[The Stute] November 1, 2019 (Issue 8, CXXIII)

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INTERVIEW with Student Government Presidential Candidates See pages 7,8,9 This issue will HAUNT you.

Volume CXVII Issue 9

November 1, 2019

Established 1904

Content INSIDE THIS ISSUE...

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DUCKS DECIDE TO

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MAKE YOUR OWN PAGE 4

WATCH THESE TOP TEN

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MEET THE JACOBUS PAGE 4

DID YOU NOTICE THE

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BEWARE THE

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MEET THE SGA

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MOVIE REVIEW:

PAGE 10 Digital illustration courtesy of Khianna Byrne

COSTUMES AND

Boo! Welcome to the Halloween issue

BY AUDREY DSOUZA

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HAUNTED

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For only a few more days, folks can visit the Hoboken Historical Museum to view the immersive, 3-D exhibit created by Steve Vineza. A Hoboken native who has been decorating his garden throughout the summer and fall at 11th and Garden St. annually for over 10 years, Vineza says his exhibit is meant to “stimulate you to have your own experience and your own ideas.”

The museum invited Vizena to “create a display that captures the spirit of those art assemblages, and to bring his archived images of past Halloween creations, along with a display of some of his other visual art.” The glowing,

fantastic representations of people obsessed with phones bright up the upper level of the historical museum.

“Artists are trying to communicate how they see the world; how we see the world and ourselves in it and how we experience life,” said Vineza in an interview with the Hoboken Historical Museum regarding his exhibit titled “Cloud Zombies Visit the Museum.”

Vineza said in an interview with the museum that he was inspired to create this piece after “dodging zombies” while navigating through crowds of phone-mesmerized pedestrians on the streets of Hoboken and New York.

He worries about how the two-dimensional screens are affecting the way contemporary

humans connect to the world, how we perceive our visual world and the reality we experience.

His fascination with the growing influence of screens on society is what inspired his “Cloud Zombies” series around Halloween.

What he finds ironic is that “most visitors simply snapped a quick image with their phones and moved on, without realizing the Art was about what they had just done – substituting a photograph, made possible with technology advances in phone cameras, for actual experience, engagement and comprehension of what was before them.”

The exhibit has been open on the upper level of the museum since September 21 and will remain open until November 3.

November 1, 2019

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The halloween issue THE STUTE VOLUME CXVII - ISSUE 9 STAFF BOX 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 HEAD PHOTOGRAPHER..............................COLE YARBROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR..........................ELINA TUDER SCIENCE EDITOR......................................DYLAN JAMES MOON SPORTS EDITOR..............................................TREVOR DAMEIKA WEBMASTER........................................................JOANA FARDAD SYSTEMS ADMINISTRATOR.........................SERIK CZARNECKI STAFF AND CONTRIBUTORS ALEKSANDAR DIMOSKI ALEX MURTAGH ALONZO KONSTANTINIDIS ALYAA ELKHAFIF BRANDON SEIDMAN CHRISTIAN BONAVITA DAVID BELLAH DAKOTA VAN DEURSEN DIVYA UNNAM ELENA MALOVA ERIC S. LONDRES ETHAN CHE GREGORY KANE JACK KOSTELNIK JULIA WIERZBICKI

JOHN HORGAN JOSEPH DOLAN LIAM MCMURTRY MATHEW GREEN NASIR MONTALVO NICK VELARDO RACHEL STERN SIMON PEPA TRISTAN BACANI

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Cloud Zombies exhibit at Hoboken Historical Museum

BY AUDREY DSOUZA

For only a few more days, folks can visit the Hoboken Historical Museum to view the immersive, 3-D exhibit created by Steve Vineza. A Hoboken native who has been decorating his garden throughout the summer and fall at 11th and Garden St. annually for over 10 years, Vineza says his exhibit is meant to “stimulate you to have your own experience and your own ideas.”

The museum invited Vizena to “create a display that captures the spirit of those art assemblages, and to bring his archived images of past Halloween creations, along with a display of some of his other visual art.” The glowing, fantastic representations of people obsessed with phones bright up the upper level of the historical museum.

“Artists are trying to communicate how they see the world; how we see the world and ourselves in it and how we experience life,” said Vineza in an interview with the Hoboken Historical Museum regarding his exhibit titled “Cloud Zombies Visit the Museum.”

Vineza said in an interview with the museum that he was inspired to create this piece after “dodging zombies” while navigating through crowds of phone-mesmerized pedestrians on the streets of Hoboken and New York. He worries about how the two-dimension-

Photos of the exhibit courtesy of Hoboken Historical Museum Facebook page al screens are affecting the way contemporary humans connect to the world, how we perceive our visual world and the reality we experience.

His fascination with the growing influence of screens on society is what inspired his “Cloud Zombies” series

By JOSEPH DOLAN On October 23rd, WISO(West Indian Student Organization) hosted their first ever folklore night event.

Folklore night celebrates the oral tradition of storytelling popular in the West Indies. At the event, students gathered together and told Halloween-themed folklore stories that had been passed down over the generations. Each folklore story changes from person to person who tells it.

One story told was about the baccoo, a demon trapped in a corked bottle. When released, the baccoo possess its owner, making them go insane. President Alina Chen said “It was fun to gather everyone together and to tell spooky stories.

People learned more about the West Indies in a different way and we all enjoyed seeing people get dressed up for the part.” Forty people attended the event. Curry chicken, chow mein, dhalpuri, and mithai was served.

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in phone cameras, for actual experience, engagement and comprehension of what was before them.”

The exhibit has been open on the upper level of the museum since September 21 and will remain open until November 3.

Wiso hosts folklore FAST hosts night Halo-Halloween

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around Halloween. What he finds ironic is that “most visitors simply snapped a quick image with their phones and moved on, without realizing the Art was about what they had just done – substituting a photograph, made possible with technology advances

Photo courtesy of Jon Brown

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By LIAM MCMURTRY On the eve of Halloween, the Filipino Association of Stevens Tech (FAST) found a spooktacular way to combine a culinary treat from the Philippines, known as Halo-Halo, with the themes of Halloween in the fifth installment of their annual fall event known as Halo-Halloween.

Halo-Halo, also known as haluhalo, is a common Filipino dessert made from crushed ice, evaporated milk, and various other ingredients. This dessert is similar to the Japanese treat of Kakigori, and was unknown in the Philippines prior to the 1800s, but gained significant popularity after being introduced to the islands. Anything can go on top of the ice and evaporated milk, but some common ingredients include cooked red beans, jam made from Ube (a purple yam that is popular in Southeast Asia), Jackfruit (known as Langka), Nata jelly (a kind of coconut gel), or pounded rice (known as Pinipig), milk flan (Leche flan), or even Ube flavored ice cream.

All these ingredients combine to make a truly delicious sweet and creamy treat.

In past years, the event was held in Jacobus lounge, but given that option is no longer available, the members of FAST chose to hold the event in Babbio atrium. After swiping students in, cups of crushed ice were distributed out to the participants. Each table of participants got bowls of ingredients that are typical for Halo-Halo, such as Jack-

fruit, Ube jam, Nata jelly, or red beans. After mixing these ingredients with the crushed ice and milk, everyone lined up to get ice cream for their cups of Halo-Halo. The Ube ice cream and cheese flavored ice cream were particularly popular. Toward the end of the event, FAST made it feel like Halloween had already come by giving a presentation on monsters and creatures that can be found in Filipino folklore. With each one they presented, a member of FAST entertained the audience by dressing up as that monster.

First, they started off with the Aswang, which can best be thought of as a Filipino version of a vampire or a ghoul. Next, they presented the Kaperosa, known as the White Lady, which is a female ghost-like creature in a white dress who is commonly associated with a tragic tale in Filipino folklore. Then came the Tikbalang, which is a humanoid creature with a horse’s head and hooves for feet, who loves to trick and scare travelers. Lastly, they presented the Kumakatok, translated as “Door Knockers”, which is a dark, hooded figure that knocks on doors and carries bad omens. The main coordinator for the event was Olivia Lew, the Vice President of FAST, who said that “it’s been a really fun and creative event that everyone enjoys”. In total, 122 people attended the event, which marks this as an integral campus event for the fall semester, and one that will certainly be coming back next Halloween.

Photo courtesy of Liam McMurtry

November 1, 2019

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the halloween issue Halloween at Stevens: Quack or Treat

BY DIVYA UNNAM Here at Stevens, Halloween is celebrated on campus in its own special way.

Quack or Treat, an event organized by the SGA, is a yearly event in which students can trick or treat at various locations across campus. The name of the event comes from “Trick or Treat,” but “we’re ducks, so we quack. We don’t trick, we quack,” explained Elena Malova, SGA Vice President of Finance. The event was held between 10 am and 2 pm on October 31st, Halloween. Students can sign in and receive a treat bag in Howe Center lobby and collect candy at 27 different locations around campus.

Candy as well as other goodies were given out at the Career Center, the Student Affairs & Student Life Office, Howe Center Desk, the President’s Office, the Student Service Center, TRAC, CAPS & Disability Services, Health Services, Enrollment Management & Student Affairs, the Registrar’s Office, STEP, the Campus Bookstore, Dining Services, Undergraduate Academics, the Library, Residential & Dining Services, Residential Education, Alumni & Development Office, University Events, Admissions Office, the SGA/LINK/Honor Board/ Stute/WCPR offices, Cultural Greek Council, Theta Xi, Beta Theta Pi, Chi Psi, Delta Phi Epsilon, and Theta Phi Alpha. This is the 3rd year that this event has been held, with the first being in 2017.

Malova was in charge of planning the event and thoroughly enjoyed the process. She “liked planning it cause it was a break from being VPF. Decorating the office is one of the things I liked doing.” Over a month was spent planning the event and organizing the treats and decorations. A total of 15,000 pieces of candy was bought along with decorations, treat bags, and superhero ducks for Health Services and the Howe Center Desk to hand out. This totaled up to $960 spent on the whole event.

Many of the students and administration got into the Halloween spirit, dressing up in costume. “Seeing Dean Nilsen as a Golden Girl was the funniest thing. Leo and the rest of Student Life dressing up as superheroes was very spot on.

They put a lot of good thought into their costumes.” Many students were also excited seeing each others costumes. Malova noted that she “likes when kids come in and dress up. It’s a lot of fun when people recognize

their costumes. I saw a Joker and a Batman get excited seeing each other and then pose for a picture.”

Most of the locations for Quack or Treat were determined by Sara Klein. A majority of the locations were various offices in the Howe Center. Various undergraduate offices were contacted as well to participate.

The student organization offices on the 7th floor of Howe, which include the SGA, the Stute, WCPR, the LINK, and the Honor Board were also included as a Quack or Treat location because it “would be awesome for [them] to participate.”

Commenting on some of the locations, Malova explained that “we added a lot of new offices to the locations, like the Alumni Office because they don’t get a lot of students coming up. Being an alumni is life after undergraduate so it made sense to bring the students there.” Sarah Chen, a student quack-or-treater, commented on the Alumni Office, “I think it’s cute. I like what the 8th floor is doing. I didn’t know the Alumni Office was a place where they educated students on philanthropy.”

Overall, Malova was very happy with the turnout for the event. “I liked it. I like the excitement of Halloween and when large scale events have a lot people participating.” She also was glad about how much all the students appeared to enjoy the event. “There were a group of boys who finished the whole chart and bragged about it. I took a picture of them.” A total of 270 people signed in to the event, more than last year, which had 201 people attend.

Last year’s event was held from 1 pm to 4 pm and it was not raining then. The weather this Halloween, did not seem to deter students from participating.

A few students gathering candy were asked on their thoughts on Quack or Treat. Student Matt Russo proclaimed, “I loved it. I always love it. I would have just missed it if I went into college without trick or treating.” A student overheard in the Howe elevator compared Quack or Treat to “trick or treating in an apartment building.” An apt description as a majority of candy collection involved traveling down all the various floors of Howe Center. Audrey D’Souza, editor-in-chief of the Stute, was in the 7th floor office handing out Rice Krispies to incoming quack or treaters and expressed, “I was excited to be a part of the event. We decorated our office earlier this month, so I was excited to show it off. I hope people enjoyed the treats we gave out.”

