[The Stute] April 22, 2022 (Issue 23, Volume CXIX)

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

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We write Stevens history VOLUME CXIX No. 23

HOBOKEN, NJ | April 22, 2022

NEW STUTE EVERY FRIDAY • EST. 1904

HAPPY EARTH DAY The impacts of environmental injustice

Techfest aims to be sustainable BY TASHA KHOSLA, FEATURES EDITOR Techfest is an annual festival organized by the Entertainment Committee (EC) that brings popular music artists to Stevens. For the past few years, dozens of music festivals around the world have been making efforts to promote sustainability as these types of festivals tend to produce tons of waste. Since Stevens has been named a Princeton Review Green College and is dedicated to sustainability, Techfest’s sustainability efforts were of interest. In an email interview with The Stute, Ada Heinze gave some insight into the EC’s plans for sustainability at Techfest. One implementation will be more usable giveaway options, such as reusable cups and tote bags, much like the ones from the Battle of the Bands event. Additionally, canned water will be purchased for backstage usage. Heinze further explained, “We wanted to completely get rid of plastic water bottles at this event, but unfortunately Stevens catering has been unre-

SEE TECH PAGE 3

SAVE upholds sustainability at Stevens BY KEENAN YATES, MANAGING EDITOR

BY CHRISTA RUIZ, STAFF WRITER

SEE CHANGE PAGE 2

SEE RACISM PAGE 2

CAROLINE MONTANA FOR THE STUTE

“Hold on to your bright-eyed optimism about climate change” BY ROSHNI REVANKAR, OPINION COLUMNIST From not finding regular produce at stores to annual financial reports by big corporations about how much carbon credits they bought, we have become more seri-

ous about how to improve our actions to help the environment. This week, The Stute had the opportunity to interview Stevens alumna, Abigail Meola ‘20, who is currently working as an Associate at Columbia University as a researcher and teaching assistant. Through

Ecosia: the search engine that plants trees

NYC’s All-Electric New Buildings law that will phase out fossil fuels in new construction

BY PRUDHVI KRISHNA PARUCHURI, CONTRIBUTOR

Stevens’ Sustainability, Activism, Volunteering, & Engineering (SAVE) was founded in 2013 with the purpose of combining “the knowledge, skills, and experience of the Stevens community to promote engineering solutions for social, environmental, and economic problems, on campus and in the local community” through continuing projects and initiatives. The Stute conducted an email interview with the President of SAVE, Emily McCormick, in order to get a better understanding of these particular projects and initiatives. The objective of SAVE, as McCormick explained, is to “help students become more environmentally conscious and to promote environmentally friendly skills and attitudes dedicated towards achieving high quality of life and environment.” This goal is reached through various events SAVE hosts that students attend which have included reusable

What if we could plant tree saplings while working on our assignments? While this sounds too good to be true, the idea became possible through a search engine, Ecosia. Ecosia was founded in 2009 by Christian Kroll as a for-profit organization. Kroll intended to create a search engine that protects forests and plants trees. Ecosia is a B-Lab certified and privacy-focused company that creates a carbon-negative impact on the environment. It is available as a website, mobile app, and browser extension to your favorite browser. Ecosia has more than 15 million users worldwide and receives around 10,000 search requests per minute. Ecosia’s revenue primarily originates from advertisements on the search result page. It earns approximately $0.0054 per search, which translates to 45 searches to plant a tree. According to its website, 80% of its

SEE SAVE PAGE 3

SEE ECOSIA PAGE 3

FEATURE (2-4)

NEWS (6-7)

Stevens goes green! Learn about current sustainability efforts in our community.

Castle Point King and FAME Check out our photo spreads featuring events from the past few weeks.

CAMPUS PULSE (5)

Read answers from the Stevens community to our Roving Reporter, plus solve our weekly crossword puzzle and sudoku

ence, Communications, and Biology from Stevens in 2020. She transferred to Stevens in her sophomore year and has been part of various student organizations on campus; she was previously President of the

Environmental injustice or racism refers to institutional, government, and/ or corporate regulations or policies that result in certain communities being disproportionately exposed to environmental hazards. Environmental injustice is caused by factors such as neglect, the necessity of an area for pollutants in urban areas, and low land values of people of color. Black and low-income communities are disproportionately impacted by polluting industries—specifically hazardous waste facilities—through the negligent regulation of said industries. Environmental injustice is commonly exhibited in flooding situations. A study published in the journal Nature Climate Change found that flood risk in the United States will likely increase by about 25% within the next three decades and that black communities in the South will be dispropor-

SCIENCE (8-9)

Hoboken underwater?!? Read more about new technologies, plastic bans in NJ and the future for life on Earth.

BY ERIN MCGEE, SCIENCE WRITER When it comes to climate change, much of the blame and responsibility for change rests in cities. New York in particular has moved towards phasing out its use of fossil fuels and other pollutants. Given that New York City (NYC) is responsible for five percent of the gas burned in buildings across the US and that 40% of their carbon emissions come from buildings, it is no surprise that this has been a major area of improvement and legislation. This past December, NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio signed Local Law 154 into effect which targets building fuel use: New York’s largest source of carbon pollution. The law has a number of components mostly relating to construction and building codes. It places an effective ban on fossil fuel systems in new buildings and renovated ones, pushing to make all new buildings completely electric. This affects everything from how the building is heated to the kind of stoves that will be in apartments. The require-

her unique experiences at Stevens and Columbia’s Climate School, Meola shares her optimism about how even as Stevens graduates we can take those small steps to combat climate change. Meola received her undergraduate degree in Sci-

ments will be phased in; new low-rise buildings will be required to be electric by 2024, schools in 2025, and larger buildings will be affected by 2027. The law covers almost all new constructions and renovations with the exception of some manufacturing, hospitals, and restaurants. Before the law was passed, the city investigated how it would affect both building costs and increased usage of the electric grid, as many in real estate and construction were concerned about what the effects of its implementation would be. However, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s research showed that more efficient electric buildings cost only two percent more than current ones to build, and that the gap is closing as the technology continues to improve. A change this drastic and strict is not only huge considering NYC’s size, but also its weather. Local Law 154 is the first of its kind to be implemented in a cold-weather city, representing a major

SEE NYC PAGE 4

Reduce, reuse, recycle: ways to reuse newspapers BY ISABELLA ZIV, LAYOUT EDITOR As the layout editor of The Stute, I really enjoy seeing students around campus reading and appreciating our print copies of the paper. Although our print publications are an essential part of our operations, I recognize that printing 1000 copies of The Stute every week is not very environmentally friendly. I would like to encourage readers of The Stute to repurpose the print copies of our newspapers so that our collective impact is more eco-friendly. Here I’ve compiled a list of different ways our newspapers can be reused and repurposed. 1. Gift Packaging Old newspapers are great for a cheap gift wrapping option. Many decorative wrapping papers have a plastic layer in addition to the paper part which makes it harder to biodegrade in landfills and recycling plants. Newspapers can be used in the same way as wrapping paper to conceal a gift and you can even add some color to it with some markers or paint! 2. Wrap fruit Did you know that fruit ripens faster when it’s wrapped in newspaper?

