[The Stute] February 7, 2020 (Issue 14, CXVII)

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

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TheStute StevenstheStute

Volume CXVII No. 13

New Stute every Friday!

February 7, 2020

www.thestute.com

Established 1904

New catering policies sparks tension at Leadership Reconnect BY ANDREW KINNEY AND CHARLES ZWICKER

PHOTO BY JON BROWN.

President Nariman Farvardin released the annual report on the 10-year strategic plan last week.

Student Government Association considers making TikTok BY ALEKSANDAR DIMOSKI At the Student Government Association (SGA) meeting last Sunday, Lauren Chew was appointed as the new Public Relations Committee Head. As senators discussed her appointment, one senator jokingly mentioned the creation of an SGA TikTok. While the proposal was clearly meant as a joke, it begs the question; what would an SGA TikTok look like? Many businesses and organizations have begun to implement social media into their sales strategy. This is a perfectly reasonable course of action; the Internet provides companies and consumers with access to information, and anyone who has access to the Internet can get anything they want faster. At the intersection of the Internet and large corporations, interesting things happen. Everybody loves memes, so what better way to get consumers to buy your product or love your company than by implementing memes? It’s clear that companies have used memes poorly in the past, demonstrated perfectly by a Wendy’s ad from 2015 captioned ‘Eats spicy goodness – LIKE A BOSS’. Over time, these corporations have perfected the art of using social media to promote their image. Wendys improved their game dramatically, with their much-loved Twitter account (@Wendys) posting classic lines such as “Yeah, we wouldn’t wake up for your breakfast either. Don’t worry, on 3/2 there will be something worth waking up for. #WendysBreakfast” and “When you need to impress Lord Beerus with one meal, and you know Spicy Nuggets are the best flavor in the 7th Universe,” as well as a profile description which claims, “We like our tweets the same way we like to make our hamburgers: better than anyone expects from a fast food joint.” More Twitter classics include: SEE TIKTOK PAGE 2

Stevens releases annual report BY MATTHEW CUNNINGHAM Last week, Stevens President Nariman Farvardin released an update of progress on the goals found in the 10-year strategic plan. These updates, which are published online for the public annually, give tremendous and comprehensive insights into the affairs of Stevens, ranging from undergraduate life to internal operations. The 10-year strategic plan was launched in 2012, shortly after Farvardin started his tenure at Stevens. The plan was created to correct “a number of pressing and urgent challenges—from finan-

cial instability to an alumni body that was largely disengaged, to a campus community without a clear sense of destination,” wrote Farvardin in 2017. The strategic priorities are qualitative goals that define components of the plan: student centricity; excellence in all we do; through collaboration, impact; technology at our core; strengthened reputation, increased prestige. The goals themselves are “intentionally quantitative, where possible, in order to ensure progress, accountability, and focus,” according to the plan. Since the plan’s release,

updates on progress has been shared broadly. “Publishing this report brings with it a level of accountability and transparency,” said Beth McGrath, Chief of Staff in the Office of the President, “and the entire university community has an interest and a stake in the results.” In some areas of the plan, there has been ample progress; in others, not so much. Most attention was focused on very large and visible priorities, said McGrath. These initiatives include attracting new faculty and increasing diversity in academics, SEE REPORT PAGE 3

On Saturday, February 1, the Office of Student Life (OSL) and the Student Government Association (SGA) hosted Leadership Reconnect, a yearly morning and afternoon of workshops and information sessions for the representatives of all student organizations (SOs) on campus that happens every Spring. Organizations are required to send a president-equivalent representative and a treasurer, who attend different workshops geared towards their different responsibilities. Treasurers need only to attend one workshop about how to run the finances of a student organization, multiple of which were scheduled throughout the day. Presidents had to go to a four-hour session of workshops, starting with two hours of presentations from OSL about leadership and resolving conflicts within clubs. After that, attendees split into three different breakout sessions for lunch and shorter presentations. One of the presentations was delivered by the newly inaugurated President and Vice President of the SGA, Samantha Molla and Adrian Castellanos, respectively. During the presentation, students submitted example problems and potential shortcomings that were used to facilitate a discussion about how to resolve said issues. Leo Pedraza, Assistant Dean of Students & Director of Student Life, held another session that centered on novel ideas for recruitment. The third session was about resources available to student leaders and the online tools for using them, such as DuckLink and Virtual EMS, and was hosted by Associate Director of University Events Ana Concep-

After eight years, undergraduate body sees 2.3% growth in diversity, new report shows Although increasing diversity is listed as a priority in President Farvardin’s 10-year strategic plan, the undergraduate body has remained steadily homogeneous, the annual report shows. Read the full story on Page 3. Percentage of underrepresented minorities enrolled as an undergraduate Represented identity

Underrepresented identity*

100

to keep food warm. Notably, the Wesley J. Howe Center and the Student Center could still be booked for events without the need to set up temporary tables, and events featuring only pizza still needed to use temporary tables. After the breakout sessions, the full group of presidents reconvened for one more hour of work presentations and question and answer sessions. First was a short presentation about wellness from Gabrielle Guider, the Health Educator. Then, Sean Hanlon, a representative from the catering department, explained a set of new catering policies before holding a question and answer session about them. He explained that, as already has been the case since the start of the semester, all food and drink purchases SEE POLICY PAGE 4

Intercultural Space celebrates grand opening with week-long series of events

nese scientists successfully sequenced the virus on January 17th, and soon the CDC generated a quick laboratory test to diagnose an individual. The assay protocol, which was made public on January 24th, uses Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction to detect the virus. This process is still happening exclusively at CDC headquarters, but they will be sharing the tests with other agencies in the coming days. The symptoms of the novel coronavirus are similar to other respiratory infections: fever, cough, and difficulty breath-

On Monday, February 3, the Intercultural Space had its official opening in the Student Center. This week marks a milestone for diversity at Stevens. On February 20, 2019 the SGA passed a Proclamation called “A Case on the Creation of the Intercultural Center,” which then led to the approval of the creation of the Intercultural Space on September 24, 2019. The Intercultural Space is a place for students of all identities and backgrounds to feel comfortable and free of judgement. Its mission is “to empower Stevens students to create a thriving and inclusive community by cultivating a supportive space for underrepresented students and their allies on campus to foster an understanding of diversity and inclusion.” This project was lead by student leaders like Nasir Montalvo, who sought “a space for dialogue on the topics of diversity, inclusion, and intersectionality on campus.” To raise awareness of this new resource, the space held events such as “You are an artist,” “which invited students to create art that reflects their identities, values,

SEE VIRUS PAGE 6

SEE OPENING PAGE 4

60 40

0

“Obviously everyone is upset about the new policies because they came out of nowhere,” said club president Andrew Chesterman. “However, the reactions at the event were uncalled for.”

BY GRACE MIGUEL

80

20

cion-Valentin and Student Life Advisor Danielle Maxson. Problems began to arise in the third session when it was announced to a portion of the presidents that University Events would start enforcing a rule about tables for events with hot food. Starting immediately, RSOs would need to have tables for all catered events with hot food on lower campus, meaning they would either need to provide tables themselves or pay a nearly $80 setup and breakdown fee. They stated concerns that more permanent desks and tables around campus were slowly being damaged by the catering equipment used

11.9%

11.3%

Fall 2011

Fall 2012

SOURCE: Stevens Institute of Technology.

11.4%

Fall 2013

11.5%

Fall 2014

11.0%

11.6%

12.5%

13.6%

14.2%

Fall 2015

Fall 2016

Fall 2017

Fall 2018

Fall 2019

* An “underrepresented minority” is an umbrella term for three racial and ethnic categories: black, Hispanics, and American Indians and Alaskan Natives.

A hypochondriac’s guide to coronavirus BY ABIGAIL MEOLA All it takes is a small sign of illness for me to start worrying. In my math class this morning, the girl in front of me was drinking ginger ale and eating saltines. No confirmation of stomach flu besides her diet, and my mind is already going a million miles a minute. I made a mental note to pick up some PediaLyte in preparation for my demise. Given my predisposition to overreacting, you can imagine my initial terror when I heard about the new coronavirus. Before reserving my hospital bed, though, I decided to investigate the reality of the threat to Stevens students.

Coronaviruses are a class of common zoonotic microorganisms, meaning that they emerge from animals but can be transmitted to humans. They can pass among different species of animals, from camels to bats, but only rarely make it to people. When a coronavirus is contracted by a human, it can range in severity from a simple cold to a concerning respiratory infection. First identified under a microscope in the 1960s, the class of viruses got their title from their cute crown-like shape. There have been a few outbreaks of coronavirus strands in the past, most notably Middle East Respiratory Syndrome

(MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). SARS emerged in 2003, resulting in 8,096 infected people and 774 deaths, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). In 2012, the WHO reported 2,492 laboratory-confirmed cases of MERS and 858 associated deaths. The current outbreak of the coronavirus is of a new strand of the virus called “2019-nCoV” or simply “nCoV.” The WHO traced the start to Wuhan City, Hubei Province of China. Since emerging in early January, the CDC estimates that 7,700 people have been infected, with at least 170 killed. It has spread to 15 countries. A team of Chi-

NEWS PAGE 2 SGA Vacancies

SCIENCE PAGE 6 Coronavirus

NEWS PAGE 3 UG Enrollment

OPINIONPAGE 8 Spoiler Alert

NEWS PAGE 4 Greek leaders training and development

OPINION PAGE 9 Passion for Fashion Advice You May Not Need

NEWS PAGE 5 Black History Month

SPORTS PAGE 10 Fencing

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February 7, 2020

News STAFF BOX Volume CXVII No. 13 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 SYSTEMS ADMINISTRATOR..................................................................CHARLES ZWICKER

Staff & Contributors ABIGAIL MEOLA ALEKSANDAR DIMOSKI ALEX MURTAGH BRANDON SEIDMAN DANIEL KANG DAVID BELLAH ERIC S. LONDRES ETHAN CHE FRANCES SMALLEY GRACE MIGUEL JOHN HORGAN JON BROWN JULIA WIERZBICKI JUSTIN CROSS LEIGHA TIERNEY LISA MENGOTTO MONIKA GESLAK

NASIR MONTALVO POOJA RAJADURAI SANJANA MADHU SIMON PEPA TRISTAN BACANI TYLER KUI

Contact

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TIKTOK

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 “Tesla will hold a super fun AI party/hackathon at my house with the Tesla AI/autopilot team in about four weeks. Invitations going out soon.” — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) “Pancake. Flapjack. Nathaniel. It doesn’t matter what you call it, just eat it.” —Denny’s (@dennysDiner) “Not one textbook mentions dinersaurs. Who do they think they’re fooling?” —also Denny’s “Taylor Swift’s Cat has entered the group chat” —Netflix (@netflix) This success is to be expected of a fully developed platform like Twitter, but it is unclear whether or not corporations like these will be able to integrate themselves into newer platforms like TikTok with as much success. Based on the mix of humor and brand promotion that these companies have demonstrated, an SGA TikTok could consist of prominent cabinet members doing the Duck Dance to a remixed version of the original, or posting some of the fun moments that happen during their weekly meetings. While an SGA TikTok likely isn’t headed our way anytime soon, it’s important to remember that, among other things, the SGA is an organization that is comprised of our peers, people just like us.

