[The Stute] September 17, 2021 (Issue 3, CXIX)

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VOLUME CXIX No. 3

HOBOKEN, NJ | SEPTEMBER 17, 2021

The student newspaper of Stevens Institute of Technology, and creator of Attila the Duck. www.thestute.com Instagram @thestute facebook.com/stevensthestute NEW STUTE EVERY FRIDAY • EST. 1904

AFTERMATH OF IDA Hudson County receives FEMA disaster declaration

BY MATTHEW CUNNINGHAM

Editor Emeritus

PHOTO BY CAROLINE MONTANA FOR THE STUTE

Following the devastating Hurricane Ida that flooded roads, shut down power, and killed dozens of people, Hudson County received a Major Disaster Declaration by the Federal Emergency Management, according to Mayor Ravi Bhalla in a city-wide announcement released last Friday.

The storm, which caused historic flash flooding, tornadoes, and record rainfall, resulted

The 20th anniversary of 9/11, across the water and on ground zero

BY JOSEPH AMES Contributing Reporter

—FEATURED OP-ED— The first thing many students visiting Stevens notice is the view of the New York City skyline, specifically the view from Babbio

Patio. However, this view was significantly different 20 years ago. Then, on what many thought would be a typical Tuesday, the view— and the fate of the modern world—changed forever.

While the view of the Freedom Tower from Babbio may stand out on most days, on September 11, it

matters not what building stands tallest in Manhattan. Rather, on this day every year, we remember the lives lost and those forever changed. Et ex cincere surgimus: through the ashes we rise.

Stevens’ Memorial A crowd gathered outside of Babbio. In the

background, Fantisie No.1 Largo, performed by Carter Rosen ‘23 on the violin, played. At 9:30 a.m., the bagpipes rang out, beginning with You’re A Grand Ole Flag and worked their way through the military marching songs. Then came the presentation of the colors by Air Force ROTC offi-

cers. All the while, the New York City skyline stood tall in the background as if to beckon the attention of the crowd.

From the opening words delivered by Chief of Campus Police, Tim Griffin, to the somber memorial walk

SEE 9/11 PAGE 5 PHOTO COURTESY OF NJ.COM

Stevens collaborates with RPI on an NSFfunded research center

BY GRACE MIGUEL

Hoboken City Council introduces new Division of Housing

BY LEIGHA TIERNEY Staff Writer

On August 5, the creation of the Division of Housing of the Hoboken City Council was announced by Mayor Ravi Bhalla. Mayor Bhalla has appointed Councilwoman Vanessa Falco as the lead-

er of the Housing Division, who will begin her new position in January 2022 following the end of her term on the City Council in December 2021.

According to an announcement made by Mayor Bhalla, the goal of the Housing Division will be to provide Hoboken residents with

Senior Staff Writer

more resources and greater access to affordable housing options. The Division of Housing will be situated within the existing Department of Community Development, which is responsible for overseeing all property development in Hoboken.

The Housing Division will also oversee the Rent Control

Office. By restructuring the Department of Community Development to include the Division of Housing, the new addition can better utilize funding allocated to the Rent Control Office and increase access to affordable housing resources to residents.

SEE HOUSE PAGE 2

MAYOR RAVI S. BHALLA WELCOMES COUNCILWOMAN VANESSA FALCO AS THE NEW HEAD OF THE CITY’S DIVISION OF HOUSING. PHOTO COURTESY OF HOBOKENNJ.GOV.

Stevens Institute of Technology and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) have been awarded the first National Science Foundation (NSF) grant committed to establishing an industry-university research center. Known as The Center for Research in Advancing Financial Technologies (CRAFT), it is focused on the emerging industry of financial technology (fintech). The NSF is typically centered around the natural sciences like physics, biology, and chemistry, but this focus on finance and technology is new for the foundation.

The idea of creating a fintech cooperative research center began three years ago. According to Steve Yang, a graduate and PhD

in the tragic deaths of at least 30 people. In Hudson County, many towns experienced severe flooding, particularly Jersey City, Hoboken, and Bayonne. Weehawken was hit with mudslides. North Bergen, West New York, Union City, Secaucus, and the rest of Hudson County faced floods from the massive rainfall.

In the days that followed the storm, a boil water notice was issued by local authorities, urging residents to boil their water for at least one minute and allow it to cool before drinking or using it in food. According to authorities, the storm damaged local infrastructure that

SEE IDA PAGE 3 PHOTO COURTESY OF NJ.COM

SEE RPI PAGE 2

NEWS (2)

SCIENCE (4)

OPINION (8-11)

Read more about the CRAFT research center and the new Hoboken Division of Housing

Is composting worth it?

Read all about Hoboken’s expanded composting program + a composting FAQ

NEWS (3)

Opinion (5)

Read about the Stevens Esports club “After a long day of classes, many members of the Stevens Esports Club prefer to...”

Read more of our featured Op-Ed on 9/11 “A massive crowd gathered around the perimeter of the One World Trade Center...”

The Stute Editorial Mind of a Freshman Senioritis Second-Year Freshman Scientific Curmudgeon Off The Press Passion for Fashion Technically Speaking PULSE (12)

Roving Reporter

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Friday, September 17

News

Executive Board EDITOR-IN-CHIEF......................................................................NATALIE TODARO ‘22 BUSINESS MANAGER................................................................JORDYN RAMELLI ‘23 MANAGING EDITOR....................................................................SANJANA MADHU ‘23 LAYOUT EDITOR.................................................................................KEENAN YATES ‘24 OUTREACH CHAIR................................................................GIANNA CALLEGARI ‘24 DIGITAL MANAGER...........................................................................BEMIN SHAKER ‘23 SECRETARY.........................................................................ZANE THUMMBORST ‘23

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RPI

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Falco’s appointment as the head of the Housing Division was met with some criticism from Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher and Councilwoman Jennifer Giattino. In a joint press release, Fisher and Giattino cited specific state codes, including one that stated “No independent local authority shall, for a period of one year next subsequent to the termination of office of a member of that authority […] employ for compensation […] any former member of that authority.” Fisher and Giattino also called on the Attorney General to investigate the legality of Mayor Bhalla’s appointment. Fisher and Giattino’s claims were disputed by many city council members, including Phil Cohen, Jim Doyle, Emily Jabbour, and Falco herself. In a memo from the law firm Antonelli Kantor, P.C., which has an active contract with the city of Hoboken, it was determined that no ethics violations were made by the appointment; “There is no basis in fact or law to assert that this action was taken by the Mayor for his own personal gain or to garner influence; therefore, such actions are lawful and not in violation of any section of the Local Government Ethics Law.” Councilwoman Falco was born and raised in Hoboken and was the first African American to be elected to the Hoboken City Council as Council at Large, where she is one of three members at large that represent the city. Falco is also the current Chair of the Affordable Housing Committee. As an at-large councilwoman, Falco has undertaken several affordable housing initiatives in Hoboken, including the introduction of legislation that requires developers to pay a fee of 1.5% towards the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and collaborating with Chris Brown, Director of Community Development to secure a developer for a new senior housing development at 11th Street and Willow Avenue.

As the leader of the Housing Division, Falco’s responsibilities will include auditing the city’s affordable housing stock, preparing city ordinances in order to increase the amount of available affordable housing, and working with the Director of Community Development to ensure that development projects are allocating required funds to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. Additionally, Falco will act as the city’s liaison to the Hoboken Housing Authority to increase community engagement on affordable housing in Hoboken.

professor of the Stevens School of Business, Stevens was looking for a partner in New York, Chicago, London, and Hong Kong to partner with. Because New York and New Jersey are in close proximity and Stevens has a history with RPI, the collaboration between Stevens and RPI was natural. In the past, the universities have collaborated on research and attended conferences focused in computer science, business, and computer engineering.

