[The Stute] April 29, 2022 (Issue 24, Volume CXIX)

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

Special shoutout to our favorite Stuber driver, Omar!

We write Stevens history VOLUME CXIX No. 24

HOBOKEN, NJ | APRIL 29, 2022

TECHFEST IS HERE!

PHOTOS COURTESY OF CHLOE BRENNA

See more on Page 3

tury, I would point them to this statistic: female students only made up 29% of Stevens undergraduate enrollment during Fall of 2020.

In fact, it was not until 1971 that Stevens opened its doors to female applicants.

As such, it is imperative that we continue to foster an educational environment that empowers women, especially women of color. What better way to truly understand the experiences of women at Stevens than to listen to their stories? This is in fact possible thanks to the Samuel C. Williams Library’s oral history collection, “Voices from Castle Point.”

Curated and maintained

by Leah Loscutoff, Head of Collections and Special Archives, the oral history collection captures and preserves stories from Stevens alumni and faculty. As of now, the “Voices from Castle Point’’ is home to fourteen audio recordings of prominent Stevens members. Among them is Linda Vollkommer-Lynch, who is the first tenured female faculty and first female athletics coach at Stevens.

Martha Connolly, who was an alumnus of the first coed class in Stevens, was the first

SEE VOICES PAGE 2

NEWS (2-3)

Pulse (6)

TECHFEST 2022: MEET THE OPENERS Read about the three bands made up of Stevens students who are performing on Saturday.

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

Science (4-5) Learn more about gene editing and sound technologies, climate change, and mask mandates

Opinion (7-10) Letter to the Editor: The case for compensating student leaders

NEW STUTE EVERY FRIDAY • EST. 1904

Innovation Expo 2022

BY GIANNA CALLEGARI, HEAD COPY EDITOR On Friday, April 29, Stevens will be hosting its annual Innovation Expo. After two years online, the event will take place on campus and feature an entirely in-person agenda. Innovation Expo is an opportunity for Stevens students to put their innovative talents on display each year. The event consists of a day’s worth of activities, taking place from 9:30 a.m. to 6:15 p.m.

The event starts off with a Continental Breakfast in the Babbio Center Atrium from 9:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. Following breakfast from 10 a.m. to 10:15 a.m., there are Welcoming and Opening Remarks in Babbio Room 122.

Next on the agenda is the Thomas H. Scholl Lecture

by Visiting Entrepreneurs from 10:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. in Babbio 122. Ann Fandozzi ‘93 is this year’s speaker. Fandozzi is the CEO of Ritchie Bros. and she will be discussing Innovation and Perseverance: The Secret to Success. From 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., the College of Arts and Letters Concert will take place. This concert, titled “A Celebration of Seniors Live Concert,” will be held on Walker Patio.

The Senior Design Projects showcase will begin at 12:30 p.m. and conclude at 2:45 p.m. The School of Engineering and Science Pavilion will be presented in the Ca-

“Voices from Castle Point” SGA plans first May Student Perspective the 4th Star Wars

BY ALYAA ELKHAFIF, ple questioning the validity event on campus of feminism in the 21st cenCONTRIBUTOR During senior year, students often register for the minimum necessary number of credits to complete their major requirements. In addition to doing so, I also had to take one more class to fulfill my Social Science minor requirements. There were a few to choose from, but one in particular stood out: “Women and Gender in American History. ” I asked around and found out that this course has not been offered since 2008. After getting in touch with the course instructor, Professor Lindsey Swindall, I learned that the class will cover the experiences of women in America from the Pre-Colonial era to the early 21st century. Looking back, I am glad to have registered for this class as it has been the most engaging out of all my other classes this semester.

Throughout American history, minority groups have faced variable levels of discrimination and inequality. While things have been improving for women, inequalities such as the wage gap for women in STEM have persisted. Not unlike other STEM institutions, Stevens has made strides in leveling the playing field. For peo-

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BY STEPHANIE SEARING, NEWS EDITOR As the semester comes to a close and May the Fourth (Star Wars Day) approaches, the Student Government Association (SGA) has planned a campus-wide, all-day event to celebrate.

In an email conversation with The Stute, Alex Stanczak, Vice President of Student Interests in SGA, explained the details about the event. May the Fourth will be a full-day event with different activities throughout the day. There will be a Star Wars themed scavenger hunt all around campus that starts at 11 a.m. There will also be a bunch of tables and games on Palmer Lawn from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; these will include themed origami, frisbee, and other lawn games.

The next part of the day

will be Laser Tag in Bissinger from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., as well as a Cantina with Star Warsthemed food in Skyline. Additionally, Stanczak says, “During this event, anyone who stops by will receive a ticket to be entered into a Star Wars-themed raffle later in the evening.” At 9 p.m. on Palmer Lawn, they will be playing A New Hope. Other organizations, like WCPR, oStem, APO, SITTV, and Stevens Trivia Club, will be hosting tables and helping out as well.

According to Stanczak, “Depending on how this event goes this year, the SGA and Student Life will consider making this a yearly event.” Overall, May the Fourth is going to be filled with fun things to participate in and win prizes, so if you love Star Wars or just need to destress and have some fun before finals, definitely check out the event!

PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIPEDIA.COM

Student involvement in TechFest

BY KATIE BLOOMER, OUTREACH COORDINATOR

navan Arena, Gateway North Corcoran Room 103, the Morton/Kidde/Peirce Lawn, and the Babbio/Morton Alley.

The School of Business Pavilion will be in the Babbio Atrium, Babbio 104, and Babbio’s West Patio. Both the School of System and Enterprises Pavilion and the College of Arts and Letters Pavilion will be presented in Walker Gym. Also taking place during this time is the Gallois Autonomous Robot Competition in the Schaefer Athletic Center Lobby. This competition features robots programmed by the top 12 teams of Stevens students currently enrolled in Engineering Design II. The Ansary Entrepreneurship Competition and Awards will take place from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Debaun Auditorium, followed by Closing Remarks. The Ansary Entrepreneurship Competition includes teams of students that compete for potential investors’ assistance in turning their Senior Design Projects into businesses. These teams compete for prizes totaling $17,500. More information on the Ansary Entrepreneurship Competition can be found on the Stevens website.

The final event of this year’s Innovation Expo will be a Networking Reception from 4:45 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. in Babbio Center Atrium and East Patio.

All Innovation Expo events follow Stevens COVID-19 guidelines, and all indoor events require face masks.

Stevens Law Society Event

BY SANJANA MADHU, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Techfest is an annual Stevens concert hosted by the Entertainment Committee (EC). This year, the event will take place Saturday, April 30 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Palmer Lawn.

Doors will be opening at 5 p.m. with opening activities from 5 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. This will be followed by a WCPR pre-show and student openers from 5:45 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. The event will end with Arizona from 7:45 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. and closing remarks and activities from 8:45 p.m. to 9 p.m. The event will also include food trucks, giveaways, carnival games, the Duck Market, and student performances from Earl Grey, Chris Nitti, and Beekeeper.

Julia Dwight, the Co-Festivities Chair of the EC, is the head of the Student Involvement Committee for Techfest. According to Dwight, Techfest this year will be introducing a new feature — the Duck Market. This is a collection of student-created prod-

On April 21, 2022, the Stevens Law Society welcomed three former graduates of Stevens to campus to speak about their experiences in law school and industry. Organized by Professor Joyce Mullen, the event began with a light reception and led into a panel discussion. The panelists were introduced by Professor Adam Elewa.

First on the panel: Victoria Goodlof Esq. ‘09 is a Senior Staff Attorney of the Domestic Violence Law Unit Coordinating Attorney at Community Outreach & Clinics New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG).

She graduated from New York Law School with her Juris Doctor (JD) in 2012.

The second invited panelist was Alexander Slizewski ‘18, who is a current 1L (firstyear law student) at Rutgers Law School. The last panelist was Emily Fea, Esq. ‘18.

Fea currently works as a Law Clerk for the Superior Court of Jersey City and graduated

SEE INVOLVE PAGE 2

SEE LAW PAGE 2

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Friday, April 29

News Masthead Volume CXIX No. 24 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 Aleksandar Dimoski Alyaa Elkhafif Claire Hannan Diem Trinh Emma Tong Joesph Ames

Kayden Cannilla Olof Persson Marisa Powers Matthew Brantl Rafael Lee Li Riya Shrestha

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

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VOICES

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 person to be interviewed by Loscutoff. When asked about the scope of the collection, Locustoff responded, “Being the only person working on the project has been a challenge and limits what I can really do with it, so having this collaboration will be extremely helpful moving forward!”