It’s true, fruits produce the chemical ethylene gas from their plant tissues that causes them to ripen. This chemical gets trapped by the paper further exposing the fruit to it and therefore ripening them faster. It’s similar to the more common paper bag method, but newspaper is just as effective. So if you ever have an unripe banana, avocado, or apple, now you know how to speed up the process. 3. Seed Germination Newspapers can be formed into pots that are great for growing plants from seed. This is especially a great option for fast growing plants as the newspaper will start to break down after a couple of weeks. The paper actually has nutrients that get absorbed by the plant as the newspaper begins to break down. What’s also great about using newspaper for seed germination is that the whole paper pot can be directly planted in a garden or larger pot when the seedlings are ready. This allows them to experience less transplant shock and gives your plant a higher risk of surviving. 4. Odor Absorption Everyone experiences it. The funky smell coming from your garbage can or

SEE PAPER PAGE 4

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Friday, April 22

Feature CHANGE

Masthead Volume CXIX No. 23

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

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

Editorial Board NEWS EDITOR................................STEPHANIE SEARING ‘24 FEATURE EDITOR..................................TASHA KHOSLA ‘25 SCIENCE EDITOR............................RAYNA INDELICATO ‘22 OPINION EDITOR..............................LAUREN GARRETT ‘25 HEAD COPY EDITOR.....................GIANNA CALLEGARI ‘24

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

Staff & Contributors Christa Ruiz Diem Trinh Erin McGee Grace Miguel Estefania DeCaires Julia Wierzbicki Kayden Cannilla Matthew Brantl

Melissa Kosar Olof Persson Oz Aguinaga Prudhvi Krishna Paruchuri Rafael Lee Li Roshni Revankar Tasha Khosla Zoe Hack

YOU CAN THINK OF RESOLVING [CLIMATE CHANGE] AS A HUGE OVERWHELMING CHALLENGE OR AN OPPORTUNITY.”

Contact Us GENERAL.........................................EBOARD@THESTUTE.COM EDITOR-IN-CHIEF.........................EDITOR@THESTUTE.COM ADVERTISING.............................BUSINESS@THESTUTE.COM OFFICE......................................STUDENT CENTER ROOM #303

Corrections

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

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

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

PHOTO COURTESY OF ABIGAIL MEOLA ‘20

RACISM

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 tionately affected by this. Currently, floods disproportionately affect communities in Appalachia and the Northeast, where there aren’t many black residents. However, in future decades, the areas with the highest flood risk will shift to areas like Texas, the Gulf Coast, and the Southeast. The study estimates that in areas where at least 20% of the community is black, there will be a 40% increase in flood risk. In flooding situations more local to Stevens’ area, a different study led researchers to expect that by 2050, more than 25,000 affordable housing units will see coastal flooding once a year, which is up from 7,700 around 20 years ago. The research also found that New Jersey, New York, and Massachusetts are expected to have the largest number of at-risk housing. The study also expects that about half of New Jersey’s “large stock of exposed affordable housing units could flood at least four times per year” by 2050. Atlantic City, Camden, Penns Grove, and

Transfer Student Association and wrote multiple science pieces for The Stute. Meola enjoyed the sciences, and moreover “really liked the human aspect of science.” She believed communications would really widen her appreciation of the subject. She owes her current pursuits at Columbia and passion for the environment to her senior thesis at Stevens. The two-year long research project focused on climate communication, looking at alternate communication methods— such as art—to communicate about climate issues. Through her Master’s degree in Climate and Society from the Columbia Climate School this past fall, Meola became more “passionate about science again,” and is now focused on “quantitative science research and teaching classes.” The Columbia Climate School is relatively new; established in July 2020, the school “connects, amplifies, and advances new areas of climate inquiry, research, and impact across Columbia University.” The key goal for the school and program is to focus on “social, environmental, and climate justice.” While this is not fully realized yet, Meola finds the interdisciplinary climate science program a “valiant effort to bring social justice to the forefront of climate change.” She appreciates and values how the school rewards this form of thinking. “You have this beautiful picture when you are done with ‘Where do I fit in this?’” Especially for the many students who graduate from university every year in the U.S., it’s very easy for them to feel encouraged to fit in a box—engineers should only build things, computer science students should just code. But with the climate crisis, thinking about the various factors in our actions enables us to develop more holistic solutions to tackle climate change. Meola enjoys her studies in climate research because it is “constantly evolving.” Sometimes it becomes stressful to work; the weight Salem are of particular concern for this issue, and are among the poorest areas in the country, with average median household incomes of under $29,000 per year. This is likely because both private and public affordable housing is typically constructed in floodplains where property is cheap and considered to be unsuitable for other development. Eric Klinenberg, a professor of sociology at NYU and author who writes on climate change and inequality, stated that “class has always determined who lives and who dies in disasters. It was true when the Titanic sank, drowning passengers in steerage while the affluent floated off on safety boats. It’s true in the climate crisis too.” Flash floods in New York City have also demonstrated environmental injustice, where the effects of Hurricane Ida killed 12 people. Of those lost, 11 died in basement apartments. “In New York City, thousands of poor families live below ground, packed into so-called ‘garden’ apartments that are actually basements, where they are always vulnerable to inundation — and a host of other problems too,”

of climate change becomes a “big, scary challenge,” and she has to remind herself that the problem can sometimes “be too big for her to swallow.” However, what keeps her excited every day is approaching climate change through “solutions-oriented” vision. Meola believes that “you can think of resolving [climate change] as a huge overwhelming challenge or an opportunity.” Her solutions-oriented approach feeds into her current research involved in climate services to find proactive solutions to not only resolve climate change, but also climate variability. It’s hard to overlook that even though we have man-made problems contributing to climate change, there are also natural, and permanent, changes to the climate system. When the globe experiences an El Niño or La Niña, it causes massive shifts in how regions around the world deal with climate—and this is a big problem with or without climate change. Meola’s current research is involved in climate services and is interested in looking at climate information for a small-scale decision process. This past summer, she worked with the Kenya Red Cross to develop a warning system in Lake Victoria, Africa. Lake Victoria houses various social, economic, and biological ecosystems, and utilizes data on decades-old patterns of flooding. Through her various projects, Meola is interested in the question: “how do we prepare better year-to-year, so that in the next ten years when we see heavy impact of climate change, we are already prepared to do that work?” Meola wanted to let the Stevens community know that “our skills from Stevens are extremely useful,” and we should not discount that “we have the ability to do practical things in the world” — especially when it comes to resolving climate change. Many Stevens graduates end up in many well-established roles, but it never hurts to “hold on to some of the bright eyed optimism in college when we go into these sectors. This could be game-changing.” Klinenberg said. According to a study done by the Pratt Center for Community Development, at least 114,000 New Yorkers live in these ‘garden’ apartments, which are most common in neighborhoods with high immigrant populations. Though the situation of environmental racism is bleak, there are suggestions and practices on how to combat environmental racism. Reza Marsooli, an engineer and assistant professor who studies flood risk at Stevens, said there should be “more public awareness of climate change and its connection to flooding,” especially in communities that are projected to face disproportionate increases in flood risk. Environmental justice refers to “cultural norms and values, rules, regulations, behaviors, policies, and decisions to support sustainability, where all people can hold with confidence that their community and natural environment is safe and productive.” Environmental justice is meant to combat the effects of environmental racism through the Environmental Justice Movement.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF FIRST STREET FOUNDATION

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Friday, April 22

Feature SAVE

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HAP PY EA RT H D AY

GRAPHIC COURTESY OF SAVE

ECOSIA

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 profits (42% of Revenue) will go to non-profit organizations that it calls “local partners’’ like WeForest, Copaiba, and many more to help them plant trees. With the help of these local partners, Ecosia has planted more than 147 million trees so far. The company only partners with organizations trying to help biodiversity hotspots which are zones that “face extreme threats, hold at least 1,500 species of endemic plants and have diminished by at least 70%.” Currently, they have identified 35 biodiversity hotspots that cover almost 2.3% of landmass all around the world. The company also states that each search on Ecosia helps remove one kilogram of carbon dioxide from the environment. Some of its projects include planting Acacia trees in Burkina

TECH

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 sponsive leaving our hands tied to use plastic bottles for students. Catering also does not have options for canned water meaning it would need to be a special order.” Heinze also shared that the EC will be “completing an eco-audit” to gauge how much waste is produced at events and see “how invested students are in these issues.” With this information, the EC will be able to “make realistic goals for future events.” The EC wants Stevens students to know their commitment to sustainability efforts and urges the administration to join in. Heinze shared, “There are some amazing individuals and [organizations] on campus that strive to make Stevens more sustainable, however, Stevens administration does not even have a sustainability office. This makes it challenging to get advice on this topic, especially when planning large events. Stevens prides itself in calling itself a sustainable campus, but you can’t consider yourself a truly sustainable campus if you still use single-use plastic water bottles on campus.” Lauren Espinelli and Lennox