Additionally, a professor in the Stevens School of Business graduated from RPI, so “you can see that the relationship we have is pretty strong,” said Yang.

In 2019, Yang, along with George Calhoun (School of Business professor), Jeff Nickerson (Professor and Steven Shulman ‘62 Endowed Chair for Business Leadership), Darinka Dentscheva (Chair of the Department of Mathematical Sciences), and Giuseppe Ateniese (Chair of the Computer Science Department) rolled out a preliminary proposal to the NSF which was accepted soon after. At the start of the pandemic, progress slowed down. During the pandemic, the planning committee reached out to faculty for research projects and met with industry partners to gain insight on proposed projects.

There will be an official launch meeting October 28 and 29 which will serve as an inauguration with faculty, industry professionals, and students.

CRAFT is spearheaded by Yang, Calhoun, and Aparna Gupta at the Lally School of Management at RPI. CRAFT will receive about $1 million in its initial year of opening and $300,000 for the following five years from NSF. Other donations to CRAFT will be from industry partners. Currently, there are

20 industry partners. There is still a lot of groundwork to be done in terms of governing documents and legal documents.

CRAFT is intended to be a center with faculty from diverse backgrounds in engineering, science, and computer science. “So we have two universities, with almost 60 faculty involved, so this is intended to be a multidisciplinary research center to focus on financial technology and it will involve many different disciplines. For example, computer science, mathematics, data science, finance, economics, quantitative finance, and systems, including software engineering,” said Yang.

Innovation and collaboration is at the heart of the research center.

While RPI is the only other university involved, Yang and Calhoun have had discussions about bringing on other universities like New York University, Rutgers University, the University of Illinois as well as international universities such as Imperial College in England and the London School of Business.

The quality of research that will be produced will be of high prestige as it will undergo evaluations to meet NSF standards.

This research center will engage students through summer programs, internships, conferences, and projects. Through these programs, students will be exposed to opportunities with industry partners. As of now, if students want to get involved, they have to work with a faculty member on a project and then propose the project to CRAFT. Projects are a collaborative effort initiated by professors and students; some examples are senior design, capstone projects, master’s thesis, and dissertations.

Collaboration with CRAFT will allow students to explore an interdisciplinary approach to today’s financial systems and gain insight from leaders in the financial world.

THE ABS ENGINEERING CENTER AT STEVENS PHOTO COURTESY OF STEVENS.EDU

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The Stute Staff Volume CXIX No. 3

HOUSE

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Friday, September 17

News STUDENT ORG SPOTLIGHT:

Stevens Esports

BY DANIEL YU

Contributing Reporter After a long day of classes, many members of the Stevens Esports Club prefer to unwind by brawling with their friends and shooting other strangers. Of course, these beatdowns don’t take place in reality—rather, they are fought through various online video games.

“I joined the Esports club my sophomore year, when it was still in its infancy,” said Chris Kurtz, a veteran member of the club. “I’ve grown up playing video games my whole life, and I was particularly interested in League of Legends, so I joined that team.”

Kurtz has since risen through the club’s ranks to become a member of its e-board, which organizes teams and schedules tournaments. These tournaments include collegiate competitions, where teams from Stevens compete with students from other institutions in showdowns of prowess in a particular game. Although games that include fighting are a mainstay of the club, the e-board grapples with logistical challenges. “We aren’t able to meet in-person too often, and we’re still working with the SGA to get room bookings,” said Kurtz. “Right now, the best place to interact with the club would be through our Discord, which you can find through the Stevens Discord Hub.” A prospective member browsing through the club’s Discord server can also find listings for the games commonly played by other students. Aside from League, pop-

PHOTO BY DANIEL YU FOR THE STUTE

ular games such as Apex Legends, Valorant, the Smash Bros series, CS:GO, Team Fortress 2, Rocket League, and others all have their own teams that one can apply for.

In particular, there are two kinds of teams for each game which club members can join: a competitive “red” team, whose members perform at high rankings and practice twice a week, and a less rigorous “gray” team, whose members perform at casual rankings and only practice once a

week.

“For our teams, we are a bit limited on who can join,” said Kurtz.

“It does come down to the size [of a particular team] and whether or not there’s an odd number of players. There are cuts for applications for certain teams, but we’re working on a way to make sure that everyone is included through a separate group called the content team, where we can teach you how to commentate on games, as well as graphic design and content pro-

duction. [Members of the content team] also handle our social media and talk to other organizations.”

The Esports Club maintains an active Twitch channel where games are streamed live each semester. Although the club had planned to upload sessions on YouTube as well, the quarantine had stalled production for the prior year.

“Thankfully, most of [the club’s] essential functions were already online-based prior to the

pandemic,” said Kurtz. “The biggest issue was that teams couldn’t meet up in person—everything had to be done through Discord.

But aside from that, we could still be active at nearly full capacity.”

With meetings resuming this semester, those interested in competitive gaming should consider joining the Esports club if they are looking for an inclusive environment where they can improve their skills and play with other students.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF MIKE PRIZANT OF STEVENS ESPORTS

IDA

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 carries water, causing “harmful microbes in drinking water [to] cause illness and could pose a health risk.” This boil water order lasted three days before it was lifted.

At its peak, rainfall exceeded 4.32 inches per hour. This is the most rain recorded in a single storm since 2016, on par with Hurricane Irene in 2011.

By contrast, rainfall during the first part of Henri was 4.07 inches in 4.5 hours, Tropical Storm Fay was 3.04 inches in 6 hours, and the Cinco de Mayo storm in 2017 was 3.09 inches of rain in 8 hours.

By receiving the Major Disaster Declaration, a wide range of emergency federal resources are available for businesses and residents. When FEMA first approved the declaration on Sept.

5, Hudson was notably absent from the declaration, which included Bergen, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Passaic and Somerset counties. Without Hudson County included on this list, local authorities urged state and federal agencies to include the area, and within the week, Hudson County received the disaster declaration.

“I’m thrilled that Hoboken and Hudson County have now been provided with the Major

Disaster Declaration, an important first step in unlocking critical funding to assist those impacted

by Tropical Depression Ida” said Bhalla. “Thank you to Governor Murphy, Senator Booker, Senator Menendez and Congressman Sires for their constant communication with my office, and strong support and advocacy for Hudson County, as well as to President Biden and FEMA for recognizing the substantial impact flooding from the storm had on our region.”

When President Joe Biden visited the Hudson County area following the storm, he attributed the severe damage to climate change, saying that rising global temperatures and sea levels have become “everyone’s crisis.” He warned that America needs to get serious about the “code red” danger or face worse loss to life and property.

Authorities encourage homeowners or renters with flood damage to, first, process insurance claims, and then apply for disaster funding through FEMA at disasterassistance.gov. If it is not possible to apply online, residents can call 800-621-3362.

The toll-free telephone lines operate from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. EDT, seven days a week.

Additional assistance, including options for small businesses, is available at the dedicated Hoboken recovery webpage at hobokennj.gov/ida.

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN HUGS RESIDENTS AS HE TOURS A NEIGHBORHOOD IMPACTED BY HURRICANE IDA, ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7 IN MANVILLE, NEW JERSEY. PHOTOS COURTESY OF EVAN VUCCI FROM AP

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Friday, September 17

Science HOBOKEN TRIPLES SIZE OF COMPOSTING PROGRAM Is it worth it?

BY ESTEFANIA DE CAIRES Science Writer Reuse, reduce, recycle. At some point or another we’ve all heard this motto, and its goal is to remind us that we can be doing something to help the environment. In the last few years, green initiatives and programs, like the former, have been created to help protect the environment. Recently, Hoboken decided to expand one of its green programs, the composting program.

