[The Stute] January 31, 2020 (Issue 13, CXVII)

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Volume CXVII No. 1

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January 31, 2020

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Established 1904

Samantha Molla sworn in as Student Government president

PHOTO COURTESY OF JON BROWN.

President Nariman Farvardin cut the ribbon at the ceremonial grand opening of the Student Center.

Got thoughts on Stevens? These Instagram pages want to know.

BY ERIC S. LONDRES

The origin of tea dates back to the Shang dynasty of China in the 3rd century. The beverage was popularized in Europe by Portuguese priests in the 1700s. As of 2016, 62% of the world’s tea is produced

by China or India. Tea, a shrub, has a stimulating effect in most humans. Despite popular conception, so-called herbal tea is not actually true tea, as only water infused with leaves from Camellia sinensis is proper tea — herbal teas are generally made with non-tea ingredients or with non-leaf sections of the sinensis plant to avoid caffeine content.

Wikipedia defines tea culture as “the way people interact with tea, and […] the aesthetics surrounding tea drinking.” All around the world countries and states are host to many teahouses or tea rooms, a distinct class of tea-centered establishment that also often serve as centers of social interaction.

Many people produce tea by first boiling water and then pouring the water into a small cup, followed by submerging tea leaves into the water (either loosely or contained in a pourous bag). However, recently a new alternative method of tea creation has become trendy at Stevens Institute of Technology. Students are now brewing tea by sending scandalous confessions to strangers via Instagram, who them make them publically available. This method of tea creation, which replaces the physical tea room with social media, has its own culture and aesthetic. There are many such tea accounts; some are more popular than others, but all have the same basic structure. People, presumably Stevens students, send private messages to the account with some scandalous news or controversial opinion, which the account then screenshots and posts (removing the name of the submitter in the process).

One of these accounts has 900 followers and close to 100 posts. These posts, betraying that the owner of the account is using Instagram in dark mode, are occasionally interspersed with Stevens-related memes or pictures of humorous scenarios that are found on campus.

SEE TEA PAGE 2

Student Center has grand opening

BY TYLER KUI Last week, President Nariman Farvardin cut the ribbon at the ceremonial opening of the new Student Center. This new space, which underwent roughly two years of renovation and was previously known as Alexander House, will be the location in which student organizations, the Intercultural Space, new common areas, and Undergraduate Student Life will be located moving forward.

Prior to the ribbon-cutting, Farvardin gave a speech expressing his thoughts about the new building. “This project has been in the works for too long,” he said, “watching the progress of this project with a tremendous amount of interest over the course of the past maybe a

little over two years. From the day I arrived at this university, when I went to what used to be called Jacobus, I said, ‘This is not exactly the best place for a student-centric university.’

We need to do better, and I am delighted that after 8 years, and two years of construction, and a tremendous amount of anguish, we now have a place for our students and their colleagues who serve our students, worthy of the kind of work they do. It’s a place that is open and bright, and new and smells good inside. I hope all of you are enjoying it.”

Last year, the previous location of the Student Center, Jacobus Hall — along with Hayden Hall and its large student lounge — were torn down for the construction of the University Center/Student Hous-

ing project. While the student center was being completed, the student offices were temporarily moved to the 7th floor of the Howe building.

Student organizations are generally enjoying their new spaces. Andrew Kinney, the Outreach Chair of The Stute, explained that “The Stute really enjoys our office; we have more space here than we had in Jacobus if you don’t count our old EIC [Editor in Chief] office, which really didn’t get used a ton […] We also really appreciate having the student conference room across the hall be open throughout the entire day. It’s very useful to have that extra space, especially on Thursday when we have a lot of people in the office to do

SEE OPEN PAGE 5

Cabinet celebrates inauguration

Meet the woman in charge

BY ALEKSANDAR DIMOSKI

BY POOJA RAJADURAI

The new Student Government Association cabinet was inaugurated into office on Wednesday, January 22 at 9 p.m.

After the election in November, the Molla administration selected cabinet members from a group of candidates, who then began preparing to take on their roles as the new SGA cabinet.

Since their election, the administration has been sitting in on meetings with their counterparts in order to become better accustomed to their roles.

Many members of the SGA and the student body congregated in the Babbio Atrium to see the inauguration. As the ceremony began, former SGA President Jason Chlus briefly discussed the work that he and his cabinet had done before wishing the new cabinet luck, stating, “I am really confident in all of you, and I hope my cabinet helped you transition well.”

After Chlus spoke, Speaker of the Senate Dylan James Moon began the process of swearing in the new administration, with Samantha Molla as the new President, Adrian Castellanos as the Vice President of Operations, Hailey Tanner as the Vice President of Student Interests, Christian Bonavita as the Vice President of Finance, Andrea Maria Diaz-Gonzalez as Secretary, and Anthony Tesori as the Vice President of Academic Affairs.

The new President took the stand and thanked her predecessors, former Presidents Lucas

It’s not surprising that a college with a gender ratio as skewed as Stevens has occasional difficulty putting women in leadership positions. It is especially difficult when men comprise 71% of the undergraduate electorate. However, Samantha Molla, a sophomore Mechanical Engineering major, broke the pattern of male leaders and, earlier this month, was sworn in as President of the Student Government Association.

Molla, an articulate woman with a strong sense of self, knows that gender does not define her capabilities as president. But she still believes that her gender is relevant to her being president, explaining in an interview that thus far she has received comments along the lines of, “Finally, we have a female president for once!”

However, she stressed that she did not decide to run for the presidency on the basis of her gender. Rather, she ran as a consequence of her passion for effecting change in the student community and her own confidence in her abilities to do so.

At the same time, when asked about any insight she may be able to bring to the table as a woman, she did not hesitate to elaborate on one of the plans she and Adrian Castellanos, who is the new Vice President of the Student Government Association, had included in their campaign:

SEE CABINET PAGE 2

SEE SAM PAGE 4

What will a quarter of a billion dollars bring to campus?

BY GRACE MIGUEL After a financial and philosophical dilemma over the funding of the Gateway Academic Center and naming of Gianforte Family Hall, students began to question the source of funding for other campus construction projects like the University Center/Student Housing project.

According to Louis J. Mayer, Stevens Vice President for Finance and Treasurer, the University Center towers is estimated to cost $255.5 million. The project is being funded by a variety of sources including fundraising, bond financing, and planned savings.

The fundraising portion is expected to come from a variety of private donors. The largest donation of $17 million is from alumnus Richard Frederick Harries.

By comparison, the recently renovated Alexander House, now called the Student Center, had a project budget of $6.5 million. That project was backed by bond financing via the Stevens Series 2017 bond issue. In general terms, bond financing is a type of long-term borrowing that non-profit institutions and universities use

to finance extensive projects and operations. Bond financing allows schools to build their projects sooner and with low interest rates.

Similar to the Gateway building, a portion of the funding for the project will come from private donations as mentioned above. There was a lot of controversy over Greg Gianforte’s socially conservative views and actions in regard to creationism and anti-LGBT groups.

In response to this issue, Dawn da Silva, Associate Vice President for Development said, “As a tax-exempt, charitable organization, Stevens relies on philanthropic support from numerous individuals and organizations, including those holding a range of religious, political, and social beliefs, and who may lend their support to various philanthropic organizations. Stevens is and will remain neutral on religious and partisan political issues. The Board of Trustees will uphold the University’s values including nondiscrimination and academic freedom.”

Without generous donations, it would be nearly impossible for

SEE MONEY PAGE 4

RENDERING PROVIDED BY THE CITY OF HOBOKEN.

The plan calls for Warrington Plaza to become a public space for food vendors, public art displays, musicians, and general use.

Hoboken City Council delivers an improved redevelopment plan

BY SANJANA MADHU Hoboken, as we know, is a vibrant suburb of New York City, known for its stunning view of the skyline, beautiful brownstones, and historic Washington Street. But for years, the transit hub of Hoboken, Hoboken Yards, has remained undeveloped.

Talks about improving this area go as far back as 1980, but in February of 2007, the city formally recognized that Hoboken Yards required serious maintenance and improvement. After a few years of design plans and intense collaboration, in December of 2014, the Hoboken Yard

NEWS PAGE 2 New Cranes on Campus

NEWS PAGE 5 State of the City Address

NEWS PAGE 3 Gateway Protest

OPINION PAGE 6 Top shoes of 2019

NEWS PAGE 4 Panhellenic Recruitment

OPINION PAGE 7 Mind of a Freshman

NEWS PAGE 5 Barstool Sports Pizza Review

SPORTS PAGE 10 Men’s Volleyball Women’s Basketball

Redevelopment Plan was formally adopted.

Originally, the plan was meant to bolster the Hoboken Terminal and Observer Highway. The area was meant to contain nine redevelopment sites that culminated to a full 2.3 million square feet comprised of three distinct sections: the terminal district, the commercial district, and the residential district. Each district was meant to house buildings, varying from 50 feet to 330 feet. However, Governor Phil Murphy’s administration introduced a f lood wall in Hoboken to reduce f looding in the city and allow the NJ Transit system

that sits close to the coast to remain functional. Unfortunately, the f lood wall plans clashed with the area designated for the redevelopment plan. For these reasons, major amendments to the project had to be made.

On January 22, 2020, a city council meeting was held with hopes of voting on the plan. However, since many amendments were made, city planner Jessica Giorgianni outlined the alterations to the plan and residents of Hoboken had their questions answered by her and other city council members. Instead of

SEE PLAN PAGE 5

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January 31, 2020

News STAFF BOX Volume CXVII No. 1 Executive Board EDITOR-IN-CHIEF.......................................................................................AUDREY D’SOUZA BUSINESS MANAGER.................................................................................MARK KRUPINSKI MANAGING EDITOR...............................................................MATTHEW CUNNINGHAM LAYOUT EDITOR..........................................................................................NATALIE TODARO OUTREACH CHAIR.......................................................................................ANDREW KINNEY

Editorial Board COPY EDITOR.....................................................................................ANGELINA ZACCARIA ASSISTANT COPY EDITOR...........................................................................MATHEW GREEN HEAD PHOTOGRAPHER............................................................................COLE YARBROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR............................................................................ELINA TUDER SCIENCE EDITOR................................................................................DYLAN JAMES MOON SPORTS EDITOR........................................................................................TREVOR DAMEIKA WEBMASTER....................................................................................................JOANA FARDAD

Staff & Contributors ALEKSANDAR DIMOSKI ALEX MURTAGH ALEXANDAR WIEDEROCK ALYAA ELKHAFIF BRANDON SEIDMAN CARTER ROSEN DANIEL KANG ERIC S. LONDRES ETHAN CHE FRANCES SMALLEY GRACE MIGUEL JOHN HORGAN JON BROWN JULIA WIERZBICKI JUSTIN CROSS LISA MENGOTTO MATT BRANTL

MICHAEL PRIZANT MONIKA GESLAK NASIR MONTALVO PETER WHITE POOJA RAJADURAI SANJANA MADHU SIMON PEPA TYLER KUI

Contact

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CABINET

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Gallo (2018) and Jason Chlus (2019). She proceeded to acknowledge the work that Chlus has done this year, stating, “Every Sunday at 7 p.m., I was able to walk into BC 122 and see a leader who was committed, determined, empathetic, and passionate, who drove his senate and cabinet to attain selfless goals and encouraged them to always express their thoughts and opinions. He taught me that being a leader is more than just sitting in front of a room and going to meetings with important people there […] his dedication to the position could not go unnoticed.”

The inauguration can be seen on the SGA Facebook page.

TEA

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 However, the primary focus is the “tea.”

The topics covered by the tea vary wildly. Many deal with relationship issues. For example, one post reads “Visiting my girlfriend during Christmas made me realize I chose the wrong sister.” Another read “I had a relationship with my professor and still ended up failing the class.” “My freshman year,” another post states, “I saw some girl who told me she was 16 neck deep in a 5th year.” One simply said “everyone ugly.” Not all the posts are about relationships, however. Race relations at Stevens is another common source of tea. One post which received 20 likes reads “I tried to get a bag of M&Ms from the vending machine during finals, and the cost was $12.50 for a single bag.”

The purpose of these tea accounts was initially quite mysterious. Many similar accounts were created and became popular during the Fall 2019 semester. One such account, which has over 395 followers but less than five posts, claims in its account biography that “[the account] is strictly just for entertainment. To unite students, not to divide.” This account, titled “Steven’s Tea” [sic], responded to The Stute’s request for comment. “The pur-

PHOTO COURTESY OF COLE YARBAROUGH.

The Cabinet of the Student Government Association was inaugurated. pose of this page,” they wrote, “is to find common ground that undergrads can relate to get a sense of unity through the similar stuff we experience here at Stevens. […] The only thing I would say to the students, that do have a lot of complaints about this school, is that there’s a lot of ways to change things around here by joining various organizations like the SGA, etc.