Under Professor Swindall’s guidance, my classmates and I participated in a collaborative project with the library to expand upon the current collection. Each student was assigned a Stevens alumnus or faculty member to interview. These audio interviews will now be featured in “Voices from Castle Point’’ so that current students can learn from the stories of those who came before them.

My assigned interview is Dr.

Kathryn Abel, who is the Program Lead for Undergraduate Engineering Program/Undergraduate Industrial and Systems Engineering Program at Stevens. Not only has Dr. Abel been a professor at Stevens for over two decades, but she is also a Stevens alumna through and through. Dr. Abel has obtained her bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and her master’s in Technology Management. She then went on to complete her doctoral degree in Applied Psychology and Technology Management. She is also involved in various curriculum and academic committees. When asked whether Stevens culture has changed since she was a student, Dr. Abel responded that the diversity of incoming students has improved but the supportive aspect of the Stevens community has remained the same. The full recording of Dr. Abel’s interview will soon

be available on the Stevens library website.

Other interviews that will be conducted over the next few weeks include Professor Susan Schept, Professor Svetlana Malinovskaya, Olivia Schreiber ‘18, and Kaitlin Gili ‘20. Computer Science major, Nidhi Parekh, who is currently a student of Swindall’s, will be interviewing alumnus Gili. When asked about why she elected to take this class, Parekh maintained that she wanted to gain a deeper understanding of the history of gender issues and how they manifest today. She also added, “My favorite part about doing this interview was that I would be the interviewer and I could come up with any questions I chose.” It is anticipated that this oral history collection will only continue to grow as Loscutoff engages more departments and students in the process.

dia and Hollywood. He describes his experience at law school so far as “phenomenal” and stated that “everyone’s really kind to each other.” Regarding how intensive the classes at law school are, Slizewski said “Being a good law student is very different from being a good LSAT-taker,” to which Goodlof replied, “which is very different from being a good lawyer.”

Slizewski also mentioned that first-year grades are important for law students because of the standard curriculum and that “there’s a difference between working hard and working smart.” Slizewski also went into detail about how to choose a law school, explaining that it’s important to attend a law school in the region you plan to work in and that looking at American Bar Association reports can give insight into career outcomes after law school.

Fea also talked about her experience taking the LSAT, describing it as a “learnable test,” and explaining that she did well on the exam since she started studying as a sophomore in college. In terms of applying to law school,

Fea cautioned about rushing into law school, mentioning that rushing into law school can often cause burnout. Fea also mentioned that the law school experience is radically different from the Stevens experience; it’s imperative that students are engaged in class and a large increase in the amount of reading.

All three panelists described that while law school was difficult, they enjoyed their experience.

They each took turns describing their challenging 1L experience but mentioned that the experience was rewarding. They also spoke about how they managed their finances throughout law school. They mentioned that students can save by working manageable jobs, living at home, making money through internships, over-borrowing loans, cooking for themselves, and simply watching how much they spend.

The event concluded with a question and answer session where the panelists answered questions from the audience. This panel of law professionals showed an increased interest in law school from current Stevens students.

INVOLVE

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 ucts being sold during the TechFest event. Items for sale include jewelry, clothing, and other original creations. Be sure to stop by and support your friends!

The EC is thrilled to bring Techfest back to campus this year. This is the EC’s biggest event and finale to the annual calendar, which makes it one of their favorite traditions. The EC would love to see you at TechFest to enjoy music, food, activities, and more!

LAW

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 with her JD from Seton Hall University in 2021.

Goodlof talked about her experience with the LSAT. She described her experience with the exam as difficult and challenging; it’s “kind of a test to see can your brain do this flavor of critical thinking,” she explained, aiming to show how taking the LSAT prepares your brain to think in law school. When asked about why she wanted to go to law school, she cited her desire to give back to the world and that her main goal was “wanting to help people to get justice.” According to Goodlof, in law school, “You don’t really learn what the laws are; you learn how to apply them.” She additionally described that in her experience, you get out of law school what you put into it.

Slizewski debunked misconceptions about law school. He mentioned that law school is not reflected well in mainstream me-

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News TECHFEST 2022: MEET THE OPENERS!

BY STEPHANIE SEARING, NEWS EDITOR Each year, Stevens’ Entertainment Committee holds their annual Techfest, which is a concert featuring a popular artist as well as student bands as openers. Techfest also has a Duck Market, featuring small businesses run by Stevens students, and different food trucks. After competing at Battle of the Bands, this year’s student openers are Chris Nitti, Beekeeper, and Earl Grey. In an email interview with The Stute, Chloe Brenna, Publicity Manager of WCPR, provided more insight into each of the bands.

Chris Nitti

Earl Grey

Beekeeper

PHOTO COURTESY OF

PHOTOS COURTESY OF CHLOE BRENNA

The band members in Chris Nitti are Chris Nitti, AJ Kasper, Aaron Lerch, and Trevor LaDue. The instruments in the band include vocals, rhythm and lead guitars, bass, and drums. Their music is a mix of Indie Rock, Folk, and Surf. Prior to coming to Stevens, Chris played shows and started his own record-

ing project, but has since collaborated with others. Other Stevens events that Chris has played at include Battle of the Bands, Techfest 2021, Chi Phi x Theta Phi Alpha’s Midnight Munchies, and AEC Open Mic Nights. His music is available on all major streaming platforms, SoundCloud, and Bandcamp.

The band members of Beekeeper are Anthony Paolantonio, AJ Kasper, Trevor LaDue, Aaron Lerch, and Jack McDermott. They have produced indie rock music since 2020. The instruments include vocals, synth, rhythm and lead guitars, bass, and drums. At Stevens, Beekeeper has played at Techfest 2021, Battle

THE HEADLINER: ARIZONA

of the Bands, and AEC Open Mic Nights. They have also played gigs at PIANOS in New York City, Heaven Can Wait in the East Village, and 10prl in Long Branch, New Jersey. Their music is available on all major streaming platforms, SoundCloud, and Bandcamp. Paolantonio also releases music under the name “Jude.”

They are an American Rock band that formed in 2021. The band members are Sebastian Ortiz, Jacob Galperin, Oliver Racciatti, and Brendan Krog. Their band has vocals, bass, rhythm and lead guitars, and drums. At Stevens, they have played at Battle of the Bands, and outside of Stevens, they have played gigs

at The Fire in Philadelphia, The Jungle in Massachusetts, and Arlene’s Grocery in the Lower East Side. The band recently released their self-titled debut EP consisting of four total songs in Spring 2022. Their music is available on all major streaming platforms, SoundCloud, and Bandcamp.

Techfest 2022

Featuring:

A r i z o n a Pre-Show Hosted By: - Earl Grey - Chris Nitti - Beekeeper -

Saturday, April 30th Palmer Lawn PHOTOS COURTESY OF VARIANCE MAGAZINE

The headliner for this year’s Techfest is A R I Z O N A! The band is an American rock and electropop band that formed in 2015. The band members are Zachary Han-

nah, Nathan Esquite, and David Labuguen.

The band currently has 2 albums out, Gallery and Asylum. They have toured with Kevin Garrett and opened for both COIN and Pan-

ic! At the Disco. They have played at a bunch of festivals; including South by Southwest, Governors Ball Music Festival, Firefly Music Festival, and Lollapalooza.

- Food trucks - limited Edition giveaways - carnival games - Duck Market - t-shirt tie-dyeing Questions? entertainment@stevens.edu

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Science Scientist take first steps to creating hypoallergenic cats with CRISPR

BY CLAIRE HANNAN, CONTRIBUTOR A U.S.–based company, InBio, has recently identified the genes in cats that cause allergic reactions called CH1 and CH2.

The biopharmaceutical research company achieved this by deleting the genes from cat cells using CRISPR gene-editing technology and believes that this is the first step in creating hypoallergenic cats. Nicole Brackett, the head of the CRISPR cat team at InBio said that “the estimated timeline for this [project] is several years,” meaning that we are still a long way from genetically modified cats entering households.