With this being the third year for the event, Malova expressed her hope to see Quack or Treat become a long-lasting Stevens campus tradition. It “definitely needs an upscale vibe of a campus tradition. It was great planning it. I loved seeing all the kids walking around. It needs more hype to it. I want it to last forever. More kids dressing up. More adults dressing up. Next year Attila should dress up.”

To culminate the event, Malova “yeeted the SGA pumpkin in front of North Building on the sidewalk as a symbol of the end of Quack or Treat”.

ACS and AlChe present Mole-o-ween

BY ALEKSANDAR DIMOSKI

On Halloween, ACS and AlChe hosted the annual Moleo-ween event, which integrated a series of fun chemistry experiments with the spooky season.

Experiments demonstrated in-

Photo courtesy of Ethan Che

cluded making magnetic slime, writing hidden messages which could be revealed later with the application of a mysterious chemical, and more.

According to the ACS Manager Marie Daschbach,

for many people chemistry can seem boring. “Our goal is to make chemistry… more interactive and more fun.” The event was a fun combination of Halloween and ‘Mole Day’, which passed on October 23rd.

Photo courtesy of Alexsandar Dimoski

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The halloween issue DIY COSTUMES ON A BUDGET

BY ELENA MALOVA

JACOBUS GHOSTBUSTERS

BY ANDREW KINNEY

This is not a joke. This is an account of true events.

The piercing, constant, highpitched beeping noise that echoed throughout the gutted halls of Jacobus, in its last surviving weeks should have been warning enough that nothing good was to be found in the decaying carcass of the former student center.

Three out of the four plucky young ghostbusters, Wilding, Alexis, and Squeegee, were deeply skeptical, only agreeing to help with this production out of humor. The fourth, who put the escapade together, was much wiser, having previously experienced the history lingering in Jacobus that refused to rest. Jacobus had been a dorm, a student center, an office building, an event venue, a medical center, and much more over its long history, so that wise fourth student (we’ll call her Yarcy) had the right instincts in thinking it could be harboring spirits.

The group was assembled, camera equipment was attained, and a date was set: one of the last days of finals in Fall 2018, just days before the building was closed off from all or most students. The paranormal investigators made their way inside and quickly filmed an introduction in case something happened to them. The next hour or so was spent wandering through the various empty rooms of the building.

By this point, the remains of student orgs littered the halls, pieces of ceilings and walls had fallen off, trash of all kinds was strewn about, and various other relics of unknown origin lay in wait. The entire time, the beeping noise emanated from deep in the basement, ringing in their ears and adding a thick, eerie layer of unease.

After all accessible nooks and crannies were explored, work started on the main event: the Ouija board.

Having used one before, Yarcy started to draw one by hand on a large piece of poster paper she had brought while the others set up the camera and watched the door, all while continuing to voice their skepticism. The board was conceived and put to use in the left gym of the Jacobus basement, with a salt circle sprinkled out on the hardwood floor surrounding the hunters (and their camera). Three Sterno cans were used to supplement the one actual candle that was brought along, and an empty shot glass was used as the planchette.

The first hour or so was uneventful. The shot glass was repeatedly

heated in the fire of the candle, the participants’ fingers repeatedly placed upon it, but very little happened. The first spirit to respond was a young boy from the 1800s, but his messages were faint and unclear. The next seemed to only send gibberish, and the ghost hunters understood nothing from the seemingly random movements of the shot glass. The glass was heated, the fingers placed, yet nothing. The glass was heated again, the fingers put back, nada. A different person tried the heating and the asking of the question, Are there any spirits in this place?

Any trapped souls that want to talk to the living? No movement, so apparently not.

For the rest of the story to make sense, it’s necessary to know a few things about how the camera saves footage. The type of camera that was used records in roughly one hour blocks, automatically numbers the video files, and saves a second type of file for each video segment that is used in a few niche applications. (So if it records for 4 consecutive hours, there should be 8 files on the SD card. Four video files and four secondary files, each numbered from 1 to 4.) Lastly, it’s important to note that this happens automatically. The camera operator doesn’t have to manually switch it over to a new file or number the files.

Eventually, two of the hunters, Wilding and Alexis, had to leave, as it was around midnight and they couldn’t commit too much of their time to ghostbusting during finals. Coincidentally, at around the exact same time, the camera switched to a new file as discussed above. It was shortly after this that Yarcy and Squeegee reported being contacted by a much stronger spirit. Contrary to what most people would expect, this spirit was actually very nice to the two curious souls, talking to them for almost an hour about his life. His name was Juno, and he told them all about his wife, two daughters, and his time at Stevens. After a while, the connection faded away, and the busters were unable to contact any additional spirits, so they packed up and went home.

At this point, Yarcy, unsatisfied by the measly one ghost she got to actually speak to, took off to Europe for another ghost hunting adventure. The others, still skeptical about the night’s events, elected to store the footage somewhere safe and wait for her to get back before doing anything with it. It was Yarcy’s idea to do all this is the first place, they figured.

When transferring the footage

into storage, Alexis reviewed it to make sure it came out well. She noticed nothing unusual. Everything seemed to have been recorded fine — there were no breaks in the footage, recording mistakes, etc. A few months went by, and the ghostbusters largely forgot about their Ouija session as they watched Jacobus slowly get torn down. It wasn’t until Alexis heard that the theme for the next SITTV Film Festival was “Found Footage” that she remembered the stored footage and thought she could make a funny short film out of it.

So she pulled up the folder, saved in a place few could access and fewer knew existed, and she got to work editing it into something satirical. However, as she went to put the Ouija board scene together, she noticed something strange; the second video file of the Ouija session had completely disappeared! The secondary file was still there, the files that came before and after it were still there, and everything else seemed normal; but the one file that recorded the conversation with Juno had vanished after months of sitting there in secret.

Alexis was floored. She immediately contacted everyone that knew about the adventure, everyone who could’ve possibly been pulling a prank on her. Nothing. She scoured the computer it was saved on, trying to find any record of the file being deleted.

Nada. None of the original ghostbusters knew anything either. But that was the one file that recorded Yarcy’s supposed conversation, she thought. I tracked down everyone who could’ve deleted it and they all know nothing, she thought. What the actual holy fuck, I thought this shit was fake, she screamed to herself, doubting her previous doubt.

She kept trying to find a rational explanation, but to this day nothing has surfaced, nor has that critical section of the footage. She finished the video, albeit without the best part, but the unease lingered in her mind for weeks.

To make matters worse, Yarcy never returned to Stevens as a student. Several students have reported seeing visions of her, in group chats she used to be in, a few scarce OPA events, and even one particularly vivid appearance where most of the attendants of a Podge party claimed to have seen her socializing as normal, but the registrar confirmed that she no longer goes here. Wherever she is, maybe the missing footage is there with her.

But I’m not so sure.

Top 10 Horror Movies Perfect for Dorm Movie-Night

BY JULIA WIERZBICKI It’s no secret that college is a scary time in our lives. Between exams, work-load and the looming threat of finding a job, it’s enough to make anyone shiver. But some of us like adding a little more spook to our days, so I’ve put together a list of 10 movies that are perfect for when you and your friends are in the mood to get scared by something other than midterms.

1. The Ring Everyone knows the famous scene from this movie about the girl crawling out of the television, but no one knows where it’s from. It’s a really creepy film, one that’s scary without a ton of gore and has some great visuals.

Gore: 4 Disturbing Scenes: 6 Overall Spook: 7 2. The Woman in Black This is a super underrated film. It’s a classic ghost story that’s actually pretty creepy and it has Daniel Radcliffe in it. What more could you ask for from a horror film?

Gore: 3 Disturbing Scenes: 5 Overall Spook: 6 3. Mama Another film no one knows about, but

is actually a great watch! It’s about two young girls that get followed by a mysterious being they call “Mama.” It’s super spooky and has some really creepy moments.

Gore: 4 Disturbing Scenes: 7 Overall Spook: 7 4. Friday the 13th / Halloween / Nightmare on Elm Street Now of course, I’m talking about the classics here, not the awful remakes. If you really can’t find anything to watch, then going back to the OG’s might be the way to go. Some of the effects might be a little outdated, but you can’t deny that these are the films that defined the horror genre.

Gore: 7 Disturbing Scenes: 4 Overall Spook: 6 5. Krampus This one is less a seriously scary film and more of one to watch for fun. If you’re not familiar with Krampus, it’s basically an evil version of Santa that kills children around Christmastime if you’ve been “naughty.” The film is terrible in the best way, and you’re definitely going to get some laughs mixed in with the jump-scares.

Gore: 5 Disturbing Scenes: 3 Overall Spook: 5

Halloween is the greatest time of year for all college students, whether you like to party four days in a row or just want to watch horror movies with your best friends it is nice to do it in a low-cost costume.

College tuition is already the scariest thing and with tuition on a rise you loose that additional amount of money that you usually save up for your $100 Halloween costume that you’ll wear to that frat party where you’ll get beer all over it and then its ruined.

But you do not have to waste that $100 on a store-bought costume. All the fun of a costume can be found in a low budget DIY costume and if you want to work with your friends to make a DIY group costume then this will be the best for all of your budgets and you will look very stylish. I have broken the following DIY costumes for single, couples and group costumes.

Low cost single costumes will be the easiest to make because its just one costume. Easy picks for some single costumes can begin with whatever you have in your closet currently. My go single costume is Olivia Dunham from the show Fringe. It is so simple because it does not cost me a dime.

The character in the show wears a blazer, white collared shirt and dress pants and she wears her hair straighten, that is everything I can grab from my closet. A simple and cute costume.

For couples costumes it gets a bit difficult because you must agree with another person on what to wear and you want to stunt at the

party with your significant other.

So, putting in the extra effort in a couple’s costume is essential. Some of the easiest couple’s costume ideas are taken by mimicking the couples from a show, movie, or play.

This year my roommate and her boyfriend decided to be Star lord and Gamora from the movie Guardians of the Galaxy. She showed me that both owned most of the outfit except a few details like Starlord Head piece was made from old headphones and my roommate had to buy paint to color her skin fully green. A cute idea and DIY costume.

I can’t wait to see pictures.

For group costumes do not worry its very simple. There is a strategy for this that is full proof. First you must know how many people you want. Then it’s simply choosing a show, movie, or group that matches the number of your members for the group. The easiest group costumes are those that have the characters wear solid colors, to alleviate the pain of looking for a print or pattern. My favorite that groups do is the Scooby gang. The members of the Scooby gang all wear solid colors making it easy to find some of the clothing in your own closest or your local Forever 21. Even characters like scooby himself are very simple because you can make DIY ears from a new pair of brown socks or an old brown shirt that you own that can be cut into a pair of ears and hot glued to a head band.

Costumes are fun but buying one costume for a lot of money to only wear it once isn’t fun. Save some money and make your own.

Use the funds you saved to get more ice cream.

A FOREVER THING

BY ALYAA ELKHAFIF “Once a Stevens’ student, always a Stevens’ student,” sounds like an idiom you would hear at a riveting graduation speech. You look back at your time here and smile softly, remembering the long detours you had to take to bypass the construction sites. Eventually, you had stopped caring for the perpetual sounds of buildings being torn down or others being erected.

Your university was on the rise and presumably so were you. But that was far from the truth.

Ever since the class of 1874, your average Stevens’ alumnus leaves the small city of Hoboken with upwards of $40,000 in debt. We hear about the alumni who successfully carved a path to infamy and prestige in their respective fields; we don’t, however, hear about the mediocre souls whose student loans remain, forever, unresolved. Where do they find peace?

To answer that question, we have to take a trip down Wittpenn Walk. That is when we hit the desolate remains of Hayden and Jacobus. If you asked former residents of those two dorms about their lingering memories, you would get mixed feedback. Some will reminisce over the bonds built over bottles, others will recall late-night cram-sessions, and finally, you’ll hear about the forlorn feeling that still emanates from within those walls, long after their demolition.

Surely, the tuition, along with the university, is on the rise, but the restless souls trapped in the debris of the ghosts of Hayden and Jacobus are also getting more prominent. Students, after pulling an all-nighter or getting black-out

drunk, are rumored to have experienced an uncanny sense of discomfort that would dissipate once they distanced themselves from the vicinity of Jacobus and Hayden. They could neither report the gripping feeling of despondency nor change their place of residence. Instead, they talked about it to anyone who would lend them an ear, and, soon enough, a notable number of students were whispering about the trapped souls within the buildings.

