens emails on the newspaper’s website. The Chronicle normally requires an account, which is free to be created, to read articles and receive newsletters. According to its website, The Chronicle then limits access to paid subscriptions based on a variety of factors, including “who you are, how you read us, and what you’ve read in the past.” In an email interview with The Stute, Library Director Linda Beninghove expressed excitement over the new offering, calling The Chronicle “the leader in higher education journalism” for “real-time, reliable news, data, information, and research.” The Library decided to acquire the site license after noticing a large number of individual subscriptions to the newspaper at Stevens, believing that the move would provide a cost-effective way to improve access for the entire Stevens community. Beninghove described the benefits of the subscription as wide-ranging, and said that The Chronicle “helps

keep students, faculty, and staff up-to-date and wellversed in the world of academia and the future of higher education.” The news follows the Library’s acquisition of subscriptions to two prominent physics journals published by the American Physical Society—Physical Review A (PRA) and Physical Review Letters. PRA covers important developments in the fields of atomic, molecular, and optical physics and quantum information, and Letters, the American Physical Society’s flagship journal, publishes research by prominent physicists in all disciplines, according to their respective websites. Students, teachers, and staff who already have a free or paid membership to The Chronicle of Higher Education can sync their accounts with Stevens emails via the newspaper’s website. Additionally, individual paid subscriptions can be canceled and partially refunded by emailing subscriptions@chronicleservice.com. The Library’s website adds that “individual subscribers should reach out to their departments/offices on what’s the best fit for their information needs.”

Friday, February 25

News SHUTTLE

Masthead Volume CXIX No. 0

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Executive Board EDITOR-IN-CHIEF..............................SANJANA MADHU ‘23 BUSINESS MANAGER.......................JORDYN RAMELLI ‘23 MANAGING EDITOR............................. KEENAN YATES ‘24 LAYOUT EDITOR.........................................ISABELLA ZIV ‘24 OUTREACH CHAIR...............................KATIE BLOOMER ‘25 DIGITAL MANAGER...............................BEMIN SHAKER ‘23 SECRETARY......................................ZANE THUMMBORST ‘23

Editorial Board NEWS EDITOR.....................................TREVOR DAMEIKA ‘23 SCIENCE EDITOR............................RAYNA INDELICATO ‘22 OPINION EDITOR............................ROSHNI REVANKAR ‘22 HEAD COPY EDITOR.....................GIANNA CALLEGARI ‘24

Operations Board HEAD PHOTOGRAPHER...........CAROLINE MONTANA ‘22 SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER............VANESSA HUERTA ‘23

Staff & Contributors Aleksandar Dimoski Benjamin Knobloch Christa Ruiz Daniel Yu Emma Tong Erin McGee Estefania DeCaires Grace Miguel Joesph Ames

Kayden Cannel Marisa Powers Matthew Brantl Olof Persson Pooja Rajadurai Quentin Jimenez Rafael Lee Li Stephanie Searing Tasha Khosla

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 the whole experience, she said, “this experience was valuable and I’m grateful for all the people who taught me throughout this time.” Traveling abroad resumed in September 2021. According to Rachouh, it was dependent on the “DOS (Department of State) Travel Advisory level.” Travel Advisory level 1 says to “exercise normal precautions,” level 2 says to “exercise increased caution,” level 3 says to “reconsider travel,” and level 4 is “do not travel.” “Stevens allows students to travel to Levels 1-3, but not 4.” A study abroad trip

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

GENERAL.........................................EBOARD@THESTUTE.COM EDITOR-IN-CHIEF.........................EDITOR@THESTUTE.COM ADVERTISING.............................BUSINESS@THESTUTE.COM OFFICE......................................STUDENT CENTER ROOM #302

1) Article: Moderna administered first doses of its experimental HIV vaccine. Correction: IAVI G001 did not use the Moderna mRNA vaccine technology but rather used a recombinant protein. IAVI G002 is the first mRNA-based HIV vaccine

ABROAD

HEART

Corrections

Shuttle surpassed administration’s expectations. According to Hansen, “based on the old service we were expecting 400-500 rides per day, but, in reality, we are now seeing more than 600 completed rides per day. The number of ride inquiries is closer to 1,200 per day.” However,

where all of the fraternity contestants compete in a series of different events. This year, we started with an opening dance number where all of the frats performed a dance number together that was choreographed by our Heart Health Week committee. The contestants then competed in the individual rounds which consisted of 3 different categories, fashion, onstage question, and talent.” The winner who was crowned Alpha Phi’s Mr. Heartthrob was Nathan Lancia from Sigma Nu. Cannizzo stated that he was a fan

NOTICE A MISTAKE? Email us at eboard@ thestute.com.

Via’s service was able to provide ride proposals for 90-95% of these inquiries. This extremely high demand resulted in higher wait times for users to get picked up. In response, Hansen worked to increase shuttle numbers at times when there seemed to be more rider demand. As a result, Hansen explained, “we have reduced wait times by 50% within two weeks. Wait times now average less than 15 minutes, and

riders’ reviews averaged 4.9 out of 5 stars.” Stevens Shuttle is currently focused on looking at feedback from users to make more informed changes, if necessary. In a few weeks, riders will also be receiving an in-app survey asking about their experiences and possible improvements. For more information, the Stevens Shuttle app can be downloaded in the Apple App Store and Google Play.

to Prague, Czech Republic in January 2022 was canceled because the COVID numbers rose to level 4. Studying abroad is on pause for Summer 2022 due to increasing COVID numbers and different variant updates. The Office of International Programs anticipates receiving an update in early March on whether or not it will proceed for Summer 2022. Rachouh is hopeful that it will be allowed as of now, but “safety is still the first priority.” In the meantime, the Office is still working with students to narrow down their international program options and doing other prep for it. Moreover, they are still promoting the virtual options as

“some countries are just not feasible” to travel to. Nonetheless, studying abroad is popular among Stevens students. Rachouh said that she met with 18 students individually, and on average, the study abroad info sessions included 2040 students per week. She emphasized that there is “really something for everyone, even virtually.” Stevens also offers scholarship opportunities for international internships, called “The Four Fund,” in order to increase the accessibility of the program. There are opportunities for every major, and ultimately the office of study abroad programs is willing to work to find what is best for each student individually, regardless of the circumstance.

favorite and even brought his kitten on stage during the fashion portion of the competition. For the talent portion, Lancia sang a mix of Crush by David Archuleta, Love Like Woe by The Ready Set, and Boyfriend by Big Time Rush. Lancia decided to volunteer to participate in Mr. Heartthrob because he believes philanthropy is one of the most important parts of Greek life. He stated, “Winning Mr. Heartthrob felt incredible. My coaches (special shout-out Izzy Gabby and Sierra) and my brothers put in a ton of work helping me prepare and I think that showed, so it was very gratifying knowing that our hard work was rewarded.” This was Alpha Phi’s first Mr. Heartthrob since March of

2020. Cannizzo explained, “The last Mr. Heartthrob was actually planned to happen in 2020 right before school closed down due to COVID-19. It was really exciting to see everything finally come together. We even had some alumni, who are now graduate students, attend the event.” In total, the event raised $4,682 from ticket sales and donations, all to be donated to the Alpha Phi Foundation. Cannizzo declared the event a success, stating “All of the contestants from each of the fraternities put in so much time and effort to make our event a success and I am so grateful to all of them! Not only did the fraternities show up, but audience wise we had a huge turnout, including other sororities.”

Disclaimer All opinions and editorials reflect the views of their respective author(s). No Part of The Stute may be reproduced in any form, in whole or in part, without the written consent of the Editor-in-Chief. Cited references of The Stute are permitted.

Policy on Letters to the Editor All members of the Stevens community are able to submit a Letter to the Editor to be published in The Stute. Letters must refer either to a piece published in The Stute or to The Stute in general and must be between 400 – 800 words in length. Submit letters to editor@thestute.com with your name and title (when applicable) or using our Google form. For writers who wish to write a Letter to the Editor anonymously, please see our policy on anonymity. The Editorial Board reserves the right to choose whether or not to publish a submitted Letter to the Editor based on a majority rule vote, and additionally reserves the right to edit letters for clarity or request authors to revise. Provided that the author approves the final version, The Stute reserves the right to edit letters according to our copy editing procedures, defined in our policies.

Policy on Op-Eds All members of the Stevens community are able to submit a standalone opinion piece (otherwise known as an Op-Ed) to be published in The Stute. Op-Eds must be between 400 – 800 words, but longer submissions will be considered on a case-by-case basis. To submit an OpEd please email eboard@thestute.com with your name and title (when applicable) or using our Google form (tinyurl.com/submit-t0-stute). For writers who wish to write an Op-Ed anonymously, please see our policy on anonymity. The Editorial Board reserves the right to choose whether or not to publish a submitted Op-Ed based on a majority rule vote, and additionally reserves the right to edit Op-Eds for clarity or request authors to revise. Provided that the author approves the final version, The Stute reserves the right to edit Op-Eds according to our copy editing procedures, defined in our policies.