Around 15% of people have cat allergies. This is mainly due to a protein in cat saliva and skin called Fel d 1. However, it is not clear what this protein does for cats, if anything, and it is unknown what effect getting rid of this protein will have on a cat’s health. If this protein can be removed without harming

the cats, it might be possible to create a breed of completely hypoallergenic cats. Right now, all cats produce this protein but a few breeds produce less making them less likely to trigger allergic reactions however, no breed is completely allergy-friendly.

Researchers compared the responsible genes in housecats to those found in larger cat species such as lions and tigers and found many differences between the DNA which suggests that these genes are not necessary to the survival of cats.

So far, the CH1 and CH2 genes have only been deleted from cell samples and not live cats.

While this discovery could benefit many people who suffer from cat allergies, it also comes at a time of heavy debate around the ethics of CRISPR. CRISPR is a new gene-editing technology that allows scientists to find specific DNA sequences, which can then be altered or turned off or on. This process of altering the DNA of living organisms has

raised ethical concerns within the medical community, especially when relating to human DNA editing. Claes Gustafsson, secretary of the Nobel committee in chemistry and professor of biochemistry and biophysics at Stockholm is quoted as saying that “every really powerful technology, in life sciences or elsewhere, there’s a possibility of misuse” about the danger of CRISPR gene editing. Additionally, questions might eventually be raised over the ethics of breeding a large number of hypoallergenic cats when there is already a massive overpopulation of cats. Around 3.2 million cats enter the foster system each year in the U.S. many of which belong to breeds that can be considered mostly hypoallergenic. Alternatives to the problem of cat allergies might be a vaccine that can get rid of the Fel d 1 protein by producing antibodies within the cat or by exposing kids to allergens young to reduce their risk of developing allergies later in life.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ISABELLA ZIV AND CLAIRE HANNAN

The end of winter

BY RIYA SHRESTHA, SCIENCE WRITER According to The Washington Post’s analysis of NOAA’s and NASA’s temperature databases, the winter will eventually fade away.

In the United States, Alaska is the number one state for the fast rise in the average temperature and New Jersey is following right behind.

An average of 2 degrees celsius has been observed during the winter season in New Jersey over the span of over 120 years. Although the number two might not seem like a big deal, the impact that this temperature rise has been huge. A popular attraction for tourists and locals in NJ is Lake Hopatcong both during summer and winter.

However, since the temperature in the winter has been higher than the freezing point the lake has not frozen thickly which has put a halt to all the winter festivities and ice harvesting. Ice fishing and festivi-

ties that included heavy snowmobiles on the lake have ended as the ice is no longer safe to stand on. During the summer, the lake was shut down due to the blooming of toxic blue-green algae that developed from the warmest spring of the century. Other environmental changes included the unnatural and access growth of aquatic weeds that would normally have died in the winter season.

The rise of temperature has many impacts on the environment other than lakes not freezing. Accordion to David A. Robinson, a New Jersey State Climatologist, and Professor at Rutgers University’s Department of geography, the freezing point is the most critical temperature out of all the temperature points. The time from December to February which is supposed to be the coldest in NJ being above that on average has caused snow to melt faster than they are supposed to which caus-

es some insects and pests such as mosquitos to have a longer life span than they are meant to.

However, the Earth is not heating evenly which means that the rise in global temperature is actually lower than that of New Jersey.

Along with environmental changes, there are also economic changes that have to be sustained.

When the lake had to be shut down of all water activities due to the toxic bacteria many businesses that rent it and offered other services in the area suffered a loss from lack of tourism. Cleaning the lake to get rid of the excess aquatic weeds was also an additional cost that was added to the NJ Department of Environmental protection. Many homeowners on the Shore also have physically moved their homes due to the increasing coastline. If action is not taken to collectively lower the temperature of the Earth then by 2100 there will be catastrophic changes.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE WASHINGTON POST

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 –

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Friday, April 29

Science Updated masking guidelines by the CDC

BY TASHA KHOSLA, FEATURES EDITOR The CDC has updated masking guidelines. As of April 18, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) require “the wearing of masks by people on public transportation conveyances or on the premises of transportation hubs to prevent spread of the virus that causes COVID-19.” Throughout the pandemic, the CDC has monitored the situation and has issued orders when needed in order to ensure public health and safety.

The CDC has decided to not require masking for buses and vans operated by public or private school

systems. Additionally, the CDC is monitoring the situation and will “use enforcement discretion to not require people to wear a mask in outdoor areas of conveyances.”

Still, there has been some backlash to these updated guidelines.

The mandate was set to expire on April 18 but was extended until May 3 so public health officials could continue to evaluate the situation. When the CDC asked the Department of Justice to appeal a ruling that struck down the federal mask mandate, there was still some debate over the subject.

Since last year, mask mandates have been changing. In New Jersey, the mask mandate for schools was

lifted earlier this year. Many fear that the CDC’s new guidelines will induce backlash from Americans who feel that the need to mask is no longer necessary. Still, the CDC maintains that “[T]his is a lawful order, well within C.D.C.’s legal authority to protect public health.”

However, U.S.Travel Association Executive Vice President of Public Affairs and Policy Tori Emerson Barnes commented, “With low hospitalization rates and multiple effective health tools now widely available, from boosters to therapies to high-quality air ventilation aboard aircraft, required masking on public transportation is simply out of step with the

current public health landscape.”

The CDC’s updated guidelines no doubt jeopardize the “return to normalcy” idea that many desperately desire due to the numerous ways the pandemic has altered daily life. These updates may be the start of more if we try to return to pre-COVID life too soon. Across the nation, cases and hospitalizations are rising once again. University of Washington’s Ali H. Mokdad warned, “COVID-19 is not done with us [...] It’s just waiting for us to make a mistake.”

Even colleges have been updating mask mandate regulations and these mandates have been returning to campuses. Anita Barkin, co-chair of a COVID-19 task force

for the American College Health Association explains, “As much as we would like to move on and think that the pandemic is over, and I think we all would like that to happen at this point, it’s wishful thinking [...] The pandemic is still with us.” Much like the CDC, colleges and universities still have concerns over the transmission of COVID-19.

These updated CDC guidelines may foreshadow more to come. Due to increased access to vaccines and booster shots, the United States is in a better position to handle the increase in cases, but masking still remains important due to the current state of the pandemic.

Researchers at U-M used ultrasonic waves to partially eliminate tumors in rats

BY DIEM TRINH, STAFF WRITER Recently, researchers at the University of Michigan (UM) developed a non-invasive sound technology that “breaks down liver tumors in rats, kills cancer cells and spurs the immune system to prevent further spread.” They were able to reduce liver tumors in rats by 75%, up from 50%, allowing the rats’ immune systems to clear the remaining cancerous cells, “with no evidence of recurrence or metastases in more than 80% [of] animals;” that is, in 80% of the cases, there was

no sign of cancer recurring later.

According to IFLScience, the researchers started by injecting 22 rats with liver cancer cells, and they then let the tumors grow for up to nine days, reaching a size of 5–10 millimeters (0.2–0.4 inches).

Next, half of the rats were treated with histotripsy, “which involves blasting the tumors with millisecond-long pulses of high-amplitude ultrasound waves.”

Histotripsy is a therapy developed by researchers at UM that employs focused ultrasound waves “to mechanically destroy target tissue with millimeter precision.” This relatively new tech-

nique, which is already being tested for human liver cancer in the United States and Europe, is believed by the researchers to have the potential to transform cancer treatment, “[overcoming] the limitations of currently available ablation modalities and [providing] safe and effective noninvasive liver tumor ablation.”

Zhen Xu, a UM professor of Biomedical Engineering and corresponding author of the paper in Cancers, stated in a press release

by UM, “Even if we don’t target the entire tumor, we can still cause the tumor to regress and also reduce the risk of future metastasis.”

Due to the mass size, location, or stage of the cancerous tumors, “the entirety of a cancerous tumor cannot be targeted directly in treatments” in many clinical settings. “To investigate the effects of partially destroying tumors with sound, this latest study targeted only a portion of each mass, leaving behind a viable intact tumor,” the press release wrote. “It also allowed the team, including researchers at Michigan Medicine and the Ann Arbor VA Hospital, to show the approach’s effectiveness under less than optimal conditions.”

