[The Stute] April 21, 2023 (Issue 23, Volume CXX)

Recent changes to library operations and amenities

BY EMMA SPOONAUER, STAFF WRITER

Founded in May of 1969, Samuel C. Williams Library has been providing Stevens students with an environment that encourages learning for over half a century. The library supplies resources that promote information in a variety of subjects, while also aiding the Stevens community in developing their critical and creative thinking skills. In an interview with the director of Samuel C. Williams Library, Dr. Linda Beninghove, The Stute was provided with some insight into the newest updates regarding the library’s hours, as well as the installation of a new women’s restroom.

As library director, Beninghove aims to make sure that students have ample access to information, research, and study spaces. Thus, whenever the library receives feedback that access to one or more of these aspects of the library

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We write Stevens history

CAL to become HASS

BY EVAN PAPAGEORGE, OPINION EDITOR

The College of Arts and Letters, abbreviated as CAL, is receiving a brand-new name as part of Stevens’s recent rebranding efforts. As detailed in an announcement from President Farvardin, the name CAL is representative of an older era. To better represent Stevens’ new initiative, Inspired by Humanity, Powered by Technology™, the College of Arts and Letters will be officially renamed on July 1, 2023, as the Stevens School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (HASS).

OLOF PERSSON FOR THE STUTE

The battle for on-campus housing at Stevens

Living-learning communities and upperclassman housing

BENJAMIN ULLRICH, CONTRIBUTOR

With the official opening of the University Center Complex (UCC) and residential towers in the Fall 2022 semester, Stevens made a statement about its future as an institution.

Perhaps the biggest single change to the campus in its history, the towers especially were a crucial im-

provement to the student experience at Stevens. Prior to the 2022-2023 academic year, on-campus housing was limited to only firstyear students, with the vast majority of Stevens students given no choice but to search for housing off-campus. The UCC complex and towers signal a change in attitude towards student life at Stevens, giving upperclassmen not only the op-

portunity to live on campus, but also pushing the school closer to providing a more “traditional” four-year college experience. These developments are very popular among upperclassmen, as shown by the incredibly high demand for housing within the new towers. Upperclassmen scheduled to choose their rooms on the final day of room selection received an email stating

U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL DEVELOPMENTS

Alaskan drilling project approved despite push for renewable energy

BY KAYDEN CANNILLA, OUTREACH CHAIR

Last month, the Biden administration released a decision on a major drilling project in the National Petroleum Reserve of Alaska (NPR-A), approving three of the five drill sites in the Willow Project. This comes as a disappointment to environmentalists and people expecting the president to follow through on his campaign promises, since “as a candidate, President Biden pledged to end new federal oil and gas leasing.” Most Alaskan lawmakers approve of the project, arguing that it will create local jobs, with support also coming from Alaskan labor unions and Indigenous groups.

The administration touts the compromise as a win, as ConocoPhillips, the company in charge of the Willow Project, has a lease on the NPR-A that gives them “the right to develop, and strong legal standing to fight the government if it tries to block that work. If rejected, ConocoPhillips could have sued, potentially won

US Environmental Protection Agency to propose new tailpipe limits

billions of dollars at taxpayer expense, and still been able to develop the project anyway, legal experts have said.” The reduced approval also requires that ConocoPhillips “relinquish rights to approximately 68,000 acres of its existing leases in the NPR-A” and proposed limits to future development of the area, seeking maximum protection for 15.8 million acres of the total 23 million. However, as these are just proposed rules, these protections could easily be overturned by future administrations.

In February, Alaskan House Representatives and Senators showed unanimous support for the project, with Republican senator Lisa Murkowski commenting “This is the latest and most visible demonstration of Alaskans’ strong, united, bipartisan support for this important project, building on support from Alaska Natives, union laborers, and countless others.”

The fossil fuel industry has rebounded from the pandemic, and its growth is

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BY ADVAIT DANTULURI, STAFF WRITER

Earth Day is coming very soon on April 22. So how does the United States’ Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) choose to celebrate it and give back to Mother Earth? According to Fisker, an American electric vehicle car maker based in Manhattan Beach, CA, the EPA is planning to propose new limits on tailpipe emissions, which would require up to 67% of new vehicles sold in the U.S. to be all electric vehicles by 2032, aiming to seriously reduce tailpipe emissions and adopt a cleaner, alternative electric vehicle option. (For context, New Jersey is planning on stopping all sales on gasoline cars by 2025 in order to better adapt to a cleaner and more sustainable future.)

In addition, some of the proposed limits are projecting that electric vehicles, such as the all-electric Fisker Ocean, will account for 54-60% of all the new vehicles sold in the United States by the year of 2030,

and will also represent between 64-67% of all new vehicles by the year of 2032.

To help with the goal, Fisker said in an interview that the annual goal of 2027 is to sell one million vehicles worldwide. An article by Reuters said that the proposal might result in 50% of all vehicles sold in the United States being completely electric or hybrid, which is in line with a goal outlined by President Joe Biden in 2021. Of course, automakers have raised concerns that the administration would require them to spend huge amounts of money to improve the efficiency of internal combustion vehicles that will be phased out in the next decade.

The proposed limits by the EPA are considered the most aggressive climate regulation to date in the United States. It comes with unfortunate consequences for traditional automakers, who heavily rely on selling vehicles with internal combustion engines, as they might have to find a new way to adapt to the ever-changing

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that the majority of them would not have the opportunity to select a room, and would be placed on a waiting list instead.

Students at many other institutions in and around New York City wouldn’t encounter such an issue, as other private universities in the area at comparable overall cost, like NYU,

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When Stevens was founded in 1870, Martha Bayard Stevens deemed the arts and humanities equally as crucial as the mechanical engineering curriculum. Studying science and engineering right alongside literature, art, and music made for balanced and successful alumni, who in turn led Stevens to grow into the prestigious institution that it is today. The culmination of this legacy of the humanities here on Castle Point was in 2007 with the creation of the College of Arts and Letters. Although a small portion of the university at the

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Scheduling

BY TASHA KHOSLA, FEATURES EDITOR

In an email from the Office of the Registrar, Stevens has announced that for the first time, incoming freshman students will create their fall semester schedules. In the past, schedules were created by academic advisors and released to students over the summer at a set date and time.

When creating your schedule, there are a lot of things to take into consideration. For instance, if you’re a commuter you would want to plan your schedule based on public transportation timings or traffic. You also want to account for how early or late you want to get up, when you want your classes to end, and when you want to eat breakfast or lunch.

While class time offerings may not always align with what you want, creating your own schedule still gives you the opportunity to be in charge of your day and your time. So, here’s a guide on how to make sure your course registration experience goes smoothly.

The very first thing you want to do is check out the academic catalog for your major by choosing the corresponding entry year of your education and then choose which school or department

101:

a guide to course registration

corresponds with your major. The academic catalog outlines how many credits you will take each term and lists which classes you are required to take. If you have AP, IB, or transfer credit, be sure to check which courses those credits correspond with. You can skip those courses and instead take a course from the following semester early. If at any point you have questions about your schedule, contact your academic advisor, which can be found based on your school and major.

Next, go to Workday from your myStevens portal, go to the Academics tab, click on “find course sections,” and from there select courses one by one to add to a saved schedule. You can create multiple saved schedules to view different options for scheduling. When choosing course sections, select a time that works for you based on the given offerings and be mindful of the capacity of the class. Some classes do have waitlists and others do not. If the course section you want only has a few seats left, it may be wise to choose a different section for the same course that has more seats available.

One very important thing to keep in mind is that you do not want to have any holds or to-do actions on your Work-

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Masthead Volume CXX No. 23

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 ‘24

SECRETARY CLAIRE HANNAN ‘24

HEAD COPY EDITOR KEENAN YATES ‘24

Editorial Board

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

NEWS EDITOR.....................................ASWIN AGUINAGA ‘23

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

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

SPORTS EDITOR........................................CHRISTA RUIZ ‘25

FEATURE EDITOR..................................TASHA KHOSLA ‘25

ASSIS. COPY EDITOR ISABELLA HAMM ‘25

Operations Board

HEAD PHOTOGRAPHER......................OLOF PERSSON ‘25

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER............VANESSA HUERTA ‘23

Staff & Contributors

Advait Dantluri

Ava Smithing

Benjamin Ullrich

Charles Beall

Cole Gardella

Emma Spoonauer

Ethan Kleschinsky

Hima Thummala

Itai Geller

Joey Ames

John Horgan

Matthew Brantl

Mia Petrolino

Kai Wong

Ruthie Mullisky

Stephen Pachucki

Tanishka Kapoor

Quentin Jimenez

Vitek Sabath

Zoe Hack

All instances of “StevensConnect” should be “StevensConnects” in the article What’s StevensConnect? published on April 14

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

All members of the Stevens community are able to submit a Letter to the Editor to be published in The Stute. Letters must refer either to a piece published in The Stute or to The Stute in general and must be between 400 – 800 words in length. Submit letters to editor@thestute.com with your name and title (when applicable) or using our Google form. For writers who wish to write a Letter to the Editor anonymously, please see our policy on anonymity.

The Editorial Board reserves the right to choose whether or not to publish a submitted Letter to the Editor based on a majority rule vote, and additionally reserves the right to edit letters for clarity or request authors to revise. Provided that the author approves the final version, The Stute reserves the right to edit letters according to our copy editing procedures, defined in our policies.

All members of the Stevens community are able to submit a standalone opinion piece (otherwise known as an Op-Ed) to be published in The Stute. Op-Eds must be between 400 – 800 words, but longer submissions will be considered on a case-by-case basis. To submit an OpEd please email eboard@thestute.com with your name and title (when applicable) or using our Google form (tinyurl.com/submit-t0-stute). For writers who wish to write an Op-Ed anonymously, please see our policy on anonymity.

The Editorial Board reserves the right to choose whether or not to publish a submitted Op-Ed based on a majority rule vote, and additionally reserves the right to edit Op-Eds for clarity or request authors to revise.

Provided that the author approves the final version, The Stute reserves the right to edit Op-Eds according to our copy editing procedures, defined in our policies.

LIB CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

has become limited, library staff works with the necessary Stevens departments to create the best changes. This was certainly the case when it was brought to the library staff’s attention that students wished that the library’s hours were longer and that there was more of a balance of women’s and men’s restrooms.

In regard to the issue of the library’s hours, Beninghove spoke to both the Vice Provost for Academic Innovation and Faculty Affairs, David Zeng, and to her colleagues that work at the library about if lengthening the library’s hours was possible. Beninghove explains, “My colleagues and I evaluated potential options and we determined that we could proceed with expanding the Library hours from closing at midnight to closing at 2 a.m. on Sunday through Thursday evenings, and closing at 10 p.m. instead of 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday evenings.” She also comments that these hours “[represent] a return to our pre-pandemic library hours

LLC

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Fordham University, Manhattan College, The New School, and others, are all able to guarantee housing for all four years of a student’s undergraduate studies. This is done through a variety of strategies, many of which do not involve on-campus housing, such as purchasing or leasing apartments to house undergraduate students. Stevens used to have its own leased housing program, which was phased out with the opening of the new residential towers. According to the Office of Residential and Dining Services, the towers serve as a direct replacement for Stevens Leased Housing, with the sole remaining off-campus housing provided by Stevens being 1036 Park Avenue, which houses only 19 undergraduate students.