The city of Hoboken partnered with the Community Compost Company and the Hoboken Green Team to plan and announce the opening of eight more composting sites, increasing the total to 12 sites all around the city as a way to reduce greenhouse gases and become carbon neutral by 2050.

Along with the addition of the new sites, the Community Compost Company will provide a door-todoor collection service of food scraps for residential homes and commercial buildings. The Hoboken press release states that people who participate in this program could reduce their household trash by over 50%. The overall reduction of waste is estimated to result in the prevention of about 5.6 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions from traditional waste disposal.

Mayor Bhalla said that “Hoboken will continue to be a leader in environmental sustainability,” and the expansion of the composting program plays an integral part in that.

What exactly is composting?

It’s the process of turning organic material, like food scraps, into fertilizer that will help the soil.

What are the benefits?

The reuse of organic material reduces the amount of waste that goes to landfills and limits the number of greenhouse emissions that come from landfills. Composting also decreases the need for chemical fertilizers, which harm the environment by polluting our waterways and the animals living there. In some instances, using compost as fertilizer can help the

MAYOR BHALLA, COMMUNITY COMPOST COMPANY, AND RESIDENTS AT ONE OF THE NEW COMPOSTING DROP OFF LOCATIONS AT HOBOKEN COMMUNITY GARDEN. PHOTO COURTESY OF HOBOKENNJ.GOV

restoration of topsoil. Topsoil is used for agricultural purposes in the U.S., and it is eroding nine times faster than its natural replacement due to the gradual removal of natural nutrients. Composting can help replenish the nutrients in the soil as well as help the soil retain water after rainfall.

How does composting help against climate change?

In 2015, Americans landfilled or incinerated 50 million tons of compostable waste. Compostable, or organic, waste does not decompose at landfills due to the low-oxygen conditions; instead, it degrades and releases methane. Methane is a greenhouse gas that is 56 times more potent than carbon dioxide, and as of right now, landfills are

the third largest producer of methane in the country. On the other hand, composting allows microorganisms to grow, which can actually help absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Therefore, in the battle against climate change, it is vital to decrease the number of greenhouse gases that we release significantly, and composting can help with this by reducing the amount of waste produced.

Mayor Bhalla said that “composting is a simple but effective way to help Hoboken achieve the goals of our Climate Action Plan.”

If we look at other cities around the United States that also have composting programs, we can see that it helps the environment. For example, in 1996, San Francisco was the first city in the U.S. to implement a large-scale food com-

posting program. By 2000, the city had managed to divert 50% of its waste from landfills. In 2002, the city committed to diverting 75% of its yearly waste by 2010.

In 2011, they surpassed their goal by redirecting 78% of their waste.

Since then, they have been the top city for reducing landfill waste because their composting program and recycling program have managed to reduce the amount of trash that goes to landfills by 80% every year. Portland, Oregon, is another good example of a composting program that has significantly reduced waste. In 2011, Portland implemented their composting program, which included curbside pickup; currently, the city composts about 70% of their waste. These two cities have shown that city-wide composting programs are beneficial,

and other cities are following in their steps. In the last five years, the number of communities that are offering composting programs has increased by 65%.

The Hoboken Climate Action Plan lists the goals of being carbon neutral by 2050 and reaching net-zero by 2030. The composting program in Hoboken, which started in 2015, has already diverted 96,020 pounds of waste from landfills, prevented 42.28 metric tons of CO2 emissions, and avoided the use of 2,743 gallons of gas. This updated program has in common some of the features that have worked in other cities, like curbside collection and multiple drop-off sites. Therefore, the city of Hoboken can say it has taken adequate steps towards its goals of carbon neutrality and environmental sustainability.

PHOTO AND GRAPHIC COURTESY OF HOBOKENNJ.GOV

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Friday, September 17

Opinion 9/11

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 to Castle Point Terrace Memorial, the audience at Babbio reflected on the everlasting impact 9/11 has had on the global landscape.

Two individuals I spoke to were Zoey Cook ‘23 and Clare Fitzgerald ‘24, both members of the Stevens Women’s Lacrosse team who expressed their experiences at the memorial. Cook stated she had always felt connected to 9/11 through the stories her parents had told, but being at the memorial created a greater sense of awareness about the magnitude of the events. She emphasized the importance of one of the keynote speakers being a Stevens student at the time of the attacks, stating that it made the community feel more connected to what had happened. Fitzgerald reiterated the importance of hearing the stories from those who had survived and/ or witnessed 9/11, stating that it is key to helping those born after

ABOVE: PHOTO BY ETHAN CHE FOR THE STUTE BELOW: PHOTOS BY OLAF PERSSON FOR THE STUTE

the events to truly understand the gravitas of it all. Fitzgerald went on to state that her mother had worked at the World Trade Center before the attacks, which created an additional connection to the events being observed. Overall, the two students shared their commitment as young Americans seeking to understand and properly acknowledge the events that occurred 20 years ago. Through concerted efforts by students, faculty, staff, and others at the memorial, Stevens came together to remember 9/11 with a standard of respect, honor, and dignity.

Chief Griffin expressed, “There are three days every American remembers where they were when it happened. The first is Pearl Harbor. The second, the JFK Assassination. The third is 9/11. Every World War II Vet told me never to forget Pearl Harbor and now I tell everyone to never forget 9/11.”

He went on to state, “the terrorists did not succeed. Their actions only brought Americans closer together.” After 9/11,

Americans were united by love for their country, regardless of economic status, politics, or numerous other divisive factors.

The Stevens memorial ceremony embodied this, with students, faculty, staff, and community members of various backgrounds and demographics coming together to pay their respects to those whose lives were taken.

New York City A massive crowd gathered around the perimeter of the One World Trade Center. Gates blocked off the entry to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. Police stood inside the square, talking.

Despite the massive crowds packed onto a narrow sidewalk, when a fireman, police officer, or first responder walks by, they part like the Red Sea, revealing respect for the individuals who have dedicated their lives to service.

At around 3:15 p.m., a bagpipe procession began to play, marching through the square towards the reflection pool at the memorial. Soon thereafter, the gates cleared and people poured through the walkway to the memorial. In an instant, the quiet pool flocked with people paying their respects.

Some pushed their way to the front, phone in hand, searching for a perfect picture. Others quietly walked around the perimeter, immersing themselves in the atmosphere. Some laughed, some cried, some talked, others stayed silent. They all had one thing in common: the desire to pay their respects to the fallen.

The smooth black marble at the edge of the pool—etched with the names of victims—soon popped with colors. Flowers and flags were propped up in the etchings as if to bring life back to the fallen.

While the water in the pool certainly is a notable feature, many feel the most striking is the names. Every name was a keystone of a family, a lifelong friend, a mentor, a coach, and much more. Yet there is also some beauty in the names. They are not merely an assortment of 26 random letters; they have meaning to them. Each one brings to mind memories of birthdays, movie nights, dinners, etc. Each name has a story to it, and with the thousands upon thousands gathered, their memories will forever live on.

ABOVE PHOTOS BY JOSEPH AMES FOR THE STUTE

In Remembrance According to the Stevens150 website, four Stevens alumni and one former student lost their lives on 9/11. These names we remember: Jerome Lohez M.S. ’95, Edgar Emery Jr. M.S. ’82, Liming Gu ’91 M.Eng. ‘93, Joseph Pick M.S. ’02 (who received his degree posthumously), and Timothy Hargrave, previously a member of the Class of 1984.

Many who were alive for the events of 9/11 have a story— where they were, what they were wearing, what they were doing; they are forever ingrained into memories.

While at the memorial in New York, I was able to ask a few people to share their stories about why they decided to come to the event.

