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VOLUME CXIX No. 21
We write Stevens history HOBOKEN, NJ | APRIL 8, 2022
www.thestute.com Instagram @thestute facebook.com/stevensthestute NEW STUTE EVERY FRIDAY • EST. 1904
Stevens updates mask policy
Pride Week at Stevens BY TASHA KHOSLA, FEATURE EDITOR
MASKING INDOORS BECOMES OPTIONAL BY SANJANA MADHU, EDITOR-IN-CHEIF On April 1, Stevens announced that “effective Monday, April 4, 2022, masking indoors will be optional in campus facilities at times when physical distance can be maintained.” According to the announcement, the update to the mask policy was based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a lower reported rate of infection regarding COVID-19, and input from the Stevens community through a survey sent on March 15. As of Monday, April 4, masks are optional in indoor spaces where physical distancing is possible. Some places in which masking will be optional include residence hall rooms, communal spaces, office spaces, meetings and events with small groups, and the Schaefer Athletic Center. In indoor facilities where physical distanc-
ing is not possible, masking will remain mandatory. For example, masks continue to be mandatory in classrooms, the Stevens Shuttle, Student Health Services, and crowded indoor events such as Admitted Student Weekend, Innovation Expo, and Commencement. While masks are optional, “any individual who would like to continue wearing a mask in any setting is welcome to do so at any time.” Furthermore, the announcement stresses that individuals should not be pressured to remove masks and that no assumptions about an individual’s health status should be made if they choose to wear a mask. While the mask policy has been updated, Stevens will continue to monitor COVID-19 conditions in Hoboken, adhere to CDC guidelines, and communicate with health officials. The mask policy is subject to change at any point in time if circumstances change.
BY KEENAN YATES, MANAGING EDITOR On March 17, President Nariman Favardin released an email to Stevens faculty, staff, and students detailing the reorganization of the Division of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs into two separate divisions. This restructuring is the result of, as Favardin explained, “considerable deliberation, benchmarking of organizational structures of best-in-class institutions and input from colleagues and others.” The reorganization will bring a new Division of Enrollment Management, which will be in charge of following through with plans to “shape undergraduate enrollment consistent with the university’s next strategic plan.” There will also be a new Division of Student Affairs, which will be responsible for “enhancing the experience of undergraduate and graduate students.” Ultimately, this
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SCIENCE (8-9)
More on She Loves Me, presented by SDS Read more about the process of working on the show and photos from the dress rehersal!
Learn more about vertical farming, nanorobots in medicine, and microplastics found in blood Opinion (10-12)
FEATURES (6-7)
Are you anadmitted student? Find out more about life at Stevens and learn more about Stevens dorms!
Editorial Senioritis Lifestyle HACKs Not Financial Times (NFT) Off The Press
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Stevens Dramatic Society’s - SHE LOVES ME BY NICOLE GIARDINO, CONTRIBUTOR Last week, Stevens Dramatic Society (SDS) came back with their second production this school year, She Loves Me. This was SDS’s first in-person musical since the pandemic and took place from March 31 to April 2 in the DeBaun Auditorium. Tickets were free for students with Stevens IDs, $7 for General Admission, and $3 for Students and Seniors.