Despite the lack of availability of on-campus housing, a large number of Stevens upperclassmen still prefer a more structured, dorm-like living experience. This was the driving force behind the creation of Stevens unaffiliated housing programs such as Hudson Dorms, an independent company whose sole purpose is to provide housing to students living in Hoboken. While Hudson Dorms is not officially affiliated with Stevens, it serves the same purpose as the off-campus offer-

HASS

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time, it has grown exponentially in the years since. Under the leadership of Dean Kelland Thomas, the attendance of CAL has grown more than 120% over the past years into a hub of culture while producing successful graduates who go on to lead in industries like music, cinema, law, government, and academia.

The new name, which will go into effect over the summer on July 1, was voted on by the Stevens Board of Trustees on March 23 following nearly a year of research and intake from the Stevens population following its initiation with the school-wide rebranding at the end of the 2021-2022 academ-

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expected to continue without policy limits. Mechanical Engineering student Bren DeLeon, who is researching the environmental effects of the oil industry as part of their senior design project commented, “It is just frustrating to see policies that encourage the continued use of oil when it is

schedule.”

As for the restroom update, Beninghove recounts that prior to the addition of a new women’s bathroom, staff heard of concerns from students about the balance of bathrooms for each gender and they had “observed that during the Library’s peak use times, queues would form at the women’s restrooms but not at the men’s restrooms.” Beninghove also shares that staff have been waiting on an update for a while now, so they were very “excited” and “grateful” to have the opportunity to collaborate with Facilities and Campus operations to make it happen. When weighing their options, Stevens decided that it would be best to turn the second floor men’s restroom into a women’s restroom. Before the project there were two all-gender/single-user restrooms, three men’s restrooms, and one women’s restroom, but now there are two of each, making for more of a balance throughout the library. The Stute interviewed some students about how they felt regarding the new changes to the library and, for the most part, received positive feedback. One student, Marcelo Cuya, remarked

ings at other universities. Housing options as a whole are limited and expensive in Hoboken. Some upperclassmen, who don’t have the option to live on-campus, find having the security of a furnished living space reserved months in advance appealing. “I had no other option,” said Nick Sakarellos, a second-year undergraduate who did not secure a spot in the towers for next year. “Hudson Dorms allows me to live in an environment with friends and fellow students,”

Nick explained, citing proximity to campus and additional accommodations as the reasons he isn’t seeking out a traditional rental apartment. Students tend to crave the structure of dorm living, but with limited on-campus options they are increasingly left to resort to unaffiliated off-campus options.

Stevens’ recent expansion of living-learning communities brings students with similar interests and backgrounds together, but also greatly impacts which upperclassmen will be afforded the opportunity to live on campus. While many students are familiar with the Lore-El Center for Women’s Leadership, fewer may be aware of the five new living-learning communities offered to firstyear students within its residence halls. These range from the Scholars House, a section of Jonas Hall reserved for Pinnacle scholars, to 1GS, a community in Humphreys Hall for first generation college students. What’s especially new

ic year. The new name, Stevens School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (HASS) will help the humanities continue to grow here at Stevens as one of the four facets of the university (the other three being the School of Engineering and Sciences, the School of Business, and the School of Systems and Enterprises).

President Farvardin and Provost Qu announced the renaming of the school via a mass email to the entire Stevens community in early April. The renaming was completed this year through a thorough process of examining the school’s identity, future goals, and the needs and desires of the name. A wide selection of faculty members, staff, students, alumni, and administrative leaders was involved in the process to allow for an inclusive and representative

clear that its negative effects on the environments compound and get worse and worse over time, especially when there are other options.” One new development that may discourage the use of oil is the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) regulations for the auto industry to reduce the demand for fossil fuels. The EPA is expected to propose new rules that would require auto manufacturers to significantly increase their electric vehicle (EV) line-

that because of the library’s extended hours, he “didn’t feel like [he] needed to rush to finish before the library closed” and he was “able to do a thorough job on [his] work rather than just riding through it.”

On the other hand, female students are happy with the improved access to a restroom, but multiple of them have noticed that in the new women’s bathroom there are no trash bins to dispose of menstrual products inside the stalls. This issue was brought up to Beninghove, who stated that she would immediately request the installation of these trash bins. They managed to install them the same day.

Beninghove lists multiple ways to provide feedback to the library, including completing the surveys sent out via email, emailing library@stevens.edu, and making an appointment with Beninghove herself to discuss any concerns, ideas, or questions. Overall, Beninghove stresses that she and the rest of the library staff “[care] a lot about continuously working to improve the student experience at Stevens,” so it is greatly appreciated when students provide them feedback to achieve this goal.

is the introduction of the Ducks by Design program, which allows students to form their own living-learning communities within Stevens housing. It remains unclear what criteria must be met to justify the creation and support of a living-learning community, as prior to the program’s introduction, these communities were previously reserved for traditionally marginalized groups.

Some students are uneasy about the Ducks by Design program because students in living-learning communities are essentially allowed to reserve spaces in Stevens housing with their early-access pass to room selection. Since only freshmen are guaranteed housing on-campus, the only way for any resident to guarantee a spot in the residential towers is to join a living-learning community. As Ducks by Design is open to all Stevens residents, many underclassmen fear that they will lose spots in housing to upperclassmen who take advantage of the program to get in ahead of the students who are supposed to have priority. Currently only 7% of the students entering living-learning communities in the Fall are upperclassmen, with most likely in the two student-created living-learning communities that will be located in the towers. While current students worry that the program may be abused in the future, for now, all current freshmen who applied for housing were able to select a spot in the residential towers.

name to be selected.

The Stute reached out to some current CAL students who will become HASS students by the start of the fall semester. One Music and Technology student said the renaming seems to indicate “a more welcoming environment for music [and other humanities] at the school.” Furthermore, a history student minoring in pre-law said, “the university has a deep history of the humanities, so it feels good to finally have a school with a name more representative of the department.” President Farvardin explains that “the contributions of this school [CAL/HASS] significantly enhance the university and the world” and encourages Stevens to “embrace this new name and begin an exciting chapter for the humanities, arts, and social sciences at Stevens.”

up, with the goal of two-thirds of all new cars sold being electric by 2032. The rules do not mandate a certain number of EVs, though the emissions standards are set so low as to require that the majority of new cars sold would be electric. While these may appease those frustrated with the Willow Project approval, it remains to be seen whether the auto industry can meet these aggressive demands, if they aren’t revised by a future administration first.

EPA

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environment. However, existing electric vehicle makers like Fiskers will benefit from the new law as the laws will allow the demand for electric vehicles to skyrocket. Data from the Kelley Blue Book, a vehicle valuation and automatic re-

News

search company, shows that 5.8% of cars sold in 2022 were electric, a rise from 3.2% of cars in 2021. Of course, the manufacturing and sale of electric cars is important as it is the responsibility of our current generation to provide a safe and clean environment for future generations, by thinking up and putting into action innovative new ways to save our planet and make it more eco-friendly.

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day account. Prior to registration day, check Workday and make sure that there is nothing left to be paid and no forms left to be filled out as those can create holds on your account. When registration day arrives,

students will go to their saved schedule and click the “begin registration” button. Students will be assigned a specific time to do this so make sure that you begin registration at your assigned time. The register button will appear once registration has begun and Workday will attempt to register as many classes as possible. If you are unable to register for a course due to lack of availability, simply change the sec-

tions you chose and try again. You can always ask your academic advisor for assistance if you need anything, so do not stress too much if things go wrong. Creating your own schedule is a big responsibility, but there are plenty of resources available to make the process easier. Be sure to consistently check your email for updates and instructions from the Office of the Registrar and never hesitate to reach out for help.

“My mom said that the government made up climate change for money,” my first-grade best friend Molly remarked to me, standing in front of her living room TV, staring unknowingly at Fox News. “God would never really let something like that happen.” She was confident in her words. I, however, was not. While lucky enough that my parents relied on news outlets other than Fox, I didn’t have the luxury of a religious upbringing, so I was unable to wield conservative media’s blind faith shield against anxieties of the world ending in a big ball of fire — that’s what I thought global warming was as a child, that one day everything would get too hot and simply combust, flames engulfing me and everything I loved.

Once I was dead, I would spend an eternity surrounded by even more fire. Molly also taught me that. She recommended I start sleeping over every Saturday so I could easily accompany her to church every Sunday… ‘or else.’ She was a really kind friend to be so worried about my damnation.

Once I knew I was going to hell, or actually, honestly stopped believing in it altogether, I wasn’t too concerned about avoiding other sins that would punch my ticket down. My parents tried their best, but without religion as a fear factor, there was no way I wasn’t going to hit a box-mod vape the first time someone offered it to my angsty 14-year-old self (getting grounded didn’t seem as threatening as a lifetime underground.) My mom had made me promise never to smoke a cigarette, citing her own horror story that one hit made her throw up on the spot. While her story was convincing enough, a vape was not a cigarette. It was a much healthier alternative! So, I figured, why not?

This was only the start of five long years of nicotine addiction, countless money spent fueling it, and my estimate of at least a body’s weight equivalent of toxic waste dumped into me and the environment.

In the beginning, it wasn’t even the nicotine I was after, as much as the social currency attached to knowing and sharing the information of which ‘shady Shell’ station wouldn’t ID you. Throughout my time in high school, I kept up as box-mod vapes fell out of popularity, buying a JUUL from my boyfriend’s older brother as soon as I got addicted to his. JUULs were much easier to sneak into the school bathroom, and there was no need to refill them with juice. You could just buy more tiny plastic pods! I probably bought and threw away at least 15 JUULs in my time. Each one went with the intention of quitting, which lasted only a few days before I went and bought a new one.

This cycle spun until disposable vapes gained popularity in my junior year. They were even more effortless. You didn’t have to worry about buying more pods; just buy a whole new vape! They were (are) so popular that I never even had to have my own. I would just chief off any given one of my peers in literally any given social situation to get my nic fix. The term coined for this behavior was ‘fiending’ off friends, the root word fiend’s archaic definition literally meaning ‘the devil.’ Sorry, Molly.

