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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 CXIV • Issue 13
Friday, January 27, 2017
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New Student Government Association cabinet inaugurated
Established 1904
Hayden wins freshman dodgeball tournament by TARIK KDIRY Editor-in-Chief
committee heads by having them document their activities and problems into a sort of “bible” to be a resource to their predecessors. According to Daly, Oesterle has multiple initiatives to improve the efficiency of the SGA, “… enhance the new Student Affairs bill that sets out to have senate liaisons for the different offices of Student Affairs such as Residence Life, and Counseling Services.” Soindos Abdah, the new Vice President of Student Interests, has an extensive amount of experience in lead-
Last Tuesday, January 24, the Office of Residence Life hosted the annual freshman dodgeball tournament in Walker gym. All of the freshman residence halls competed against each other to show fellow classmates which hall was the best. Each hall wore their halls’ colors to represent their dorm halls. Last years champions-Davis, sported the color red, Hayden, blue, Castle Point Hall, black, and Humphrey’s green. Each team fought their hardest for the title in a sea of colors. Each RA from each freshman residence hall attended to coach and support their team last Tuesday. In total,
see CABINET • Page 6
see DODGEBALL • Page 7
Courtesy of SGA
Photo courtesy of Thomas Daly
by MARYIA SPIRYDONAVA Managing Editor
The beginning of a new year and semester dawns the beginning of a new Student Government Association cabinet. On Wednesday, Jan. 18 the new cabinet was inaugurated. Students heard remarks from the new president, met the new cabinet, and were informed of its new vision. Thomas Daly, the new president of SGA, has now transitioned from his role as Vice
President of Student Interests into his presidential role. Daly plans to bring different clubs and associations of Stevens’ together, “…we [SGA] are not the only student assembly that acts to govern and advocate for the rights and interests of students. ” To do this, Daly is planning on creating the “Presidents Council” which will bring together the presidents of various organizations like Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) to the Multicultural Greek Council (MGC). Daly plans to be
as receptive to student feedback, “This includes attempting to decrease the number of all student emails and surveys students receive in a given semester and having senators and cabinet members play a more active role in listening to and seeking out the feedback of their peers.” Cat Oesterle, the new Vice President of Operations, plans on using her experience in the SGA to take on a more handson role with the committee heads. Her plan is to foster an easy transition system for
Talking to Remember: Oral History Project to Commence in Upcoming Weeks by OLIVIA SCHREIBER Staff Writer
The Samuel C. Library is much more than a place for students to study into the late hours of the night and print engineering design drawings out on temperamental printers— in reality, it is a museum that hosts a wealth of history, which among many things captures the essence of the Stevens family as well as the accolades of some of the greatest engineers known to date, including Frederick Winslow Taylor, Alexander Calder, and even Leonardo da Vinci. What is not as well-documented, according to Leah Loscutoff, Archives and Special Collections Librarian, are the women who enrolled as the first female undergraduate students dating back to 1971. “I realized that there was not a lot documented,” said Loscutoff, “We want to use oral history to get their stories.” What exactly is oral history? According to Ms. Sadie Sullivan, an oral history consultant whom Loscutoff invited to host a workshop, oral history is one of the most popular methods of conveying history. It involves the collection and subsequent preservation of historical infor-
Campus wide announcement On January 16, 2017, Stevens freshman, Will Moryto, committed suicide. All members of the Stevens community who need assistance in coping with this tragedy or who struggle with depression are strongly encour-