A young couple, Luke and Cassandra, both seniors from Marist College in upstate New York, were waiting by the gates for the memorial near me. I was expecting a traditional story of coming to pay their respects, as everyone else was there to do, but what they told me was something different.

It was Cassandra’s 21st birthday, and the couple was in New York City to celebrate. They had come from getting lunch and were going to go shopping in the area around the World Trade Center.

The magnitude of impact that 9/11 had on this young couple, both of whom were barely born, was incredibly striking. On what would be a full day of celebration for most people—a milestone in life—the couple decided to take the time to pay their respects to the fallen.

The majority of the crowd

that was gathered around the memorial appeared old enough to remember the events of 9/11 vividly. Walking next to me, however, were two young women that stood apart from the typical member of the crowd. As it turned out, the two women, Liz and Alexa, were seniors from the University of Alabama who were interning with a fashion company in New York City. When asked why they decided to take the time out of their weekend to visit the memorial, the two said that they felt it was the right thing to do; a way of paying their respects to the fallen. This was a common theme throughout the crowd, but it was incredibly striking to hear it emphasized from such young people who could barely remember the events, if at all. Before wishing them well, I asked what they thought this year, the 20th anniversary, meant. They said that, while 9/11 is important every year, milestone markers such as this memorial have a special significance to them.

Another spectator I spoke to, Aisling, 24, was noticeably emotional as she stood looking out towards the reflection pool. When I saw the tears flowing slowly from her eyes, I wondered if she had lost someone. So I asked her name, if she was okay, and if she had lost someone on that day.

Her response was unexpected, to say the least. She told me that her father had lost one of his best friends on 9/11, and that it was her father’s birthday too. She said that her tears were not just for the memory of her father’s friend, but for the reality that her father had lost his birthday forever. Every year, the day is a reminder of what was lost on what should be a celebratory day for her family.

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Friday, September 17

Opinion THE STUTE EDITORIAL

Book review: Alan Rusbridger’s Breaking News This past summer I read Alan Rusbridger’s Breaking News: The Remaking of Journalism and Why It Matters Now. And I loved it.

Rusbridger is a British journalist and former editor of The Guardian from 1995 – 2015, during the height of the digital revolution, so you can only imagine the things he’s experienced.

A good chunk of the book details how Rusbridger and his staff handled the breakthrough of the Internet, and how the addition of a website and digital platforms morphed into extensions of the traditional print paper. It was a complete must-read for me: the only kind of journalism I know is one that’s a mix of print and digital production (and also student-run).

Learning about how the very beginning of digital news delivery came to be was totally fascinating.

Rusbridger’s main argument is that the Internet changed the processes of news delivery and consumption in a really profound and arguably permanent way. He talks a lot about the rise of the

“comment section” under online “content” (written pieces from the paper) and how that changed the way journalists interacted with the public.

He writes, “The guy with the antenna could broadcast to billions, with no feedback loop. He could dominate. But on the internet every voice was going to be equal to every other voice.” With the Internet, readers were suddenly able to “post” opinions immediately after reading an article.

Without the Internet, opinions might be formed by word of mouth or through Letter to the Editor / Op-Ed submissions, which could take several days to reach newsrooms. Just as journalists could suddenly publish content with the click of a button, readers could then respond with the same ease.

I love this idea that suddenly, citizens were able to respond to the news. That simple change alone completely transformed the news industry.

Along the same lines, Rusbridger also notes that news slowly

changed from something that was supplied to readers to something that readers could participate in; mobile phones, social media, and the ease of sharing information online created a world where the public was often breaking news before the newspaper. He writes, “After just four days it seemed blindingly obvious that the future of information would be mainly digital [...] the future would be more interactive, more-image drive, more immediate [...] we could be both a platform and a publisher.”

There’s another part that I love.

Rusbridger writes that before the Internet, executive editors of papers would “consider the world as presented to him and make decisions about the relative importance of each story” during daily meetings to design the following day’s front page. Newspeople still do that, as “geometry and typography” are still “the NYT’s way of imposing a hierarchy of order on the otherwise random torrent of information.”

I do this at The Stute; every Thursday I look at the news for the week and decide what goes on the front page and where by drawing a plan on our office whiteboards. I choose which stories will be above the fold, and which will be promoted on our social media. It’s an incredible amount of power, and to be honest it does feel fun to be so in control of the front page of Stevens history. But it’s an interesting dynamic — to choose what goes on the front page is to be subjective and to make decisions that will be influenced by my biases no matter what, even though I try to be as objective as possible in choosing stories.

So if it isn’t already obvious I love this book. Many of the points Rusbridger makes are inspiring my senior thesis project and topic.

I recommend it to everyone, not those just practicing “journalism” of some form. If you’re interested in communication, the interaction of the public with newsrooms, and how the Internet is changing information, pick it up.

Natalie Todaro ‘22

Editor-in-Chief

MIND OF A FRESHMAN

SENIORITIS

Ups and downs and twists and turns

Administration gets an F on their report card

BY KATIE BLOOMER ‘25 College is full of twists and turns, ups and downs, and an occasional loopty-loop thrown in for good measure. You might be a current college student who is experiencing motion sickness on the roller coaster that is student life.

If you recently graduated, you are savoring the sweet carnival treats that live at the end of your memorable and overpriced (both college and carnivals) experience. Maybe you are a college professor reading this paper to “keep up with the haps” on campus. Perhaps you’re a parent or family member of a Stevens student. Even if you have no affiliation with Stevens, haven’t experienced college first-hand, and are very out of the loop, you still most likely know that college is a big adjustment.

Anyways, you get my point: college is a lot.

It’s not shocking that the sudden shift from full-time child to indepen-

dent-mini-adult with no money or connections can be a lot to handle. Suddenly, I went from experiencing typical teenage worries like “does my hair look good today?” to having much stranger concerns like, “are people going to think I’m weird for washing an entire collection of mugs in the bathroom sink this morning?” By the way, based on my experience so far, nobody actually cares about what you are doing, even if it would have drawn attention to you in high school. People in college just want to get out of the communal bathrooms as soon as possible.

A few weeks ago, I was texting my parents each and every time I got into a car, making sure they knew I did not get into a tragic accident on the way to the store. This system resulted in extensive strings in which our conversations would read “I’m here,” and “leaving now,” repeatedly until the pattern was broken by something like “you forgot your calculator on the kitchen table.”

There was almost no need for other messages because most days I returned home, and would update them in person. Now, I text once or twice per day and sprinkle in the occasional phone call.

College is kinda wacky

when you really think about it. It’s like all of the safety nets around me dropped the day I arrived at college, released from the invisible hand that kept me trapped like a fish in a small plastic bag, definitely from a sketchy pet store if it doesn’t come with some air holes or something. But then again, I know as much about fish as my parents know about my whereabouts. I could be in another country right now, and my parents would only find out if they made the four hour drive from Rhode Island to New Jersey, snuck onto campus, evaded the line of police cars guarding the street in front of Babbio, and broke into my dorm. Although, I suppose the breaking and entering are not exactly necessary since my roommate would likely let them in assuming they are from the school doing some sort of room check. Anyway, there is no cause for concern. I am, in fact, still in the lovely town of Hoboken, breathing in the stale air of a dorm room as I type this column.

Regardless of whether I am capable of escaping to another country, it seems completely unnecessary.

I have all of the freedom I could ever want right here in this town, and plenty of new people to explore it with.

BY ALEKSANDAR DIMOSKI ‘22 The 2019-2020 school year got off to a great start. Returning students were greeted with unstable classroom assignments as the registrar struggled to find rooms amidst wide-reaching construction projects throughout campus.

