[The Stute] March 1, 2024 (Issue 19, Volume CXXI)

We write Stevens history

What’s all the buzz around DuckLink’s messaging system?

MADISON HELLER, CONTRIBUTING REPORTER

“According to all known laws of aviation, there is no way a bee should be able to fly....”

These recognizable lines are, as many know, the opening lines to 2007’s The Bee Movie. These same words were what greeted the entire undergraduate body on February 13 at 4:33 p.m., courtesy of first-year mathematics major William Lee. Lee proceeded to send the script of the aforementioned movie, line by line, in dozens of messages that finally concluded at 4:48 p.m.

The 13,767-word script was spread through the chat feature available to any on-campus group on the new DuckLink site — specifically, through the Undergraduate Student Life group all 4,821 students are automatically subscribed to.

Though the entire exchange has now been scrubbed from the group, and thus the ability to send campus-wide messages re-

SEE BUZZ PAGE 2

Sig

Ep charity

Electric dandelions come to Hoboken

BY TANYA AVADIA, BUSINESS MANAGER

The traveling art installation Electric Dandelions has officially arrived in Hoboken and was unveiled this past Friday, February 23, at the Hoboken waterfront. The Electric Dandelions project was an initiative by the Hoboken Business Alliance as part of their commitment to “creating a vibrant and dynamic atmosphere for residents and visitors of the city to enjoy.”

The art installations, depicting large dandelions of multicolored light, can be enjoyed by all of the city’s

residents and visitors until Friday, May 24. To see the art installations, it is best to take a stroll across the Hoboken waterfront, specifically Pier A Park and the Monroe Center Plaza, at night time. The LED lights shining from the Electric Dandelions against the backdrop of the New York City skyline make for some amazing pictures and a mesmerizing experience.

These Electric Dandelions aren’t the first artistic venture undertaken by the Hoboken Business Alliance. The organization was also responsible for a collection of small stained art houses

events: clothing drive, open show, and

SEAN ANDERSON, STAFF WRITER

To continue their practice of community engagement and involvement, Sigma Phi Epsilon New Jersey Alpha LC Chapter has taken part in hosting philanthropy events on campus throughout this semester. Philanthropy is an integral part of this fraternity as it is a prerequisite for being a balanced man, a quality emphasized by Sig

Ep. If you were walking through the UCC Plaza on February 16, you may have noticed a group of students set up at a table at the top of the stairs. In a joint effort by Sig Ep and APO, a clothing drive was set up between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., during which members of the Stevens community could come to donate clothes, including pants, shirts, coats, and hats, and any other attire

more

to help keep people warm through the rest of winter. Anthony Frisolone, the Vice President of Learning Community for Sig Ep and an organizer for this event, reported the results: In total, seven garbage bags full of clothes were collected leading it to be a major success. Afterward, the clothing was distributed to those in need, including some going

SEE SIGEP PAGE 2

“That time of the month”: student-led initiative combats period poverty and stigma surrounding menstruation

TIANNA SPITZ, OPINION COLUMNIST

The average menstruating person spends about $20 on period products per cycle, totaling about $18,000 over their lifetime. Period poverty is a term used to describe when people cannot afford the menstrual products they need for their cycle in which insecurity is structurally rooted within systems of inequity and oppression. Period poverty is compounded by the pink tax, which categorizes tampons, pads, and diva cups as luxury items subject to tax and excludes

them from purchasing with welfare benefits such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Cultural taboos and stigma frame menstruation as an unsanitary narrative that works to remove menstrual equity from the perception of general wellness, reflected in the symbolic on-campus menstrual product dispensers that are mounted yet remain empty.

On campus, the disproportionate ratio of men’s to women’s restrooms on campus doesn’t go unnoticed by the 30% of Stevens’ female-identifying student body and calls into

question how many and how often menstrual product dispensers are stocked. While all-gender restrooms align with inclusivity, they represent “quick fixes” to a historic record of gender imbalance and lingering disparity 50 years after Stevens admitted the first 19 women out of 387 students in the class of 1971. Among the women’s and all-gender single-serve restrooms on campus, the buildings Morton, Burchard, Edwin A. Stevens, and the UCC were stocked with products in at least one restroom.

SEE PERIOD PAGE 3

that popped up around the city. Those stained glass houses were created via a collaboration between the Hoboken Business Alliance and Tom Fruin, a Brooklyn-based artist. The Hoboken-based organization wanted to continue this tradition of outdoor artwork and opted for a mesmerizing display of large light structures lining the waterfront.

The giant sculptures that make up the art display are the work of artist Abram Santa Cruz and Liquid PXL, a Los Angeles-based art collective. The dandelion structures are 28 feet tall and are

Kevin Grunder leaving Assistant Director for FSL

ARIANNA GEHAN, CONTRIBUTOR

Kevin Grunder Jr. joined Stevens in December of 2021 and his final day was February 23. As Assistant Director for Fraternity and Sorority Life in the Office of Student Life, Grunder served as an advisor to 22 Greek-lettered social organizations, three governing councils, and two programmatic councils. Here he led efforts in risk management, social events, and hazing prevention, along with spearheading Primary Recruitment for the three governing councils of these organizations. Grunder earned his bachelor’s degree in public relations and theater studies from Rider University, where he was part of Sigma Phi Epsilon and served on Rider’s Greek Council. During this time, he received the Frank J. Ruck Leadership Award through this fraternity. He then went on to earn a Master of Arts

SEE FSL PAGE 2

Recent issues in the RA program

BEN KNOBLOCH, NEWS EDITOR

The Resident Assistant (RA) program, which has employed students for years to provide community support and safety services to on-campus residents, has been experiencing turbulence in recent weeks. Returning RAs have had to face long waits to learn of their renewal statuses, while new applicants have experienced a series of issues and mistakes as they attempt to enter the program.

made of steel and contain LED lights. There are a total of ten dandelions on display throughout the pier. The lights will be off during the day, but will transform into a colorful spectacle of light at night. A goal of the Hoboken Business Alliance in curating this art piece was to “activate the Hoboken waterfront and Sinatra Drive, as well as the area around Hoboken’s key Ninth Street/ Congress Street Light Rail Station.” An additional motive, according to the Hoboken Business Alliance, was to foster a greater shared

SEE ART PAGE 2

RAs staff each floor of first-campus housing and the UCC towers and, in exchange for their services, are provided housing and dining plans for no extra charge. Every year, returning RAs must reapply before the selection of new RAs is chosen. The process is very selective and involves multiple rounds of info sessions, applications, and interviews, with applicants expected to demonstrate strong social skills and academic qualifications to make the cut.

This year, the process stretched unusually late relative to the upperclassman housing application. The mandatory information session for interested students took place more than three months ago, on November 15, and applications were

SEE RA PAGE 2

Chief Griffin praises campus police’s new wheels

BEN KNOBLOCH, NEWS EDITOR

The Stevens Campus Police Department has begun its familiar patrols around Castle Point in new style: four brand-new Dodge Durangos have partially replaced the existing fleet of squad cars, and are intended to improve the preparedness and efficiency of the department. Evan Papageorge from The Stute spoke with Chief of Police Timothy Griffin to learn more.

Ordered in April 2023

with an expected shipping date of October or November of the same year, the new cars didn’t arrive until this month. They were worth the wait, however, according to Chief Griffin: the vehicles boast new features that will improve the ability of department members to operate reliably and effectively across campus. A camera viewing system allows officers to remotely view campus camera feeds, and office work infrastructure allows them to com-

SEE POLICE PAGE 2

Snow and cold postpone Palmer project

EVAN PAPAGEORGE, OPINION EDITOR

Construction scrims now enclose the east side of Palmer Hall as the building’s new plaza takes shape, promising to revitalize the area and enhance the campus experience for students, faculty, and the public who enjoy the greenery and views of campus. This endeavor, part of a broader campus beautification initiative, aims to breathe new life into the surroundings of the first-year dormitory.

Scheduled for comple-

tion in late March, the project has encountered its fair share of challenges, primarily dictated by the unpredictable whims of weather. Kurt Wagner, Senior Project Manager of Campus Infrastructure and Engineering, shed light on the intricacies of the endeavor. He explained that the concrete work for the fountain foundation and decorative masonry work necessitates sustained above-freezing temperatures, thus rendering the construction time-

SEE PALMER PAGE 2

Masthead Volume CXXI No. 19

Executive Board

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF......................................ISABELLA ZIV ‘25

BUSINESS MANAGER............................TANYA AVADIA ‘26

MANAGING EDITOR.......................................AVA WANG ‘25

LAYOUT EDITOR................................NICOLE GIARDINO ‘25

OUTREACH CHAIR KAYDEN CANNILLA ‘24

DIGITAL MANAGER................................RAFAEL LEE LI ‘25

SECRETARY CLAIRE HANNAN ‘24

HEAD COPY EDITOR KEENAN YATES ‘24

Editorial Board

NEWS EDITOR.........................................BEN KNOBLOCH ‘25

SCIENCE EDITOR.........................................ERIN MCGEE ‘25

OPINION EDITOR............................EVAN PAPAGEORGE ‘26

SPORTS EDITOR................................RUTHIE MULLISKY ‘26

FEATURES EDITOR................................TASHA KHOSLA ‘25

PULSE EDITOR........................................MIA PETROLINO ‘25

Operations Board

HEAD PHOTOGRAPHER..........................ABBY JACOBS ‘27

ARCHIVES LIAISON.......................KEVIN CASTNER JR. ‘24

Operations Board

ASSIS. LAYOUT EDITOR.................JIYA JAISINGHANI ‘27

ASSIS. LAYOUT EDITOR...........................SHREYA ROY ‘27

ASSIS. LAYOUT EDITOR......................LIZ SEPULVEDA ‘27

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moved, it has raised several questions about the application of such a feature and the implications it carries for student safety.