mation using sound recordings or video to obtain a more direct, personal account of history. “Whereas a journalistic piece might engage readers for the next following days or weeks, oral history recordings and transcripts are meant to engage the audience tonight, tomorrow, or even 100 years from now,” Sullivan states. With Women’s History Month approaching in March, Loscutoff believes that this project will “build a sense of pride” among both alumni and current students, male and female alike. As of right now, several interviewees have been confirmed, and Loscutoff anticipates either two or three interviews to be recorded before the Stevens Women’s History Month celebrations begin. Linda Beninghove, Director of the Samuel C. Library, is excited that Ms. Loscutoff has the passion for this subject. “I believe this project will get people interested in the history of Stevens and institutional archives,” said Beninghove. “It serves as an excellent way to engage, especially with alumni.” Loscutoff, Beninghove, and other members of the Stevens administration, including Kristie Damell, Associate Dean of Students, Susan Metz, Executive
Director of Diversity and Inclusion, and Melissa Fuest, Assistant Vice President of Alumni Engagement & Annual Giving and Executive Director of the Stevens Alumni Association have all shown eager support of the project. The project leaders are also considering reaching out to undergraduate students with an interest in oral history and alumni engagement. “This [project] will serve as a connection between past, current, and future students,” said Beninghove, who along with Loscutoff is considering having undergraduate students conduct interviews after some sort of training. The history embedded within the archives of the Samuel C. Library is undoubtedly important, as it gives insight into some of the greatest minds in the fields of science, technology, and engineering. However, as Ms. Sullivan noted in her workshop, John Neuenschwander, a renowned oral historian and judge, famously noted that history should never be “desensitized.” Loscutoff, Beninghove, and the various other promoters of this project are hoping to document the undocumented by kicking off the oral history project with the recordings of voices that we best not forget.
On Friday, Jan. 20 at 12:00 p.m. Donald J. Trump was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States. The events of the inauguration began the day before with the arrival of the Trump family in Washington D.C. and a celebration on the National Mall. The next day was filled with many events including the traditional meeting of the outgoing president and the incoming president, the swearing-in ceremony, the parades, military unit reviews, three inaugural balls, and much more. However, the day was not all fun and games. Congress went to work to confirm two of Trump’s cabinet picks. Trump was also seeing to his executive duties by signing legislation and executive orders. The day was also filled with havoc due to the protests that turned into riots. The day prior to his inauguration, then President-Elect Trump flew into Andrews Air Force Base to begin a very busy
Roving Reporter
Front page continued
Ayme
aged to speak to a counselor. Students can call or email Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) to set up an appointment with a counselor at stevenscounseling@stevens.edu or at 201-216-5177. Or visit the 7th floor of Howe.
Inauguration of Trump by ALEX MURTAGH Staff Writer
day. The President-Elect began by laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers in Arlington National Cemetery. During the day Trump attended meetings with his advisers and members of congress. A the end of the day, Trump attended his inauguration concert on the National Mall with performances by Toby Keith, 3 Doors Down, and Lee Greenwood. Trump spent his final night as a private citizen at the Blair House in Washington D.C., a tradition dating back to President Carter. In accordance with tradition, during the morning of the inauguration, Donald and Melania Trump arrived at the White House for a coffee and tea with then President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. The president and president-elect rode down Pennsylvania Avenue towards the Capitol Building for the inauguration ceremony. During the ceremony, there were performances by the Moron Tabernacle Choir and Jackie Evancho. Around 12:00 p.m.
see TRUMP • Page 6
INSIDE THIS ISSUE: New Semester Letter to President Trump Learning Experience
What are you looking forward to this semester? Polling Pierce
Help me!