This page should only be used to identify the problem but it’s up to the students to make changes because only we have the power to make change happen.”

Some of the accounts approach constructing the teahouse differently. One of the older such accounts is centered primarily on “confessions” of Students rather than general scandal. In the wake of the 2019 student protests, a very high number of submissions to this account centered on the topic of the protests. Both anti-protest and pro-protest tea brewers were submitting long-winded responses to each other via the anonymous confessions account. The comments on these posts often were quite heated, lengthy, and occasionally very personal. Many spin-off confession accounts arose during this period which adopted policies of not publishing confessions related to the protest in an at-

tempt to restore light-heartedness and civility to the teahouse.

If any students would like to publish their confessions, scandals, or opinions on anything Stevens-related in a widely circulated and viewed format, The Stute encourages submitting letters-to-the-editor via email to eboard@thestute.com.

Career Center releases Class of 2019 Career Outcomes report

BY ERIC S. LONDRES As the student populace of Stevens begins the Spring semester and returns to the routine trials of coursework, students often wonder if the intense workload Stevens lays upon its academic tenants is really worth it. The Class of 2019 Career Outcomes report, the latest version of a comprehensive post-undergraduate dossier which is released yearly, reveals that for most Stevens graduates the answer to that question is a resounding “yes.”

The Stevens Career Center released the report over winter break.

Lynn Insley, Executive Director at the Career Center, introduced the report by writing she was “pleased to report the Class of 2019 achieved an outstanding record of success, with 96% having secure highly competitive employment opportunities and admission to prestigious graduate programs within six months post-graduation.”

Data for the report was gathered via surveys, email, and advisor meetings; the report claims a knowledge rate of 85% as a result of these methods.

Of the Class of 2019, 71% have secured employment and 21% have been admitted to continuing education. Of the remaining 8%, 3% are traveling or returning home, 1% are entering

the military, and 4% are still seeking employment. Of those continuing their education, 6% reported going to medical school, 1% reported going to law school, and the remaining 93% reported pursuing various Master’s programs.

The report also offered details into salary information and post-graduation status on a degree type and major basis. The overall lowest accepted salary for a member of the Class of 2019 was $47,600 per year; the highest was $142,000, and the average was $76,400. The lowest salary was accepted by a graduate who received a degree in Mechanical Engineering, and the highest was accepted by a Computer Science or Cybersecurity degree holder — that program also claimed the highest average accepted salary, at $90,200. The degree program with the lowest average accepted salary was Civil, Environmental, and Naval Engineering at $66,800 per year.

49% of the Class of 2019 reported that they received a signing bonus, with the average bonus being $8,300, and the highest being $40,000. The industry with the largest amount of Stevens engineering graduates heading into it was finance, followed by technology and manufacturing. Some of the top employers of the Class of 2019

include American Express, Deutsche Bank, ExxonMobil, IBM, JPMorgan Chase, and Lockheed Martin. The report claims that “the most significant changes in industry distribution are a 5% increase in both Finance and Technology/Telecom while Manufacturing decreased by 4%.”

The report also indicated that women members of the Class of 2019 achieved a record-matching 99% outcome finalization rate, tying with the Class of 2016 for highest ever for a Stevens graduating class.

Compared to previous years, the average salaries of Biomedical Engineering, Business, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, and Engineering Management graduates rose substantially; average salaries of Chemical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering graduates rose slightly, while average salaries of Finance and Quantitative Finance majors fell.

Many other universities have not yet released their Class of 2019 post-graduation reports, so a direct comparison to peer institutions for this year is not yet possible. However, Harvard College’s report claims that only 3% of graduates are “unsure of plans,” a percentage slightly lower than that of Stevens.

One crane, two crane, red crane, blue crane

BY MICHAEL PRIZANT When students came back from winter break, they were greeted with a sight that that hadn’t been there when they left: two large cranes, red and blue, overlooking the current construction of the new University Center/Student Housing project.

Although the construction has been going on for some time now, this is the most visible that it’s been, aside from the beeping of the trucks outside of Davis.

Thanks to these cranes, both new and old questions are popping into students’ minds again. How is the construction going, and why exactly are those cranes there?

So what information is there to know about the new members of our campus?

Well firstly, they’ll be staying around for about a year; the current plan is to dismantle and remove them by the Spring Semester of 2021. Secondly, they’ll be operating at times that students are already used to, working from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Mondays through Fridays. These will also be the only cranes that appear on campus, so there shouldn’t be any-

thing else taking up the view while the new University Center/Student Housing Center is built.

Students also don’t need to worry about the cranes falling over onto the Howe Center or Davis Hall, as according to Robert Maffia, the Vice President for Facilities and Campus Operations, Stevens has “taken all necessary safety precautions” regarding the cranes. There is, of course, some danger that comes with the cranes, as shown by the crane that collapsed in New York City in 2016.

But Maffia has made sure that any and all necessary precautions have been taken. In addition, any similar incidents to the one from 2016 have been few and far between, so there isn’t really a need to worry.

For the cranes to have been built over break, Sinatra Drive had to be closed for a couple of days. There are no current plans for any more closures, but Sinatra Drive may need to be closed here and there when transporting large loads or dealing with oversized equipment.

For the construction itself, everything is coming along smoothly; all parts

of the project are on schedule, and the new University Center/Student Housing Center is set to be open by Fall 2022.

The construction that is happening right now is mainly around making sure that the foundations are complete and that underground utilities such as stormwater, sanitary water, and electricity are properly installed. This step in the construction should be finishing up soon; however, there are plans to begin vertical construction this Spring.

Overall, the cranes will be on campus for some time and will be helping to move materials from Sinatra Drive to the construction area, as well as help on the construction site itself. There are currently no dangers associated with them, and everything seems to be working well. Although these cranes appeared suddenly, over time they’ll become part of the Stevens landscape and I’m sure that when they get dismantled it will be a noticeable change. The construction is going along well, and the new University Center/Student Housing Center is on track to open by Fall 2022, just in time for that year’s freshmen.

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January 31, 2020

News Community members protest at the ribbon cutting of the Gateway Academic Center

BY MARK KRUPINSKI Braving the cold, windy evening on Tuesday, December 10 at 6 p.m., approximately 80 students protested at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Gateway Academic Center as a push for student wellness, administrative transparency, and improving the campus climate at Stevens.

The demonstrators aimed to make their concerns known to the Board of Trustees and President Nariman Farvardin by distributing a solution proposal; however, only Marybeth Murphy, Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs, formally received the proposal created by the group. As of December 18, the organizers have not received a response from her. Despite this, organizers Adrian Castellanos, Nasir Montalvo, and Eli Trakhtenberg viewed the protest as a success because it united and empowered students with a feeling “like a real symbol of solidarity.”

The demonstration began with a briefing on Schaefer Lawn, during which the organizers explained the aim of the protest and outlined safety protocol for the event. The demonstrators marched to the intersection of River Street and 6th Street and filed into a constructed area of orange barricades that ended by the Burchard Building. They began to chant, “We will not SIT by,” “Let’s see Farvardin,” and “This is what centricity looks like.”

At approximately 6:10 p.m., Murphy met the demonstrators outside and received the solution proposal from the organizers.

“We will look at this very carefully. We are always interested in hearing the concerns; my door’s open. I’d be happy to talk to you more about this. Thank you very much for having a peaceful, thoughtful demonstration, so good luck, stay dry. Thank you very much,” said Murphy when accepting the proposal. Murphy did not respond for comment on whether she had looked at the demonstrators’ proposal or shared it with anyone else.

“We were told the day of that higher administration would not be accepting the proposal, only Cabinet member Marybeth Murphy,” said Montalvo. Demonstrators continued to chant and played gay anthems on Bluetooth speakers. While the Board of Trustees was aware of the demonstration, very few attendees went outside to speak with the demonstrators.

After demands for President Farvardin to come outside and accept the proposal fell on deaf ears, the organizers decided to lead the demonstration to deliver the proposal to Farvardin’s residence at the Hoxie House. “We decided it [delivering the proposal to the Hoxie House] would be symbolic, as well as a guarantee of visibility, to ensure that Farvardin would have a copy of it on his doorstep,” said Trahkentberg. “It was also important that the proposal was circulated amongst the upper administration such as the President’s Cabinet and Board of Trustees, and by doing something symbolic, the visibility and pressure to respond would be higher.”

However, the demonstrators were unable to drop off the proposal at the Hoxie House’s doorstep. Montalvo and Castellanos attempted to place the proposal on the doorstep but were stopped by campus police.

Ultimately, they handed the proposal off to the Chief of Police, Tim Griffin.

Later, a member of campus police entered the opening event with the proposal and spoke with Farvardin.

However, by the end of the conversation, he did not hand off the proposal to Farvardin. Farvardin did not respond to confirmation on whether or not he had received the proposal.

Farvardin did, however, express his appreciation for the students involved. In an email to The Stute, Farvardin stated, “We appreciate that those involved in the peaceful demonstration had the opportunity to express their point of view, and the administration will continue to work with students and student organizations to explore opportunities to make positive improvements at Stevens.”

As of December 18, the demon-

PHOTO PROVIDED BY SITTV.

Students protest campus climate and administrative transparency, among other concerns. strators have not yet received a response regarding their proposal. Sara Klein, Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs, provided details on a time frame for a response, saying, “The Stevens’ leadership has received the proposal and will be in contact with SGA in the new year to discuss the concerns that have been raised.”

Klein also spoke with the organizers prior to the demonstration. “I met with the organizers to arrange for a safe location for the demonstration,” said Klein. “I also discussed Stevens policy regarding these types of events, and provided guidance regarding distribution of the proposal to Stevens leadership.”

The Stevens policy for protests and demonstrations can be found in a document titled “Guidelines for Assemblies on the Stevens Institute of Technology Campus,” which notes that demonstrations may not include physical or verbal intimidation or harassment, the blocking of ingresses or egresses of University facilities or properties, or obstruction or disruption of normal operations and activ-

ities of the University. Additionally, demonstrators must comply with all directives of campus police and Stevens administrators. The document also states, “it is recommended that members of the Stevens community submit a request to Kenneth Nilsen, Dean of Students, prior to any assembly.”

Part of the discussion between the organizers and Klein was the demonstration occurring in a barricade that was outside of the view of the opening ceremony. “Pushing past the fence to the event would have resulted in worse than a mere ‘misdemeanor,’” said Montalvo.

The number one concern for the organizers was everyone’s safety.

“I am well aware that we played it safe,” said Montalvo, “but I am not ashamed to admit that.” Montalvo remarked that remaining in the barricades was solely for the safety of the demonstrators, while Castellanos remarked it was for everyone’s safety — not just the demonstrators.

Ultimately, the protest was faintly heard by attendees of the event.

A student attending the opening remarked that it could only be heard in between speakers or when the door to the building was opened. A School of Business professor exiting the ceremony stated they were unaware of any coinciding demonstration and did not hear the demonstrators.

Despite this, the organizers of the event viewed the demonstration as a success. “Students were able to rally together about their concerns around ‘student-centricity’ through a platform that I have not seen on this campus since I have gotten here,” said Castellanos. Montalvo remarked that it connected people across the Stevens community and made the community take action. “I think that the show of support created a newfound sense of unity, and I hope its momentum continues,” said Trakhtenberg.

While the long-term reforms and actions in the proposal have not occurred yet, the demonstration is only the first step. “Direct action takes many different forms,” said Trakhtenberg. “If [the] administration doesn’t respond, it will be a lot louder.”

Students distribute the “Student Centricity Reform Proposal” at Gateway Protest

BY AUDREY DSOUZA “Let’s see Farvardin!” was among many cries repeated by 80+ members of the Stevens community protesting outside of the Gateway Academic Center this past December. The reason?

According to this 13-page document, the protest was about far more than just the naming of a building. “Wellness, administrative transparency, and campus climate,” were among several concerns outlined in the “Student Centricity Reform Proposal” as the “three largest challenges facing members of the Stevens community.”

It is still uncertain whether President Farvardin has received the proposal, but according to Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs Marybeth Murphy, “the proposal has been shared with the President’s Cabinet,” and she has also personally reviewed it after receiving it on the night of the protest.

Adrian Castellanos, one of the proposal writers, stated that both he and Samantha Molla (SGA Vice President and President, respectively) would be meeting with VP Murphy next week to discuss the contents of the proposal. He stated, “As with anything, there were criticisms, but I feel like there was general support [from students] for the document,” and that they would be trying to advocate for the more “tangible things […] such as Smoking, STI Testing, Gender Neutral restrooms, faculty modules, and improving whatever else possible.”

The proposal, although not directly from the SGA as an entity, is credited to Adrian Castellanos, Nasir Montalvo, and Eli Trakhtenberg (the first two are heavily involved with the SGA as Vice President and D&I Committee Chair, respectively). “It is most effective if proposals and initiatives come to the administration through the SGA, since they are the elected representatives of the students,” said Murphy, in an email response to The Stute. However, evidence of previous SGA Proclamations that led to no response from administrators would signify otherwise.