Individual clubs having a builtin chat feature to ask questions could serve to be extremely helpful when asking clarifying questions or attempting to organize events asynchronously and in a timely manner. However, there is not much in terms of security within those clubs.

On DuckLink, anyone can join

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space for the community and “a pleasant environment to enjoy the outdoors as the weather transitions to spring.” While the Electric Dandelions are new to Hoboken, they aren’t a new concept. Electric Dandelions have been installed all around the

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due in mid-December. However, rounds of individual and group interviews, in person for the first time since before the pandemic, caused acceptance and placement notifications to be pushed until the evening of February 20. The upperclassman housing application closed just nine days later, on February 29.

According to a source familiar with the matter, the announcements of February 20 were significantly delayed and plagued with issues. Although previously announced to be sent out at 5 p.m., applicants did not receive their placement or acceptance statuses until after 7 p.m. that evening. Additionally, only 25 applicants were accepted into the program, which was fewer than had been previously suggested by the Office of Residential Education, and the entirety of the remaining 28 in the applicant pool was waitlisted.

Most shockingly, the waitlisted group received a mass email that mistakenly carbon copied every waitlisted student, making the names of all applicants in the pool visible to every other in an unexpected breach of privacy for these students.

Additionally, the contents of this email offered waitlisted appli-

most clubs, and thus, anyone was able to type in any chat. One can imagine the types of issues that one bad actor could have caused to the cultural and identity-based student organizations under this system. Although those who would utilize the messaging system in a hateful way would presumably face the consequences, it would not retroactively remove the harm it would cause students.

Many have wondered who was responsible for the website’s creation and several questionable design choices. The platform was made on Campus Groups through the company Ready Education. This company’s platform defines

world, lighting up the communities around them. Electric Dandelions were previously used in music festivals around the globe, with their first appearance at Burning Man, the long-running festival in Black Rock City, in 2016. These art structures were also used in Illuminate Adelaide in Australia, the Firefly Music Festival in Delaware, and the River of Light Winter Festival in Liverpool. While the installation of these electric flowers

cants the opportunity to accept a new position called Alternate Resident Assistant. According to the message, applicants who accept the Alternate position will “assume the role and responsibilities of Resident Assistants, if needed, based on our Stevens community needs.” Alternates must attend all mandatory RA events and training sessions for the opportunity to fill in for RAs who drop out of the program or can’t fulfill its requirements. The goal of the new position, according to Office directors, is to reduce the difficulties that arise when these unexpected vacancies occur.

The terms of this position were not received well. The announced waitlist contains dozens of students and has no official order or priority list, making it unclear how likely it is that an Alternate will receive the position at any point next year. There was also no information provided regarding housing or dining services, even though Alternates, like regular RAs, must arrive on campus no later than August 11. Some applicants expressed frustration that they would have to choose between working later in August and accepting the Alternate position with no guarantee that it would result in a permanent RA placement. Additionally, this group was given only nine days to make a decision. The opportunity closed on February 29, the same day that the upperclassman hous-

the campus leaderboard and the chat feature across student organizations. Ultimately, it was the administration that automatically added everyone to the Undergraduate Student Life organization without ensuring they could use it exclusively for their own announcements.

The posting of the popular meme has led to a lot of good changes for the platform.

Lee said, “I intended for it to be a one time joke... No one should be allowed access to [do that],” Students can judge for themselves whether his prank was an annoying nuisance or a canary in the coal mine.

in Hoboken isn’t for a music show, the Hoboken Business Alliance hopes that everyone can enjoy the artwork, especially alongside the scenic views of New York City. The inauguration ceremony for the Electric Dandelions took place on Friday, February 23, at sundown from 5:45 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. While it was a private event, the public was allowed to witness the Electric Dandelions illuminate the area from that day onwards.

ing application closed. According to sources familiar with the topic, much of the turmoil has been attributable to dramatic changes in the on-campus residential environment, including the opening of the UCC towers in Fall 2022 and changes in staff within Residential Education that have caused large shifts in policy since pre-pandemic years. Another contributing factor is the program’s increasing popularity, which means the Office of Residential Education is inundated with more applications than ever. This year, 285 students applied to become an RA, 110 applicants received individual interviews, and only 25 positions were filled. It is also known that there has been significant frustration with other aspects of the RA program, including friction between RAs and the Resident Directors that oversee each housing block and dissatisfaction with recent individual policy changes.

However, despite all the problems, the program remains attractive to students and popular with RAs. Sources who spoke to The Stute said that the free housing and dining benefits make the position worth the headache, not to mention the other intrinsic rewards of the job: a personal connection with peers, a fulfilling mentor-and-mentee environment, and the opportunity to develop a stronger and more cohesive campus community.

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to Stevens students in need and other items going to the Hoboken Shelter located on the corner of 3rd Street and Bloomfield. If you were not able to donate on the 16th but still want to, the Hoboken Shelter continues to collect dona tions year-round. You can donate either through their website or in person between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. daily. Frisolone stated that “it was great seeing the Stevens commu nity come together and support Stevens students in need,” and he will be going forward working with the student support for possible events in the future.

Additionally, on Wednesday, February 28, another Sig Ep char ity event was held in the fraternity house: a Dale Charity show. If you are not familiar with Dale, they are a punk, shoegaze, jazz, and noise rock-influenced music group, with one of its members being Aidan Williams-Healy, a Stevens student and brother of Sig Ep. In talking with Williams-Healy and other members of Dale, they remark, “We’re very proud to have the op portunity to support such a great cause by doing what we love!” The show supported the Hudson Pride Center, a center that works to give the LGBTQIA+ community a safe place to share their experiences with others and be themselves. Donations can still be made to the

PERIOD

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Hudson Pride Center by going to Dale’s Instagram and adding to the fundraiser or by going to the Hudson Pride Center’s website. If

hosting Escape the Extension in the fraternity house from April 4 to 7. The most recent theme for this event was Ancient Egypt, and

Frank LoCastro, Assistant Vice President for Facilities and Campus Operations, comments on facility efforts to create spaces for female-identifying students, noting that all designated women’s single-serve restrooms were converted to become gender-inclusive per Hoboken mandate. “We were well-balanced with several single occupancy toilets having been created and dedicated to women as the female population on campus grew,” he says. In response Stevens converted male toilets in Morton and Burchard to female with the addition of more gender-neutral restrooms. While addressing the upkeep and stocking of restroom menstrual products, LoCastro says, “The UG2 cleaning services staff restock the dispensers each night. The day cleaning staff also check them for refills during the day while also checking restrooms for paper products and soap refills.”

Residents of the first-year Service and Leadership Living Learning Community (LLC) hosted a menstrual awareness event to raise

period products for the Hoboken Community Center and take a campus pulse on period awareness to reduce stigma. As LLC students constructed donation boxes, Olivia Cecchi, Assistant Director of Student Support, Wellness Education, was invited to speak on period poverty and the de-stigmatization of periods. While spreading period awareness, Cecchi emphasizes the importance of language to acknowledge “that not all women menstruate, and not all people who menstruate identify as female,” in working towards period equity, “which means increasing both access to menstrual products and access to reproductive health education and information.”

Dr. Amber Benezra, Service and Leadership LLC Faculty Advisor and Professor of Science Technology and Society Studies, supported the students in coordinating the event with Hoboken Community Center alongside Dean Nilson and the LCC Resident Assistant, Ben Stoll. Benezra emphasized that the driving interest to host a donation event centered on period insecurity came from the LLC students, in which students of all genders were in attendance. Reflecting the deeply structural necessity of period products and resources, Benez-

ra states, “Menstruating people need the space to take care of their periods — it’s not an individual responsibility.”

Period poverty initiatives enter the classrooms as the recent state law, S-1221, passed in August 2023, requires public school districts to provide free menstrual products from grades 6-12 in at least half of the all-female and gender-neutral restrooms. From S-1121, Cecchi anticipates similar legislation at the college level, although the TCNJ student newspaper reports the college administration rejected a Student Government proposal to administer menstrual products in campus restrooms.

As the emotional and physical labor to access menstrual products and resources intersects all genders and social structures, period awareness and efforts to destigmatize menstruation fall on menstruators and non-menstruators alike. “Creating intentional, inclusive, and intersectional dialogues and spaces around these topics is how we dismantle the stigma that surrounds them,” Cecchi says, ”Whether you have a period or not, knowing about the menstrual cycle is something everyone can and should learn about.”

DANI QIRA FOR THE STUTE

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in Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education from Ball State University.

Even after becoming an alumni in his fraternity, Grunder continued to be involved with Greek Life. He served one year as the Alumni and Volunteer Corporation (AVC) President for the New Jersey Zeta Chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon. He additionally volunteered for a year on the Essential Editorials Team for the Association of Fraternity and Sorority Advisors and currently serves as one of their Graduate Student Experience Committee Members.

Before becoming the Assistant Director for Fraternity and Sorority Life at Stevens, Grunder spent two years as the Program Coordinator of Student Engagement & Activities at Stony Brook University where he was an advisor for over 30 social, professional, and culturally-based fraternal organizations.

Lindsey Baratta, former president of Theta Phi Alpha, a Panhellenic Sorority, in 2023 and worked closely with Grunder. When asked about her experiences in working with Grunder, she stated: “Kevin has been an integral part of my success as a Greek leader and my times at Stevens at large. His positive outlook and unwavering commitment to the community and students was felt every single day.”

Many staff in the Office of Student Life expressed their joy of working closely with Grunder and wish him the best in his future endeavors.

In his farewell email to the presidents of the organizations he advised, Grunder stated: “Working with Stevens Fraternity + Sorority Life over the last two years has brought me immense joy and pride.”

Campus fraternity and sorority life will continue to receive support from the Office of Student Life through Graduate Coordinator for Fraternity & Sorority Life Life

Caitilin Gurgone, Dean of Students

Ken Nilsen, and Assistant Dean of Students/Director of Student Life

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line susceptible to temperature fluctuations, particularly during snow storms over the past few weeks. Despite these hurdles, the project plan is still in place.