Student Health Services Reorganization of the Division Introduces On-Campus Testing of Enrollment global diagnostics service. BY ARIANNA While students should check GEHAN, Management with their insurance provider STAFF WRITER to confirm they are in-netand Student On March 21, Stevens an- work with Labcorp prior to nounced that they will now be taking a test, there are no upAffairs providing on-campus testing front charges for the services for students at the Student Wellness Center, located next to North Building. The available tests include: • Blood Draw (routine labs or diagnostic labs) • Pregnancy Testing • Q-Gold TB Testing, a blood test that detects tuberculosis-causing bacteria • Antibody Titers, a blood test that identifies the presence of antibodies in the blood, such as for measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) • Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) Testing • Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) Testing • Viral and Bacterial Cultures, which can detect strep throat or influenza • Urine Screens and Cultures Additionally, students are still able to schedule PCR Tests for covid here. Stevens Student Health Services are providing the testing through Labcorp, a
an ‘older’ group of people who were involved in the fall and previous semesters, but I think everyone did an amazing job rising to the occasion and taking on the challenges presented to us which was wonderful to see and be a part of.” With the book by Joe Masteroff, music by Jerry Bock, and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, this musical tells the story of Georg Nowack, played by Sofia Lopez, and
Pride Week is a Stevens tradition, stretching from Saturday, April 2 to Friday, April 8. Liliana Delman, Director of Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion explained, “Pride Week is an annual campus tradition celebrating the LGBTQ+ community [... ] A collaboration between Torch Alliance, oSTEM, the Diversity & Inclusion Committee, the Athletics Department and the Office of DEI, Pride Week is an opportunity to celebrate Pride during the school year when everyone is on campus, since the official Pride Month is in June.” A major event of Pride Week is Pride After Dark. In an email to The Stute, Connor Mills and Madison McIntosh, students who organized Pride After Dark, offered some insight into the event. Mills summarized, “Pride After Dark is an event that celebrates queer culture and one that offers a space for queer students to enjoy that culture, have fun, and feel safe in their queerness as they see it celebrated. It also offers nonqueer students an opportunity to experience some of the facets of queer culture.” McIntosh described, “Pride After Dark (PAD) is meant to align with National Pride Day, a day in which
at Student Health Services. Students’ individual insurance will be billed by Lapcorp, and they will be required to show an insurance card prior to the performance of a test. There will be no fees charged from Student Health Services. Along with performing tests that were ordered from Stevens Health Services providers, Stevens Health services will accept prescriptions from outside providers. If a student has to receive an available type of routine lab testing, they will now be able to complete the test without leaving campus. Earlier this year, the new director of student health services, Dr. Kyle Weisholtz, spoke about how implementing this on-campus testing was one of her top initiatives. She noted that this is something the Student Government Association has been advocating for because it eliminates the need for students to leave campus for routine medical tests. To utilize these services, students should make an appointment by calling Student Health Services at 201-2165678.
When asked about what the production and overall experience of this show were like, She Loves Me’s Producer, Charles Beall noted that “This show felt like a whirlwind in a lot of ways - we had a more condensed timeline after the first two weeks of the semester shifted online, and it was our first in-person musical since pre-Covid, so there were a lot of relatively new and challenging aspects of putting on a show like this. We had lots of new people involved along with
Active Minds Recognizes Stevens with 2022 Healthy Campus Award BY KATIE BLOOMER, OUTREACH CHAIR Stevens Institute of Technology, along with five other colleges, received the 2022 Healthy Campus Award from Active Minds, a nonprofit organization that encourages mental health awareness for young adults. According to the Active Minds website, “This prestigious award, now in its sixth year, recognizes schools that provide access to quality healthcare and champions institutions that not only serve students’ physical health but give equal priority and investment to mental health.” Active Minds’ recommendations for campus included system changes with longterm solutions, availability of resources, strong student voices, a healthy campus approach, and tracking progress. These criteria, as well as a few others, help determine the winners of the awards while also providing clear ideas to how other colleges can improve. Winners of the Healthy Campus Award are chosen by a panel of researchers and experts in health and higher education. Recipients of the award demonstrated innovative
solutions that addressed student needs, especially surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. Stevens accomplished this through the establishment of a Mental Health Task Force which provided care for students as well as an expanded referral network. Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), Wellness Educations, Health, and Disability Services worked together to meet the needs involved with student care. Specifically, Stevens was stated to practice “Prioritization of a Collective Strategic Approach,” “Commitment to Sustainable Systems Changes and Policy-Oriented Long-Term Solutions,” and “Addressing Emerging Issues,” according to the Stevens website. Stevens efforts were a year-round task that began during Orientation and Family Weekend. These events included educational information about resources available to students so they would be better able to utilize them throughout the remainder of the year. Wellness resources are involved in a variety of organizations from Residential Education and Student Life to Greek Life and Diversity Education.
Still alive: the elusive Khoda lives on BY THE STUTE The Stute released an article providing updates on Khoda, Stevens’ secret society, on February 18. While it was initially speculated that Khoda was no longer running as the website had not been updated since 2019, it has now come to light that the secret society is still very much alive, with a typical number of members as compared to historical data. In order to gain a better understanding of where the organization stands currently, The Stute was able to perform an exclusive interview with an active member of Khoda through an unaffiliated third party, and was also contacted by anonymous alumni of the organization with more context as to Khoda’s history and purpose. Founded in 1909 as a senior leadership honor society at Stevens, Khoda is touted as existing for the betterment of the Stevens community, even within its secrecy. As the aforementioned alumni explained, “Khoda exists to connect leaders of varied backgrounds and experiences, promote group problem solving, and stimulate individual and group initiatives. Khoda is an integral part of Stevens history and culture; its members even
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