Vaping among teenagers is an epidemic. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, vape use among kids in the United States increased by 1.5 million between 2017 and 2018

(my junior year of high school). The popularity among my contemporaries can be commonly chalked up to vape companies’ claims that they are not as bad for you as cigarettes are (despite delivering the same addictive substance). This non-threatening reputation, accompanied by the GenZ-friendly bright-colored packaging and flavors such as ‘banana split’ and ‘Kool-Aid,’ fueled the disease to spread like wildfire. Despite this friendly marketing, the proof of vaping’s goodness is not in the pudding (another vape flavor); studies have recently found vaping is just as bad, if not worse for you than cigarettes. For example, BMJ’s “Tobacco Control,” a peer-reviewed journal, revealed that e-cigarettes produce high levels of formaldehyde, the cancer-causing chemical also found in traditional cigarettes.

Studies showing the uptick in youth nicotine addiction prompted government action. In 2018, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned fruit and mint-flavored vape flavors, leaving us to gag on Virginia Tobacco and menthol. Then in 2019, the FDA also raised the legal age to buy tobacco products from 18 to 21. I had just turned 18 when my newfound freedom to be addicted to nicotine was revoked. Regardless of these efforts, it was far too late to stop us fiending teens — we were already addicted. Plus, flavored disposable vapes existed as yummy substitutes for the banned JUUL pod flavors. These vapes contained synthetic nicotine, which is different from nicotine extracted from tobacco because it’s made in a lab (Washington Post). The FDA ban only regulated nicotine: regular old natural nicotine, so all vape companies had to do was switch the type of nicotine they used to continue to sell it—air quotes—only to people over 21.

In my senior year, I was driving home from a friend’s house, so unfortunately hungover that one rip of my Tobacco flavored JUUL (yes, I still used a JUUL. It is a timeless device and the flavors never mattered to me much anyway, just the nicotine buzz) caused me to yak a little in my mouth (my mom did warm me, after all). I immediately chucked the small device out the window of my car, cursing the entire state of Virginia and swearing this was the last time I would ever hit a vape. Then, the vaping hit me. That was a BATTERY I just threw out my window. I whipped a U-turn, pulled over, and hopped out of my car to frantically search for the silver nic stick. When I found it, I, of course, hit it again while I started to cry. Thinking about how many of these I alone had gone through in my life, sinking deeper into my despair, imagining every kid I knew at a party with disposable vapes in their hands. I had spent my teenage years in existential dread about climate change, simultaneously addicted to little litter sticks full of poison liquid. The same rebellious act I picked up to cope with God heating up our earth at an exponential pace happened to contribute to the heating. The Bureau of Investigative Journalism suggests that 168 million disposable vapes are sold annually in the United Kingdom (UK) alone. Disposable vapes are exactly what they sound like, vapes that are meant to be thrown away as soon as the battery runs out despite their rechargeable nature. One of the leading issues with this mass production of waste, aside from the mass production of waste itself, is that in each of those vapes there is about

0.15g of lithium — a metal known in our energy crisis as white gold. Less than a quarter of a gram is a seemingly small amount, but on the scale that they are thrown away at, 10 tons of lithium end up in landfills annually (TBIJ). In the UK alone. Remember here, the American population is nearly five times that of the UK (World Data).

Lithium is a metal in high demand due to its use in electric car batteries, and as Mark Miodownik, a professor of Materials and Society at University College London, emphasizes, it is a crucial material in the transition away from fossil fuels. So… vaping is bad for kids, and wastes a valuable metal that should be reserved for catalyzing green energy. This waste of lithium makes even less sense when you mount it on top of the fact that the United States is currently fiending for lithium. Despite the US having large lithium reserves, there is only one active lithium mine in the country (I’ve been there! Not a fun place). The Biden administration is acting to change that with the American Battery Materials Initiative, which moves to domesticate the battery supply chain. Despite outright saying it, this initiative means mining more lithium in America and bringing the process of turning the metal into battery cells home from China in hopes of gaining more control over the increased demand for electric vehicles and not relying so heavily on other countries’ lithium production (The White House).

The issues with this are that lithium production, despite the metal’s green uses, is detrimental to the environment, people, and animal life surrounding the mines. Luckily for the government, these externalities are commonly overlooked, given the underdeveloped nature of the communities that call these rural areas home. An article by The New York Times covering Native American protests of one of the new mines in Nevada tells us that the process of mining lithium requires billions of gallons of water usage in water-scarce areas, wipes out biodiversity, and contaminates the water and air resources for surrounding communities.

Despite this, the mines are currently framed as a positive for the impacted communities—which are a majority indigenous—suggesting they will create jobs, but what is conveniently ignored is that lithium mines are not at all labor intensive and require minimum staff to maintain. This is because the procurement process, which involves using giant pools of viable drinking water to separate lithium from other materials it is mined with, is essentially a waiting game.

When standing on top of a mountain this summer in the Nevada desert, overlooking our one lithium mine, I had never been more glad to no longer be addicted to nicotine. For two reasons: 1, it was a hell of a hike, and my

vape lungs would not have supported it, and 2, cozied up next to a poverty-stricken community, left to rot after the job rush of the initial mine creation, and completely lifeless, my heart ached at the thought that more of the desert could be turned into this. Especially while 16-year-olds shortened their lifespans, wasting the material it was looking to collect. We may not be on the verge of spontaneous combustion, but we are fighting a real climate crisis, regardless of what Molly’s parents once said. While we push to hoard more lithium, we overlook an issue that both wastes it and kills kids.

Instead of pushing back on the tens of tons of wasted material annually, our government is scrambling to degrade the environment further and displace indigenous communities to produce more of it. Aside from the abundant and apparent waste of lithium, A study published in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Science & Technology found that the aerosols produced by e-cigarettes can contain toxic metals such as lead, chromium, and nickel, which can contaminate our air, water supply, and lungs. So why are these legal? The answer is simple, and it’s the same answer for why the top companies in the country can still pollute the earth as much as they want—and it certainly isn’t God’s fault—the blame falls onto leaders who are allowed to take money from the private sector.

In a deregulated market with unlimited growth potential, where everything is about maximizing profit and increasing shareholder value — do we really think the invisible hand is just going to just grab an extinguisher and put out this dumpster fire we euphemistically call ‘political gridlock?’ No. The hand fans the flame with its free market best friend, campaign financing, while the gridlock prevents Congress from passing legislation to save children from drug addiction. Ignoring legislation proposed to protect kids boosts shareholder gains. This doesn’t happen accidentally. Statista tells us that the US disposable vape market was worth $7.64 BILLION in 2022.

As congress looks to help the FDA regulate synthetic nicotine, vape advocates like the president of the American Vaping Association, Gregory Conely, claim that regulating the drug would only hurt small vape shop owners and lead people back to smoking. These small vape shop owners, in my experience, are the same people who ‘forget’ to ID kids when they go in to buy vapes. They don’t care about the kids or the law, they care about their revenue. Also, I have never met a single person who uses vaping as a solution to quit cigarettes, but I do, however, have quite a few young friends whose newfound cigarette addiction is a direct result of their previous vape addiction, stating

bullshit like ‘Cigs are classier’ and ‘Vapes just don’t hit the same… you wanna try one?’

Conely is looking out for the economy when he should be looking out for the kids’ futures — and he isn’t alone. The oil industry, AKA the top contributor to climate change (United Nations), donated over $129 million dollars to congressional campaigns last election cycle (Open Secrets). It makes me wonder why we haven’t been able to sign any practical anti-fossil fuel efforts into legislation… especially considering the vast majority of the campaign contributions were to republicans, notorious for striking down climate-friendly bills. These contributions almost doubled in size from 1990 to 2008 and practically doubled again before 2012.

It was 2008 when I was in first grade, standing at Molly’s house watching Fox News. I factchecked this memory just to make sure I hadn’t made it up, and the first thing that popped up when I looked into climate change denial was a headline by The Guardian, “Fox News Found to be a Major Driving Force Behind Climate Change Denial” specifically citing studies conducted between 20082011 (remember what I said about money from the oil industry doubling in this time period?). The article talks about five tactics used by the conservative media outlet to dissuade viewers from believing in climate change, number four was ‘accusing climate scientists of manipulating data to fund research projects’, and number five was ‘characterizing climate science as a religion,’ which would threaten other already established religions (The Guardian).

The federal government can’t even regulate the mass production of single-use plastic cancer sticks marketed toward CHILDREN because, according to articles by Politico and The Union of Concerned Scientists, there is an excess of lobbying from the ‘smoking cessation’ industry. So, why do we expect them to effectively regulate billion-dollar bureaucratic oil corporations, given that those corporations, too, are paying them off?

The lithium mine is the fail-safe — it’s the cover for years of poor government planning and ignoring clear signs of climate change in return for campaign donations.

It’s the accumulation of Fox News keeping people believing shit that simply isn’t true — so they can go and elect officials who will continue to block regulation as a move in their game of economic gain.

Isn’t greed one of the deadly sins? In this situation, I’m pretty sure it’s not me who is going to hell.

Ava Smithing is a student in the writing seminar led by John Horgan, the Director of the Stevens Center for Science Writings

This article was adapted from a paper originally published on horganseminar.blogspot.com.

OP-ED: If you vape you are going to hell AVA SMITHING, CONTRIBUTOR

HAPPY EARTH DAY!

A guide to composting: what it is, how to do it, and why it matters

ISABELLA ZIV, EDITOR IN CHIEF

Composting is the process of breaking down organic materials, such as food scraps and yard waste, into nutrient-rich soil that can be used to grow plants. This process is typically done by creating a pile of organic materials and allowing them to decompose over time, which can eventually be used to improve soil quality and support plant growth. In 2021, The City of Hoboken expanded its residential compost drop off program to include 12 sites across the city, as part of its partnership with Community Compost Company. This women-owned business, based in the Hudson Valley of NY and Northern New Jersey, aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, save money, and repurpose food by encouraging people to separate out organic materials and compost them. This partnership is making it easier for Hoboken residents to start composting at home. If you’re interested in composting, here are the steps you can take to get started for free:

1. Take the quick quiz on hobokennj.gov/compost to confirm your composting knowledge. At the end of the quiz you will receive the lock combination for the compost sheds.

2. Collect food scraps and other organic materials (tea bags, paper towels, and other paper products). Use online resources to determine what you can and can’t compost. I recommend storing the scraps in an airtight bag or container

in the freezer to reduce odors.

3. When your at-home compost is full, empty it at one of the dropoff sites throughout Hoboken. Be sure not to put any plastic bags into the compost bin.

The free dropoff sites are located at City Hall, Church Square Park, Columbus Park, Elysian Park, Harborside Park, Jackson St Community Garden, Maxwell Park, Multi-Service Center, 7th & Jackson Plaza, Southwest Park, Stevens Park, and the 14th Street Viaduct. Community Compost Company provides additional services, such as residential pickup starting at $30/month, for those who want more options to compost their organic waste.