Full tumor regression was noted in 9 of the 11 rats treated, “with no

signs of recurrence of metastasis” after 12 weeks. In comparison, all of the untreated 11 rats in the control group with liver tumors saw continuous tumor development throughout the same time period and “had to be euthanized within three weeks of initiating the study.”

“We hope that our learnings from this study will motivate future pre-clinical and clinical histotripsy investigations towards the ultimate goal of clinical adoption of histotripsy treatment for liver cancer patients,” Tejaswi Worlikar, a doctoral Biomedical Engineering student at UM and first author of the study, stated in the release.

when they pass -Donors are needed from all races and ethnic groups -All major religions encourage organ donation -Every day around 106,000 people are waiting for an organ transplant Registering to be an organ donor can be completed when receiving a license or ID. Both of these options just require checking the box on paperwork to agree to deceased organ donation. Registration can also be completed on registerme. org or in the iPhone health app under “Register as an Organ Donor.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF DONATELIFE.NET

Organ donation awareness month

BY KATIE BLOOMER, OUTREACH COORDINATOR April is National Donate Life Month which attempts to raise awareness about the life-saving impact of organ donation.

The first successful solid organ transplant was a kidney transplant performed by Doctor E. Murray at Peter Bent Brigham in 1954. A kidney was donated by Ronald Herrick to his twin brother, Richard, who suffered from chronic kidney failure.

In the beginning, transplants were often performed between siblings or other biological relatives. It was be-

lieved that this would help reduce the likelihood of rejection. Now, organ transplants can occur between complete strangers, living and deceased.

Although transplantation is currently limited to solid organs and tissue, there are hopes that scientific advancement will allow more complex procedures, like full face transplants, to be possible. Currently, the ability to recover organs is often limited by the fact that vital organs need to have access to oxygen and do not receive that when natural death occurs. As a result, people who die naturally are not able to donate their organs which is a large restriction for potential donors.

Here are some facts about organ donation: -Organ donation can save up to 8 lives and impact an infinite number of people -Every 9 minutes, another person who needs a transplant is added to the national waiting list -17 people on the waiting list die every day because of a lack of organs -People of all ages should consider themselves potential donors -Only about 3 in 1,000 people can actually become donors

6

Friday, April 29

Campus Pulse

Dariya Baizhigitova ‘24

Christine Huang ‘23

Alana Schmitt ‘24

“Getting hit by a car.”

“There were a lot, can’t pick one :’).”

“Uh, winning our championship for fencing.”

ROVING REPORTER “What was your favorite memory from this semester?”

Lilly Brochu ‘25 “This semester has been so tough, I can’t remember.”

Ryan Connolly ‘25

Isabella Hamm ‘25

“Sitting on Palmer lawn the first day it got nice out with all my friends”

“Probably seeing Pom Pom Squad with my friends.”

Sudoku 5

1

6 6

8

5

3

3

6

8

7

9

8

5 6

5

2

4

2

4

3

7

8

3

2

2 4

6

Generated by http://www.opensky.ca/sudoku on Wed Apr 27 23:12:14 2022 GMT. Enjoy!

“Boomer discord problems.”

9

Justin Estepan ‘23

“Reconnecting with an old friend I haven’t been in touch with recently.”

LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS:

Puzzle 1 (Hard, difficulty rating 0.66)

4

Joshua Meharg ‘24

THIS WEEK’S ANSWERS:

7

Friday, April 29

Opinion THE STUTE EDITORIAL

Farewell, for now Finally, the end of the Spring 2022 semester is almost here. After three short days, our priorities will shift from finishing assignments to studying for finals. And in two weeks, the classes we took this semester will shift from a worrisome menace to mere memory.

For The Stute, this will be our last normal publication of the semester. Our final issue will be featuring graduation festivities and will be published on May 20 to be distributed across campus and at the commencement ceremony. And so, after a year of getting back into the flow of publishing print issues, The Stute staff finally gets a rest. As does the rest of the student body, after finishing one year of being back to fully in-person classes.

To be completely candid, I’m excited about the break, as I’m sure is the rest of The Stute staff. Don’t get me wrong, we love what we do, but it’s also nice to take a step back and just relax. I also can’t say we’ll be getting a complete break, as the summer entails planning Stute Weekend, which is when we invite

incoming freshmen to campus to get a taste of what it’s like working for the paper. We’ll also be discussing our plans for the upcoming semester, finding new opinion columnists, making updates to our layout, and much more. So, although we’re not taking a complete break from all-things-Stute, it’s a break nonetheless.

The Stute has seen many updates, changes, and transitions this year alone, and I anticipate next semester to be no different.

We’ve continually gained new writers and opinion columnists, transitioned e-boards, been in (seemingly never-ending) talks about installing new distribution racks, tried new workflows, acquired new advertisers, and we are currently preparing to move to our office in the new University Complex Center. Through all of this change, I’m proud of the work we’ve produced this academic year, and I am confident that we will continue to grow as an organization in the next year.

I want to take this opportunity to say goodbye to our faithful

Stute-readers and the Stevens we know. So, to those who won’t be on campus on May 20 and to those not attending the graduation ceremony, farewell, for now. Farewell to the study spaces in the Gateway academic buildings that I anticipate will be less crowded with the opening of the towers. Farewell to-

the Colonel John’s. Farewell to the Student Center, which will no longer house student organizations.

Farewell to our old office, which I’m immortalizing in this paper through these photos.

Good luck with finals, and enjoy the summer. We all deserve it.

Sanjana Madhu ‘23 SANJANA MADHU FOR THE STUTE

Editor-in-Chief

MIND OF A FRESHMAN

SECOND YEAR FRESHMAN

The shuffle of life

An object in motion stays in motion

BY KATIE BLOOMER ‘25 The world moves so fast that it can be hard to take a break, even if it’s only for a minute. This weekend, I got lost in the shuff le. Life seemed to scurry past me, like the occasional New York rat that makes its way onto Hoboken territory.

A few days ago, I caught what was either the f lu or the worst cold I had ever had in my life. I had a sore throat, runny nose, and cough—the whole shebang. And no, it was not COVID. I spent the weekend laying in bed, drifting between sleep and staring at the ceiling. I even felt too sick to watch anything on Netf lix, which is hard to believe.

Anyway, I did not do any homework, studying, or anything productive because I was clearly not up for tasks that required more than simply exist-

ing. Once Monday rolled around, I was hit with the harsh reality that the school week was starting, and I was already behind on the work that should have been done over the weekend.

Instead of easing back into classes with a few hours at a desk and some homework, I had to rapidly attempt to complete days of work in between naps, which were the only things getting me through the day. This sounds completely overdramatic, but ask anyone who has been sick at college, and this is the reality.

In addition to the academic stress, this was my first time being away from home while being sick with something worse than a 24-hour cold. It made me realize just how much I rely on my family when feeling under the weather. I am lucky enough to have parents who are there for me when I’m sick and can help with things that are just too much work when I don’t feel well enough to get out of bed. This weekend, I dreamed about homemade soup from my grandma. Can you believe no restaurants on Washington street make vegetarian noodle soup? At

least, none that I could find on GrubHub. Even if I could find it somewhere, I am sure it wouldn’t have tasted as delicious.

Being forced to be independent while being sick made me realize how harsh reality can be. Although the weekend is supposed to be a break, it ends up filled with schoolwork and other tasks that were put on the back burner throughout the week. It is nearly impossible to truly step away from everything for more than a few hours, and if you do manage to sneak away, it typically results in a buildup of work that just needs to be rushed through at a later date.

Unfortunately, there is not much I can do with this information.

I guess one step would be to freeze some of my Grandma’s soup and store it in my dorm room freezer next year. Other than that, I can’t exactly single-handedly change the ancient structure that makes our society move at a sickeningly fast pace.

For now, I will just try to catch up on my work and drown myself in vitamin C with the hope that I don’t get sick at college ever again.

BY KEENAN YATES ‘24 As a kid, I never stopped moving. My mom once told me that she knew that if the house was silent, it was only because I was up to something, and it was usually no good. Whether going through kitchen cabinets or bathroom drawers or collecting flowers or ladybugs from the garden, I never stopped for a breather. And that’s what college has been like.