You might be skeptical of the next few words, or you might have stopped reading because the feeling I just described resonated too much with you. Ex-residents allegedly heard suppressed screams and agonized moaning sounds that they could never trace to any specific room. It was futile to substantiate those claims because when students tried to capture said encounters on video camera, nothing remotely eerie would show up on the recording.

Some will dismiss this as baseless speculation; the truth is, Stevens Board of Trustees was becoming increasingly wary of the stif led agony within these walls.

The administration, well-aware of the ever-growing incoming freshman classes, resolved to tear down the buildings. They will assert the urgency in doing so; what they will not disclose is the why it had to happen in the middle of the spring of 2019.

The administration knew they had to effectively end the deleterious dialogue that would drive away prospective students, and, so, they did away with the buildings. And, now, the question remains: where did these spirits migrate to and who will be joining them next?

6. The Blair Witch Project Not everyone likes this movie, but I think it’s a lot of fun. It was the first film that ever used the “found-footage” style of film and it feels very authentic. There are some really iconic moments and it has a great build-up of tension.

Gore: 2 Disturbing Scenes: 7 Overall Spook: 7 7. The Shining This movie never gets old. It follows the decline into insanity of Jack Torrence while he and his family stay at the Overlook hotel. There are so many iconic scenes, and with Doctor Sleep coming out in just a few weeks, I highly recommend you sneak another viewing in before the sequel!

Gore: 7 Disturbing Scenes: 8 Overall Spook: 9 8. It (2017) This movie is really the peak of the scary-clown stereotype. There are lots of familiar faces in the film, including Mike from Stranger Things, and it’s a very well-done film. There’s a bit of gore, but nothing too much and it doesn’t detract from the rest of the movie.

Gore: 7 Disturbing Scenes: 8 Overall Spook: 8

The Ring is a really creepy film, one that’s scary without a ton of gore and has some great visuals.

9. Happy Death Day Overall, this is just a really fun film, a twist on the classic Groundhog Day scenario. It follows a girl who dies every day on her birthday and has to keep reliving the same day until she solves her murder. It’s a fun, college-centered film with some great twists.

Levels of: Gore: 5 Disturbing Scenes: 5 Overall Spook: 6

10. A Quiet Place With Emily Blunt and John Krasinski leading the film, you know it’s got to be good. Based around the concept of not being able to make any noise, it’s a super tense and gripping film. Plus, there’s no need to put on captions if your dorm is loud because barely anyone speaks!

Levels of: Gore: 5 Disturbing Scenes: 7 Overall Spook: 7

November 1, 2019

5

The halloween issue Beware the hoxie house curse

BY MATTHEW CUNNINGHAM

spooky secrets

BY LIAM MCMURTRY

Portal to Hell Opened on Campus

BY OFF CENTER

Literal chaos has erupted on campus this week as a team of mechanical engineers has accidentally opened a portal to Hell, causing untold horrors to come spilling out onto the mortal plane. A state of emergency has been declared as demons have scoured campus, capturing hapless students and throwing them into the pits of Tartarus.

The team responsible originally intended the portal to be a Senior Design project, but it went horribly wrong. “We were just trying to make a robot that made muffins! If I’m being honest, we got sort of off track,” admitted one of the engineers. “We probably should’ve reevaluated when we sacrificed that goat. Better luck next time, I guess. Oh, would you like a muffin?”

The portal was activated in the basement of Howe, which has now become the center of the hell-spawn currently wreaking havoc on campus. The once somewhat-appealing administrative building has been transformed into a hulking mass of steel, brimstone, and the souls of the damned to create an interesting avant-garde look.

“I got to admit, the demons have got style,” said a student whose face was currently melting off from looking at Howe for too long. “I really like how they used the tendons of that one dude to spell ‘Beelzebub Rulez’ on the front like that.” The student then dissolved into a formless blob of flesh, still complimenting the demons on their exterior decoration skills.

The Stevens Paranormal Task Force, still weakened from battling the ghost-infested Gateway, has been forced to deal with the eldritch invasion. “I gotta be honest, we were not prepared for this,” said the leader of

the task force as he painted large blood symbols on Palmer Lawn and dodged cackling demons. “Can you believe we didn’t have any blood stored up in case of an emergency? We had to go to the store!” The leader then showed us his five-gallon jug of “Auntie Miriam’s Substitute Blood/Red Hair Dye.” “I mean, can you believe it?” the leader continued. “We only had one sacrificial virgin! He was really nervous about being the only one: we had to really put him on the spot!” Their sacrificial virgin, Dave, pouted from the slab that he was tied to.

The school is currently advising students to remain calm in the face of this cataclysm. An emergency center has been set up in the Babbio Atrium, where the surviving members of the administration are devising a way to take back campus. “Luckily, the portal was opened while a bunch of us were celebrating Roger’s birthday,” said a battered official who had a mutated second mouth embedded in this throat. “So we only lost the administrative staff who didn’t have any friends. We weren’t completely spared though, as you can see.” His second mouth said “Mmmblearghggm” and bit our reporter’s hand when they tried to touch it.

In the wake of the attack, students have started to defend themselves against the horrors that now plague our school. A group of Chemical Engineering students have created a prototype “Demon-B-Gone”: a mixture of holy water, baby tears, and blended Bible pages that will allegedly stop even the deadliest of demons. “Demon-BGone” can be purchased at the ruined husk of what used to be the campus store. Remember: when you go to the campus store, ONLY buy items from Kris. The overly-friendly cashier

named Drolox the Destroyer, Eater of Pain, Renderer of Infants, Tempter of Saints is actually a demon in disguise, so be careful. Additionally, a group of Business & Technology majors has attempted to make dealings with the demons, hoping to peacefully end this calamity. Unfortunately, demons absolutely hate PowerPoint, and no cost-analysis sheet in the world could have stopped those poor students from being ripped apart limb from limb.

“I really feel like people aren’t giving us a chance,” said a demon whose name destroyed the eardrums of the reporter who heard it. “Do we want to kill everyone? Yes! Do we want to eat infants and dance around in their bloody entrails? Of course! Have I pulled the arteries out of a person and flossed my teeth with them? Who hasn’t!” The demon then paused to pull a screaming child out of its pocket, rip the child’s head off, and drink blood from their neck like a grotesque Capri Sun. “What I’m trying to say is,” the demon continued after throwing away the desiccated husk of the child into a recycling bin, “We’re just like you!”

Off the Press cautions everyone to be careful during this time. Anyone who does not want to be dismembered, beheaded, melted, or otherwise brutally murdered should stay well away from campus, and from Howe in particular. It is unknown how long the demons will remain and when, if ever, their unfathomable bloodlust will finally be quenched. For the time being, keep your holy oil with you at all times, and under NO circumstances should you allow the demons access to a baby.

Also, applications for more sacrificial virgins are now open, so please go to Carnegie Hall/Demon Slaying Headquarters to sign up.

spooky secrets

BY LIAM MCMURTRY

The history of Stevens is lined with tales of mysterious secret societies. Infamy and mystique often play into the reputations these societies inspire such as with the elusive Khoda, or the supposedly defunct Focus, and even the Anti-SGA, whose sole mission is to undermine the workings of the SGA. While all of these have been revealed over time, only one has so far remained completely within the shadows, and only appearing before unsuspecting passersby as a phantom. Some even say that when they encountered this organization, they were not sure if they had encountered reality or a nightmare. Of course, the organization I speak of is the Super Secret Syndicate of Stevens Senior Scholars, which is better known as SSSSSS. Legend has it that SSSSSS only operates at night and navigates through campus using a system of secret tunnels and passageways.

During my Freshman year, while I was exploring the catacombs beneath Jacobus, I found its name scribbled on an ancient granite slab with the word “Beware” crudely scratched into the slab above its name. At first, I did not believe in its existence. At the time, it seemed to me just a legend and nothing more, similar to the Loch-ness Monster or Central New Jersey, but the more I researched this organization, it became clear to me that it was indeed real. My first attempt to research them occurred while I was interviewing an IT staff member who claimed they witnessed them orchestrating the ransomware attack. This staff member, who shall remain anonymous, claimed that, “I saw them all in black robes, huddle over laptops and furiously typing out the code to their ransomware”.

Immediately after the interview, I received a threatening letter written on parchment at my doorstep instructing me to “End my foolish search or suffer dire consequences”. Knowing that I was in danger and fearing for my life, but feeling an overwhelming sense of curiosity,

I relinquished my former identity and assumed a new one in order to continue pursuing them. I took the name of Cincinnati Jones—a young, budding archaeologist with a thirst for danger.

My first step in this new identity would be to locate a person who only goes by the name of “The Elder”, whom I read about while reading antiquated Stute’s. It is said that The Elder holds the key to SSSSSS, but hides in plain sight. Logically, I assumed that the best way to remain hidden from public view would be to reside in a place virtually everyone ignores, so I went to the bookshelves on the third f loor of the library. There, I found The Elder, who was quite impressed that I managed to spot them. After explaining my quest and deep desire to uncover this organization, The Elder revealed the key to SSSSSS, which came in the form of a golden medallion with a skull and bones inscribed on it and a bright ruby at the center. The Elder instructed me to attach the medallion at the top of the Torch statue on the fall equinox, and at noon of that day, the sunshine through the medallion will reveal where the members of SSSSSS meet to plan their next objectives.

As instructed, I firmly placed the medallion at the top of the Torch statue during the fall equinox and waited. At the exact second noontime struck; a beam of blinding light came through the ruby at the center.

At first, it pointed to the ground, which seemed perplexing, but then the light moved. Gradually, it moved toward the library until it stopped.

The beam of light pointed straight at A-Cup. This seemed rather strange as an organization as clandestine as this would surely never choose to meet in such a public place. I decided that I would wait throughout the night, always keeping my eye on A-Cup, and hoping that I will soon figure out why they choose to meet here. People came and went, the sun set and the moon rose high in the sky. In the middle of the night, I saw a long line of hooded figures enter the dark room. One of them

pressed their left foot on the f loor in a series of rehearsed steps. Suddenly, the f loor opened up, revealing a set of stairs that led down to a dark room. After the hooded figures had entered the room, I quietly followed behind them. The steps led me down to a cavern lit only by candles. All of the figures had gathered around in a circle, chanting in a foreign language I did not understand. Up until this point, I thought that my presence had gone unnoticed, but I quickly came to the realization that they had always known I was there when one of them pointed at me and called my name. Not knowing what was in store for me, I tried to run, but I found that the f loor of A-Cup had already closed, leaving me trapped in the cavern with them. I had no choice but to face them.

“What do you want?”, I called out.

“We only want what is best for our university”, one of the figures replied. A different figure then added on that they had existed ever since Stevens was first formed. One by one, each figure added more information about them. They let me know that I can never know their true identities due to their vow of secrecy, but I could know about their true purpose. It all started when Stevens graduated its first class. The key student and faculty leaders of this first class felt that the following classes would not be “Innovative” enough for us to continue to be the “Innovation University”, so there would always be a secret group of Senior students throughout the history of Stevens, only operating in the shadows and dedicated to making Stevens more innovative. Their recent ransomware attempt was aimed at making our IT department more innovative. Once they had finished their tale, the candles blew out, leaving me in pitch black darkness. I pulled out my phone to light up the room, only to find that all of the figures had vanished when the candles blew out. There I stood, all alone in the cavern. Only one thing was able to come to my mind at that moment: “Beware of SSSSSS”.

An unusual sight is expected this year on Halloween night in Hudson County, New Jersey. Hoboken residents are terrified. Staff are reminded to monitor their children.

Students should remain indoors.

For years — some say decades — the Hoxie House Curse has bedeviled citizens of the Mile-Square City. The inexplicable and inescapable horror of the curse, named after the longstanding home for the top University official, transforms the sitting Stevens president into a ghoulish, omnipresent monster that terrorizes fools who wander campus after sundown on Halloween.