The SGA is also hoping to launch their Sustainability Committee initiative to bring full scale composting to campus next semester. The plan is to start a pilot program with a small group of students that would test the logistics of composting on campus. This would include personal compost bins and a designated on-campus dropoff location. Steps to kickoff this program have already been taken by working with Stevens Facilities to identify potential dropoff locations and contacting local composting organizations to discuss transport logistics. If you are interested in being a part of this program, reach out to sga@ stevens.edu.

Whether it is through the City of Hoboken or the SGA, I would encourage anyone who is interested to try partaking in either of these programs and incorporate composting into your life.

Sustainability by the Numbers

According to https://www.stevens.edu/discover-stevens/sustainability:

Stevens shows off sustainability initiatives

CLAIRE HANNAN, SECRETARY

One of Stevens’ points of pride is its efforts to make campus more sustainable. The Princeton Review ranked Stevens on their list of “Green Colleges” and the school received a gold rating from the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, & Rating System. To continue improving sustainability, Stevens is constantly working on new initiatives.

Cogeneration

Wondering what to do on EARTH DAY?

Head to your local park to clean up some trash :)

Parks in Hoboken:

Church Square Park, Hudson Street, Elysian Park, Harborside Park, Maxwell Park, 1600 Park, Southwest Park, Stevens Park

Happy cleaning!

A number of Stevens buildings use cogeneration units which utilize natural gas to make both electricity and hot water. The process uses less fuel for greater output.

On-site renewable generation Stevens has rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) arrays installed on Schaefer Athletic Center, Samuel C. Williams library, and Jonas Hall, as well as ground-mounted panels in the 8th Street parking lot and behind Davidson Lab.

Reducing single use plastics

Stevens has installed 23 water bottle refill stations around campus to allow students to use refillable bottles and reduce single use plastic bottles. The school also complies with the New Jersey state-wide ban on single use plastic bags.

Water conservation Stevens employs various water saving tactics, including a new recirculating chiller in Burchard which has the potential to save 1.3 million gallons of water a year when compared with the previous system in the building. Additionally, all new toilets and sinks installed meet EPA Waterwise standards.

Food

Stevens Dining makes efforts to feed students more sustainably by

purchasing locally grown products (reducing emissions used to transport ingredients), repurposing food scraps to reduce food waste, and providing vegan and vegetarian options. Vegetarian and vegan options are both good for students with dietary restrictions and better for the environment since plant products use less land and water than animal products. The school also sends over 5,294 pounds of used cooking oil a year to a facility to be processed into biodiesel.

Purchasing standards

The Division of Campus Facilities & Operations oversees purchasing of furniture and finishes for all of campus. To support sustainability goals, the division of Campus Facilities & Operations has established purchasing standards that include electronics that are EPEAT (Electronic Product Environmental Tool) certified, buying products from companies located within 250 miles of campus, purchasing office paper that is Forest Stewardship Council certified, buying Green Seal certified cleaning products, and switching to tree-free bathroom paper products. Green bond Green bonds are a way to raise money for climate and environmental projects. In the spring of 2020, Stevens issued the New Jersey Education Facilities Authority’s first ever green bond to fund the construction of the UCC which is LEED Silver certified.

Transportation

The school has a Citibike port installed on campus in front of the River Terrace Suites, allowing students the option to ride bikes to school without needing to purchase a bike. Additionally, Stevens has a number of charging ports for electric vehicles.

Earth Day Vocabulary

NEW BIKE LOCKS Stevens gave away 60 bike locks this year Students can now safely leave their bikes and scooters on campus with less concern of theft Even

Celebrating Earth Day is important, but understanding some of the technical vocabulary can be overwhelming for some people, leading to confusion and a lack of engagement. Expanding your Earth Day vocabulary can help you better understand the issues at hand, communicate effectively with others, and take action towards a healthier planet. Here are some key words and phrases to add to your sustainability lexicon:

Greenwashing Decarbonization Biodegradable

“the act or practice of making a product, policy, activity, etc. appear to be more environmentally friendly or less environmentally damaging than it really is”

“the process of reducing the levels of carbon emissions (such as carbon dioxide) caused by or involved in (something, such as a facility, process, or organization)”

“capable of being broken down especially into innocuous (harmless) products by the action of living things (such as microorganisms)”

Fast Fashion Upcycling

“an approach to the design, creation, and marketing of clothing fashions that emphasizes making fashion trends quickly and cheaply available to consumers”

“to recycle (something) in such a way that the resulting product is of a higher value than the original item”

MIT STUDY EXAMINES THE IMPACT OF CLOSING NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS

BY EVAN PAPAGEORGE, OPINION EDITOR

Amongst the world of science and the energy industry, nuclear fission is often amiss with controversy, plagued by a history of meltdowns, yet boasted as the key to ultimate green energy (especially with the advent of nuclear fission). However, a recent publication from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) details a study conducted by MIT’s Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences that was released in the journal Nature Energy

The study examines the impacts of shutting down nuclear power plants, and how that leads to significantly higher releases of greenhouse gasses and other negative environmental issues.

As of April 2023, almost 20% of America’s energy comes from nuclear power plants, of which there are only 92 scattered around the nation, the largest number per country in the world. However, most of the plants were built during the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) creation era, around the 1970s, and are approaching the end of the safe-use lifetime. With this dilemma, lawmakers and politicians from different states and federal agencies are grappling with the question of whether to renovate these plants to extend their lifespan, replace them completely, or simply shut

them down.

With the need for decisions to solve this problem growing increasingly near, Ph.D. student Lyssa Freese at MIT investigated the impacts of air pollution following different possible lifeends of nuclear power plants. One scenario they simulate is “removing nuclear power results in compensation by coal, gas and oil” and the other is “increased penetration of renewables [energy sources].”

The study consisted of collecting emissions data from locations across the country. The team observed and analyzed the levels of carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur dioxide — all greenhouse gasses that, when released into the atmosphere, increase the negative effects of global warming and climate change. The study then analyzed the data to determine the effects on fine particle release and destruction of ozone. Additionally, the study examines the mortality rates due to the release of air pollution due to the two scenarios and the costs of these emissions.

Their study found that the rate of air pollution increases when nuclear power plants are replaced with coal, gas, and oil sources. While this is not overly surprising, as these sources (known as dirty energy) have a history of having negative impacts on the world when released, the study uncovered a more disturbing fact: this tran -

The scientific benefits of houseplants

BY TANYA AVADIA, BUSINESS MANAGER

sition from nuclear to dirty energy instead of renewable ones can lead to up to “an additional 5,200 pollution-related deaths over a single year.”

The study then compared this data to that of the scenario when nuclear power plants are replaced by renewable energy sources. Freese’s team did find that there are still some pollution-related deaths, but it is drastically reduced compared to the dirty energy replacements: 20 times less.

One interesting aspect of the study was the analysis of the effects of the two scenarios on communities of different cultural backgrounds and compositions. The MIT team found that Black and African-American communities experience a greater proportion of air pollution and related deaths than others. Freese says “This adds one more layer to the environmental health and social impacts equation when you’re thinking about nuclear shutdowns, where the conversation often focuses on local risks due to accidents and mining or long-term climate impacts.” While the outcome of the nuclear energy industry is still unclear, it is important to keep an open mind about the impacts, both positive and negative, that replacing old plants can cause. As technology grows, it can only be hoped the energy industry of the future will be greener for a better world.

NASA names astronauts for 2025 lunar mission

BY QUENTIN JIMENEZ, STAFF WRITER

After more than a 50 year hiatus, NASA is finally making strides towards once again sending astronauts to the moon. A few weeks ago the space agency announced the names of the 4 astronauts who will be on the first return mission to the moon. Keeping their promise of increasing the diversity of those sent on missions, the team consists of:

Christina Koch, an electrical engineer with over a year spent in space who holds the record for longest continuous time in space by a woman, as well as being the first woman ever assigned to a lunar mission.

Victor Glover, a Navy pilot who made his first spaceflight in 2020 and spent more than 6 months aboard the ISS, and also the first African American on a lunar mission.

Reid Wiseman, another Navy pilot who served as the head of NASA’s astronaut office as well as making a spaceflight to the ISS in 2015.

Jeremy Hansen, a former Canadian Air Force pilot who is now a member of the Canadian Space Agency. This will be his first space mission and space flight. The mission will be NASA’s first back to the moon since Apollo 17 in 1972. Although the astronauts will not be landing on the moon, they will remain caught within its orbit for some time, allowing the team to col -

lect data, run experiments, and prepare for a return mission that will place boots on the ground of the moon once more.

NASA plans for this Artemis-2 mission to take place late 2024 to early 2025 This follows the Artemis-1 mission from late last year where NASA sent an unmanned spacecraft around the moon to test the safety and dependability of the new hardware. These are both preparatory stages for the Artemis-3 mission, which NASA expects to occur around 12 months after the completion of Artemis-2. With Artemis-3, NASA plans to send a two-person lander to the south pole of the moon for a multi-day expedition where the team will collect data about the most mysterious region of the moon and use 21st century technology to take photographs and videos of the surface like never before.

All of these missions combined are helping NASA’s ultimate goal of landing a human on the surface of Mars. Beyond Artemis-3, the agency plans to build a permanent base camp on the surface of the moon, allowing crews to remain on the lunar surface for up to 2 months at a time. This will help facilitate their goal of expanding lunar research, but also their ambition of annual lunar missions following Artemis-3.

In order to facilitate the goals of the Artemis-3 mission and beyond, NASA is developing what they call the “Gateway,” a lunar space station designed to make the transfer of astronauts

to and from the earth much easier. Not only will Gateway allow for permanent residents to conduct experiments within a lunar orbit, but the station will also allow for a human landing system, making transport between the lunar surface much easier. This project is expected to be completed around the same time as Artemis-2.

While the current purpose of the gateway project is to expedite lunar spaceflights, it is also the groundwork for deep-space exploration and is fundamental to any future manned martian mission. Because of the unique orbit the station will be in, as well as the storage and command capacity of the craft, it will serve as the perfect staging point for missions beyond the earth system. Since the launch will begin at a weak point in the lunar orbit, the total fuel usage of the mission will be greatly diminished. The station would also allow for refueling of rockets, greatly increasing the range of humanity and creating opportunities for exploration beyond anything currently achievable.

Although NASA has incredibly ambitious goals and a roadmap well into the future, their efforts remain focused on the success of the Artemis-2 mission. While almost an exact replica of a mission done 50 years ago, Artemis-2 will serve as the foundation for 21st century human space exploration and one of the many stepping stones on humanity’s path to explore the final frontier.

Living in a tiny college dorm with other students might make it difficult to adapt to the space. Students likely use posters, tapestries, and pictures to make this place truly their new home. Other students might even have little companions such as houseplants to make the place more lively. While houseplants are great for the aesthetic, they also have numerous benefits which can really help brighten your living space along with your mood.