Student Government Association works to fill vacancies BY ALEKSANDAR DIMOSKI The Student Government Association (SGA) recently began the process of electing new senators for several empty positions. Historically, the SGA has had a difficult time filling empty senator seats, particularly among upperclassmen. The Stute reported in February 2019 that 21 seats were vacant at that time. As a result of the empty positions, the SGA plans to hold a series of vacancy elections. According to SGA Secretary Andrea Diaz-Gonzalez, “there will be three vacancy elections for the senate. One is currently in the process and was announced on the SGA Instagram account.” “To get students involved this semester we are hosting events like Meet the SGA and Cookies with the Cabinet in order to have better conversations between us and the student body,” she continued. Di-

az-Gonzalez hopes that these programs will increase participation in the SGA and lead to fewer vacancies. The Senate currently has 10 freshman senators, 6 sophomores, 5 juniors, and 2 seniors. Nominations for the positions lasted from January 29 to January 30 and were geared towards sophomores, juniors, and seniors in order to try to maintain a balance among the groups of representatives. Currently running for the Senate are three sophomore candidates: Angelina Mauriello, Elina Vidal, and Danielle Ragan, as well as seniors Alex Reina and Elena Malova, who have both served as senators and cabinet members in previous semesters. As there will be more vacancy elections later in the semester, anyone interested in running for the position should keep an eye on the SGA Instagram (@stevens_sga) and on the SGA DuckLink page.

$2 million NSF grant brings changes to Biology courses BY LEIGHA TIERNEY Despite being very new, the Biology program is currently undergoing major changes. Led by the Program Director, Dr. Kenny Wong, the introductory course Biology and Biotechnology has gone through massive changes this spring semester. According to Wong, Stevens had initiated a program called the Foundations Project, an initiative funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). According to the NSF, Stevens was awarded a $2.7 million grant to fund “a major transformation in the education practices at Stevens Institute of Technology in the core courses in mathematics, science, and engineering taken by all engineering students in their first two years at Stevens Institute of Technology.” The changes currently being made to the introductory Biology classes at Stevens have recently been made to the Mathematics and Chemistry classes at Stevens as well. Some of the key changes that have been implemented into Biology and Biotechnology this spring included creating more sections of the class to facilitate smaller sections and hiring teaching assistants and undergraduate “peer leaders,” who are students that have previously done well in the course, to work with the professor to engage students in group discussion and problem-solving. The goal of these changes is to allow students to develop their own learning styles so that they can use concepts learned in the class and apply them to new

situations. This is especially significant since Biology and Biotechnology is taken by a wide variety of majors at Stevens, so it is important to allow students to learn the material in ways that both allows them to understand it and allows them to further utilize the information they learn. To carry out these changes to the course format, Wong sought out the help of Gail Baxter, Co-Director for Research, who aided in providing resources related to evidence-based learning and the benefits of discussion-based class environments. Wong also cited Dr. Patricia Anne Muisener, the Program Director of Chemistry and Chemical Biology and Interim Program Director of Biology, as a helpful resource in executing the changes to Biology and Biotechnology, as she had led similar changes to the classes General Chemistry I and II in recent years. Assembling the instructors, TAs, and peer leaders in the

months before the changes were set to occur this spring was the final step in completing the changes to the course format. Before the changes made to the Biology and Biotechnology course were made, the class previously operated on a lecture/recitation format where the designated professor would lecture in a larger classroom setting twice a week while students would break off into separate recitation settings once a week to review concepts in a group setting. However, according to Wong, this format was ineffective as it “encouraged memorization and regurgitation of the subject which is the lowest form of learning.” Wong cited Bloom’s Taxonomy to reason the effectiveness of the changes to the course structure. By prioritizing higher forms of learning such as creativity, debate, analysis, and application, the material can be better grasped and appreciated by students, he argued.

Brenda Tracy, sexual assault survivor, shares her story, brings awareness BY TYLER KUI

Trigger warning: this article contains topics that may be sensitive to some audiences, including discussions of sexual assault and suicide. This past Wednesday in Bissinger, sexual assault survivor Brenda Tracy came to Stevens for her talk, “An Evening with Brenda Tracy, a College Sexual Assault Survivor.” She talked about her story and her mission towards preventing other women from going through the trauma she experienced almost two decades ago. She currently runs the nonprofit “Set The Expectation” to pursue her mission of raising awareness on domestic violence and sexual assault. 21 years ago, Tracy was sexually assaulted by four men, two who were Oregon State football players. Despite being reluctant, she was peer pressured into drinking, and passed out due to the drink being extremely strong. Unfortunately, her assault went on for several hours, many of which she was unconscious for. The events of what happened that night forever traumatized Tracy. She states that “it [trauma] doesn’t ever go away”, and upon leaving the apartment that night, she felt shame, embarrassment, and disgust. Like many victims often do, she blamed herself for what happened. Her community immediately turned on her, blaming her as opposed to blaming the football players who attacked her. She started to receive death threats, many that were racist towards her two half-black sons. Tracy also began to contemplate suicide, but found a reason to push through when she met her nurse Jenny at the hos-

pital, following her assault. She immediately saw a future as a nurse, and Tracy decided then that she would fight on and pursue that goal. She went on to spend the next 16 years as a registered nurse, hoping that time would heal her wounds, as her mother had told her it would. Due to circumstances, the football players from the university received minor punishment. Tracy explained that she was primarily angry at the coach of the football team, Mike Riley, who said that the players were “good guys who made a wrong choice.” During that period of her life as a nurse, she lived what she called a “double life.” On the outside, she presented herself as content, but behind the scenes she was dealing with depression, PTSD, a borderline eating disorder, and would frequently raise her voice at her two sons. After 16 years of being a nurse, Tracy coincidentally met a reporter at Oregon State University who was interested in writing about her story. Though hesitant at first, she decided to take up the offer. This time when people heard her story through the report, they believed her. Many other victims of assault reached out to her. In addition, the current president of Oregon State issued a public apology to Tracy. After people began to believe her story, Tracy began to work as a citizen lobbyist and was able to amend a law that extended the number of years for offenders to be convicted. She has since been traveling all over the country and speaks to audiences, primarily college athletes. Tracy also spoke with Coach Riley, who apologized for what he said. “There’s two

ways to apologize…I’m sorry, and I’m sorry, but…” She was relieved that Coach Riley only said “I’m sorry.” Tracy speaks to college athletes, and stresses to the men she speaks to that they are the solution, not the problem, to this issue. She believes that if men stand up and get involved, we can work towards a culture shift. She started the “Set The Expectation” campaign in April 2017 to recognize that coaches should tell athletes that they cannot participate in athletics if they harm someone. Among others, some calls to action include: signing the pledge of the campaign and raising awareness. The pledge of the campaign explains to athletes that it’s a privilege to play your sport, and you lose the right if you harm someone. Raising awareness and showing support is also important, and can be done by wearing a teal and purple ribbon, pasting stickers on football helmets, and spreading #SetTheExpectation on social media. Tracy urges people to spread awareness during the fall sports season, also known as the “red zone,” – the time of the year where most cases of sexual assault occur in athletics. However, sports continue throughout the year, so Tracy stresses that we need to “keep the conversation at the forefront” in order for change to happen. Please be aware of reporting procedures for Title IX: If you experience or become aware of, an occurrence of an incident covered under Stevens policy on gender-based and sexual misconduct, you are encouraged to report the incident to the Title IX Coordinators and/or Campus Police.

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February 7, 2020

News

REPORT

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 “strengthening and expanding the research and innovation enterprise,” securing donations for the Student Housing/University Center project, and ensuring the completion of construction projects. Among what has been accomplished, McGrath noted that “the simultaneous growth in our student body, the growth in applications, and the increase in the academic profile of our students is nothing short of remarkable.” This past year, total undergraduate enrollment increased from 3,431 in Fall 2018 to 3,659 in Fall 2019, an increase of 6.6%. Applications increased from 9,625 in Fall 2018 to 10,475 in Fall 2019, and selectivity improved from 41% in Fall 2018 to 40% in Fall 2019. The middle 50 percent SAT score improved, from 1330-1480 in Fall 2018 to 1340-1500 in Fall 2019. In academics, 24 new faculty were hired including from research institutions such as Columbia University, Carnegie Mellon University, Case Western Reserve University, UCLA, New York University, and the University of Pennsylvania. “A set of new initiatives to improve faculty and staff satisfaction was developed for each senior leader and incorporated into their annual objectives,” said the report. One-third of the 24 new faculty hired were women resulting in the overall percentage of female full-time faculty increasing to 26%, a 1% increase over the previous year. This year, 3% of the fulltime faculty are underrepresented minorities, an increase from 2.1% in AY 2018-19. Progress in other areas of the report are viewable online and is monitored regularly by the President’s Office. “The president meets regularly with each vice president to review progress throughout the year,” said McGrath.

As the undergraduate enrollment grows in size, Stevens struggles to meet diversity goals BY POOJA RAJADURAI As undergraduate enrollment increased by 6.6% this past year, the diversity of the undergraduate student body remained somewhat the same. In the annual report on the 10-year strategic plan released last week by President Nariman Farvardin, Stevens has several priorities to promote diversity in the undergraduate body. These goals include increasing the percentage of women among all undergraduates to 35% by Fall 2022, compared to 25% in Fall 2011; increasing the percentage of domestic out-of-state undergraduate students to 48% by Fall 2022, compared to 32% in Fall 2011; and increasing the percentage of international students to 8% by Fall 2022, compared to 5% in Fall 2011. Despite these ambitious goals, Stevens has made relatively little progress in accomplishing them. Since the inception of the 10year strategic plan, the percentage of women undergraduates has hovered at 28% and, as of Fall 2019, is at 29%. The percentage of domestic out-of-state undergraduates has remained unchanged for seven years and is at 38%. The percentage of international students has been on a steady decline since the inception of the plan. At the start of the plan, the undergraduate enrollment was at 5% international students. As of Fall 2019, it is at 2.9%. The most progress has been made on increasing the percentage of underrepresented minorities. The goal is to have at least 15% underrepresented minorities in the undergraduate student body and, as of Fall 2019, there is 14.2%. It is worth to note that while

Departments look for more student input, create advisory boards BY ALEX MURTAGH Recently, there has been a push to gain student feedback within the Schafer School of Engineering and Science. The ultimate goal of this is to learn from students in order to improve their experiences while studying here at Stevens. While some department chairs within the engineering school work to meet with students in a more informal setting such as happy hours, others try to meet with students one on one or attend meetings of professional student chapters. Using the model set forth by Dean Zu’s student advisory council, the Mechanical Engineering Department has assembled their own student advisory council. The Mechanical Engineering Student Advisory Council consists of students with a wide variety of academic concentrations and interests. The council provided the department with a setting in which they could learn what students wanted from their undergraduate experience and to hear students’ concerns. In total, there are roughly 25 students who serve on this council. Their goal is to improve the

“I’ve never felt so listened to as a student,” said Luke Lagner. The department is working to find ways in which they can increase student and faculty interaction. experience of all mechanical engineering undergraduate students. Since starting at the end of the Fall 2019 semester, the feedback provided to the department has been addressed in order to immediately improve students’ experiences. One

student on the council, Luke Langner, said, “I was a little bit hesitant at first to see what they would come up with, but they blew my expectations out of the water based on what they came up with to help students.” During their first meeting, the students brainstormed a list of all areas in which they thought the department could improve and praised the department for things they do well. The list of areas for improvements included: increasing opportunities to develop technical skills, such as hands-on machining, 3D modeling, and coding; availability of professors outside of class, increased help with professional development, increased opportunities for research, and better coordination between classes taught by multiple professors. So far most of the issues presented have been addressed by the time students arrived back to campus for the spring semester. The department has created a list of all faculty office hours available to students, the department chair is working one-on-one with students for professional advancement, and course coordinators have been implemented to standardize classes taught by multiple professors. Additionally, the department is now opening up research opportunities for students who aren’t pinnacle scholars. Mechanical Engineering students received an email at the beginning of the semester announcing scholarship opportunities for students to participate in research. “I’ve never felt so listened to as a student,” Langner stated. The department is currently working to find ways in which they can increase student and faculty interaction. While there are 25 students who meet every month, the committee members and department chair have expressed that other students are welcome to come and voice their concerns at these meetings.