The renovation blueprint remains mainly faithful to the original plans, with the focal point being the installation of a new fountain and the introduction of a series of landscape plant beds and paved plazas. However, a notable addition involves the incorporation of the SS Stevens anchor near its previous location east of Wittpenn Walk. This nod to history, coming on the heels of the widely shared student petition to restore the anchor to campus, underscores the project’s commitment to preserving the campus’s heritage while embracing modern enhancements.

The motivation behind the endeavor stems from a broader campus-wide initiative aimed at upgrading landscape and hardscape elements. Wagner emphasized the significance of this ongoing effort, highlighting past endeavors that have seen the replacement of concrete and asphalt walkways with visually appealing paving stones. This meticulous attention to detail ensures a cohesive aesthetic while enhancing the functionality of pedestrian pathways.

While the construction may inconvenience pedestrians in the short term, the long-term benefits promise to outweigh the temporary disruptions. Wagner assured that alternative access routes had been arranged to mitigate the inconvenience, with only the west entrances of Palmer Hall remaining accessible during the construction period.

The Palmer Hall renovation

project is a testament to the university’s commitment to fostering an environment conducive to student living and learning. By prioritizing student feedback and aspiring to elevate the campus experience, the Division of Facilities and Campus Operations is reaffirming its dedication to campus aesthetics.

As the construction progresses and the vision takes shape, anticipation builds for unveiling a revitalized Palmer Hall, serving as a beacon of innovation and beauty within the campus landscape. With each brick laid and plant bed cultivated, the campus community edges closer to a future defined by harmony between tradition and progress, where every corner tells a story of transformation and renewal.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CONNOR MAGEE

ABBY JACOBS FOR THE STUTE

Sports

Women’s takes second and Men’s take third at the indoor Track and Field MAC Championships

BY CHRISTA RUIZ, SPORTS WRITER

On Saturday, February 24, and Sunday, February 25, The Men’s and Women’s Track and Field teams competed in the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Championships at the Alvernia’s Tom & Helen Flynn Complex in Reading, PA. Ultimately, the men’s team took third place, and the women’s team took second place due to notable strong performances from athletes such as Laura Mathews and Brandon Kiefer.

The opening day set the stage for what would become a memorable championship for both of the teams. Graduate student Mathews was a standout performer for the women’s team, clinching the long jump title with a leap of 5.62 meters and playing a crucial role in the 4x200-meter relay victory. Mathews’ leg of the race took only 24.23 seconds, and alongside junior Allie Canciani, sophomore Stephanie Ryazanova, and first-year Isabella Shanley, the team finished the race in a new program record of 1:45.87. The Ducks secured second place after the first day with 36 points, trailing behind Widener’s 52. Oth-

er notable performances included the distance medley relay squad’s second-place finish with a time of 12:42.98 and sophomore Alexis Merola’s 3.35-meter personal best in the pole vault.

The men’s team also had their moments of glory on the first day, with the distance medley relay team, consisting of graduate student Ronnie Melao, sophomores Mick Barbi and Danny Jutras, and senior Jake Aylmer, capturing first place with a time of 10:19.72. This victory contributed to the team’s sixth-place standing with 14 points at the end of the day. Notable individual performances included senior Federico Yacoubian’s personal best in the 60-meter hurdles, securing him the third seed for the finals, and sophomore Brandon Kiefer’s strong start in the heptathlon, setting him up for success on the following day.

The second day was where Stevens truly shined, with both teams delivering exceptional performances. Kiefer led the men’s team by repeating as heptathlon champion and adding a silver medal in the pole vault, culminating in the Ducks’ third-place finish overall with 79.5 points. The team medaled in six of the 14

events, demonstrating versatility across the board. Noteworthy achievements included Melao’s bronze in the mile with a time of 4:21.31, senior Liam Concannon’s third-place finish and first indoor medal in the 3,000 meters at 8:48.54, and Yacoubian’s first indoor medal with a second-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles at 8.41. In the end, the men’s team finished in third with 79.5 points, finishing three spots higher than they did last year.

For the women’s team, Mathews continued her dominance, winning both the 200-meter dash and the 60-meter hurdles, with times of 24.96 and 8.59, respectively. Her contributions were instrumental in the team’s second-place

dividual points and ten points in relays and went on to be named the Track Athlete of the Meet. The team had 129.5 points to fin ish the meet, which is the team’s highest total at the MAC Indoor Championships, and medaled in ten events. Additional highlights included junior Caroline Tighe’s high jump title, clearing 1.61 me ters, graduate student Kristen Williams’ silver in the 60-meter hurdles, and the 4x800-meter relay team’s silver medal. The Ducks’ performance at the MAC Championships was a testament to their hard work, dedication, and talent. With athletes setting personal and program records, the weekend was a celebration of Stevens’ Track and Field

Women’s and Men’s Basketball in MAC Freedom Semifinals

BY KAI WONG, SPORTS WRITER

Last Wednesday, Women’s Basketball took a hard-fought loss to DeSales University with a score of 89-67 in the MAC Freedom Semifinals. The fourth-seeded Ducks finish the season with a 14-12 record. Top-seed DeSales won all three matchups against the Ducks this year. DeSales went on to defeat second-seed Arcadia University and earned their first-weekend host in the NCAA Tournament.

Sophomores Sophia Bica and Dorothy Loffredo scored the first two baskets of the game for Stevens as they led 4-2. DeSales went on a 13-0 run as they took a commanding 11-point early lead. The Ducks fought back to get within eight to end the first quarter.

The Bulldogs started the second by hitting a triple, but the Ducks scored the next four to get back within seven. With 2:56 left on the clock, sophomore Ley-

la Castro made a jumper that brought the Ducks within three at 29-26. Castro later added a triple with six seconds left, as DeSales led just 34-31 at the half. To start the second half, DeSales scored the first nine as they took a 12-point lead. DeSales then scored five of the next seven, which Castro responded with a basket from behind the arc. Down 5336, first-year Paige Gorczyca and junior Lucy Alberici made backto-back baskets that trimmed the deficit to 13. Castro made a buzzer-beater basket to end the third, but DeSales led 63-47. With 8:18 left in the fourth quarter, DeSales took a 23-point lead. With under five minutes to go and trailing by 24, Stevens rattled off six-straight, but the deficit was too much to overcome, as the Ducks fell to the Bulldogs.

Although their season may not have ended how they might have wanted, the team has accomplished a lot throughout the season worthy of being proud of.

BY KAI WONG, SPORTS WRITER

Men’s Basketball prevailed champions this past Saturday, February 24, with their 54-53 win over the top-seeded DeSales University. The Ducks previously won the MAC Freedom Semifinals 7370 over third-seeded Arcadia last Wednesday, February 21, to send them to the championship.

In Bulldog territory, the game was low-scoring throughout the majority of the first half. Stevens was unable to score until the 17:12 mark as graduate student Stephen Braunstein made a jumper. The next Duck field goal came two minutes later from graduate student Conor Coffey. DeSales went up 12-6 before first-year Kyle Maddison made a triple, and firstyear Tommy Scholl made his first three with 8:31 left in the half to get the Ducks within one. DeSales went on a streak to end the half and took a 27-19 lead into the second half.

Stevens quickly got within three to start the second as firstyear Xander Singh made a basket, followed by a triple from junior Jack Spellman. DeSales then went on a 13-4 run to take their largest lead of the game. From there, it was all Ducks, with Scholl scoring the next four to bring the deficit down to single digits. With 9:29 to go, Singh made a three from the top of the key, making it 4234. A few minutes later, Spellman converted an and-one inside the paint that cut the Bulldog’s lead to five. Singh scored the next three, followed by a game-tying layup from Richard Machado with just

under five minutes remaining. DeSales went up four with 4:21 to go, but Scholl came back with another triple 13 seconds later. Singh scored the next four for Stevens, taking their first leads of the game and leading 51-50. On the next possession, Scholl remained hot as he drilled a corner triple to extend the Ducks’ lead with 2:15 on the clock. DeSales did not budge, making a three with just over a minute left to make it a one-point game. With just eight seconds remaining, DeSales missed the goahead three, which was rebounded by Scholl. Scholl then missed two free throws, and the Bulldogs secured the rebound. DeSales went the length of the floor and got fouled with two seconds left, still trailing by one. Head coach Bobby Hurley called timeout prior to the free throws. The Bulldogs missed both free throws and time expired on the chase for the rebound as Stevens secured the victory.

Scholl scored a career-high 16 points, including going 4/4 from three-point range, earning him the tournament’s most valuable player. The Ducks secured the MAC Freedom Championship for the third time since joining the conference and the first since the 2021-2022 season.

By winning the conference tournament, Stevens secures a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The Ducks will face Farmingdale State College on Friday, March 1, as part of a four-team regional hosted by No. 1 Hampden-Sydney College.

ON DECK IN SPORTS

FRI, MAR 1

WOMEN’S AND MEN’S TRACK AND FIELD

All-Atlantic Region Indoor Championships–Day 1 Rochester, NY Time TBA

WRESTLING

NCAA Southeast Regional Championship–Day 1 Williamsport, PA 11 a.m.

BASEBALL

Rutgers-Newark Hoboken, NJ 3 p.m.

MEN’S TENNIS

Carnegie Mellon University Swarthmore, PA 3 p.m.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Farmingdale State College Hampden-Sydney, VA 4:30 p.m.

SAT, MAR 2

WOMEN’S AND MEN’S TRACK AND FIELD

All-Atlantic Region Indoor Championships–Day 1 Rochester, NY Time TBA

WOMEN’S FENCING

NIWFA Championships Madison, NJ Time TBA

WRESTLING

NCAA Southeast Regional Championship–Day 2 Williamsport, PA 11 a.m.

BASEBALL

Rutgers-Newark Newark, NJ 11 a.m.

WOMEN’S TENNIS Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr, PA 11 a.m.