Firstly, plants tend to reduce our stress and anxiety levels because they have a soothing effect. A study compared the effect of working with a houseplant versus performing a quick computer-related task and found people felt more calmer and had lower blood pressure while working with the houseplant. Melinda Knuth, an assistant professor at North Carolina State University, explains how indoor plants tend to reduce our cortisol levels. “We hold our stress hormone, cortisol, in our saliva, and we know this is decreased when we’re around plants,” states Knuth. Additional studies performed also showed that just viewing pictures of plants also has a positive effect on stress levels.

Secondly, plants or greenery have been proven to increase the ability to concentrate, especially in kids. A study involving elementary school children where students were randomly assigned a fake plant, a real plant, a photo of a plant, or no plant, displayed that those students with a real plant had higher levels of concentration and attention.

In addition to increases in the ability to concentrate and pay attention, plants can also boost productivity overall.

A common theme within the plant-loving community is how plants make people feel happy and there is scientific evidence behind this. Science has found that plants that are green and

purple in color tend to have the greatest capability of reducing negative feelings. Gary L. Altman, the associate director of the horticultural therapy program at Rutgers University states, “There’s an evolutionary response when you see green— it’s almost like you created yourself a sanctuary. It reduces feelings of fear and anxiety, and even if you’re angry, it’ll calm you down.” Levels of comfort and positive emotions have been shown to increase for humans while in the presence of plants. In fact, there are studies that go as far as explaining the correlation between the amount of time spent with plants and increased self esteem and life satisfaction.

Lastly, plants may play a key role in speeding up recovery. Hospital patients who had a view of plants appeared more calm and had better recoveries compared to their counterparts who didn’t have a view of plants. In fact, a whole field of science, horticultural therapy, is utilized to support recovery via plants. Horticultural therapy can be used to diffuse a lot of mental conditions and aftermaths of certain medical conditions, such as having a stroke. For example, someone who might be dealing with impulsivity due to a brain injury can use horticultural practices such as making decisions about what to plant as a way to recover. Alternatively, a person struggling with substance abuse can benefit my growing microgreens. Horticultural therapy usually starts out in a public setting like a public garden and works its way to each individual person growing plants at home.

As the benefits to growing plants indoor are clear, here are some plants you can raise in your dorms:

Snake plants

Microgreens

Orchids

Spider plants

Peperomia plants

Jade plants

WOMEN’S

Men’s Lacrosse remains undefeated in conference play

BY KAI WONG, SPORTS WRITER

In their victory against Arcadia University on April 12, No. 20 Stevens men’s lacrosse set a record for goals in a game and claimed a 29-9 victory.

The team’s performance was highlighted by first-year Matthew Pergola who matched a program record with nine goals and 13 points. Junior Jack Savarese also had a career-high eight points, and senior Jake Wright finished with two goals and five assists for the Ducks. Both players combined for the Ducks’ first 10 goals of the game.

Stevens was off to a hot start, scoring three goals in a 40-second span to take an early 3-0 lead. The Ducks did not take their feet off the gas, scoring five times in a 4:30 stretch and extending their lead to 10.

Arcadia’s Billy Burton had three goals and an assist to lead the Knights, but that was not enough to outshine the Ducks. Arcadia dropped to 4-7 on the year and 3-1 in the MAC Freedom.

Stevens Men’s Lacrosse continued to dominate in league play. The Ducks carried their momentum into Saturday in their game against King’s College (PA). Scoring exactly 25 goals for the third straight meeting, Stevens took

their fifth straight victory over Kings College to remain undefeated in the MAC Freedom Conference. Junior Joseph Grippo had a season-high eight points, and graduate student Kevin Crowley posted his ninth hat trick of the season. Savarese and sophomore Blake Creamer each added three points for the Ducks as well. All five goalies played time for the Ducks, with graduate student Ryan Leahy starting and making a pair of saves to earn the victory. Sophomore Cooper Foote and junior Jake Zeyher combined for three saves, as did the sophomore duo of Justin Gold and Quinton Smith.

King’s College’s Ryan Barnes scored twice, but his efforts were not enough, as Stevens forced King’s into 26 turnovers and held the Monarchs’ clears to 12 of 26. The Ducks remain among the nation’s leaders in clearing percentage. As for the Monarchs, they fell to 0-11 on the year and 0-4 in conference play.

The Ducks won their fifth straight, improving to 12-2 on the year and 5-0 in the MAC Freedom. Up next for the Ducks, they travel to Williamsport, PA, to take on Lycoming College on Saturday, April 22. Stevens looks to remain undefeated in conference play as the Ducks have won all four meetings between the programs.

Men’s tennis continues to eight-match winning streak

BY RUTHIE MULLISKY, SPORTS WRITER

The Stevens men’s tennis team has been reaching new heights with their eight-game winning streak, including an impressive six 9-0 sweeps. This past weekend, the Ducks added the two most recent wins to their streak from a 6-3 win against New York University (NYU) and a 9-0 sweep against Lycoming College.

On Friday April 14, the Ducks hosted NYU at the Stevens Tennis Courts for a Mental Health Awareness Match. This non-conference win increased their winning streak to seven games as well as 10-6 overall record.

At first doubles, junior Aashi Kulakarni and sophomore Olof

Persson started off the Ducks with an 8-2 win against NYU’s Alex Yang and Zachary Freier. Following suit at second doubles, sophomore Vivek Harinarayan, who was also named the MAC Player of the Week, along with Max-William Kanz had a strong-fought

8-7 (7-4) win against NYU’s Alexander Lee and Boren Zheng. The Ducks finished out the doubles matches with a 2-1 lead to start them off in the singles matches. Of the singles matches, the Ducks won four of six. At first singles, Kulakarni defeated NYU’s Yang, a player who is ranked 13th in the region, with set scores of 1-6, 6-4, and 6-1. First-year Timothy Lau played fifth singles and won the Duck’s sixth and winning point from winning both sets 6-3.

Sophomore Sebastian Wroe added another win against NYU’s Shrey Arora with set scores 6-3 and 6-2.

At the following match on Sunday April 16, the Ducks traveled to Lycoming College and finished the day with a 9-0 sweep. This improved their overall record to 11-6, their conference record to 6-0, and their winning streak to eight matches.

Each of the three doubles flights resulted in 8-0 shutouts. In first doubles was Kulakarni and Persson who won against Lycoming’s Nathan Redell and Luke Leach. At second doubles, Harinarayan and Kanz defeated Lycoming’s Jason Anderson and Connor Albaugh. At third doubles, Lau and sophomore Matt

SAT, APR 22

WOMEN’S

Luzzi defeated Lycoming’s Matthew Baldridge and Mohamed Ebeid.

In addition to this straight sweep in regard to the doubles matches, the Ducks won all six singles matches, including five shutouts. At first singles, Harinarayan defeated Lycoming’s Nathan Redell with set scores 6-0 and 6-1. The remaining five singles matches were 6-0 shoutouts in both sets. Kanz won at second singles, Lau won at third, sophomore Sebastian Wroe won at fourth singles, Luzzi at fifth, and Persson at sixth.

The Ducks finished out the regular season with a conference match at home against DeSales University on April 19.

STEVENS SCOREBOARD

WOMEN’S

WOMEN’S

SUN, APR 23

MEN’S GOLF MAC Freedom Championship–Round 2 Dallas, PA Time TBA

TUE, APR 25

THE STUTE EDITORIAL

From “Never make me write anything ever” to Editor in Chief

When I first joined The Stute, I had no intention of ever writing. In fact, I distinctly remember saying, “I’m happy to be here, but please never make me write anything ever.” I joined with the intention of strictly doing layout, however, things don’t always go as planned. Since then, I found myself becoming more involved in the publication, even willingly writing a few articles on topics I’m passionate about, like Groundhog Day and arts and crafts. Eventually, I became Layout Editor, a position that allowed me to work on my design skills without having to write too much.

The Editor-in-Chief traditionally writes an editorial piece every week. When transitioning into this position, one of my biggest fears was these weekly 650 words. It may seem ironic for someone who doesn’t enjoy writing to be in a top position in a publication, but that’s just how it goes sometimes. As an engineering school, we may not have many expectations for elegant writing. However, I’m looking for-

MIND

ward to challenging myself not only as a leader, but also as a writer. Past Editors-in-Chief have always written very eloquent, reflective pieces so maybe don’t expect exactly that, but I will do my best.

I never expected to be in a position where I would have to write every week, let alone be Edi-

OF A FRESHMAN

tor-in-Chief. I may not be the most eloquent writer, but I believe that every piece I write is a chance to improve my skills and to connect with our readers. As the Editor-in-Chief, I’m excited for the opportunity to continue growing as a writer and lead an amazing team of talented and dedicated individuals.

In honor of Earth Day, I will be doing my part to help the environment by saving ink and cutting down the word count of this editorial to 328. It’s definitely not because I can’t fill 650 words — I certainly could. I just want to do my part in conserving our resources. Happy Earth Day!

SENIORITIS

Throwback to when I was a senior

BY TANISHKA KAPOOR ‘26

I would like to start this article with a special thank you and shout out to mother nature and climate change for the warmth of the sun rays, the soft pink petals of the trees, and the removal of the seasonal depression. Spring has never felt so great, and I was reminded of this when our campus suddenly turned even more vibrant for the Admitted Students Weekend. We saw men that were never seen before playing volleyball, students smiling broadly, and a whole lot of hopeful high school seniors cheerily walking around. While I stared at these prospective students in awe (or maybe rather creepily), I found myself reminiscing my first steps at Stevens. It is crazy to think that it has already been a year since I was so mesmerized by the city skyline and gravitated towards the idea of independence.

Watching the liveliness

The Pit

BY OFF CENTER

Student Orgs, for the last two semesters, have been dealing with the small lockers in the UCC to keep items to run their club. A few lucky clubs have been able to procure closets over the years, but for many, the half-shelf space is all they have. This has led to a series of complaints, especially from clubs who need to keep lots of props and costumes for future shows. To remedy this, Student Life announced they would unveil “The Pit,” a giant hole in the ground where all orgs can throw everything they want to keep. It will then be buried to protect it from the rain, and orgs can go in with shovels to dig up whatever they need.

of campus, talking to newly admitted students, and just enjoying the vibes of Stevens created this surge of gratitude in my chest. Maybe it was the caffeine from the Milky Way Latte I tried from Pierce Cafe, or maybe it was the mere presence of so many people on campus, but seeing these high school seniors almost brought this weird amount of joy and jitteriness. They reflected the hope and independence that I yearned for during senior year. The initial excitement for college, the beauty of the school, and the countless opportunities that lay ahead of me (I promise I don’t get paid to say this). I think oftentimes as we get so caught up in our lives and struggles, we forget how far we have come and where we are now. It takes moments like these to really clear that haze and make us realize the true fortune of being able to go to a school like Stevens (please hire me). While sometimes it feels like my first steps were just taken yesterday, this past weekend reminded me of the countless memories and people I have met over this year. There are so many ambitious people that I feel grateful to be surrounded by. So many surreal conversations that have left contemplating the meaning of

life and made me rethink my approach to future career. Of course there have been moments that weren’t so great, but without them I wouldn’t realize the true value of the moments that have meant so much to me. I always like to say, “You never know who you could meet,” and college has exemplified that idea by exposing me to so many unique people through various organizations and situations.