Number of enrolled undergraduates at the start of each academic year

4000

3659

3500

3431

3115

3123

2976

3000

2892 2691 2548

2500 2000

2369

2427

Fall 2010 Fall 2011 Fall 2012 Fall 2013 Fall 2014 Fall 2015 Fall 2016 Fall 2017 Fall 2018

Undergraduate gender breakdown as of Fall 2019*

Geographic breakdown, in percentage, of undergraduate students since 2010 New Jersey

29% Female

71% Male

Fall 2019

Domestic outside of NJ

International

100 80 60 40 20

* Stevens tracks only male and female genders. Non-binary students, who identify as neither male or female, are included in either the male category or the female category.

0

2010

2012

2014

2016

2018

SOURCE: Stevens Institute of Technology. Graphs by Matthew Cunningham.

the percentages of identity groups have remained steady, the number of people in each identity group has increased while Stevens has grown in undergraduate enrollment. A number of initiatives, including Stevens Accessing Careers in Engineering and Science (ACES),

the Clark Scholars program, and iSTEM@Stevens, have contributed to the progress achieved in Fall 2019. “A close partnership continues between the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and the academic enterprise,” writes Stevens in the report on what is being done to in-

crease diversity, “to develop enrollment goals on a per program basis based on student demand, strategic direction, and resources. In areas where progress, or insufficient progress, has been made, careful analysis and strategic redirection is necessary.”

Amendments to New Jersey ‘Code Blue Law’ helps homeless population of Hoboken BY SANJANA MADHU Like in most major cities, homelessness in Hoboken has been a top metropolitan issue for many years. In fact, the entirety of Hudson County has a relatively high proportion of homeless people compared to other counties, ranking second in the state of New Jersey and averaging over 800 people. Specifically, about one in every seven of the homeless population in Hudson County reside in Hoboken and more than half of these people live in unsheltered conditions. A 2019 report by NJ Counts, the annual report on homelessness and issues faced by the homeless population, showed that monthly incomes of homeless families range from $200 (from people living in emergency shelters) to $1200 (from people living in transitional housing). Reports also show that more than half of the homeless community have been homeless for a year to over three years. There are a variety of causes for homelessness, such as loss of income from employment, eviction or risk of eviction, being forced out of a shared residence, and relocation. It is evident that these problems are growing as homelessness rates have increased in the past four years. NJ Counts also recognizes that among the homeless of Hudson County, deep racial and ability distinctions are prevalent. On average, people identifying as Black or African–American and Latino or Hispanic are overrepresented in the homeless population. Furthermore, a majority of the homeless have a disability of some nature including mental health issues, substance abuse, physical disorders, developmental disorders, chronic disabilities, and health conditions. While homelessness in Hoboken has been prevalent for years, local and state lawmakers have been putting in efforts to mitigate this concern. The city of Hoboken has a pilot plan called the “Homelessness Initiative” to alleviate the devastating effects of homelessness. Hoboken has allocated $250,000 to provide housing and support to the homeless. The city has also outlined “10 Compassionate Steps” that can be done by all members of the community to aid

see page 8 for a really nice ad

the homeless in a variety of fashions. State lawmakers have also been producing change. In the past, through the NJ Code Blue Law, homeless residents were provided with extra shelter when the temperature was less than 32 degrees with moisture and 25 degrees or colder without moisture. However, many were displeased with these regulations, stating that the weather conditions required for shelter were far too harsh. Due to this, Governor Phil Murphy signed a law that allows shelter to be given to the homeless when the temperature falls below 32 degrees regardless of weather conditions. This law was inspired in part by events that occurred in Toms River, New Jersey on Christmas Eve in 2018, where after being allowed in a shelter for the night homeless people were asked to leave the next day because the weather no longer met the required conditions. Ultimately, it is clear that Hoboken

and New Jersey are fighting to relieve the homeless from dangerous temperatures and weather conditions. Hoboken currently has a homeless shelter, The Hoboken Shelter, that provides meals, shelter, and other services. Their goals are to provide the homeless with the tools to secure employment and totally abolish homelessness. The shelter accepts donations, specific foods, supplies, toiletries, and encourages residents to speak out and spread awareness about homelessness. Lawmakers have listened to the public and made great strides in providing programming and help for the homeless; manifestly, the city has put in great energy to combat the obstacles surrounding homelessness. As always, more can be done, but many residents of Hoboken and Hudson County are pleased with the progress so far and are enthusiastic to see conditions continue to improve for their homeless neighbors.

The es

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February 7, 2020

News

PHOTO BY AMANDA DEPINHO.

Greek leaders stayed the weekend at Camp Vacamas in West Milford, New Jersey.

Greek leaders meet for a weekend of training and development BY FRANNIE SMALLEY This past weekend, the presidents of each Greek life chapter here at Stevens were required to attend a special event known as IMPACT. It’s a weekend-long event that focuses on training Greek leaders to be the best they can be for their chapter and for Greek life as a whole. The program also helps improve relationships between the Greek leaders at Stevens and focuses on effective communication between leaders. This year’s event took place at Camp Vacamas in West Milford, New Jersey. Forty-one students were in attendance, which included two members from each chapter,

POLICY

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 for club events will go through Stevens’ food service provider, Compass One. In the past, it was very common for students to budget for food from local restaurants or ShopRite using Purchasing Cards (PCards), but now Compass One intends to provide most or all of the food on campus. If they are able to source the desired items, they aim to provide them to organizations at a price “even cheaper than ShopRite prices,” according to Hanlon, who also said that they plan to actively price match ShopRite specifically. They will also continue to source food from some local businesses, such as Benny Tudino’s, that have been working with catering for a long time. There will be exceptions for foods that Compass One cannot source, such as ethnic foods that their distributors do not carry. In this case, clubs will be given a waiver to purchase items externally. The question and answer session became tense after these announcements, with multiple students beginning to record on their phones as soon as questions began. At first, students were mostly asking for clarification on specific aspects of the new policies, such as what could qualify for an exception, where catering would be getting food from, what would be available under the new system, and more. Then students began to question the policies themselves, and what they identified as issues regarding the policies. Some were concerned about the cost of going through Compass One, but Hanlon assured them that the prices would be the same or cheaper in the long run. Some were worried about the process required to actually get an exception, and one student described how they had already been sent back and forth between different offices trying to get approval for an event that had been planned and budget-

the council president of the United Greek Council (UGC), Interfraternity Council (IFC), Stevens Panhellenic Council (SPC), and Cultural Greek Council (CGC). The Greek representatives had the opportunity to get together and discuss issues regarding the Greek community. These representatives may not usually communicate with one another to talk about these issues, so this event is significant as it brings the fraternities and sororities together to address concerns. The program also emphasizes decision-making skills and community development in order to help improve Greek life organizations at Stevens. Along with the repre-

sentatives from each chapter, coordinators from the Stevens staff and Greek advisors from other universities also attended the event. These staff members set up different bonding activities for the Greek leaders to get to know one another and assigned group discussions and presentations. Together, the Greek representatives were able to participate in activities that fueled discussions and helped them brainstorm ideas on how to improve the Greek community overall. The Stute contacted Amanda Depinho, the Assistant Coordinator of Greek Life Administration, to get more information. Depinho had a large role in organizing

IMPACT. She was in charge of contacting the North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC) to plan the weekend as well as the numerous volunteers that were needed to facilitate the event. She also helped plan the meals, living arrangements, and transportation for the Greek leaders. When asked how she would define IMPACT, Depinho described it as an event that fosters improved relationships between fraternity and sorority leaders. She added, “the IMPACT curriculum emphasizes problem-solving, leadership development, values-based decision making, effective communication, and community development. It is expected that change will

ed for last semester, only to find that the approved restaurant which Compass One directed them to did not serve the type of food they needed. They eventually sorted it out, but expressed concern about being sent bouncing between offices every time they had to host a similar event. Hanlon said that it should be easier to get a waiver in the future. Shortly after that, a student asked a sexually explicit question of Hanlon that graphically expressed how the student felt about the new policies. Maxson immediately jumped to the podium to shut down the discussion, saying it was rude, disrespectful, and unfair to Hanlon himself, who does not work directly with the department that the rules affected and was only there to communicate them to the students. Hailey Tanner, the SGA Vice President of Student Interests, reiterated that students were being disrespectful instead of working with the administration officials and asked that students stop recording. Maxson and Pedraza then elaborated on some of the other motivations for the new rules. Maxson cited misuse of Pcards; “PCard usage has become an issue […] The amount of purchases and receipts is, frankly, too much,” she said. “The sheer amount of money that is spent on snacks, we could be doing so much with that money. We could be having such cool, innovative programming and events on campus […] What else could you be doing with that money?” Maxson insisted that these policies were not intended to limit what clubs could purchase, but rather help curb unnecessary spending to avoid clubs losing PCards privileges entirely. After students voiced concerns about how the new rules might affect involvement on campus, Pedraza explained that food was not the answer to increasing attendance at events, instead encouraging better planning and more interesting, engaging programming.

He went on to cite concerns that many students were only showing up to events to take food and leave without actually engaging with the rest of the event. The day ended with many students still upset about either the new changes and their implementation, the student response to them in the Q&A session, or both. Groups of students gathered outside of Burchard 118 and voiced their concerns for almost an hour after the session ended. The Stute reached out to some of the students in attendance for their thoughts, but most declined to comment. “Obviously everyone is upset about the new policies because they came out of nowhere and are pretty restricting,” said Andrew Chesterman, President of Off Center. “However, I think that a lot of the reactions at the event were uncalled for […] I don’t blame the people who organized the event for anything that happened, but I do believe that the policies are ridiculous.” SGA Service Subcommittee Head Monika Geslak said that “at the end of the day, this isn’t about the food, it’s about the blatant disrespect shown by the administration for not giving us so much as an email.” On February 4, Pedraza sent out an update via DuckLink that reiterated concerns about students voicing their frustration with the new policies with rudeness and contempt and proposed a new solution to the table issue. “University Events will provide catering tables in a number of classrooms where these are to be stationed permanently at no charge to you. They will also provide a list of rooms where a table can be accommodated for you to host catered events. In addition, a trash can will be provided for free for meetings and small events, but they will need to charge for larger events where considerable amounts of trash are expected to accumulate,” the statement read. Additionally, the statement

clarified the need for the new purchasing policies; “Compass One is the exclusive caterer for Stevens, and therefore, they need to be consulted on all your event and meeting food needs. When they first came on board with Stevens Dining, they allowed for snacks to be purchased elsewhere because they were not equipped to meet those needs, but now they are willing to accommodate. In addition, student organizations were taking advantage of the waiver policy. Dining cannot determine if they can meet your needs if they are not given appropriate notice. Therefore, the Student Life p-card policy is now aligned with the catering policy…since I began my time at Stevens in this role, several SGA representatives have shared their concerns with spending so much of the SAF funds on food/hospitality. Food can be an attractive addition to enhancing the experience of an event; however, it becomes an issue when food is used as a substitute for organized planning and focusing on the quality and impact of student programs. Far too often, we have seen students take event food and then scatter without care for the program content. Increasing the level of student engagement on campus will require intentionality, creativity, and organized planning.” Finally, Pedraza called for students to continue to work with OSL moving forward, writing “I hope you will be partners in creating a vibrant student life at Stevens. My co-advisor, Danielle Maxson, and I will be working with SGA and our university partners to make sure that your events will have every opportunity to be successful. I encourage you to make appointments with Student Life if you have specific financial concerns for your organization, as well as meet with your Student Life liaison to help you brainstorm and support your programs.”

be the result of an IMPACT weekend; participants determine what that change is through their participation.” In order to learn more about how IMPACT went for the Greek leaders, The Stute contacted Rachel Bailey, Theta Phi Alpha’s current president. This was Bailey’s first time at IMPACT, and she enjoyed the experience overall. “I think I got a lot out of the experience. I was never someone who saw themselves joining Greek life, let alone becoming president of a sorority, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. However, I was pleasantly surprised.” This past weekend allowed Bailey to connect with representatives from other

chapters that she may not have connected with if it weren’t for IMPACT. “I was able to meet leaders of other Greek organizations who I may not have otherwise got to know,” she said. “We collectively learned a lot and even got to roast marshmallows outside after a long day of working! Although it took me away from school during a weekend that maybe should have consisted of a lot of homework, I think I was able to get to know so many people and really got something productive out of the experience altogether. I am excited to work with the other Greek leaders moving forward as we work to implement what we learned into our respective chapters.”