FULL LIST ON thestute.com/policies

PHOTOS COURTESY OF KATIE NG

GREEK

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 ucation from Ball State University in 2019 and my B.A in Public Relations and Theater Studies from Rider University in 2017.” As an undergraduate student, he was engaged in his fraternity and overall Greek Life community at Rider. “Prior to coming to Stevens, I worked as a Program Coordinator for Student Engagement & Activities at Stony Brook University where I advised a fraternity and sorority community of 30+ social, professional, and culturally-based fraternal organizations.” Grunder concluded his introduction by stating, “I came to Stevens to continue my passion for enhancing the fraternal experience on college campuses and look forward to supporting our Stevens’ fraternity and sorority life community! I am proud to be a Duck and am excited to experience all the campus traditions within our community!” Q2: Could you explain what your role is as Greek Life Coordinator? As the Assistant Director for Fraternity and Sorority Life, Grunder stated, “My role is to provide advisement and oversight to our 20+ fraternal organizations, 3 governing councils, and 2 programmatic councils on campus.” He also explained that he oversees “primary recruitment and new member education/orientation/ intake for our three governing councils on campus.” Additionally, he ed-

ucates chapter leaders and members on risk management, leadership development, program planning, and hazing prevention. Finally, he acts as “a liaison between our chapters and other students, campus partners, and inter/national headquarters staff.” Q3: What is first on the agenda to complete as the New Greek Life coordinator? Grunder noted that his first priority in his new position is to “meet with our fraternity and sorority chapters to learn more about their experience and how I can best support them in my new role.” Q4: How do you plan to enhance the experience for students in Greek life? Grunder explained that his plan to enhance Stevens’ Greek Life experience is by “providing opportunities to meet with our chapter members and leaders to learn more about their student experience.” He hopes that through these encounters, he can seek student input in order to identify areas in which he could “support our chapters in providing advisement, facilitating opportunities for leadership and/ or values-based programming for our fraternities and sororities, and helpful resources to complement their chapter and community experiences.” Q5: What are the top three things you hope to accomplish in your position? The first task Grunder hopes to accomplish is to “learn more about our students’ fraternity and sorority life experience to create meaningful opportunities to elevate their mem-

bership experience.” His second goal is to “strengthen our chapter and council advising structure to best support each of our organizations in creating, achieving, and surpassing set goals.” Finally, Grunder would like to “increase Stevens’ fraternity and sorority life pride and community collaboration by developing new traditions and celebrating community points of pride.” Q6: Are there any significant changes you plan on making? Grunder stated that he believes the most important thing he can do in his first year is to “make myself available to our Stevens’ fraternity and sorority life students to learn as much about their experience as possible.” “I approach my advising around developing authentic rapport and partnership with our students,” he elaborated. “In learning more about our students and their experience, I believe that we can work together to progress the Stevens’ fraternity and sorority life community together in a meaningful way.” Q7: What impact do you want to leave on Stevens’ Greek Life? In his response, Grunder stated that the impact he would like to leave is to “empower our students to lead with their ‘why’ of fraternal membership and ensure those values are congruent within every aspect of the fraternity and sorority experience. With an understanding of their ‘why’ for fraternal membership, I hope to empower our students to be the change and impact they want to see for our community.”

Friday, February 25

Campus Pulse

Eda Erdemci ‘23

Yzabel Breboneria ‘24

“I have before but like I’m a junior and I used it when I was a freshman.”

“I used it once. It was helpful.”

Federico Yacoubian ‘24 “I have, but nothing can save me from intermediate stats.”

ROVING REPORTER

“Have you used the ASC Tutoring service?”

Erin Wolf ‘24 “NO. Can you put that in bold?”

Chris Deffigos ‘24 “No. Are you taking my picture too?”

Nina Pavlatos ‘24

Christopher DiFalco ‘23

Kayla Puebla ‘23

“Unfortunately.”

“Nope. Probably should though.”

“Definitely no.”

The Fruits of Your Labor by Off Center Stephen Pachucki

APPLE APRICOT AVOCADO BANANA BLUEBERRY CANTALOUPE CHERRY CLEMENTINE CRANBERRY DATE FEIJOA FIG GRAPE GUAVA KUMQUAT LEMON LIME LYCHEE MANGO NECTARINE ORANGE PAPAYA

PEACH PEAR PINEAPPLE PLANTAIN PLUM POMEGRANATE PRUNE QUINCE RASPBERRY SALAK STRAWBERRY TANGERINE WATERMELON YUZU

Sudoku Easy Puzzle: 0.35 difficulty

Hard Puzzle: 0.75 difficulty

LAST WEEK’S CROSSWORD ANSWERS: 1.GERMAN 2.ENGLISH 3.ITALIAN 4.RUSSIAN 5.KOREAN 6.SLOVAK 7.MANDARIN 8.FRENCH 9.HEBREW

Friday, February 25

Feature

BLACK HISTORY MONTH Biden to nominate first Black woman Supreme Court Justice BY KAYDEN CANNILLA, CONTRIBUTING REPORTER Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer confirmed his plans to retire on January 27, 2022, giving President Biden his first Supreme Court nomination. While the Biden administration has kept all interviews under wraps, with plans to announce the Court pick on March 1, Biden has promised that his Supreme Court pick “will be the first Black woman ever nominated.” This will be the fourth Supreme Court Justice nominated in the past five years. Supreme Court Justice is a position that historically has been a seat held for life, though Justices are 2.6 times more likely to retire “if the incumbent president is of the same party as the president who nominated the justice to the Court, and if the incumbent president is in the first two years of a four-year presidential term.” Though still unconfirmed, the top three likely picks according to NPR, CNN, Fox News, and other outlets are “federal Appeals Court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, California Supreme Court Justice Leondra Krueger and federal District Judge J. Michelle Childs.” Summarized from NPR profiles, here are the quick facts about each of the potential candidates. Ketanji Brown Jackson is a 51 year old circuit judge on the US Court of Appeals. She has done work in reducing penalties for crack cocaine to match the penalties for powder cocaine, which had allowed a disproportionate number of black and brown drug offenders to receive much higher sentences than their white counterparts. She has written more than 500 opinions, some of them over 100 pages. She favors rhetoric used in Supreme Court doctrines, saying that systemically racist and systematic bias “are not terms that I use in the law” and that courts look to prove “discriminatory intent, discriminatory impact, in

some cases, retaliation” but not systemic racism. Leondra Kruger is a 45 year old California Supreme Court justice. Sandra Day O’Connor, the first female Court justice, also had experience in a state court prior to her Supreme Court seat. Kruger applies a “rigorous analysis regardless of what the result favors” with UC Berkeley and Hastings law schools concluding that Kruger’s opinions are “not aligned with any ideological coalition” without a partisan agenda. Kruger has seen and voted on death penalty cases, most of which result in a unanimous decision to uphold the penalty, though there are some high profile cases where the court decided, also unanimously, to reverse the death sentence. Kruger’s approach to law is not literal, as she believes statutes “should not be blindly and literally applied” and she aims for “narrow changes in the law rather than expansive rulings.” J. Michelle Childs is a 55 year old Judge of the US District Court for the District of South Carolina. Her father was a victim of gun violence, and she has spoken about the effects of gun violence on children in America. Her early career involved representing employers or employees in disputes, which caused some members of the Democratic Party to accuse her of union-busting, though she is endorsed by the AFL-CIO, the largest federation of unions in the United States. Former President Obama nominated her for the federal trial bench, and she was unanimously rated as “well qualified” and confirmed. If confirmed as a Supreme Court Justice, she and Amy Coney Barrett would be the only Justices to not graduate from Harvard or Yale. Once announced, it takes a nominee between two to three months to be confirmed by the Senate. Biden will be looking to confirm the Supreme Court Justice before the 2022 midterms, as the Democratic majority in the Senate secures the 50 necessary votes.