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

No. 17 Misericordia University No. 15 Marymount University Dallas, PA 12 p.m./2p.m.

WOMEN’S LACROSSE Rowan University Hoboken, NJ 12 p.m.

MEN’S LACROSSE

Messiah Univeristy Hoboken, NJ 4 p.m.

SUN, MAR 3

MEN’S FENCING

MACFA Championships Hoboken, NJ Time TBA

PHOTO COURTESY OF STEVENSDUCKS.COM (SHOT BY DAVE JANOSZ)

WBB - PHOTO COURTESY OF STEVENSDUCKS.COM (SHOT BY DAVE JANOSZ)

BY KAYDEN CANNILLA, OUTREACH CHAIR

Navigating a kitchen can be stressful for first-timers, whether it’s feeling like you don’t have the right ingredients or the right tools. Here are some essential stock for your kitchen, as well as tips for how you can save space and double up on utility.

One of the joys of cooking is that you can prepare each of the food groups in an appetizing manner to you. When grocery shopping, make sure you hit across the macros: chicken, beef, beans, or tofu for protein, fresh or frozen vegetables, and pasta, rice, couscous, or quinoa for grains. A less nutritious and, therefore, way more delicious way I like to pad my meals is with stuffing. Stuffing is my absolute favorite Tthanksgiving food, and it was a mental health game- changer when I realized I could have stuffing outside of November, too. If executive dysfunction is getting to me, a quick meal of a raw vegetables side like carrots, stuffing, and chicken will put me together in 10 minutes or less. A satisfying and colorful meal will have elements of each food group, but don’t fear that all of these elements will triple your prep time. Couscous is as easy as ramen to prepare and takes the same amount of time.

Speaking of ramen, here are my top add-ins to level up your instant ramen. First, never use the whole seasoning packet, if at all. This adds so much sodium to ramen, and you can easily get great flavor with the seasonings you have in your cabinet. I’ll typically add soy and/or teriyaki, paprika, sesame seeds, red pepper flakes,: whatever I can get my hands on that adds salt and spice. Chilies or gochujang go a long way by adding dense flavor and color. My other staple add-ins are frozen spinach and egg, which turn instant ramen into a much more flavorful and nutritious meal. After the ramen

is done cooking, I turn down (or off) the heat and add a handful of frozen spinach to bring down the temperature. At a stable simmer, I add the egg and stir quickly to make sure it doesn’t clump up. This mostly has to do with adding the egg at the right temperature (a process I learned by feel and trial and error), but if you beat the egg and pour it in from a bowl instead of cracking it directly into the pot, you may also have more luck.

You don’t need huge frying pans and soup pots if you’re cooking for one. Smaller cookware gives more manageable portion sizes and lets you control the temperature more easily; big portions need to be stirred more frequently to ensure even cooking. But be careful of adding too much to your small pan, you’ll have the same issue of uneven cooking if it doesn’t fit. For utensils, my go-to is a flexible spatula. This can be used to stir, spoon, taste, and press —- it’s a great all- around tool. Plastic utensils are necessary to preserve non-stick cookware;, only use metal on stainless steel and cast iron, if you don’t care about superficial scratches. Salt is needed in pretty much every dish, but if you add too much, often citrus like lemon or lime juice can be used to balance out the flavor profile. Taste your food often throughout the cooking process; use all of your senses to determine first if it’s still raw and then whether there’s enough seasoning. I find people usually underseason rather than overdo it. Especially with colorful spices like paprika or turmeric, there should be a distinct color change after seasoning.

My number one tip is to practice! You can’t expect perfection on the first try, and there are always little quirks of your own kitchen and tools —-- following a recipe exactly may not always work. You need to rely on your own intuition of when to turn off

Student-savers: Where to find student discounts

BY TASHA KHOSLA FEATURES EDITOR

such as Aeropostale, Converse, Nike, Levi’s, Reebok, Champion, Kate Spade, Crocs, and more offer discounts online or in-store with a valid student ID. A lot of local businesses may

also provide student discounts when shown a valid student ID. It never hurts to ask when making a purchase, especially in college towns like Hoboken.

Music, Media, and Entertainment

Apple Music offers a student subscription, which provides access to AppleTV+ at no extra cost. Once a year, you will need to re-verify your student status to continue the student subscription, which can be done through the Apple Music app. The subscription allows you to subscribe to Apple Music “at a discounted monthly rate for up to 48 months.”

Spotify and Hulu grant access to a joint package that includes music and television. Spotify Premium Student with Hulu gives access to Spotify Premium Student and “full seasons of exclusively streaming series, current-season episodes, hit movies, Hulu Originals and more.” With the student discount, you can get both for free for one month and then pay a discounted rate of $5.99 per month, which is far less than the regular $10.99 a month rate for Spotify Premium and the $7.99 monthly rate for Hulu.

National theater chains, such as AMC, Cinemark, and Regal, offer discounted tickets to students with a college ID at participating locations.

To keep up with the news, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal offer discounted subscription rates for college students. Both can provide both physical and digital access to their articles.

Transportation and Travel

For any commuters, NJ Transit has the MyTix Student pass

where you can “save 25% on an NJ TRANSIT monthly rail, bus, or light rail pass for the commute to class. Full-time college students attending participating University Partnership colleges or universities register through their college website.”

Amtrak also offers “students between ages 17-24 the chance to save 15% on purchases made one (1) day in advance” with their national student discount. For more information on how to receive the discount, follow the instructions on the Amtrak website.

Food

HelloFresh’s subscription service contains meal kits that contain pre-measured ingredients and simple recipes, making it easier to prepare meals. For college students, HelloFresh gives a 55% discount on your first box, free shipping for that first box, and an ongoing 15% discount that is applied for 52 weeks.

Similarly, Blue Apron gives students 65% off meal kits for the first week as well as free shipping for the first week as long as you verify your ID through their site. Much like HelloFresh, Blue Apron’s kits provide ingredients, simple recipes, and recipes that can be prepared quickly.

Most fast food restaurants, such as Taco Bell, Dunkin’, and McDonald’s, also provide discounts at select locations.

There are countless discounts out there to explore. Sites such as BrokeScholar, SheerID, StudentDiscount.com, and UniDays can help make the search even easier. If you’re ever in doubt, simply search the retailer you want to make a purchase at and the phrase “student discount.” Chances are, they have one that you can use!

heat and how much seasoning

also become more familiar with the seasonings and dosing that you like, and you’ll be

making Michelin- star meals in no time.

Feature

How to get housing beyond campus

BY SOFIA STOECKEL, CONTRIBUTOR

Getting their own apartments is many students’ goal; to live on their own and support themselves can be either a dream or a nightmare. Even just choosing what apartment complex to live in can look like a monumental task, and I’m here to make it easier for you!

Hudson Dorms

I interviewed a senior who currently lives in Hudson Dorms, Victoria Beke. It is currently her third year living in Hudson Dorms, and she’s had a great experience with them so far. The process she used to get a dorm there was by first sending an application in through their website, and then they send out a housing guarantee, which you can sign with up to four people for one apartment, or you can get six to eight people if you’re interested in getting two apartments next to each other. Then, with the housing guarantee, you submit that before the apartment selection with a housing deposit, similar to Stevens dorms, in a first come, first serve order, they pick out a few apartments for you to look at, and then you look at the ones they choose and

per-semester basis, similar to dorms here as well, and they’re accommodating if you’re waiting for your student aid to be given to you.

Other apartments

A good website that talks about how to rent an apartment in Hoboken is hobokengirl.com. She gives a good short list of steps to easily find an apartment in Hoboken, and the steps she includes (summarized) are:

1. Decide on roommates

2. Check your credit

3. Decide on your budget

4. Determine the cost of moving in and handling rent

5. Pick a location

6. Start the search

7. Begin the application process Deciding on roommates can be very hard, especially if you’re not quite sure who you really want to live with. Some people live alone too, as roommates aren’t for everyone, but if you want to live alone, you also have to consider costs and how you’ll pay for everything on your own. Always make sure your roommates are on board with the plan before confirming it, and also definitely get to know them well beforehand as you could find out things later while already living together that just don’t work, like

sure you don’t have any past issues with credit as they don’t want to have someone on their property who doesn’t pay rent or commits crimes. Landlords look for all kinds of red flags, including evictions and fraud or money laundering, so make sure to stay on top of your credit!

Always make sure you know any move-in fees, as well as any broker fees you have to pay. Also make sure you have enough money to be able to pay at least 1.5 month’s security upfront. Apartments in Hoboken can be expensive, so make sure that you have enough money not just for your apartment but other amenities like parking (if you have a vehicle), and necessary things like food.

Make sure the location you want matches the one your roommates (if you have any) want. Hoboken is a generally walkable city so transportation shouldn’t be a huge issue, but you have to keep in mind if you want an apartment close to Washington, as it can get noisy at rush hour and can be a lot more expensive.

Now, once you’ve done all that, start the search for an apartment that matches all the criteria you want, and make sure to keep your eyes open as properties can get snatched up fast, especially in Hoboken, where apartments get bought quickly. Once you’ve found the apartment you want, feel free to sign the lease and

Credit cards: what to know

BY JEREMIAH CHINWENDU, CONTRIBUTOR

Credit history is the reflection of how well you manage your money and debt, including credit cards and other loans. Understanding the impact this can have on your life is crucial, as it can have longterm effects on your life including determining how easily you will be able to retire. Building a good credit history starts with how well you manage your credit card. Credit cards have always allowed people a way to handle their funds by allowing for a “buy now, pay later with interest” method. This means that cardholders pay back the amount of money they spend along with any interest and agreed-upon fees. There is a lot to consider when getting your first credit card and building your credit history. When used properly, credit cards can provide a lot of perks that make life easier for busy people.