There are nights spent roller skating, climbing up endless flights of stairs, or stargazing on rooftops.

Days spent running around campus (figuratively, only true freshmen run on campus, not second year freshmen), studying in niches in Gateway, or studiously attending lectures. Evenings are for playing piano, long calls home, swimming, or new adventures. Sunrises are spent awake from the night before, studying for

the day’s exams, furiously typing on my laptop to catch another idea, or simply planning out my day.

I’ve had so many moments this past semester that have been such core memories that I have wanted to put them into bottles to relive them down the line. And in all of this busyness, life has felt nothing short of vibrant, even in the best and worst of times.

It’s no question that I’ve grown a significant amount in these past two years. If you sat down any given person and asked if they grew up by some amount between ages eighteen to twenty, I’m sure the answer would be a resounding yes. And yes! I am twenty now, as the lovely box in last week’s edition noted. But it’s not only the age that signifies me being older now — I feel so much older. The other day I was automatically given the senior discount at the grocery store, which I graciously accepted. I found myself logging into FaceBook unironically and posting minion memes the second I turned twenty. And, worst of all, I started having terrible back pains, which could also be attributed to my carrying the Design 4 team through the semester. Needless to say, it’s evident that this new decade is the beginning

of an era, but the terrible sense of humor has certainly stayed.

With the starting of a new chapter comes the ending of old ones, and it’s with a good mixture of reluctance and relief that I say this is my last time writing for Second Year Freshman. In order to prepare for this moment, I went back to reread some of my first articles, back when I had first arrived in Hoboken and couldn’t put a name to a picture of a single building on campus. Quite frankly, rereading those articles has almost been like opening up those bottled memories and getting to relive those days.

Back when I didn’t know a single person in this town.

When I would walk 3.2 miles roundtrip to swim in Union City. When I discovered coffee. When I learned that rain meant bathtubs of water, not light sprinkling.

And when I learned that I could do it all here, so long as I was organized.

I can’t help it, as much as writing this column has been a royal pain most Sunday nights, I’m going to miss it greatly. It’s been an outlet, something that requires me to sit down and take a moment to rest while I type away. But like I said, with the starting of a new chapter comes the ending of old ones, and it’s been real SYF.

that Spring, and they were wrong. The pandemic caused pandemonium, as the administration and student organizations tried to navigate the unfamiliar situation along with the rest of the world.

The Spring 2020 semester was continued virtually, and unbeknownst to anyone, this would continue for well over a year. During the 20202021 academic year, the SGA pushed for Pass/Fail initiatives, and got concessions from the administration.

It was during this time that I was elected and served the entirety of my term as Business Manager of The Stute and was elected as President of the Lodge. My time on these E-Boards in particular helped to define my college life. The Stute allowed me to stay involved,

whatever that meant during remote classes, and during my time as President the Lodge became home for me, and my Brothers became a part of my family.

Last semester, classes transitioned to being primarily on campus with certain restrictions, allowing us seniors to scavenge our last year back. Having classes like we used to back in the day has seemed incredibly boring compared to all the uncertainty and confusion that we’ve faced over the past few years.

With all this being said, congratulations to my fellow seniors, and I hope that the rest of you younger folks enjoy the next few years.

Yours Truly, The Stute’s Resident Dinosaur

SENIORITIS

The last four years: a retrospective

BY ALEKSANDAR DIMOSKI ‘22 Unless President Farvardin himself denies me my degree, I’ll be graduating in a little under a month. That’s less than 4 weeks until I finally get that slip of paper that’ll let employers know I can sit in a classroom for several hours a day and (usually) turn in my homework on time. Knowing that it’ll all come to an end and that I’ll

need to transform myself into a real adult in the very near future has left me in a reflective mood. As I think back on the past four years, I find that while I could’ve done a lot better, I’m happy with my college experience.

My first year of college in the Fall of 2018 was very slow. I had a hard time adjusting to the lifestyle, so I found myself spending most of my time working on classwork and resting. Over time, I realized that I wanted more out of my experience, so I started working toward making more friends and becoming more involved on campus. In high school, I valued the community and organizations that I was a part of, so I started participating in events on campus and joined the Philosophy Club.

As a sophomore, I started to get into the swing of things. I joined The Stute, writing at least one news article a week. I met a lot of great people and developed an understanding of how the school actually works. Writing about the construction on campus? Reach out to Dean Nilsen. Working on an article about smoking? Talk to someone in the Student Government Association (SGA). I felt like an active member of the community, and I loved being able to see how different parts of the school operated. This was also the time that I joined my Fraternity, the Lodge.

That year, the school was having a few ‘logistical issues.’ Delays in the construction of the Gateway Academic Center left profes-

sors and students unaware of where their classes were until the first day of class. It took several weeks and several classroom changes for the registrar to finally figure out where to hold classes. During this time, Stevens was also recovering from a devastating cyberattack (the result of all administrator’s passwords being Stevens1870), which resulted in the shutdown of the Stevens Wi-Fi and the delay of several important institutional operations, such as the evaluation of transfer credits, tuition payments, and more.

The year ended even more disastrously than it started.

After getting through the cyberattack in the Fall of 2019, the Stevens community thought that it would be able to enjoy a normal semester

8

Friday, April 29

Opinion SCIENTIFIC CURMUDGEON

THE CONVERSATION

We need to talk about how to end war for good

Freedom of speech, Twitter, and Elon Musk

BY JOHN HORGAN CAL PROFESSOR I recently asked my firstyear humanities classes: Will war ever end? I specified that I had in mind the end of war and even the threat of war between nations. I primed my students by assigning “War Is Only an Invention” by anthropologist Margaret Mead and “A History of Violence” by psychologist Steven Pinker.

Some students suspect, like Pinker, that war stems from deep-rooted evolutionary impulses. Others agree with Mead that war is a cultural “invention” and not a “biological necessity.”

But whether they see war as springing primarily from nature or nurture, almost all my students answered: No, war will never end.

War is inevitable, they say, because humans are innately greedy and belligerent. Or because militarism, like capitalism, has become a permanent part of our culture. Or because, even if most of us hate war, warmongers like Hitler and Putin will always arise, forcing peace-loving people to fight

in self-defense.

My students’ reactions don’t surprise me. I started asking if war will ever end almost 20 years ago, during the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

Since then I’ve polled thousands of people of all ages and political persuasions in the U.S. and elsewhere.

About nine out of ten people say war is inevitable.

This fatalism is understandable. The U.S. has been at war non-stop since 9/11.

Although American troops left Afghanistan last year after 20 years of violent occupation, the U.S. still maintains a global military empire spanning 80 countries and territories. Russia’s attack on Ukraine reinforces our sense that when one war ends, another begins.

War fatalism pervades our culture. In The Expanse, a sci-fi series I’m reading, a character describes war as a “madness” that comes and goes but never vanishes.

“I’m afraid that as long as we’re human,” he says, war “will be with us.”

This fatalism is wrong in two ways. First, it is wrong empirically. Research confirms Mead’s claim that war, far from having deep evolutionary roots, is a relatively recent cultural invention.

And as Pinker has shown, war has declined sharply since World War II, in spite of recent conflicts. War between France and Germany, bitter enemies for centuries, has become as inconceivable as war between the U.S. and

Canada.

Fatalism is also wrong morally because it helps perpetuate war. If we think war will never end, we are unlikely to try to end it. We are more likely to maintain armed forces to deter attacks and win wars when they inevitably break out.

Consider how some leaders are reacting to the war in Ukraine. President Joe Biden wants to boost the U.S. annual military budget to $813 billion, its highest level ever. The U.S. already spends more than three times as much on armed forces as China and twelve times as much as Russia, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, SIPRI. The prime minister of Estonia, Kaja Kallas, is urging other NATO nations to increase their military spending.

“Sometimes the best way to achieve peace is to be willing to use military strength,” she states in The New York Times.

The late military historian John Keegan cast doubt on the peace-throughstrength thesis. In his 1993 magnum opus A History of Warfare, Keegan argues that war stems primarily neither from “human nature” nor economic factors but from the “institution of war itself.” Preparing for war makes it more rather than less likely, according to Keegan’s analysis.

War also diverts resources, ingenuity and en-

ergy away from other urgent problems. Nations collectively spend roughly $2 trillion a year on armed forces, with the U.S. accounting for almost half that amount.