OPENING

in the project, Montalvo said, “Sara Klein was instrumental in giving me guidance about how to pursue this Center. I received no pushback at all from administration.” Whether the administration wanted to squash the voting campaign dilemma, acknowledge the necessity of such a space, or both, they did encourage students to pursue the space and provided help in its formation. With an increasingly diverse student body, the main objectives of the Intercultural Space are to provide identity development, social justice education, community-building, empowerment, and allyship. From a university that did not accept women at all to one that now has a Diversity & Inclusion Committee and an Intercultural Space, Stevens has made positive social change over the years. Delman said, “The Intercultural Space is one step towards making sure we celebrate, educate, and build community at Stevens. While policies and processes help, there is always more work to be done in regards to how each of us commit to being more inclusive.” While the administration supported the development of the Diversity & Inclusion Committee, they required Montalvo to gather support from one-third of the Undergraduate student body. Montalvo questioned why underrepresented students needed permission from the rest of their peers to create something to make them feel more included and at home; “That’s when it became clear to me that the President and his Cabinet were more concerned with numbers rather than the actual well-being of their students,” he said. Slowly but surely Stevens is making changes to becoming a more inclusive community, especially at the student level. As Delman said, there is always more work to be done. This initiative is proof that students have the ability and power to create change.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 and communities to decorate the Intercultural Space,” said Liliana Delman, Associate Director for Diversity Education. This was followed by a karaoke night on Tuesday and an “Alumni and Student Reception” on Wednesday. Attendees of the reception reflected on their time at Stevens and the meaning of the new space on campus. They were stunned yet proud of this entity being brought to campus; it is something they never experienced during their college years. Thursday’s and Friday’s events were a “Resource Fair” and “D&I Committee Forum” on inclusion at Stevens, respectively.

On any given day, students are welcome to study, hang out, and relax in the space, said Liliana Delman. On any given day, students are welcome to study, hang out, and relax in the space. Student organizations are invited to host programs and events related to the mission. To stay up to date with the latest events in the intercultural space, follow @interculturalspace on Instagram. The Diversity & Inclusion Committee, founded by student Nasir Montalvo, Class of 2021, is a committee of the SGA that aims to promote education, foster allyship, and celebrate all identities on campus. Montalvo founded the Committee on November 11, 2018, in response to a Student Life voting campaign targeted at minority students at Stevens. After a public forum, the committee came to a unanimous decision to pursue the development of the Intercultural Space. When asked about the administration’s role

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February 7, 2020

PHOTOS COURTESY OFNASIR MONTALVO, THE BLACK STUDENTS UNION, AND MORGAN BRENNER.

A collage of events including Unity 2019, The Student Leadership Awards Brunch, Chartering of Alpha Phi Alpha and more.

A year in review: Black community empowerment at Stevens BY AUDREY DSOUZA February is Black History Month, which means it has been exactly one year since the the last Black History Month! Between then and now, a lot has happened, including the hiring of a Diversity Educator, chartering of the first Black fraternity at Stevens, and creation of the Intercultural Space. To learn more about all that has happened in the past year and highlight the accomplishments of the Black community at Stevens, The Stute reached out to the Black Students Union (BSU), National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), Alpha Phi Alpha (APA), the D&I committee of the SGA (D&I), and the newly-formed Black Affairs Council (BAC)! Black Students Union Since last year, BSU has held many large events for members of the Stevens community. Two events from last semester include Culture Shock and Kwanzaa. According to Olivier Pierre, the Vice President of BSU, the event featured “art exhibitions of different cultures, the spoken words, and the cultural foods.” Culture Shock was held in Babbio Atrium and was “one of our most colorful events that [we] had last semester.” Kwanzaa, was “the most successful event [BSU has] had so far,” said Pierre, thanks to performances by the dancing group Batingua Arts. It “could not have been a better celebration for Kwanzaa, which is a celebration of culture and unity,” said Pierre. Additionally, BSU won Most Relevant to Theme and Best in Show at last year’s Unity Showcase. Pierre explained that it was the second year BSU had swept the incredibly competitive event

for cultural organizations at Stevens. “A lot of work and preparation is necessary” to win, and Pierre has felt that since then, BSU has “gained an elevated, and respected status at Stevens.” “Our goal as an organization was to create a legacy that will showcase the minority groups in the best way possible, but also have a positive impact for all,” said Pierre. “We were able to display that best when we competed, as the theme was ‘Our New Beginnings’ — we paid tribute to HBCUs, and the entirety of their social construct.” In terms of future goals, Pierre said to “be on the lookout” for BSU’s Unity performance this year. Treasurer Micah Elias added, “I’m looking forward to seeing what all the Black organizations on campus will create and develop as one unit and one force. Not only is this an act of bringing our community closer together, but it is an act of creating a presence and establishment that will have a lasting impact for our other Black peers who will come down the line.” National Society of Black Engineers Last fall, NSBE hosted the Region I New Jersey Zone Conference. At the conference, students could engage in professional development, leadership development, and technical development as well as have opportunities to network with fellow collegians and professionals in the field. There were 47 professionals and students in attendance, in addition to Regional Board members and presenters outside of NSBE. The theme of the conference was “Fusing Power and People” and was chosen early in the planning process. “We were thinking about how we wanted the confer-

ence to help bring the NJ chapters together and strengthen the leadership pipeline,” explained Ha-mil Hutty, NSBE’s Conference Planning and PR Chair. “I thought the theme was perfect, because NSBE’s mission is to increase the number of culturally-responsible Black Engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally, and positively impact the community,” explained Shania Taylor, who is currently serving as the NJ Zone Chair. “If we retain the power within each one of us as Black professionals, then we can achieve our mission,” Taylor said. The event featured an alumnus keynote speaker and was planned through the summer and early fall of last year. Porschia Morrow, President of NSBE, felt that the conference went well because the Stevens chapter took first place in their Academic Tech Bowl, and their Vice President, Alexandria Alberic-Brown, took second place in the Draper Technical Challenge. Although funding the conference was a challenge, she is looking forward to expanding NSBE and providing more opportunities for their members to succeed! Alpha Phi Alpha Five men crossed as the chartering line of the Phi Theta chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha last April, becoming the first members of Alpha Phi Alpha at Stevens. Since then, they have added two more members for a total of seven. The official ideals of the fraternity are “Manly Deeds, Scholarships, and Love for all Mankind,” which brother E’nigel Owusu-Ansah stated are “simply the foundational values, which the brothers build upon.” As the first National Pan-Hellenic Coun-

Black Affairs Council formed; Black History Month festivities bigger than ever before BY AUDREY DSOUZA As Stevens continues to increase its focus on diversity, members of the community are seeing an increased number of organizations being created to promote and foster inclusion. One such organization is the newly formed Black Affairs Council (BAC). According to DuJuan Kirk, the Undergrad Rep for the BAC, the council has been in the works since last spring. The idea started with a conversation Kirk had with President Farvardin during Pancakes with the President. “In talking about his diversity initiatives he emphasized that student help would be greatly appreciated [...] therefore, I took it into account and got together four passionate Black student leaders to form a council that will benefit grads, undergrads, prospective students, faculty and staff,” explained Kirk. The purpose of the council is to “cultivate relationships within the Black community with Stevens Institute of Technology, promote and encourage educational opportunities for professionals, collegiate students, and prospective students, and educate and empower the campus and surrounding communities on cultural awareness in reference to Black people.” Currently, three student organizations exist with a similar purpose — Black Student Union

(BSU), National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), and Alpha Phi Alpha, which was chartered at Stevens just last spring. However, the Black Affairs Council’s membership extends beyond students at Stevens. “Students can expect a great deal of collaboration between Black leaders on campus and various Stevens departments,” explained Kirk. “For instance, we have a close relationship with the Social Media Coordinator (Mallory Majsa) and she is consistently collaborating with us to give us the coverage we deserve. Additionally, we want to assure that Black students in neighboring communities are aware of Stevens and the opportunities that it has to offer.” Students should also know that, although newly formed, the Black Affairs Council plans to do three major things this semester: create a scholarship for undergraduate students, attend and participate in college fairs, and host a gala for all in the council to highlight excellence across the Black community at Stevens. If any students or members of the Stevens community are interested in getting involved with the council, it will be hosting its first open forum next week on February 12 at 3 p.m. in Kidde 228! --------------------------------This year’s Black History Month Programming features a month-long calendar full of events. Unlike in previous years,

all the student organizations are working together to “make sure each event is executed to it’s best potential,” said DuJuan Kirk. The calendar of events has a bee theme for a reason -- according to Kirk, “The bee theme of the calendar speaks to the way in which BHM is a month in which Black people must work together to create a substance that is thick in meaning, consistent, and flavorful, just like the way in which bees make honey.” Some of the calendar’s activities feature guest speakers, community outreach events, and events open to all students to celebrate Black history and culture. “We are providing Stevens students with events that are intended to empower, embrace, and educate,” said Kirk. All the events are open to staff and faculty as well, and alumni are encouraged to attend (specifically a happy hour event later this month). Kirk emphasises all students should come out to the events, stating, “We don’t care what you look like and who you are, just attend any event! One thing that we value as a black community here at Stevens is perspective; not everyone in the community agrees with one another. However, we value our differences and learn from them -- something that many Stevens students can learn. That is what makes our bonds so much tighter.”

cil (NPHC) organization at Stevens, the organization provides men affiliated with the opportunity to be part of a community larger than Stevens. In a previous interview with The Stute, Malcolm McDaniel, the Assistant Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life, stated, “I think this is an exciting time for Stevens [...] I believe it will bring a different perspective to the Fraternity and Sorority community, encourage more conversation about the Cultural Greek Council and diversity, as well as provide men interested in joining a fraternity with more options,” as well as that he is “excited to work with Alpha Phi Alpha and to help them build a foundation for a lasting impact on the Stevens community.” Art Harper Saturday Academy Last semester, Stevens unveiled the creation of the Art Harper Saturday Academy, a program for underrepresented students from high schools in the area interested in pursuing a career in STEM-related fields. The academy was named after Art Harper ‘78, in honor of his commitment to supporting students from under-resourced communities. According to DuJuan Kirk, who is the Program Assistant for the Academy, the program was in the works for at least one to two years. He said it is definitely a “really big stepping stone for the University.” Participants of the program are called “scholars,” and according to Kirk, he sees the impact of the program on the students’ lives “academically, professionally, and personally. “I see myself in a lot of them, because of our backgrounds. What excites me the most about them is their eagerness to come on a Saturday

to really better themselves and strive to be the best.” said Kirk. “Our scholars aren’t the only ones who have a love for the program, that staff does as well (shoutout to thee Grant Fowler, Antony Cruz, Cameron Conway, and Matthew Seedhom). Huge shoutout to Edlyn who is in charge of it all, and even advising the Black Affairs Council, and the instructors (Alicia Muth, Amalia Terracciano, and Andrew Mai).” Hiring of a Diversity Educator After the departure of Jacquis Watters in Fall 2018, the Stevens community was left without a Diversity Educator for several months. Fortunately, in April 2019, Liliana Delman filled the void that campus felt. “Liliana has certainly made life easier for all of us in coordinating our efforts for inclusion on campus,” said Montalvo. “During the time Jacquis Watters had left, it was clear that there was a change on campus (the voting poster scandal, for example). Now that we have a Diversity Educator and approach her one year anniversary, I hope that we can continue to fight the good fight and amp up our efforts.” Opening of the Intercultural Space The Intercultural Space was established for support of marginalized students as part of the Student Center which opened this spring. The Intercultural Space is the fruit of student activism by the Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Committee of the Student Government Association. Rooted in early campus efforts for Diversity Education, the need for inclusive space gained momentum through the Diversity Initiative that began in October 2018. Nasir Montalvo spearheaded the fight for the creation of an

Intercultural Center, completing his case with student survey results and a review of resources available. “The Intercultural Space, although not the original ask, is an important step in making campus more inclusive,” explained Montalvo. “For Black students, when other spaces on campus quickly make you feel like the ‘other’, this space will put them and their needs at the center. I cannot be anymore grateful to have been a part of this initiative, and I hope it becomes an instrumental part of the Black experience at Stevens.” The Intercultural Space features the Diversity Education Lending Library, student artwork, and documentation on the history of the space, and it has been holding events all week to celebrate its opening. The Black Effect Last semester, Nasir Montalvo started publishing a bi-weekly column titled Black Effect in The Stute. Montalvo would discuss topics relevant to the Black community, sometimes in the format of an interview with friends. “I think this column was an important step to take in bringing community members who were out of the conversation in. After a few of the articles I posted, I received emails from various faculty and staff around campus expressing what they learned and that they were happy these Black experiences were being spoken about.” Montalvo calls “‘The N-Word’ with Zharee Richards” his “most impactful piece to date,” as it was the fifth most read Stute opinion piece of 2019. He added, “People were glad, people were mad, but overall, we said what had to be said: don’t say it if you aren’t Black. Period.”