Credit cards allow for a convenient shopping experience, whether in person or online. Unlike debit cards, they allow for a person to buy things without worrying about how much money sits in their bank account. While the majority of cards, such as VISA, Mastercard, and Discover, are issued by banks, reward card companies offer airline miles, hotel rentals, gift certificates to major retailers, and cash back on purchases. These cards can provide significant savings on the things you are already buying. Credit cards also offer superior consumer protection to debit cards. In the case of any suspected fraud, one can challenge any charges they did not make, and those charges can be removed from the credit history entirely. Many providers will go as far as to offer a temporary card while resolving any matters of fraud with the main account. Credit cards offer a great deal of financial freedom and protection, especially when compared to debit cards, but there are many caveats one must know about when opening a line of credit.

Credit cards usually have higher annual percentage rates (APR) than other consumer loans. This

means that they impose higher yearly interest rates based on how much users spend in a year. This is on top of the monthly payments users are obligated to, which have their own interest. There are various interest rates associated with credit cards, and these rates go up or down depending partly on the federal funds rate, which is the rate at which banks lend money to each other. The Federal Reserve raises or lowers federal funds based on the behavior of the economy. In essence, this means that the interest consumers have to pay is based not only on their credit history and financial status, but also on factors they are not able to control on their own. Many people fall into the trap of abusing the freedom provided by credit cards and spend too much money they do not have. Interest, APR, and other fees associated with your provider add up quickly and can sometimes be overwhelming for people, forcing them to make minimal monthly payments while their debt grows more and more. In order to maintain a good credit history, one must maintain good spending and lifestyle habits. The wisest thing for a first-time credit card holder to do before obtaining a card is to do research on specific providers and consider not just the perks offered, but also the fees and reputation of their providers.

Building a good credit history begins with the first credit card you own. Opening up a secured credit card is the simplest way to get started with building credit. With this type of card, consumers deposit the amount of money they want in the card provided to them, minimizing the risk of payment discrepancies. Another way to get started is by opening a new card under an authorized user, someone who already has an established credit card and history, such as a parent or spouse. Be wary of who you choose if you go this route because the habits of the cardholder will reflect on your own history and affect your future as well. Your credit history will have a major impact on the financial freedom you have in the future as you go on your personal endeavors.

Why women develop more autoimmune diseases

BY JEREMIAH CHINWENDU, OUTREACH CHAIR

The body’s immune system is composed of several components that work together to fight against pathogens, infections, or anything that could jeopardize our health. In the case of autoimmune diseases, the immune system turns on the body and begins attacking healthy tissues and organs. These diseases can shut down or weaken entire systems of the body and can potentially be life-threatening. Scientists are not fully aware of what causes these types of diseases to occur, though many factors can affect a person’s vulnerability to them. One of those factors is gender. One in ten people in the US is affected by autoimmune diseases, and 80% of those affected are women. There have been many explanations proposed as to why this is true, but one study published in the scientific journal Cell aims to answer this question by examining the relationship between the genes within sex chromosomes and immune activity.

Every chromosome holds

genes that are activated or deactivated in order to create proteins needed in different parts of the body. Women produce the same level of X proteins as men despite having two X chromosomes. This is because they possess a molecule called Xist, which clings to one of their X chromosomes like velcro and prevents the genes within the chromosomes from being activated. This is crucial to women’s health, as shutting down this second chromosome prevents an abundance of proteins from being produced, which can be detrimental to their development or adult lives. The aforementioned study aims to see if this gene blocker could be partly responsible for the higher prevalence of autoimmune diseases among women. One of the leads in this project, Dr. Howard Chang, noticed in his research prior that many of the proteins associated with autoimmune diseases were also responsible for helping Xist bind to the X chromosome.

In this study, Dr. Chang and his team examined a species of mice in which the females were at higher risk for lupus, while the males

were not in the same danger. The scientists genetically engineered the male mice so they, too, would produce Xist molecules in their bodies. This genetic alteration caused cases of autoimmune diseases to increase tenfold among male mice. The results from this study were related to the fact that people who reported to have lupus or other autoimmune diseases had higher levels of antibodies related to Xist molecules. Dr. Chang proposes that the cycle of cell death within women could be the reason for this, as cells leave behind their proteins and molecules when they die. It is likely that the immune system views Xist as a foreign molecule and attacks it on a wider scale around the body, killing any cell with fragments of Xist on its surface.

One geneticist from the University of Pennsylvania, not involved in the study, stated that this is plausible but not completely realistic, as even men make antibodies related to Xist despite the molecule not being prevalent in their bodies at all. An endocrinologist at UCLA highlights the fact that the study performed by

Chang and his team does not distinguish whether the presence of Xist triggers or merely intensi fies autoimmune diseases. Some studies point toward the idea that since the X chromosomes possess genes responsible for producing proteins that communicate with immune cells, some genes are overexpressed and produce an abundance of signals that confuse the immune system and cause it to attack healthy cells.

In the end, there has not been a study conducted that can defin itively answer the question of why women are far more susceptible to autoimmune diseases than men. The answer may lie within the X chromosomes, or it may not. For now, it remains a mystery to even the brightest minds in science. Finding an answer to this ques tion will likely give us a different perspective on health than what we have now. Such understanding could even give way to the devel opment of cures for autoimmune diseases, as now the only way to treat most of them is by shutting down the immune system altogether, thus leaving patients even more vulnerable.

Satellite hit Earth on Wednesday Global warming upheaves locust life cycles

BY MEGHANA MAMADAPUR, STAFF WRITER

You read that right: a satellite hit Earth on Wednesday, February 21. The dead European satellite entered the atmosphere at 12:15 EST over the Pacific Ocean between Alaska and Hawaii.

The 5,057-pound now-defunct satellite was named the European Remote Sensing (ERS-2) satellite. ERS-2 was in space for 16 years and made a “natural” reentry back into the atmosphere. The satellite was originally launched on April 21, 1995, by the European Space Agency (ESA). With ERS-1, ERS-2 provided vital information on the Earth’s land surfaces, ocean temperatures, ozone layer, and polar ice extent. This helped to observe natural disasters such as flooding and earthquakes in remote areas. Many of the advancements in satellites were due to the information collected by ERS-2. ESA used the last of the fuel in ERS-2 and then emptied its batteries. By lowering the satellites from 785 kilometers to 573 kilometers, the risk of collision with other satellites and space debris was low.

Thus, ERS-2 was uncontrollable during reentry and completely dependent on atmospheric drag, making it a “natural” reentry. The ESA was closely monitoring the satellite to ensure that the landing would not be harmful to civilian populations.

As soon as ERS-2 was 50 miles from the Earth’s surface, the satellite disintegrated into fragments. According to the ESA, it is possible that fragments from the satellite reached the surface, but the pieces were not toxic and likely fell into the ocean.

The ESA decided to deorbit the

satellite in 2011. They executed 66 deorbiting maneuvers in July and August before concluding the objective on September 11. This assisted in burning fuel and set the satellite to hit Earth 16 years later. The unpredictability of solar activity made it difficult for scientists to accurately estimate exactly when the satellite would hit Earth. The solar activity changes the atmosphere’s density, which affects how much the atmosphere tugs on the satellite. Originally, scientists believed ERS-2 would enter the atmosphere at 10:49 EST. However, it ended up orbiting the planet for an hour.

While this phenomenon was alarming to most due to the disconcerting headlines of satellites hitting Earth, multiple objects this size reenter the atmosphere every year. According to the ESA, the chances of an individual being harmed by space debris every year are less than 1 in 100 billion, which is nearly 1.5 million times lower than the risk of being killed in an accident in any household. It was confirmed by the ESA that no civilians were harmed during the reentry. Because the ERS-2 is well-known among the scientific community, the reentry was highly publicized. This reentry was only one of the initiatives undertaken by the ESA. The ESA’s mission is to ensure the long-term sustainability of space activities. One of the newest initiatives is the Clean Space initiative, which encourages the advancements of new technologies for more sustainable space missions. The initiative also aims to collaborate with European nations, reducing the overall debris left by the Earth. With space initiatives becoming increasingly innovative, we can hope to uncover more mysteries surrounding space.

BY EVAN PAPAGEORGE , OPINION EDITOR

In a world increasingly shaped by climate change, a new study suggests that rising temperatures may pave the way for a surge in locust populations, potentially imperiling crops across vast swathes. The findings, published in Science Advances, shed light on how climate shifts alter the dynamics of locust invasions, with profound implications for agriculture and food security.

Desert locusts, notorious for ravaging farmlands in northern Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia, thrive in hot, arid conditions punctuated by intermittent downpours. However, as human-induced warming accelerates, these regions are experiencing more frequent and intense bouts of drought and torrential rain – ideal conditions for locust breeding.

The study’s lead author, Xiaogang He, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at the National University of Singapore, underscores the potential repercussions of this trend. “Given that these countries often serve as global breadbaskets and are already grappling with climate-driven extremes like droughts, floods, and heatwaves, the potential escalation of locust risks in these regions could exacerbate existing challenges,” he stated.

may expand the locusts’ habitat, some experts argue that climate change could render certain areas unsuitable for survival. Christine N. Meynard, a researcher at the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Environment in Montpellier, France, suggests that hotter, drier conditions might restrict locust populations to smaller territories, facilitating more targeted pest control efforts.

Historically, much research shows a connection between the life cycles of locusts and weather patterns and ecological conditions. These insects typically lie dormant in arid regions until rainfall triggers a surge in vegetation, providing ample food for their offspring. Subsequent dry spells prompt the locusts to congregate and embark on mass migrations, devouring crops.

The catastrophic locust outbreaks of 2019 ravaged parts of East Africa and central India and underscored the vulnerability of agricultural systems to these voracious pests. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization mobilized a massive operation to mitigate the impact on food supplies and livelihoods.

He and his colleagues employed mathematical modeling techniques to understand how climate factors influence the spread of locust infestations. Their analysis revealed that the timing and distribution of seasonal rains play

cust outbreaks across distant regions. Countries as distant as India and Morocco, or Pakistan and Algeria, could simultaneously face the scourge of locust plagues, posing a grave threat to global food security.