Faso, restoring the biodiversity of the rainforests of Brazil and Indonesia, and many more. In the United States, Ecosia has partnered with Arbor Day, American Forest Foundation, and CTS Enterprise to help restore the watershed in Withlacoochee State Forest and restore plantation areas affected by forest fires in Oregon, California, and Florida. They also partnered with Griffith Park Commonwealth Nursery to help fight urban tree inequity in Los Angeles. Ecosia on Campus is a global community of students campaigning to make Ecosia the default search engine at universities worldwide. As students we search a lot for information on Google, however, if we did the same thing on Ecosia we would be able to help plant many trees. As of now, there are 20 universities in Europe that are using Ecosia as their default browser. Ecosia also sells eco-friendly merchandise made

product making, recycled bottle candle making, terrarium making, and environmental documentary screening. In the future, SAVE will continue to have events related to the promotion of sustainability in order to allow students to “educate and better themselves as consumers.” The goal of improving the community and eco-friendliness is not limited to only Stevens; SAVE also aims to “enhance the awareness and understanding of the Hoboken community about the environment including the relationship of humans to the natural world.” McCormick elaborates on this idea, explaining that environmental education “plays an important

role that fosters the development of skills, attitudes, and motivations” that better prepare citizens to make better decisions and take “responsible actions that incorporate environmental considerations.” “One indisputable thing is that we only live because nature offers us resources,” McCormick explained. “Whether we want to hear it or not, if nature is gone, we will also disappear with it. Therefore, caring for the environment is a great way to show that we care and appreciate it. The problems we are facing now are tough. However, the good news is that you don’t have to be an expert or a millionaire to save the planet. If each of us can be more conscious of environmental issues and willing to take some simple steps to save the planet, we can make a huge contribution.”

from natural materials and arrives in plastic-free packaging. In 2018, Kroll signed a legally binding and irreversible contract that will not allow anyone to sell their shares and no profits can be taken out of the company. This ensured that the company is staying true to its purpose of saving the world from climate change. All revenue reports are available on the company’s website to make it more transparent and trustworthy. Personally, I’ve been using Ecosia for a while now and can confidently say that it is a safe and efficient alternative to Google or Bing, and still provides all the capabilities of a search engine while being beneficial to the environment. On this Earth Day, let us try to make a positive impact on the world by setting up Ecosia as our default search engine. P.S. All the research for this article was done on Ecosia which will, in turn, help plant a tree. PHOTOS COURTESY OF @ECOSIA ON TWITTER

Kolics, members of the EC, also reflected, “As the next Techfest co-chairs, we want to push forward in having conversations with Stevens administration for transparency. Hopefully in the coming semesters, we can implement proposed changes that we didn’t have the resources to actualize this year. Like previously mentioned, we would love to connect individuals and orgs to help push this forward. Sustainability is definitely on our sights for the future, despite the challenges.” Sustainability at Stevens is still a challenge due to current administration policies, and that needs to change. Clearly, Stevens students do have an interest in sustainability and want to put in the effort to make Stevens events more sustainable. Despite the many awards for sustainability Stevens has received, more work needs to be done, especially when basic efforts have not yet been enacted. As Heinze summarized, “we find it kind of ridiculous that there are so many hoops to jump through to make more sustainable choices. It’s also ironic that we are the ones initiating this conversation, again when Stevens makes all of these claims about their sustainability efforts.” EXAMPLE OF UPCOMING TECHFEST GIVEAWAYS. PHOTO COURTESY OF ADA HEINZE

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Friday, April 22

Feature NYC

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Wondering what to do on EARTH DAY?

step forward in climate policy. The gas boilers that are now widely used to heat larger buildings will be replaced by electric heat pumps in new buildings, a change that will not only bring emissions closer to zero but will also be more efficient and give residents better control of the temperature indoors. This isn’t the first major greenhouse gas law NYC has implemented recently. 2019 saw Local Law 97 get passed as part of NYC’s Green New Deal. One of the strictest plans for eliminating greenhouse gasses yet, the law sets the goal of reducing the emissions of the largest buildings in the city by 80% by 2050. The law also comes amid another movement to improve NYC’s air quality. Fossil fuel appliances continue to be one of the largest sources of air pollution indoors, even contributing to high levels of carbon dioxide and formaldehyde. The new law combats this, mandating the use of electric appliances instead of fossil fuel ones. This helps protect those with health concerns in the area. Ben Furnas, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Climate and Sustainability commented, “In addition to tackling the climate crisis, all-electric buildings help protect the health of vulnerable New Yorkers, like our children and the elderly, by improving the quality of our air indoors.” As time goes on, NYC plans to be completely carbon neutral by 2050. While it is certainly a tall order and a hefty goal, Local Law 154 and changes like it represent drastic steps towards a greener and more sustainable future.

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!

PHOTO COURTESY OF URBANGREENCOUNCIL.ORG

PAPER

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 the insistent stench coming from your gym shoes. You can only use so much febreeze to mask the smell, but an alternative option that can in fact absorb the smell rather than mask it is newspapers. Newspapers are a very practical and effective natural deodorizer due to their absorbent properties. You place them at the bottom of your trash can or crumple them up and stuff your shoes. 5. Crafts! If you know me, you know I love crafts and newspapers are just another medium for all things paper. There are so many project ideas out there such as woven baskets, scrapcooking, paper mache, wall decorations, and paper beads. The opportunities are really endless and it just takes one quick search on Pinterest. The Stute serves a great pur-

918 Willow Ave Hoboken NJ 07030 201.604.0054 ~ www.soulfullmenu.com

pose in sharing news with the Stevens community, but at the end of the day, I know that many copies get thrown out when they still have so much purpose left in them. I hope I was able to inspire some ideas and bring out the DIY in you.

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Friday, April 22

Campus Pulse

Jonathan Morrone ‘23

Owen Morales ‘25

“I think I would have to go with the woods.”

“The sounds of birds.”

Izabel Miminoshvili ‘25 “I guess the sunrise. Or the ocean. Either or.”

ROVING REPORTER “What is your favorite thing about nature?”

Vrinda Modi ‘25

Eris Qosja ‘25

Kate Ohotin ‘24

Susan McAloon ‘24

“A moment to get away from stress.”

“The bugs.”

“Not the bugs.”

Phong Tran ‘24 “Like, the wildlife I guess.”

How many words can you make from the words

EARTH DAY?

Sudoku

“Natural light.”