Wellness Initiatives Wellness Initiatives took up three full pages in the proposal. The topics included the recently-formed Task Force on Mental Health, the efficacy of the CARE team, disregard for smoking on campus, lack of STI testing for students, and not enough gender-neutral restrooms.

Administrative Transparency The second focus of the proposal was on administrative transparency (or rather, lack thereof).

Campus Climate The final section of the proposal

highlights issues related to campus climate, including the lack of student spaces, campus resources, and training modules.

Task Force on Mental Health Originally announced in July of 2019 via an email from President Farvardin, would have 25 members assigned with the goal of developing recommendations to “reduce the stigma associated with mental illness on our campus and to encourage our students to seek counseling and support.” Since then, the task force met twice (once in September and once in December) and released one update in November. The proposal questions the credibility of the JED seal, criticizes the lack of minutes and transparency regarding the conversations had during the meetings, and calls for a public re-assessment of the accessibility of CAPS and its resources.

CARE Team The CARE team is comprised of Stevens administrators that meet regularly to review CARE Reports, or submissions related to “disruptive or harmful” student behavior.

They then meet with the student in question and connect them to the resources that they need (academic, counseling, medical, etc.) to resolve the problem. They do not function as an emergency resource, but rather as a “support system for students in crisis.” The proposal claims the CARE Team has fallen short, and that its efficacy and accountability are difficult to track due to its “anonymous nature.” They credit it as possibly being helpful in concept, but claim that without student input on the system or on the team itself, it does “more harm than good.”

Smoking According to the Stevens Student Handbook, “Smoking is prohibited within 25 feet of all campus buildings, including but not limited to individual offices and rooms; athletic and sporting facilities; spectator areas at outdoor university events; university-owned vehicles; shuttle buses and vans; dining facilities, theaters and concert halls; partially enclosed areas, such as archways, weather-protected rams and tents; and outdoor dining areas.”The proposal points out that the policy is currently not being enforced, and that there are no clear consequences to hold community members accountable if they violate the policy.

It also brings attention to a SGA Proclamation from October 2017 requesting that the administration do something about the issue.

STI Testing STI testing is not something Stevens

currently offers. Stevens Torch Alliance attempted to bring free STI testing in the form of an event open to all students last semester, but it was canceled by Stevens administrators. “Student organizations cannot bring medical providers to campus without approval,” said Sara Klein, in a previous comment to The Stute.

As a result, the event was canceled.

“Stevens must ensure that those contracted to provide this service meet specific requirements to ensure accuracy, safety, and follow-up care,” said Klein.

The proposal calls Stevens “behind other US colleges” in its offerings related to sexual health and wellness, and states that administrators have not proactively followed up with any progress despite multiple attempts from students to bring testing to campus.

Gender-Neutral Restrooms Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla signed an executive order in April 2018 stating that all single-occupancy restrooms in Hoboken have to be gender-neutral.

The proposal brings attention to a previous SGA proclamation from Fall 2017 urging Stevens to convert all single-occupancy restrooms on campus to be gender-neutral. It also states that there are still 22 restrooms on campus with the potential to be converted.

Stevens Hack Stevens faced a cyberattack in August of 2019, leaving many departments and offices out of commission prior to the Fall semester. Key services for students such as e-billing and registrar had their services repaired first, and recovery efforts continued through the Fall semester and are still ongoing.The proposal links a thread from /r/stevens and states, “students feel overwhelmingly that the way the hack is being handled is a disservice to them as students, soon to be working professionals, and funders of this institution.”

Financial Contributions to Gianforte Campaign According to filings submitted to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), several Stevens administrators made monetary contributions to Gianforte’s congressional election committee, “Greg For Montana.” The contributions are dated past the initial center-naming announcement made by Farvardin in December 2016. Based on these filings, the proposal accuses President Farvardin and former Chair of the Board of Trustees, Virginia Ruesterholz, of being incapable of making a re-naming decision that was objective.

Naming of building The Center attracted lots of negative publicity for being named after Greg Gianforte, the notoriously anti-LGBT Montana House Representative, who was also involved in a controversial incident in which he “body-slammed” a reporter. Student protests caused the building to be renamed from the Gianforte Academic Center to the Gianforte Family Academic Center. The proposal suggests that the name change is negligible in addressing the concerns that existed due to the Gianforte name. Additionally, it claims that the decision was made using flawed justification.

Intercultural Space The Diversity and Inclusion committee of the Student Government Association surveyed the student body to gauge interest for an Intercultural Center. Due to space limitations on campus, the committee was able to work with administrators to get an Intercultural Space in the Student Center. The proposal agrees that the Space is a “step for a more inclusive Stevens,” but brings attention to the fact that minority students had to seek approval from a “majority” of the student body before their needs were considered. It also defends that collecting quantitative data should not be the job of students, and that qualitative data should be considered during conversations as well.

Prayer Space In the former student center, Jacobus, the Newman/MECA storage room was designated as a prayer space. With the building gone, there is no room left specifically dedicated to faith or religious-based organizations. The Intercultural Center Proclamation also cited a need for a prayer space based on survey results. The proposal argues that despite space concerns, Stevens was unable to meet the needs of students.

Diversity Education Diversity Education is responsible for many programs at Stevens such as heritage months, awareness weeks, affinity luncheons, Safe Zone Ally training, facilitated discussions, workshops, and invited guest speakers. Through this programming, the Office of Undergraduate Student Life seeks to “foster a deeper understanding of equity and inclusion, cultivate safe(r) spaces, and empower Stevens students, faculty, and staff.” Jacquis Watters, the former Diversity Educator, left Stevens in the Fall of 2018 to pursue a new role at Columbia.

The proposal recalls the time when there was no diversity educator at Stevens where Diversity Education was understaffed and unable to complete

all of the aforementioned objectives.

After a long search and interview process, Lilianna Delman was hired to become the Diversity Educator in March of 2019.

Title IX Coordinator Any educational institution that receives federal funding must comply with Title IX and its policies, which requires that “no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” Stevens’ designated Title IX coordinator Thea Zunick resigned in the Fall of 2018.

The proposal cites anonymous survivors of assault who were not properly supported while Stevens was searching for a replacement Title IX coordinator.

Faculty Training Modules According to Lucas Gallo, former SGA President and proponent of the training modules, it was promised that these modules would be made mandatory by President Farvardin at the beginning of Fall 2018.

However, in March of 2019 Provost Christophe Pierre responded in a letter, saying that “after having time to think further and consult with our professional colleagues, we have decided to offer these trainings as a continuous resource rather than a mandatory training.”

The proposal criticizes administrators for taking back the promise to implement mandatory training modules.

Safe Zone Training Stevens Safe Zone Ally Program is a campus-wide initiative designed to educate Stevens community members on LGBTQ+ identity and current injustices impacting the LGBTQ+ community, as well as visibly identify Stevens staff, students, and faculty who seek to support the campus’ LGBTQ+ population.

The proposal states that the existing modules “proved ineffective from removing bias based on gender identity and sexual orientation on campus.”

Disclaimer: The contents of the solution proposal were written by students and may not be entirely factual. The Stute is simply reporting on the contents written in the document.

4

January 31, 2020

News

PHOTO COURTESY OF CARTER ROSEN.

The five Panhellenic sororities welcome new members during a four-day process.

Four days of recruitment bring new women into Panhellenic sororities

BY FRANNIE SMALLEY The spring semester is here and with that comes recruitment. At Stevens, recruitment is a four-day process for women planning on joining one of five Panhellenic sororities that takes place during the last weekend of winter break.

The process begins with an event known as Round Robin, which lasts approximately seven hours. During Round Robin, the girls are briefly introduced to each chapter and get to talk with a few of the sisters to get a taste of what each one is about. At the end of this process, the girls get to rank the sororities and pick the four they are most interested in. The girls then wait until the next day to see if one or more sororities have decided to call them back. However, there is a possibility that no sorority calls them, and they are then released from the process.

The following day, the girls are split up into their groups to see which sororities called them for the next round: Philanthropy. The girls were able to get called back to four sororities, including the one

they ranked the lowest. However, they also could get called back to only three, two, one, or possibly none. As a result, each girl was given a different schedule in which they would revisit the ones that called them back. This round dedicated thirty minutes to each organization where they would explain their philanthropies to the girls and then do a small activity that revolved around their philanthropy. Each sorority supports a different cause through their fundraising events, so the idea is to allow the potential new members to see which cause resonates most with them. The girls then rank the sororities again and await the following day.

The next day is a little different than the others and is known as the Preference Party. The girls were required to dress in formal attire and were invited back to a maximum of two sororities, but could also get called back by one or get released from the process altogether. This day allotted 50 minutes to each sorority, where they expressed why their chapter was unique and worth rushing. The girls

A day in the life of a civil engineering co-op student

BY ALYAA ELKHAFIF As students mill about the same old hallways to get to their classes, other students have chosen to get a taste of the nineto-five life. Among said students is sophomore Civil Engineering student Erin Harrison. While she was still a high school senior, Harrison was keen on finding an engineering school that offers the co-op program because “it’s a great way to see the different types of job opportunities before having to commit to one upon graduation.”

And, so, she moved from Southern Virginia to the small

Erin Harrison, a sophomore civil engineering major, is enjoying her new nineto-five life with co-op. Photo provided by Harrison.

but robust city of Hoboken. Last fall, the Career Center sent out Harrison’s resume to a number of prospective co-op employers, and she landed an interview at Newark Airport and received a job offer later that week. As of now, she is the only Stevens undergraduate student em-

ployed by Newark Airport in their Structural Integrity Department. When asked about whether she misses taking classes at Stevens, Harrison stated that many of the concepts she learned in Mechanics of Solids pertain to her current role. Her primary responsibility at work is figuring out the structural issues of the terminals, then coming up with what projects can be done and how they need to be completed.

Looking back at the process to obtain her first civil engineering co-op, “The Career Center workshops were not that useful in helping me decide whether I want to commit to the co-op program,” Harrison recounted. When asked about her daily commute to Newark, she wistfully recalled taking classes, as she only had to walk 10 to 15 minutes from her apartment to campus. Even though the public-transit-commuter lifestyle is not one that offers many comforts, she emphasized that, aside from the resume-building components offered by the co-op program, there are other subtle advantages. “Taking a break from classes for the first semester has been a much-needed mental reprieve,” she elaborated, “Not constantly having to submit assignments and study for back-to-back exams has definitely been a plus.”

“Even if you’re on the fence about doing co-op, you should consider doing the first one, and then if you feel like it’s not for you, you can drop out of the program.”

ranked the sororities again, and then had to wait until the next day to see if they received a bid. A bid is given to a girl by the sorority as a type of invitation into their sisterhood.

The girls could accept the bid given to them the following day, or they could also reject their bid if they did not want to join the sorority that chose them.

If they accept their bid, they are invited back again the following day to the final event, bid day. This event occurs much later in the day than the other events and is significantly shorter. The room is full of excitement while the girls finally meet all of their soon-to-be sisters.

Songs are sung and photos are taken before each sorority gathers somewhere separately in order to get to know the new members.

This four-day process results in lifelong friendships; however, the process is stressful for the women involved. Madison Sheehan, a freshman, participated in this year’s recruitment and found it taxing. “It was a very stressful process,” she said. “I did not know anything about

recruitment at first. However, it was worth it because I was able to join a sorority in the end.” She ended up accepting her bid to Delta Phi Epsilon and was pleased with the turnout. “I would highly recommend going out for recruitment. You could always drop out if it’s not for you, so you should definitely try it!”

Looking at it from the other side is an entirely new perspective. The sororities must plan their events, make baked goods, come up with games and decorations, and even put together PowerPoints and presentations.

Michaela Thompson, a senior Engineering Management major and a former President of Phi Sigma Sigma, continues to be actively involved in the recruitment process. “This year, in order to prepare for recruitment, I first attended our sisterhood crafting sessions, where we would be painting posters or cutting decorations or hanging lights, and it is our creative outlet as a sisterhood,” she said. “We all bring something unique to the table and that is my favorite part about crafting. Next, we begin to practice conver-

SAM

ticularly as her responsibilities grow, but she is determined to remain true to herself and her abilities and welcomes any challenges that come her way.

This optimism stems from both her belief that she belongs on the same playing field as any other candidate, despite being the only woman among the slates of candidates this past election, and her realistic expectations of whom she would be competing with based on the demographic percentages of Stevens.

Molla admitted that the even split of men and women in the SGA Cabinet had, to some extent, been chosen consciously, but more so for diversity of thought arising from a difference in experiences than to fill a so-called quota.

It isn’t lost on Molla that her presidency comes shortly after the hype of Hillary Clinton, who lost the U.S. presidential election in 2016 and was the first female candidate for a major political party. When Clinton was running for president, the photoblog Humans

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 working with Lore-El to create a summer program for women.