In years past, university policy required the President to remain at least two miles away from campus on the fateful night. Harold Raveché, the sixth and former president of Stevens Institute of Technology, was helicoptered and locked in private vacation homes on the Jersey Shore. Nariman Farvardin, the current president and curse victim, usually escapes to University Club, a New York City-based social club that protects university presidents from the outside world — or, in this case, protects the outside world from a university president.

But this year, the leader of the Stevens Paranormal Taskforce issued an announcement that Farvardin has decided to stay home. “It’s ultimately his choice,” the leader said, “and his choice is to risk the lives of everyone at this University. This means that no student may leave their dorm for any reason.”

Legend and lore tell that past Presidents have tormented students in frightening ways. A series of photos in The Link show Kenneth Rogers, fifth president of Stevens, dismembering students and tossing their remains into the decrepit, long-forgotten S.S. Stevens. Diary entries of students in the 1930s explain that third president Harvey Davis was seen excavating dirt and erecting shrines to tall buildings

and towers from midnight until sunrise. “Thou Harvey Davis dug and dug for hours,” said a student in one diary entry. “He spoke softly and in tongues. A rumor passed around that he was heard chanting unclear phrases while sculpting a pair of towers with dirt. Oh, why must he destroy our campus! Nothing was more terrifying.”

Administrators suspect that students will ignore their warnings, so necessary precautions have been put in place. After sunset on Halloween, and on Halloween only, Lime scooters have been permitted on campus. “Scooters will be your only hope to survive,” the paranormal taskforce leader said. “Farvardin can’t outrun them.” Studies predict that a fully-transformed, ghostly Farvardin can reach speeds of up to 12 mph., so experts suggest accelerating a scooter to maximum power and scoot down Eighth Street if chased by the President.

Tim Griffin, Chief of Police, added that if no scooters are available, community members should trek through the rubble of Wittpenn Walk. “It’s incredible that even when possessed by demons, Farvardin will stop for three to four minutes to admire the construction site of his University Towers,” Griffin said in his campus-wide announcement. “It is during this time of distraction, particularly when Farvardin hums ‘on the rise’ to himself, that you should retreat to Burchard.

He’ll be too preoccupied with construction projects and ongoing exorcism efforts to notice the forgotten academic building.”

Jason Chlus, president of the student body, responded with extreme fright to questions about the curse. “Wait, what — a curse?!” he said. “Why didn’t anyone tell me?”

Community members are reminded to walk through dark alleys and avoid making noise while outside. All questions, comments, and reports of demonic possession should be directed to the Stevens Paranormal Taskforce.

Is the SigEp house haunteD

BY ALEX MURTAGH

Over the years, rumors have swirled around the SigEp brotherhood about the house being haunted. These houses, built in 1920, are almost 100 years old. Brothers have told stories of objects randomly falling off shelves,mtrash cans disappearing from the study, unknown voices echoing from down the halls, and doors slamming shut when no else one is around.

The brothers of SigEp have not always lived here. Prior to World War II, they occupied a different house. So who lived at 528-530 Hudson Street before the brothers?

Rumor has it that the 528 side of the house was a morgue and the 530 house was the headquarters of a local mob boss. While we have no way of proving whether or not either of these rumors is true, the hauntings of SigEp have made the brotherhood inclined to believe this to be true.

Just this past week, footsteps with a dust-like appearance were found leading out of the chapter room into the hallway on the 528 side of the house. While no one saw the ghost who walked through the hallway, some speculate that it was merely spilled protein powder.

Later that evening, moaning noises

were heard throughout the hallways by one of the brothers who stayed up late that night.

A few weeks ago, one of the brothers living on the 530 side of the house said, “The sounds of yelling late at night make me wonder if the ghosts of the old mobsters who lived here are still hanging around.

I’ll hear the yelling coming from the study and then when I walk in, no one is there!” While brothers can be heard yelling in the study throughout the day and well into the night, they typically stick around and don’t run from the room so quickly.

Tyler Binki, former Room 3 resident, said, “When I was here over winter break, I was the only one in the house. But I could hear doors opening and closing throughout the week! There are definitely ghosts walking around here.” Many brothers were quick to corroborate the account based on similar experiences. “Don’t even get us started on the cellar! I feel pusillanimous having to do my laundry down there — it feels like a ghost will jump out at you at any moment!” shouted one of the brothers.

So is the SigEp house haunted? We’re not sure, but we’ll keep looking around for paranormal evidence.

Illustration by Gregory Kane

November 1, 2019

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Campus Pulse

Joey Perez “Christmas.”

Walker Bove

Michelle Morrone

“Thanksgiving.”

“Halloween.”

ROVING REPORTER What’s your favorite holiday?

Pierre Targét

“St. Patrick’s Day.”

Roshan Narma

Brendon Weiskott

“Diwali.”

“Thanksgiving.”

Dorm-friendly Halloween Treat

By Natalie Todaro Calling all snackers! Here’s a simple Halloween-themed recipe that’s also 100% dorm-friendly, also known as peanut butter sandwich spiders.

Here’s what you’ll need: Round Ritz-style crackers Peanut butter Pretzel sticks Chocolate chips/chunks

First start out with two sandwich crackers. You can use Ritz crackers or even Oreo cookies pulled apart. Spread peanut butter, orange-colored icing, or any other choice of “glue” onto both crackers. Next, to simulate the legs of a spider, use 3 pretzel sticks at different angles (shown above) on one cracker. My pretzel sticks were long, so I broke them in two to make shorter legs. Place the second cracker over the pretzel sticks, and make two small dots of peanut butter to hold whatever you choose to use for the eyes — I chose chocolate chunks.

As I’ve mentioned, you can replace any of the ingredients with anything you would like! I think orange M&Ms would look great for eyes, and black Oreo cookies would really add to the spider look. As a bonus, all leftover ingredients make great everyday snacks that’ll stay fine in a dorm room. Happy snacking!

Join the Stute!

Only one of us became a Stevens ghost this year!

November 1, 2019

7

2020 SGA Presidential Candidates

Meet the Candidates

Leadership Positions on Campus E.J. Hannah and Jason Buckman:

Hannah is a sophomore who works as an on-campus RA in Castle Point Hall and as an Academic Support Center peer tutor, serves as the Treasurer for the Stevens Climbing Team, the secretary for the Middle Eastern Student Association (MESA), a “DAL PAL”, and is a member of the workshop and training committee for the Stevens 150th anniversary. Hannah is currently a new member of Lodge.

Buckman is a sophomore who is the president of Hillel, historian for the Stevens Health Professionals Club, and currently works as an Academic Support Center peer tutor. Buckman

want to add a secretary of defense, agriculture, interior, and education.

is currently a new member of Alpha Phi Omega.

Brandon Pepa:

Seidman

and

Simon

Seidman runs the social media for Off Center. Pepa is the secretary of Off Center and is the editor-in-chief of “Off The Press.”

Samanta Molla and Adrian Castellanos:

Molla is the house manager for Sigma Delta Tau, and is a Peer Leader.

Castellanos is the secretary for Torch, a peer leader, and is a member of the Society of Hispanical Professional Engineers, and Out in Science and Engineering (OSTEM)

Measured SGA Accomplishments: This section covers concrete actions accomplished by the candidates during their time serving within the Student Government Association (SGA) as well their current initiative.

E.J. Hannah and Jason Buckman:

Hannah joined the SGA during the fall of his freshman year. In Fall 2018, he coordinated the creation of the Women’s Fitness Initiative with athletics to reserve gym time for women. In Spring of 2019, he was appointed where of the Campus Life Committee where he coordinated the purchase of benches for Babbio Patio, and helped organize “Destress Fest” to help students relax prior to finals. This semester, he is coordinating the creation of a campus garden, and helped lead the SGA’s Week of Kindness. Currently, he is working on finalizing the details of a campus artwork proposal.

Buckman joined the SGA during the fall of his freshman year. He promoted the creation of undergraduate TAs and a course restructure for BIO281 which will be implemented next semester. Buckman also worked with the newly created SES Advising Center to help them become acquainted with the Stevens student body. At the end of the fall 2018 semester, he was appointed chair of ad-hoc Housing Committee where he revamped the Stevens website and resources for students who wish to live off-campus. Currently, he is working on a large health fair scheduled for November 15th.

istered to vote. Currently, she is working on getting election day off for students.

Castellanos joined the SGA this semester and has been appointed chair of the Rules Committee.

Samanta Molla and Adrian Castellanos:

Molla and Castellanos aren’t looking at anyone in particular but want to bring in people not involved in the SGA to provide a “diverse standpoint.” They want to keep a balance of individuals of different genders, majors, and organizations for example.

Specifically, she cites potentially bringing a CAL students onto their cabinet as they are “super unrepresented” and need improvements.

They do not have specific people, but are looking for involved, passionate people who have a great work ethic who have a goal of what they want to ac-

What is the role of the President and Vice President of Operations?

E.J. Hannah and Jason Buckman:

The president is supposed to be the leader who acts as an inspiration for change and encourages other people to get involved as well,” said Hannah. “[The] VPO works very closely with the pres-

Samanta Molla and Adrian Castellanos:

Molla joined the SGA in the fall of her freshman year. This semester, Molla was appointed chair of the Government and Community Relations Committee. She also coordinated a voting drive earlier this month on October 9th where 54 individuals reg-

“Originally, it was a joke we had last year in our room,” said Hannah. (Buckman and Hannah were roomates last year) However, these conversations became more serious. this semester, they officially decided to run together.

From when he initially decided to run for senate, Hannah was inspired by current leaders working together to better the student experience. His ideal vision for the SGA is a community of leaders working together. Over the past year, he has seen that ideal deteriorate with more bickering within the senate, a sharp decrease of senators, as well as current senators losing their passion. According to Hannah, he is the “best possible option” to inspire leaders – similar to how past SGA President Lucas Gallo inspired him. “I want to kickstart this organization which did so much for me,” said Hannah. He feels with the direction the SGA is going, it will not be impactful for much longer. “I want to make the voices of the students be heard,” added Hannah.

Buckman inspiration was similar. He joined the senate to spark change on campus. He wants to spread that vision and inspire people to take positive change across campus instead of simply complaining about problems across campus – and realising the SGA can help solve their problems.

Brandon Seidman and Simon Pepa:

Seidman and Pepa believe they are absolutely

Brandon Seidman and Simon Pepa:

Samanta Molla and Adrian Castellanos:

EJ Hannah and Jason Buckman are candidates for President and Vice President of Operations and have both served in the Student Government Association since Fall 2018.

Photo courtesy of Jason Buckman Last semester, he served as the accessibility advocate for the Diversity and Inclusion Committee. This semester, he is the sexuality advocate for the Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Currently, he is charing

Why do you want to run?

E.J. Hannah and Jason Buckman:

ident and with everyone else to provide support to complete all initiatives. it’s also to pursue their own and making sure that the senate experience is that family feel. There’s a community there and everything is working towards it,” said Buckman.

The role of President is the commit all the virtues. The role of the Vice President of Operations is to perform all of the vices listed in the seven deadly sins.

Brandon Seidman and Simon Pepa:

Seidman and Pepa have not served in the Student Government Association.

complish. Additionally, they need to be aware of the time-commitment required.

The cabinet gives senators opportunities to pursue different initiatives from complaints from students.administration. As Government and Community Relations Chair, She cites her new connection with Beth McGrath, Vice President of Community Relations [title], as an example of one of the new connections. Working with administration gives greater power for what students can accomplish.

Castellanos has only been a senator for one semester, but after becoming a peer leader and talking with other students, Castellanos developed the mentality of “why not” try to make change now.

“the best” and that no one in the school could beat them. According to them, they are the most competent, handsome, charismatic, humble, and best leaders.

Samanta Molla and Adrian Castellanos: Originally, Molla and Castellanos both were thinking of running for President and Vice President of Operations next year. However, they realized there was nothing stopped them from running this year. They decided to run together after they both worked together as peer leaders and realising that shared a lot of the same values. At first, running was a joke, but then they decided to take it more seriously after more individuals encouraged them to run.

Molla wants to see greater change on campus and feels that cabinet will give her better access to administration. As Government and Community Relations Chair, She cites her new connection with Beth McGrath, Vice President of Community Relations [title], as an example of one of the new connections. Working with administration gives greater power for what students can accomplish.