Rate your break
OPINION 2-3
CAMPUS PULSE 4-5
“After the Fire” KSA hosts Lunar New Year
NEWS 6-7
Women’s March
New Baseball Staff Member Astel honored by MBWA Wrestling Desimates
Letter to the Editor
Opponents
OPINION CON’T 8
SPORTS 10
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The Stute Editorial
New year, new semester, new opportunity So here we are again. Resuming this reader/ write relationship thing we have here. It’s a great thing and I wish we had this moment more. I guess that’s what makes this moment so valuable to me and we will have this moment once a week for a while. This is my second semester as your Editor in Chief and for some of you this is your second semester here at Stevens in general, so I cannot wait to see what lies in store for both of us this semester. It’s not a stretch to say that we have a very interesting syllabus week here at Stevens. The interesting part is that the week lasts ten minutes then you are
already preparing for the final. At this point in our Stevens career we should expect nothing less. Last semester may have been a shock for some of you if you aren’t accustomed to the work load, but by now you’ve either adapted to it or have learned to, at the very least, go with it. Since this is not only a new semester, but also a new year, there is never a better time to sit down and reevaluate your goals and your purpose. I know for me personally this is the time of year where I spend some real time thinking about my current situation and how far I am along the road to my goals. We all get caught up in
academics and other activities like sports or greek life, but it is important to take a look at all those things and make sure that they are still valuable to you. Since it’s that “new year, new me” time of year, there is no better time than to reorganize yourself and ask yourself if everything going on for you right now is making you happy and pushing you closer to your goals. Note what wasn’t helping you out last semester and try to shift your focus a little. Nothing should be more important to you than your well-being and happiness. This is the year to eliminate the negativity that darkened your
last year. This is the year to buckle down on your priorities and learn new things. Most importwantly this is your year to get acquainted with opportunity and use it to your advantage. I hope that you, my reader, are found well reading this and that every moment we have together is memorable. It will sure be memorable for me. See you next week.
Tarik Kdiry Editor-in-Chief
Senioritis
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Opinion
Friday, January 27, 2017 • Page 2
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Corrections & Clarifications For corrections and clarifications email eboard@thestute.com • In the last issue, the Holiday Tree Lighting was run by the Campus Life Comittee, not the Entertainment Comittee
by KATIE BROWN
Senior Chemical Engineering Major
Winter Break: a time to celebrate the holidays, hang out with family and friends, and most importantly, catch up on sleep. I am proud to the announce that for the first time in about two years, I was actually able to do those things! As someone who has held Executive Board positions from their sophomore year onward, it was quite liberating to not have any sort of budget to create or flyer to craft over the break. Don’t get me wrong, I loved my positions and enjoyed the collaboration I got to lead among my peers, but it was so nice to actually relax this holiday season. I do have to
admit, however, that there was an overwhelming sense of boredom that came with not having a position anymore that my Netflix binge of Stranger Things could not completely satisfy. Mainly, there was the habit of having a constant to do list that currently leaves me at a loss. In semesters past, I would have my school to-do list, personal to-do list, position todo list, and then intermingle all three for tasks across a given day. What used to fill up page after page in my Moleskine now is lucky to reach halfway through a page in a week. The concept of free time has been rather non-existent in my life and I have been confused what to do with it. Especially since, as a Stevens student, it’s rather unsettling to guiltlessly watch HGTV till who knows when and perform other “couch potato-y” acts. While on my eboards, I had to make use of every spare moment I had in order to still have a decent social life and get a good night’s sleep. Now, I have all the time in
the world, and quite honestly I am less productive because of it. It reminds me of when I first came to Stevens trying to determine what to do with my free time (spoiler alert: I took a lot of naps) which is an odd state to be in during my last semester here. Another part of my transition back to “normal member” was probably one of hardest acceptances I had to make with myself: I have full trust in those who I transitioned my positions to. I never doubted their abilities to excel in the position at hand but I might have doubted my transition to them for their ultimate success. At first, I would have moments of “Oh no, I didn’t tell them about this!” or doubts of “Did I do a good job at explaining that?” It created mild anxiety within me because I would never want to set someone up for confusion and/or failure. The most important thing I remember is, and perhaps other seniors in the current state I am in can too, that I am still here. Even though I
am only on campus for one more semester I have Facebook, a cellphone, heck, even a mailbox (dated technology, I know), which are all great tools for communication. It’s important to remain available but idealistically, that will not happen. Eventually position members figure it out with or without you, but the proper tools are there if people so chose. There’s really nothing to worry about. To all my second-semester-senior-formereboard-members-of-Stevens homies, we’re going to be okay. We have more time now because we worked our butts off previously. Our organizations picked the best option for the future of the position because we paved the path for them to continue. It’s truly time to sit back, help your peers out if they need it, and relax, no matter how hard that will be. The transition back to normal member will vary person to person, but the time to really enjoy senior year is upon us and we all need to take advantage of it.