Molla has not separated her role as a president and her role as a female president. Being a woman, Molla believes, allows her to take initiatives to address issues she deems important because of her collective experiences that have made her more acutely aware of some difficulties women might face in their lives. Her goals of being an accessible president with a capacity to lend an ear where it may be needed and working toward the general betterment of the student population align with the needs of SGA and Stevens regardless of her gender.

When questioned about the possibility of persistent sexism in her presidential term, Sam explained that to date she has not had to face as much sexist sentiment as she might have expected. She speculates that sexism will be inevitable, par-

MONEY

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Stevens to advance its infrastructure.

The Student Housing and University Center “will be ready for occupancy for the fall 2022 semester,” said Bob Maffia, Vice President for Facilities and Campus Operations. The housing portion of the complex will accommodate 994 beds; 616 in the North tower and 478 in the South tower. This will support the growing undergraduate student body, and it is estimated that by 2026 the Ste-

vens freshman class will modestly top out at 1,050 students.

With a minor increase in class size, this new dormitory space will enable greater on-campus options for non-freshman students to reside on campus.

Additionally, the University Center component will house a new fitness area, café dining, retail space, private dining, catering, kitchen, student organization offices, and more.

While most current students will graduate before the buildings are erected and open for use, it will eventually provide more study space, offices for student organizations, expanded dining experiences, and a new home.

sations — because we are nervous, too! — and share why we love our chapter so much with each other.”

“Without the worry of classes just yet,” Thompson added, “this is a great opportunity for our sisterhood to catch up with each other, while also being reminded of what brings us all together. Finally, we are able to set up our spaces for each day of recruitment. Whether that is utilizing the crafts we made or just moving some furniture around in a classroom, this is a great way for us to let our personality shine while also making the potential new members feel comfortable and welcome.”

Thompson also described the stress that comes along with being a member of a sorority during recruitment.

“Preparing for recruitment takes a ton of planning and hard work. Being best friends with our two recruitment chairs this year really made me understand how important all the details are, and how far in advance they are thought up. Recruitment can be tiring and stressful, but I really think it is one of the

most enjoyable things about a sorority experience. Being on the recruiting side of it for three years has been amazing, and I think it is so enjoyable because we get to share our experiences with women also looking for a similar thing.”

Regardless of how stressful recruitment may be, Thompson does recommend going through the process. She went through formal recruitment in January 2017 and has been on the other side of things ever since. “The recruitment process is a time of forming new relationships and bonding,” she added. “If you are a potential new member, right off the bat you get to meet other women on campus in your group. From walking around together between rounds you are able to make friends in this process, even if you don’t end up in a chapter. If you are in a sisterhood, you collectively put so much work into recruitment and the time spent together makes it the best bonding time of the year. Either way, it is ultimately an opportunity for new relationships while also being a celebration of old ones, which is a winning situation for everybody.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF COLE YARBROUGH.

Samantha Molla, right, is the new president of the Student Government. of New York interviewed her and asked about how her experience in the election might be different from that of a man’s.

Clinton described a scenario in which a man might express his passion for a topic by slamming his hand on the podium and be applauded for his commitment to the issue. If she were to do the same, she would be criticized for being too angry, she said. Moreover, in general, women are criticized for gestures that men might be able

to get away with. A woman who talks “too authoritatively” may be perceived as “bossy,” but a man will be commended for taking control of the situation.

When asked if she had noticed any differences in how she had to approach some topics as a woman, Molla said that, in general, she tries not to act aggressively, as it’s in her personality to be more reserved.

She also expanded by saying that at the end of the day, she wants to stay true to herself.

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT SIGN UP FOR STEVENS ALERTS. RECEIVE NOTICES WHEN CLASSES ARE CANCELLED, EMERGENCIES ARE ON CAMPUS, OR OTHER TIME-SENSITIIVE INFO SIGN UP AT STEVENS.EDU/ALERTS.

5

January 31, 2020

News Mayor delivers State of the City address

BY MATT BRANTL Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla gave his annual State of the City Address at Mile Square Theatre this past Monday. After celebrating the opening of three new businesses (Little City Books, a second location of bwé kafe, and Park and Bloom), Bhalla hinted at a “major, well-known event” that would soon be held in Hoboken’s North End. He also mentioned a large quality of life project currently underway, and the recent groundbreaking of the Northwest Resiliency Park, which when finished will be the largest such park in New Jersey featuring an ice skating rink, athletic field, and an amphitheater.

Bhalla then turned to infrastructure in Hoboken. In addition to the two million gallons of flood infrastructure included in the Resiliency Park, he mentioned a $33 million deal to upgrade water mains, and a project to pave over 50 blocks of road. Furthermore, the mayor described ongoing work in the Vision Zero road safety campaign such as reducing crossing distances, improving visibility, extending curbs, and adding dedicated bike lanes.

As part of the plan, Bhalla also mentioned how he is seeking to reduce speed limits citywide from 25 to 20 mph. Vision Zero appears to be connected to the decision to remove lime scooters, because Bhalla promised residents to consider the popular e-scooters again if the “safety, operational, and technological requirements” were met. He also proposed a new light rail station at 15th street, which would improve the city’s economic growth, and could help students commute to and from school.

E-scooters and other mass transit options in Hoboken like the HOP buses are part of Hoboken’s sustainability initiatives, which culminate in an overall goal to make the city carbon neutral by 2050. As part of his Climate Action Plan, the city upgraded 11 municipal buildings with LED lights and high-efficiency heating and cooling. Bhalla said he plans to widen the plastic bag ban on March 8 to include all carry-out plastic bags, including the thicker ones that few people actually reuse.

While not about Stevens, the speech did contain several issues concerning Stevens students. For students renting apartments in the city, transportation is critical to get to and from school, made more difficult by the departure of Lime scooters in November.

The HOP is one alternative, and students can keep hope that the scooters may come back.

The Vision Zero campaign is also important to the students who walk the streets of Hoboken every day. Reducing the speed limit may disappoint some commuters with longer travel times but would also reassure students peering around the cars parked on the side of the street as they look to cross.

Sustainability was featured prominently in the SGA presidential campaign last semester, so students should be pleased to see the efforts being made by the city to reduce waste and emissions. The parks that are part of the environmental plan will also be an exciting addition to the city, giving students new places to go with friends or by themselves for a meditative moment.

A chief concern of Stevens students that Bhalla omitted was housing. That it does not appear to be a part of the mayor’s official agenda may disappoint many students, and it is currently unclear what, if any action is being taken to lessen the burden on students at this time.

Bhalla’s speech laid out an ambitious agenda for the coming year, with numerous implications for Stevens students. The parks are something to look forward to, and many students will be pleased to see action being taken in the direction of sustainability and safety.

Current renderings of the redeveloped terminal’s second floor include maker spaces and open space.

Hoboken City Council delivers an improved redevelopment plan PLAN

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 nine separate sites, the plan now consists of three. The primary focus of the plan is now to redevelop and activate Warrington Plaza and the Ferry Terminal Building.

Although the city council of Hoboken is shaping this project, the plan itself will not be executed by the city. First, the plan must be approved and handed off to the mayor, who will negotiate this project with a developer. LCOR, the private developer which will tackle and finance the project, will make plans to meet the regulatory standards. It was stated that this step in the process will take at least another year.

Other than the general enhancement of the area, the redevelopment plan poses many potential benefits to

RENDURING PROVIDED BY THE CITY OF HOBOKEN.

Hoboken and its citizens. The buildings and office spaces can be used to attract new businesses, thereby improving productivity and improving the city’s economy. Additionally, developing this area will diversify Hoboken’s tax

base. Furthermore, due to this plan, the city’s designated affordable housing will increase from 10% to 20%, allowing Hoboken to become more inclusive. While the addition of new housing to Hoboken may seem positive, many residents

New Jersey to funnel high school students to community colleges, not research institutions

BY PETER WHITE In his third year in office, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy hopes to create impactful change statewide. Murphy, a Democrat, proposed a number of policies in his most recent State of the State address, in which he called for “Ethics-reform” in New Jersey.

The legislation he wishes to see passed this year includes a millionaire’s tax, as well as increased funding and training for high-tech jobs.

The motivation for these reforms, according to Murphy, can be traced back to the 2007 recession, from which New Jersey had a particularly tough time recovering. While the nation as a whole regained the number of jobs lost at the time by 2014, New Jersey did not return to the same employment numbers until 2017, according to the U.S. Labor Department.

By helping send kids to community college and learn new skills, specifically focused on manufacturing, the state hopes

that when another recession hits, New Jersey will be a safe haven full of high-tech jobs.

Over the next five years, Murphy aims to boost the number of college graduates employed in high-demand industries like technology by 10%. To do this, New Jersey will begin offering an increased number of college-level classes to high school students through AP and dual-enrollment courses.

Murphy believes offering these courses will make New Jersey’s high schoolers more competitive and let them learn more in-demand skills, such as computer science and programming. Additionally, Murphy hopes to expand apprenticeship programs and industry-focused training at community colleges.

This policy idea, at first glance, seems like it could be harmful to Stevens by resulting in an even more extreme difference between research institutions and cheaper, alternative options, such as community colleges. The national debate

surrounding the cost of higher education has led to similar answers in other states. But while most four-year schools are not going to be free soon, community colleges are making this transition.

Beth McGrath, who is the Vice President of Government and Community Relations and President Farvardin’s Chief of Staff, said that the Stevens administration will continue to follow Governor Murphy’s and the legislature’s plans and that they will assess possible impacts on Stevens and students.

She added that New Jersey’s research universities, including Stevens, are important components of the Governor’s plans to revitalize the state’s technology-based innovation economy. By virtue of producing a highly-skilled technology workforce and due to research conducted in STEM fields that leads to innovation and drives economic growth, Stevens will continue to be a significant resource for New Jersey, McGrath said.

were against the idea to prevent overcrowding in an already dense city. For the past 20 years, the population of Hoboken has steadily grown to reach about 55,000 people, so homeowners and renters were hesitant about more res-

Stevens: the fakest college in the history of colleges, said pizza reviewer

BY MATTHEW CUNNINGHAM These days, nobody knows what’s real or fake, and the list of dubiety continues to grow each day: fake news, alternative facts, and now… Stevens?

Dave Portnoy, who is an internet celebrity with millions subscribed to his viral online channels, rates pizza on a video series called Barstools Pizza Review.

A video posted two weeks ago, which has been seen over 150,000 times, unsettled a community when he derailed from reviewing H&S Giovanni’s and drifted into a monologue about how Stevens Institute of Technology is a swindling, overrated, mysterious, and ultimately “fake” college.

“Fakest school in the history of schools,” he said. “Duckbills: Fake. Stevens College: Fake.” “If you went to Stevens College, you didn’t go to college. I hate to tell you.”

Within hours of the video’s release on Instagram, it was shared around wildly, and an online rivalry ignited between Portnoy and Stevens, with students and alumni weighing in on Portnoy’s claims.

“You eat pizza for a living,” wrote Tommy Daily, an alum and former president of the Student Government Association, in a comment below the video.

“You aren’t even remotely smart enough to go to that school. Shut your mouth.”

“Sounds like he got rejected

OPEN

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

PHOTO BY RICK LOOMIS FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES.

Governor Philip D. Murphy delivered an annual State of the City address this past month.

idential sites. Other residents were concerned about the area being a bigger burden to the police and fire departments of Hoboken. Despite these doubts, many are happier with the revised 2020 redevelopment plan because the city took into account many of their grievances.

So what does this mean for Stevens? According to Beth McGrath, the Vice President for Government and Community Relations and Chief of Staff here at Stevens, “At this stage of the process, it’s difficult to answer this question.” The start date of the project still remains ambiguous to both residents and the city council. However, the Hoboken Yard could potentially become a space where students can relax and enjoy some time near the waterfront. Further updates on the redevelopment process can hopefully give us more clarity.

layout.”

The Honor Board said that “though [they] may miss [their] old view from the Howe Center, [they] see being housed in Stevens’ newest building as being

from Stevens and went to NJIT,” wrote sophomore Matt Jacobson.

“By the way he speaks about everything, it makes sense that he doesn’t know about Stevens,” wrote Ivan Arias, a sophomore.

H&S Giovanni’s — which has been a long-time supporter of Stevens and its student organizations, along with being the official pizza provider of The Stute — defended the university. Written on a chalkboard inside the restaurant shortly after the video’s release, the pizza company said, “Stevens Institute of Technology is a real university! Verify before you vilify, David! Love, Gio’s.”

After the vicious claims aired the internet, Stevens did not immediately address them directly, nor did Stevens respond to a request for comment. Instead, on its official Instagram account, the university posted light-hearted cartoons of ducks eating pizza and asked on its Instagram story, “What’s your favorite pizza shop in Hoboken?” A few responses said Gio’s; others said Pierce Dining Hall.