In addition, a rogue hacker was able to deduce that most of Stevens’ data was all hidden behind the password ‘Stevens1870’ (or ‘Stevens1870!’ for some of the more clever system administrators), leaving the organization scrambling to recover their missing files as students waited until a few days before class to get their schedule. In March 2020, the year was abruptly ended by a global pandemic which forced everyone to quarantine for over a year.

And so, in some ways, it’s nostalgic to see the absolute disaster that coming back to campus has been. In the first week of classes, the student body weathered a tornado, its subsequent flooding, and a robbery. In addition to this, the administration demonstrated

a variety of failures in terms of their management of the return to campus.

For starters, many organizations didn’t have access to the school’s room registration software or were unaware that it existed, since even their direct predecessors wouldn’t have used it during the pandemic. I had to get access in order to begin planning events for my fraternity, the Lodge, so I submitted the ‘VirtualEMS’ form on DuckLink and found out later that the administration didn’t know the form existed. Only by arranging a meeting with an admin in person were we able to actually get our events posted. We were also fortunate that we were able to get this finished within the first week of classes, since afterwards the system promptly self-destructed, and took any hopes of future plans with it until it was fixed.

On top of this, any event planning is overshadowed by slowly shifting COVID-19 regulations which, while understandable, threatens to make all of those efforts worthless.

While events are much closer to normal than I first expected they would be, weekly COVID regulation updates are a frequent reminder of a possible Second Return and provide a sense of uncertainty about the regulations. Can events still be held indoors? Is food allowed?

Questions such as these permeate all planning discussions but have to be answered again every week. Trying to plan for any significant event beyond a month is made impossible, since even the administrators

that are determining the policies are uncertain where their whims will take them in their eternal quest to cover Stevens’ posterior.

With the resignation of 7 faculty members over the past year, many of whom have been very involved in student affairs, it’s no surprise that the administration is left floundering. In an email to the presidents of different Greek Life organizations, the former Director of Greek Life, Malcolm McDaniel, announced his resignation with his employment to end days before the start of classes, leaving his superiors and the Greek life community to figure out the transition back to campus alone.

So, our return back to school has been hectic, to say the least.

But in trying to work through the chaos, I’ve noticed that there are people that are working hard to try and make sure that it goes smoothly. I don’t know who or what caused these varied issues, but I do know who is responsible for some of what has gone right. From my experience, Director of Student Life, Leo Pedraza, has been helpful in trying to iron out the logistical details of student events, and Gabriella Poska from the Student Government Association has demonstrated organization and hard work in trying to arrange the Flock Party and other related events.

Despite the chaos and mismanagement of the whole situation, it’s heartening that there are faculty and students that are trying to get everything back to normal again.

here are well over 50 years old, while some have crossed the century line. To boot, most of these buildings have weathered thunderstorms and tropical storms time and time again, so they know a thing or two because they’ve seen a thing or two.

There’s been more rain and thunderstorms here in the past month in New Jersey than I’ve seen in my entire life living on the West Coast, and though these things used to terrify me I think they’re pretty awesome now. So much here is new, such as the neverending reverence of bagels, the “Taylor Ham versus Pork Roll” debate, the weather, and the sense of community

in Hoboken, which ultimately adds so much more to the Stevens experience. Instead of spending all four years in the same dorm halls with the same dining plan at Pierce, we get to go out and live as kinda-sorta adults who have Responsibilities and Prior Commitments, which will undoubtedly prepare us for the real world when we find ourselves in our careers all across the globe. Some days it’s not as fun, like when you end up walking a mile to get to your go-to grocery store, but as a general rule the walkability of Hoboken and Stevens is unparalleled, which makes for a great off-campus living experience.

SECOND-YEAR FRESHMAN

Zero to adulting: Off-campus living

BY KEENAN YATES ‘24 Off-campus living — exciting, intimidating, and filled with an endless amount of “I have to carry my groceries how far??” and similar realizations. All of that plus an endless supply of stairs gives you the daily point of view of any given Stevens student

who has already done their time on campus.

Or, in the case of a second-year freshman, who spent a year at home instead.

It’s a pretty significant zero to one hundred experience, to go from living in your childhood room to paying rent for your own apartment, all within the span of a month, so let me tell you now; the learning curve is real! There’s so much that goes into living in an off-campus apartment that you would never really think about at first. Having to buy batteries for things, other than remote controlled cars, figuring out the trash and recycling schedule, and running out of groceries and clean clothes

simultaneously are some recent experiences I think most off-campus residents have probably completed on the off-campus living bingo.

When I first told a younger cousin of mine about my apartment living plans for this school year, she was far more giddy than I was. All I could focus on was figuring out what in the world I should cook to save time and money, but on the other hand she told me that this would be the best experience of my life because it “would be just like a sleepover every night!” Is it really like a sleepover every night? Not exactly, I mean no one’s mom is coming to pick them up in the morning af-

ter breakfast, and most of the time my roommates and I are busy working on schoolwork, or club-related projects, or going out and about Hoboken.

Yet even without the eternal sleepover experience, it’s still been a great time to live with friends and in close proximity to other Stevens students. On a more practical note, there’s a lot of opportunity for problem solving that comes hand in hand with living here, such as figuring out the most practical storage solutions or dealing with clogged shower drains. I guess problem-solving is really just the nature of apartment living, but even more so it’s probably because a majority of the buildings

7

Friday, September 17

Opinion LIFESTYLE HACKS

SCIENTIFIC CURMUDGEON

Farewell, freshman fifteen: Sticking to an exercise routine

My elbow surgery and the crisis in health care

BY ZOE HACK ‘24 For the latter half of my childhood and early teenage years, I was on a competitive swim team. I had practices 6 days a week, 2-3 hours a day, so making sure I was getting enough exercise was never really on my radar because it simply didn’t have to be.

In the summer of 2016, my exercise habits were abruptly put to an end.

Long story short: brain surgery, post-surgical complications, being in the hospital on my first day of freshman year—some really fun stuff. I decided not to continue swimming, both for the physical toll it had taken on my body (swimming pushing me past my limits was what led to my diagnosis in the first place) and the negative social environment I found myself in. For six months post-op, I was not allowed to do any physical activity other than

walking.

I was at somewhat of a cross-roads; I did not know how I would supplement this loss of exercise routine and couldn’t even try if I wanted to. I would love to say that I have a solid exercise routine that I love, but in all honesty, I am still working on it. I would be lying if the thought of exercise didn’t overwhelm and stress me out like crazy sometimes.

So here’s what I can say for sticking to an exercise routine in college: First off, remember that you don’t in any way, shape, or form have to be perfect. If you’re following a workout video, it isn’t necessary that you can keep up with every single set. If you are in the gym, don’t worry about anyone else’s workout routine. Personally, I chose to workout in the privacy of my room; I find it reminds me that I am exercising for myself, not for anyone or anything else.

As for what my weekly exercise consists of, I am actually very proud of what I have come up with for this semester. I looked at my schedule, found some free time, and chose a different type of workout for each day. Here’s what my

schedule looks like right now: Tuesdays I go on a 3-4 mile walk (or a short run if I’m feeling up to it), Wednesdays I follow along with a pilates video (I really like Move With Nicole on YouTube), Thursdays my break is a little smaller, so I do a short yoga or stretching routine, Fridays I do some type of weights workout, and on the weekends I enjoy long walks along the pier. With this schedule, I am able to figure out what I enjoy by trying different types of exercise, and also not get bored since I am always able to change it up.

Something I have been doing on campus to expand my exercise repertoire and fill my schedule is participating in the Stevens Running Club. While I am nowhere near the cardiovascular fitness level I used to be—which gets me down sometimes—I enjoy my time with other students who are working to improve their health, too.

While I am still always one of the first people to break off from the group and start walking, I am still extremely proud of myself for taking these steps to improve my fitness levels.