Mind of a Freshman
It’s a learning experience
by AUDREY DSOUZA
Freshman Business and Technology Major
First semester was so much fun, and I am truly excited to be back on campus. When you’re in Hoboken, you take for granted the abundance of restaurants and people that are around. As I was getting closer to break, I couldn’t wait to go home and see my
family. I was counting down the days until I could get some sleep and solitude; thankfully, I don’t have any loud neighbors that blast Friends at 2 AM, but still. However, after the holiday parties came to an end, scrolling through a social media feed that wouldn’t refresh and switching through all the TV channels wasn’t cutting it. My town, so quiet that I could hear the birds sing, was nice, but I yearned to come back to a city full of places to explore and things to do. This semester I’m taking 19 credits, and will most likely pledge Alpha Phi Omega. I am nervous about being
crazy busy, but I want to take on more. Last semester, in classes I thought I would do well, I did badly. And in classes I thought I’d do badly, I did well. At a point I was failing Physics, but I came out of that class with an A-. I was especially proud because I didn’t study physics in high school. In Calc, which I thought was for sure an easy A because I took AP Calculus in high school, I got an A-, and after a lot of studying too. I guess I’m just saying that you never know how things turn out. If you’re doing bad in a class, or just had a bad semester, you have several more to compensate for that – and grades aren’t ev-
erything. Don’t take on too much if you know you can’t take it, but make the most of your time. Looking back, if you should have gotten a tutor, or a study group, make sure you do it this semester! If you shouldn’t have done so many clubs that your GPA took a hit, then lean back a bit now. New year, new you, right? Don’t let things that happened in the past hold you back from what you really want. If you don’t know what you want, that’s okay too. Simply working diligently does open doors. Overall, it’s surreal that four months passed by so quickly! Will the next four months and
four years go by as quick? The cliché phrase “time flies when you’re having fun” feels more relevant to me now than any other time in my life. High school was fun, but college is an entirely different experience. I didn’t change, I didn’t become a party animal (as I predicted, to be honest). But I did a lot that would have been impossible in high school. True friends are made after midnight, I think! You’re more honest when you’re tired, anyway. I can’t remember a lot from my sleep deprived state, so I scroll through my camera roll to refresh my memory pretty often. I guess that, as a freshman, I don’t know
much. Upperclassmen always have a lot to say about school politics and administration, knowing all the secrets of the past or whatever. I know I did when I was a senior in high school. With ignorance comes bliss, for sure. While I’m an ignorant baby freshman, I’ll make it my priority to enjoy as much as I can. I’ll take a lot of pictures with friends, I’ll take on as much as I can without feeling overwhelmed. Things that are supposed to happen, will happen, and things that aren’t meant to be, aren’t meant to be. But it’s okay. Such is college. The biggest (and most expensive) learning experience of our lives.
Friday, January 27, 2017 • Page 3
Across the Hudson
Thank you
by DAVID ROGERS
Sophomore Mechanical Engineering Major
I typically avoid writing about things that New York is well-known for, but I’ve decided to write about the subway, just not in the way most people would expect. This is just going to be a message to all the MTA, Port Authority of NY & NJ, and NJ Transit employees. For all the problems with the transit systems,
all the complaining us riders do, all the delays and whatnot, thank you. The city simply wouldn’t function without your work. We live in by far the most transit-driven city in the U.S. with 56% of commuters using public transportation. I’ve tried to think of what would happen without the MTA. I can’t imagine a New York where everyone drove to work instead of using the train and bus, as the parking situation is bad enough already. Most people can’t walk to work really, since they have to come into Manhattan from the outer boroughs or neighboring counties to get to work and it’s always raining in this city. Most of the system’s daily problems aren’t the fault of common MTA
workers either. Delays due to suicide-by-train are pretty common, and they’re not the MTA’s fault; the only one to blame is the guy who killed himself. Bus drivers can’t do anything to prevent heavy traffic, road closures, protests, or anything else causing delays, and they actually have to be alert during the delays while we’re perfectly free to read or stare at our phones. Additionally, despite these all but unpreventable incidents, we still have the best transit system in the entire country. Philadelphia’s SEPTA still uses easy-to lose coins instead of MetroCards, the D.C. metro doesn’t even run at night, and don’t get me started on the transit in Southern and Western