LAST WEEK’S CROSSWORD ANSWERS:

Hard Puzzle: 0.65 difficulty

LAST WEEK’S SUDOKU ANSWERS:

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Friday, April 22

News CASTLE POINT KING Delta Phi Epsilon hosted their annual Castle Point King philanthropy event, which raised over $21,000 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders. The event was planned by Gab Aloe and Julia Dresser and hosted by Ava Ragonese and Matt Kwan. The winner was the Sigma Nu team. PHOTOS COURTESY OF JULIA DRESSER AND DELTA PHI EPSILON

Friday, April 22

News FAME FASHION SHOW PHOTOS COURTESY OF CAROLINE MONTANA

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Friday, April 22

Science Hoboken underwater by 2100; is there hope? BY OZ AGUINAGA, CONTRIBUTOR Hoboken as we know it could possibly be underwater by the year 2100. Climate change is causing sea levels all over the world to rise. Coastal regions will be confronted with difficult decisions in the near future if they fail to respond to the challenges now. The New York metropolitan area is no exception. The threat is very severe for 23 million residents living near some 3,700 miles of coastline. However, little action is being taken to address the impending flooding of buildings, infrastructure, and entire towns. In a 2016 report, the Regional Plan Association (RPA), an independent planning organization that focuses on the New York metropolitan area, predicted that sea levels could rise by as much as six feet by 2100. However, by 2050, we can expect at least one foot of sea-level rise. At six feet of inundation, we can anticipate over 619,000 residents to be affected over the total NYC metro region. And that’s only an estimate based on current metrics. Predicting the damage is difficult since there are so many factors at play, such as the amount of emissions generated, the amount of ice melt, the topography of the land, the integrity of coastal infrastructure, etc. Storm surges are also known to worsen when sea levels rise, which will only further area flooding. However, one thing is certain — the policies, plans, and projects in place or in development fall short of adequately addressing the problem. Flooding poses an existential

threat to millions of people whether they are aware of it or not. Not all hope is lost. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) has begun the preconstruction phase of a project called “Rebuild by Design: Hudson River,” which is a comprehensive and strategic approach to improving the infrastructure alongside coastal cities such as Hoboken, Jersey City, and Weehawken. It combines hard and green infrastructure to protect against storm surges. The project is expected to be completed by the summer of 2025. The RPA report explained that the project does not discuss the implications of flooding from sea-levels rising. According to the RPA’s report, municipalities and governments ought to commit to reducing carbon emissions and begin investing now even if the threat seems distant. The Stevens community is also concerned and hard at work to prevent further flooding, or at the very least, mitigate irreversible damage. Yeganeh Hayeri, Assistant Professor at the School of Systems & Enterprises, alongside Raif Bucar, a Ph.D. candidate, developed a model that assesses the resilience of city streets and infrastructure during flood events. The model is based on Hoboken and can be applied to other flood-prone cities. It’s an attempt to retain transportive functionality even during the most extreme conditions. City authorities and engineers can use the model to plan ahead for flash floods and storm surges. As sea levels continue to rise, government action is required to see progress. If left ignored, Earth is a soon-to-be uninhabitable planet.

Image from the Regional Plan Association report, Under Water: How Sea Level Rise Threatens the Tri-State Region, shows large portions of the New Jersey Meadowlands and Hoboken that will be underwater by early next century.

The technology that will help remove plastic from our oceans BY ESTAFANIA DE CAIRES, SCIENCE WRITER Every year, about 14 million tons of plastic end up in the ocean and about 80% of all pollution in the oceans is plastic. This is harmful not only to marine life but to ourselves. A couple of years ago we discovered microplastics in our bodies, but a couple of weeks ago we detected microplastics in human blood which could lead to various health problems. The Ocean Cleanup is a non-profit organization dedicated to developing technologies that will “rid the oceans of plastic.” How does it work?

There are two operations that the organization created: oceans and rivers. The ocean operation utilizes a long U-shaped barrier that was developed in order to imitate a coastline where plastic can accumulate. This barrier is dragged by two ships in open water where plastic is captured and moved to a retention zone. This operation uses the active propulsion, or forward motion, of the two ships to allow the plastic to move from the net into the retention zone. Once it is full, the retention zone is detached from the barrier and pulled aboard the ship where it is emptied. Next, the plastic onboard is separated into categories so that it can be recycled when they return to

land. The retention zone is then attached back to the barrier and sent out into the water so that more plastic could be collected. The Ocean Cleanup utilizes a computational model that predicts the hotspots of plastic concentration in the oceans. Typically, plastics end up in ocean currents that circulate and concentrate vast pollution in certain areas. The operation created for the river cleanup is similar but has more options. One of the options is using the Interceptor Barrier and the Interceptor Tender. The barrier is a U-shaped net that sits at the mouth of a small river and it collects the plastic that flows into it. The interceptor tender is what removes the plastic from the

plastic net and offloads it onshore. These two technologies complement one another and prevent plastic from entering the oceans via rivers. The other option is to use the Interceptor Original, which is an autonomous raft that has a large cleaning capacity. The Ocean Cleanup has deployed these technologies in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Dominican Republic, and Vietnam to help clean up the rivers and prevent ocean pollution. Are there difficulties? This effort to clean up the oceans has faced some difficulties since the organization was first founded in 2013. One of them has been a technological design issue. The retention zone design allows for some of the plastic to

float out of it and back into the ocean. Furthermore, in 2019, a part of the ocean barrier used to catch plastic broke and had to be sent to Hawaii for repairs. There are critics of the organization that argue that this solution is only addressing the problem at the end stage and that it is not doing enough to prevent plastic consumption, which would decrease the amount of plastic pollution. What has The Ocean Cleanup accomplished? They have removed 24 football fields worth of pollution from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, an area between California and Hawaii, and have successfully funded 500,000 football fields of pollution to be removed.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THEOCEANCLEANUP.COM

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

Friday, April 22

Science Stephen Hawking’s concerns about the future of humanity on Earth BY DIEM TRINH, STAFF WRITER In recent years, as the planet that we inhabit has been overwhelmed with catastrophic occurrences caused by climate change, researchers and scientists have predicted that the Earth will soon be dilapidated as a result of global warming. Like his colleagues, renowned theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking believed that the Earth is a ticking time bomb, with mankind having just 100 years remaining “if it [was] to survive.” Hawking reduced the figure from 1,000 to 100, but he made no remark to explain why he decided to “drastically cut our time on Earth by 900 years in one fell swoop.” Hawking considered that climate change had reached the point of no return and that it would be one of the most difficult challenges that mankind would confront in the coming years. “We are close to the tipping point where global warming becomes irreversible,” he told BBC News. According to him, President Donald Trump’s actions might drive the Earth over the edge, causing

it to become like Venus, with temperatures reaching 250 degrees Celsius and sulphuric acid rain. “With climate change, overdue asteroid strikes, epidemics and population growth, our own planet is increasingly precarious,” the BBC expressed in a statement regarding a show. “Professor Hawking’s ambition isn’t as fantastical as it sounds.” “I strongly believe we should start seeking alternative planets for possible habitation,” Hawking said. “We are running out of space on earth and we need to break through technological limitations preventing us [from] living elsewhere in the universe.” According to the BBC, Hawking felt that the probability of a calamity in any particular year was minuscule; nevertheless, that number mounts up over time, and it will be a near certainty in the next 1,000 or 10,000 years. As reported by CNBC, Hawking was a part of an initiative named Breakthrough Starshot, which intends to construct ultra-fast light-powered spacecraft capable of searching for habitable worlds surrounding Alpha Centauri, a

neighboring star. “Such a system could reach Mars in less than an hour, or reach Pluto in days, pass Voyager in under a week and reach Alpha Centauri in just over 20 years,” Hawking remarked. Hawking’s viewpoints coincided with those of entrepreneur Elon Musk, another science celebrity whose ideas garner broad attention. “Either we spread Earth to other planets, or we risk going extinct,” Musk stated at a conference in 2013. “An extinction event is inevitable and we’re increasingly doing ourselves in.” He proposes to put humans on Mars, humanity’s ultimate destination, by 2025 and to establish a colony by 2033, both of which are well within Hawking’s time frame. Fortunately, there is still hope for the human race. As mentioned by Futurism, establishing Musk’s goal might take a few more decades at the very least. However, there have been others working to achieve that goal as well—NASA already has a Mars expedition in the works, and China is developing its own expedition to the Red Planet.