I know life isn’t all rainbows and sunshine, but today, while writing this article, I am rejuvenated with hope and brightness. Maybe it’s the pure bliss of the spring weather or what some may call naivety of my still young freshman mind. Seeing the admitted students today gave me the strength to cross the near finish line of this first and one of the most memorable school years of my life. So, if today you are struggling or are feeling low, think about your first steps at Stevens. Specifically the excitement, hopes, and dreams. It’s all still in you, but it might just be a little fuzzy from the haze of stress or workload. Find that and use that as a fuel for motivation. The year has to come to an end anyways, so might as well end it strong.

Isabella Ziv ‘24 Editor-in-Chief

The app sampler, pt. III: Now onto the main course!

BY CHARLES BEALL ‘22

This past Saturday marked the deadline to accept and decline offers from Ph.D. programs, which made for a very exciting and stressful day for myself, as well as several others in my shoes. We’d all ordered the app sampler, and now it was time to pick the main course.

The somewhat deceiving thing about the application process is that it doesn’t give the applicants much sense of what the program they’re applying for is actually like. By the end of February, I had the immense luck (or agony) of choosing between four Ph.D. programs. One of them was Stevens, but even that would present different opportunities compared to my undergrad, and the other three required loads of research to learn more about what I’d be getting into.

So, March and the first half of April were spent reach-

ing out to faculty and students at these institutions, scheduling many a Zoom meeting, and in one case making a twohour trek to visit their campus — all while I was preparing for the Stevens Dramatic Society’s musical, and working on my senior research project. I would recount the main points from these encounters in a spreadsheet that also included a pros and cons list and rankings that changed almost every week.

By the week of the 15th, I was starting to get overwhelmed. The common advice I got was: “It’s a big decision, but whatever you decide will be right.” This put that big decision in my hands, which was a struggle at times: how do I choose the right main course when all I have is the menu, and other peoples’ recommendations, which are helpful, but ultimately based on their own tastes and not my own?

Last Friday and Saturday, I thought I had everything figured out. I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and accept an offer at a school a little ways away, with an applied math program that had exciting opportunities in computational biology, neuroscience, and scientific computing. I told close friends and family that I was planning to accept this offer, but there was still a feeling of

nervousness through it all.

Finally, on the afternoon of the 15th, I opened my application to Stevens, and saw that, a few days prior, I had been offered an additional fellowship on top of one I had already received, which would provide a significant amount of financial support for the next four years.

Then I thought about all the opportunities I could have here in these coming years — exciting applied math research, which has a math rather than applied focus, with an excellent advisor; living in the same city as my girlfriend and friends who are also staying at Stevens or in the area; and closer proximity to my family in a wonderful location. All this, with the added financial security, sealed the deal for me.

So despite telling lots of people I’d be going to one school, only to switch last minute and finally pick Stevens as the right course for me (and frantically inform all those people I’d misled them), I’m incredibly excited and relieved to have made the choice. My only bit of advice is to make sure it feels right in your gut before deciding among choices — especially with the app sampler, as it is your gut that will have to break down all that food once you swallow it!

“This was the only way we could provide enough space for all the orgs. Volumetrically, it’s actually much more efficient,” said one representative who asked to remain anonymous as they were not authorized to speak on the matter until the next full moon. The full moon then rose over the horizon but we’re keeping their identity a secret anyway.

The Pit is located right in the intersection of 6th and River Street, leading some students to wonder if it will get in the way of people walking around to classes.

“Of course not,” said our secret contact. “Everyone will walk around it.” When asked about the cars that appear to be trapped on River Street by the Terrace Suites, they said they shouldn’t be driv-

ing cars around Hoboken anyway.

Many student orgs were concerned about possible weather and dirt damage their items might incur while in the pit. “Yes, a lot of things will get messed up. But at least you won’t have to deal with the little locker keypad things anymore.” Our secret representative was always full of useful wisdom. We recommend bringing a large plastic tarp to cover everything you throw into the pit, and hope that no one throws a piano or anything on top of your very important and very delicate glass vase. If you have bubble wrap or foam, you could wrap things in that, but you would have to be conscious of local environmental ordinances regarding burying plastic un-

derground.

One of the student orgs we spoke to was excited to be one of the first clubs into The Pit. “We’ll get all our decorations and tools in there first, and we’ll be a model organization for everyone,” said the defending three time champions of student org of the Year. Then we pointed out that if they throw everything in first, they would have to dig the deepest to get it out again.

This change is sure to bring some smiles, and some frowns to student org leaders who now need to carry everything down to the pit. But you can’t deny that they have definitely provided enough space, especially for the clubs who really need it. The space under that intersection was pretty underuti-

lized, just some water pipes, electrical pipes, sewer pipes, a secret pirate treasure chest, and the immortal soul of William Henry Harrison. We think there’ll be plenty of room for everyone. And we have confirmed that jackhammers will be available to get through the pavement on top, so residents of River Terrace can look forward to that going on at all hours of the night now.

While you’re doing your digging, you might want some gum to distract yourself. If that’s the case, you should come to Off Center’s final improv show of the semester: How it Feels to Chew

5 Pieces of Gum Friday April 21 at 9 p.m. in Kiddie 228 and Saturday April 22 at 3 p.m in Burchard 122. Hope to see you there!

ADVICE TO BROKE COLLEGE STUDENTS

Mother Earth pays you back

Opinion

SCIENTIFIC CURMUDGEON My Advice to Aspiring Science Writers

BY HIMA THUMMALA ‘2#

Growing up as an avid Disney Channel watcher meant that I know their overplayed commercials like the back of my hand. Many of these had to do with informing viewers about the environmental impacts of their actions, such as leaving the lights on, wasting water, etc. But when I think back to these education advertisements, I felt like I never considered the financial impacts that these actions can have as well.

Whenever you’re leaving your bedroom, kitchen, or even your basement, you may forget to turn off the lights, or even just leave them on because what’s the point…I’m going to come back to the room again later so why turn it off now? But lightbulbs are actually a contributing factor to air pollution. So when you think you’re saving your time and energy, you’re actually causing more harm to the Earth… and your finances.

If you think about it, for every additional second of time you keep your lights on in your house, the more your electricity bill starts

to rack up. This is why it is important to be mindful of turning off the switches before you leave a room, or if there are any alternate ways to light up the room, use them. This could be to invest in a study lamp, use LED light bulbs, or open the blinds. Even just doing the smallest changes can lead to having at least a little bit more money in your pockets, which will add to more money over time.

Additionally, you may remember being taught from a young age that water is something that is commonly wasted in our society. Whether that can be done by leaving the faucet running while brushing your teeth, taking long showers or, more obviously, checking if any faucets or other appliances may be leaking. Even though it may not seem like the water being wasted is not as much of a problem rather than the broken appliance itself, the water can build up to a lot over time, resulting in you losing the water you are paying for.

Little things like this can add up to a hefty debt so it is crucial to be careful about what is going on in your house. Furthermore, it can be beneficial to invest in products that will help you get your money’s worth by saving more money over time. Specifically, solar panels. When people see solar panels, they may often think about how they help the environment. All the electricity that is being generated by the sun will help prevent air pol -

NOT FINANCIAL TIMES (NFT) Merck furthers immunology buildup

return as 1 percentage point of EBITDA margin expansion.”

BY JOSEPH AMES ‘22

On April 16, pharmaceutical company Merck announced its intentions to acquire a clinical-stage biotechnology company, Prometheus, for $200 per share in cash. The total equity value of the deal is around $10.8 Billion as announced in the company’s press release.

The move comes following a slowed 2022 for the Healthcare and Life Sciences Industry that saw total deal volume drop by 30% and average deal size fall by 15% — at least in comparison to the record year that was 2021. Still, healthcare has been much more pervasive than other industries when it comes to merger and acquisitions (M&A) activity and incentives. According to a report by Bain, “1 percent of growth has an average of four times as much impact on total shareholder

lution. It is also important to remember that although solar panels can be expensive or even just an extra purchase that does not need to be made, it is important to think about how it is an investment being made that will add benefit over time. Solar panels eventually not only aid you in making back the money you spent on them, but also help you avoid paying future electricity expenses. So not only is it bettering the environment, it is also working as an additional source of energy to power your house/ building without having to worry about whether you have enough money for this week’s bills.

Being environmentally conscious helps the Earth, as well as yourself from a financial standpoint. There are alternative activities that can be done where you can use a job which helps the environment, while also helping you earn some extra cash. One of these is picking up trash and turning certain pieces in for money in exchange. This can also be done by collecting trash that you yourself or your family uses throughout the week.

These are many additional personal benefits of doing small actions that better our Mother Earth. By implementing these concepts into your life, you can grow your personal finances while also helping take care of our planet.

BY JOHN HORGAN CAL PROFESSOR

What is science writing for? I got into the science-writing racket 40 years ago because I love science, and I wanted to celebrate it, to tell people about its achievements. But early in my career, I decided that science doesn’t need cheerleaders; it needs tough, informed critics, who can distinguish legitimate scientific claims from bogus ones. That’s what I tell my science-writing students, anyway. Here are more bits of wisdom I lay on them:

*Science generates lots of BS. Researchers competing for grants, glory and tenure often make poorly supported claims, which scientific journals and other media vying for readers eagerly disseminate; high-profile, potentially lucrative fields are especially likely to produce claims that cannot be replicated. These are the disturbing conclusions of analyses carried out for decades by statistician John Ioannidis, author of the blockbuster 2005 paper “Why Most Published Research Findings Are Wrong.” Ironically, Ioannidis has been accused of carrying out shoddy research on the Covid-19 epidemic, but his critiques of the scientific literature have been broadly corroborated. Recent studies also suggest that science, in spite of increasing investments, is generating diminishing returns.

ence cannot achieve truth, or “truth,” as they put it. Postmodernists are wrong about the unattainability of truth; science, in spite of its unreliability, has discovered many truths about nature, from the germ theory of infectious disease to the big bang theory of cosmic creation. But postmodernists are right that science often reflects the prejudices and interests—economic, political, ideological--of powerful groups, as exemplified by science’s sexist, racist history. Science journalists should consider the social context of scientific claims. They should ask, as good political and business journalists do, Whose interests are served by this claim? Sometimes that means simply following the money. Speaking of which…

*Marx was right, sort of. Communism turned out to be a bad idea, but Marx’s critiques of capitalism remain sound. He warned that capitalism produces relentless innovation, which invariably benefits haves over have-nots. In our era, digital technologies have become a major driver of economic inequality, according to a 2022 report in The New York Times. Economists argue that “computerized machines and software, with a hand from policymakers, have contributed significantly to the yawning gaps in incomes” in the U.S. This perspective should temper journalists’ enthusiasm for alleged advances in artificial intelligence and other fields.

care highlight the flaws of American medicine. The costs of cancer research, tests and treatment keep rising, and yet mortality rates have barely budged; declines in mortality since the 1990s stem primarily from declines in smoking. Similarly, over the past several decades, prescriptions for psychiatric drugs have surged, and yet so have severe mental disabilities, a correlation that could be at least partially causative. Profit-driven health care, in other words, benefits providers more than patients. Marx wouldn’t have been surprised.