Online antics between Portnoy and Stevens continued on Twitter. Stevens tweeted to Portnoy, “We’d be happy to show you what you’re missing. We’ve got some of the best students, programs, and views around.”

Portnoy responded to that tweet by Stevens, “Get a load of this fake duck mascot @FollowStevens created to just fake like they exist. #duckdollars.” part of its future, and that is a wonderful thing to be a part of.” The Stevens radio show, WCPR, says that “It’s nice. It’s good to have a space that we can call home.”

The Student Government Association also enjoys their new space, with one person saying, “It’s not falling apart like Jacobus.”

6

January 31, 2020

Culture PASSION FOR FASHION

Top shoes of 2019

BY DANIEL KANG JUNIOR

BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING Another new year and a new decade.

While this past decade was chock-full of hot releases, the next decade promises us another level of sneakers. As this list looks back on the hottest releases of 2019, it also looks ahead to this year, because many of these companies and influencers are not one-hit wonders and are undoubtedly busy churning out new designs for the masses behind the scenes.

You might notice a heavy preponderance of shoes produced by the Portland-based heavyweight Nike; that’s because their innovation combined with creativity led to good-looking and comfortable shoes.

If adidas was winning before 2017 on the strength of Kanye and Pharrell, Nike is surely winning now due to the resurgence of its Nike SB division, and the people which it chooses to align itself with. Ultimately, this decade also reinforced the trend of brands aligning themselves with entertainers and non-athletes, who possess a desirable quality and energy that they bring to every project.

1. Jordan 1 Retro Travis Scott The rager himself put his mark on the sneaker landscape with one of the most coveted sneaker models of all time, the Jordan 1. The backward Swoosh initially turned me off, but the hidden stash pocket, subtle details such as the mocha brown and white colors, and the Cactus Jack logo on the panels crown this best shoe of 2019. The Jordan 1 silhouette never seems to stop, with Dior and a 1985-throwback New Beginnings pack

planned for this year. Travis also released a Jordan 1 Low, a Jordan 6, and a new Air Force 1 last year. He evidently plans to keep the nonstop energy going, with a React 270, Nike SB Dunk Low, and Jordan 5 planned for this year. Travis Scott is undeniably the man of the moment, with his own merch releases and music causing online pandemonium.

2. Nike LDWaffle sacai Blue Multi A combination of the LDV and the Waffle Racer, both iconic Nike shoes.

Why settle for one of everything, instead of two? The double motif on this shoe, as well as the Blazer (extending to laces, tongues, Swooshes, etc.), crowns this shoe as the hottest new model of 2019. The colorway and the unique EVA-foam protrusion on the midsole is sure to turn heads.

Chitose Abe, one of the few woman designers who branched off Rei Kawakubo’s CDG label, has collaborated with Beats by Dre, Undercover, fragment design, A.P.C., but collaborating with Nike demonstrates how appealing her experimental designs can be. Nike being Nike, is planning a release for all-white and all-black colorways, while also unveiling a brand new silhouette called the sacai Nike PEG Vaporfly SP at its F/W 2020 show at Paris Fashion Week, combining the Pegasus and Vaporfly SP runners, featuring a double midsole and new upper parts.

3. Air Vapormax 2019 Cactus Plant Flea Market Finally emerging from the underground world of fashion, Cactus Plant Flea Market is the LA-based streetwear brand by Cynthia Liu. The toothpaste-like green cord swoosh, big smiley face, and the ubiquitous phrase “Just Do It” emblazoned across the Swoosh complete the sneaker. The friends and family version has rechargeable lights that light up around the sole. CPFM came out with customizable Nike By You Blazer Mids and Air Force 1 Lows, but the Vapormaxes take the cake. Previously, the Vapormax was a model relatively untouched by collaborators, except for Virgil Abloh (Off-White), Rei Kawakubo (CDG), and Edison Chen (CLOT), but CPFM’s version surpasses previous editions. CPFM hasn’t been sitting on its laurels; between collaborating with Human Made, Alpine Star, Kanye West, A$AP Mob, this Nike

OFF THE PRESS

Duck and Cover Competition

BY OFF CENTER If there’s one thing we Ducks pride ourselves on here at Stevens, it’s innovation.

To help students show off their creativity and ingenuity, and also celebrate the school’s 150th anniversary, the Schaefer School of Engineering has put together the Duck and Cover: Make Your Fellow Students Duck and Cover Competition.

The school has called for students to group up and come up with innovative, patentable ways to make their colleagues duck (like Attila!) and cover (like to protect oneself). We interviewed some of the contestants.

Randy O’Rourke entered the contest by himself. As a Texas native, he knows one thing that makes people duck and cover more than anything: tornados. “I like to take a little Texas with me wherever I go,” said Randy. “I keep my favorite Texan hot sauce, Tobasco, with me at all times in my pocket, even when I sleep.

And last summer I caught this tornado.” He showed us a small vial filled with whirling winds he strung to his neck as a couture accessory. “It’s only an F3, but I think it’d be enough to scare these Yankees.”

For reference, an F3 tornado has winds between 158-206 mph. Typically, it tears the roof and some walls off even well-constructed buildings, overturns trains, and uproots most trees in a forest. We here at Off The Press can confirm we’d run to the nearest basement if Randy unleashed that one!

Twins Lucas and Liam Graham have a devious proposal. “So our mom works at Lockheed Martin,” Liam said, “and they actually have a contract with Thor.

Y’know, the Norse god of thunder. And he said we could use his hammer.”

“Yeah,” said Lucas, who said he identified as the Loki of the two brothers.

“We’re gonna go around and, like, smite people.”

Assistant Professor Sindri of the Mechanical Engineering department, the dwarf who initially blacksmithed Mjölnir (Thor’s hammer), said it was “one of the most fearsome and powerful weapons in existence” and “capable of leveling mountains” and “how did undergraduates get their hands on it, anyway?”

One senior design group thinks they might’ve one-upped the gods. Advised by Dr. Wellerstein, the group has been producing hydrogen bombs in the basement of McLean. Following is an interview we conducted with Jimmy Matthew, the team leader.

Off The Press: So have you successfully manufactured any weapons yet? Or are you still mapping the whole thing out in SolidWorks?

JM: Let’s just say we have enough firepower to wipe out the whole Eastern seaboard — and then some.

OTP: Wow. So where did you get the uranium?

JM: We actually used plutonium in addition to, of course, deuterium and tritium. Anyway, let’s just say I know a guy in Gear and Triangle.

Jimmy went on to say that they wouldn’t actually detonate one of the thermonuclear missiles on campus since students and faculty would be “completely and totally evaporated, like, instantly… like fwoosh, gone” before their basal ganglia could register there was a threat to duck and/or cover in response to. He said the team would consider detonating a missile “two, maybe three miles away” so everyone could feel the shockwaves and therefore a reason to duck and, if time allowed, cover.

Finally, the brothers of Phi Kappa Sigma are throwing their collective snapbacks into the ring. Arnold Davis, their representative, told us, “We actually had a lot of ideas bouncing around before we settled on this one: a school-wide limbo contest. We were planning on releasing a sentient cloud of mustard gas — we have a brother whose uncle works at Lockheed Martin — which would hover three or four feet off the ground. But then, some brothers and I were promoting our semi-annual blood drive, and boy, did we ever see people duck and cover.”

We polled students around campus, asking which group’s submission would make them duck and cover the fastest: the F3 tornado, Mjölnir, hydrogen bombs, or a plea for charitable donations.

The results were overwhelming: 87% of students rated PKS’s charity work as the #1 most likely to make them duck/cover.

Unfortunately, we had a low response rate for the survey as the vast majority of people ran in fear when they mistook our well-dressed reporter for a charity worker.

Jaqueline Garcia, one student we polled, said, “I just hate talking to people.

Especially people I only, like, kinda know from taking Chem with them freshman year.”

Jaqueline ranked the hydrogen bomb as the least likely to make her duck and cover. She said, “Ugh, fear mongering over [thermo]nuclear strikes is so last century. Who are you, Cormac McCarthy? [sic]”

collaboration guarantees CPFM will be a major player.

4. Nike Mars Yard Overshoe Tom Sachs After the first and second iteration of the Mars Yard, this shoe was somewhat overlooked when it was released the same day as the Travis Scott Jordan 1. However, this shoe’s unique features such as the nylon reinforced Dyneema waterproof upper, dual Fidlock magnetic buckles, and sticky rubber outsole combine for a space boot that is out of this world. Sachs nicknamed the shoe “March Yard” for wearers to endure wet conditions. Tom Sachs also teased a yellow Croc-like shoe based on the Nike HTM Solarsoft sandal that featured the same utility strap as the Overshoe at his “Tea Ceremony” exhibition in Tokyo. There are rumors of a third version of the Mars Yard shoe with new and improved materials from predecessors, so be on the lookout for that.

5. Nike SB Dunk Low Girls Don’t Cry Verdy’s brand Girls Don’t Cry experienced an explosion of interest this year.

This entirely red shoe with a white butterfly on the tongue and the GDC logo on the heel celebrating Valentine’s Day was first teased at Hypefest 2018, but finally was released this year only in Verdy’s hometown of Osaka, Japan. The Friends and Family pair came in a light silver colorway, limited to around 100 pairs.

Verdy Harajuku Day in October successfully bridged East and West by highlighting organic collaborations with Nike SB, Levi’s, Awake NY, Babylon LA, Takashi Murakami, Beats by Dre, Undefeated, Blackmeans, YouthQuake, Magic Stick, and many more.

6. Jordan 5 Retro Trophy Room Ice Blue Michael Jordan’s son, Marcus Jordan, is the proud owner of the Trophy Room store. The ice blue suede upper, cork insole, and Trophy Room graphic on the heel combine for an iconic take on an iconic shoe. The friends and family colorway came in a bright fire truck-red, recalling the Jordan 4 Retro Toro Bravo. 7000 of the blue pairs were released while only 223 pairs of the red were released.

Michael Jordan’s son, Marcus Jordan, is the proud owner of the Trophy Room store. The ice blue suede upper,

cork insole, and Trophy Room graphic on the heel combine for an iconic take on an iconic shoe. The friends and family colorway came in a bright fire truck-red, recalling the Jordan 4 Retro Toro Bravo. 7000 of the blue pairs were released while only 223 pairs of red were released.

7. Vans Bold Ni Rhude Rhuigi Villaseñor, founder of the breakout ready-to-wear label, Rhude, also debuted his collaboration with Puma featuring 4 different footwear models.

First seen in August 2019, the simple but effective black and white paisley colorway with Rhude branded laces celebrates the two brands’ shared connection to the LA skate scene and the ’70s. The Vans Diamo Ni Rhude featured a distinctive multicolored bandana print, similar to one of his first viral garments worn by A$AP Rocky and Kendrick Lamar. The shoes also feature a collapsible heel, another wink to how people casually wear Vans. The Vans later returned in a trio of new colorways (Black, Navy, and Red) that recalls classic license plates (Porsche Carrera, Mercedes 280 SL, and Ferrari 275, respectively).

The footwear world should brace itself for another Rhude awakening, with more distinctive paisley colorways unveiled at Paris Fashion Week.

8. Nike Dunk Low Off-White University Red As Virgil Abloh’s streak continues into the new decade, we must not forget the trifecta of colorways that released at the end of the year, capping off another great year for the man who also released the all-blue Air Force 1 MCA over the summer. Although this is not a Nike SB shoe, the Dunk’s heritage remains unrivaled. Released in Midnight Navy and Pine Green colorways, the University Red recalls the original UNLV-colorway Dunk. He has also been busy releasing a flurry of Women’s running shoes, which include the Terra Kigers, Vapor Street, and the Waffle Racer. He will definitely not slow down in 2020, as he already has unveiled the Jordan 5 Off-White at Paris Fashion Week and the Jordan 1 Canary Yellow and Air Max 90 University Red are rumored to be in the works. The man is definitely one of Nike’s most valuable assets who will continue to make noise.

9. Air Force 1 Low CLOT fragment

design CLOT brought back its Silk Royale tear away layer, revealing a lasered graphic underneath on this shoe after releasing a cream white Air Force 1 in 2018 and a Royal Blue colorway in 2019. The black silk exterior wraps the upper and covers a red embossed interior featuring both CLOT branding and fragment design’s double lightning bolt logo. The Jordan 1 High OG Defiant SB Laker to Chicago, Jordan 1 High OG Defiant SB NYC to Paris, Jordan 1 Low SB QS Lance Mountain Desert Ore/Royal Blue, Jordan 1 Mid SE Fearless CLOT, and the Air Force 1 Low G-Dragon PEACEMINUSONE Para-Noise are all shoes released in 2019 that have hidden layers not visible upon first glance. Another Air Force 1 in a Rose Gold colorway was released this month, capping an incredible run for CLOT founder Edison Chen.