Ketanji Brown Jackson: US Court of Appeals

Leondra Kruger: California Supreme Court Justice

J. Michelle Childs: US District Court for the District of S.C. PHOTOS COURTESY OF NPR

Hoboken unveils “I AM 400” art piece for Black History Month BY KEENAN YATES, MANAGING EDITOR On February 11, the city of Hoboken unveiled an art piece titled “I AM 400: The African Journey In America 1619-2019.” The piece, created by artists Jerome and Jeromyah Jones, a father-son duo, features the portraits of 69 African Americans—both household names and “unsung heroes the world needs to know.” Jerome Jones has been an artist for the past 40 years with the goal of teaching “The Art of Life through the Love of Art to inspire the young and old to use their gifts to uplift others.” With works in the collections of individuals the likes of Stevie Wonder, Evander Holyfield, Michael Jordan, Michael Vick, LaVar Arrington, VCU Health Systems, the City of Richmond, among many other public and private collections, the patriarch in the father-son duo has been an inspirational figure to many for decades. Jeromyah Jones cites his father as his inspiration for artistry, saying that

his father took him to galleries and ultimately gave him the “opportunity to meet history,” which consequently made “paintings more meaningful.” Jeromyah Jones “hopes to alter people’s view of many African-Americans and their experience” through his art. He explains, “I don’t want to just paint these historical figures in the way we usually see them.” Rather, he aims to “put a poetic perspective to their lives,” which can be seen in “I AM 400.” Some of the historical figures included in this collection include: Dr. Dorothy I. Height, who spent her life fighting for both civil rights and women’s rights; Martin Luther King III, son of Martin Luther King Jr. and a human rights advocate; Christine Darden, who was one of the first women to work as a mathematician and “human computer” at NASA; iconic singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder; American tennis players Arthur Ashe and Serena Williams; the band Earth, Wind & Fire; former U.S. Secretary of State General Colin Powell; jazz

musician Lonnie Liston Smith; pastor and national civil rights leader Wyatt Tee Walker; author Alex Haley; broadcasting executive Xernona Clayton, and president of the American College of Surgeons, Dr. L.D. Britt. Other paintings included are both “allegorical and historical” and exemplify “motifs that explain the journey of a people on a quest for freedom.” Mayor Ravi Bhalla was joined by students from Hoboken Middle School and local officials at Church Square Park during an unveiling ceremony. “We must continue to educate ourselves about the African American experience to strive towards a more equal and just society,” Bhalla said. “I hope ‘I AM 400’ encourages residents and visitors to research and learn more about the inspiring African Americans who have broken barriers and made all our communities a better place.” At the conclusion of Black History Month, I AM 400 will be donated to the Hoboken Public Library.

PHOTO COURTESY OF RELIGIONUNPLUGGED.COM

ATTN: Students & Faculty! Mention This Ad When You Call or Use Promo Code Stevens10 When You Order Online

Friday, February 25

Feature What to know about Paul Robeson: activist, actor, singer, and athlete BY ROSHNI REVANKAR, OPINION EDITOR

I AM NOT BEING TRIED FOR WHETHER I AM A COMMUNIST, I AM BEING TRIED FOR FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHTS OF MY PEOPLE WHO ARE STILL SECOND-CLASS CITIZENS IN THIS UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.[...]” — PAUL ROBESON WHEN HE WAS CALLED IN BY THE HOUSE UN-AMERICAN ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE TO TESTIFY AS A PERCEIVED COMMUNIST IN 1956. SOURCE: PAUL LEROY ROBESON | PAUL ROBESON HOUSE & MUSEUM

As we continue to celebrate Black History in February—and every month of the year—individuals like Paul Leroy Robeson, a notable bass-baritone Black actor and activist, is one of many people to know and celebrate about. His contributions, from promoting African and African-American history and culture in theatre to activism during segregation in the U.S., have earned him much admiration and criticism. Robeson was born on April 9, 1989, in Princeton, NJ. His father was a former slave and his mother came from a prominent abolitionist Quaker family. At the age of 17, Robeson received a four-year academic scholarship to attend Rutgers University. There, he excelled in both sports and in academics, earning nearly fifteen varsity letters in various sports while also graduating as valedictorian. Robeson went on to attend Columbia Law School and worked at a law firm to help pay for his law degree. Due to racial profiling issues at the law firm, his law career was cut short. As a result of the abrupt end to law practice in 1923, Robeson rediscovered his passion for the arts, took part in dramas, movies, and singing. Robeson began his acting career in Harlem YMCA’s production

of Simon the Cyrenian and then in various Broadway productions such as Taboo and Othello. His role in Othello was the longest-running Shakespeare play in Broadway history, “running for nearly three hundred performances’’ and considered one of “the great-American Shakespeare productions.” In 1944, he won the Donaldson Award for Best Acting Performance for his role in Othello. He is most well-known for his rendition of the Showboat song, ‘Ole Man River,’ changing the lyrics to a declaration of resistance: “I must keep fightin’ until I’m dying.” The song made top 100 songs in American cinema. Till the 1940s, he also acted in numerous films such as Body and Soul, Jericho, and Proud Valley. As he began to be more wellknown internationally, Robeson began to use his fame to fight for many social movements and noticed differences in how he was treated as a star abroad and at home. He had a belief that prominent figures have a responsibility to fight for justice and peace. He became a cultural leader against fascism, earning respect from many prominent personalities like W.E.B Du Bois, former Indian Prime Minister Jehrwal Nehru, and Eleanor Roosevelt. In one of his theater performances in 1933, All God’s Chillun, Robeson donated his proceeds from the show to Jewish refugees fleeing Hitler’s Germany. When in

London, Robeson noticed that he was not treated by the harassment at his performances and shows like he would in New York and rather brought the “audience to its feet with cheers for twelve encores.” During his visit to USSR in 1934, he found that he was treated better there than in the U.S., proclaiming, “here, I am not a Negro but a human being for the first time in my life. … I walk in full human dignity,” to reporters about his experience in Russia.

Due to his pro-Soviet stance and activism, the 1940s brought him to the political forefront. Robeson became the target of many violent attacks and intimidation in the U.S., especially during the Red Scare. During his Peekshill, NY concert in 1949, many rioters “smashed the stage, torched chairs, attacked concertgoers, and threatened Robeson’s life.” He became one of the founding members of the independent political party known as the Progressives. His involvements led him to be blacklisted by the U.S. government. In 1950, his passport was revoked, preventing travel abroad for concerts that paid for much of his livelihood. It was only after 1958 that his passport was reinstated.

He was able to hold a celebratory sold-out concert in Carnegie Hall, but the negative publicity and virtual disappearance of Robeson’s accomplishments in history took a huge toll on his health and career. He faced several bouts of depression and was admitted to continuous shock treatments. He was also misdiagnosed several times for a variety of physical and psychological problems. Even though he was recognized as “Man of the Year” in 1950 by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, his history is largely ignored in present discourse about individual freedom and national security. In 1995, Rutgers posthumously inducted him into the College Football Hall of Fame. The Hoboken Museum honored Robeson on February 9, in one of many celebrations done for Black History Month. This event was co-led by Teaching Assistant Professor Dr. Lindsay Swindall and activist and actor Grant Cooper. Both told stories of Robeson using “photos, dramatic readings, discussion, and music.”

PHOTO COURTESY RUTGERS UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES

TOP: PHOTO COURTESY OF NATIONAL ARCHIVES BOTTOM: PHOTO COURTESY OF NATIONAL ARCHIVES

Opal Lee: the grandmother of “Juneteenth” BY DANIEL YU, CONTRIBUTING REPORTER Known as the “grandmother of Juneteenth,” Opal Lee’s journey of social activism began when a mob of white rioters burned down her family home on the Juneteenth of 1939. Lee was only 12 at the time, but the event spurred her on to raise awareness of the holiday and its significance to the African American community. Juneteenth is one of the oldest celebrations of the abolition of slavery. It is also a way for African American families to connect with each other and their culture through food, music, and the works of artists and leaders such as Maya Angelou and Ralph Ellison. Lee graduated from the University of North Texas and became an educator for the Fort Worth Independent School District, where she worked for more than 15 years before retiring in 1976. Since then, Lee was involved in various local causes and established the nonprofit organization Unity Unlimited Inc., which continues to provide educational activities and resources to communities across the nation to foster racial harmony and awareness of ongoing tensions and issues. At 89 years old, Lee continued to campaign for Juneteenth on

a national scale by walking from her home town of Fort Worth in Texas to Washington D.C., spending months traveling on the road. She ultimately reached the capital in January of 2017, where she hoped to convince former President Obama to add Juneteenth as a national holiday. However, the holiday would not be federally recognized until 2021 under President Biden. In spite of the delay, Lee never faltered in her belief that Juneteenth would eventually be endorsed, asserting her commitment under a petition on change. org to make Juneteenth a national holiday in 2021. The petition managed to amass more than 1.6 million followers, and received positive attention from celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez and Usher, among others. Lee’s efforts culminated in the signing of the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act in 2021, which established Juneteenth as a new federal holiday, and Lee personally attended the signing of the bill alongside President Biden. Juneteenth has now become the first federal holiday to be added since Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983, and over 33 members of Congress have agreed to nominate Lee for the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, representing another step taken for ongoing social progress and the remediation of racial grievances.

OPAL LEE AS PHOTOGRAPHED BY ZERB MELLISH, FROM OPRAH DAILY

Friday, February 25

Science 5G’s Interference with a century-old technology BY QUENTIN JIMENEZ, CONTRIBUTOR The recent back and forth between the telecom industry and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has created a spike in worries and debate surrounding the rollout of 5G technology. Should you put on a tinfoil hat and stick yourself in a faraday cage, are planes going to fall from the sky, or are most of the common fears blown out of proportion? The main cause of concern has to do with a 100-year-old piece of technology, the radio altimeter, a fundamental part of modern aviation. The radio altimeter is used to determine the current height of an aircraft and is useful when landing in imperfect weather conditions.