In the span of one week alone, I was able to dou-

ble the distance I am able to consistently run—from half to a whole mile—regaining my confidence in my abilities as I go.

While I’ve learned a lot about myself and what works for me through prioritizing my health and building exercise into my weekly schedule, through conversations with others it became clear to me that I am not the only person who struggles to mentally tackle the idea of exercise.

Especially given the current pandemic, many people have lost access to their main sources of exercise and feel somewhat lost trying to regain both physical and mental strength.

To end off, here are some quick tips for creating your own cost-effective college exercise routine: 1. Try different types of workout videos online to see what you have fun doing and doesn’t make exercising feel like a chore.

2. Utilize the Stevens gym if you are interested in heavier weights or exercise machines.

3. Take a walk, run, or jog along the pier and enjoy the fresh air.

4. Ask a friend to be your workout buddy, they might appreciate just as much as you do.

signed student’s name. The elevators will be taken out of commission, with students climbing vertically up buildings and jumping all the way down.

Professors, who are not exempt from the policy, have been advised to communicate in a series of squeaks and rustling motions whenever possible.

When they spot someone on their phone in class, they are to turn their head and stare at the person with one eye. “I lost my homework” is now a valid excuse and will result in full credit for at least 80% of assignments.

Bonus points will be given if the student is spotted looking through a garbage can for it beforehand.

Even Pierce Dining Hall is getting in the spirit with an array of new dishes. All squash will be replaced with acorn squash, which dismayed some of Off The Press’ pumpkin enthusiasts.

Everything will be covered in walnuts, which we fear will cause many allergic re-

actions, but we also understand squirrels need to eat those nuts. People will now be allowed to take food out of the dining hall, provided it all fits within the cheeks of the costume.

Owls, foxes, and other predators of squirrels seem to have caught wind of the policy, as their local populations more than doubled in the past few days. We spoke to one newly moved-in fox from Oklahoma with a den

by McLean, who told us “All these squirrels provide a lot of extra food for me and my family. I should have enough here for myself and to send back to my family.”

At least that’s what we think he said; foxes don’t speak any of the 12 languages our staff knows so there was some guesswork involved.

Off The Press stands firmly behind this dress code, and we hope you do too. Any complaints can be put in acorns and buried with our complaint stash, but you’ll never find it, so we won’t read them.

OFF THE PRESS

Dress Code

BY OFF CENTER —SATIRE— After reports of a significant lack of professionalism among the undergraduate population during the first few weeks of classes, Stevens has announced they will be instituting a campus-wide dress code of squirrel costumes effective Monday. The costumes must “convincingly make the wearer appear to be a very large squirrel on two legs,” “feature at least one oversized fake acorn,” and “include room for the wearer to breathe” per the official policy. The squirrel costumes must be worn at all times on campus. The school has hired outside trapeze artists to enforce the policy by dressing in owl costumes and swooping down on unsuspecting violators. One member of our staff volunteered to test this. He was taken off his feet within a minute of stepping outside and we haven’t seen him since. If there are

any typos in this article, it’s because Fred wasn’t here to correct thme.

Athletic teams were surprised to learn that the squirrel costumes would also be replacing their uniforms. One field hockey player approached us complaining that “squirrel hands were not designed for field hockey sticks.” We would have pointed out that the correct order of events was field hockey sticks not being designed for squirrel hands, but the aforementioned field hockey player was wielding a field hockey stick at the time and looked dangerous.

We were able to dig up some information the administration had tried to squirrel away regarding how the dress code will affect classes. Attendance will be taken by every student putting their fake acorn in a large glass jar.

Seats will be assigned by looking underneath every chair to find acorns that crack open to reveal the as-

BY JOHN HORGAN

CAL PROFESSOR I’ve been hard on American medicine. Americans are over-tested, over-diagnosed and over-treated, I’ve argued, because physicians and hospitals in our capitalist culture care more about profits than patients. But two recent events have forced me to reconsider my criticism.

First, the pharmaceutical industry, which I have accused of greed and dishonesty, created safe, effective vaccines for COVID-19 with unprecedented speed. I felt overwhelming gratitude when I got my second Moderna shot in March. Then, on Memorial Day, I underwent emergency surgery on my right elbow.

Here’s the story of my elbow.

I play hockey every winter on ponds in Cold Spring, New York, where I used to live. Although I wear a helmet and knee pads, I don’t wear elbow pads. My teammates tell me I’m stupid; I tell them I don’t need elbow pads because I never fall down. Then I fell down and banged my right elbow, and it became sore and swollen.

In March an orthopedic surgeon here in Hoboken, whom I’ll call Orthopedist #1, diagnosed bursitis, inflammation of a fluid-filled sack called the bursa. He drained my elbow and gave me a cortisone shot.

My elbow felt and looked better for a couple of weeks, then it swelled again. My girlfriend, a Manhattan snob, bugged me to get a second opinion from a doctor in New York. On May 10, I saw Orthopedist #2 in Manhattan.

She said my elbow was infected and recommended a bursectomy, surgical removal of the bursa. I’d never had surgery before, and I didn’t want to start now, so I sought another opinion.

Over the next week I saw three more Manhattan specialists: Orthopedist #3 (recommended by a friend of my girlfriend); Wound Specialist (to whom #3 referred me); and Orthopedist #4 (to whom Wound Specialist referred me). None liked the look of my elbow, which was now oozing fluid; all recommended surgery. But they said I could treat the bursitis with antibiotics and get surgery later if my elbow got worse. I chose that option.

On May 29, after two days of fever and chills, I walked to the emergency room of Hoboken University Medical Center. Blood tests revealed

a low white blood cell count and elevated liver enzymes; these results, plus my fever and chills, were consistent with sepsis. The emergency-room doctor put me on intravenous antibiotics and checked me into a room. I ended up spending three nights in the hospital.

On Memorial Day, Orthopedic Surgeon #5 operated on my elbow while I was under anesthesis. He removed the infected bursa and surrounding tissue and shaved a bone spur off the tip of my elbow. I left the hospital on June 1 with a five-inch incision held together by 40 metal staples. By late June, Orthopedist #5 had pulled out the staples, and my elbow was feeling fine.

What did I learn from this ordeal? I learned that I should give doctors more credit. I have asserted that Americans are over-tested, over-diagnosed and over-treated. If anything, I was under-tested, under-diagnosed, under-treated, but that was my fault. I told all the physicians I saw in Manhattan that I wanted to avoid surgery, and so they didn’t push for it. They said staying on antibiotics was an option, at least temporarily.

I have accused physicians of being profit-driven.

But if Orthopedist #1 had been greedy, he would have pushed for surgery, but he didn’t. The Wound Specialist saw me on his day off and spent a half-hour meticulously cleaning the hole in my elbow and packing it with antiseptic gauze; he never even billed me or my insurance company. All of the physicians I saw were good at their jobs. So was everyone at Hoboken University Medical Center. The hospital has rough online reviews, but the care I got there from physicians and nurses was superb.

So when should we doubt experts? When should we trust them? I’ve been wrestling with this immensely important question throughout my career. Second-guessing experts, you might say, is my job description. There is no sure-fire formula, no algorithm, that can resolve the question for us. We must analyze cases as best we can one by one, never forgetting our own fallibility.

I stand by my critiques of American medicine. The U.S. spends far more on health care per capita than any other country while ranking below dozens of countries in longevity and other health measures. American medicine needs fixing. But I have more respect for medical experts now than I once did. If three specialists in a row tell me I need surgery, I’ll get surgery. I also have more respect for the wisdom of my hockey buddies. When I hit the ice this winter, I’ll be wearing elbow pads.