10. New Balance Aime Leon Dore 990 v2 Teddy Santis’ first run-in with the American giant New Balance was a pack of New Balance 997s, one with a pink tongue and another with a yellow tongue, but the second pack (fittingly named Life in the Balance) truly demonstrated the collaborative beauty of ALD and New Balance. Between the 990 v2 and the 990 v5, the v2 steals the show. The white, gray, light blue, dark green, and yellow accents bring ALD’s flair. No wonder the in-store release in Soho got shut down by NYPD. ALD also teased a Porsche collaboration for this year. New Balance has seen a very strong year with partnerships with Kawhi Leonard and Coco Gauff to collaborations with Bodega, Stray Rats, No Vacancy Inn, Engineered Garments.

Honorable Mentions: Bodega New Balance 997S No Days Off, Awake NY ASICS Gel-Kayano 5 360, Reebok Club C 85 JJJJound, Air Force 1 Low Travis Scott Cactus Jack, Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star 70s Hi AMBUSH White, Nike Zoom Vomero 5 A Cold Wall Sail, Palace Salomon Speedcross 4, adidas Superstar Prada, adidas Superstar 80 Blondey McCoy, adidas Yeezy Boost 380 Alien, adidas Yeezy 700 v3 Azael, Nike SB Dunk Low Parra, Nike Zoom Vaporfly Elite Flyprint, and Air Max 97 MSCHF x Inri Jesus Shoes.

7

January 31, 2020

Opinion THE STUTE EDITORIAL

Rise and shine This past winter break was my last winter break ever. It feels like I graduated high school just last summer. Everything is coming together so fast, and it’s weird to wake up thinking that in a mere five months I’ll be out of here!

I didn’t really do much during the time off. I spontaneously got a seasonal job and worked a ton of hours before Christmas. I figured it would be a good chance to try retail, since I’ve never done it before. From Christmas to New Year’s, I went home and spent time alternating between watching anime on my bed and on my living room couch.

It was by far the weirdest week in my Stevens career — zero classes, appointments, or meetings on my Google Cal-

endar for a full week.

I was able to catch up with my friends from high school. Graduation is approaching for most of us, but it’s interesting how different some of our paths are and will be. I was happy to just be in their presence. I think out of all of them, I was the one whose personality changed the most thanks to none other than Stevens. Nonetheless, spending time with them made me feel less nervous about graduating — my friends and I may meet up less frequently and have different paths, but we’ll always care about each other and share fond memories.

I don’t want to go back to classes. It’s a semester of many lasts, and I wish

time didn’t pass as quickly as it does.

I can feel Senioritis creeping on me — the lack of consequences if I skip class or don’t submit a project worth 30% of my grade (this may or may not have happened last semester). There are only seven more editorials left for me, and I’m working hard to wrap up on so many projects.

This editorial could have been very different considering some of the events that took place in recent weeks (see our whole newspaper, honestly). We’ll just have to wait and see whether anything changes at this school besides how many buildings or students there are.

The longer current students have to wait for a response to their frustrations,

the more it proves that we are valid in our feelings and that it was valid to protest.

These are students who spend hours and hours per day working to make the school a better place for other students, for free, who are literally screaming at the top of their lungs to make things different, make things better. For how much longer will you ignore your most passionate student leaders, those who are willing to risk it all to evoke change?

Limiting your feedback to only the new SGA Cabinet, the babies you think you can intimidate and groom, as a response, proves that you just want the conversation to die down and go away, not actually have a real one. When will

Stevens wake up and acknowledge that it’s in their best interest to work with students who are already trying so hard to have their voices heard?

Audrey Dsouza Editor-in-Chief

SENIORITIS

MIND OF A FRESHMAN

The quest for happiness

Spilling the Stevens tea

BY MARK KRUPINSKI SENIOR

COMPUTATIONAL SCIENCE

At the beginning of the semester, I met up at Starbucks to grab coffee with one of my friends. We chatted for a bit — talked about our breaks, what’s going on, and general Stevens stuff. One of the things he told me was that he was dialing back on some of his activities to focus on things that make him happy. Even though it affects the organizations that I am involved in, I’m proud of him and happy that he is taking the steps to make himself happy and enjoy his time more at Stevens. It’s a big, “risky” step.

Right now, I’m committed to a plethora of organizations on campus and hold some sort of leadership role in most of these organizations. I’ve been involved on campus since freshman year and have held a leadership position in some form or another for over three years at this point (I was first elected to The Stute E-board about three years ago as Outreach Chair.) Since then, I’ve put myself

out there for more leadership roles. Some of those positions I’ve gotten; other positions I did not.

In each of the organizations that I am in, there are people counting on me to fulfill my specific role. While at times I would love to step back and focus on things that make me happy, I have a commitment to the people and organizations that are depending on me. It’s an internal struggle of mine that I’ve had at least once a month this semester. Would I be feeling different if I had gotten different positions — such as SGA President or Vice President of Academic Affairs? It’s hard to tell.

It’s the beginning of my last semester at Stevens — my last semester before I start working 40+ hours a week. I want to focus on things that I truly enjoy in my free time. Taking a step back to ensure that is difficult; everyone has expectations of you and your stepping back might have some backlash. Would friends support you even if you made a decision that negatively impacted them to make yourself happy?

I want to commend everyone, especially those that are heavily involved on campus, that have taken a big step and de-involved themselves. While it’s important to find a club to join, whether it’s for friends or skill development, make sure that it’s something that you actually enjoy doing.

Don’t do something because it’s expected of you, or because it will make Stevens a better place (there are professional staff members who should be looking out for that). Do something because it makes you happy.

It’s cliché and old at this point but think like Marie Kondo: does this activity bring me joy? Focus on joy at college.

BY JULIA WIERZBICKI FRESHMAN

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING Over winter break, I had a lot of free time. And, like most people, I filled those spare minutes with mindless scrolling through social media. As I spent time on Instagram, I noticed something interesting that kept appearing on my recommended — a number of Stevens gossip accounts. Not just a few, either. I found five without even trying, but there are probably many more. They’re all run basically the same way: people will DM the account some juicy Stevens drama and then the account owner will anonymously post it on their page. Other accounts can comment their opinion on the matter, discuss what the person should do and whether or not this is true “tea” or just someone overreacting. While most people use the accounts as a sort of mildly interesting entertainment, I think we may

actually be able to learn something from the patterns of tips submitted.

So, after doing some unofficial research on the matter, here’s what I learned from the Stevens Instagram tea accounts: The first trend I noticed in the accounts was about Stevens’ policy and the way the school is run. Most recently, the posts have focused mostly on the protests on campus revolving around student mental health, safety on campus, and administrative transparency. Many talk about their own experiences with the issues and blame Farvardin for not taking enough action to resolve these issues. These posts bring to light the tension among students and highlight the clear divide in communication between the student body and administration. From what I’ve seen, there has been some attempt to connect the students with Stevens authority, but these anonymous messages argue it isn’t enough.

Next, I noticed the comments about the Stevens student ratio.

It’s become a pretty well-known fact among students that there’s an approximate 70-30 ratio of guys to girls on campus. Among the tea accounts, they often quote the ratio as being the issue that many students are struggling to find girlfriends.

I can’t speak for the LGBTQ+ side of campus, though, as most of the posts from the account appear to be based around girl/boy romances.

But there’s definitely a relationship-based tension among students that is made clear by the anonymous

postings on the accounts.

Finally, the last thing I saw were students wondering whether or not they had made the right decision to come to Stevens. Although these posts were Stevens-specific, this is not at all a Stevens-only matter.

High-school students try their best to choose a college that they think is their best fit. But there’s no way to actually know whether or not they made the right choice until it’s too late. You just have to hope and try to make the best of wherever you are. It’s no surprise that Stevens students are also experiencing these concerns. After all, with a $70k+ tuition, everyone on campus wants to make sure they’re spending their money wisely.

So, what’s the point of all this “tea-spilling”? For the anonymous students, it’s to get something difficult to talk about in public off their chest. For the students that follow the channels, it’s a chance to get a more personal look on what’s going on around campus. It’s easy to see the amount of negativity on the pages and think that’s what makes up the whole of Stevens, but I don’t think that’s the case. College is a stressful time, and when everyone is bogged down with coursework, it’s not uncommon for students to get annoyed or frustrated. Just remember that these accounts are proof that everyone is going through something, so be kind to everyone you see on campus — and don’t forget that although Stevens isn’t a perfect school, it’s our school.

SCIENTIFIC CURMUDGEON

My go-to arguments for free will

BY JOHN HORGAN

CAL PROFESSOR I often dwell on free will as the new year begins, and my resolutions (quit caffeine, again, start meditating, again) are already wavering. Plus, last semester I found myself trying, again, to convince my students to believe in free will.

For these reasons, and just because I feel like it, I decided to jot down a few

arguments for free will.

By free will, I mean a capacity for deliberate, conscious decisions. Choices.

Free will is variable. The more choices you have, the more free will you have.

Our choices are constrained by all sorts of factors, physical, biological, social, economic, political, even romantic. My choices, for example, are often overruled by those of my willful girlfriend “Emily,” but that’s okay, because I’m with her by choice. Choices are never entirely free, but that doesn’t mean we lack them. Enough throat-clearing, here are my arguments: Just Because Physics Can’t Account for Free Will Doesn’t Mean It Doesn’t Exist. Free-will deniers tend to be hard-core materialists, who think reality, ultimately, consists of particles pushed and pulled by fundamental forces. This hyper-reductive worldview can’t account for choice. Or consciousness, for that matter, or beauty, morality, meaning and other trappings of the human condition. That doesn’t mean these things are somehow illusory. It just means materialistic science, which

does a splendid job explaining protons and planets, remains baffled by us.

Don’t let mean materialists bully you into agreeing with them. They’re not as smart as they think they are. In fact, anyone who argues strenuously against free will is a walking, talking contradiction. Their disbelief, like my belief, is a choice stemming from (in their case, faulty) reason, another mind-based capacity irreducible to physics and chemistry.

This Sentence Is Proof of Free Will.

And this one. And this one. This whole column constitutes proof that free will exists. Free will is an idea, a packet of meaning, that cannot be reduced to mere physics. The idea of free will, not its instantiation in my brain, provoked me, my physical self, to type this column.

I’m not compelled to write it. I have lots of other things to do, like watch Couples Therapy on Showtime with Emily, or find a birthday present for her. (No matter what I choose, she probably won’t like it. She’s very choosy.)

No, I choose to write this column, because I want others to share my belief in

free will. It matters to me. Once I decide to write the column, then I must decide how to write it. That process entails countless choices. They are constrained, limited, by factors such as time, my verbal skills and knowledge, my sense of what readers will like and so on. Like I said, just because free will is never entirely free doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.

You Reading This Sentence Is Proof Too. You don’t have to read this column, do you? Of course not. You choose to read it, freely. More proof of free will! If you’re irritated by the substance or style of this column, and you jump to Twitter to find something more amusing, that’s another choice! More proof!

Free Will Must Exist If Some People Have More of It Than Others. You have more free will—more ability to see, weigh and make choices–now than when you were a baby. Right? You have more than if you were suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, or addicted to heroin, or imprisoned for manslaughter. If you are black or female, gay or transgender, and living in a democracy, you have more choices and hence free will than

you would have 50, 100 or 200 years ago. If some people and societies have more choices than others—and they obviously do–free will must exist.

This is my best, slam-dunk argument for free will. That doesn’t mean it always or even usually works, even on me. To be honest, I have doubts about free will now and then. Sometimes I feel like I’m sleepwalking through life. I’m a confabulating somnambulist, a bundle of reflexes, twitches and compulsions with no self-knowledge, let alone self-control. I’m not even sure I really choose to be with Emily!

In these dark times, I give myself pro-free-will pep talks, like this column.

Free will is like Tinkerbell. If you don’t believe in her, she dies. Maybe that’s what I’m really doing with this column, trying to keep free will alive. Please help me. The more we believe in free will, the more we have, and the more likely we are to change the world for the better.

John Horgan directs the Stevens Center for Science Writings. This column is adapted from one on his Scientific American blog, “Cross-check.”

8

January 31, 2020

Opinion THE FRIDAY OBSERVER

Who needs information?

BY ERIC S. LONDRES JUNIOR

COMPUTER SCIENCE Every Friday evening for twelve weeks during the Fall 2019 semester, a handful of students gathered in Kidde 228 or EAS 222 to watch a movie with their friends. Most of these movie nights—hosted by SITTV—featured fresh popcorn from Bow Tie Hoboken Cinemas, in addition to plentiful theater candy and canned soda from grocery stores such as ShopRite and Costco. As some of these events had close to fifty people attending, bountiful refreshments needed to be kept in supply. Fortunately, by the grace of the Student Government Association Budget Committee and the great deals at local stores, that was not a difficult task; for example, one day in November SITTV spent $102.88 at Bow Tie and ShopRite, which got us enough popcorn, candy, and soda for the next three events. Factoring in the attendance numbers for those events, this meant we spent roughly $1.37 per person per event—almost a full order of magnitude less than the SGA recommends. Despite this low per-capita dollar amount, the provided refreshments were quite generous, featuring every type of Coca-Cola brand soda you can imagine (including several which no one had heard of before, such as Tab), plenty of both chocolate and non-chocolate name-brand candies, and some of the best popcorn you can buy. In fact, every week, consistently, someone would ask the event organizers where we got the popcorn from because it was so good. Life was good.