It does this with a radio transmitter and receiver, bouncing radio signals off of the terrain below and measuring the time it takes for them to return. By knowing the propagation speed of the wave, the instrument is able to accurately determine the distance between the aircraft and the ground below. 5G interferes with these radio signals, which is the reason the FAA and others in the field have raised concerns. Most altimeters operate on a band from 4.2 to 4.4 GHz, which can interfere with signals from the 5G cell towers, which range from 3.7 to 3.98 GHz. This interference can cause certain models of radio altimeters to malfunction, which can make landings more difficult for pilots. The radio altimeter is also used in

many auto-pilot and auto-landing functions, which can create catastrophic errors without visual-impairing weather conditions. Some of these systems rely heavily on the readings of the plane’s altimeters, and if malfunctioning due to interference can cause issues similar to what caused the FAA to ground the 737 Max a few years ago. The FAA recently issued a warning on this to all 737’s stating, “The presence of 5G C-band interference can result in degraded deceleration performance, increased landing distance and runway excursion,” leading some experts to believe interference from 5G bands could lead to difficulties in stopping planes on the runway. These issues have caused conflict between the FAA and

major telecom companies like AT&T and Verizon, who have been ramping up construction of 5G sites in recent years. The problem came to a head recently as these companies began building closer to airports, leading the FAA to cancel flights and issue warnings to potentially affected aircraft. From here, the FAA reached an agreement with AT&T and Verizon, delaying the activation of certain 5G sites while they worked on a solution. With the collaboration with the telecom companies, the FAA was able to determine which types of altimeters are safe to use, and also the areas of concern for aviators. The FAA has also cleared around 90% of commercial aircraft for flight and is working with com-

panies to determine a better strategy for 5G site placement. So while there is no need to worry about 5G interfering with your brainwaves, there still is a reason to be concerned about its rapid deployment. While it seems that the FAA and major telecom and airline companies have come to an agreement, there are still 10% of airlines with inadequate radio equipment, leaving them vulnerable to 5G interference. This ordeal leaves smaller aviation companies between a rock and a hard place: either comply and spend millions upgrading their fleet or be faced with occasional cancellations and potentially catastrophic consequences.

Energy crisis in Europe BY ESTEFANIA DE CAIRES, SCIENCE WRITER The end of 2021 saw European countries fall into an energy crisis that has played a role in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. This crisis came about as a result of multiple factors which range from the plan to cut back the use of fossil fuels to the reopening of economies after the COVID-19 lockdown. In the past year, there has been a global increase in the demand for natural gas. Europe, in particular, has been transitioning from coal to cleaner energy sources. In 2021, Europe more heavily relied on natural gas due to their poor wind production and decreased coal production; however, gas production in European countries has been on a decline over the last few years. As a result, they import the vast majority of the natural gas they use—in 2019 it was 90%—and of the natural gas produced in Europe, supply chain issues have limited its distribution. The glob-

al reopening of economies has also led countries to increase their demand for natural gas. In 2020, due to the pandemic, natural gas consumption in the European Union decreased by 2.7% compared to 2019. However, between April and June of 2021, the European Union experienced an increase of 19% in gas consumption compared to that of 2020. All of these factors together have led gas prices to drastically rise in Europe, leaving people in the best case scenario with higher energy bills, or in the worst case scenario, unable to keep warm during the winter. This is where Russia’s increased leverage in the Ukraine conflicts comes into play. Russia supplies one-third of Europe’s natural gas through pipelines, some of which run through Ukraine. As tensions rise between Ukraine and Russia, there is trepidation over what imposing sanctions on Russia will mean for the energy crisis in Europe. There is concern that Russia will stop their export of natural gas to Europe

PHOTO COURTESY OF EURONEWS.COM

if the conflict escalates, deeply impacting the economies of European countries that depend on that source of energy. One very important dependent on Russia’s natural gas is Germany, which gets 30% of its natural gas from them and is currently in the works of constructing a pipeline, Nord Stream 2, that will connect the two countries. A reason for German depen-

dence on Russian gas is Germany’s decision to cease all nuclear energy and replace it with renewables. However, to make up for the percentage that was covered by nuclear energy, Germany has had to increase their use of fossil fuels, like natural gas. In an attempt to help European countries, the United States has sent “two dozen tankers [with] liquified natural

gas to Europe” which could alleviate some of the immediate pressure in regard to energy supply; unfortunately, this is only a short-term solution. During a moment of diplomatic sensitivity with the Russia-Ukraine conflict, this energy crisis has highlighted Europe’s deficiency in energy infrastructure and has complicated matters for European countries.

Stevens’ researchers develop space junk detecting algorithm BY ERIN MCGEE, SCIENCE WRITER Thousands of both natural and man-made objects currently orbit the Earth, ranging from debris the size of a grain of sand to entire satellites. In fact, by 2050, the number of man-made satellites orbiting is predicted to reach 50,000. With the immense importance of these satellites for communication, navigation, and so much more, it is essential that they are protected from any damage. However, this is easier said than done. A piece of debris the size of a paint fleck could be enough to damage a satellite at the speed these

objects travel at. And this problem will only continue to get worse, due to an issue known as Kessler Syndrome. Proposed by Donald Kessler in the 1970s, Kessler Syndrome is the idea that ‘space junk’ moving at high speeds in low Earth orbit has a tendency to collide and break into smaller pieces. These collisions increase the number of space junk bits which inevitably create more collisions. It creates a positive feedback loop of more pieces, more collisions, and therefore more pieces. This “cascade of collisions,” as NASA calls it, means that the more debris is in space, the worse the problem will get. Researchers at Stevens, Professors Rajarathnam Chan-

dramouli and K.P. Subbalakshmi, worked on this problem. The team developed artificial intelligence used to optimize how sensors detect space junk that is orbiting Earth and focused on predicting collisions before they happen. The professors won first place overall universities in the 2021 Space Force’s Hyperspace Challenge for their work. The challenge is designed to accelerate innovation in the field of space, and create relationships between the government, businesses, and universities in this field. The Stevens Team also won $25,000 with this award. This AI technology was originally developed to switch radio bandwidths for first responders when airways get too crowded

during emergency situations. It has now been repurposed for space. Currently, the US Department of Defense maintains a catalog of the debris currently orbiting Earth, as well as sensors and detectors for tracking where those objects move. Professors Chandramouli and Subbalakshmi’s technology works by deciding which radars should look at which areas of space and which objects in real time. These then observe the object's path, as well as any potential deviations from that path. The program also rewards successfully predicted patterns and avoids unsuccessful ones, optimizing itself in real time. This means that its effectiveness increases as it is used more, which is vital when

it comes to protecting satellites. Their detector system was 60% more efficient than the current systems for detecting space objects. The team points out that their next steps will be adapting the algorithm to be able to make real time assessments of any characteristics of the objects themselves as well as any unique parts of its path. With the future use of space and talk of space travel increasing dramatically, the importance of merging technology with development cannot be understated. Programs such as these mark an important step forward in accurately predicting the movement of objects, as well as potentially avoiding dangerous collisions with all-important satellites.

INTERESTED IN SCIENCE JOURNALISM? Join our Science writing team! Reach out to Rayna Indelicato, Science Editor (rindelic@stevens.edu) for more information – No experience necessary to write • thestute.com/category/science –

Friday, February 25

Opinion Op-Ed: Book Review of Distracted, Why Students Can’t Focus and What You Can Do About It BY GRACE MIGUEL, OPINION COLUMNIST Distraction is a commonality amongst students of all ages. At one point or another, all students have lost interest in the discussion or lecture at hand and gazed through the window of their classroom or their phone screen. Distracted, Why Students Can’t Focus and What You Can Do About It by James M. Lang was an enlightening and informing read that I recommend to all professors/ teachers and administrators. As a university student, I try my best to focus in class, but inevitably, my mind drifts to what I have to get done by the end of the day or my weekend plans. Lang outlines his work and breaks up the different concepts of distraction and attention into bite size chunks that engages the reader through every page. One topic Lang emphasizes throughout his work is that teachers should not be asking, “Why can’t my students pay attention?”, but rather, “How can I help my students find meaning?” One reason students have difficulty focusing is because they are fed information without ever being given the question of why they are learning a topic. Without this, students don’t fully grasp “the point” which can make it challenging to put their learning into practice. From the student perspective, it seems that many professors are just going through the motions, not caring. Lang highlights this down-

fall and offers alternatives to this procedure. Instructors should make the syllabus inviting, “take a look at that first passage of prose that your students will see when they encounter the course, and ask yourself whether you have written it to present a box of content, or to stir curiosity for the intellectual journey they are preparing to undertake” (Lang p. 131). The passage of prose he is referring to is the opening paragraph of a syllabus, usually the course description and objectives. In the chapter “Curious Attention”, he not only wants to spark the curiosity of the students, but remind professors their reason for studying their subject, “Whatever reason you study what you study, something about it caught your attention and provoked your curiosity at a very basic level. Can you find your way back to that original moment, and then evoke it for your students?”(Lang p. 132). While students can come into a course with individual curiosity about a subject, the professor’s role is to stimulate students’ situational curiosity. That is, making the material as fascinating as possible which can be done by posing questions as a puzzle or outlining the mystery that lies at the heart of a professor’s respective discipline. Curiosity is strongly linked to attention and sustaining that attention for long periods of time is another challenge. As a Director of the D’Amour Center for Teaching Excellence at Assumption University, Lang