Castellanos has only been a senator for one semester, but after becoming a peer leader and talking with other students, Castellanos developed the mentality of “why not” try to make change now.

“The president should be the delegator and the person you can look to as a role model of what the SGA should be,” said Molla, “and being the point person, I don’t necessarily think the president should be the one doing all of the work. I think that we have senators because we have super passionate people that want to make a change. It’s kind of guiding them, helping them, supporting everyone whether we identify or not.” The president should still pursue their own initiatives.

“For VPO, a large part of it is empowering senators, and being that point of contact for them,” said Castellanos, “The main job of the VPO is to empower senators to not be afraid to pursue their initiatives as well as when we need to rally around something that something I would be doing.”

The president works externally, and the VPO works internally with all the senators and organizations.

What do you want to accomplish in the first month?

E.J. Hannah and Jason Buckman:

“Without a doubt, my primary focus for the first 30 days is all internal changes,” said Hannah. He wants to see the senate revitalized and restructured to create a sense of family. “Everyone we accomplish stems from that,” said Hannah. The senate needs to appreciate and acknowledge the accomplishments of each other.

They plan to accomplish this by selecting a cabinet people who may give off an open, family vibe, having more bonding activities within the senate, and subtle meeting changes where people sit closer together at Senate meetings

Brandon Seidman and Simon Pepa:

Seidman and Pepa want to throw the “biggest party” featuring Atilla the Duck with Drake as the opening act.

Samanta Molla and Adrian Castellanos:

By the end of the first month, they believe they will have come to a resolution on smoking on campus – whether that means a proclamation or hosting events ourselves. They feel that would be able to handle it “really quickly” even though previous senator Melanie Caba tried for multiple years to promote a smoke free-campus and failed as the wellness educator Gabby Guider wants to see it happen. Molla and Castellanos do not understand why the current policy of no smoking within 25 feet of the entrance of building is not enforced right now by Campus Police.

Additionally, they want to expand the ability for students to pursue research opportunities on campus as well as creating a program similar to ACES for Women in STEM aimed for women in high school.

Brandon Seidman and Simon Pepa plan to host the “biggest party” within the first 30 days of their presidency.

Photo courtesy of Brandon Seidman

What is the lasting impact do you wish to have?

E.J. Hannah and Jason Buckman:

Hannah and Buckman want to start conversations regarding the changing campus culture within the SGA, Stevens, and community. They want to make the school more of a tight knit community – especially with sophomores who live off campus.

Samanta Molla and Adrian Castellanos are candidates for President and Vice President of Operations. Molla has served in the SGA since Fall 2018 and Castellanos joined the next year.

Photo courtesy of Adrian Castellanos

How will you select your cabinet?

E.J. Hannah and Jason Buckman:

Due to the potential constitution rewrite with its cabinet changes. as well as listening to what students want, Hannah and Buckman have not put a lot of thought into their selections for their cabinet.

However, they don’t believe they will have a problem finding individuals who are interested in serving on their cabinet. They plan to host a “non-biased interview process” open to everyone. Buckman and Hannah did not provide concrete examples aside from including other individuals – not just themselves – in the interview process. “Picking our cabinet is not a top priority of this campaign,” said Hannah.

They are not worried about cabinet selection be-

ing left to last minute if the constitution rewrite fails.

After the votes are tallied, they will take a look at who might be good to serve on cabinet and reaching out to them – as well as opening it up to the entire student body.

“We want to make sure that the people [selected for cabinet] are willing to put in the effort,” said Buckman. Specifically, they are looking for individuals who are willing to put every ounce of energy towards their role. A strong component for selection is relevant experience for the role.

Brandon Seidman and Simon Pepa:

Seidman and Pepa wants to abolish some cabinet positions and add new ones. For example, they

Brandon Seidman and Simon Pepa:

As a lasting impact, Seidman and Pepa want all of the buildings on campus torn down and rebuilt during their term.

nos:

They want to leave the role knowing that they did everything they possibly could. “As as you try, you know,” said Molla. Even if you try and make a mistake, Molla remarks that its ok as they know not to make that mistake again.

On a more concrete note, Castellanos would like to see more students getting involved within the SGA and be able to empower people to pursue their passions

Samanta Molla and Adrian Castella-

What is your relationship with administrators?

E.J. Hannah and Jason Buckman:

“Pretty damn good,” said Hannah. They have met with multiple members of administration, have open communication, and meet consistently with them. Administrators are line to accomplish SGA’s initiatives. They have not had any problems getting what the students want to see. “Its important to have conversations with administrators to hear their point of view as well because they’re not only worried about the students, they’re worried about the faculty and campus as well

Brandon Seidman and Simon Pepa:

According to them, “Admins love us.” They have an especially good relationship with Professor Jon Goodguy.

Samanta Molla and Adrian Castellanos:

“Definitely very positive,” said Molla. She feels they are very willing to speak to students and accomodate students. Additionally, there will need to be compromise on both ends as administrators do not understand the student aspect, but also students do not understand the process for administrators.

November 1, 2019

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2020 SGA Presidential Candidates How will you improve the negative perception of the SGA? E.J. Hannah and Jason Buckman:

They state that they can’t eradicate the negative perception of SGA. However, in order to improve it, the SGA should focus on smaller culture shifts to improve their image on campus. The SGA should have its name on more things across campus that they are responsible for hosting more events with other organizations. For example, potential CLC outdoor lawn equipment should have SGA branding on it. Individuals need to recognize the SGA is not just a budgeting organization. The SGA needs to “get out of [their] bubble.”

Brandon Seidman and Simon Pepa:

Seidman and Pepa believes that no one dislikes them, so the SGA will naturally have a better perception because they are apart of it.

Samanta Molla and Adrian Castellanos:

Molla and Castellanos believe a large part of the negative perception of the SGA is the visibility problem the Stevens SGA has compared to other student governments, and believe this will be partially solved once the website is up and running. Telling people and getting individuals outside the SGA involved is essential.

Is Stevens Student-Centric?

E.J. Hannah and Jason Buckman:

“I wouldn’t say its not student-centric. It is definitely working towards becoming more student-centric, but we do need to have that transistion,” said Hannah.

“They try to be,” said Buckman.

Brandon Seidman and Simon Pepa:

“Absolutely not,” said Seidman. The ratio of administrators to students is infinite.

Samanta Molla and Adrian Castellanos:

“It’s really hard now seeing that we need to put in a lot more effort to get what we want but I feel like we shouldn’t just be doing it for us we should be doing it for everybody else following us I think that as leaders we shouldn’t just have our own interests dic-

tate what we do, but the interests of everybody and I think that the interests of incoming students would be a place where they’re comfortable and know that their opinions and their values are reflected in their University,” said Molla “I feel like this has always been since I got here.

Stevens is not necessarily a blank campus but we have so much room for improvement when it comes to being student-centric that it’s almost a blessing because the people now and the people for the next few years will get to mold what campus is for a very very long time so like maybe we aren’t the best at everything but like the fact that we all know that we aren’t the best at everything allows us to have these conversations and allows us to improve not just for us but for the future,” said Castellanos.

On the Issues Mental Health E.J. Hannah and Jason Buckman:

“There’s room for improvement on what Stevens accomplishes in terms of both mental health awareness and education,” said Hannah. Stevens currently focuses on programming, but does not focus on ensuring proper education is given to students, faculty, and staff. The senate is currently working on initiatives to improve mental health education and destigmatize it. Current events are good, but there needs to be a greater focus on those who aren’t involved.

“There needs to be a greater outlet for people to go to,” said Buckman.

According to Buckman, some students do not feel comfortable with going to CAPS as they are concerned CAPS cannot help them. In general, CAPS needs better PR, and a better perception on campus.

One part of their platform is the instatement of faculty modules on mental health, which had been previously promised by the Office of the Provost.

Brandon Seidman and Simon Pepa:

Mental health is a serious topic and definitely needs improvements. Seidman and Pepa are “not fucking around with it.”

Samanta Molla and Adrian Castellanos: “I definitely think it could be handled a lot bet-

ter,” said Molla. Though the President’s Task Force on Mental Health has been formed, there has not yet been a report to the students on its actions. “The year before me and Adrian were on campus, there were six suicides,” said Molla, “and that is really hard to hear and a lot of students on this campus may not know about that right now. I understand why, as the school doesn’t want to give off a negative image.” Everyone – students, faculty, and staff – should notice small signs such as changes in GPA or involvement that cause people to become distant on campus.

Molla wants to see what the Task Force is working on. “I don’t want to report a concern all the time as that may or may not do anything,” said Molla.

Faculty need to report when a student misses class, but professors do not start a conversation with students directly.

“We are a stigma-free campus on paper, but in practice we aren’t anywhere near what we say we are and that’s very unfortunate,” said Castellanos, “Because if we really were a stigma-free campus, CAPS would be able to do so much more. There would be so much more done, and we’d be able to have these conversations so much easier.” CAPS is taking a step in the right direction, but not every student is comfortable reaching out to CAPS.

many on-going construction zones on campus. Key implementations of new initiatives include keeping campus generally cleaner, finalizing the campus smoking ban, adopting dual-stream recycling, and being more aware of the university’s carbon footprint.

According to Molla, replacing single-use plastics with sustainable alternatives wouldn’t cost the university extra. Neither Molla nor Castellanos have begun specific conversations with Stevens on this topic, but Castellanos has done some research on

other schools.

They believe LEED certification (silver or higher) is necessary for Stevens to continue its claims as “The Innovation University.” Molla does not understand why the school shouldn’t strive for increasing its sustainability publicitity and worries that many judge Stevens for not being more sustainable. They plan to accomplish this by speaking both with the Hoboken planning board and administration at Stevens.

Samanta Molla and Adrian Castellanos are pushing for a sustanability committee within the Student Government Association Photo courtesy of Adrian Castellanos

The Committee on Student Interests E.J. Hannah and Jason Buckman:

E.J. Hannah and Jason Buckman recognize that there is room for improvement for mental health support at Stevens.

Photo courtesy of Jason Buckman

Construction Inconveniences E.J. Hannah and Jason Buckman:

“There’s not much we can do,” said Buckman.

They recognize that construction will happen regardless of student opinion: “We are just a part of Stevens history,” said Hannah.

Instead, students should be made more comfortable with the changes. For example, ResEd could hand out care packages with information about the construction. There needs to be increased communication and consistency on projects as there are numerous instances of constructions workers starting too early, or working too late – and this has not been addressed by anyone.

They also want to make the remaining areas of campus more lively – such as by adding murals. People need to feel comfortable on campus so that they

can relax. “[The construction] makes me feel like a lab rat,” said Hannah.

Brandon Seidman and Simon Pepa:

Seidman and Pepa believe there is not enough construction on campus and want to increase its presence.

Samanta Molla and Adrian Castellanos:

“There has to be sacrifice for progress,” said Castellanos. Even though student comfort is sacrificed for the future, we need victories on campus to make our campus feel like home. There need to be things right now for students. They want to pursue murals on the fencing of the construction zones to help brighten the days of passersby.

Sustainability E.J. Hannah and Jason Buckman:

A pillar of their campaign platform is sustainability. Hannah and Buckman aim to promote the composting of food waste from Pierce Dining Hall.

They recognize this would be a cultural shift and would take a fair amount of time to implement. They want to instill this culture with the freshman inside Pierce, then have it roll out to fraternity and sorority housing. They also propose a bike rental system to help students living in Hoboken. Positive conversations have already begun with Kenneth Nilsen and the transportation department on a bike rental system.

Additionally, they want to encourage the use of public transportation for Stevens students. The Stevens discount from NJ Transit needs better publicity and discussions are in process for a Lime scooter student discount. There is no discount for PATH, but Hannah would like the administration to subsidize the PATH to facilitate travel into the city. Hannah added many administrators have expressed their support as it would decrease the density of cars on campus.

tainability initiatives in the existing Campus Life Committee. This is particularly important due to the

The CSI is not the focus of their campaign, but Buckman wants everyone to see and hear from them more often. While members of the CSI aren’t required to attend SGA Senate meetings, they want to hear more from the CSI and how their organizations are doing. “I do not believe has met together, I have heard [sic]; I’m not sure if that’s a fact but I have heard members of the CSI that they have not met together as a CSI [this semester],” said Buckman.