Flash forward to Friday, January 24, 2020. The first Friday of the Spring 2020 semester, and the first movie night of the new decade. The movie being shown—Knives Out—

had already attracted a fair amount of attention from previous attendees. I began the pre-event routine the same way that I had during the previous semester, with a call to Bow Tie Hoboken Cinemas to place an order for popcorn which I would pick up later in the day. It takes a long time to make as much popcorn as we need, so they ask me to call a few hours in advance. After the call, I took a trip to the Office of Student Life to pick up the PCard, which Stevens organizations use for purchases at retail outlets using their organization’s money. Once I had the PCard, I would drive to ShopRite or Costco to buy as much candy and canned soda as that week’s budget allowed for, and then pick up the popcorn on the way back to campus. As it usually takes about half an hour to set up all the refreshments, get the movie ready to play, organize event sign-in, etc., I generally try to arrive at the event location one hour before the start time. This day, however, I decided to play it safe and begin two or three hours earlier, just to make sure nothing went wrong that I couldn’t account for.

Unfortunately for me, something went wrong that I couldn’t account for: Stevens.

The event was slated to begin at 5:00 P.M. By 2:30, I had sent emails and notifications advertising the event (posters had been put up the weekend prior, proudly telling passers-by that “popcorn and candy will be served”) and left for the Office of Student Life. It was a shorter walk from my Shipyard North Independence apartment than usual, as Student Life had relocated from the 10th floor of the Wesley J. Howe Center to the recently reopened Student Center near the end of the Fall 2019 semester. The PCard gatekeeper at Student Life smiled at me when I walked in the office. This would now be my 10th or 11th time going through the same ritual at more or less the same time of the day and week. We both knew the plan well. She went through the usual questions—what will I be purchasing, where will I be purchasing it from, what organization’s account will I be charging, how much will I be spending, etc. Close to a dozen times prior I had gone through these simple questions, been handed a PCard, and went on my merry way.

Only this time, that didn’t happen.

This time, there were rumors of a new rule being put in place. Rumors, but we wanted to be sure, so we called Associate Director of Student Life Christopher Shemanski.

Shemanski said yes, the rules have changed. Student organizations are no longer permitted to purchase any amount of food items from anywhere unless Compass One, which handles catering & dining services for Stevens, approves it. For those who are unaware, the Spring 2018 rule dictated snack items that cost less than $100 could be purchased by organizations without having to ask anyone for permission. That rule changed last semester when the dollar amount lowered to $50. Organizations were told then that the change was to bring the policy in line with the real contract between Stevens and Compass One. According to Student Life, the $50 rule was the real rule that should have been enforced the whole time.

Evidently, that was not true.

I was told that I needed a signed waiver from Compass One permitting me to purchase what I was going to purchase. Okay, no problem. I had done that a few times during the previous semester when I wanted to prepare for future events and get more than $50 worth of soda or candy. Compass One doesn’t even offer Coke products, so that should have been no issue. It was never an issue during the Fall 2019 semester.

It was an issue.

I went to the Catering office, located on the fourth floor of the Howe Center. I filled out a waiver form, detailing exactly what I was going to buy, where I was going to buy it from, and why I needed to go outside of Compass One to do it (the answer, of course, being that Compass One didn’t offer what I wanted to buy), then handed off the form to the only person in the Catering office at the time. They told me they would bring it to their supervisor to sign it and I would just have to wait a moment.

After waiting twenty-five minutes, during which time a handful of other student organization representatives arrived on the fourth floor Howe lobby distressed, having been told the same thing by Student Life that I had, the Catering official finally returned. My waiver request was denied. They told me the denial was because a new policy put in place recently states that no waiver forms

will be approved within twenty-four hours of the event time. Confused (and, at this time, getting increasingly angry with the unannounced policy changes that seemed designed specifically to prevent me from running my event), I asked them why they would care when the waiver is submitted when they explicitly will not be involved with the event. They told me that the policy came from above and the official I was speaking to was not involved in the decision making process. I asked if I could have the name of the person or group of people who made the policy. I was told that I could not. What they did offer me was that the official could ask around to see if they could provide part of what I was trying to get a waiver for themselves. At this point, I became worried that I would have to confront the people who arrive at my event with broken promises of refreshments, so I agreed.

I waited for another twenty minutes, at which point several of the people waiting with me made frantic phone calls to their organization’s treasurers or presidents telling them of the sudden situation change. At this point, it was approaching four o’clock, and I was beginning to worry that I wouldn’t have time to set up for the event even if Catering did provide their services. The official eventually returned and gave me one of the most insulting pieces of news I have ever received as a Stevens student.

Compass One could provide me with two and a half cases of Pepsi and enough off-the-shelf popcorn for six people. They could not provide any candy because an event “for some high ups” had consumed all of the candy they had in stock. The six person’s worth of popcorn and 30 cans of Pepsi would cost me one hundred dollars.

Honestly, I should have said no.

The offer they made me was insane.

For $100 last semester, I could get over 200 cans of soda, enough freshly-popped and buttered popcorn for 75 people, and a bucket full of so much candy that I couldn’t even begin to enumerate it. Instead, Compass One was going to give me scraps and charge me the same amount. If I was a public event planner and Compass One was a commercial catering service and they had made me this offer, I would have laughed in their face and walked out, never to return.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have the opportunity. Stevens had changed several policies, without any prior announcement, public notification, or grace period, and was now forcing me to either spend $100 on dog food or have my first event of the semester—the one which will surely determine if some people will become longtime regulars of my organization or leave in disappointment—be held completely dry and devoid of pleasantries. So I said yes. As if to kick sand into my eyes after breaking my kneecaps, just as I was about to leave, the Catering official told me that I would need to deliver the food myself. Catering staff, they told me, was busy at the time and couldn’t bring it over themselves.

Upset, insulted, and outraged, I rushed back to the Office of Student Life. After a brief yet energetic discussion with some members of Student Life, including Shemanski, I was allowed to ignore the new policy for that day and use the PCard to purchase the popcorn I had already ordered. For seeing that amount of reason, however small in the face of what I had been dealing with for the previous two hours, I do thank Shemanski and the other members of Student Life. They were certainly more rational than Compass One. Ultimately, having to deal with all of these unexpected issues led to the event starting forty minutes later than its announced start time, despite beginning preparations hours earlier than usual. There was still no candy or Coke. The Pepsi that Compass One gave me ran out almost immediately, as we had more people at the event than cans. I honestly feel as if I have been scammed into being forced to spend gross amounts of money on seriously degraded service.

I have heard rumors that Compass One is planning on making some changes soon that may at least partially address some of these issues, but only time will tell if that is true or not. I am, as a whole, thoroughly disappointed in how almost everyone in this situation has acted, as well as both the new policies being established without reason or logic behind them and the method in which different aspects of the Stevens administration and its contractors have chosen to enforce those policies. We all should expect better.

CAMPUS LIBERAL

CAMPUS CONSERVATIVE

“America first” trade policies could leave us behind.

Trump and Trade

BY PETER WHITE FRESHMAN

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING Since his election in 2016, President Trump has preached an emphasis on “America first” trade policies. Along with many other conservative political personalities, the current administration has created a pointed shift away from liberal, globalist policies. They claim that this would lead to increased American manufacturing jobs, or at least put a stop to the bleeding that has been going on for years. However, the reality of the United States job market suggests another story.

According to the Federation of German Industries (BDI), the U.S. has slowly been changing the landscape of international trade. By renegotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada (NAFTA), and the trade agreement with South Korea (KORUS), as well as blocking the appointment of the members of the Appellate Body of the World Trade Organization (WTO), the American government has severely limited its involvement in these important organizations.

The justification for this drastic change in our involvement within these groups, which have taken years to cultivate into their current forms,

is that America was being left behind.

Trump has often spoken about China and other nations stealing our manufacturing jobs and winning deals, which resulted in our massive national debt. However, these isolationist policies appear to have had an inverse effect of what he has claimed for years.

The aluminum tariffs and China’s retaliations have actually weakened our domestic economy.

According to the World Population Review, the United States has the largest GDP in the world at roughly $21 trillion. However this massive sum of money has not been enough to combat foreign tariffs. According to CNBC, the trade war can cost as much as $3.4 billion to American companies in just one month. This means that some of those companies have had to make large layoffs. Because of this, Trump’s trade policy has hurt exactly who he claimed it would help, and harmed our job market at large.

This is just one example of the real-world pain that isolationist trade policies have caused. Besides the financial reasons to promote more internationally-friendly trade deals, there are a few compelling social reasons as well. Primarily, isolationism and nationalistic pride harm the globalist society that has been flourishing more and more as time goes on. Trade, not just of commodities, but of ideas, helps to create a more unified globe. When countries are more involved with each other, people and culture can move more freely. This means that our collective research and knowledge will be better able to travel across borders.

According to the popular research YouTube channel Kurzgesagt, this exchange of information could drastically improve quality of life around the world. Even if you think that, in the short term, isolationism can protect your nationalistic interests, it seems more likely that the market will benefit more from globalism.

BY ALEX MURTAGH SENIOR

CIVIL ENGINEERING Over the past two months, trade has been a hot issue in American politics.

Politicians running for the Democratic ticket have been trying to find flaws in the soaring Trump economy, and the most obvious of those flaws came in the form of trade. After starting off his presidency by placing major tariffs on China, one of the United States’ largest trade partners, the market went into a panic. Trade with China was down, and for a long time, there was no hope in sight of a deal being reached. Additionally, Trump spent a large portion of his time on the campaign trail in 2016 slamming the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. Trump said he would renegotiate the flawed deal and if he couldn’t then the U.S. would leave the agreement. While most economists would agree it wasn’t an amazing deal for the U.S., it did help to slightly increase wages and increase the amount

of trade between all three nations.

However, in the past year or so, signs of hope broke through. In November of 2018, it was announced that NAFTA would be replaced with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). This deal would provide multiple benefits to all parties and has been hailed as a great win for both the President and his opponents in the Democratic Party. The President and his trade advisors managed to create a deal that remedied bipartisan points of contention and gave wins to both Republicans and Democrats. In my opinion, this particular deal seems to be good for the U.S. as well as Mexico and Canada. This deal will help to increase car production in North America and as a result, increase jobs and wages. Additionally, labor rights should improve in Mexico, and there are more environmental protections that should level the playing field for manufacturing. I could go on about this deal for a while, but I think the point remains obvious: this is a good deal!

Additionally, a phase one trade deal has been signed with China. This deal is significantly more complicated — China is a very tricky trade partner. In the past, China has ignored parts of trade agreements, instead doing whatever it pleases. It will be interesting to see if this phase one deal holds up for the United States. While there are many safeguards in place to prevent China from going against the deal, there are never any certainties. If this deal works as planned, it should help the U.S. in its major intellectual property battle with China. For years, China has disregarded U.S. patents and simply stole them

for their own benefit. Now, Chinese individuals will face punishment. Additionally, China agreed to purchase $200 billion of U.S. goods over the next two years. This will certainly provide a boost to the U.S. economy.

It is important to note that many major issues haven’t been addressed, and most of the tariffs Trump placed on China are still in place. This is good and bad. The U.S. still has leverage over China with the tariffs. However, there is nothing to address Chinese government subsidization of its markets and future technologies like 5G. This is of particular importance because of Huawei, the Chinese technology company trying to compete in the U.S. So overall, I think trade is moving in the right direction and Trump is preparing for the 2020 election by getting these deals done now. Trade has been a hallmark of the Trump presidency since the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

While these aforementioned deals are the largest by far, Trump has updated old deals with major U.S. trade partners like the European Union and South Korea. Combined, trade deals can really add up for the U.S. economy and continue to power the U.S. economic engine for years to come.

Trump’s economic policy will be the largest driver behind his 2020 re-election campaign. This isn’t surprising, considering that his handling of the economy is consistently the only positive poll for Trump. If Trump can continue to make this campaign about the economy, he will bury the Democrats in 2020. But, if he diverges too much, it will hurt his campaign and may cost him the election.

Welcome to the first issue of The Stute for the spring 2020 semester!! We are glad to be back, and we thank you for continuing to read. <3

- Natalie, Layout Editor

9

January 31, 2020

Opinion SOAP BOX

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

3% ain’t gonna cut it

Say “what?!” again!

BY NASIR MONTALVO JUNIOR

BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY “I am an invisible man […]

I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids—and I might even be said to possess a mind. I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me.”