*Militarism subverts science. In his 1961 farewell speech, President Dwight Eisenhower warned against the “unwarranted influence” of “the military-industrial complex” on science. Ike was all too prescient. Roughly half of the U.S. budget for research and development, which now totals $160 billion, is allocated to military agencies, according to the Congressional Research Service. The Pentagon invests heavily in artificial intelligence, quantum computing and neuroscience, among other fields. Scientists I admire take military money, and they insist it does not distort their research. Okay, if you say so.

What’s more,these companies are now coming into a position to make acquisitions using what is typically the cheapest and most effective form of financing — cash. According to that same Bain report, the top 25 pharmaceutical, medical technology, and payer companies all have at least 15% of their last twelve months (LTM) revenues on hand in the form of cash.

In this particular case, Merck is targeting Prometheus’ lead clinical-stage candidate, PRA023, which is “a humanized monoclonal antibody (mAb) directed to tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-like ligand 1A (TL1A), a target associated with both intestinal inflammation and fibrosis.”

Dr. Dean Li, President of Merck Research Laboratories, stated that the results of PRA023 were extremely promising to the team, a sentiment echoed by Chief Executive Robert Davis, who stated that the promise behind the Phase II clinical trial drove Merck to “pounce.”

In that particular trial for ulcerative colitis (UC), 26.5% of recipients of the anti-TL1A antibody

PRA023 went into clinical remission by week 12 compared to 1.5% on placebo. Shares in Prometheus rose 170% during intraday trading back in December 2022 upon the news.

Given the deal proceeds as planned, it is projected that Merck could launch the next stages of clinical trials for the drug in Q3 2023 or early 2024.

Merck has been looking for new revenues given that the patents on their cancer immunotherapy medicine, Keytruda, are set to expire beginning at the end of the decade. Davis stated in a release that revenue from Prometheus could begin to significantly accumulate around the time the $21 Billion in annual Keytruda sales begin to phase out due to patent expirations.

The deal continues the norm in pharma M&A of acquiring companies with upcoming promise in clinical trials and selling off their expiring patents. With a ton of dry powder in the Private Equity space at its disposal and the potential for rate hikes to cease following the recent turbulence in the financial services industry, there could be a flurry of moves in store for healthcare.

*Postmodernists are right, sort of. Many philosophers are postmodernists, who argue that sci-

*Capitalism subverts U.S. health care. U.S. health care stinks, especially considering how much we spend on it. The website Our World in Data notes that the U.S. spends “far more” on health care per capita than any other country, and yet life expectancy in the U.S. is “shorter than in other countries that spend far less.” Cancer and mental-health

Scientists I admire also promote the bogus notion that war stems from deep-rooted male urges. This claim implicitly, and conveniently, excuses U.S. militarism, as follows: If war is innate, it must be inevitable, and we need a huge military to win wars when they break out.

My final advice for my students: Doubt all authorities, including your professor.

John Horgan directs the Stevens Center for Science Writings. This column is adapted from one published on johnhorgan.org.

MUSIC TO MY EARS

The King and Queen of Pop, Beatlemania, and other Hot 100 milestones

BY KAYDEN CANNILLA ‘24

Billboard’s Hot 100, started in 1958, ranks trending songs using a formula that includes sales, airplay, and streaming to quantify the most popular songs each week. The data from all the years and categories of Billboard charts tell an interesting story of the national music industry.

If you were to think of highly distinguished pop artists, the people who dominate the airwaves, The King of Pop surely comes to mind. In fact, Michael Jackson was the first ever to achieve five No. 1 songs from the same album. Over the span of nine months in 1987-88, “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You,” “Bad,” “The Way You Make Me Feel,” “Man in the Mirror,” and “Dirty Diana” were able to take over the airwaves for seven weeks. The next person to do so was Katy Perry, with five No. 1’s from Teenage Dream between 2010-11. In many ways, Katy Perry rivals MJ’s streak, holding the No. 1 spot for 18 weeks in 14 months. Because of this run, she also

holds the record for most consecutive weeks in the top 10, with singles “California Gurls,” “Teenage Dream,” “Firework,” “E.T.” and “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)” charting for 69 consecutive weeks.

To quantify Beatlemania, The Beatles locked out the top two spots in two charts, with “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” “She Loves You,” “Can’t Buy Me Love,” and “Twist and Shout,” alternating positions for nine consecutive weeks in the Hot 100 and Meet the Beatles! and The Beatles Second Album in the Billboard 200 albums. The Beatles have a record 20 No. 1’s and 34 total top 10s, and as such Billboard names them No. 1 on the Greatest of All-Time Hot

SPOILER ALERT The Super Mario Bros. Movie

100 Artists chart, with Madonna at No. 2. This chart factors No. 1 singles and top 10 singles, though Drake and Taylor Swift beat both Madonna and The Beatles in most top 10s, with 67 and 40 respectively.

Drake holds a number of Billboard records, with the most No. 2 singles (9), most top five (34), most No.1 debuts (7), and most top 10 debuts (52). For his highly anticipated album Certified Lover Boy in the fall of 2021, Drake became the first artist to debut 9 songs in the top 10, with only The Kid LAROI and Justin Beiber’s “Stay” preventing a complete shutout. The next week, “Stay” had regained No. 1 and only three songs from

Drake’s album remained in the top 10. All ten spots would first be occupied by Taylor Swift with the release of Midnights , which on its second week retained four of the top 10 spots, and on its third, just “Anti-Hero” remained at No. 1, with Drake and 21 Savage taking up spots two through eight. Drake has two of the longest-running streaks in the Hot 100, did not leave the Hot 100 for 431 weeks between May 2009 and August 2017, and again with 188 weeks from February 2018 to September 2021.

Mariah Carey holds the record for most cumulative weeks at No. 1, with 91 total weeks, in no small part due to “All I Want for Christmas is You,” which

has held the No. 1 for 12 weeks across the past five years. Her song with Boyz II Men, “One Sweet Day,” shares second place with “Despacito” on most weeks at number one, the number one spot being taken by “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus.

To achieve a No. 1 hit, a large part of the country needs to be tuning in; the repeat record-breakers clearly hold weight as the music industry’s heavy hitters. The wisdom of the crowd is not always true, so the Billboard charts are not perfect for capturing the music landscape, but the metrics they collect give insight into decades of audience tastes.

BY COLE GARDELLA ‘24

Video game movies have largely been pretty mas-

sive failures in terms of both critical reception and box office success. Films like Doom and Alone in the Dark were both panned by critics and audiences alike, and both failed to make their budgets back at the box office. However, in recent years, the quality of video game movies has gone up quite a bit, with releases like Detective Pikachu and the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise becoming both critical and commercial

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT Kay Sage

triumphs. So, it should be no surprise that Nintendo would capitalize on this recent trend, with the release of The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

The plot of the movie is very straightforward, just like the source material it is based on; both Mario and Luigi are sucked into a warp pipe and transported to different worlds, with Mario landing in the Mushroom Kingdom and Luigi landing in the Dark Lands.

With the help of Peach and Toad, Mario goes on an adventure to rescue his brother and prevent Bowser from destroying the world.

The film’s greatest strength is by far its cast, with pretty much every main role being played by someone with a decent amount of star power, no pun intended. Despite everyone in the cast putting in a great performance, Jack Black’s portrayal of Bowser in particular has

been receiving near-universal acclaim, as it should. Jack Black puts in the perfect amount of sincerity and goofiness into his role, and it perfectly matches the tone of the film. The Super Mario Bros. Movie is a movie that knows its audience and knows it very well. There are easter eggs a plenty, some being obvious, some being more obscure, yet none of them detract from the overall watching experience and

make you feel like you’re sitting through ninety straight minutes of fan service. That being said, although I’m fairly confident that fans of the games will enjoy this movie, those who are not may not be as entertained. However, whether you know what a Bob-omb is or not, I would at the very least give The Super Mario Bros. Movie a chance, as its short runtime and simple plot make it a very easy watch.

BY ITAI GELLER ‘26

In this week’s Artist Spotlight, I’ll be covering Katherine Sage, an American surrealist artist who experienced success in the 20th century with her unique approach to surrealist paintings. Sage was born to wealthy parents in Albany, New York in 1889.

Unfortunately, her parents divorced, forcing her to move with her mother to San Francisco. It was at this point in her life that she gained exposure to art, as her mother would often take her abroad to Europe on trips together. She eventually attended the Corcoran School of Art in Washington, D.C. where she received her formal art education. After attending art school, she moved to the birthplace of the surrealist movement: Paris, France. The movement was started by the French writer and poet André Breton, who argued in his original piece Manifesto of Surrealism that we need to free our minds from the creative suppression of logic and reason. Arguably a controversial piece,

it still helped define the movement that gave us artists like Dalí, Picasso, Ernst, and Sage. While in France, Sage met her husband Yves Tanguy, another artist involved in the surrealist movement. They moved to New York together at the beginning of World War II, where Sage would continue to develop her portfolio and showcase her work. Having married, Sage and Tanguy moved to Connecticut; shortly after, Tanguy suffered a fatal stroke. After her husband’s tragic death, Sage would begin to live a reclusive lifestyle. However, Sage did not give up painting, letting her emotions leak into her later work. I believe that the contrast between the artworks Sage

created before and after her husband’s death is drastic, and is an interesting depiction of how emotion plays an important role in influencing the psychological freedom associated with the surrealist movement. I will be comparing two pieces in this article: Margin of Silence and South to South-Westerly Winds Tomorrow. Margin of Silence was painted in 1942, well before Tanguy passed away, while South to South-Westerly Winds Tomorrow was painted in 1957, two years after his passing.

Margin of Silence is similar to many of Sage’s paintings from the 1940s and 1950s, where she seems to experiment with a fabric motif or

Comic Corner

BY VITEK SABATH

some free-flowing substance that takes its own shape. What appears to be a purple-hued mountain range consists of this fabric-like substance, pierced by a more distinctly solid sharpened peak. Spherical shapes with no particular purpose are embedded into the base. It is visually unclear as to what Sage is trying to communicate. I am a big fan of the color; it is bland and washed, consequently evoking very little emotion. I also enjoy what Sage did with the background; darkness descends from the top of the painting and lightens towards the bottom. This makes me question whether the image is vertically inverted. I constantly ask myself, “Am I looking at this right?”