NJ’s ban on single use plastic products takes effect in one year BY KATIE BLOOMER, OUTREACH COORDINATOR New Jersey has passed a law that will result in the ban of single-use bags and polystyrene foam food service products on May 4, 2022. More specifically, law P.L. 2020, c117 prohibits the use of single-use plastic bags in all stores and food services, as well as the use of single-use paper carryout bags in grocery stores above a certain size. This ban includes the selling of single-use bags in addition to the inability to distribute them free of charge. According to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, reusable bags “are made of polypropylene fabric, PET non-woven fabric, nylon, cloth, hemp product, or other washable fabric and have stitched handles and are designed and manu-

factured for multiple reuses.” This law is intended to protect the environment by minimizing the use of single-use bags, which frequently end up as litter and pollute the ecosystem. The fishing industry will benefit from the change, as fewer fish will be harmed by plastic that ends up in the water. The quality of life for residents is expected to be improved by the cleaner environment. Additionally, the reduction of litter will attract tourists and promote the tourism business by making New Jersey a more desirable location. The New Jersey Business Action Center (NJBAC) has created online resources to assist business owners in understanding this new law. Resources include a live chat and monitored phone number where questions can be asked. Furthermore, the NJBAC will be creating a list of

Athat meet the requirements. However, there has been controversy over whether this law will actually help reduce the number of bags used. Some argue that residents will frequently forget to bring bags and therefore will begin buying excessive amounts of reusable bags. Others claim that single-use bags are just one of the numerous things that are bad for the environment and banning them rather than other items is arbitrary. Although the ban on single-use bags has not yet been implemented, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection is already discussing future plans for banning these items. On May 4, 2024, disposable soda spoons, small portion cups, meat and fish trays, prepackaged food, and other polystyrene foam food service products will be restricted in New Jersey.

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Friday, April 22

Opinion THE STUTE EDITORIAL

All good things comes in threes It has arrived. That point towards the end of the semester where (1) the multitude of sleepless nights, (2) hours of stress and anxiety, and (3) times where you need to finish an assignment using (1) caffeine, (2) adrenaline, and (3) sheer willpower can no longer be ignored; they compound together, creating a physical weight over your shoulders that you carry until you finish your very last final. And even then, you continue to carry some of that weight with you until final grades are released and you can finally delete the countless and now (1) unnecessary files, (2) assignments, and (3) formulas that you no longer need on your phone and laptop. There’s a week and a half left in the semester. On one hand, many of us are thrilled to be rid of the perpetual responsibilities and stress from taking classes. But on the other hand, there’s

still much to accomplish and finish within these last few days of the semester. Final projects, presentations, papers, quizzes, exams, discussions, and other assignment formats are all to be jam-packed into our schedules for these last 8 days of classes. With such a large mountain of work remaining in the semester, it’s becoming difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The folks at The Stute have also been facing the effects of burnout. With the (1) weather improving, (2) morale decreasing, and (3) deadlines quickly approaching, it’s becoming more difficult to (1) endure the meticulousness required by layout, (2) the intense communication required to keep our organization running, and (3) the ungodly hours we put into producing the paper. I’m being dramatic, but still, (1) layout is hard, (2) the communication f low for The Stute is insane once you’re

fully submerged into it, and (3) Wednesdays are solely reserved for Stute-related business. Someone who was probably very intelligent and important once said, “All good things come in threes.” In general, the auspicious value of the number three is widely present. For one, there’s the rule of three which states: “Any ideas, thoughts, events, characters or sentences that are presented in threes are more effective and memorable.” Additionally, there’s the classic phrase “third time’s a charm,” often meaning that a third attempt at something will lead to success because of the luckiness of the number three. And so, as I’ve enumerated in this Editorial, something good must come out of the hours of work we all put into this semester. Place your trust in the luckiness of the number three for the end of the semester. And while it may seem impossible to trust

an arbitrary concept with no proof of fruition, why not give it a try? It might just help ease your burnout and help you plan for the rest of this seemingly never-ending semester. I’ve outlined the rest of my semester with three goals: (1) finishing off my assignments for the rest of the semester, (2) planning the last few issues of The Stute, and (3) acing my finals, which I am heavily manifesting by writing it here. For The Stute, it’s (1) producing today’s issue, (2) putting together our last normal issue of the semester on April 29th, and (3) creating the graduation issue to come out on May 20th. Remember, burnout isn’t forever; we’ve made it this far, and we will make it to the end. And at the end of every journey, there’s always something to look forward to. In our case, it’s (1) summer, (2) summer, and (3) summer!

MIND OF A FRESHMAN

SENIORITIS

The fear of dying twice

Doom scroll

BY LAUREN GARRETT ‘25 There is one thing in the world that motivates me. It is neither the fear of failure nor tangible goals for my future. It is not an insatiable desire for large sums of disposable money or even my own passion for the material I am learning at present. The only thing in this vast world that motivates me is the fear of dying not once, but twice. Now, it may seem satirical, as no human can actually die twice, but it is not the physical death that I fear. Until my last breath, I will spend my life in attempts to outrun my second death, the death where I, and the life I have lived, are forever forgotten. Ernest Hemingway once said, “Every man has two deaths: when he is buried in the ground and the last time someone says his name. So, in some ways, men can be immortal.” Now, I hear my boyfriend and our friends talking about the subject of mortality and death when discussing their next essay or class discussion, and I feel the gears

of my mind turning. How do we actually determine one’s death? While death from the perspective of Hemingway establishes almost bookends to mark your time both spiritually and physically on Earth many other philosophers and authors have contributed their own theories and perspectives to the conversation. Questions regarding where one may go after said death, or if death is merely the next step in a cyclical sequence of existence are frequent within these circles. There are so many different speculations that even hearing the word sends my mind into a frenzy, diving deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole of the question, “What if…?” But, each time death is brought up, I find myself always returning back to one simple idea: How could I truly die if I am immortalized on Earth? Sitting by our desks, preparing for the future, we find ourselves being educated by the words of the past. As we read in our books about the people who once roamed the Earth, we find that despite no longer being physically present their presence lives on. Take Leonardo de Vinci, Alexander Hamilton, Plato, or even Adolf Hitler for example. Each of these men did something in order to become a name that nearly every person knows. Some created brilliant works of art

and literature, some wrote financial systems into existence, and some committed heinous crimes against humanity—yet they are remembered. They are immortal. When I say that I fear my second death, I fear becoming someone who will fade from the memory of my loved ones, even generations after me. I fear my name and life slowly being forgotten and vanishing from existence like dust in the wind. But as I said before, this fear is the one thing in this world that motivates me. I demand myself to push the envelope of what my mind can do and to surge past it, all in pursuit of immortality. While we never know what truly lies around the corner of the road our life will take, it is important that we keep it all in perspective. Although I may be confident in the life I’m living, I still have to live it. My fear of dying twice is that motivator for making the hard decisions as well as the easy, the balance that helps me factor in risks when I chose what path I might take, and ultimately who and how I love. Because I know that no matter how it all ends and whether my name lives on for a couple of generations or a couple of hundred years, I want to live to the absolute fullest I can, taking in every moment, and valuing every precious second.

Sanjana Madhu ‘23

Editor-in-Chief

At 11:30 p.m. I lay in bed, exhausted. My mind is tired, yet I toss and turn, unable to daze into a slumber. Twenty minutes go by, and I grow impatient with my inability to fall asleep. I want to sleep, but my annoyance with my body’s lack of relaxation urges me to reach for my phone. My phone will not lull me to sleep, yet I use it anyway. The electric white glow shines on my face as I squint at my Instagram feed for no reason whatsoever. With the brightness turned all the way down, my eyes still burn from the glow. The blue light of the electronic suppresses the secretion of melatonin and therefore interferes with one’s circadian rhythm. Knowing this, I still use my phone. I’ll admit that I have gotten better at winding down at night and putting my phone away, but from time to time, my restless mind overcomes my want for sleep. Certainly, I am not alone in this peculiar behavior. College students are notorious for staying up late, playing video games, and scrolling through Tik Toks for hours. Why do we feel the