That money is dedicated to death and destruction instead of to education, health care, clean-energy research and anti-poverty programs.

As the nonprofit World Beyond War documents, war and militarism “severely damage the natural environment, erode civil liberties, and drain our economies.”

Even the most just war is unjust. During World War II the U.S. and its allies--the good guys!--dropped firebombs and nuclear weapons on civilians. The U.S. is criticizing Russia, rightly so, for killing civilians in Ukraine.

But since 9/11, U.S. military operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria and Yemen have resulted in the deaths of more than 387,072 civilians, according to the Costs of War project at Brown University.

Russia’s attack on Ukraine has exposed war’s horrors for all to see. Instead of beefing up our armaments in response to this catastrophe, we should talk about how to create a world in which such bloody conflicts never happen. Ending war won’t be easy, but it should be a moral imperative, as much so as ending slavery and the subjugation of women. The first step toward ending war is believing it is possible.

UN status as a sovereign republic will break down a lot of the barriers between you and a more relaxed lifestyle. It will also let you offer as many patents to design groups as you want, although they would only be recognized in your little country until you got some international agreements working.

Go to Spiderman: Far From Home Depot. Although not today, Off Center’s final show of the semester is sure to have you clutching your oblique muscles in B118 at 3 p.m. tomorrow!

Off the Press would like to personally and formally thank you for keeping up with our journalism this semester, wish our graduating editors and reporters well, and look forward to seeing you next semester!

Introduction Elon Musk tweeted out a poll asking users if Twitter adheres to the principle of free speech being essential to a functioning democracy in which 70.4% of users voted no. He instructed users to vote carefully because the “consequences of this poll will be important.” Since this tweet, Twitter has accepted Musk’s buyout deal of $44 billion.

Campus Conservative, Marisa Powers In response to Musk’s acquisition of Twitter and advocacy for free speech on the platform, author Max Boot said, “For democracy to survive, we need more content moderation, not less.” A proper democracy calls for civil discourse, which cannot occur with “more content moderation,” especially if only one side of the aisle is the victim of more content moderation.

In my opinion, Twitter has a left-favoring political bias.

They claim they are “home to a world of diverse people, perspectives, ideas, and information,” but actively censor content and users they define as “harmful” or “dangerous.” This is evident in their suspension and censorship of prominent conservative figures, such as former president Donald Trump, Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, The New York Post, and so on.

Musk’s definition of free speech is as follows: “Is someone you don’t like allowed to say something you don’t like? Then you have free speech.” Free speech should not only be available to those who Twitter deems acceptable. Musk’s plans for Twitter include less strict content moderation rules, among other things. He stated, “I’m not saying I have all the answers, but I do think we want to be very reluctant to delete things, and just be very cautious with permanent bans.” Ben Shapiro said that “it should not be Twitter’s job to try to make discourse better, it should be their job to allow discourse,” which is why I think Musk’s plans to transform Twitter into a private company are

justified.

In my view, Elon Musk purchasing Twitter is a win for free speech, and his actions shine an important light on the hypocrisy of the platform.

Campus Liberal, Tasha Khosla From my perspective, Musk’s vision is nothing more than just an unreachable ideal and will inadvertently do more harm than good. To Musk Twitter has become “kind of the de facto town square. So it’s just really important that people have both the reality and the perception that they are able to speak freely within the bounds of the law.”

Although Musk’s plans to broaden freedom of speech “within the bounds of the law” sounds positive in theory, in practice, it would not be successful in regulating harmful language on the platform.

Historically, Twitter has not been a safe space for women, particularly women of color, to express their thoughts and opinions. In general, Twitter users from marginalized communities have experienced harassment and abuse during their time on the platform.

In 2021 alone, Twitter recorded “record amounts” of hate speech on the platform.

A study even found that “Women of color [...] were 34% more likely to be mentioned in abusive or problematic tweets than white women.”

Twitter’s already apparent toxicity makes Musk’s vision more dangerous, as those who have already experienced online abuse on the platform will be even more unlikely to continue using it. Although Musk acknowledges that different countries have different limitations on free speech imposed and is willing to respect that, his plan does not acknowledge the current issues with the platform.

Conclusion Both sides disagree on Musk’s actions and have different opinions on what should be done to improve the platform.

cover y from the pandemic.”

These moves continue a trend of the PE firm’s aggressive expansion into the REIT market after previously purchasing Preferred Apartment Communities (APTS : N YSE) in Februar y for $5.8 Billion cash and private REIT Resource REIT Inc (RREO) for $3.7 Billion in Januar y.

The likely mindset behind Blackrock is to capitalize on the rise in mortgage rates, which have risen for seven consecutive weeks, settling in at a 12 year high. The current rate for 30-year

fixed mortgages is sitting at 5.11%, up from the last high experienced by the market in November of 2018 at 4.94% and the highest since April 2010, according to mortgage loan company Freddie Mac. For reference, just a year ago, the 30-year mortgage fixed rate was 2.97%.

It certainly w ill be interesting to see how the demand in the real estate market progresses, especially w ith the consensus that the Fed will hike rates by at least 50 Basis Points consistently, with some speculating that rates w ill reach

or surpass neutral expectations of 2.25-2.50% by the end of this year.

The ultimate question for firms in the real estate sphere is how will these rising rates impact the economy? Will they prove profitable for mortgage lenders, who are able to charge higher rates, or will they prove to send the economy into recession, thus crashing the demand for housing and lowering prices?

The anticipation is high as the Fed plans its next move.

OFF THE PRESS

What to do at the Innovation Expo

BY OFF CENTER In classic Stevens fashion, the annual Innovation Expo is happening today as groups of seniors who have worked tirelessly on these projects for the last two semesters finally get to show them off. This is a spectacular event, full of people we know and things to do, so we had our writers, who have never been to one of these events before, compile a list of all the must-see attractions and things to do today.

Download the Innovation Expo app. Having the app is a great way to disguise what you’re actually looking at on your phone when your quasi-friend is telling you about their project on seagull migration patterns. “Are you texting someone about how bored you are right now?” they

ask. You quickly flip to the app. “Nope, just checking out your explanation of how medium-sized birds exceed their normal flight range under optimal wind conditions along the Floridian coast,” you reply. Crisis averted.

Check out Placecard.

This wedding-seating service was made by some of the best and brightest computer science majors.

Some of our editors had the chance to assist with the project by submitting sample data, and based on the data we provided, it should be a smashing success.

Join a geometry club.

This will massively improve your social status as you impress all the math majors with your knowledge of triangles and circles. One of our editors even memorized 41 digits of pi to impress some of the members. It

will also help you comment on the shapes of the tables the design groups are at with enlightening remarks like, “Yup, that’s a rectangular table.”

Go vegan. A plant-based diet will allow you to more fully appreciate the complexity and magnitude of the amazing projects our seniors have been working on. One of our editors has been eating nothing but green beans and kale for weeks to prepare for this, and he is going to have an enlightening experience.

Being vegan for just the day should be sufficient to really get into the nitty-gritty of the lifecycle of E. Faecalis.

Establish an independent republic. This is a great way to de-stress as we come into the last few weeks of the semester. Being able to operate outside local, state, and federal laws due to your

BY MARISA POWERS ‘23 AND TASHA KHOSLA ‘25

NOT FINANCIAL TIMES (NFT)

Blackstone bets real estate

BY JOSEPH AMES ‘24 First and foremost, I would like to personally thank Roshni Revankar for all her ser vice to The Stute and Stevens community. I look for ward to taking over this business news column next semester and onwards,

hoping to bring as much insight and analysis into current events and companies I follow.

On April 25, Blackstone announced that it would acquire Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) PS Business Parks (PSB : N YSE) for $7.6 billion including debt. This comes less than a week after the private equity firm acquired student housing owner and developer, American Campus Communities (ACC : N YSE) for $12.8 billion including debt.

As part of the take-private component of the

deal, Blackstone w ill pay $187.50—a 15% premium over the 60 day weighted average—for each outstanding share of PS Business Parks. In their acquisition of American Campus Communities, Blackstone paid a 14% premium above dealday’s closing price of $65.47 per share.