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February 7, 2020

Science VIRUS

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

BY ABBY MEOLA ing. Some people with the virus could be unaware of their infection because they present such mild symptoms. The question remains: if the majority of people who contract the novel coronavirus will only be mildly affected, why is there international concern? For one, the emergence of any new virus, especially one that spreads from person to person, is a public health concern. It must be treated as a serious problem since people have died from it, and sufficient resources should be placed towards containing the illness. For the Ebola outbreak in 2014, the WHO was criticized for having too slow a response to the emergency that potentially cost many lives. Since global health organizations are the main mover of resources during a crisis, many people hold them solely responsible during an epidemic. Responding to past indiscretions, the WHO declared the coronavirus a global emergency on January 30th. China raised its national alert to level three, which is the highest threat level. These actions ensure that there will be a mobilization of action and funds on an international scale. Stevens Professor Theresa MacPhail, a renowned expert on viral

pathography, weighed in on the concern over the epidemic emerging in the United States. “In sum, there is an extremely low threat,” she said last Wednesday. “The denominator of total cases is based on those showing up to clinics. The actual number is probably much higher as most experts think that the illness is mildly symptomatic or asymptomatic in a large number of people.” Although this leads to a higher number of infected individuals, it means that the fatality rate is significantly lower than the sensationalized numbers that are reported. MacPhail said, “[In the United States] this is less deadly than a bad flu year.” In addition, many in the academic community express concern over xenophobia playing a role in the categorization of a worldwide crisis. As NBC News reported, school classes are canceling their trips to Chinatown in New York City out of fear of the outbreak, even though there have been no confirmed cases anywhere near the New York Metropolitan Area. As the pres-

On the east coast of the US, it seems that many concerns are stemming from stereotypes instead of the actual threat of the epidemic. ident of Asian Americans Advancing Justice, John Yang, said, “People are

going for a simplistic and completely misinformed and, frankly, ignorant answer. They are distracting from serious health work that is being done to contain a legitimate health concern.” On Stevens campus, the community is responding to the novel coronavirus in a number of ways. Stevens has released four official Health Advisories. The most recent has banned all travel to China that is on the school’s behalf. Additionally, they have asked that people who have been in China wait 14 days before returning to the Stevens campus. Around campus, students have been wearing surgical masks. I talked to one student, April, and asked her why she was wearing the mask. “This time of year, it is customary in China to wear a mask around in the street. We have [the] flu, pneumonia, things like this all around.” She also said that she was concerned that people would be afraid to approach her or collaborate with her if they knew she had just returned from China. “I was nowhere near Wuhan the whole time. But I do not want people to be nervous around me.” The situation with the novel coronavirus is continually

changing as information is updated. Since the outbreak began about one month ago, nearly 70 research papers have been published about this virus, according to Nature. The CDC updates its page daily with recommendations and new information. As Stevens students, it is unlikely that we will be personally affected by the novel coronavirus. But we can hope that the situation improves immensely for the affected families in Wuhan without reinforcing harmful stereotypes. And we can recognize that pandemics will likely increase in frequency in our lifetimes. As a community, we need to stay committed to our health. As a society, we need to think through the plans in place to deal with global health threats in the future. And washing your hands a few extra times never hurts.

For daily updates on the coronavirus outbreak, visit the World Health Organization’s website at who.it. Navigate the site for more information on protecting yourself, myth-busters, and travel guidance.

Stevens Physicist Chris Search Critiques His Field BY JOHN HORGAN

CAL PROFESSOR Chris Search, a professor of physics, is one of my favorite Stevens people. I like having him speak to my science-writing students because they love hearing him riff about physics and other science-related topics. I recently interviewed Search for my Scientific American blog. Here is an abridged version of our exchange.– John Horgan, Director, Stevens Center for Science Writings. Horgan: Why physics? Search: I was always curious about how things work. When I was young, physics seemed to offer answers to all of the mysteries of the universe. It felt authoritative and unequivocal in its explanations of nature and the origin of the universe. In that sense it was the perfect religion for my teenage self as I went through an atheist phase, which admittedly was probably provoked by all the popular physics books that I was devouring at that age such as A Brief History of Time. Those books were always so dogmatic, like the Catholic Sunday school I went to as a kid.

dicates to me how finely tuned and remarkable the universe is, which for me proves that the universe is more than random chance. Ironically, it was by studying physics that I stopped being an atheist because physics is so perfect and harmonious that it had to come from something. After years of reflecting, I simply could not accept that the universe is random chance as the anthropic principle implies. I should also add that physics has amazing predictive powers that continue to fascinate me. All of the equations fit so perfectly together that it boggles my mind that I can start from a few simple equations and derive how a new device will function. No other area of human pursuit has the same level of precision and predictive power as physics. Not only that but physics can and does explain so much of the world we live in. I feel like we are living in a post-scientific age with quackery running rampant because people are so ignorant of science. This ranges from climate deniers who don’t understand basic thermodynamics to much of the new age stuff I see for sale all over the very affluent (and ironically well educated) town that I live in, which is nothing more than marketing to earn a buck. I feel if people just understood more science and in particular physics they wouldn’t be so easily duped. For this reason, I’m also very grateful for having studied physics since it makes it easier to discern fact from fiction in life, and hopefully I can do that for others. Horgan: Now I wish I’d taken more than one lousy semester of physics! What are your current interests? Search: Over the last few years I’ve moved more and more away from basic physics and towards applied physics. I’ve been working on various types of optical sensors including gyroscopes. I’ve even started a new degree program in optical engineering, which probably means I’ve lost my credentials as a true physicist. Horgan: You’re too modest. Does your work have any relevance for quantum computing? Speaking of which, do you think we’re going to have commercial quantum computers any time soon? Search: I certainly hope that I have nothing to do with quantum computing. It is nothing personal against the subject, but I just view it as the research topic du jour. Physics doesn’t change, but what is popular in physics does change, and old physics gets rebranded as new physics. (What we call qubits are nothing more than the two level systems such as spin-1/2 and two level atoms physicists have studied since the dawn of quantum physics.) I’m very skeptical of doing what is trendy and popular because then you are just playing follow the leader. Everyone jumps into the field all doing more or less the same stuff because that is where the funding is and that is the easiest way to publish papers. In my opinion, this trendiness leads to a massive amount of invested effort but with very few significant results because what everyone is doing is so similar and overlapping. I suppose it is a form of the law of diminishing returns. The big breakthroughs that fundamentally change our understanding come from the people who follow their own path

‘‘ I NO LONGER BELIEVE THAT PHYSICS OFFERS ALL OF THE ANSWERS. IT CAN’T EXPLAIN WHY THE UNIVERSE EXISTS OR WHY WE ARE EVEN HERE.

IT DOES THOUGH PAINT A VERY BEAUTIFUL AND INTRICATE PICTURE OF HOW THE UNIVERSE WORKS.” Horgan: Nice comparison. Any regrets about choosing physics? Search: No. Over the years my view of physics has evolved significantly. I actually feel sorry for people that do not understand the laws of physics in their full mathematical glory because they are missing out on something that is truly divine. The beautiful interlocking connectedness of the laws of physics in-

even when everyone else is running in the other direction. Unfortunately, physics like other academic fields usually doesn’t give much support to those who don’t want to play follow the leader. I think in the future there will be certain very specific applications for simple quantum computers that we may be able to build. However, I don’t think there is any chance that ordinary computers are ever going to be supplanted by quantum ones. Horgan: Good to know! So what’s your take on string theory and the whole quest for a unified theory? Search: It is a waste of time. Unless it is testable, which it most likely will never be, then it is no longer even science. I think those people doing string theory forget they are actually doing science, or perhaps they should be sent back to middle school to be reminded of the scientific process. What distinguishes science from other modes of inquiry about the world we live in (e.g. religion and philosophy) is that new theories have to be tested experimentally. If they are not confirmed by experimental results, we discard them. I think the entire string theory community should take a deep breath and figure out what next to do with their lives. Someday in the distant future when technology has advanced enough or we have nearly infinite energy resources then we may be able to directly test string theory or other unified theories, at which point theoretical work on unified theories may become relevant again. Horgan: Might physics look different if more non-western, non-male, non-white physicists were involved? Search: Physics has without a doubt been a profession of white men in the past. Diversity is still very lacking in physics today. I was reflecting with a friend recently that both as an undergraduate and in graduate school, none of my physics professors were either Black or Latino. They were almost all white and to a lesser extent Asian. There were also only two female professors that I had in my entire education as a physicist. Things don’t seem to have changed that much since I was a student–just look at the Physics Department at Stevens. (As a rather stark example of the lack of diversity, in 2013 only 1.7% of Bachelors Degrees in Physics went to women of color according to the American Institute of Physics.) This question of how physics would look if it were more diverse is therefore hard to answer. One can only speculate. My belief is that different cultural traditions and less homogeneity of thought (i.e. group think) would have led to more diverse avenues of research within physics and would have enriched the philosophical interpretations by drawing on more non-Western philosophies and systems of belief. Such diversity of research directions and interpretations could only have enriched physics and led to developments that we can only imagine. Perhaps we would have by now a working theory of quantum gravity? Horgan: I’d love to think so. Should physics research, if supported by tax dollars or student tuition, have some practical potential? Search: Yes. There are simply so many problems facing not just the

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRIS SEARCH.