Buckman wants to push towards past versions and have the CSI regularly meet and communicate with their organizations. “As the president of an organization, I’ve had one meeting with my subcommittee head and there was another one that is scheduled soon because it’s budget time. Most of the interaction that organizations get with the SGA is Leadership Connect,” said Buckman.

Each subcommittee head should work closely with each of their organizations and serve as main liaison between the SGA Senate and organizations. “They should be there to support and foster the growth of the organization, not primary [sic] to prevent budgetary

E.J. Hannah and Jason Buckman:

“There’s a lot of red tape in the RSO Process,” said Buckman. While the number of steps can be a good thing, it also makes the process restrictive and possibly preventative for some students to create necessary clubs.

Buckman cited a story of Student Life shut-

Seidman and Pepa believe they are “very interested in the students,” and they will find someone interesting to lead the committee.

They also stated that they may or may not be themselves.

Samanta Molla and Adrian Castellanos:

Though they are not voting members, the CSI collectively have a strong position in the SGA. They provide oversight and help for most organizations on campus. They guide the organizations and present pertinent issues to the SGA Senate. “There not afraid of calling out an organization for not doing what they are supposed to be doing,” said Molla, praising the CSI for acting like a parent for organizations.

ting down a table of someone trying to gather interest in a new club. “That’s not what we’re about,” said Buckman. Individuals should be able to get together as a community to form an organization. It serves a purpose, but should be adjusted to better serve organizations.

Hannah remarks that it is devalued. The process is time-consuming for organizations, yet the Senate unanimously, seemingly blindly, approves new clubs. Additionally, the Senate is not involved in seeing the organization grow without input from the CSI. Currently, Step One of The New Organization Process requires approval from both the VPSI and a representative from OSL. Buckman would like to see a report written up and sent to the Senate for further approval.

Brandon Seidman and Simon Pepa:

Seidman and Pepa believe there are too many clubs and that clubs need to be cut. They will base this off of whether or not they like the clubs.

Samanta Molla and Adrian Castellanos:

Seidman and Pepa want to increase the use of solar energy on campus, while decreasing the use of wind energy on campus because windmills make people dizzy.

Molla and Castellanos want to start a Sustainability Committee within the SGA after trialing sus-

Brandon Seidman and Simon Pepa:

The New Organization Process

Brandon Seidman and Simon Pepa:

Samanta Molla and Adrian Castellanos:

infractions,” said Hannah. Some subcommittee heads do a great job at this, but they cannot speak for everyone. “There can be more communications between the CSI and organizations to foster the growth,” said Hannah.

They specifically cited Dakota Van Deursen, former Vice President of Student Interests (VPSI), as an inspiration for the role of supporting student organizations.

Brandon Seidman and Simon Pepa were spotted posing with their campaign team.

Photo courtesy of Brandon Seidman

[pause before answering] The New Organization Process gives Senators insight into what’s going in organziations trying to become RSOs. It is beneficial to allow senators to know what’s going on campus as they need to present before the senate for Step Four (“Probationary”) and Full Status.

This allows each Senator to have more conversations with organizations.

Molla supports the current process and its structure as it provides insight for the SGA and support for individuals attempting to start an organization.

November 1, 2019

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2020 SGA Presidential Candidates Budgeting E.J. Hannah and Jason Buckman:

“It’s very effectively accomplished,” said Hannah. Drawing from his experience on the newly-minted Line Items Committee, he feels the less transparent parts of budgeting – such as club sports – are being effectively addressed. The committee begun talk on how to make it more efficient. “It’s student money we are working with,” said Buckman. The Senate Budget Committee has in-depth discussions on budgeting requests by organizations. Hannah and Buckman believe organizations should not have to pay for Physical Plant charges.

Brandon Seidman and Simon Pepa:

Upon a personal request, Seidman and Pepa

Diversity on Campus

will increase funding to the Frisbee Club.

Samanta Molla and Adrian Castellanos:

“I feel absolutely terrible for the budget committee [sic] for having to sit through a full day of [the semesterly budget meeting],” said Castellanos. Additionally, he sympathizes with presidents and treasurers who need to carve out a random block of time defend their budget at these meetings. The process needs to be more efficient and should be spread out to multiple days to make everyone’s life easier. However, they support the current financial policy rules and guidelines.

E.J. Hannah and Jason Buckman:

Diversity on this campus has been steadily improving due heightened awareness and improved programming. Hannah specifically praised the Diversity and Inclusion Committee of the SGA for their role in creating a place for students who feel misrepresented to speak up, have their opinion heard, and be better accommodated. They want to continue the hard work begun by the D&I committee and Lilliana Delman, the Assistant Director for Diversity Education in the Office of Student Life (OSL).

“Even if its as small as changing the signs on single-stall bathrooms, acknowledging that they’re gender-neutral bathrooms,” said Hannah, “we want to make changes so that students feel more accepted in any way we can.”

Brandon Seidman and Simon Pepa:

Seidman and Pepa have a very diverse campaign team.

Samanta Molla and Adrian Castellanos:

Most importantly, the admissions process needs to be in order to accept more students from diverse backgrounds. Interviews should be preferred (or required) so that admissions can get a better understanding than only what’s on paper. A GPA does not determine qualifications. Molla has not had any conversations with administrators regarding the admissions process, specifically.

The current climate is a lot better than the climate even a year ago. Since the signature drive for a campus Intercultural Center at last fall’s Midnight Breakfast, the climate has consistently improved.

The campus is a safer environment and people have outlets. They also cite the Diversity and Inclusion Committee and Lilliana Delman as great advocates for positive change.

The Constitution Rewrite E.J. Hannah and Jason Buckman:

The rewrite is starting important conversations about efficiency and how the SGA deals with organization. The proposed changes are too significant to be implemented without prior testing. Specifically, they state it is important for the Cabinet to be voting members of the SGA, but an expanded Cabinet should not be implemented. Committees of the SGA should not be cut simply because they have not been an issue in the past. Typical concerns with committees include that Stevens administration is not always aware of who exactly to work with, but they believe administration could easily learn more student names.

However, they are in support of the increased efficiency of the SGA by decreasing the overlap. The new structure will support unity in the SGA.

Brandon Seidman and Simon Pepa pose with members of the Stevens Dramatic Society.

Photo courtesy of Brandon Seidman

Brandon Seidman and Simon Pepa:

Seidman and Pepa remark the constitution is very long and needs to make more sense. For example, the President has a discretionary fund of $2000

per semester, but it does not specify whether or not they can spend all of it on Ice Cream. Additionally, they wish to edit the constitution so that the president has infinite power and does not need to rerun.

Samanta Molla and Adrian Castellanos:

They are “indifferent” on the constitution rewrite, as they need to be prepared for either situation.

However, they feel that a new constitution would “invigorate” the SGA, and they would be stoked if Senators were on-board for a new constitution.

Specifically, Molla likes the condensed Vice President positions formed by the the combination of existing Committee Chairs and VPs. They like the flexibility it creates in Cabinet positions, as they are able to pick someone they are able to work with instead of simply a domain-expert.

If the new constitution doesn’t pass, the SGA needs to continue with PR and committee branding and to improve communication between the student body and the SGA.

Special Topics This section covers questions that were only asked to one set of candidates or a topic that arose in discussion with the candidate.

Samanta Molla and Adrian Castellanos

E.J. Hannah and Jason Buckman

So you said there’s like a lack of communication right now between the Senate and the Cabinet, how would you go about fixing that?

E.J., you are an RA. Does that introduce potential bias as you are an employee of the school?

“I just feel like we need to make sure that people are proud as Senators and passionate about what they’re doing. Something I would really like to do within the SGA: doing our Senate retreat twice a year, probably once a semester, and working on leadership workshops. I just feel

“Actually, I would admit that it is somewhat a conflict of interest. [Originally, E.J. stated that it does not introduce potential bias.] I guess because I’m working for the school it is, in my opinion, a minor conflict of interest. It hasn’t been a problem in the past working with administration in any department, especially in ResEd and RDS. It does also give me those avenues to work with them because I have better relations to start off with and I have a greater

network both administratively and student-wise to hear their thoughts and opinions on what the Stevens community should look like, and that conflict of interest that I admit is unavoidable. At other schools, it’s significant to the extent where you can’t hold both positions. Fortunately, Stevens is more understanding. It’s also easier because Resident Assistants are unpaid […] Actually RAs do receive compensation, but we are not salaried.”

“I answered this same question when I was applying for the position. I will do everything in my power to advocate for what is best for the community. If administration makes an absurd decision that the students aren’t comfortable with, I will work

with them as best I can to see that the appropriate compromise or resolution is reached. I’m not afraid, if that makes sense, to speak up for what rightfully needs to be said just because I’m an employee.”

like as PLs [Peer Leaders] we were able to meet with a lot of different resources on campus, and I feel like that’s something we lack and don’t necessarily know who to go to. We know this person is from here but they aren’t necessarily the person we want to talk to.”

What if a situation arises where ResLife/ResEd does something that negatively impacts the student experience? Would you still advocate for students or what would be your approach?

Samanata Molla and Adrian Castellanos wants every students recognize that they are part of the Student Government Association - even if they are not an official of the SGA. Photo courtesy of Adrian Castellanos

How do you let students know that [they are also part of the SGA]?

“I think one of the first things we need to do is build the SGA as an organization internally, so that we all know our places and what we’d like to do. We all know that regardless of what our opinions are and where we stand on different issues we can expand beyond our organization. I feel like if we’re budgeting for all

of these different organizations, we are kind of overseeing what they do, and we should be a role model. I feel that a lot of organizations outside of the SGA are doing a lot better in terms of their impact on campus and that’s something that I definitely want to work on with Adrian and the rest of the SGA.”

On Trust, one of the points for your platform, you said greater input on university projects, what do you mean specifically?

“For trust, for the most part, we are focused on trusting the administration to have student interests in mind and not make it [the school] a business operation. I think students should be invested in such large projects and they’re [administration] not hearing what students have to say. Obviously, construction is going to be a problem and I think that it will be beneficial for Stevens to grow as a university, but I think that knowing or being more transparent or the administration being more transparent with us,

it definitely builds the relationship. I feel like as students we are paying to see these projects happen and I know that the administration understands that and a lot of their goals are longterm. But, like, we need to just make it clear to them that we want to be involved in this process and we should have a say in this process.

And I feel like they’re more than willing to hear us out, but I feel like there has not been enough of us saying we want to be involved. Like, put us in the room with you.”

How will you make it clear to them?

Just having conversations with them.

The administrators are people and, like, you can just have a conversation with them about what the students overwhelmingly want and if they’re just like ‘no,’ well then you know that’s when it becomes time for the SGA to write a proclamation, and that’s when we start moving. But I think that a lot of the things that we

want to accomplish can be done through just having conversations. I don’t think that they [administration] are necessarily opposed to speaking to us, and I don’t think they’re necessarily opposed to working with us either. I think that me and Adrian will personally put that effort into making sure this is getting done.”

Have your own questions? Come to the SGA Presidential Debate Wednesday at 9PM in EAS 222.

E.J. Hannah and Jason Buckman want to make the push for faculty training modules to become mandatory.

Photo courtesy of Jason Buckman

So on faculty training, I know in the past we’ve had the modules promised and that administration reneged on the promise. How would you see modules or training be effectively implemented and then faculty actually doing them?

First thing. Not everything we’re accomplishing are new ideas. There’s a lot of things that have been brought up in the past that just haven’t been sought out to completion. Lucas Gallo’s cabinet started this and the current cabinet didn’t pick up on it to finish, so we’re just carrying on the initiative. As for how we

are going to do it differently, we’re at a little bit of an advantage; we are now after the fact of them having implemented them non-mandatory, so they have the data that they need to see that not enough administrators have filled out these training modules voluntarily and will need to require it.”

Do you see administrators being in support [of the modules] once they have the data?

“I believe so — they have explained several times in communications to The Stute or to Lucas Gallo that they are very open to reconsideration if they haven’t seen the desired results from implementing them non-mandatorily. Keeping the conversation going on things like student suicide because it’s very

easy for the administration to sweep them under the rug and pretend that never happened. You have to be relentless when it comes to this sort of thing. You have to be on top of them to see that they “don’t forget;” you have to ensure that they’re gonna be there to get it done.”