incessant need to constantly check our phones regardless of the time of day? Without a doubt, there are psychological studies discussing our impulsivity and need for instant gratification, which is probably the reason for doom scrolls. And with some of us knowing that, it does not change our behavior in the slightest. Our phones have become another limb, and we cannot live without them. Technology can be a beautiful and wonderful thing, but it can also be our biggest enemy. Facebook and Instagram have allowed us to stay connected with friends and family hundreds and thousands of miles away, but it also distracts us from the people directly in front of us. YouTube is a video library with everything and anything you could possibly want to watch and learn about. The content is endless, which is a double-edged sword. A student can watch a video on Node.js one minute and then watch a Harry Potter parody the next. In my opinion, the pros and cons of technology weigh heavily in our individual hands. Our behavior and mentality toward technology are what gets in our way. Every day, we make decisions whether it is subconscious or not. We can choose to scroll through Twitter for the first 20 minutes of our day, or we can stretch and go for a walk. Our generation and those that come after ours have always lived in a digital age. Now, with Grubhub, FreshDirect, Amazon Prime, and other door-

to-door services, we live in a convenience age. Many young adults and teens look for convenience because there is instant gratification. Do you see the correlation? So many of us say our time is precious, but what are we spending our time on? As I grow older, I find myself continuously saying, “There are not enough hours in the day.” Partly because life gets busy, but also because I know I waste time on social media for no rhyme or reason. To me, I value time with friends and family, as well as exploring and pursuing my hobbies. Checking my phone every five minutes is impulsive and ultimately wastes my time because there will be nothing I haven’t just seen. Acknowledging my phone obsession and impulsivity is the first step, but acting on it is the more important one. Blocking out chunks of my day for uninterrupted work is one way to ditch the habit of constantly checking my phone. I’ll get more work done in less time, which will give me back the time I would’ve lost to distraction. Setting priorities and goals will also keep me focused and lessen my inclination to look for phone notifications. I implore all of you to give yourselves a hard look in the mirror and think about how you spend your time. Are you content with it? Is your phone detracting from your goals and interactions? Use technology to your advantage, but don’t let it overrule you. You are your ruler.

to be recycled. So make sure next time you go to recycle your dirty pizza box, you actually throw it in the trash instead. 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 CJ’s, 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). Recently, I’ve been drinking a lot of

Gatorade since I was feeling a little under the weather, so if you catch me on campus this week, I will definitely be reusing one of my plastic Gatorade bottles as my water bottle. 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. 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 in order to preemptively reduce waste. My last tip is to buy secondhand products and either give away or sell usable items! I always try to buy used textbooks, which is also a money saver. Thrifting for used clothes is also more sustainable than constantly purchasing a new wardrobe. Also, make sure to utilize Hoboken Curbside on Instagram if you need to get rid of some stuff or are looking to thrift some furniture or other random items.

BY GRACE MIGUEL ‘22

LIFESTYLE HACKS

Sustainability at college

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 cautious, 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 regarding their usage. I always try to make sure that 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 specifically 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 “wish-cycling.” 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

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Friday, April 22

Opinion NOT FINANCIAL TIMES (NFT)

SPOILER ALERT

Wish we could turn back time

BY ROSHNI REVANKAR ‘22 For the last column of Not Financial Times, I could have thought of a more classy title. But maybe, with all the reminiscing being a senior brings, I wonder for the future of investing if we really put our minds and money towards “ethical” environmental-, social-, and governance-aware (ESG) companies. BlackRock’s Larry Fink, who has been one of the most influential advocates for sustainable investing, emphasizes “$19 billion of sustainable flows,” despite a 7% drop in ESG returns across large-cap funds in the first quarter. To those who argue recent administrative actions counter sustainability goals, Fink states that “energy transition isn’t a straight line. It’s a 30- to 50-year time frame for us to move that forward.” Admirable, but with the latest UN report on the climate, it seems like we should have done these transitions a long time ago, right? Peter Thiel, a well-known venture capitalist and co-founder of Paypal and Palantir Technologies, had extremely strong arguments against ESG investing at the

2022 Miami Bitcoin conference. He was mainly driven by how “hypocritical” it seemed that bitcoin mining was being targeted for being environmentally unfriendly by governments and certain institutions. If we were to look at other material mining companies, say cobalt, (a resource used in rechargeable batteries today for electric vehicles) these have had human rights violations for years, but are seemingly hushed because they are critical elements in the supply chains of “green” technology. Something to think about… When it comes to ESG, many people (me) point toward the concerns that there is no universal “standard” like there is for financial reporting for companies to follow. Ventures can provide a lofty or critical perception of how they are treating their employees and the environment. There are quite a few frameworks, and there are advisory firms like VentureESG, that help early stage ventures be on track before their IPO—before it’s “too late,” or “risky,” to falter on claims. Europe is best known for ESG integration in venture capital (VC), where more than “70% of VCs consider ESG in their investment decision-making process.” Business planning is really important for early-stage ventures, and those that incorporate ESG early in their development are likely to supersede their peers in the space. This past quarter has been sighted by many as

a “test” for ESG investing because of the attractive returns in traditional energy and defense sectors. A quarter performance is not enough to make or break an investment thesis, and Fink may be right that we still have years ahead of us. That being said, Thiel also has a point that maybe these environmental investments are “sort of fake?” A recent paper published in Institutional Investor by Kenneth P. Pucker and Dr. Andrew A. King suggests that alongside the lack of alpha (excess returns investors expect) provided by ESG, these funds “represent a marketing-induced trend that will neither benefit the planet nor provide investors with higher returns.” What really surprised me in their findings was that major funds held similar technology companies, even if their ESG focus differed. For a while that didn’t make sense to me, until I saw that the majority of these ESG funds hold at least 25% weight in large-cap technology stocks. This maybe explains why more than uncertainty in the market, inflation and rising interest rates seem to weigh down heavily on ESG

returns. Despite the bully pulpit these companies have, I am pretty sure there are many publicly listed companies that are more sustainable. No matter what I look into, I am still at odds with the best measure to quantify sustainability. Yes, there are carbon offsets/credits— but is it idealistic of me to want something better that can make improvements at scale? As an investor, I know that there is always something in a business’s social culture that leads them to be more or less profitable.“Doing good” is seen and felt, but it’s financial performance that leads to a buy or sell decision. I can’t disagree that money may always favor the big and brave. I can’t disagree that “dirty” energy continues to run the world; more than 80% of the world’s energy today is still powered by fossil fuels. ESG is nothing new in finance—even though there is no standard to quantify sustainability, the pursuit of righteousness continues to be a journey worth following. Till then, an ode to the good old days.

OFF THE PRESS

Campus getting kinda stinky BY OFF CENTER —SATIRE— A lot of eggs were mysteriously deposited all over campus last weekend by a large, white-haired creature with absolutely immense ears that just so happened to be pretty cute. Most of the time, eggs are deposited in small groupings by birds in nests, but these were scattered every which way and have been continuously discovered since the first spotting on Sunday. This might have to do with the fact that the depositing creature in question was in fact a big bunny, and bunnies do not lay eggs like birds. These eggs appeared to have been purchased at Shoprite for $3.79, and our hypothesis was corroborated by a Shoprite employee who was there Saturday saying, “A

big bunny walked in, bought eggs, and left.” However, it seems that our furry culprit failed to consider the consequences of hiding real eggs all over campus. While we at Off the Press appreciate the commitment to sustainability and reducing microplastics in our environment, real eggs get pretty stinky after a few days outside. At first, we thought it was just the road being paved, but after it stayed around for a while, it didn’t take much longer for us to discover a suspiciously bright purple real egg in a tree. By then, the hunt was on. Our typewriters were abandoned, and it was every editor, reporter, and writer in Off the Press for themselves. While we were finding the eggs so they could be disposed of quickly, a number

of our members seemed to be convinced that the eggs would have chocolate and money in them. These notions were dispelled by the yellow yolks and white eggwhite that invariably greeted the excited egg finders. Unfortunately, there were only a dozen eggs to be found, so the whole process took like 10 minutes. All the eggs were found, and we returned to our offices to enjoy some hard-boiled delicacies. Or so we thought. A series of panicked anonymous tips and our own observations the next day caused uproar in our offices when we found out the mysterious bunny had purchased not one, but two dozen eggs at Shoprite. We rushed out of the offices with night vision goggles and gas masks but quickly removed the goggles once

we remembered it was daytime (no windows in the office). These eggs were much harder to find than the first set. As students and staff collapsed all around campus, our editors, reporters, and writers took up the roles of heroes, dashing about and shoving eggs into their purple wicker baskets. The baskets were brought back to our offices in droves, or at least one drove because a drove implies at least twelve I think, and sent right to the incinerator that we normally use for important documents. We here at Off the Press are pleased to report that the threat has been neutralized, but just to be safe, we will be carefully monitoring all locations on campus where eggs are sold to make sure no jokester thinks he sees a really funny opportunity.