understands that it’s difficult for anyone to give their full attention to someone lecturing on developmental psychology, astrophysics or whatever the subject may be for an extended period. In the chapter, “Structured Attention”, he writes of different methods to capture students’ attention throughout the entire class period. These include but are not limited to modularizing your class into small chunks of 20 minutes or less, vary the pattern of your teaching modules(opening writing exercises, group worksheets, discussions, lecture, etc.), and rearranging the room to engage everyone in the class. When students walk into a room and know exactly what’s going to happen for the next 90 minutes, it isn’t engaging, it’s predictable. By rotating through teaching methods, students will be familiar with a professor’s style but there will be a touch of curiosity and therefore increased participation because they are unsure what kind of task they will be asked to do. Additionally, by utilizing tasks that involve discussion or student participation, it engages the students with one another and the material. Lang emphasizes that community building is key to fostering a supportive and curious classroom. The topics mentioned above are only touching the surface of Lang’s work. He discusses the Tech Ban and his take on what level of technology should be used within the classroom. He also points out more detail ori-

ented tasks that can easily go unseen by professors. For example, the simple act of trying to learn student names is just as important as the material itself. Students want to feel like they matter, and names solicit attention. Lang covers all areas of distraction, attention, and

curiosity. It was an eye opening read for me and while I am not a professor, I have learned a great deal about myself as a student and my learning style. I encourage all professors and administration to read this book and rethink the way they teach.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF AMAZON.COM

SUMAC is Back! BY CHLOE BRENNA, CONTRIBUTOR For the first time in over 2 years, Stevens Underground Music Awareness Committee (SUMAC) has returned to hosting live shows, bringing hidden-gem musical talent back to our campus. While the organization stayed active throughout the height of the COVID-19 pandemic with General Body Meetings over Zoom and successful benefit shows for Community Cares NY and Jewish Women International via Instagram Live, President Claudia MacRae could not be more excited for the in-person return, saying “SUMAC’s objective is exposing the Stevens community to the music scene around them. In the last couple of years, it has been increasingly difficult to find accessible concerts that are reasonably distant to Hoboken, so it’s great to be able to invite guest artists, and let all students explore live music without having to leave campus, again.” Founded in 2001, SUMAC aims to book and organize on-campus shows featuring bands and artists with a diverse range of sounds and styles. Being a student-run, non-profit organization, the club is able to book otherwise difficult-to-see bands in a safe, low-cost venue, and thereby able to spread the appreciation of local and underground music to the student body and the surrounding

community. The entire fall semester and beginning of the spring semester have been about nurturing SUMAC back to its pre-Covid status. Through the year and a half of full remote status, it was difficult to build and maintain a constant interest in the organization without having in-person events and meetings, as most other student organizations also noticed. With the reestablishment of in-person events, however, SUMAC is now able to give its members something even bigger to look forward to with hands-on opportunities for even the newest members. The first show since November 16th of 2019 will be this Saturday, February 26th at 7:00 p.m. in the Bissinger Room featuring Brooklyn-based alternative act Local Weatherman, and Stevens' very own My Chemical Bromance. The show will be hosted in collaboration with Stevens Audio Engineering Club (AEC). AEC has already made their in-person comeback, but Prwesident Jack McDermott is eager to assist SUMAC in their own return. “After the uncertainty at the beginning of the semester as a whole, it’s great to see live music at Stevens come back more triumphant than ever.” This show is free and open to the Stevens Undergraduate Student Community. Food will be provided on a first come, first serve basis.

Friday, February 25

Opinion THE STUTE EDITORIAL

Redefining leadership Wow. The past week has definitely been a whirlwind, to say the least. I’ve spent a great deal of time just familiarizing myself with the role of Editor, sifting through emails, and just digesting what I’ve undertaken. But like I said in my last piece, I’m beyond excited to be in this role and am excited for what’s ahead for The Stute. I’ve always considered myself to be a (sort of) leader. There are definitely instances where I enjoy taking control and delegating tasks to a group. But there are also times when I’d rather sit back and have tasks delegated to me. The only qualm with being a leader is that you assume the obligation and responsibility for the whole group. In most situations, being a leader of an organization can feel isolating — every member in the organization looks up to you in some sense. Being the new Editor, I expected the feeling of isolation to set in immediately, but strangely it hasn’t yet. And I don’t think it ever will.

The Stute is unlike any other organization I’ve been a part of before. The newspaper is like a living, breathing organism that’s constantly changing, growing, learning, and creating. There are so many roles and so many people, it’s almost impossible for me to feel isolated in any sense. Plus, I’m surrounded by a star-studded team of individuals who are miraculous at their jobs and also people I’m glad to call my friends. This is why I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce the lovely members of the 2022-2023 Stute E-board. Jordyn, our Business Manager (bus-man for short): Jordyn is in charge of dealing with everything business related for The Stute. In her one year as bus-man, she has quickly learned the ins and outs of all things business and has done a phenomenal job with securing sponsors, navigating our finances, and planning Stute events. Keenan, our Managing Editor: Keenan, the previous Layout Edi-

tor, is a go-getter. She’s proactive with her job, has very creative ideas, and has a great work ethic, so I have no doubt that she will be an excellent Managing Editor. Isabella, our Layout Editor: While Isabella is somewhat of a newcomer to The Stute, she has quickly been absorbed into the Stute family. In her short term so far, she has quickly learned about the process of laying out the newspaper (which, anyone will tell you, is no small feat). Zane, our Secretary: Zane is the backbone of our organization, making sure that our conference rooms are booked. He also helps with tracking contributions to our paper and creates the newsletters that appear in inboxes every Friday and Tuesday. Katie, our Outreach Chair: In her short time at The Stute, Katie has contacted many Hoboken businesses and acquired partnerships with them. She’s definitely a visionary when it comes to outreach, and I’m excited to work on outreach projects with her for

this upcoming year! Bemin, our Digital Manager: Bemin has completely revolutionized The Stute’s social media platforms. He has done excellent work with creating social media posts about our issues, gaining a large following on The Stute Instagram, and continuing to help transfer our articles to our website. There’s much more I could say about my teammates, but the hope is that you now have a small glimpse into the folks who work at The Stute (and an understanding of how grateful I am to be working with such a wonderful group of people). While the E-board is important for The Stute to function, we aren’t the only ones putting in the hard work. Everyone—from our minor board members, to our staff writers, to photographers, to copy editors—is an integral part of our community. We hope you continue to enjoy the hard work we put in every week for The Stute.

Sanjana Madhu ‘23

Editor-in-Chief

MIND OF A FRESHMAN

SENIORITIS

McDonald’s sundaes and puffy jackets

The Best Games I Can’t Play Yet

BY KATIE BLOOMER ‘25 Let’s talk about McDonald’s hot fudge sundaes. A cup of soft serve vanilla ice cream with a generous topping of hot fudge—simple but delicious. Ben & Jerry’s, Cold Stone, and Mango Mango are the go-to locations for most students seeking dessert, but the next time you are searching for a sweet treat, I highly recommend getting a McDonald’s hot fudge sundae. Not only does it satisfy chocolate cravings, but it does so for under $3. What a bargain! Last week, I was on my way to McDonald’s to get, you guessed it, a hot fudge sundae. Unfortunately, the brutal wind and dropping temperatures made it less than ideal ice cream weather. Luckily, the cold kept my dessert frozen while I carried it back to Davis, where I could enjoy

it in the scorching heat of my dorm room. As I was walking back from Washington street, my hand began to burn from being in contact with the freezing ice cream cup. After switching hands about five times, I decided to use my jacket sleeve to carry it rather than risk frostbite. In retrospect, this sounds a little overdramatic, but it seemed like a very real possibility at the time. So, I pulled my sleeve over my hand and tightened my grip around the cup. After a few minutes of walking, I looked down to check on my ice cream and found my jacket sleeve to be covered in hot fudge. The lid had not been properly secured onto the cup, and the sticky ice cream fudge combo had melted all over. Realizing that there was nothing that could be done, I continued walking back until I had reached my dorm hall. I then immediately tried to rinse off the mess, thinking my jacket might be waterproof and therefore easy to clean, but that was definitely not the case. So, like any reasonable person, I threw my jacket in the corner of my room to deal with when I no longer had a melting cup of ice

cream waiting to be eaten. Well, the weekend rolled around, and it seemed like there was no longer an excuse to not tackle the problem. Although I am confident in my ability to clean normal clothes, I always feel hesitant when it comes to special materials. So, naturally, I googled “how to wash a puffy jacket.” After reading three articles, I gained the confidence to simply throw the jacket in the washing machine and dryer like the self-proclaimed cleaning experts recommended. Around two hours later my jacket emerged from the dryer as clean as the day I bought it. I doubt you picked up The Stute looking for instructions on how to do laundry, but if you happen to also have a puffy coat that you have avoided cleaning, now you know it is as easy as washing standard clothing. If you do not own a jacket of this sort, I hope that this has encouraged you to try a McDonald’s hot fudge sundae the next time you are craving something sweet. After all, it must be pretty good since I literally took a break halfway through writing this article to treat myself to one.