According to Reuters, “Mergers and acquisitions (M& A) activity involving REITs reached a record high in 2021, driven by a robust U.S. housing market, availability of cheap capital from low interest rates, and strong economic re-

9

Friday, April 29

Opinion TECHNICALLY SPEAKING

What’s happening with Netflix

BY SANJANA MADHU ‘23 It’s hard to remember life before major streaming services. Regardless of whether you’re a Hulu hound, an HBO Max habitué, a Disney Plus devotee, or a Prime patron, it’s likely that you are a faithful subscriber to at least one streaming service.

But one streaming service, perhaps the most famed, esteemed service of them all, has fallen down a rabbit hole (seemingly to the point of no return). Netflix, the OG streaming service, has lost subscribers for the first time in over one decade, bringing an end to the Netflix reign.

Netflix has reported a loss of 200,000 subscribers. While this is less than 0.1% of its userbase, it “was

enough to send Wall Street panicking, with shares plunging more than 30 percent.” While this drop seems minimal, it seems as if the worst is yet to come; “The company anticipates a much larger drop in its second quarter—of around two million net subscribers,” and they expect to see very minimal growth in subscribers for the remainder of 2022 and throughout 2023.

Netflix also cites the war in Russia as a reason for the major loss in subscribers after its “decision to drop all its subscribers in Russia.”

There’s also the problem that there’s too much competition, and people have resorted to subscribing to far too many streaming services to obtain the content they want to see. Because of this, increasing rates can quickly influence customers to unsubscribe to a streaming service. However, to Netflix’s benefit, “According to Deloitte, 25 percent of U.S. customers have canceled a streaming service only to resubscribe to it within a year.”

Netflix has also been seeing more backlash in recent

years. While it used to seem like there wasn’t anything that Netflix didn’t have, now many users spend hours flipping through suggestions trying to find something remotely interesting to watch.

Of course, I’ve tried Netflix’s new shuffle feature “Play Something,” but I’m never satisfied with what they choose for me. More recently, shows like “The Crown,” “Ozark,” and “Bridgerton,” have allowed Netflix to stay in the running. However, these shows will soon be ending, and Netflix has few franchises to replace these

popular ones.

But, if the trends of increasing prices and uninteresting content continue, there may be more losses in subscribers in Netflix’s future. Netflix has plans to also start incorporating ads into their service to account for the loss in subscribers and to try to decrease their rising prices. Netflix has long been a firm believer in no-ads to set them apart from its competitors, but it seems that ads are its only avenue to success. If these ads don’t significantly decrease prices, this may be

the death of Netflix.

That’s not to say that there’s no hope for Netflix.

They’ve spearheaded the streaming service movement and have seemed to dominate for quite a while now. I’ve always had a soft spot for Netflix. While I don’t pay much attention to their new content, there’s a certain comfort in knowing that many of my favorite comfort shows reside through Netflix. And while I’m not ready to give up my subscription just yet, the unfavorable changes may just force my hand.

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

PHOTO COURTESY OF NETFLIX.COM

SPOILER ALERT

CPAC is Coming Soon

BY EMMA TONG ‘25 Are you interested in anime, manga, or gaming? Do you want to be in a social setting? Have you touched grass recently? If you answered yes to any of these then, you should go to the Castle Point Anime Convention (CPAC).

For those who don’t know, an anime convention is a place where people who like anime, manga, gaming, or other related subcategories usually gather. You are able to interact through games, events, or even through common meetups. It is also a place where people can express themselves and their love for the medium.

So why don’t I introduce to you some of the features that the Castle Point Anime Convention offers?

One of the big events at anime conventions is panels, where you get to meet big figures in the community whether that be voice actors, cosplayers, artists, or internet celebrities. You get to interact with them through a Q&A, and they may even show off their talents or new things they are working on. This year we have voice actors like Brianna Knickerbocker and Anne Yatco that voiced acted in shows like Jujistu Kaisen and Demon Slayer. We also have cosplayers like White Rabbit and Ginger Kitty, in addition to some like Lilypichu and IGumDrop, who are anime-associated internet celebrities.

Guest panels aren’t the only ones that are included: panels with game shows or even workshops are great for learning new things or even meeting people who have your own specific interest.

Another big event during the anime convention is a dealer’s room. This is usually the biggest room of a convention and where vendors come to sell their products which usually are anime merchan-

dise like figures, clothing, or even manga. Here, you can find some niche items you wouldn’t be able to find anywhere else. There also may be some companies trying to promote their new games or anime coming out. Those usually give out free promotional material so lookout. Another area adjacent to that is the Artist Alley, which is usually independent artists that sell their art usually in prints or stickers. I especially love going to the artist alley because you get to support small creators, especially those who love and are in the same community as you.

One huge component of conventions is cosplay. This is where you dress up like an anime character. It is fun to see people walk around dressed up as your favorite characters and in CPAC, there are even competitions and shows involving cosplay. One example is Cosplay Masquerade which is a performance someone does in cosplay; this is a big event and a show that one must check out. There’s also Cosplay Runway where people just get to show off their cosplays to a big crowd. CPAC even has a cosplay repair booth so people can come to fix their cosplay in case something happens before a big show. Also, I help run it so make sure to stop by and say hi!

In addition to these parts of the convention, there are many more things to do like going to an art live stream where people will be showing how they draw art (continuation from last year), a gaming section (retro games to DnD), and even some dance performance, or an aniparty (where people can vibe to anime-inspired songs).

But the main appeal of an anime convention, I feel, is to be in that unique atmosphere where loving anime is normalized and being surrounded by those who love it too. It’s a celebration of that and I think whether you decide on talking to people, expressing yourself, or even grabbing some Japanese inspired food. One will have a great time at CPAC, so mark your calendars. It goes from April 30 to May 1 and is only $10 for Stevens students, so clear your schedules and come.

Are you looking for healthier lunch options in Hoboken?

10

Friday, April 29

Opinion LETTER TO THE EDITOR

The case for compensating student leaders

BY KEENAN YATES ‘24 Should the success of a student organization come from the financial sacrifice of its leaders? Clubs like the Entertainment Committee (EC), The Stute, Stevens Institute of Technology Television and Film club (SITTV), the Student Government Association (SGA), and Castle Point Radio (WCPR), among others, require a hefty time commitment from their members, especially those in leadership positions, for the events and services they put on. Yet, students are not paid for the countless hours they put in. This brings us to the question: is it time for Stevens to start paying students for their work? Techfest Director Olivia Scott, The Stute’s Editor-in-Chief Sanjana Madhu, and SITTV President Lennox Kolics weigh in on what the time commitment looks like in their organizations currently, and how payment would change the game moving forward.

EC is well known for its diverse range of events offered to the Stevens Undergraduate community. Entirely student-run, EC coordinates events and offers subsidized tickets and transportation to things like Broadway shows, concerts, sporting events, and more, to make outings in New York City and other locations more affordable.

On campus specifically, EC puts on some of the largest events in the academic year, including the Holiday Tree Lighting, Founder’s Day Ball, and Techfest.

And yet, it struggles to fill its E-board. In the words of Scott, senior Business and Technology major and Techfest Director, the truth is that the club offers “Too much work and not enough rewards” to make it feasible for students. “Over the past

couple of years, the scope of EC has extended past what students can handle while pursuing an education fulltime,” Scott elaborated in an email interview with The Stute. While EC brings all sorts of fun events and experiences to the undergraduate community, it comes at the expense of students who could be investing their time elsewhere. “Certain leadership positions require a minimum of 10 hours/week however, we have clocked weeks where students have been working 30-40 hours for EC on top of being a fulltime student, working an internship/job, etc. At other Universities, these positions are often filled by full-time staff or paid student workers.” Despite the benefits EC offers to the student body, planning the 25-30 events a semester that Stevens expects has “become more of a burden than fun” on its leaders.

Members at The Stute similarly understand the dedication, commitment, and extensive planning that goes into having a successful organization. The Stute puts out nearly a thousand copies of a 10 to 12 page print publication weekly for both Fall and Spring Semester terms, which requires a talented yet diverse team of photographers, copyeditors, writers, layout editors, as well as other editors and the E-board itself to make the paper a reality. Even for those who have not experienced this process firsthand, it is evident from both the physical paper, weekly newsletter, and the online presence at thestute. com and on various social media platforms, that The Stute as an organization demands massive amounts of time from its contributing members. Madhu, Editor-in-Chief and former Managing Editor of The

Stute has been a part of the organization since her freshman year here at Stevens.