The researchers project that climate change could further exacerbate the locust menace, expanding their range by up to 25% by the end of the century. Regions currently unaffected by locusts, including parts of Afghanistan, India, Iran, and Turkmenistan, may become increasingly vulnerable to infestations.

Beyond climatic factors, experts emphasize the role of sociopolitical conditions in shaping locust risks. Conflict-ridden nations like Yemen have struggled to contain locust populations, exacerbating the impact of outbreaks on vulnerable communities. While challenges loom considerable, concerted efforts to monitor and manage locust populations offer a glimmer of hope. Dr. Meynard acknowledges progress in some countries but stresses the need for sustained vigilance and collaboration to safeguard global food supplies from the looming specter of locust invasions. As the world grapples with the complexities of climate change and its cascading effects, the battle against locusts is a stark reminder of the urgent need for coordinated action to protect agriculture and ensure food security for future

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE NEW YORK TIMES

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE NEW YORK POST

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE NEW YORK TIMES

MIND OF A FRESHMAN

Why I have gotten better at procrastinating

Now, the title may seem like I have improved at avoiding procrastination, but it is quite the opposite. If you have ever left an assignment for the last minute and turned it in to receive an acceptable score, then you would know the feeling of accomplishment. This does not mean that I am entirely leaving every task for the last minute, but I have noticed gradual improvements in my schedule dedicated to college.

The actual root cause of my procrastination habit may have developed some time since middle school when being able to pull off these last-minute assignments solidified my procrastination. This “clutch” mindset, as I like to call it, has become part of my college schedule. Typically, procrastination is regarded as completely negative, but I don’t think that it is all the time. While not exactly considered an example of procrastination, you can think of highly competitive sports games showing examples of

“clutch.” The reason I bring up sports is because I have practiced soccer for five years until I began to spend less time dedicated to the sport. Often, in my soccer games, our games would either be a complete loss or a draw. However, these draws sometimes brought out the energy in me necessary to make a finish goal. From last-minute finishing goals in soccer to last-second buzzers in basketball, there is a “clutch” moment defined in sports. I know that this competitive mindset that I have created used the “clutch” accomplishment, and somehow, this was incorporated into my academic life halfway through middle school.

Indeed, procrastinating is not a good habit to build because, most times, when the schoolwork piles up, it tends to be easier to suffocate under all the tasks. One great thing about college is the extended period granted to submit homework, which can vary from one week to a month. While this is a much easier system to work under, I still find myself leaving tasks on hold in my to-do list. It seems crazy, but one day, it is Monday, the start of the week, and then the next moment, four separate homework assignments are due at the exact same time on a Friday. Time does somehow find a way to catch up and speed right past you, and in moments like those, I

tend to learn the lesson the hard way. From having to say no to family trips on the weekends to constantly wor rying about the next essay deadline, I found it better to confront my procrastination habit.

This past week, I be gan to start on my Discrete Structures and Statistics homework, but not to finish it all in one day. That would fatigue me in an instant, so I divided the work by the days of the week, and this left me with doing two questions a day for both homework assignments. When put into this perspective, I realize that this is far better than waiting for Friday evening to catch up on my assignments in Gateway South. As a result, I find myself with more time to work on my personal projects and enjoy my hobbies. This also means that the weekend does feel like a weekend for me because I would only have to worry about finishing one assignment by the end of Friday.

SENIORITIS What’s left of me beyond academics

social and political philosophy class, and my writing in The Stute: the person I’ve developed outside of my major because that is who you take to the world around you. I feel like four years of education has allowed me to develop my own idea of suc-

At the end of the day, the schedule you make for your academic and work life represents a sport. Take it from my personal experience where I have had plenty of “clutch” moments, but I have also had disappointing fallbacks from procrastinating too much. Just like a sport, it is crucial to score as many points within the first half, than to wait for the last minute and risk winning or losing the game.

I felt senioritis hit me hard these past two weeks. At the 100 Days til Graduation event, I heard professors speak about what Stevens will mean to me, and how we are an exceptional class as the COVID year. For President’s Day weekend, I took a trip to Boston and New Haven to visit family and friends that I haven’t caught up with in years. I came back from that weekend tired and off-schedule; I skipped some lower-priority commitments to devote my energy into the responsibilities that I wasn’t able to shirk off. Then it was Founders’ Day Ball, where I was able to socialize with most of the people I know throughout the university over cocktails and Taylor Swift songs. This past weekend, I tabled at Admitted Students’ Day and tried to help students picture their time here.

In visiting my family, I envisioned my retired life. I visited the Boston Public Library, ate homemade soup, talked about current events, practiced my golf swing, and saw my aunt’s art assignments from the classes she takes. I disconnected

I left Boston and my family members to visit a hometown friend at Yale University that I haven’t seen since our senior year of high school was cut off in March 2020. I took the train into New Haven and explored on my own for a few hours until meeting up with her. I enjoyed the independence and self-reliance on my own two legs to get around New Haven, in no particular rush. I saw the architecture of Yale for the first time, a sprawling campus intentional in its planning and unchanged in many aspects from its original construction. There is a definite presence of historical significance. Even as an outsider, it’s easy to feel the connection to the centuries of alumni. I relayed four years of higher education in four hours to someone with a similar degree and background, who went through the same struggles of the pandemic in a different location. It was fascinating and enlightening to see what came to mind, to tell someone what I’ve learned about myself since the last time I’ve seen them.

Both in talking to family and old friends, I felt like I got a chance to show off the person I’ve been working on these last four years. A

people choose Stevens is to make money; it is a financial investment into the future. By completing the degree, you will learn how to make money in many industries, but the point of higher education is to develop holistically as well. I can’t recommend enough taking or auditing courses from the humanities college. In technical courses, we don’t always get a chance to discuss the world around us, to consider social problems instead of engineering ones.

After returning from my weekend, I skipped a few classes but maintained the things that bring value into my day; my senior design project, research, The Stute, and seeing all my friends at Founders’ Day. These are the things that I will take with me from Stevens, what I feel proud of and what informs my idea of success. I’ll make an effort to be more on top of all of my commitments this week, but I feel satisfied in not just completing but enjoying the necessities. Then at Admitted Students’ Day I encouraged freshly minted adults to read the Stute, to envision their life here by looking at student culture and perspectives. When making my decision, I didn’t have as much of a chance to speak with upperclassmen in my major, and it was odd to feel like a spokesperson for the university like that. For some, I was just a college NPC, but I think for others I assuaged fears of academic struggles and social success. In my conversations and through my writing, I hope I can demonstrate how I have used my time at Stevens to shape the person I want to

BY JOSIE STRANO

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

The forgotten object: Recognizing the nostalgia of pop art

BY ITAI GELLER ‘26

In Washington D.C., the National Gallery of Art has an outdoor Sculpture Garden which I frequented with my family whenever we would visit. While looking for material for this week’s article, I saw an image of a sculpture that seemed very familiar. “Typewriter Eraser, Scale X” is a sculpture by Claes Oldenburg in collaboration with his wife, Coosje van Bruggen. The sculpture is located in the National Gallery of Art’s Sculpture Garden, depicting a scaledup rendition of a typewriter eraser, a forgotten object first manufactured in the 1920s for the purpose of

LIFESTYLE HACKS

erasing mistakes made on a typewriter. While the object lacks cultural distinction, its unique design is what inspired Oldenburg to create a dynamic rendition of the now obsolete invention. Pop artists have been exploring consumer objects for decades in an attempt to challenge traditional artistic values by depicting objects with modern cultural traction. However, Oldenburg’s choice of the typewriter eraser is unconventional; not only was the typewriter eraser already obsolete when Oldenburg fabricated the sculpture in 1999, but it holds little significance or recognition for the newest generation.

While it may be easy to overlook the substance of Oldenburg and van Bruggen’s sculpture, it is important to understand the attachment an artist has to their work. Oldenburg chose a typewriter eraser as a subject for his sculpture because it brought back childhood memories

of times he spent playing in his father’s office, as well as the times he utilized it for his prints and drawings. His emotional attachment to such a mundane object illustrates the importance of popular culture and industry to the children of the 20th century. Whenever I ask my parents about their childhoods growing up in Russia and Ukraine, they talk about how the lack of Western influence shaped the development of modern culture in Europe. They talk about their knockoff tennis shoes, listening to Italian rock music, and the Russian cartoons they loved to watch. These symbols and objects shaped some of their best childhood memories and what they remember most about their experiences prior to coming to the United States.

While I may not understand the importance of the typewriter eraser or my mom’s tennis shoes, Oldenburg and van Bruggen’s

How to deal with liars and weather conditions

BY ZOE HACK ‘24

So, if you haven’t already gathered from the title, I am mad at Punxsutawney Phil for being such a big liar this year. I was excited when he gave the announcement of an early spring, but little did I know there would be a lot of snow, ice, and wind instead. So what can we do to deal with these constantly changing weather conditions?

Something that I absolutely SWEAR by is the Weather Channel app. I find it to be relatively accurate (no weather app is going to be perfect), and I honestly rely on it a lot. Before I leave my apartment, I always have to check it first to decide what jacket I am going to wear, if I am going to bring any extra layers, or sometimes what shoes to wear. They also have pretty accurate wind reporting, which I find extremely helpful since it is always at least somewhat windy in Hoboken.

And speaking of wind… here comes my second tip! For the next few weeks, al-

ways carry (at least) a hat! I cannot tell you the amount of times in my life that I have gotten really bad ear infections from not having my ears covered in the cold wind—but not anymore! You cannot catch me on campus without a hat (maybe if it is above 45 degrees, you might) or at least a thermal headband to protect my ears from the campus wind. To prevent getting sick from walking in windy conditions and to preserve your voice, wearing a glove or high-necked jacket or shirt is also always a great idea.