BY ALEKSANDAR DIMOSKI ‘22 As a Stevens student, there’s hardly any time to play the games that I would want to play. It’s a struggle we’re all familiar with: avoiding buying a new game because we know we’ll get way too absorbed in it and that it’ll pull us away from our work. I’ve been guilty of occasionally going on one to two week long Minecraft binges over the course of the pandemic. Unfortunately, now that classes are in-person again, there can’t be any more alt-tabbing between lecture and City Skylines. This makes gaming time much shorter and more precious than before; so, in order to help decide what games to use this limited time on, I’ve assembled a list of the best games that we won’t be able to play until break rolls around. Peggle is a game series developed by PopCap and has seen releases during the past two decades. The

gameplay involves shooting a ball at bricks and letting it bounce down through the course, a hybrid between Atari’s Breakout and Pachinko machines. The games in this series are typically very casual and slow-paced, with the notable exception of Peggle Extreme, which features identical gameplay but more action-focused variants of the standard levels. In general, each level only takes about five to ten minutes to complete, and the hardware requirements are relatively minimal, which means that it’s perfect for commuters looking for a way to procrastinate with an hour between classes. The PopCap Studios game, Bookworm Adventures Deluxe, was a favorite of mine when I was younger, and after playing it again recently, the game has withstood the test of time. With its objective being to defeat monsters by combining letters to form the longest words possible, the game is reminiscent of other letter-based games such as Scrabble and Wordle. Whenever a word is made, those letters are consumed and replaced with new, random letters, which means letters like ‘z’ and ‘q’ will never get used up but just continue to take up valuable space that could’ve been used by better letters, like ‘b.’ This game

is great for the Stevens student that gets back from 7 straight hours of class and decides that they want to keep solving problems. Both of these game series were released a long time ago, so next we’ll take a look at more modern games. In Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, you play as the Dragonborn, a unique individual with the ability to use dragon shouts for combat or utility. Upon its release, it was quickly deemed one of the best open-world roleplaying games of its time, which has resulted in its several re-releases, even including one on Amazon Alexa in 2018. The medieval fantasy setting is similar to that of Lord of the Rings or Dungeons and Dragons (D&D), which makes it perfect for the Stevens student who has been trying to arrange D&D sessions but can’t find a good time for everyone to meet for 6 hours straight. Whatever your game is, it’s important to cherish the time you have playing it. I’ll never forget the time I’ve spent playing my childhood games, and I’ll always enjoy revisiting them. And, hopefully soon, we’ll have the time to play some brand new games; there’s always a new release to be excited about, whether it’s God of War: Ragnarok or Pokemon Legends: Arceus.

SCIENTIFIC CURMUDGEON

Is There a Relationship Between Things at the Bottom of Things?

BY JOHN HORGAN CAL PROFESSOR What’s at the bottom of things? If we keep asking “Why?”, where do we end up? Some physicists postulate that everything stems from a single primordial force or particle, perhaps a super-symmetrical string, from which flow the myriad forces and particles of our fallen

world. Others speculate that at the heart of reality there are at least two things doing something to each other. In other words, there is an interaction, a relationship. Call this the relationship doctrine. The wildly inventive physicist John Wheeler was an early explorer of this notion. Noting the crucial role of measurement in the outcome of quantum experiments, Wheeler suggests that we live in a “participatory universe,” in which we bring the world into existence, and vice versa. Picking up on Wheeler’s idea, physicist Carlo Rovelli proposes what he calls

a “relational” interpretation of quantum mechanics, which says things only exist in relation to other things. Another eloquent explicator of the relationship doctrine is science writer Amanda Gefter. Gefter is dissatisfied with both strict materialism, which decrees that matter is fundamental, and idealism, which insists that mind precedes matter. Maybe, Gefter speculates, we don’t live in either a first-person world or a third-person world. Maybe we live in a second-person world, and the fundamental entity of existence is not “I” or “It” but “You.” “The second person al-

ways deals in relations,” Gefter explains, because every “You” implies an “I” interacting with the “You.” Part of me finds the relationship doctrine, and especially Gefter’s you-centered metaphysics, beautiful and consoling, a welcome alternative to mindless materialism. The relationship doctrine also seems intuitively sensible. Just as words must be defined by other words, so we humans are defined, and to a certain extent brought into existence, by other human beings. How could it be otherwise? And yet I have doubts about the relationship doctrine, as I do about

all metaphysical systems that privilege mind, consciousness, observation, information. They smack of narcissism, anthropomorphism and wishful thinking. That’s why I have derided mind-centric theories as neo-geocentrism, throwbacks to the medieval belief that the universe revolves around us. The relationship doctrine, in particular, reminds me a bit too much of the sentimental slogan “God is love.” To be honest, I’m suspicious of all ultimate theories. John Wheeler once wrote: “Surely someday, we can believe, we will grasp the central idea of it all as so simple, so beau-

tiful, so compelling that we will all say to each other, ‘Oh, how -could it have been otherwise! How could we all have been so blind so long!’” I once shared Wheeler’s yearning for a revelation so powerful that it would dispel the weirdness of existence. Now I fear such an epiphany. If we become convinced that we have figured things out, our creative endeavors--whether scientific, artistic, spiritual or political--might ossify. Fortunately, I have faith in humanity’s curiosity and restlessness. My hope, and expectation, is that the world will keep us guessing forever.

Friday, February 25

Opinion NOT FINANCIAL TIMES (NFT)

THE CONVERSATION

The economic implications of the Russia-Ukraine Crisis

The Biden Administration’s response to the Russia-Ukraine conflict

BY JOSEPH AMES ‘24 While headlines the last few weeks have been dominated by the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the tumultuous history between the two nations has long been on display. 1793 saw the first annexation of Ukraine by Russia—subsequently invoking the origins of the process known as Russification—which acted to quell Ukrainian culture. Fast

forward to the 21st Century, with Russian troops yet again on the precipice of a potential Ukrainian annexation. From a political and humanitarian perspective, the conflict signals yet another human rights violation committed by the Russian Federation. While most news coverages have focused on the physical implications of the conflict, perhaps the more widespread influence can be viewed on a macroeconomic level. According to Reuters, the Euro/Swiss Franc exchange rate has long been “the biggest indicator” of geopolitical risk in Europe, with the Swiss Franc holding views by investors as “a safe haven.” In response to the Russia-Ukraine tensions, the exchange hit its strongest levels since “May 2015 in

PHOTO COURTESY OF CNBCFM.COM

late January [of 2022].” Moreover, the energy markets—specifically natural gas—have the potential to be significantly impacted, with Europe relying upon Russia for 35% of its natural gas, mainly through the Nord 1 stream, which goes directly to Germany (among other nations) via Ukraine. Oil also has the potential to be impacted, with JP Morgan stating that tensions “risked a ‘material spike’ in oil prices,” noting that a rise to $150 per barrel (a 66% increase) would reduce global GDP growth to just 0.9%. While a 66% increase appears significant, according to Ed Hirs, an energy fellow at the University of Houston, a one-percent decrease in supply could trigger a 2025% increase in the price of oil. On the manufacturing front, the main cause for concern is the close relationship between China and Russia—which US and European officials have dubbed a “non aggression pact.” According to John F. Kirby, the Chief Pentagon spokesperson, “China was standing behind Mr. Putin’s military buildup around Ukraine.” (More on Chinese-Russian cooperation here). The U.S. depends on Chinese manufacturing for a significant portion of total goods and services consumed. As a whole, for-

eign imports accounted for 12.2% of total goods and services consumed by the US in 2015. The economic dependence on China does not end there, as illustrated by the fact that “Over 70% of active pharmaceutical ingredients used in the U.S. markets are produced overseas,” with China making up a significant portion of that percentage. Of foreign imports, China accounted for 95% of ibuprofen, 91% of hydrocortisone, 70% of acetaminophen, 40% to 45% of penicillin, and 40% of heparin according to Commerce Department data. As a whole, China accounts for 97% of all antibiotics in the United States according to a Department of Commerce study. With all this being said, how imminent is this conflict? According to US estimates, between 169,000 and 190,000 Russian troops are stationed along Ukraine’s border (including rebels in eastern Ukraine). According to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, this could be “the biggest war in Europe since 1945, just in terms of sheer scale.” Clearly, the cause for concern is real. As Johnson went on to say, any invasion of Ukraine would “echo around the world,” and right now, we are currently standing in the cave waiting for the first shout.