In her three-going-on-four years of firsthand experience, Madhu tells, “A great deal of time and effort goes into coordinating articles, interviewing sources, doing the layout of the paper, etc.” This ultimately makes working at the newspaper “as time-consuming as a job” and as such, “it makes sense that some schools pay their newspaper staff” for the work they put in. A similar sentiment to Scott, Madhu adds, “And at the end of the day, we’re still students enrolled in difficult courseloads” who have commitments to other clubs on campus as well.

For SITTV’s President Kolics, the general consensus is clear. “If Stevens/other organizations would have to pay professionals to do the work we are doing if we weren’t offering our services, it only makes sense for us to be paid for doing that work.”

SITTV documents Stevens’ history, and as Kolics points out, “without us, most clubs wouldn’t have a reliable way to record and livestream their events.” There are often several events a week for SITTV to film, the hours of which are equivalent to that of a part-time job. The reality is, as Kolics frames it, “Most people don’t have that much time to spare to do what is, quite frankly, free labor.” Beyond documenting, live streaming, and the set up and take down of equipment involved at each event it covers, SITTV also requires a large amount of time from its members for their editing and processing services in order to put out quality work. Similar to EC and The Stute, SITTV has reached the point where, in certain leadership positions, it has surpassed the commitment level of a club and

OP-ED

The legacy of Avril Lavigne

BY KAYDEN CANNILLA ‘24 Avril Lavigne first made waves with her debut album Let Go in 2002 and her effects on the music industry are undeniable. She’s been credited with launching the pop-punk genre into the mainstream and paving the way for other young, female artists in and beyond pop-punk. Compared to the monumental success of her early work, Lavigne’s 2022 album Love Sux is, well, flat. Don’t get me wrong, there are worthwhile tracks on the album; Travis Barker produced it and was the drummer for eight of the 12 songs, and the percussion is definitely a standout on the album. The album as a whole does a good job of returning to Lavigne’s formulaic poppunk, but it’s missing some of the original edge that made her famous.

Part of what made Lavigne so revolutionary was that both her musical style and image were original concepts, with brazen disregard for the stereotypical pop singer. She was called the “Teen-Pop Slayer,” pitting her against the mold that Britney Spears popularized for white female singers in the 90s. Let Go (2002) and Under My Skin (2004) were genre-changing bodies of work; you’d be hard-pressed to find another artist from this age whose influence has

reached as far as hers has.

Pop-punk dominated the airwaves in the early 2000s and sprawled into countless indie subgenres, emo rap, and into the 2010s. From Billie Eilish to 5 Seconds of Summer, Ed Sheeran to Charli XCX, even Nipsey Hussle to Rico Nasty, Avril Lavigne skated so that they could run.

I’m a big fan of music videos, and Avril Lavigne’s early music videos, even the ones with lower production, are so good. “Complicated” and “Sk8er Boi” perfectly capture Lavigne’s signature image: a cool, edgy skater, disrespectful towards authority but still vulnerable, caught up in dramatic teenage relationships.

It’s effortless; even when logic tells you they definitely hired a stunt double when Lavigne front-flips and dunks in the “Complicated” music video, it still feels like something she would do.

Her charisma made her viral before internet fame was really a thing; the original music video for “Girlfriend” was the first video on YouTube to reach 100 million views.

One caveat is that they are occasionally laced with the 2000s trend of not-so-subtle product placement, though this doesn’t always necessarily detract from the video. I’d commend the Sony executive who paid for an ad slot in a music video where Avril uses a chainsaw built into her guitar to cut off the head of a half bear, half-shark

creature. (Please, go watch the “Rock N Roll” music video right now, it should have won an Oscar).

So then, when you look at her 2022 work, they just can’t compete where they don’t compare. To me, a good music video can save a bad song, but a bad music video can definitely kill a mediocre song. In the case of “Bite Me”, Avril Lavigne and Travis Barker are just standing around lip-syncing the song. There’s nothing particularly bad about it, but by the same token, it’s not all that interesting. It’s a shame that she gained popularity by subverting expectations, yet the most unexpected thing about her new work is that it’s kind of boring. As for the album, separate from the music videos, the opening track “Cannonball” intrigued me because it has elements of hyperpop with some Avril twist. “Deja Vu” and “Love Sux” definitely delivers on the nostalgic teenage angst that she’s pretty much created the blueprint for, so I expected to like those songs.

I think I’d say “Break Of A Heartache” is my favorite; it’s snarky, fast-paced, and leaves me wanting more, which is ironic since it’s the shortest song on the album.

I think that statement echoes my overall impression of the album: I think I was hoping for more from the inventor of punk-rock.

become reminiscent of a job.

Given that these organizations require an extensive commitment from those in higher-level leadership positions, it makes sense that students would ask for financial compensation for their work. Historically, not having any compensation has caused members of these organizations, and those of similar ilk, to step down from their positions— or even leave these organizations altogether—due to the steep opportunity cost involved.

Paying students who hold demanding leadership positions is not a new concept at the undergraduate level; many colleges throughout the country do so in order to fairly compensate students.

Prior to the Fall of 2021, The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) provided stipends ranging from $10,000 to $15,000 annually for those in executive roles of Student Government, Student Finance Board, and the College Union Board. Effective in Fall 2021, these stipends were set to be brought down to $5,500 — a drastic reduction that more closely resembles the $3,200 average compensation for student leaders in similar positions nationwide. Southwest of Hoboken, George Washington University (GW) also provides scholarships to students involved with certain student organizations like WRGW, their student-run radio station, and the Cherry Tree Yearbook, according to their website. In 2022, the president and vice president of the Student Association at GW were each provided $11,250 for the academic year. In a statement from GW spokesperson Crystal Nosal, “The University provides awards to recognize and honor the time, energy and passion that student

leaders dedicate to specific roles in order to make meaningful contributions to the greater GW community.” Ultimately, providing such scholarships “makes these roles accessible to a greater number of students” which is not the case at Stevens currently.

Naturally, there are benefits and drawbacks to this system. Providing scholarships or stipends would foremost lead to more financial stability and accountability. “Student leaders would be able to comfortably contribute their time and energy to their org without the worry of how that commitment impacts their finances.” Scott went on to explain that the financial motive would “encourage leaders to perform better.” However, Madhu concedes that “it might slightly take away from the camaraderie and enjoyment of participating in the organization.” Currently, students put in the hours of work because they enjoy what they do, and adding a stipend or scholarship component might change their motives. “I would hate to see students lose passion for their clubs because they start to view them as a ‘job’ and not something they enjoy,” Madhu closes.

“Our campus is growing and Stevens has ongoing efforts to achieve equity, making this a pertinent part of the overall conversation” Kolics notes. “Wanting monetary compensation isn’t selfish, nor does it defeat the purpose of our organizations whose core appeal is a genuine interest in their respective realms. GBM’s offer fun spaces to connect and learn, while outside work is just that – work.

This is about knowing your worth and asking for it to be respected.”

Stevens philosphers discuss the nature of dreams

BY KAYDEN CANNILLA, CONTRIBUTOR The writers for Stevens philosophy journal, Palaver, met on Wednesday to have a panel discussion about their Spring 2022 topic, dreams. The journal, available as a PDF or print, includes four prompts on the nature of dreams. For each prompt, a Stevens student and professor wrote a series of essays, responding to the prompt and to their respective pair. The goal of the dialogues and the panel was to be able to deeper discuss the philosophical concepts than if they were approached alone. Andrew Phillips, Professor Sarah Minsloff, Aleks Dimoski, Professor John Horgan, and Professor Nemira Kopp wrote for the journal and Milena Sudarikov, Garrett Kincaid, and Professor Benjamin Ogden wrote and serves as Editorial Board members.

Kincaid inspired the topic of discussion, as he has kept a comprehensive dream journal with 60,000 words and nearly 300 entries. During the panel, the speakers responded to audience questions and insights. The group spent much of the time discussing whether dreams have inherent meaning or if any meaning drawn from them is just meaning ascribed.

Professor Ogden and the board invited any interested Stevens community members to fill out the form via the QR code in order to read or contribute to the journal in future.