Pictured above is Chris Search, a physics professor at Stevens who CAL Professor John Horgan interviewed, asking his opinion on several topics including quantum computing and string theory. US but the entire planet these days ranging from climate change to massive wealth and income inequality in this country. It is unconscionable for tenured academic researchers to earn very generous salaries from their faculty positions and research grants and not be using their abilities to help solve some of these problems. Many are doing just that, but one has to wonder how string theorists are contributing to society when even most of the physics community doesn’t understand what they are doing. Horgan: If you were Physics Czar, would you pull the plug on any projects? Increase funding for any? Search: I wouldn’t want to comment on specific projects here since I’m not sufficiently familiar with the details and directions of science funding. I do think that this country spends an obscene amount of money on defense, and the Department of Defense has always been one of the biggest funders of science. I often comment in my freshmen physics class that war is good for physics. That is ironic since most college faculty politically lean very decidedly to the left but nevertheless increased military spending usually benefits us professors. Horgan: What’s your utopia? Search: My utopia is a fairer society than the one we live in, where everyone has the same opportunities for success and a good life regardless of wealth, gender, or race. This is by far my biggest worry these days. The American dream is pretty much dead. We do not live in a mer-

itocracy where one gets ahead simply by hard work and talent, rather we live in what someone I read called an inherited meritocracy. The family you are born into is more decisive these days than how hard you work as far as the level of economic attainment you achieve. The color of your skin and the wealth of your family is more important than anything else because these things determine if you can get a high quality K-12 education and can afford to go to an elite university, which opens most of the doors and opportunities that help secure one’s career and economic future. Also, coming from an economically secure family gives young people more options and opportunities because of the economic support they can count on such as the freedom to graduate from college without massive amounts of student debt. We need to change these things before the oppressive level of inequality in this country destroys it. The problem has many facets ranging from the heartless winner-take-all capitalism that we practice in this country, the very scant and frayed social safety net that has not kept up with the changing economy, the horrific costs of a college education, to government policies such as funding for schools being tied to local property taxes. Even those factors ignore the systemic racism and gender discrimination in our society and economic system, which gives white men like myself so many more advantages and privileges than everyone else. Horgan: Thanks Chris.

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February 7, 2020

Science Spacecraft returns to Earth with Christina Koch onboard BY NATALIE TODARO Yesterday morning, history was made in snow-covered fields in a usually remote area of Kazakhstan. The Soyuz M-13 space capsule returned to Earth from space, landing on soil after undocking from the International Space Station (ISS). The capsule carried three astronauts back to Earth: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astronaut Christina Koch, Russian cosmonaut Alexander Skvortsov, and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Luca Parmitano. Koch’s return in particular is making headlines due to her record-breaking accomplishments aboard the ISS. Koch emerged from the Soyuz space capsule smiling ear to ear with two thumbs up after 328 days orbiting Earth. Koch now holds the record for the longest spaceflight by a woman and second-longest by an American. She completed 5,248 orbits around the Earth, a journey of 139 million miles, and a total of 42 hours and 15 minutes outside the station. On October 18, 2019, Koch made history along with NASA astronaut Jessica Meir by conducting the first all-female spacewalk. Ronald Ankner ’19 is preparing to start his fourth internship at NASA this summer and has had the opportunity to meet several astronauts as well as attend two “Return Home” ceremonies. When asked about his reactions to the history-making spacewalk, he said, “The October spacewalk was an awesome step in the history books, but I think sometimes branding it like this never-before-done feat overshadows a lot of the awesome work women astronauts do and have been doing for a long time.” Ankner further explained what he believes is a large problem in the conversations about women in STEM. He said, “a lot of people react with ‘Wow, a crew of only women did a spacewalk,’ airing an underlying tone of surprise, but my reaction is ‘yeah, they’re incredible people and

PHOTO COURTESY OF NASA.GOV.

NASA astronaut Christina Koch returns to Earth after 328 days in space. Pictured above is Koch being helped out of the spacecraft just minutes after she landed in a remote area of Kazakhstan. very highly trained’ […] we’ll know as a society that disparity is gone when no one bats an eye at an all-female crew, they just treat it as very highly-qualified people doing something incredible to begin with, making no mention of their gender.” During her time on the ISS, Koch conducted research across a wide range of topics including botany studies, kidney diseases, and fuel

As part of the Microgravity Crystals investigation, Koch used a microscope to observe and photograph growing protein crystal samples. PHOTO COURTESY OF NASA.GOV.

efficiency. She grew leafy greens to understand the effects of gravity and spaceflight environment on plant biology at levels as sophisticated as cellular and tissue. For future long-term space expeditions, carrying food on the spacecraft is unrealistic; however, astronauts growing their own food is more attainable and feasible. She also studied how kidney health is affected by microgravity, water conservation, altered diets, and other factors, which helps protect not only the health of astronauts but also the health of people on Earth. Researching how fire behaves in space, Koch also worked on the Advanced Combustion via Microgravity Experiments (ACME) Chamber insert

to study the prevention of spacecraft fires and other effects of fire in space. As part of the Microgravity Crystals investigation, Koch used a microscope to observe and photograph growing protein crystal samples. Photo courtesy of nasa.gov. In an interview with NASA aboard the ISS, Koch explained that her favorite experiments she worked on were “the ones that have uncovered something new, and that contribute to betterment of life on Earth for people in a tangible way, and what that translates to up here would be the pharmaceuticals research.” In microgravity, Koch was able to grow protein crystals that are not possible to grow on Earth. According

Hanging out in the International Space Station’s seven-windowed cupola, Koch photographed landmarks as well as making valuable Earth observations. The cupola is one area of the space station that astronauts can’t help but spend time in, looking down at Earth. PHOTO COURTESY OF NASA.GOV.

CROSSWORD COURTESY OF BRANDON SEIDMAN.

to NASA, the Microgravity Crystals investigation “crystallizes a membrane protein that is integral to tumor growth and cancer survival. Results may support the development of cancer treatments that target the protein more effectively and with fewer side effects.” These protein crystals that are grown under microgravity conditions are more organized and larger than ones grown in the presence of gravity on Earth. Besides treating cancers, this research may also aid in the creation of new drugs and additional technologies across other disease areas, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Although Koch conducted several experiments herself, she was also participating in an experiment just by being in space. As a research subject volunteer, she helped provide information on how the human body adjusts to weightlessness, isolation, radiation, and the stress of long-duration spaceflight. Spending nearly one year in space will further prepare NASA for a return to the moon and human exploration of Mars under the Artemis Program. Ankner commented on Koch’s accomplishments by explaining, “I think her extended stay in space will provide humanity with a vast new set of information to work with. Especially as we are moving closer to Deep Space Gateway and possibly Mars afterward, her contribution of physical, mental, and biological data alone is huge (along with all of the work she did while she was up there).” Koch’s research and participation as a research subject volunteer is providing NASA with data that will prepare for the future. Koch and the rest of the crew contributed to hundreds of experiments in biology, Earth science, human research, physical sciences, and technology development. NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Andrew Morgan and Russian astronaut Oleg Skripochka remain on the ISS to continue research and experiments. In early April, they will grow to a six-person crew as one NASA astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts will launch to the station, continuing humanity’s development in space research and exploration.

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February 7, 2020

Opinion THE STUTE EDITORIAL

Food matters If you attended last weekend’s Leadership Reconnect, you might have a good idea of what this week’s topic is based on the title. I personally could not make it, but from what I heard it was one I should have been at. Not only were new policy changes regarding snacks and catering for clubs announced, but students were frustrated and vocal about it. Anyone who has been at Stevens for more than a year knows that the catering policies have been steadily getting more restrictive. Last semester, the policy was changed so that clubs could not spend over $50 on snacks or prepared foods in a single purchase not through CompassOne, the catering company exclusively contracted by Stevens. A year ago, it was made $100, and before that it was $250. Now it is $0 — all snacks and prepared food must go through catering.

The exceptions to this rule are “authentic kosher items, certified vegan desserts, [foods for] special allergen or dietary restrictions, and culturally complex dishes from specialty markets,” because catering doesn’t have vendors for those items. For these instances, students have to acquire a signed waiver 4 to 5 days prior to the event to purchase the foods. My organization does not buy food, so I am not as affected by these changes. But for clubs whose whole focus is spreading culture through food, these presidents are so justified in their anger! If the purpose of student organizations is to allow students to engage in a community and foster leadership skills, then why are students being forced to run in circles just to have an event? They’re not learning anything besides how to function in a bureaucratic work structure.

I don’t want to think about it from your perspective. You should be thinking about it from ours if you “work to serve [us].” At least you get paid to work here. It is so overwhelming just to manage a single club. All of us are perpetually going nuts, sacrificing our GPAs and sleep just so the communities that make us happy can continue to exist at Stevens. Now you’re telling us that P-Cards are now a privilege, and it will take more unnecessary emails and forms to get what I need accomplished? Do you expect this to increase student engagement? It gets worse — the most thoughtless statement I heard in the voice recording was, “Student engagement is low because not a lot of thought goes into how we think about student engagement.” This offends me because student leaders put so much effort into making their clubs and events success-

ful, both in the present and beyond their time at Stevens. I would even argue that events by students are better quality and better marketed than those run by Student Life. Definitely better attended. Food is most definitely not a waste. Food matters so, so much. When I first heard about The Stute it was from an advertisement that said “Free Food!” on Facebook, and it motivated me to give the club a chance. Now I am the president, and I know many friends who run other clubs who share the same story. You say that people take food and run, but just as many people take food and stay. Food makes a difference. It is the primary motivator to do anything in the mind of college students on a budget. Food is culture and creates a community. Why else do top companies like Google and Facebook have free

meals and snacks for their employees? It makes a high-stress work environment pleasant and bearable. People are not mad about the extra five cents it will cost, people are mad about the increased restrictions being put on them and their club just to keep doing the same things that they have always been doing.

Audrey Dsouza Editor-in-Chief

MIND OF A FRESHMAN

SENIORITIS

Joke’s on us — it’s time to stop

Start screaming

BY JULIA WIERZBICKI FRESHMAN

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING We live in the age of “burns” and “roasting people.” Last week, I wrote an article about spilling the tea on campus. Many times, this type of gossip includes coming up with ways to take a jab at someone and insult them with the intent of making someone else laugh. I’ve noticed it happening more and more on campus, and I think it’s time to address it. In the moment, it may seem like good fun, but it’s affecting people more than some might think. I’ve identified the diversity of our campus in some of my past columns. It’s great to have so many unique groups and communities that make up Stevens, but some people regard those differences better than others. Whether it’s making an offhanded comment about privilege, race, or wealth, it’s become common for “jokes” to be made about members of certain communities. Some of them are lighthearted and in good fun (for example, as a member of the Stevens Dramatic Society, I’m perfectly fine with

people calling me a “drama queen” or the like), but some of these jokes go too far. It’s gotten to the point where people may not even realize the progression of these comments and how aggressive they’ve gotten. I’ve seen firsthand how people can be downright insulting and make others really uncomfortable. And although they may not show it outright, it affects people more than we may suspect. Many times, the people who these jokes are geared toward don’t necessarily address them directly. At first, they may laugh to be a good sport and not to cause any trouble. But as the comments get more and more aggressive, they may not be smiling anymore. Everyone has a limit, and after a point, people can get really hurt by what’s being said. Especially if everyone around them is laughing at the remark, if they’re genuinely hurt by what’s being said, it can be like twisting the knife. It’s important to remember that even if someone laughs at first, it doesn’t mean that they’re laughing all the time at every joke. If we’re honest with ourselves, I don’t think we should make any of these jokes at all. But if we’re in agreement that these jokes are wrong, then why do we laugh? And why do we still say them? It might be for the reaction of others or even to put someone else down to make ourselves feel better. That’s no excuse to treat some people the way we do. I’m not going to lie and say I’m perfect — I’ve said things that I regret. It’s going to take effort and a change in habit, but it’s time we stop putting other people down, especially our friends. Making someone feel uncomfortable or insulted is never a good price to pay for a laugh.