You guys said you are the “best possible option.” Why is that?

“I think it’s through repeated demonstrations of accomplishing what the students want to see. We’ve spent the first 30 minutes of this interview talking about what we’ve done for the students — every single thing on there is for other students. We admittedly put more time into benefiting our community than we

do our own academics at points. It’s like it’s something we’re extremely passionate about and I feel like we’ve demonstrated that passion time and time again, I would argue more than most other people in the Senate at this point. We speak through actions, not just our words.”

November 1, 2019

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Opinion MIND OF A FRESHMAN

SENIORITIS

The key to unlocking fear: clown edition The struggle of finding a Halloween costume

BY JULIA WIERZBICKI FRESHMAN

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING I recently read an Instagram post about how this Halloween would most likely be a tie between Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker and It’s Pennywise for the most popular costume. I was able to see both Joker and It: Chapter Two in theaters and I have to say I’m not surprised. They were both exceptional movies and the clowns they had as their leads were quite unnerving to say the least. But why? When did clowns go from being a fun activity to

rent for a birthday party to an infestation that got face-paint banned from my high school’s football games sophomore year (true story)? Sure, they’re creepy, but if you ever decide to dig a little deeper, you’ll find the reason we find things creepy is pretty much the same reason you’re going to see a lot of red balloons this October 31st.

As humans, we like patterns. We like it in our schedules, we like it in our organization, and we especially like it in our emotions. When we’re happy, we like smiling and upbeat music. When we’re sad, we like listening to Billie Eilish and bulk buying mac and cheese.

If something doesn’t fit into that pattern, our brains get confused and we get put on edge. You might think that sounds strange, but let me give you an example: how many horror movies have you seen that include some sort of child singing a nursery rhyme slowly while disturbing images appear on the screen? I’ll bet quite a few. And the reason for that is because of how disjointed it is. Singing children’s songs should be happy, playful and sweet.

But when you have them playing with a weird echo and creepy sounds, the emotions it’s evoking aren’t positive, and our brain reacts with fear and unease. The same thing goes for clowns.

Clowns are constantly smiling.

With their facepaint and bright colors, they’re meant to evoke feelings of happiness and joy. It’s too easy to take that image and place it in a disturbing or scary context. When that happens, that mix of signals our brain is receiving causes what we know as fear.

Really, it’s that simple. There’s nothing inherently creepy about clowns themselves — it’s the patterns that our minds search for that cause that fear. That and, of course, the creepy voice and facial expressions that Bill Skarsgård includes to capitalize on that fear.

This concept is used again and again in horror movies, and (as a horror movie veteran) I’ve found that it’s often the base of the most disturbing scenes. Sure, you’ll see some gore and jumpscares as well, but there are quite a lot of moments that are scary simply because of how they break the pattern. And understanding why we’re unnerved by a certain scene is the key to overcoming that fear. So next time you’re watching a scary movie and a little child starts singing “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” watch your friends get goosebumps while you stay calm, collected, and controlled thanks to your understanding of patterns.

ADVICE YOU MAY NOT NEED

BY MARK KRUPINSKI SENIOR

COMPUTATIONAL SCIENCE Every year in October, I run into the same problem — what to dress up as for Halloween.

I always end up wanting to dress up in a cool, unique costume. Typically, I go online for inspiration towards the beginning of October. I look at generic characters, or characters from video games I play. Every costume that falls into my criteria of “cool” ends up being too much effort — or outside of my poor college student budget. This cycle continues throughout the month of

October until it’s a few days before — and I still don’t have a costume. Frantically, I attempt to brave the lines at Spirit and end up paying outrageous prices for simply accessories.

Freshman year, I couldn’t think of a costume. My result was waiting in line for an hour at Spirit Halloween down at the other end of Hoboken for an hour to buy a small $10 tube of white face paint. It was a “scary” ghost costume.

Sophomore year, I was set on a steampunk costume. Amazon was too expensive — and didn’t have the perfect matching costume. Naturally, I went to Spirit the day of Halloween to try to find a costume. $50 and three hours of my life down the drain — but hey, people liked my costume!

Junior year I tried a little bit more. I planned out a costume: a sailor. However, I only planned this out about three days before Halloween. Barely enough time for something to come in — even with Amazon Prime.

This year, the same problem. No costume ideas. Originally, I wanted to go as someone from Survivor — but that’s a very small niche; no one would have gotten the costume. So, I decided to go as Jake from State Farm. Again, a last-minute decision, but simple.

My friend: worry

BY DAVID BELLAH JUNIOR

BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY Everyone is afraid of something.

Fear is involuntary. It’s something we can’t control. With fear, comes its little annoying brother: worry. Since we can’t control what scary things will cross our path, a lot of people tend to worry about the scary things they may face.

I have a friend, let’s call him Jack.

Jack is very smart. Jack is very studious, and he gets good grades. When it

comes to tests and essays, Jack always gets a perfect score. Jack is terrified of public speaking, however. He cannot present without shaking like a mad man and he spends most of his days leading up to the presentation freaking out for no reason.

Jack and I were in a class last semester. Every week we were required to give presentations and every week Jack would worry about his presentation and how bad it would be if he messed up and looked stupid in front of the class. The first week in particular, Jack worried a lot.

“Dude, there’s so much I need to cover. What if I forget something?

What if I go up there and fall down?

What if I go up there and I choke on my spit and cough up a lung in front of everyone? What if the teacher interjects and I lose my train of thought?

What if I stumble? What if I focus too much on eye contact and forget what I’m saying? What if my hair is messed up? What if my fly is undone? What if I just look stupid?”

At this point, hearing Jack ramble about all of the things that could go wrong started making me anxious and less chipper. I could tell he was pretty miserable and on top of it all, he was getting nothing done.

I said to him “Jack, no matter how much you worry, you still have to present. I know presentations make you feel uncomfortable but it’s something you will have to do for the rest of your life and worrying about it now won’t make you feel better later” He looked at me with a puzzled expression. Then he looked at his laptop and started typing. For the next hour Jack put together his presentation. On presentation day, I asked him how he felt and he said, “I’ve done what I can, we’ll see how this goes”. He was clearly scared, but he wasn’t panicking like he used to and that made me chipper.

By the end of the semester, Jack worried much less about public speaking. He realized worrying about the presentation didn’t help him research. It didn’t help him put together his slides. It didn’t even help him become a better presenter. He couldn’t control what he was afraid of, but he could control what he did to prepare and worrying surely did nothing.

Main message: Fear is inevitable. Since fear will always happen and we can’t control it, why should we worry about it? Worrying is pointless, counterproductive, and it only makes you more miserable.

Happy Halloween

SPOILER ALERT

Rocky Horror Picture Show @ Hoboken

BY TRISTAN BACANI FRESHMAN

BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING SPOILER ALERT: BE PREPARED TO DO THE TIME WARP… AGAIN I love Halloween. From the costumes to the candy, everything about this season makes me want to jump for joy. But one thing stands out above the rest: the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Alone it’s just a campy seventies movie musical about a couple whose car breaks down during a storm, leading them to a castle on a hill filled with wacky characters. An R rated film, it is a bit risque. But make it a midnight picture show with a shadow cast to go along with it is where the magic happens.

What is a shadow cast you’re probably asking? Well, its when a group of people perform a movie live in front of that said movie playing behind them on a screen. It’s a fun interactive experience that allows for the movie to come alive right before the audience’s eyes.

Unlike other movies, I won’t spoil the plot… well partially because the plot makes no sense. The movie, in my opinion, is one of those movies that are so bad they are good. So you just have to watch it yourself to see the “magic” of Rocky Horror. And honestly, it has to be watched live with a shadow cast to get the full effect.

I was so excited when I found out about there being a shadow cast here in Hoboken. I was so excited that I bought tickets to show my “virgin” (a term used by Rocky veterans to explain someone who hasn’t watched a shadow cast before) friends. Hyped, I waited for midnight to come around.

And it did not disappoint. The colorful cast of characters, from Janet to Riff Raft, Frank n Furter to Brad were beautifully represented in the shadow cast. Their performances were spot on. It also helped that I watched it on a sold-out Friday night, so the energy of the crowd was spot on, with people dressed as characters from the movie just to watch. Even though it wasn’t my first time watching, it was so much fun to be thrust into that kooky movie again.

I honestly recommend to anyone who hasn’t checked it out yet to watch the RHPS @ Hoboken perform when they come around again.

Because it is an experience that is truly hard to forget. Plus its a lot of fun to watch people strip, lip sing and act their butts off in a theater.

Plus all of the hijinks and surprises in between.

So when the time comes, let’s do the time warp again… and again… and again…

CAMPUS LIBERAL

Ghost of Biden haunts

BY JOSEPH DOLAN GHOST

POLITICAL SCIENCE

Above: Photos of cast and crowd during the Rocky Horror Picture Show at Bow Tie Cinema, Photos courtesy of Elizabeth Bottoni

Ladies and gentlemen, a spectre is haunting the Democratic primary. Its haunting visage is truly a sight to see, its debate answers strange and incoherent. Slime oozes out of its ancient brains when at rallies. Its campaign coffers are filled with the ghoulish gold of healthcare executives and bankers.

This nightmarish vision of the Obama administration has possessed 20% of primary voters, and it appears we’ll need an exorcism to get him to drop out of the race. The ghost of Joe Biden has taken over the primary, with truly bone-chilling policies like opposition to Medicare for All. Spine-tingling ideas like writing the Crime Bill of 1992. Inappropriately touching women is just the beginning of the terror.

The solution is clear: We’re going to have to send in Bernie Sanders with a Bible.

November 1, 2019

11

Opinion BLACK EFFECT

“No Tricks” w/ various members of The Black Student Union

BY NASIR MONTALVO JUNIOR

BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY Boo. It’s the Halloween issue. It’s that time of year where everyone’s on their spookiest behavior. There’s scary pumpkins, sinister decorations, spine-chilling haunted houses, extravagant parties, and everyone’s favorite part: costumes. It’s the one time of year where it’s socially acceptable to impersonate someone else, and of course the goal is to be larger than life. To be remembered as hav-

ing the very best costume of the 31st.

Or at least the most liked Instagram photo.

From celebrity look-a-likes to creepy monsters, everyone is performing as these characters to command attention. An integral part of Halloween is this performative aspect, and it’s not necessarily a bad thing!

When you spend 364 days being you, this one day might be a breath of fresh air to act in a new role. But I ask this to the audience of this issue: How far are you willing to go to be remembered?

By this time, most Halloween parties are probably over and I will have already seen all the chaos ensued.

And by chaos I don’t mean your typical reckless parties or drunk bar fights. I mean the mocking, sexualization and exoticization of my people, and the trivialization and profiteering of our oppression (Big SAT words, I know). That sentence is only a chunk of what can fall under “cultural appropriation”, and there is so much more to that. The definitions for cultural appropriation range far and wide, but here is an official definition from Cambridge Dictionary:

“The act of taking or using things from a culture that is not your own, especially without showing that you understand or respect this culture.”

So, for example, the $2.99 dreadlocks from Party City might be a “vibe” to you, but you have not had to live the rest of your 364 days worried your job might fire you because of your hairstyle. You have not had to be sent away from getting an education because your hairstyle is distracting.

You have not been profiled by others as being a “thug” because of your hairstyle. And you do not understand what it means to grow and cultivate your locs as a means of Black expression. And these are but a few scenarios to one accessory.

Aside from my views, I thought the best way to truly get the message across this issue is to hear from various members of an organization this column aims to uplift: The Black Student Union. Members were given the option to submit anything they wanted this week (pertaining to Halloween) in the form of a statement, piece of advice, question, etc. Below are a few things they had to say: Natalya Spinks: Remember what

your costume represents and how it could be viewed by others. There are plenty of costumes to pick from so if you have even the smallest thought that it could cause someone to feel a certain type of way, just pick a new costume. Let’s help EVERYONE enjoy Halloween and have a good time!

Olivier Pierre: This should be a fun time. No drama. Watch what you wear. What you say. Good vibes only.

Anonymous: How should we respond to those that are close minded to the thought that something that they have done has offended or hurt someone and that wasn’t their intention?