Its purpose is impossible to interpret. South to South-Westerly Winds Tomorrow, on the other hand, is actually quite basic. Three windows are simply stacked on a background of a sky. Nothing more, nothing less. I think the simplicity of this piece is very indicative of how Sage felt at this time. The emptiness of the canvas could be correlated to the emptiness she likely felt without Tanguy. The windows are unobstructed and transparent. It seems that for Sage, there is no other reality. In essence, the pain she is feeling is caging her imagination, preventing her from digging deeper into the definition of surrealism through her paintings.

BY ZOE HACK ‘24

Being a college student can make it difficult to lead a waste-free life for many different reasons. I always try to live environmentally cautiously, but it can be difficult at times. I am definitely a culprit of using paper plates over dishes sometimes, and am sometimes caught using a plastic water bottle from time to time, but here are some ways that we can try our best as college students to live more sustainably.

I usually try to avoid buying single-use products, but when it is the cheaper option for a broke college student, I try to keep a few things in mind. I always try to make sure whatever single-use items I’m buying are recyclable so that when I am done with them, they can hopefully be repurposed! I also try to find products made from recycled materials because their production is more sustainable. Multi-use plastic or glass tupperware is also a good alternative to storing food in single-use plastic containers, like a Ziploc bag,

for instance. Refresh on recycling rules! I’m sure a lot of college students are guilty of what is called “wishcycling.” I know I was up until a few years ago. Basically, many items that people would consider recyclables are actually not able to be recycled, causing a few extra steps in their process to be properly taken care of.

The biggest one I come across is greasy pizza boxes! Even though they are cardboard, since there are food materials on them, they are not able to be recycled everywhere. So make sure next time you have a big pile of recycling, check to see what is actually accepted in your city!

I am honestly embarrassed if I am ever caught using a plastic water bottle on campus. But when it inevitably happens, whether it’s all my parents brought me when they visited or what I got from the UCC, I always try to refill the plastic water bottle and use it for a few more days instead of my reusable water bottle (which I totally recommend as the easiest way to make a positive change to your sustainability routine). In the spirit of this, reusing plastic takeout containers and adding them to your tupperware collection is also a way to expand the lives of single-use plastics you may have not initially wanted to come into possession of.

HISTORY OF THE DUCKS The

Another place that waste can come from that is not as much of a no-brainer is food. I remember when I ate in the dining hall, I always had so much food to throw out after I finished my meal. Maybe it’s not something super easy to fix while you’re on a meal plan, but when I cook for myself, I try to take smaller portions to start with to preemptively reduce waste.

Something else that I’ve personally been focusing on lately is cutting down the amount of water I use to wash dishes. Although it seems like it would be more harmful to the environment, if you have and use a dishwasher as opposed to hand washing dishes, you save gallons of water! If you don’t have the luxury of having a dishwasher, buying foaming dish soap as opposed to liquid saves a lot of water as well because you don’t need to turn the faucet on until you’re ready to rinse!

My last tip is to buy things used and give away or sell usable items! I always try to buy used textbooks, which also saves money. Thrifting for used clothes is more sustainable than constantly purchasing a new wardrobe too. Also, make sure to utilize @HobokenCurbside on Instagram both if you need to get rid of some stuff or are looking to thrift some furniture or other random items.

Dorms: Palmer, Jacobus, Hayden, Humphreys, Davis, Castle Point Hall, and Jonas

BY EVAN PAPAGEORGE ‘26

For most students here at Stevens, one of the significant differences compared to pre-college life is living in dorms. Whether it be sharing a triple in Castle Point Hall, a suite in River Terrace, or a single in Palmer, the dorms of Stevens play an intricate part in the identity of the school. However, most of the dorms have a rich and meaningful history, each with its own stories and tales from the many students who have lived there. So, to honor these stories, here is a quick overview of the history of the dorms at Stevens: Palmer, Jacobus, Hayden, Humphreys, Davis, Castle Point Hall, and Jonas. Although the beginning of dorms on campus was in the famed Castle Stevens, it was not until the end of the 1930s when, in 1937, President Harvey Davis announced a new plan for campus on behalf of a Trustee committee under the commission of Voorhees, Gmelin & Walker, an architecture firm with high-stakes projects like the Times Square Building and renovations to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The first building that this innovative new project saw was Palmer Hall. Named after Stevens graduate Edgar Palmer and designed by architect I. Howland Jones, Palmer is located on the upper campus with stunning views

of Castle Stevens and the growing Manhattan skyline in the distance. The design of Palmer was to cover both comfortable rooming for the men of Stevens (no women at Stevens at that point) and to frame the infamous Castle Stevens to appear over the horizon with the Empire State Building in the background as visitors climbed the hill along 8th Street.

The other dorm hall made during Harvey Davis’s expansion plan was Jacobus, also in 1938, which was recently demolished to make way for the University Complex Center (UCC). Unlike Palmer, Jacobus was to be much more than simply a dorm, but a social hub for students on campus. Named after Stevens alum David Schenck Jacobus by his friend William Slocum Barstow and designed by New York-based architect Harold Webb, Jacobus would be able to house 21 students and contained squash courts and game rooms, along with rooms to hold events like dances and meetings.

Jacobus was one of the last buildings made by President Harvey Davis. He was succeeded by President Jess Davis (no relation). In this Davis era, even more, dorms were constructed as Stevens strived to grow. The first of which was Hayden Hall, built in 1956 and also destroyed to make way for the UCC. Hayden, named after Charles Hayden and built by Voorhees, Gmelin & Walker was designed as a simple two-story brick box with views of Wittpenn Walk and across the Hudson to Manhattan.

Humphreys Hall was built after Hayden in 1961 by John J. McNamara, and was known as Dorm B until it was named after the second president of Stevens,

Alexander Humphreys. While it does not offer views of the city, Humphreys was exemplary of sophisticated colonial architecture that is reminiscent of the Ivy League dorms of the centuries before.

Built-in tandem with Humprehyes, also by John J. McNamara, Davis, was originally known as Dorm A but then renamed to honor Harvey Davis. Davis was built to reform Stevens from a commuter school to one with a residential student population. With a perfect view of Manhattan, it remained the largest dorm until Jonas.

Also in the 1960s was the construction of Castle Point Hall in 1964, also by McNamara. Named Dorm C until being changed to be named after the location and remembrance of Castle Stevens, it was originally housing for married graduate students and their families. Also, the larger dorm is recognizable by the main entrance through a bridge and with more fantastic views of the city.

The final dorm (not counting UCC since it is only one year old, and River Terrace as they were not made or owned by Stevens until later) is Jonas. Built in 1982 by Ewing Cole Cherry Parsky and originally known as Technology Hall, Jonas was a major addition to the on-campus population and offered conference housing for the school to host.

The dorms of Stevens are often overlooked as the small and snuffy boxes firstyears live in, but they each house their own unique history and story. So next time you go to sleep in Palmer or play poker in the Davis lounge, just remember you are following in the footsteps of decades of Stevens students.

DEAR CLAIRE AND ETHAN...

Q: What can I do if I’m feeling guilty about my environmental impact?

BY CLAIRE HANNAN ‘24

It’s really common to feel a little stressed about the impact your purchases and lifestyle have on the environment.

Most of us want to minimize our negative impact on the world by purchasing and living in ways that will leave the

smallest carbon footprint. Still, sometimes it feels like nearly everything, including the basics, are destroying the planet. You don’t have to search for long to find article after article breaking down every way any consumer product could be feeding into climate change. I think it’s important to remember that two facts can exist at the same time: yes, the current way our system is set up means that nearly every product creates unnecessary greenhouse gasses, but also, you need products to survive and live a good life. By keeping this in mind you can approach environmentalism from a different (and less stressful) angle. One of my weekend jobs involves

teaching kids about environmental conservation and one of the common activities I do is have them tell me what resources they might need to conserve. Everytime, I watch the realization dawn on them that “omg everything needs to be conserved.” I like to remind my students that it’s important to take location into consideration, because while water conservation is important, New Jersey typically doesn’t face severe droughts, so they shouldn’t get too stressed out if they leave the tap running on accident. I would recommend applying this to your own conservation if you can; focus on critical areas and know when to loosen the slack.

BY ETHAN KLESCHINSKY ‘24

If you are feeling guilty about your environmental impact there are a number of things that you can do to make an effort to do better. However, I would think that at the bottom of the list would be to consult your

favorite opinion column to find the most effective ways to be environmentally friendly. Your actions clue me into the fact that you either may not be a great person, or you’re just a little dumb. My real advice is to use the internet — there is so much information that I could not tell you. But if you’re still reading and want to hear what I have to say, I have some recommendations on where to start. First, I would avoid setting forests on fire, that just can not be good for the environment. If you ask me, not being the reason for a ton of deforestation is a

good place to start on your journey. After not starting fires, you could also try to break your bad littering habits — garbage cans and recycling bins exist for a reason and not using them can cause harm to the environment. Sometimes on campus, it can be hard to live a sustainable lifestyle due to limited options of places to eat, or lack of recyclable materials being used. A great way to get around this struggle is to drop out and go off the grid to become one with nature. Who needs college if you’re living among the wild? Definitely not you, so get to it!

LIFESTYLE HACKS

[Trying to] be sustainable as a college student

Campus Pulse

ROVING REPORTER

By Rafael Lee Li and Mia Petrolino

Sudoku

LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS:

FAST FOOD CHAINS:

LITTLE CAESARS

PANERA BREAD

DAIRY QUEEN

DOMINOS

CONTINENTS:

AFRICA

EUROPE

OCEANIA

ASIA

BATMAN VILLAINS:

CATWOMAN

MR FREEZE TWO FACE BANE

STANLEY KUBRICK MOVIES: A CLOCKWORK ORANGE

SPARTACUS

EYES WIDE SHUT

LOLITA

UNITS OF MEASUREMENT:

INCHES

WEEKS

AMPERES

FLUID OUNCES

STEVENS HALLS:

MCLEAN

PEIRCE

PALMER

MORTON

Jack Chen ’23 “Take the subway.”

Spruha Paradkar ’24 “Touch more grass.”

Kevin David ’23 “Don’t drive one of these.”

Adrian Garcia ’23 “Annual beach sweeps!”

Izzy Ritchie ’26 “Reusable utensils, not using UCC plastic utensils.”

Nate Skutnik ‘26 “I use plastic straws, wait no, I don’t use plastic straws.”

Danielle Daphinais ’24 “I take short showers... I think?”

Easy Puzzle: 0.34 difficulty

“What’s one thing you do to protect the Earth?”

Easy Puzzle: 0.32 difficulty

Stephen Perini ‘25 “Pick trash up on the floor...keep it clean.”