—Ralph Ellison (Invisible Man) Hey there, welcome to Soap Box. I was planning on having the first issue be a cute introduction to the series, but let’s just get right into it.

On January 29, President Nariman Farvardin released the “Strategic Plan report of progress for Year 7.” Lots of stuff, but this is the lone sentence that caught my eye: “This year, 3% of the full-time faculty are underrepresented minorities, increase from 2.1% in AY 2018-19.”

Excuse me while I go cackle for a moment.

Before we get into the actual percentage, let’s talk about the percentage change. A .9% change? I thought, “What is that? Like one person?”

I was dead wrong. It was two. Two underrepresented, full-time faculty members were hired out of 24 new hires in all of AY 2019-20.

And now, let’s talk about the percentage itself. Out of 305 full-time faculty members (as of Fall 2019), 9 are underrepresented.

9.

Goal C3 in this almighty strategic plan says this: “Compared to our 2011 baseline, our faculty will increasingly reflect greater diversity from multiple perspectives, including gender and ethnicity […] In addition, we will aim to increase the number of underrepresented minority faculty in our fulltime tenure and non-tenure stream faculty by at least two-thirds from the Fall 2016 baseline of nine.”

Three years here, and I have only

ever met one Black professor: at a video shoot for the Stevens School of Business. I’ll never have a class with him, (he was a Graduate professor) but in that moment, I was shocked.

“Black professors exist here?”

Imagine having to ask yourself that on the flip-side of the coin.

I find it pretty insane (and kind of funny) that we only have 9 underrepresented faculty members here. I thought it was already bad in terms of student representation, but apparently it gets worse. I am sure most minority students here can tell you that the classroom can quickly feel like the most oppressive space on campus. You’re locked in a room with peers who look nothing like you, and the rules of the classroom are governed by the Professor. And that Professor is a man. That Professor is white. And his icebreaker for the class is “Who here goes to Church?”

The amount of horror stories I have heard from friends about their professors and their subsequent bigotry is ridiculous. Today was the first time I had to drop a course because I was afraid my identity would get in the way of me passing it. Though switching out was made easy, it put a sick feeling in my stomach to choose between my pride and an A. Sadly, I had to choose the A (it’s 4.0 season baby!).

It’s Year 7 of this strategic plan.

Stevens, what are you doing to make our campus as inclusive and diverse as you proclaim it to be? You say you aimed to increase the number of faculty by two-thirds from the 9 we had in Fall 2016; why have we stayed at 9 for three years?

From AY 16-17 to AY 18-19, the percent of underrepresented, fulltime faculty dropped by .7% to a total 2.1%. While it may look good on paper to have bounced back in one year, 3% ain’t gonna cut it for me. 9 underrepresented faculty members ain’t gonna cut it for me.

Outside of all of the other initiatives here you have for equity, we’re all here for one thing: an education.

An education that is being harmed because we choose to remain in the status quo. It is the responsibility of Stevens to take command and hire more marginalized folks so that we can change our mindsets where they’re taking shape most. If that’s not reason enough, we can get technical and discuss how we’re learning on property created by slavery.

Think of this as reparations — I know my pockets are hungry.

BY ANDREW KINNEY

I’ve had exactly one conversation about the news since the start of the semester which I did not initiate. It went something like this.

ME: hi, hows it going.

THEM: good, what can I get for you today?

ME: can I please get a bowl to go, brown rice, double pinto beans, no meat…

ANOTHER CHIPOTLE WORKER: yo, guys! Kobe Bryant is dead!

EVERYONE: What?!

The workers all paused and gathered around the worker who had the news open on his phone, most of them visibly upset by the death of the NBA icon. One of them got chastised for not knowing who Bryant was.

THEM: I’m sorry dude, I need a minute.

ME: no worries, what does the news say?

THEM: helicopter crash, his daughter…

My lunch may have been delayed, but I can’t really say that I minded.

No one else has talked to me about the news without me saying something first since my return to Stevens this spring, and that worries me to no end. A kind of resigned silence has taken over campus, talking about the news has become almost taboo, and there are more heated discussion on the anonymous Instagram pages than anywhere else. This isn’t unique to Stevens, the situation was almost

as bad back home in Connecticut, and it seems most of the country has collectively decided it isn’t worth wasting their breath or even paying attention (in fairness, I did have a few very expansive political discussions while home, not all started by me, but these were the exception to the norm) We almost went to war a month ago! With Iran, a country with a nuclear history! I was working my old restaurant job back home while news of the missile strikes was airing. My head was racing with fears of me or my brother getting caught up in a new draft. Would there be an exemption for college students like in Vietnam? Would his community college night classes be enough to qualify?

Would I enlist to join him if it wasn’t?

The few patrons at the bar were far more concerned with the basketball game on the other screen. Back in the kitchen? Silence.

The Coronavirus, the extremely one-sided Middle East Peace Plan, the USMCA (the new trade deal), the Democratic primaries, and most importantly, the Impeachment Trial. I’ve had a few sparce conversations about these topics, all started by me, but for the most part everyone around me is acting like nothing is going on. The general sentiment seems to be deterministic, that the outcome has already been decided and nothing can be done. However, that sentiment is nothing but a

self-fulfilling prophecy, it gives lawmakers a free pass to continue doing what they’re doing, it signals that we, the American public, no longer give a damn. It is the product of three years of Trumpism, of “fake news,” alternative facts, and ideological burnout.

It is unspeakably dangerous when it makes the state of the world itself unspeakable. It is fundamentally wrong.

So, here is my challenge to you today: when you hear about something in the news that bothers you, say “what?!” Then say it again! Say it until you fully understand the issue that bugged you, then tell what you learned to whoever will listen. Make them say “what?!” and encourage them to say it again, encourage them to understand and tell their friends.

It doesn’t matter if you are a liberal or a conservative, a moderate or a radical, if we accept that we cannot talk to each other than nothing will ever change. The country will continue to become more polarized until we ignore our way straight into a full fledged civil war. If you think that sounds crazy, think about where the country will be after another four years of a post-Impeachment Trump.

The future is not predetermined, if the outcome you currently see bothers you than say something about it. Don’t block witnesses and documents in your own mental trial of everything going on around you.

Say “what?!” again!

PUZZLE CORNER

CROSSWORD COURTESY OF BRANDON SEIDMAN.

10

January 31, 2020

Sports

ON DECK IN SPORTS FRI, JAN 31 WOMEN’S AND MEN’S TRACK AND FIELD vs NYC DIII 1 PM New York, NY

SAT, FEB 1 WOMEN’S AND MEN’S FENCING

PHOTO COURTESY OF STEVENSDUCKS.COM

Men’s volleyball off to a 5-0 start

BY ETHAN CHE

While most of Stevens was enjoying their well-deserved time off this winter break, the men’s volleyball team was out in force, setting up a great start to the new season. One would think that entering the new Middle Atlantic Conference and facing up against new schools would be a cause for concern, but not for the men’s volleyball team.

Led by senior David Lehman, the Ducks are extremely confident this season. Many top performers from last year are returning in addition to some promising new talent. If the past is any indication, the Ducks’ future looks very bright. Having made the NCAA semifinals the past five years in a row, the Ducks deserve to be respected and feared. This year, they are

coming for the title.

After a solid day of three back-toback scrimmages at home, the Ducks’ spring season was in full swing. Their two matches over winter break were a part of The Clash at Kean tournament held at Kean University in Union, NJ. The Ducks blew right through Elms College with a 3-1 (21-25, 25-16, 25-20, 28-26) win in the season opener. After losing the first set, the Ducks picked up steam and won the next three sets in a row. Junior Jack Bittker had an amazing game, racking up a personal record of 19 kills.

After winning that match, the Ducks kept their momentum going into the second match of the day, against Kean University. The Ducks steam-rolled Kean, winning in three straight sets (25-23, 25-5, 25-23). Bit-

tker, along with fellow Ducks Lehman, Jonathan Frenzel, and Ryan Byrne had game-leading kills and blocks.

The Ducks, after two very successful matches over winter break, brought their energy into their first matches of the spring semester at the JWU Tip-Off Tournament, held by Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI. The Ducks’ first opponent was MIT. It was a pretty close one, with the Ducks narrowly winning 3-2 (23-25, 25-19, 25-15, 23-25, 15-12).

The fifth and final set proved to be the hardest one to win, but the Ducks’ power and toughness shined through.

Coming back from 2 points behind at 10-12, the Ducks won the next five points in a row, giving them the set 1512 and the match.

As if that win was not enough ex-

vs Eric Sollee Invitational 9 AM Waltham, MA

MEN’S WRESTLING

citement for the Ducks, their next opponent was the University of California, Santa Cruz, to whom the Ducks lost in last year’s NCAA Semifinals.

Santa Cruz was not so lucky this year, however, with the Ducks winning 3-1 (25-22, 20-25, 25-20, 25-17).

The Ducks’ last match of the tournament was against Johnson & Wales, who did not stand a chance against the Ducks. After two very close matches before, a 3-0 sweep (25-14, 25-15, 2523) was a nice way for the Ducks to cool down.

Currently 5-0 (wins-losses), the Ducks are one of only a handful of teams that remain undefeated. Stellar performances over winter break and the spring semester show that the Ducks are ready for anyone and everyone.

vs No. 9 New York University 1 PM Hoboken, NJ

MEN’S AND WOMEN’S SWIMMING vs Hartwick College 1 PM Hoboken, NJ

WOMEN’S AND MEN’S BASKETBALL vs Delaware Valley University 1 PM and 3 PM Doylestown, PA

Stevens women’s basketball falls to DeSales 74-68

BY JUSTIN CROSS

PHOTO COURTESY OF STEVENSDUCKS.COM

On January 22, the Stevens women’s basketball team hosted the DeSales Bulldogs at Canavan Arena.

After back-to-back losses in conference play, Stevens looked to bounce back against another conference opponent. Coming into this match, DeSales carried a two-game winning streak after a tragic road loss to King’s College.

DeSales began the game aggressively, taking a quick 6-2 lead over the Ducks. However, the Ducks responded well to this strong start by scoring five points in a row to take their first lead of the game. DeSales’ physical play forced Stevens to foul repeatedly, which sent the Bulldogs’ to the foul line early. As the Bulldogs looked to take hold of the game, Jess Broad’s nine first-quarter points kept the Ducks within striking distance.

The aggressive play continued into the second quarter with the Bulldogs at the foul line often. The

Ducks struggled to stop the DeSales offense, but a massive block by Broad inspired a rally. A combination of good defense and offense helped the Ducks cut the lead down to six with two minutes left before halftime.

Then, just before the buzzer, Emily Nunez drained a three-pointer, trimming the Bulldogs’ lead to two. DeSales led the Ducks 36-34 at half.

After halftime, DeSales came out on fire, scoring seven unanswered points. This scoring awakened the Stevens’ defense, which forced turnovers on the next few possessions.

These turnovers resulted in points, further carving into the Bulldogs’ lead. Then Stevens drilled three consecutive three-pointers to give themselves their second lead of the day and the lead heading into the fourth quarter.

The fourth quarter did not disappoint. Stevens took a four-point lead thanks to a great pass by Danielle Cornetta that found Meghan Douglas for an easy layup. Both

teams battled back and forth each possession as they went deeper into the fourth quarter. Then, DeSales captured the lead again after sinking shots on ensuing possessions.

The Bulldogs held its five-point lead into the final minute until Allie Moss finished an incredible layup, giving the Ducks hope. However, DeSales strengthened its grip on the game and secured its 12th win of the season.

Broad scored a season-high 26 points while Moss finished with 16.

For DeSales, Averi Jordan and Rylie Rittenhouse scored 19 points apiece.

Since this showdown, the lady Ducks dropped a tight contest to Eastern University on Saturday, January 25 and notched one in the win column against FDU Florham on Wednesday, January 29. Stevens women’s basketball will return to the court in a pivotal MAC Freedom Conference game against Delaware Valley on Saturday, February 1 at 1 p.m. in Doylestown, PA.

DUCK COUNTRY SCOREBOARD DATE

TEAM

OPPONENT

SCORE

SAT, JAN 25 SAT, JAN 25 SAT, JAN 25 SAT, JAN 25 SUN, JAN 26 SUN, JAN 26 WED, JAN 29 WED, JAN 29

MEN TRACK AND FIELD WOMEN TRACK AND FIELD WOMEN’S BASKETBALL MEN’S BASKETBALL WOMEN’S FENCING WOMEN’S FENCING MEN’S BASKETBALL WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

INDOOR CONFERENCE CHALLENGE CUP INDOOR CONFERENCE CHALLENGE CUP EASTERN UNIVERSITY EASTERN UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE WPI FDU-FLORHAM FDU-FLORHAM

FIRST SEVENTH 58-70 (L) 65-73 (L) UNDEFEATED 26-1 (W) 80-69 (W) 63-48(W)