Now, this one is difficult and by far the most annoying. I am talking about those days when Mother Earth was so crazily indecisive that we went through all four seasons in a 16-hour span. Especially if you are commuting or are just on campus all day with all of your stuff, these are the most frustrating days of the year. While, of course, layering sounds like the perfect solution here, it can also be a hassle to keep track of all of your belongings. Maybe it’s just me, but any time that I have both a sweatshirt and a jacket, one of them ends up being forgotten somewhere. My main suggestion here is to invest in a lighter-weight sweatshirt (I have a super cheap one from Old Navy) because it is so easy to just crumple up in my backpack after I have taken it off, mak-

DEAR CLAIRE AND ETHAN...

ing it easier to keep track of than traditional layers.

This one is more of a side note, but why is it always so sunny in winter? Every time I walk to campus, I can feel the creases in my forehead wrinkling from all of the squinting I have to do on my walk, not to mention that I probably look like an idiot and cannot see anything in front of me other than the sidewalk. Maybe I should start to wear my sunglass es? But it just feels wrong to be wearing sunglasses when there is snow on the ground.

sculpture still holds significance to me. It acts as a totem for my childhood memories; the trips I took to Washington, D.C., with my family and friends come rushing back whenever I lay eyes on it. To think I have probably walked past that sculpture upwards of twenty times and still had no idea it was meant to depict an actual object speaks to its uncanny recognizability. It certainly is overwhelming to remember what once was. Unfortunately, in more recent years, the Pop Art genre has been plagued by its use as a vessel for consumerism and materialistic gain. Regardless, I believe that “Typewriter Eraser, Scale X” effectively illustrates the unrecognized importance of Pop Art. Works such as that of Oldenburg and van Bruggen not only evoke emotion in those that connect with the cultural significance of the depicted object, but also symbolically represent

the progression of time and the development of society as we know it. While the typewriter erases may have been forgotten, Oldenburg and van Bruggen’s

THAT’S A RED FLAG! Hoboken red flags

While we don’t get snow all of the time, rain is something that, during your time in Hoboken, you will definitely not be a stranger to. I feel like I have definitely mentioned it before, but one of my biggest recommendations for all Stevens students is to buy a pair of rubber rain boots. There will be puddles, and there will be flooding. Wouldn’t you rather be able to walk right through it than try to dodge it and then still end up with soaking-wet sneakers? Rubber rain boots will be an absolute game changer, I promise.

Alas, while it can’t come any quicker, we will be getting some nicer weather soon. Make sure to take advantage of the beautiful town we live in as the weather starts to get warmer — have a picnic, go for a walk, and remember to touch some grass every once in a while.

BY ANNA DABROWSKI ‘26

oh so splendid Hoboken. The cost of living in Hoboken is 60% higher than the national average, and it is quickly becoming one of the most sought after areas to live in the United States. Its proximity to the city, combined with a small-ish town vibe, has created a bustling yet subtle atmosphere that everyone wants to be a part of. However, every rose has its thorn, so this week, we are discussing Hoboken’s red flags. Hoboken, more like home-broken; does anyone else remember the water main break of last Spring? This infrastructure nightmare resulted in the school deploying emergency porta potties across campus, as most of the upper campus lost all access to water. If you are feeling brave, ask a Spring 2023 resident of Davis Hall why the doors to the communal bathrooms had to be eventually locked. It took the city of Hoboken over a

Q: What should I do for Spring Break?

BY CLAIRE HANNAN ‘24

This is my last year at Stevens and I honestly can say that I’ve never had a memorable Spring Break. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the break. It’s awesome to have some time away from school to re-

lax and take care of any extra work you’ve been putting off, but by this point in the year, I’m either tied down with a job, or I’m just too worn out to create any plans. Sometimes, all you really want to do after months of constant social interaction and work is absolutely nothing, and I think that’s ok. Of course, if you want to do something fun and spontaneous with your time off, we’re in the best area for last-minute adventures. Look online for train or bus tickets, or consider going around NYC. We have access to some of the best public transit in the world, but I would bet that most people at Stevens have

only ever used the PATH to get to and from lower Man hattan. Maybe if you know someone who has a car, you can go hiking. I know that I get sick of being around so much concrete all the time. At the end of the day though, I don’t think it matters what you do during the break. We’re all exhausted, the weather is hor rible, and traveling costs a lot of money, so maybe we’ve just gotta make it through this one, guys. Don’t put pressure on yourself, and make sure to get some extra sleep. Personally, my plans for Spring Break are cleaning my apartment, hanging out with my mom, and going on as many hikes as I can.

week to completely resolve the problem, and students were sent on long and harrowing voyages back home. Even this year, multiple smaller main breaks have occurred on Frat row and throughout the city.

If there is one thing I am scared of in life, it is packs of middle schoolers roaming the streets unsupervised. Every time I step onto Washington Street after 3 p.m. I am on an alert lookout for these young community members. They crowd the coffee shops and do not think about what their order is before they approach the register, causing a pre-teen congestion clog at every door. Do NOT go to Francescas during this time frame — you will be overwhelmed by a pack of middle schoolers swarming the earrings display screaming, “this is cute,” repeatedly until your ear drums fall out, and spoiler alert, they don’t buy anything. Furthermore, they definitely think they are cooler than the college students (they are), and I feel in immediate danger of being bullied at all times.

Do you own a set of rainboots? If you want to live in Hoboken, it’s definitely something you should invest in. Floods are semi-common, and the water can come up to your knees depending on the part of town you are living in. Generally campus is safe because of the elevation, but the back of

BY ETHAN KLESCHINSKY ‘24

Spring break starts next weekend, and it is a fantastic time to escape from campus and do something fun for a week before having to come back to campus and immediately get -

ting swamped with work that will keep you occupied and overwhelmed until the end of the semester. You only get so many spring breaks in your life, so it is important to make the most of them. But if you still do not know what you’re doing at this point, you are either a chronic procrastinator, or there was no one who wanted to make plans with you. But since you don’t know what you’re doing for spring break, I would recommend trying to spend time with family or friends who also waited until the very last minute to make plans.

sculpture will stand on in all its grandeur, acting as a time capsule for those who seek to push back the veil of conventional ideology and modern culture.

the city definitely suffers from a wet commute every so often. Additionally, it just rains A LOT, to the point where I’m wondering where the rain is even coming from. Hoboken has also been blessed with a genetically modified strain of rain called “sideways rain.” This special subclass of rain actually makes umbrellas unusable because instead of falling from the sky, the rain seems to just fly horizontally from the Hudson!

Last but not least is the grocery situation. First of all, apparently, you need to be a billionaire to purchase anything from Acme. Second of all, walking back with your groceries is like training for a triathlon. As someone who is from a rural area with cars, this whole walk with four bags of groceries is not exactly my forte. This also means you need to go grocery shopping so much more frequently, which let’s be honest, no one has time for that. I’m convinced Stevens lobbied to prevent grocery stores from opening closer to campus to prevent us from dropping meal plans.

Anyway, all of these red flags are so minor in the scheme of things, and so many people would feel lucky to live in Hoboken. We really do have the best of both worlds, with the city at our fingertips and greenspaces in our home space.

When it comes to planning how to spend your breaks, it is always better to start sooner rather than later. This is because if you want to travel for the break, the prices of transportation and housing go up drastically the closer you get to the trip. I am gonna make the assumption that, like me, most people don’t have the kind of money to spend 2 times what they would be if they just planned their trip earlier. If you haven’t made plans yet, I hope you enjoy your week rotting in bed!

EXPLORING: A STUDENT’S GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY

The magnificent marvels of the Met

BY EVAN PAPAGEORGE ‘26

One of my favorite places to explore in New York City is the Metropolitan Museum of Art, also known simply as the Met. The Met is one of the world’s largest and most

prestigious art museums — on the level of the Louvre in France. However, unlike the Louvre, which is an ocean away, the Met is only a PATH ride and a walk away. Here are some of my favorite parts of the Met. As a history and civil engineering student, I find old buildings awe-inspiring. The Met is then my holy grail.

The main facade of the Met is in the Beaux-Arts style, with towering columns and ornate sculptures. Made of gorgeous limestone adorned with trees and dancing fountains, the outside of the Met itself could be likened to the

FOR MATH’S SAKE

work of art that it contains.

The first stop inside is the Great Hall. A towering room with majestic marble arches, huge vases for exotic flowers, and room for notable performers at special events, the Great Hall is a sight to behold. From the Great Hall, the Grand Staircase frames the edge of the Great Hall. Ascending to the great galleries within the museum, the Grand Staircase is one of my favorite spots to take a picture to show the wonder of itself and the Great Hall. Once inside the exhibits, there is a near-infinite

amount of works of art from across time and space. There are entire wings dedicated to the Dark Ages, with a 52-foot tall screen towering over a dark room with works of art from Medieval Europe. To the sides are ornate rooms from royal France, the Catholic Church, and even the transition from Ancient Rome into the Medieval period.

Even farther into the Met, there are sprawling exhibits from everything imaginable: a football field-sized room filled with American furniture, thousands of artifacts from Ancient Egyptian

tombs, art of Native Americans, some examples of the first written words from early civilizations, a towering temple (which the room was built around it), hundreds of ancient marble statues, and even the famous painting of George Washington crossing the Delaware River.

One of the most fascinating parts of the Met is the sheer size of the building. With their layout, there is just an endless amount of rooms that can make it seem like the museum is never-ending. Since most art must be climate-controlled, no windows make time pass

super quick. One time, I got there at 10 in the morning, expected to leave for lunch, and then realized it was 5 p.m.!

The Met is a jewel of New York City. Often one of the highlights of things-to-do lists in New York, America, and even worldwide bucket lists! With all of its wonders, it is near-perfect, but even more, it is very cheap for students! As a Stevens student counting as an NJ resident, Stevens students qualify for the pay-what-you-wish program. If you ever find yourself free, consider exploring the world at the Met!