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8

Friday, September 17

Arts & Culture PASSION FOR FASHION

Fall trends from New York Fashion Week street style

BY MELISSA KOSAR ‘22 If you were like me, and you were wishing you were sitting front row at New York Fashion Week (NYFW), then you have been living off the posts from influencers and attendees. You might have also been analyzing the professional photographers features in the major fashion publications throughout the week. In my opinion, fashion week has two major purposes. It not only sets the stage for the next coming season based on what is present on the runway, but it also sets the tone for what trends will be popular in this current season, through street style. If you are unaware, the runway looks during fashion week are always for a season ahead. For example, the NYFW that just occurred in September 2021 was presenting styles and clothes for Spring 2022. Therefore, the winter shows in February are showing for the Fall Season. On the other hand, the attendees of these shows come in their best street style wear for this current fall season. As we slowly emerge into the brisk fall weather, and adjust our wardrobes accordingly, I, like many of you, am heavily interested to

see what styles stuck out on the streets this year. NYFW street style is perhaps the tell-tale sign for all the best trends this season. Let’s take a look at a few that stood out.

First and foremost, the leaves are falling, and leather is back. Leather jackets always tend to be a trend in the autumn and even winter months. However, this year, leather is present in articles aside from just jackets. Shorts, pants, and even button shirts are all being made of leather this season. Whether they are authentic raw leather pieces or faux, it is trending this year. I love a good leather jacket just as much as the next fashionista, but this year, I am most excited to get my hands on a pair of leather pants or shorts.

Pairing these pieces with a sweater, some cool printed tights (if you opt for the shorts), and some chunky boots or loafers will pull together the perfect fall look.

Another trend this fall that is not as obvious, but more prominent than it has been in previous years, is the color green. Green pants, sweaters, tops, and even shoes are very present in the market this season.

Army green and olive green always seem to have some place in minimalist/neutral styles as well as fall fashion.

This year though, the green trend is expanding beyond just these shades. Sage green, forest green, bright green, and emerald green are just some of the shade ranges widely available right now. I personally just purchased a pair of wide leg light army green pants

to immerse myself into the fall season. I will likely be pairing these pants with tight-fitting tops to contrast with the bagginess of the pants—which actually takes me to the next trend of the fall season.

Baggy, high rise pants have been common throughout this summer and make for great pieces as we transition to the cooler weather as well. It is possible that this trend is more of an ode to Y2K fashion trends currently circulating, but nonetheless baggy jeans are popular. In addition to extremely baggy jeans, straight-leg and full-circle cuts are continuously present in the buying market. As opposed to skinny jeans, which seem to have been THE pair of pants for so many years, straight-leg and looser-fitting options have brought me so much pleasure as I look for practicality and functionality in my wardrobe pieces. For some reason, skinny jeans just aren’t it, and I don’t find them nearly as comfortable as a straight-leg. I am hoping this trend sticks around for a while longer.

A new trend slowly making its way back in a careful and gradual fashion is shoulder pads. Sometimes, I find it funny how these trends really do come full-circle. My mom had a dress saved from about twenty years ago that had shoulder pads in it, since they were in style back then. She had been saving this dress to pass to my sister and I when we would eventually fit into it. Just this past year she

took it to a tailor to get the shoulder pads removed as she felt they were no longer in style. It seemed like the very next day the buzz about shoulder pads was back. The dress is beautiful

with or without shoulder pads, but anyways… here they are, back in action. So far shoulder pads aren’t as defined as they were back in the ‘90s, but that doesn’t mean they won’t advance.

A lot of trends have emerged or re-emerged this season. These are just a few of many, so check out any major fashion publications to tune into what styles are on the move this fall.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF PHIL OH VIA VOGUE.

THE COLLEGE GOURMET

In which the author restaurant-shames herself

BY JULIA DWIGHT ‘22 I tried the Pizza Republic macaroni and cheese this week.

Yes, I know I’m a senior.

Yes, I know it’s essentially a crime to live here for this long without taking a trip to the “Mac Daddy of Hoboken.” However, I am writing to you all today to make a confession: I’ve failed to try quite a few of Stevens students’ favorite restaurants.

However, it’s not for lack of trying, and I’m committed to getting the full Stevens foodie experience before I graduate. While I’ve had some stellar meals in Hoboken, there are outstanding recommendations I still need to hit. Here are the long-standing spots on my bucket list and my poor excuses for not going yet.

First up, we have Mamoun’s, located on the corner of 3rd and Washington Street. I’m even confused as to why I haven’t been here yet. As a pita fan, I’ve long felt FOMO seeing the long lines of diners every weekend night. Paired with a side of seasoned fries, it makes for the perfect meal.

I’m itching to try the Manhattan signature sandwich: a combination of falafel, hummus, tabbouleh, and baba ghanoush layered with pickled vegetables. It’s the epitome of pita.

This is a true case of bad timing; I always miss the group lunch orders.

But lately, the allure of their creamy tahini drizzle and garlicky dipping sauce has grown strong. Maybe I should put in a solo order and make this the first check off my bucket list for Fall 2021. Falafel, anyone?

Next up is Mr. Wrap’s, a Garden Street shop that’s easy to recognize by the window art of their smiling anthropomorphic wrap mascot. In a truly heinous crime, I haven’t tried their legendary buffalo chicken in a flour tortilla. For new students at Stevens, you’ll find that any combination of crispy chicken and Frank’s Red Hot quickly gains superstar status around here. I love spicy food and can put hot sauce on just about anything, so this wrap should be right up my alley. I’ve been known to eat straight through a basket of boneless wings.

So, why haven’t I tried Mr. Wrap’s yet? They’ve really just slipped right under my nose. I didn’t hear the rave reviews until my sophomore year right before Stevens switched to online classes. In my defense, I tend to order sandwiches over wraps. However, a

recent spicy shrimp wrap that stayed in my mind for days has me wanting to expand my horizons again.

Finally, there’s Tony Boloney’s, a name you may recognize from your Instagram Explore Page. Pizza with lobster. Pizza with burrata. Pizza with tacos for crust. For any topping aficionados out there, this is your dreamland. When you’re looking to go beyond the standard pepperoni, this pizzeria is the top recommendation. At their four locations throughout New Jersey, they’re serving up some unique slices.

Usually, I’m never one to shy away from extravagant, influencer-favorite dishes.

By my regular standards, I should be the Tony Boloney’s spokeswoman by now. But this is something

you can’t tackle alone; an all-taco crust is no single-person experience.

There’s a reason the making-of video has over 300 million views on YouTube.

The pie is lined with 24 tortillas stuffed with various house-favorite fillings.

It might be time for some peer pressure in the name of culinary research.

While I’ve had some great meals in Hoboken, there’s certainly many more I need to try. Can I even get my diploma without going to Mr. Wrap’s? I’ll stop making excuses and make sure to eat at these three favorites. If there are any other restaurants that you think are iconic among Stevens students, send them over so I can make sure to stop in before graduation.

PHOTO COURTESY OF RAFAEL LEE LI

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9

Friday, September 17

Arts & Culture BOOK OF THE WEEK

TECHNICALLY SPEAKING

Let’s talk about tech regulation: The ethics of artificial intelligence

BY SANJANA MADHU ‘23 I was first introduced to artificial intelligence (AI) through movies and media.

Movies like Star Wars made me appreciate the convenience of AI; watching C-3PO and R2D2 made me wish for a world in which a sentient robot (or rather, a protocol droid) tended to my every need. Malignant AI, as seen in 2001: Space Odyssey and The Terminator were alarming but failed to completely deteriorate my view of future AI. Media portrayals of AI showed me that I was more enticed by the convenience of AI than deterred by its potential evil.

Years later, as I’ve begun to study computer science and have further considered the ethical implications of technological innovation, I’ve had a change of heart. While I am beyond impressed with the rate at which AI has progressed, it is important to first investigate the potential dangers that AI can pose to society.