got their chance on 1/11/11 and now it’s our turn,” they said in unison. At least we hope they were twins. Our reporter was a little tipsy at the time and may have been seeing double. Now that he thinks about it, “There were a lot of twins at that frat party. Like, an aggressive number of twins.” Two peas in a pod in the produce section at Shoprite were enjoying their moment as well. Peas can’t talk, but according to our grocery reporter if they could, they would have said, “This is probably the best moment that any pair of peas has ever had together.” The two birds that would have been killed by the same stone were saved when the marvelous moment on a clock distracted them from their original flight path. The stone, thrown by a really rude guy

who apparently hates birds, proceeded to crash through a window. A nice old lady who was cooking in the room threw it back in retaliation and hit the student in the ass as he tried to run away. The two wrongs that were trying to make a right took a moment to be impressed. “I think if I steal all the food from your family and then you steal the bread from the store—oh look the clock—then we’ll have done two wrongs but you’ll have kind of done something right.” We’re fortunate to get even just this quote because the reporter involved got into an intense ethical debate and we haven’t been able to contact him since then. Two sides of the same coin, a New Jersey quarter to be specific, really thought the miraculous

to create an informal basis of comparison). So you ask yourself and your friends ask themselves, why did I end up here? And with that comes all the creative answers. Some people ended up here because they wanted to be close to home, others far away. Some people had Stevens as their top choice, others their safety they had to fall back on. Regardless of how you end up here, there is admittedly something unique about the student body. I mean where else would jokes about problem-solving skills go so far as here within a literal institute of technology? At the beginning of this calendar year, I had the opportunity to – in the midst

minute showed how heads and tails aren’t so different. The George Washington head on the front told us how peoples’ obsession with arbitrary date and time numbers should be of no real significance, given that numbers merely represent value but do not possess value themselves. The George Washington crossing the Delaware River on the back told us that without precise timekeeping, without everyone understanding how the numbers worked, he never would have been able to stage this surprise attack because no one would be ready at the same time. “Now let me take care of these pesky Hessian mercenaries.” We’re proud of you George. To conclude with our two cents from Off the Press, we only have two words left in the word count.

Introduction The post-Soviet region has become increasingly volatile. Since 2014, the conflict between Ukraine and Russia has been escalating, starting when the Russian military entered Ukrainian territory and reclaimed Crimea. Tensions stirred again in December 2021, when Russia released a list of demands and more recently, stationed troops near the Ukrainian border. Campus Conservative, Marisa Powers As tensions between Ukraine and Russia have increased, the Biden administration has changed their position from saying a “minor incursion” by Russia into Ukraine would not be heavily punished by the United States. President Biden delivered an update on the conflict in which he discussed his administration’s plans in the event that Russia attacks. He stated, “The United States and our Allies and partners around the world are ready to impose powerful sanctions on [and] export controls [...] And when it comes to Nord Stream 2, the pipeline that would bring natural gas from Russia to Germany, if Russia further invades Ukraine, it will not happen.” The US has also supplied the Ukrainian military with equipment, and he stated our continued support of Ukraine. However, there are some areas in which they could demonstrate a stronger stance. For instance, Vice President Kamala Harris was sent to Europe for the Munich Conference to deliver a speech about the Ukraine crisis and to meet with leaders such as Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zelenskyy. However, Harris’ diplomatic experience is limited to her work with the Southern border crisis, and former deputy secretary of defense for policy James Anderson remarked that “she is relatively unknown among allied leaders and diplomats who will gather in Munich.” I also believe they could have acted sooner in threatening sanctions on Russia because according to former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, “Putin is a bully who responds to strength.” While the administration has made some moves

in the right direction, they still need to strengthen their hand vis-à-vis Russia. Campus Liberal, Tasha Khosla Despite previous weaknesses in the Biden administration’s foreign policy, President Biden’s firmness towards the Russia-Ukraine conflict has been a source of strength. Committing allegiance to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), President Biden had approved the deployment of 3,000 troops to Poland, Romania, and Germany to increase NATO influence in Eastern Europe as Russian troops remain at Ukraine’s border. Biden commented, “It’s totally consistent with what I told Putin in the beginning […] As long as he’s acting aggressively, we’re going to make sure we reassure our NATO allies and Eastern Europe we’re there.” Approving this deployment cements Biden’s commitment to NATO. Furthermore, it sends a clear signal: there will be consequences if Russia escalates the situation. Still, President Biden’s policies of deterrence and transparency need to be revised. Rather than referring to a potential invasion as a “minor incursion”, Biden needs to commit to his policy of being “transparent with the American people and with the world about Russia’s plans and the seriousness of the situation.” The consequences of an invasion of Ukraine by Russia are severe and can drastically alter the lives of the American people. Ultimately, the fallout of the Russia-Ukraine conflict will prove the effectiveness and strength of the Biden Administration. Ukraine is not an official member of NATO and the U.S. has no obligation to intervene. However, intervention could serve the interests of the Ukrainian people. Fortifying Ukraine through increased military aid and protecting its citizens needs to take precedence as the conflict intensifies. Conclusion While both sides disagree on the overall effectiveness of Biden’s foreign policy, they agree that Ukrainian sovereignty and independence are vital to world peace and security.

of another dreaded distance set during practice – picture the kind of person I wanted to be by the end of the year. I realized that one of the things I wanted to do first and foremost was meet more people. At one point I thought I was a tried and true introvert (which my closest friends laughed at) and now I realize that is a statement so far from fact it isn’t funny. I love people, and especially so getting to know them on more than just a surface level. So, a goal was set during all these endless laps of swimming: meet more people and make more meaningful friendships. But how to accomplish such a thing? By seeking opportunities to do

so through various organizations on campus, naturally. It’s been barely over a month since that goal was set and already it’s something I can say I’ve successfully accomplished, though this just feels like the start. I joined a handful of new clubs, which I am actually involved in. I rushed a sorority, which has been fantastic so far :), I got a job, and, with regard to the Stute, was recently elected for the position of Managing Editor, which I am super excited about. There’s a key difference I’ve taken note of that makes the difference between doing something and doing something well, and

it has nothing to do with skill. Rather, the word I like to put to it is vision. It was difficult to stay on top of the organizations I was involved with last semester and, though I’m involved with so much more this semester it’s significantly easier. Why? I have a vision now as to who I want to become, not just a view of who I am presently. And that person is hardworking, involved, and dedicated. I don’t think success would be a proper thing to put into this vision because it’s something that will come along naturally if all the other elements fall into place. So there you have it: the origin story of a girlboss, right here at the midpoint of college.

OFF THE PRESS

Twosday BY OFF CENTER —SATIRE— Celebrations surpassing the scale of those at the 150th anniversary, graduation, and the announcement that snow days would still continue to exist erupted on Tuesday, 2/22/22 at 2:22 p.m. as number nerds, math masses, and counting crowds alike marveled at the uniformity of the clock. A select few students waited for the second that the clock read 2:22:22, but their celebration was much shorter (by a factor of 60) than everyone who enjoyed the whole minute. We caught up with two twins who were celebrating the occasion together. “It’s really exciting for us to have our special number in the day, time, and date like that. Eleven years ago, everyone who wasn’t a twin

BY MARISA POWERS ‘23 AND TASHA KHOSLA ‘25

SECOND-YEAR FRESHMAN

Midpoint

BY KEENAN YATES ‘24 The teetering midpoint of the college experience includes… running out of clean clothes before you’ve realized it, begrudgingly admitting sometimes Pierce has better meals than you have time to cook, and realizing you’re far enough in now that there’s no point in

not getting your degree. Not that, you know, you ever had second thoughts. But if you did it wouldn’t matter at this point anyways – something like that sunk cost theory your BT244 prof keeps talking about, right? It’s more than just the time spent here thus far, though. It’s also the involvement on campus that makes it something unique. The reality is, there are over three hundred colleges and universities within the United States that offer mechanical engineering degrees at the undergraduate level (assuming you can follow that mechanical engineering is specifically being used in this case