Sylvia Boohmah: Think to yourself: if you can unzip, wash off, or easily remove a part of your “costume” that someone else cannot from their body, mind, or culture, it is not just a costume.

Micah Elias: Witches may go riding, and goblins may be seen, but don’t do any black face this time for Halloween Zharee Richards: Can everyone please have a happy and safe Halloween and leave my culture out of it?

DuJaun Kirk: Honestly, black

culture is poppin’ and it shows through some of the “costumes” I’ve seen via Instagram. But none of them come and support BSU events or GBMs, but that’s tea that no one wants to discuss yet.

Now this is a much more complicated topic than what I have the capacity to write, or what those above had the capacity to say, but I figured this would be best to help push you to seek knowledge. To tap into your empathy and rethink what your values/ morals already are. Diversity Education is a great place to start, and so is simply having a conversation with any of your fellow community members. We all want to grow together so that we can all enjoy Halloween together. But until then, we’ll continue to be vocal about appropriation until it turns into appreciation. Until we understand that Halloween, or any other day, will never be the time to “cherry-pick” our identities.

Keep in mind that these viewpoints/experiences are my and the interviewees’ and are not necessarily representative of all the Black or Brown persons at Stevens and beyond.

OUTSIDE AND AROUND THE WORLD

Arthropods: Spooky Chinese Club Music Just in Time for Halloween

BY JACK KOSTELNIK JUNIOR

MUSIC AND TECHNOLOGY

Album cover for Svbkvlt, Photo courtesy of Svbkvlt

Wu Shanmin, who goes by 33EMYBW, is part of a booming club music scene in Shanghai, China. Her new album, Arthropods, which came out in early October on Shanghai-based label Svbkvlt, is her second solo foray into deconstructed-club music. Shanmin has been an active part of the Shanghai music scene since 2002.

Originally playing guitar in bands like 33 Dao, Booji, and Muscle Snog, Shanmin went on to cofound the band Duck Fight Goose, one of the most famous modern Shanghai-based bands. Han Han who now produces under the mon-

THE FRIDAY OBSERVER

On Stevens-death

BY ERIC S. LONDRES JUNIOR

COMPUTER SCIENCE

When, for years, your daily life is spent entirely in the world of Stevens, it’s very easy to forget that Stevens isn’t the only world that exists. Everything changed for me when I first moved into Castle Point Hall — my routine, the people I talked to, etc. Because of that, moving to Stevens almost felt like a rebirth. What my life contained and what I could do within it had radically changed quite literally overnight, so why shouldn’t it?

Well, if orientation is birth… does that make graduation death?

From the way I’ve heard some seniors talk about the end of their final year, I would almost think so. I’ve seen friends reluctant to finalize their resumes as if somehow that document was their last will and testament, or speaking about job offers as if they were choosing their final resting place.

I’ve seen recent alumni, walking ghosts, around Hoboken. I’ve heard them speak of the afterlife. Of the

place where all the things I do now are not done, and all the people I see now will not be seen, and all the memories I make now will have no import. These ideas seem scary to me, and not only because of the terrifying proposition that I will be completely unprepared for whatever comes after. A far more harrowing prospect is the idea that there is some grander scheme that renders anything that happens here unimportant and fleeting. The idea that, because there is an unavoidable time limit on Stevens-life, eventually Stevens-death will arrive and render null every accomplishment and memory I could possibly achieve here.

This notion will seem very familiar to anyone who has ever so much as looked at a book on philosophy. The question of “We’re all going to die, so why even live?” is probably the most basic and fundamental philosophical question that can be asked. I think what makes Stevens-death an interesting phenomenon, though, is that it happens so quickly — you get four, five, or maybe six years, and then it’s done.

I’m immediately reminded of the film Blade Runner, which I saw for the first time somewhat recently. In the film, human-like robots are forced to confront the idea that they only have four years to live. The film presents a counterargument to the more existentially-terrifying aspects of that concept — to directly quote a line of dialog from the movie, “The light that burns twice as bright burns for half as long.”

I instinctively want to agree with that sentiment. I want to believe that the reward for keeping myself far beyond busy for four years of my life is that I’ll

leave Stevens with some measure of a positive impact, and carry the memories with me into the next world. But a much larger part of me believes that I only feel that instinctively because it’s the easy answer. It’s the answer that gives me the most reassurance, the one that requires me to think the least and conclude the fastest.

Resisting the urge to console my thoughts, the obvious next step is concluding that the only truly meaningful parts of life at Stevens are the parts that prepare me to leave it. I guess, in a way, the people who do nothing during their undergraduate time here except go to class, eat, study, and leave with a 4.0 are the monks of the Wesley J. Howe Monastery. Perhaps they are the ones most prepared for the next world, most ready to make the transition into ghosthood.

It strikes me as obvious, however, that being a Stevens monk and ultimately preparing for leaving it does mean that you realistically leave nothing behind. Personally, I think that if the most exciting part of Stevens for you is how much you’re going to be able to distance yourself from it, you’ve made a mistake somewhere.

That’s quite the paradox, though. I mean, the whole point of college is to be able to get a job to afford college, right?

Maybe I’ll feel differently about this subject when I’m a senior myself, but for now I think I really don’t have an answer as to what the ideal Stevens experience is, or whether I’m having it. All I do know right now is that eventually I’ll be a ghost myself.

I hope the after Stevens is as fun as Stevens is.

iker ‘Gooooose’ cofounded duck Fight Goose with Shanmin, and also founded a popular DIY label called Miniless which many of Shanmin’s bands’ releases came out on. The album also notably features remixes from English producer Ikonika, Uruguayan producer Lechuga Zafiro, and Ugandan producer Don Zilla.

The word “Arthropod” is described by Shanmin as an alien version of a biblical creature known as a “Golem”. The album itself is more of an auditory representation of the idea of “Arthropod.” As a whole, the album offers a wide variety of styles of deconstructed-club that kept me interested the entire time. The 3 remixes at the end are some of the highlights as well, each done in the signature style of the remixer. Zilla’s remix of “Drum3,” was one of my favorite songs on the track and is done in his signature tribal, hypnotic style. There are a fair amount of found-sound samples in this album as well. Anywhere from bells to drills, these samples are combined with heavy industrial club sounds. One of the most interesting parts about this album is the use of atmospheric sounds and the spacing out different styles within each song.

For example, on the original version of “Drum3,” the intense climax of the song is in the first 2 minutes, while the last 6 minutes of the songs fluidly shift from different styles and speeds of club music,

and eventually lands on a hypnotic/atmospheric rhythm that the song ends on.

Another highlight of the album is a sterile song called “Seeds of the Future,” which would fit perfectly on any Halloween-themed playlist. There is some intense panning throughout the entire song, which gives the vocal samples a creepy feeling, in addition to the atmospheric sounds and plucky string synths that are layered through. This song not only has some incredibly interesting samples, but it also has perfect spacing.

No song on the album ever feels rushed or muddy and each section of every song is timed perfectly. The following song “Induce,” is another perfect Halloween song with very similar vocal samples, but this time a syncopated kick drum pounds away in the back.

The vocal production on this album is one of the most attractive qualities to it for me because of how it blends in with the more soundscape-oriented, atmospheric sounds. On “Induce,” the vocal samples are used not only for atmosphere but also as a melodic tool, even being harmonized towards the end. This combined with the fluidity of each song, and the perfect spacing and timing of the album make it something that I’ve already gone back to multiple times. I enjoyed this one much more than I initially anticipated and I highly recommend it.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Please update the course catalog

BY KALEE BURNS Scheduling can be a pain. Your classes being full, the sessions expiring, waking up at 7 am. The list goes on, but the worst issue I have come across is the Course Catalog. You would think this would be a simple document, containing all of the classes being offered in the Fall and Spring semesters; however, there are classes that are listed that haven’t been offered in years. As a Senior Computer Engineer leaning towards web development, I want to take classes that interest me. One class in particular is CPE/CS 537 - Interactive Computer Graphics. This class has been in several recent course catalogs, but the course itself has not been offered since Spring 2015. That’s 5 years!

That’s before I graduated highschool! I wanted to get the concentration “Image Processing and Multimedia”. CPE 537

along with 2 other courses out of the 6 recommended are no longer held and have not been held for several semesters.

This is not just an ECE students’ issue.

Everyone I talk to, no matter what major, agrees: the course catalog lists classes that are no longer offered. Additionally, the catalog lists classes with the wrong name. CPE 440 - Current Topics in Electrical Engineering & Computer Engineering, as listed in the course catalog, is listed as CPE 440 - Intro to AI Engineering on the course scheduler. This is not the first time this has occurred. It happened to me last year with my humanities class, making me switch classes because I was no longer interested in the one I was registered for. I don’t know who to speak to about these issues, but I would be willing to help update the catalog. I just don’t want any other students to be affected by these mistakes.

12

November 1, 2019

Sports

ON DECK IN SPORTS SAT, NOV 2 WOMEN’S FENCING vs Temple Open 8 AM Philadelphia, PA

CROSS COUNTRY vs MAC CHAMPIONSHIP 11 AM Frederick, MD

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL vs VASSAR TRI-MATCH 11 AM Poughkeepsie,NY Photos courtesy cavalierdailycom

How in the world does Stevens not have a quidditch team?!

By TREVOR DAMEIKA Alright, for those of you who do not know, quidditch is a team sport played while straddling broomsticks, in which goals are scored by throwing a ball through any of three hoops fixed at either end of a field. Invented by author J.K. Rowling, quidditch is becoming an actual sport played by many universities. Schools, like Villanova, NYU, Penn State, and many others, all have

school-regulated quidditch teams.

In my opinion, Stevens not having a quidditch team is a horror story. This should scare most of you. Many other schools get to experience the unconditional Harry Potter joy that we should be experiencing. I am certainly not trying to cause an uprising, but you never know…

As a freshman, I have not even gotten through one semester yet. However, that does not mean I am wrong.

The Ducks as a quidditch team would

be fantastic. It would give more energy to a campus that is missing the magical Harry Potter sport, but I could be wrong and we can stay as a quidditch-less school and just let it go.

Even for the people who have not even heard of quidditch, it is for the better as it provides a campus with a mental break from the rush of classes for all students. There are many positions in quidditch for everyone, and all should enjoy the sport as it is co-ed.

Notice I call it a sport. In England,

Photos from yahoofinance.com

Entering into Stevens freshman year, I wanted to play a club sport.

Did I have any idea which one? No. However, the club sports nightmare really was evident when I decided to join a sport.

If you want to join a club sport, you have to pay usually over $100 to participate for one semester. For those of us (and the majority of us) that are in debt, let’s think about this. When you pay tuition and you immediately realize that you will be in college debt, it is not the greatest feeling. It can be worse when you get to school and you have to put in much more money towards extra fees for certain classes.

However, for those participating in a club sport, putting even more money towards an extracurricular activity can put even more weight on your shoulders. Also, you have to put in that much money each semester.

I mean, I am not saying they

vs Eastern University 12 PM Hoboken, NJ

there is an actual quidditch league.

Why should we not enjoy quidditch’s pace along with the various universities already playing it? For those Harry Potter fans, for those interested, or even for those who just want something to do, quidditch is something we should at least be able to enjoy as a school.

Have a Happy Halloween, and this is on you, Stevens. If you want to see quidditch happen, make it happen. Go Ducks!

MEN’S SOCCER vs Eastern University 3 PM Hoboken, NJ

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON STEVENS SPORTS

A club sports horror story

By TREVOR DAMEIKA

WOMEN’S SOCCER

should get rid of fees completely, but genuinely how much money do we need to give up to participate in college? It’s like saying, “I just bought this new $60 video game and it downloaded and it says I need to pay an extra $30 to play.” However, you already bought the game. How does that make any sense?

These fees may also be a huge deciding factor for a incoming student and their feelings about adapting to a new school and new friends.

These fees should not block incoming students from a semester of enjoyment.

The majority of the club teams have fees of over $100 each semester. Of course the fee is understandable for certain sports, but this school gets enough funding as it is, in my opinion. Many students would agree with me on that fact, but many would also agree that they still like and still appreciate this school.

However, let us please end this club sports nightmare and decrease the amount of fees students need to pay to join. Happy Halloween!

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