BY MARK KRUPINSKI SENIOR

COMPUTATIONAL SCIENCE Saturday was Leadership Reconnect and thankfully other members of The Stute E-Board attended so I didn’t have to suffer through the long day without copious amounts of coffee. I attended Leadership Reconnect last year – the first year they required treasurers to attend – and it was spicy. Afterward, I wrote an article that encompassed the changes they announced. These policy changes, at least for receipts, were ultimately not strongly enforced. I didn’t expect more policy changes to drop in between semesters – and new SGA presidents – but I was wrong. University Events imposed a strict eighty-dollar surcharge on clubs ordering hot food. Clubs could no longer buy food at Shoprite. These policies were announced, and they were not up for debate. The policies were created without consultation of students, and some of the policy changes were not even announced to every student attending the event. Every club’s functions would have to change

On a lighter note: female friendships

BY LEIGHA TIERNEY SOPHOMORE BIOLOGY

I’ve been meaning to write about female friendship for a while now, but I haven’t been quite sure how to display it in a way that captured my feelings the right way. When I wrote about female bullying, the words came from a place of humiliation and anger, yet I was able to reflect on it with the healing and maturation that has come with time and contemplation. But my thoughts and emotions on my female friendships come from a softer and more vulnerable part of myself. My female friendships have raised me to emotional peaks and set me at the bottoms of emotional trenches worse than a breakup. But most of all, they have supported me and raised my confidence while keeping me humble and grounded. I don’t think I fully understood the role my friendships with other women played in my life until this past sorority recruitment. A quick summary

referenced in the email, I am one of the several SGA representatives that have expressed concern with the amount of food spending on events. The solution? When I rewrote the budgeting policy, I implemented limits on the amount spend on snacks at each GBM ($50) as well as limiting the cost per person for food ($15). Spending a large portion of money on food affects students, and it’s a problem for students to solve. Food can be essential to some events such as the Chinese Student Association’s Dim Sum Night, or the American Chemical Society’s Bonding with Food. Food isn’t the sole part of any successful event – and most clubs just treat it as a small component of their event. Events also need proper advertising, good content – among other features. Most clubs have successful events; there isn’t a huge need for clubs to improve their events – and clubs should not face unjust criticism to defend the school’s un-student-centric policy changes. I can continue to go through Leadership Reconnect and the clarifying email, but it boils down to one thing – the student body needs to not be afraid to get loud and raise their concerns. Otherwise, these policy changes will keep happening. If students didn’t get loud, would University Events have agreed to station tables for free in classrooms on Lower Campus? As the student body is typically apathetic, the administration has difficulty responding when students get riled up. The administration is forced to react. When Eric S. Londres wrote his letter to the editor on priority scheduling, the school had to react. It’s our school. Purely student-centric decisions should be made by students. Let’s make sure to keep it that way.

SPOILER ALERT

GIRL TALK for those that haven’t gone through the process: it consists of hours upon hours of arts and crafts, decorating, and making conversation with girls you’ve never met and then deciding if they’d be a good potential fit as lifelong members of your organization. If you’re me, it also involves spending hours in your house’s basement crafting with girls you’ve only ever made small talk with at chapter meetings, breaking down from becoming so socially overwhelmed talking to new people, and feeling achy from standing for hours on end. I started to come to my understanding of my bonds with other women on the final night of recruitment, the night where each sorority welcomes their new members into their chapter for the first time. In the midst of the chanting, glitter, and trying to not get whacked with big wooden greek letters, I was overwhelmed with emotions. On that night a year ago, I had been welcomed into my own chapter. After feeling like I had been judged inside and out by hundreds of women, I was relieved to be welcomed into a group, yet terrified of what was to come. As the fear of the unknown crept back up on me in the present, I realized how I had been eager yet tentative about forming more friendships with other women. My bonds with other women have been so special to me, but have taken so much effort and understanding to achieve. To become acquainted with other women on a surface level is not so difficult, but to truly form a close, long-lasting bond takes sensitivity and openness not easily given or earned. While I invest love and sensitivity into my close friendships with women,

dramatically. University Events would be making over $13,000 with this one small change – directly from students’ pockets. The Spring 2020 SGA budget was not created with this charge in mind. Additionally, students are used to working with preferred vendors for events. Catering has not proven that they can accommodate every event – why make students jump through more hurdles? Students were getting mad. Students were questioning and challenging. Leo Pedraza sent an email to student leaders a few days after Leadership Reconnect providing documentation on the policy changes – as well as chastising individuals who expressed “rudeness and contempt” and for student organizations putting too much focus on food at events. The administration puts restrictions on spending our SAF. Fundamentally, the Student Activity Fee is a tax for being an undergraduate student at Stevens. The student body elects senators to determine how to spend this tax. It should remain in the hands of students on how to spend their money without direct control or influence from non-students. In recent years, one of the biggest movements at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), a peer school, was their administration’s take over of the Student Union. RPI’s administration decided to side-step student input and limit their freedom to run their student center, budget for organizations, as well as prevent representation on the Board of Trustees. Students do not have control of their budget and a large part of their student life at RPI. I remember reading in Pedraza’s email that food has replaced substance at events, indirectly criticizing student organizations’ events at Stevens. As

I appreciate how we can relate to one another and work together even when we only know each other as acquaintances. Small gestures like fixing a tag on the back of a shirt or helping fix hair and makeup are little morale boosters that make me feel a little better when I’m in a rush or am having a bad day. Even feeling like I can relate to women I don’t know well on more serious topics like health, relationships, and discrimination makes me feel less alone in the world; knowing there are others that walk in step with me even if I don’t know them personally. A piece of advice I’d like to impart to other women about their friendships is something I have to remind myself constantly: women are not perfect. When I spend my free time doing things such as writing feminist op-eds or reading books and articles about sexism and discrimination, it can be jarring to go into the real world and realize that theory and statistics don’t always match up with lived experience. Sometimes your female friends will do or say something problematic, or defend men you see as antagonistic, or might straight up just be mean or hurtful in some cases. When you feel as if you spend your time advocating for better treatment for yourself and other women, it can hurt when you feel like the camaraderie and cooperation to do and be better just isn’t there. To reconcile the goals for a better future for women and the reality of us all being flawed individuals, I feel like it’s important to remember to love and be loved in friendships, but not to hold other women to such a high standard that we end up pushing each other away since our bonds are our greatest strength.

#OscarsSoWhite…again

The time has come again — the big-

BY TRISTAN BACANI FRESHMAN

BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING gest award show in any movie lover’s life has come again. Luckily for us, so has the misrepresentation of who makes movies in the nominees. This issue, notably brought up in 2015, has come again five years after #oscarssowhite became a trend, but it just goes to show the age-old story of discrimina-

tion in the movie industry. Despite many movies this year highlighting minorities, such as Booksmart (starring two female leads, as well as being directed by a female) and Us (Jordan Peele’s sophomore horror film), the majority of the films highlighted in the Oscars do not represent the full extent of the talent in Hollywood. Of course, there are a few notable exceptions that are nominated, such as Parasite and Little Women, but still, the lack of diversity is concerning. This is most notable in the Best Actors categories and Best Director category. The Best Director category is particularly concerning, as only men were nominated for the award, and Greta Gerwig’s Little Women was nominated for Best Picture, but she was not nominated as its director. Maybe the problem is who is in The Academy, or who Hollywood considers leading character material. Until these are changed, there will not be great diversity within the nominees. As shown, a strive for diversity does not work. Five years isn’t enough, but maybe in the coming years, The Oscars will be #sodiverse.

Yay st

9

February 7, 2020

Opinion PASSION FOR FASHION

Minimalism is the new black

BY MELISSA KOSAR SOPHOMORE

BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY This semester I am studying abroad in France, and on the weekends I am spending my time traveling to nearby countries. Before this experience, I never considered myself to be a “light packer” in the slightest. However, backpacking on the weekends has forced me to transition to a very minimalist mindset. This is no easy task for someone OBSESSED with clothes. When packing for my semester abroad, not only did I have to somehow fit the next four months of my life into a 50-pound suitcase, but I had to be EXTREMELY picky about what clothes I wanted to pack (to avoid that brutal overweight fee). Coming to Europe, I needed to be both selective and careful about my clothing choices to have the most versatile pieces I own with me. In the past, on week-long vacations, I would bring SO MUCH just to end up never wearing half of what I packed. That was not an option for this trip. So how did I do it? To be honest, I had no idea where to even begin. However, I did a good job of fitting all my belongings into my checked luggage (somehow) and one backpack. Aside from rolling literally all my clothes to save space, I brought items that can be used in a variety of different outfits. One thing I have observed about the French style is that they carry themselves with a very simplistic elegance coupled with a focus on functionality, which is what I aimed to do when packing. I decided to bring all solid pants

PHOTOS COURTESY OF MELISSA KOSAR.

differing in colors, materials, and fit. Each pair I packed was free of holes, as Europeans tend to stray away from excessively ripped jeans (and because it’s quite cold out here). In addition, I packed only four pairs of shoes: two pairs of white sneakers, a pair of black rain boots and one pair of black booties (which I have yet to wear, lol). I managed to bring only three coats, consisting of one leather jacket, one grey puffer jacket, and one long teddy coat. All the shirts I chose to pack had to meet the requirement of matching with at least two of the pants I had. However, I think just about all of my shirts would match pretty much every pair of pants! Finally, the

one key to being minimalistic yet still fashionable and not wearing the same thing every day… accessorize. Strategically chosen accessories can elevate an outfit beyond a boring combination of matching shirt and pants. Whether it be a simple belt, a bold pair of earrings, a neck or headscarf, or even styling your hair in a fun way; accessories are truly the key to mastering a minimalist wardrobe. They are what helps a simple outfit still be a stylish one! As a weekend traveler, it is vital for me to be realistic about my clothes since I only ever travel with one backpack. Typically, I have been bringing just one pair of pants with me, about three or four

shirts depending on how many days I am gone, and just one pair of shoes and one jacket. The key to traveling with just a backpack for shorts trips is two things; first, wear your bulkiest items while in transit (a big sweater, thick scarf, or jacket). Second, plan outfits wisely so that you can combine items more than once without appearing like you are repeating an outfit. For example, I have been a huge fan of turtlenecks or mock necks on this trip. These are perfect for combining with different outfits. You can wear a mock neck on its own, and then you can also wear it under a shirt with a lower neckline. This not only allows you to save space in your bag, but

it also helps you to layer, which is especially great if you are traveling to colder places and spending time in and out of museums, cafes, or restaurants all day. Honestly, it can be challenging to strategically plan like this every time, but it will certainly pay off. My travels throughout Europe have helped me to discover and appreciate a simplistic yet sophisticated aspect of fashion, one that I never expected to embrace with such enthusiasm. It is constantly a learning experience, but I must admit, I am having so much fun discovering how to make simplicity stylish! Minimalism might just be the new black.

OFF THE PRESS

ADVICE YOU MAY NOT NEED

Breaking news: Stevens officially not a real school

Being agreeable

BY OFF CENTER Dismay has struck the hearts of everyone across campus as it has come to light that Stevens Institute of Technology is, in fact, not a real school. Every social media platform has been buzzing about how distraught both students and staff are about the sudden news. We here in the writer’s room of Off The Press have decided to compile all of the information regarding this matter for your convenience in what might be our last article ever. (We don’t really know how funding works now that we’re no longer a school, so we might not be able to feed ourselves and therefore won’t have the energy to write.) This all came to fruition when a tourist pointed out Stevens’ lack of media presence and unrecognizability. The tourist gave the following statement while standing in front of the new Gateway Academic Center: “Stevens? Never heard of it. What does it even look like?” Upon further investigation, it appears that Stevens has in fact never been on any Top 10 colleges list, not even “CollegeBoard’s Top 10 Most Forgotten Colleges.” A student confessed, “I don’t even remember applying to Stevens. I think I first heard of them when I received an acceptance letter in the mail.” It certainly doesn’t help that Stevens has absolutely no branding anywhere on campus, notably in their construction zones. To make matters worse, shortly after the stray tourist’s observation, a discovery was made in the University Center construction zone. Before laying cement for the building’s foundation, a construction worker noted a

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strange leather–bound book lying directly under the cement mixer. Upon further inspection, it was revealed that this book contained the original documents of Stevens’ founding. As it turns out, Edwin A. Stevens filled out all of the official paperwork to establish Stevens Institute of Technology as an official university but forgot to include the Stevens Honor Pledge. As we all know, any document without the Stevens Honor Pledge is null and void, and deserves a grade of 0 regardless of how much work you put into it or if you got all the answers correct. Since Stevens’ founding documents wouldn’t even hold up in Stevens Honor Court, the official-looking leather–bound book is about as useful as a paperweight. Former President Nariman Farvardin (former only because you can’t be the president of a non-school) is outraged particularly at the Stevens Honor Board. In an attempt to fix the matter at hand, the Honor Board uncovered a logical paradox. “Since Stevens isn’t a college, the Honor Board has no power, therefore the founding documents don’t need to have the honor pledge to be valid. But if the documents are valid, that means Stevens is a college and the Honor Board does have power, and that means the documents have to have the honor pledge to be valid, which they don’t.” The Honor Board spent sixteen days mulling over this paradox before eventually giving up. Whether the Stevens founding documents were placed under the cement mixer by someone trying to cover up Stevens’ true history, or if it was just a remnant of the Secret Jacobus Archives, its discovery has wrought havoc across all offices in Howe. After minutes of debate, de-

lineation, and Bing searching (Stevens is now officially a Microsoft sponsored entity and has no ties with any other search engine. This has nothing to do with Stevens not being a school anymore.), the school has decided to enact the following policies.

