Stronger Than a Storm Stevens’ SURE House stands tall against a storm of competition and Techfest continues after Hurricane Joaquin passes by.
STUTE THE
The Stute The official campus newspaper of Stevens Institute of Technology since 1904, and creator of the Stevens mascot, Atilla the Duck.
We write Stevens history.
Volume CXIII • Issue 8
Friday, October 23, 2015
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Stevens’ SURE House wins 2015 Solar Decathlon
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Chiddy Bang headlines Techfest 2015 by RAMI KAMMOURH Staff Writer
Over 600 Stevens students gathered in the River Lot on Friday night for Techfest 2015. Hosted by the Entertainment Committee, this year’s Techfest featured Cleo, a New Jersey based DJ, and was headlined by alternative hip hop artist, Chiddy Bang. There was reason to believe that Techfest 2015 wouldn’t measure up to Techfests of recent years. It had been moved from its original date in anticipation of Hurricane Joaquin. As a result, the show had to compete with other events around campus on Friday night which could have drawn students away.
Additionally, it was part of R.A.G.E, a festival which had been facing logistical issues. Yet, despite lower than average attendance, Techfest 2015 was still a success. The night began with a performance by Cleo, who played live remixes of current hit songs such as “Hotline Bling” by Drake and “679” by Fetty Wap. Throughout the performance, students could be seen dancing and having a good time. Mosh pits were formed on some occasions, and there were even a few students who successfully crowd surfed across the audience. Although students seemed to be enjoying Cleo’s performance, it was
see TECHFEST • Page 7
SURE HOUSE - Stevens Solar Decathlon 2015
by HOUSTON MIGDON Staff Writer
The results are in, and as of this past weekend, the SURE House design submitted by Stevens Institute of Technology has won first place in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon. This victory comes as a culmination of efforts from every corner of the Stevens community for the past two years, with the hopes of designing the future of sustainable coastal housing. The goal of the Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon is to create a sustainable house
that is completely “off the grid” and is self-sufficient in using only solar power. The Stevens team went one step further by making the house is not only virtually energy-independent, but also completely storm-resilient. This year’s competition represented more than just a desire to win for the members of the Stevens community. The SURE House project was inspired by the devastation that was left in the wake of Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Due to the super storm, over 346,000 homes were damaged or completely destroyed in New Jersey alone, with $5.8 billion in aid given to storm
victims, including many within the Stevens community. The SURE House has been designed to withstand inevitable future super storms like Sandy, while simultaneously eliminating the need for burning fossil fuels. To accomplish this feat, the SURE House project enlisted the help of both graduate and undergraduate engineers in almost every discipline: undergraduate involvement alone accounted for 10 mechanical engineers, six students in engineering management, five civil engineers, four computer scientists, and two electrical
see SURE HOUSE • Page 7
Photos by Ellen Drennan
The rise of foreign languages at Stevens by MELINA DALLASTELLA Staff Writer
Among all the exciting new changes coming to Stevens in the near future, lies the evergrowing language program offered within the College of Arts and Letters. With three Spanish courses and one French course offered this semester, and French 2 joining the curriculum in the spring, the language courses have come a long way since its origins in the fall of 2014 when Zachary Balog was hired as the Spanish professor and Foreign Languages Coordinator at Stevens. During spring 2014, there was a survey sent out about foreign languages offered at Stevens, and the demand for the program was shockingly higher than anticipated. “There was an overwhelming response from the students [...]
The response rate to an email poll normally is pretty low, almost insignificant. This was the absolute opposite,” recalls Professor Whitney, who teaches French. She mentions that a good portion of the students even said they would take the class for no credit. Considering all the work that goes into creating schedules and the workload that the students already have, taking on an extra course, especially for no credit, reflects the magnitude of the desire of the students to take foreign language courses. In addition to the language courses offered at Stevens, both Professors Balog and Whitney are actively trying to incorporate cultural aspects into their language courses. They host weekly “salons” on Thursdays where students interested in learning more about French or Hispanic culture meet in Peirce 202, or the “CAL Lounge.” The
Thursday salons alternate between Spanish and French every week. The College of Arts and Letters also hosts a foreign film series, where they show foreign films on a Friday once per month throughout the semester in order to help the students immerse themselves in different cultures. In order to engage the students in Spanish culture, and as a part of the upcoming Foreign Language Education month in November, Professor Balog is holding Paella Night on Tuesday, November 3 from 8 to 10 p.m. in the Skyline Suite on the 4th floor of the Howe building. While enjoying various different types of paella, which is a rice dish from Spain, there will be two speakers originating from Spain to share more about their culture with the attendees. For those interested in cooking, there will be a demonstration on how to prop-
erly prepare paella in Hayden Lounge that same day from 6 to 7 p.m. In the future, both Balog and Whitney hope to be able to offer minors in foreign languages at Stevens to further enrich the education of the students and allow them to expand their horizons. In order to establish this minor in the future, Balog and Whitney look to develop upper-level courses that focus on foreign literature and would count towards humanities credits. The potential minor would also help students interested in studying abroad to have a much fuller cultural
experience, immersing them in their chosen language while on their journey abroad. As a final reminder, Balog and Whitney would like to share that the dates published in last week’s issue of The Stute for Spanish 2/3 and French 2 placement testing are not the only dates in which students are able to take these placement exams. In order to accommodate as many students with an interest in foreign languages as possible, they are willing to work with the schedules of the students in order to find more convenient times for them to take the tests.
Roving Reporter How are midterms going?
Dia de los Muertos
Women’s Confidence Gap
CSA & FAST host Hot Pot
Letter to the Editor
Volleyball looks to snap losing streak
INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Thoughts on midterms Freshman SGA Debate Android 6.0
Polling Pierce How would you rate TechFest?
D’s Soul Full Cafe
The Stute Weekly Challenges
TechFest Cont.
WCPR ReWrite: Vulfpeck Review
OPINION 2-3
PULSE 4-5
NEWS 6-8
OPINION CONTINUED 9
SURE House Cont.
Golf gets fourth place in competition Club Sports News
SPORTS 10-11