The movie of the year: Everything, Everywhere, All at Once

I first heard about this movie from my favorite YouTube and TikTok movie reviewers. They raved about it and how it was easily going to win Best Picture for 2022. That piqued my interest, but when I saw it was from my favorite studio, A24, I knew I had to see it in theaters. It was only released in 40 theaters across the country, so I was happy to hear that it was showing in Newport Cinema and decided to see it with my boyfriend, Chris. Although I enjoyed the movie overall, let me make one thing very clear: this is not a good date night movie. Everything, Everywhere, All at Once is a new take on the concept of the multiverse. The movie centers around the idea that you can access skills from your other multiverse consciousnesses and use them in your current body. While this can make you extremely powerful, there’s one being that has access to the entire spectrum of the multiverse and is hunting down our main character, Evelyn (portrayed by Michelle Yeoh). Yeoh was the perfect choice for this role. For the extraordinary sci-fi circumstances, she delivers an amazing performance that really grounds the film. Especially in the final act, when the core message of the movie is revealed, she does an amazing job of bringing the audience back to reality. The other supporting actors, including Jamie Lee Curtis, Stephanie Hsu, and Ke Huy Quan, also delivered strong performances, but Yeoh was definitely the star of the film. The most interesting thing about this film, by far, is the

way it’s shot. A24 is known for its artistic films, but EEAAO takes it to a whole new level. Certain scenes where they jump between universes were absolutely insane to watch, and I honestly have no idea how they filmed certain sequences. There were so many beautiful colors, shapes, and designs that watching the movie actually gave me a headache. But I didn’t mind, as this piece was something that needed to be seen in theaters to fully appreciate. Now, although there were a lot of aspects of the movie I enjoyed, there were a few things that could’ve been removed without affecting the overall story. Without going too much into detail, there’s a subplot regarding hot dogs that seemed really random and out-of-place. I understand they were going for a laugh, but the sequence lasted way too long and kept returning when it didn’t seem natural in the movie’s progression. There were also a few minor moments that involved some vulgar humor that didn’t really hit me. It was more cringy than funny and distracted from the overall tone of the film. I feel like if that subplot and those moments were cut or altered from the film, it honestly would be considered a masterpiece in my book. To be honest, I’m still processing the film, and although Chris didn’t enjoy it very much, we both agreed on one thing: this film is unlike anything we’ve seen before. I’ve seen a lot of strange, artistic films in my time but nothing as ambitious as EEAAO. I do think it has a decent chance to win Best Picture, but we’ll have to see what else comes along for the rest of the year. If you’re interested in a film that will make you think and push you outside your comfort zone, I highly recommend checking out Everything, Everywhere, All at Once while it’s still in theaters. By the end, I guarantee you’ll never look at google eyes, hot dogs, or bagels quite the same way again.

are by far my earliest, and longest, days. I have classes from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. So, as a commuter, I wake up at 6 a.m. to get to school on time. If you read my latest column, you know that I am definitely not a morning person. When I wake up for my classes on Tuesday, the sky is still dark, which is something I’m not used to. Despite being a sleep-in kind of gal, I love my early drive to school on Tuesdays. The sky is dark when I get in the car, but has a beautiful golden hue by the time I park. I see the sunrise every Tuesday, and it

serves as a refresher for my soul. The beauty of the world can do that to you; in random moments, maybe when you need it most, it sneaks up on you. We get so used to our environment that we forget to recognize how wonderful it is. This Earth Day, get in touch with your inner child. Try to spend some time outside and look at the world as if it were new, exciting, and ready to be explored. With an open mind, and an invigorated soul, you never know what beauty you might find!

BY JULIA WIERZBICKI ‘23

SECOND-YEAR FRESHMAN

Through the eyes of a child

BY GIANNA CALLEGARI ‘24 Some days, I find myself wishing that I could view the world as I did as a child. There was a sense of innocent wonder and excitement that I would feel toward the

simplest things growing up. Time moved slower, and everything about the world was new. I view my current world through a lens clouded in worries, and the mundanity of routine living causes me to take my favorite aspects of life for granted. I’m not proud of this, and I aspire to once again see the magic in even the most unexciting things. I used to spend hours exploring my backyard as a kid. My family and I had a garden for a few years where my parents would teach me how to plant tomatoes, and how to care for

plants. I used to love watching the flowers bloom, and I would run outside every day to check on their progress. My absolute favorite part of our backyard was the giant fig tree that we had. Its base stood tall in the corner, as its leaves transcended past the tallest wall. My brother and I would go on adventures to pick all of the figs off of the tree before the birds got to them. We would come out of the tree dressed in dirt and mosquito bites that stuck around for a few days. The possibility of getting a dreadful mosquito bite

didn’t stop us, though — it didn’t even slow us down. I spent more time exploring nature as a kid than I do now, most likely because I had a lot more free time. I feel like I used to appreciate nature more too, an unfortunate thought that I ponder on every Earth Day. However, there are still certain times that I am once again reminded of how I used to feel like a kid, but these moments are few and fleeting. In what moments are you most perceptive of the beauty of the world? This semester, Tuesdays

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Friday, April 22

Opinion GIRL TALK

Discrimination in the K-Pop Industry

BY JORDYN RAMELLI ‘23 Over the last few years, K-pop (Korean pop) has become a global phenomenon that is enjoyed and adored by many (including me). It has boomed with popularity due to powerhouse groups, such as BTS, Blackpink, Twice, and many more. K-pop artists are taking the world by storm with their intricate choreography, captivating performances, and catchy songs. It is so much more than music; it’s dancing, it’s performing, it’s physical

albums, it’s fandoms, it’s an infatuation. But, there has also been a negative side that hasn’t been talked about as much as it should be — the mistreatment of women in the K-pop industry. For this piece, I thought I’d dive deep and share some research on what women have faced in the world of K-pop. In order to understand the life of a female K-pop idol, we have to talk about what being a K-pop idol actually entails. Besides being a performer and a musician, idols are required to be just what their title says: an “idol.” They are held to a certain standard by fans to be the perfect version of themselves. This includes looks, personality, mannerisms, and much more. It also includes fitting into the gender roles that are assigned to them. For example, female idols are often dressed in small and skimpy outfits, which

they are then expected to perform intricate choreography in. For example, a girl group named Momoland was expected by their company to perform in extremely short shorts that cause visible discomfort. This drew negative attention from fans, causing a large scandal to emerge. But this isn’t uncommon. There are other female idols who are given overly revealing stage outfits by their company, causing them to appear uncomfortable on stage. Joy and Irene from Red Velvet are two examples. A common issue that has been prevalent in the K-pop industry is the dismissal of female idols as they become older. In other words, women in the industry are more valuable when they are younger in age, as young as fourteen. This, however, doesn’t apply to men due to the Korean military law, which forces them to en-

list before the age of thirty. Because of this, men leave their groups temporarily and return back after they serve their country. Then, they resume their idol job as usual. But, women often face pressure to perform better as they get older, as if there were an “expiration date” on them. According to Divya Godbole’s article, “How K-Pop Perpetuates Double Standards For Men And Women,” “Thirty is considered old in the K-pop world and hence there are hardly any girl groups that extend their contracts beyond the seven/ten year period. Powerhouse groups such as 2Ne1, 4Minute and Sistar have all disbanded before reaching their tenth anniversary of debut.” These groups were at their peak popularity, but because of their age, their company decided to halt all activities and move on to younger idols. This often crushes idol’s dreams and

ruins their successful career. Another large reason why there is an imaginary age limit on female idols is the fact that younger women are more desirable in Korea and across the world. As stated in “Crafted for the Male Gaze: Gender Discrimination in the K-Pop Industry” by Liz Jonas, “Aspects of this formula include hyper sexualization and infantilization to manifest the male gaze’s hegemonic sexual fantasy that girls and young women around 16-25 years of age are the most desirable.” While I can certainly talk more about this topic, it’s difficult to fit it all into 600 words or less. I recommend checking out Jonas’ piece. I love K-pop and the excitement that surrounds it, but these tough discussions are important to have in order to put a stop to the harsh discrimination and standards women face in the industry.