A (hopefully) not convoluted introduction to convolutions

BY CHARLES BEALL B.S. ‘23 & PHD STUDENT

a profound impact on all of STEM, not just the last letter of the acronym. Fortunately, I’ve recently had a few conversations with some of my non-math-major colleagues in The Stute that generated some great ideas for which concepts to

cover. These ideas helped me write my last article on social connections (thank you, Ava!), and similarly, this article will introduce and share some ideas on convolutions (thank you, Kevin!).

Starting very generally, a convolution is a special combination of two functions, let’s say f and g, which produces a third function, usually labeled f * g. The process of convolving these functions together starts by specifying the domain on which f and g are defined. We’ll assume for now that the domain is the set of integers from -5 to 5. We take one of the functions g, and for any integer m in our domain, we consider the “reflected” version of g, that is, g(–m). Then, we modify g again, offsetting its argument by some fixed

BOOK OF THE WEEK

integer n, also in the domain, and multiply g(n–m) by f(m). Then, the convolution, written (f * g)(n), is the sum of the products f(m) g(n–m) over all values m (from -5 to 5).

Intuitively, this operation tells us how much f and g overlap when they are plotted on a graph — fittingly, the definition of “convolve” is “to roll together or entwine.” If there’s a high overlap at certain points n, then the convolution will have a large value, whereas if there’s no overlap, the convolution will equal zero. I used a finite domain of integers for this example since it is the simplest case — but we can expand the definition of a convolution to infinite domains (m could range from negative to positive infinity), or even continuous domains, in which

case we’d replace the sum of finite terms with an integral over the domain. The connection between convolutions and overlapping visuals suggests that this mathematical concept may be of use in certain imaging applications. And indeed, convolutions make up a huge part of image processing techniques. Matrices, which are usually called “kernels” but whose operation on pixels is a type of convolution, can be used to sharpen, blur, or detect ridges and edges in a digital picture. If you’re interested in some great visual explanations of this, I’d recommend watching these two videos. We can convolve lots of other things together, however. This happens more generally in optics when we notice pictures that have

a sharp focus but blurry background; here, a sharp image is convolved with a lens modification that does the blurring. Additionally, the phenomenon of reverb occurs when source sounds convolve with echoes. Electrical engineers use convolutions to analyze so-called linear time-invariant systems, where the output signal is found by convolving a given input signal with the system’s impulse response function. This stimulus-response connection also appears in convolutional neural networks for the computer science fans out there. I’ll end by going back to a fun mathematical application: random walks. A common analogy for the random walk involves a very intoxicated person who loses all sense of direction and takes

steps at random. Using convolutions of certain probability functions, one can show that a random walker in two dimensions is almost guaranteed to end up where they started, but in three dimensions, the probability of eventual return is about 34% (and worse in higher dimensions if the walker can transverse those).

So, I will end this article with a piece of advice that has been rigorously proven mathematically: if you find yourself very drunk and not exactly sure which direction is home, DO NOT by any means try to hitch a ride on a plane or helicopter. You’re probably thinking, “well, duh,” and I agree, but it’s amazing how a very abstract result can “convolve” (in the literal sense of the word) with practical, no-nonsense advice.

Evicted portrays the liminal space of homelessness

What does it mean to have a home, an address, or a hearth? While witnessing displacement and the desperate seek for refuge abroad, should we reflect on domestic insecurity? Matthew Desmond’s 2016 book

Evicted: Poverty and Profits in the American City, is an ethnography, or journalistic fieldwork, of the teetering edge of homelessness and the revolving door of

OFF THE PRESS

rentals that many low-income American families face. Set in the poorest areas of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Desmond follows eight families that struggled to make rent during The Great Recession, a financial crisis that occurred from 2007 to 2008. While Evicted is non-fiction, Desmond’s observational storytelling and interviewing process of temporary residents of trailer parks and rentals characterize the stats in that I was almost forced to witness rather than gaze at the epidemic of homelessness. Contextualizing the daily narrative of poor renters and just-surviving landlords, Desmond rips open the stereotypes of good vs. evil and victim vs. oppressor to reveal a cycle of poverty that condemns both sides.

Desmond, a sociologist

Why is winter so cold?

BY OFF CENTER

-Satire-

As the cold wind blows like the most recent test you took, goosebumps rise like the cost of the standard of living and teeth are chattering like monkeys. As people cover up and stack layer upon layer to avoid a serious chill, people are starting to wonder why winter is really cold? Some people use the story of Persephone in order to try to make sense of the change of seasons. Others use the surrounding temperatures and the positioning of the Earth in relation to the sun to provide a biological and sci-

entific explanation for the way the sun is the way it is. However, after millions of years, millions of months, millions of days, millions of hours, millions of minutes, millions of seconds, millions of milliseconds, and millions of nanoseconds, we finally have the answer to why winter is so cold. Long ago, Winter used to be very warm. In fact, it used to be the warmest of all the seasons, even warmer than Summer. It used to give out gifts to everyone around it to show how much it cared for everyone in the world, and it said the kindest things to make people feel good about them-

and professor at Princeton University, is the principal investigator of The Eviction Lab, which conducted the Milwaukee Area Renters Study (MARS) from 2009 to 2011. MARS was an original survey of over 1,000 renters collecting data on housing, residential mobility, and eviction to paint the statistical picture of American urban poverty and served as the factual skeleton to the gut-wrenching storytelling of Evicted. Based on eight separate experiences within the rental system, Desmond focuses on Milwaukee’s predominantly Black inner-city North Side and a predominantly white mobile home park on the South Side to demonstrate how eviction and housing instability are, in some ways, a great equalizer.

Desmond embeds him-

selves. In fact, people used to use Winter as a model for good behavior. Winter loved being very kind, and even more, it loved all the adoration that people gave for the very kind things it did every day. In fact, everyone loved Winter, all except Summer. Summer was very cold, as it was never polite, and always loved saying nasty things to other people. Summer was always jealous of Winter because Winter was always popular and never isolated. Whenever Winter was around, Summer would hide its face and throw a giant temper tantrum.

One day, Winter noticed

self in the communities he studies and, more importantly, witnesses by living at these locations for a total of six months, literally like a fly on the wall. He uses objective narration with intense descriptions of the renters’ daily routines and mannerisms to describe the cascade of evictions each family has faced and will face. Arleen Bell, one of the eight families, weighs the remnants of her welfare check in which 88% of the funds had gone to rent, not including utilities, as one of her three sons requires costly medication to treat his severe asthma, and her check gets cut the following month per policy for missing a welfare appointment. During the height of the winter months, with Christmas approaching, Arleen’s landlord feels pressure to follow up

on late dues to bring apartment lots up to code before her buildings get foreclosed — Arleen receives that cut in the form of another eviction notice that will blacken her housing score for the next ten years, reducing the likelihood of landing another rental unit.

Why would I recommend a book where you know the “main characters” face David and Goliath, and the worst part is that the situation is an urban reality?

Honestly, I can’t find anything more convincing than to simply witness and question conveniently numbing archetypes, although the root institutional cause of the vicious cycle of homelessness is looming. Before coming to Hoboken, the homeless population remained just a “population” as my very suburban cook-

ie-cutter hometown worked to remove homelessness from the public eye in the greater Hoboken scene has transformed my understanding of the homeless as a community that often relies on social relationships. Evicted ’s narrativization of homeless

that Summer was sulking in the corner, away from everyone else. Now, normally whenever a person saw someone cold like Summer, people would often ignore them. But Winter thought to itself, “Maybe if I am kind to Summer and teach Summer how to be kind, maybe I could become more popular and people would love me even more!” So Winter went over to Summer and taught it all about kindness, love, empathy, and warmth. With that, Summer started to become warm and people loved Summer for being so kind. But Winter was angry, thinking, “Summer shouldn’t be popular! I de -

serve to be popular for being so nice! In fact, Summer wouldn’t even be nice if it wasn’t for me! They should all be paying attention to me!”

With that, Winter decided in order to get everyone to stop paying attention to Summer, they had to do something so nice that even Summer wouldn’t be able to pull it off. Winter decided that it would cook a giant feast. It cooked all kinds of wonderful delicious things - hamburgers with big juicy patties, baked potatoes topped with chives and sour cream, bread bowl pasta with luscious alfredo and savory vegetables, nacho

covered with gooey cheese, pico de gallo, and refried beans, and a giant cake that was so big that it reached the moon. Everyone rushed over to the feast and started stuffing their faces. However, they got extremely sick afterwards, because Winter put in a lot of unhealthy stuff to make the food taste good. Winter was very angry that people didn’t like the food it cooked, and with that, it decided to be nasty and start isolating itself from others. That is why Winter is very cold, and why it is important to do good things for the sake of it rather than doing good things to please others.

PHOTO COURTESY OF AMAZON

By Rafael Lee Li and Mia Petrolino

What’s your biggest ick?

Crossword by Jack Scherban

at McDonald’s

Hidden Links Only Connect

“nouns”. “places”, etc. What do the following have in common?

Bolt-tightening tool

What alien abductees might be subject to It might have a popcorn button

Easily deceived Snoopy's breed

Place where you might score a turkey (2 wds.)

NYC neighborhood: Hell's ___

Chi Phi, for one

Hairstyle associated with punk culture

Animals led by King Julian in "Madagascar“

Anatomical idiom describing someone madly in love (3 wds.)

Family that includes meerkats and other furry predators

Abby Jacobs ‘27 “Frisbee guys.”

Michael Konopka ‘27 “Bad breath.”

Aaron Wong ‘26 “People who just say sorry a lot.”

Will Bany ‘27 “Eating sandwiches”

Marisa Wettig ‘26 “Bowling.”

Jack Morrison ‘26 “As a CS major, probably CS majors.”

Jules Rojkov ‘27 “IPad kids.”

Kristen Auriemma ‘25 “When you hold the door open for someone and they just walk past without saying thank you.”

Michael Konopka ‘27 “Bad breath.”

Bird Spotting