Friday, February 25

Opinion TECHNICALLY SPEAKING

Phones in Beijing 2022 Olympics

BY SANJANA MADHU ‘23 This week marked the closing of the Winter 2022 Olympic Games, hosted in Beijing, China. To be honest, I’m more of an avid watcher of the Summer Games since they feature more intense races and team-based sports. Even though I’m not a huge fan of winter sports, I did find some time to watch the ice skating performances, and I definitely cringed at some of the dangerous crashes in other sports. While the specific sports didn’t quite pique my interest this year, something

else did: the use of phones during the Olympics in Beijing. According to BBC, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) urged athletes to bring burner phones to the Games, and to leave their personal devices at home, citing insufficient security. Some concerns of the FBI included “ransomware,” “denial of service attacks,” and “malware, data theft and the installation of ‘tracking tools’ on mobile devices.” While the FBI mentioned that there was no evidence of any specific threats to athletes’ mobile phones, they still warned athletes out of an abundance of caution. The U.S. intelligence community is not the only one to express concerns about security in China; other Western nations have also urged their athletes to use burner phones and practice caution. After a deeper look into

the official Olympics app, cybersecurity experts found that there were multiple vulnerabilities: “it was insecure when it came to protecting personal data,” “an encryption flaw enabled a third party to access documents, audio and files,” “it was subject to censorship based on a list of keywords,” and “its privacy policy was not clear about who received and processed any data uploaded to it.” BBC reports that China was dismissive of these relevant concerns. With over 3000 athletes competing in the games, and over 150,000 spectators, these vulnerabilities are certainly no joke, especially when all involved are required to download the app for COVID-19 health monitoring purposes. Concerns with security while within China’s borders are no surprise. According to Fergus Hanson, Director of Cyber Policy

at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, “For anyone that visits China, you have to anticipate that everything that you do on an electronic device has been taken [...] The level of security you have got there is very low.” China, which last hosted the Olympic Games in the summer of 2008, has seen many changes in terms of technology. China and its government have bolstered artificial intelligence technology, grown and produced technology giants, imposed surveillance and censorship on devices used by their citizens, and groomed hackers who work for the government. Despite their harsh censorship rules, the Chinese government has “dismantled the country’s firewall, which blocks a long list of websites, including Google, Wikipedia, Netflix, and most foreign news media and services,” which allows

media outlets to report on the Games and athletes to post updates on their social media. While the decrease in censorship through technology allows for some freedom, athletes and other people were advised not to criticize China. Yang Shu from the International Relations Department of the Beijing Games explained, “Any expression that is in line with the Olympic spirit I’m sure will be protected, and anything and any behavior or speeches that are against the Olympic spirit, especially against Chinese laws and regulations, are also subject to certain punishment.” With technology security becoming more relevant, it begs the question: will future Olympic Games be hosted in China? At this rate, it may be difficult for China to justify its weak security on apps and heavy surveillance of athletes for future Games.

SPOILER ALERT

THE DOODLING DUCK

Have I entered the magical girl genre?

Will you wear red or blue today?

BY EMMA TONG ‘25 As a proud fan of animation, I have been trying to get all my friends to watch anime. So of course when my old friend finally said to me she started to watch anime, I couldn’t be happier. However, her new obsession was not that familiar to me: PreCure. For some context, PreCure is a long-running anime franchise which annually delivers new seasons. These seasons revolve around a theme and a set of magical girls. Not knowing what I was getting myself into, I started to watch the first two seasons. So far, I think it is a fun show that is strangely nuanced, despite appealing to younger audiences. However, what caught me off guard was the similarity of one of these seasons, HearthCatch PreCure, to another show, Miraculous Ladybug. For context, Miraculous Ladybug is about a girl named Marinette who’s superhero alias, Ladybug, protects Paris from the evil Hawkmoth, who turns people who are expressing negative emotions into monsters. While the show is basically a hot dumpster fire—I was literally watching an episode a few minutes before writing this article and I couldn’t stop yelling at my computer—I’m a big fan of Miraculous Ladybug. Even with my outrage, you should consider watching both shows because of all the effort and love the teams put into them. Both Miraculous and PreCure HearthCatch supervillains’ are characterized by their ability to demonize negative emotions. They create monsters either

by looking into their heart flower and turning the character into a unique monster, or animating their negative emotions into a beastly demon. For example, in (which show) a character who is unable to feed pigeons gains the power that is controlling pigeons when he is turned into a monster. I think this method shows an important lesson— it lets the show explore conflicts people have with their troubles being addressed, which are then solved by the episode’s end. There are really good uses of this dynamic as seen in Miraculous where the monster was able to break out of the control of the villain by talking with the hero. It shows kids how the kindness of heart can heal sadness. In addition, the super heroes charge into battle with new powers to combat the changing nature of monsters. Both shows rely on physical fighting to defeat the villain of the episode, since their abilities are enhanced due to superpowers. However, Miraculous relies more on strategy, while Heartcatch on special abilities or magic. Another similarity is the power sets and the way their powers work. Both have small creatures that are connected to their magical devices which helps them transform into a superhero. In addition, to finally beat the big bad, both heroines use a special move that lets them destroy the monster and let the person return to their original form. I will admit, Heartcatch does a

better job with this with a more elaborate special sequence every time. So even if these shows share similarities specifically in their heroines or villains power sets, they are also uniquely different. I want to acknowledge that these shows are very different in tone. Miraculous is a 3D animated French production that leans toward more strategy and romance, with the love rectangle in the show — a reason why many fans (including me) adore the show. Heartcatch doesn’t include any romance and is more about the community and the friendship between the two heroines. I would even argue that sometimes this show deals with heavier topics even if they have a younger target audience. It has episodes that focus on a girl who can’t play soccer, or a boy who feels lonely and neglected due to his parents trying to open a second business. Issues like this that concern communication or lack of inclusion are skillfully addressed in these episodes. Now concerning the title, Miraculous, I wouldn’t call it a magical girl show. It is more of a superhero show due to the fact there are more equal gender ratios in this show. Also, the spandex suit and mask resemble that more of a superhero. One cannot deny the similarities between the shows and how there was definitely inspiration taken from the genre, so I embraced it and entered the magical girl genre.

PHOTO COURTESY OF AMAZON.COM

PHOTO COURTESY OF ANIDBE.NET

BY POOJA RAJADURAI ‘23 My favorite book of all time, unequivocally, must be Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott. Having picked it up sometime in the height of my journey into classical literature at the ripe age of 11, I have read and reread this marvelous piece of American literature multiple times since. Of course, my understanding of the book has grown as I have grown and it has provided both company and solace at many different intervals of my life. Recently, having lent the book to a friend, I decided to watch the 1994 film adaptation of the novel because I figured I could feign receiving a dose of sisterly love considering my own dear sister would rather be estranged from me in Illinois than hang out with me on long weekends (I mean this in jest; she just goes to college there and I miss her.) Though the 1994 version lacks the appeal that only Timothee Chalamet can bring to a movie, or really anywhere that he decides to appear, the missing charm is made up for in abundance with the casting of Winona Ryder, Susan Sarandon, Claire Danes, and a young Kirsten Dunst. Christian Bale portrays the beloved Theodore “Laurie” Lawrence and it’s entirely possible that had I been born a generation earlier, I might find myself swooning for his version compared to that of Timothee. The ambiance and color scheme of the movie rests on the inevitable comfort one feels when utilizing warm neutrals,

darker shades of autumn, and deep reds and greens reminiscent of Christmases past. However, further investigation into the costume choices for Jo, upon whose laurels the premise of the story lies, reveals the intentional use of reds and blues throughout her character arc. Ryder’s Jo, short for Josephine, is the second oldest and the wildest sister of the four little women. An aspiring writer, intellect, and justifiably envious of the behavioral allowances given to men as opposed to women of the time, Jo would rather spend her time using her imagination and creativity to further her mind than wear fancy dresses, go to dances, and flirt with men. Considering I picked up Little Women at the entrance to my adolescence and puberty, her struggle to fit in society despite being afforded the love and comfort of her home and friends resonated with me deeply. She struggles with a short temper, cynicism at societal requirements she deems trivial, but loves her family, especially the third sister Beth, without abandon, and engages them and Laurie in her own creative pursuits. Throughout the first part of the movie, she is draped mostly in red. Untamed, passionate, and bold, she is often found cloaked in red either in outfit, jacket, or shawl for the first part of the movie. In the dance that she first formally meets Laurie, Jo has donned a crimson dress. In the days after Amy wrongs Jo, she goes ice skating and refuses to look after Amy, resulting in Amy falling into some icy water—in this scene too, she wears red. The incorporation of blue into Jo’s wardrobe only begins after their father comes back home from the war when she sells her hair for $25 to pay for the train ticket. The first true sign of Jo’s ability to tame

WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR Letters should be addressing a published piece in The Stute or to The Stute in general thestute.com/ policies for the full requirements

herself, she returns to the house wearing blue. The rest of the movie features Jo wearing predominantly blue. She finds a stark difference in lifestyle and upbringing between her homely residence in Concord, Massachusetts compared with the hustling, fashionable New York City. In a new setting, she is forced to employ the discipline she once may have rejected to steel herself from the unknown dangers of the city. When she returns home to visit an ailing Beth, she is once again clothed in blue, this time a very pale blue, maybe to signify the transcendence of Beth’s soul. By the way, I really do not recommend watching Jo watch her favorite sister move ahead to heaven to alleviate the pain of missing one’s own sister, but I will say the acting from Ryder and Danes truly shows what it means to love a sister as much as your own life. When Professor Bhaer first kisses Jo at the opera, she is not wearing blue, she is wearing purple. A nod to the red that once signified her boldness, the purple is milder and more fitting of the love she is able to receive. Yet, in the final scene of the movie, when Jo and Bhaer are reunited, she is wearing blue — this time because the love is not novel and unexpected, but because it is constant, simple, and lovely. Some days are days meant to be loud, outspoken, spontaneous, and red. Other days are meant to be patient, kind, accepting, and blue. Maybe my red is different from Jo’s red and is different from your red. Maybe our blues will evolve as we turn into the people we want to be. But every day is a day meant to be ourselves and even if there is no costume designer purposely choosing the shades of our lives, it’s important that we live them all out, from red to blue and everything in between.