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PASSION FOR FASHION

OP-ED

Emerging trends from Coachella weekend one

New music! Lizzo and Harry Styles, Grammys 2022, and sad girl indie

enter the summer months. Not to mention, they are genuinely just cool. This year at the festival, many crotchet looks were bright and vibrant. However, in a more casual setting, shoppers may opt for more neutral patterns. Either way, I expect crochet tops to be in this summer.

BY MELISSA KOSAR ‘22 It has been two years since the iconic music festival, Coachella, has hosted some of the biggest names in music at its live venue in the deserts of Palm Springs. Each year for two weekends in April, celebrities, influencers, internet personalities, and regular fans travel to the desert for iconic music performances and the ultimate festival experience. For years, Coachella has been world-renowned for the unique outfits festival-goers wear. Festival fashion has become its own style. While it slightly changes each year with the current trends, looks are never short of eccentric and flamboyant. This year has been no different. As we approach summer it is inevitable for emerging summer trends to draw inspiration from these standout looks witnessed at Coachella. From the first weekend of Coachella, I am analyzing the best looks from top celebrities and influencers to determine which of their stylistic choices will carry on through the summer months. Although Coachella fashion is wildly unique and stands alone as its very own “genre” of style, if you will, the festival attire born in the deserts of Palm Springs trickles down into fashion choices made for months to come. First and foremost, shiny chainmail was seen all throughout the desert. Slouchy cowl necks made of this interesting choice of attire are surely going to make their way into stores and eventually into our closets. While the cowl neck style has been prominent in the trends for quite some time now, I am sure we will see chainmail or sequins incorporated into pieces.

Among others, cowboy boots—which have been on a steady rise—are without a doubt going to be statement pieces of the late spring and perhaps summer. Colorful, flashy cowboy boots are a great way to elevate basic outfits. Of course, out west in the desert, festival-goers aim to look the part by pairing their exotic looks with an obnoxious pair of cowboy boots. But I am confident that they will make their way onto the feet of fashion-forward individuals across the nation, regardless of location. On a weekend trip to Nashville or out west somewhere, girls are notorious for fitting the vibe of their destination and taking inspiration from the locals. However, this trend goes far beyond niche locations, and I would not be surprised to see city girls and guys ditching their usual footwear and opting for a cowboy boot here and there. Personally, I’ve already snagged a pair myself.

Crochet tops and shorts are intricately beautiful each in their own way, and this weekend at Coachella many looks included some sort of crochet pieces if not entire fits. With their lightweight and airy fit, I am sure they will remain relevant as we

In the world of accessories, Gen Z-esque trends are making themselves more and more prominent. And older influencers who do not necessarily fall into the Gen-Z category are leaning into these trends themselves. One, in particular, is futuristic sunglasses. In comparison to recent generational trends, Gen-Z comes in hot! What this generation wears and attracts is certainly out there and not at all like what we have been used to. Balenciaga has a new pair of sunglasses that fits this generation perfectly. Many influencers and celebrities were seen sporting sunglasses similar to this style. And while not many of us will be purchasing the nearly $500 Balenciaga pair, it won’t be long until smaller, more affordable retailers mimic this style. Keep your eyes peeled on the upcoming reveals of new looks seen at Coachella. Many of these breaking trends are sure to make their way into stores and styles in some facet. Gen-Z is surely changing and reshaping the fashion industry and trends. Who is to say what will stick, but nonetheless, new and unique trends are emerging right before us.

BY KAYDEN CANNILLA ‘24 The battle for song of the summer has just begun, with many of pop’s biggest stars vying for the spot. While the title is usually subjective, the top contenders can indicate the Grammy hopefuls and trends for the year. Last year, Olivia Rodrigo’s “good 4 u” achieved over “600 million streams globally between May 29 and August 22” according to Spotify, making it the most streamed song of Summer 2021, and making Rodrigo Best New Artist at the 2022 Grammys. With “Beggin’” by Måneskin at number two, pop rock and alternative indie sounds have been very popular. Also popular were nominated hits like Lil Nas X’s “Montero,” Justin Beiber’s “Peaches,” and the Grammy-winning duet “Kiss Me More” by Doja Cat and SZA. Upbeat with radio-friendly sensuality, these R&B pop hits had everything you could want in a summer anthem. This year’s early contenders include the pop royalty of Lizzo and Harry Styles, who both released new music in the past week. Lizzo performed two new songs on Saturday Night Live, and Harry Styles’ “As It Was” topped charts, making it 2022’s most streamed song globally in a single day, as well as breaking the global record for most single-day streams for a song by a male artist.

Lizzo is great at incorporating a message of self-love into her music, and “About Damn Time” is a triumphant return to the style she’s developed. It fits right in with her previous works like “Juice” and “Good as Hell,” while still speaking to what she’s learned in the years since. In one word, it’s joyful, something that Jon Batiste’s critically acclaimed gospel album We Are also exemplified. While it’s too early to say how these will perform this summer, they’re quickly becoming favorites of marketing teams. I think I heard four different Batiste songs in the commercial breaks of the Grammys, and I’m pretty sure every ad slot before the “About Damn Time” video is for Tiffany Haddish’s new TBS show. Harry Styles’ “As It Was” draws on the indie pop momentum, with quick percussion and an 80s synth motif. It’s bright and fun, with similarities to “Golden” off of Styles’ 2019 album Fine Line or the 2000s rock of Vampire Weekend. With more than 1.5 million videos on TikTok using snippets of the song, it’s clearly sensational. Beach Bunny, the alt/indie-pop band that has also found success on TikTok before, has released two singles off of their upcoming album Emotional Creature. “Oxygen” was released in October, and “Fire Escape” at the end of March. Neither of them has achieved the instant virality of their previous album, Honeymoon,

but I wouldn’t count this album out just yet. Maybe I’m just biased towards the album art, it’s been my phone background for the past couple of months. If summer songs and happiness isn’t really your thing, Ricky Montgomery and Phoebe Bridgers also released new music this week. Montgomery’s EP It’s 2016 Somewhere includes acoustic versions of previous hits “Mr Loverman” and “I Don’t Love You Anymore.” Montgomery really thrives on somber, intimate tracks, and lead single “Sorry for Me” is no exception. Bridgers’ new single “Sidelines” is featured in the trailer for the new Hulu show Conversations with Friends, from the team that created Normal People. “Sidelines” is Bridgers’ first original song since Punisher, and it keeps her signature style: soft vocals and raw, powerful lyricism. As a final note, writing about music is an idea I’ve been kicking around for a while and I’m planning on developing it more next semester. I enjoy discussing the music industry and the music I’ve been listening to lately. At the moment I’m listening to a lot of Ezra Furman, specifically the 2011 album Mysterious Power. Furman also writes the original soundtrack to Netflix’s Sex Education. I’m always looking for new music to listen to and am open to suggestions, especially indie artists and Stevens musicians.