Unintentional (or intentional) biases The relationship between programmers and intelligent systems mirror that of a parent and child.

AIs are often given goals to achieve, but they aren’t given the solution to reach their goal; instead, they receive guidance and data from their programmer.

The hope is that one day, the intelligent system will become autonomous and be able to perform without the guidance of its programmer. At least two problems can arise from this: (1) programmers and (unintentionally or intentionally) transfer their biases, and (2) AI can unintentionally develop biases.

One way in which AI can discriminate against groups of people is by receiving biased data from the programmer. For example, a programmer may supply AI with a dataset that might show discrimation against certain female applicants because they are likely to become pregnant soon. This data may prevent a company from hiring eligible applicants from being hired to the company.

On the other hand, it is possible for AI to develop biases based on the data they receive. Take the example of tech giant Amazon who used AI and machine learning to filter through resumes. Over time, they

noticed that their algorithm began to favor men for their highly technical roles. This was because the training set given to the AI had a large set of male applicants.

Amazon has since changed its recruiting methods, but that does not mean this problem doesn’t persist.

Rapid decisionmaking AI also raises other ethical questions about decision-making. A perfect example is self-driving cars, which use machine learning and other sects of AI to make split-second decisions.

One ethical dilemma that self-driving cars are often faced with is the trolley problem. A common iteration of this problem is as follows: a trolley is quickly moving down tracks that lead to a fork. You can make the trolley go down alley one, where it will run over one person, or down alley two, where it will run over three people. In this situation, the AI is the decision-maker. The people who are on the tracks can represent inanimate objects, pedestrians, animals, or even the people in the car. Which life should the self-driving car value most when it is faced with an accident? This problem poses a larger question into the decision-making processes of AI. Conclusions

These problems barely scratch the surface of the dangers of AI. There’s also the concept that AI can redefine the human conception. The debate about whether computers can be considered minds has been ongoing. With superintelligent AI, the possibility of their mechanisms being similar, or even indistinguishable from human minds is possible, but I digress.

While these effects are beyond scary, I’m glad to see Congress paying more attention to AI regulation; in New Jersey alone, there are seven bills that have been introduced by Congress aiming to study the impacts of AI, prohibit discrimination in automated systems, and modernize state technology to use AI and other related services.

While these regulations are a good start, technology has been developing faster than Congressional representatives can keep up with.

Furthermore, the generational gap between representatives and those who develop and use intelligent technology is large.

We need people in Congress and other regulatory agencies who have industry and professional experience with AI to combat these issues. Intelligent system development will not sit idly by as Congress plays catch up.

SPOILER ALERT

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings: A solid (but not perfect) Marvel film

BY JULIA WIERZBICKI ‘23 Going into Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, to be honest, I had low expectations. The movie had the lowest marketing budget of any Marvel movie ever, and seeing as this was a character I had never heard of prior, I had no idea what they were going to do with it. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by the complex fight choreography, attention to cultural detail, and character development throughout the film. Was it Marvel’s best superhero origin story? No. But it was a welcome introduction for one of the next Avengers.

Shang-Chi follows a man named Sean (who later we find out is actually Shang-Chi, not a very big surprise based on the title of the movie) and what happens when his difficult past life begins to catch up with him. His life is the definition of family problems: a mother who tragically passed away, a father who trained him to be a ruthless killer, and a sister who hates his guts. He tries to live a peaceful life on his own, but eventually, he’s dragged back into the world he so desperately wanted to leave behind.

It’s not the most original superhero movie plot, but

it has some interesting aspects to it that I can really appreciate.

Sean’s best friend is a woman named Katy, who serves as the comic relief for the film. Although I honestly hated Awkwafina in Raya and the Last Dragon (read my previous review in The Stute), I didn’t mind her in this film. Some of her jokes were legitimately funny, and her character actually had some deep moments that helped the audience connect with her on a deeper level.

However, there were a few points where the jokes lasted a bit too long or didn’t land quite right. I feel like they would’ve landed a lot better if they pulled it back and didn’t stretch as far for a laugh.

The best part of the film, in my opinion, were the fight scenes. The choreography was insane with dynamic sets and battles that seemed almost like a dance. They were riveting to watch and honestly carried the film when it got a bit slow. That being said, I think the final battle was a bit of an overkill. It seemed like it kept trying to top itself. (For example, having two dragons when honestly one dragon would’ve been just fine.) I get that they wanted to make it big, but at a certain point, it lost the excitement and just became a difficult-to-follow CGI mess. I feel like if they focused less on the graphics and more on the choreography like they did in the first half of the film, it would’ve read a lot better.

It actually reminded me a lot of the finale of Wan-

daVision. Marvel needs to rely on its characters and their personal developments more for the climax of their films instead of just trying to wow people with huge battles. Sure, fight scenes are a big part of any superhero movie. But those moments should be driven by emotional scenes — when they try to stand by themselves with no deeper meaning, it falls short.

Overall, I enjoyed Shang-Chi. I think it’s a solid stand-alone film and brought some interesting new people into the MCU. I’m hoping that as Marvel continues to expand the series, they take into consideration people’s criticisms and compliments to continue improving. Regardless, I’m definitely looking forward to seeing Shang-Chi as the newest Avenger.

The book you read when you want to take a trip to Italy and find love

BY STEPHANIE SEARING ‘25 Lina‘s mother’s dying wish was for her to go to Italy and meet her father.

In all her 16 years of life, he has never once tried to get in touch with either of them. So when she arrives in Italy, she is skeptical and just wants to leave. But then she’s given her mother’s journal from her time in Italy and everything changes.

Lina discovers many of Italy’s quirks—including love and gelato—and uncovers secrets about her family that change her.

I must say, I’m a sucker for romance novels.

The title and cover had me hooked; yes I know we shouldn’t do that, but I did

it anyway. Although I did hold off on reading this for a while after I bought it, once I did read it, I absolutely loved it. The Italian setting really contributes to the love story that develops and it is so cute. It was very well-written and you don’t even realize that you are falling in love along with Lina the whole time. Definitely one of my favorite love stories out of the books I’ve read.

Love & Gelato is a cute and heartwarming read that will leave you wanting to travel and discover new things. Even if you’re not a romance-buff, there’s a whole other story line to follow and lessons to learn with Lina and her family. So if you’re in for a little escape to Italy, read Love & Gelato!

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Friday, September 17

Campus Pulse

Nazanin Moghani ‘25 “I feel like I eat the most at Howe.”

AnaMaria Laccetti ‘22

Samantha Reilly ‘22

“Acup.”

“Also Acup.”

ROVING REPORTER Natalia Alvarez ‘25

“What’s your favorite Stevens Dining Experience?”

“Pierce?”

Amber Johns ‘24 “Hmm...CJs.”

Febe Abbad ‘22 “Acup!”

Erin Golej ‘25

“I really like the Red and Gray Cafe because I build my own sandwich.”

by Off Center

Sudoku

Jon Greenlow ‘25 “Red and Gray Cafe.”

ACROSS 4 6 10 14 15

242,243,244 135,50,96 255,247,0 147,197,114 244,196,48

DOWN 1 2 3 5 7 8 9 11 12 13

128,0,0 183,65,14 204,102,102 231,254,255 0,116,116 227,37,107 116,195,101 33,66,30 225,140,105 195,176,145

LAST WEEK’S CROSSWORD ANSWERS: Across: 2: Park 6: Grand 7: Washington 10: Frank Sinatra Drive 11: Willow 12: Jefferson 13: Court 15: Hudson Down: 1: Madison 3: Bloomfield 4: Harrison 5: Adams 6: Garden 8: Monroe 9: Clinton 12: Jackson 14: River