• All degrees given to graduates prior to this discovery will be revoked. • Graduates past and future will now receive Certificates of Learning, signed by Martini himself. • All financial aid will be revoked since you can’t get financial aid if you’re not enrolled in a college. • ACup’s Friday hours have now been extended to midnight.

These policy changes have been announced along with the following statement: “We apologize for any inconvenience this discovery may have caused. While we take steps to reconfigure Stevens’ infrastructure, we encourage you to enjoy extended hours at America’s Cup, where we have now introduced curly fries.” These policies have been a HUGE topic of discussion around campus and people will not stop talking about them, but the most egregious of the four is truly the Certificates of Learning. Like, honestly, how is Martini gonna sign certificates? He doesn’t even have hands. And I don’t want an ink print of his paw on any of my official documents. No one’s gonna take me seriously unless there’s a written signature on there. Additionally, images of these new Certificates of Learning show a surprising lack of the Stevens Honor Pledge, and we all know what that means.

BY DAVID BELLAH JUNIOR

BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY My best friend, let’s call him Wes, frequently visited my house for years. Early on in our friendship at around age six, Wes and I shared many interests. We liked the same toys, played the same games, and watched the same movies. Growing up, I loved Wes because he always played what I wanted to. For several play dates, Wes and I did what I said. One day, while we were doing what I wanted, Wes politely suggested we play catch outside. Hearing this, I immediately said, “after we’re done in here, then sure.” Deep down, I knew I didn’t want to go outside, and I really didn’t care if Wes wanted to either. My toys had my undivided attention. I also figured that since Wes was such a great guy, he would forget about wanting to play outside as we kept playing with my toys. My theory, however, was wrong — Wes called his mom and left my house shortly thereafter. In the moment, I was so confused. Why would he leave? Was he not having fun? Were my toys not good enough? Was it something I said? Six-year-old me couldn’t comprehend why Wes would get up and leave like that. The next time I invited him over, I asked him why he left last time, and he said, “I was bored so I went to play catch.” Immediately I asked, “How were you bored? My toys are fun.” He then responded, “I wanted to do something else, but we were only doing what you wanted to do and none of what I wanted. I love playing with you, but when I ask if we can do one thing and you immediately shoot it down for something

you like, it doesn’t make me feel included and it makes me really bored.” Although I still disagreed with him that playing catch was more fun than playing with my toys, I understood what he said. From that point on, I still ran our playdates and suggested most things but stayed mindful and open when Wes had a suggestion. We are still best friends to this day. Later in my teens, I hung out a lot with my friend Grant. Grant had a lot of interests. Hanging out with Grant usually meant I was trying something new, which was good for me. Hanging out with Grant taught me about new things and how to be open-minded, and Grant enjoyed my agreeable company. Sometimes, however, I started to feel like Wes when he wanted to play catch at my house years ago. Grant was never really open to suggestions. Anytime I asked him to do something I wanted to do, I just got ignored or pushed to the side. The more this happened, the more I started to resent the new things Grant wanted to show me. I grew bored every time I came to his house because I knew we were only doing something he wanted to do. Eventually, when we were watching him play with his new music production software, I asked, “Why can’t we do something I want to?” He immediately asked me, “You’re not having fun?” I then explained to him that every time we hung out, it was fun, but I couldn’t always be the one who has to try something new. Grant looked puzzled at me for a moment. He then shrugged and went back to what he was doing. I guess he assumed I would eventually forget about what I wanted to do and go back to watching him play on his computer. After my experience with Grant, I get why Wes left my house that day. Being agreeable is good because it lets you try new things, but someone who does only what they want and lets you have zero input is not a fun person to be around. Being agreeable will make you great company, but being agreeable doesn’t mean you say yes to everything. If you can’t tolerate engaging with someone, it’s time to tell them how you feel. MESSAGE: Being agreeable will teach you how to be open to new things and people will like you for it, but also know when to stand up for yourself.

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February 7, 2020

Sports

ON DECK IN SPORTS SAT, FEB 8 MEN’S AND WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD vs Alvernia Inviatational All Day Reading, PA

MEN’S WRESTLING vs Messiah Open 10 AM Grantham, PA

PHOTO COURTESY OF STEVENS DUCKS.COM

Men’s and women’s fencing teams continue strong start BY JUSTIN CROSS As the spring semester commenced, the Stevens men’s and women’s fencing teams continued their hard work to prepare for their upcoming matches. Heading into the start of the spring, the men’s team boasted an undefeated record while the women captured 13 straight wins since losing the first match of their season to Wellesley College. Both teams asserted their dominance in each weapon style: epee, sabre, and foil. With such phenomenal records, both teams received national attention and started receiving votes to be ranked in the top 10 in the country. On January 18, the men’s and women’s fencing teams participated in the West Point Invitational in West Point, New York. Both teams faced seven different opponents and were unbeaten throughout the en-

tirety of the event. The men’s and women’s teams’ last matches at West Point proved to be difficult tasks, as they squeaked out 14-13 wins against Cleveland State and Drew, respectively. These last matches clinched the title for the Ducks. Stevens dominated in each weapon style in both the men’s and women’s competitions. The epee recorded 42 wins and 12 losses while the sabre and foil went 37-17 and 32-22, respectively, for the men. Sophomores Vaughn Rice, Noah Ehrlich, and Logan Rechler led Stevens with double-digit victories. In the women’s competition, the epee obliterated the invitational, going 52-11, with sabre finishing at 46-17 and foil at 45-18. Stevens overpowered its opponents thanks to double-digit victories from freshmen Leigha Capra and Claire McNeill, senior Teny Odaimi, and sophomores Kiera Barnes and Bayla Gellerstein.

With this sweep, the women’s team set the record for most consecutive wins in program history with 19 before extending it to 21 a week later. Also, Odaimi made history by winning her 100th match. This past weekend, each team partook in the Eric Sollee Invitational. Unfortunately, both teams’ winning streaks halted in their first matches. The men’s team went 3-3 while the women’s team finished at 1-5. In the first match, the men’s team lost 15-12 to NJIT, dropping their first match of the season. However, their first defeat of the season did not stop them from beating a tough Brown team immediately after. While the men battled valiantly, the women’s team fell several times before grabbing their only win on the day against Haverford. Although both teams struggled in their matches, they are still in good position, with important invitationals

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

and championships right around the corner. After a week of rest, the women’s team returns to action as they travel to Philadelphia to take part in the FDU Invitational on Saturday, February 8. A day later, they will host their own invitational against NJIT and Fairleigh Dickinson University at 10 a.m. in Canavan Arena. A good performance in both invitationals will boost the lady Ducks’ confidence, preparing them for their upcoming EWFC championship. On the other hand, the men’s team hosts the MACFA Round Robin Group “B” Tournament on Sunday, February 9, in Canavan Arena. They will compete in four matches, including a rematch against a fierce NJIT team, which handed them their first loss. With a win, Stevens men’s fencing would be at an advantage to claim the title and jump into the top 10 in the country.

vs Ducks Tri-Match All Day Hoboken, NJ

SAT, FEB 9 MEN’S FENCING vs MACFA Round Robin Group B All Day Hoboken, NJ

WOMEN’S FENCING vs Stevens Invitational All Day Hoboken, NJ

Men’s basketball defeats Delaware Valley BY ETHAN CHE

PHOTO COURTESY OF STEVENSDUCKS.COM

This past weekend on Saturday, February 1, the Stevens men’s basketball team trekked all the way down to Doylestown, Pennsylvania, to face off against the Delaware Valley University Aggies. Coming off a close win against FDU-Florham (80-69) a few days before, the Ducks had high energy and confidence going into their game against the Aggies. The Aggies are no stranger to the Ducks. Having narrowly beaten them at the start of the season 8573, the Ducks knew going into this game that it could be a tough one. The Ducks had an amazing record of 14-4 at this point, and they wanted to keep it that way. They were not going to lose to a team that they had already beaten and had experience playing. The first few minutes of the game saw the Ducks and Aggies neck-inneck. The Ducks did not get off to the best of starts, and after miss-

ing a layup to start off the game, it seemed as if the Aggies had a counter for every move that the Ducks threw at them. Luckily, the Aggies’ lead did not last long, and soon enough, any notion the Aggies had of winning had vanished. After the first seven-and-a-half minutes, the Ducks managed to gain a 10-point lead over the Aggies. Things were looking bleak for the Aggies. Once the Ducks picked up their momentum, it was easy sailing from there. After two pairs of free throws by seniors Spencer Cook and Dylan Walsh, the game was effectively decided. For the remainder of the game, the Ducks were never trailing the Aggies. At the end of the first half, the Ducks lead the Aggies 34 to 29. The Ducks were plowing ahead at full-tilt, and nothing could stop them. The Ducks did not slow down at all after the first half. Junior Alec DiPietrantonio started off the Ducks’ second half by making a good pair of free-throws, giving the Ducks

a 7-point lead (36-29). The Ducks and Aggies traded baskets here and there for the rest of the second half, but ultimately, the Ducks’ lead was too much for the Aggies to overcome. With a minute and 8 seconds left in the game, the Ducks were up by 20 points (74-54), and it was all but over at that point. After a three-pointer by freshman Jacob Krantz with 20 seconds left in the game, the Aggies’ fate was sealed — victory for the Ducks. The Ducks ended up defeating the Aggies 77-54. Cook scored 23 points in this game — a new personal record for him. Cook was also named the MAC Freedom Men’s Basketball Offensive Player of the Week (again), bringing him up to a total of two Player of the Weeks this season. The fact that the Ducks were ahead of the Aggies for almost the entire game shows how formidable the Ducks are. Other teams better watch out, because once the Ducks get on a roll, there is no stopping them.

DUCK COUNTRY SCOREBOARD DATE SAT. FEB 1 SAT. FEB 1 SAT. FEB 1 SAT. FEB 1 SUN. FEB 2 SUN. FEB 2 WED. FEB 5

TEAM MEN’S WRESTLING WOMEN’S SWIMMING MEN’S SWIMMING WOMEN’S BASKETBALL MEN’S VOLLEYBALL MEN’S TRACK AND FIELD MEN’S BASKETBALL

OPPONENT NEW YORK UNIVERSITY HARTWICK UNIVERSITY HARTWICK UNIVERSITY DELAWARE VALLEY UNIVERSITY STEVENS TRI MATCH BOMBER INVITATIONAL WILKES UNIVERSITY

SCORE W (30-13) L (122-140) W (156.5-104.5) W (80-45) UNDEFEATED 1ST W (82-72)