cities. New York’s public transportation exceeds that of all of these cities, despite our ridership being much higher, at 2.5 billion people per year. For my friends reading this letter, don’t worry. I still belong to the relatively small group of psychopaths in the tristate area known as drivers. I simply know the reality of public transportation in the U.S., that New York is the best at it, and that it currently would be impossible without so many MTA workers working 2 A.M. shifts and hectic rush hour shifts. So thank you. New York State and MTA management, don’t take this the wrong way, you still suck. This letter is for the day-to-day workers.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Photo courtesy of NYCTourist.com
Scientific Curmudgeon
A letter to President Trump
by JOHN HORGAN CAL Professor
Dear Mr. President: Congratulations on your inauguration! Let me be honest: I supported Hillary Clinton, because the liberal media convinced me that you were too disrespectful of convention to be President. But I’m beginning to see your defiance of received wisdom in a positive light. In fact, that is why I’m writing you. I have a proposition that should appeal to your iconoclasm--and, yes, your ambition. Your doubters insinuate
that the prospect of being President daunts you, but of course they underestimate you. If anything you are wondering: What loftier mountains are there to climb? Challenges to overcome? How can you top what you’ve already done? You have big items on your to-do list: reforming immigration and healthcare policies, boosting employment, rebuilding our creaky infrastructure, renegotiating international trade deals and alliances. I propose that you make a much grander goal your primary mission: world peace. Yes, I’m talking about ending war and even the threat of war. If you succeed, armed conflict between any two nations will be inconceivable, just as it is today between France and Germany, who for centuries were mortal enemies. You have criticized U.S. military interventions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya
and elsewhere, and you called the Vietnam War “a mistake.” You clearly recognize that war should be avoided whenever possible, because it often ends up creating more problems than it solves. War also wastes resources that could be spent improving education and health care and pulling people out of poverty. Almost everyone--including Barack Obama, who won a Nobel Peace Prize!--doubts whether permanent peace is possible. According to surveys I’ve carried out for more than a dozen years, nine out of ten people think war will never cease. This widespread pessimism, far from deterring you, should make my proposition more enticing. Moreover, in many ways the time is ripe for ending war. Since the end of World War II, armed conflicts have declined dramatically. The entire western hemisphere
is now war-free! Attaining world peace will require boldness, imagination and tough negotiations with powerful individuals and institutions, notably the defense industry. But the global economy has far more to gain than to lose from war’s eradication. Lockheed-Martin, the biggest defense firm, ranks only 197 on the Fortune Global 500. With your communication skills, you should be able to amass broad support for a peace plan, building a coalition consisting of liberals, libertarians, fiscal conservatives, people of faith and business folk. You can’t vanquish war in four years, but if you promote peace aggressively, you might see results surprisingly soon. No one thought the Cold War would end until, suddenly, it did. Here is how you might proceed:
First, declare that world peace is your administration’s number-one priority. Order Defense Secretary James Mattis (great choice, by the way) and other advisors to brainstorm peace plans, including proposals for scaling back U.S. military operations without imperiling security. The U.S. could chop its defense budget in half and it would still exceed the spending of Russia and China combined. Meanwhile, you and other global leaders swap ideas for resolving conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere in ways that further the ultimate goal of ending war. Your respectful relations with Vladimir Putin give you an advantage. You and Putin could pledge sharp reductions in your nuclear arsenals and a moratorium on developing new weapons as a show of good faith to other nations. China and other major powers
will surely reciprocate with military rollbacks, because they, too, would rather invest in hospitals, schools, roads and clean energy than arms. World peace is win-win-win. If, as President, you help humanity take the first step toward overcoming the ancient scourge of war, you will go down in history as the greatest leader ever. Greater than Caesar, Napoleon, Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, Churchill, Gandhi, Ronald Reagan. Jesus called for peace on earth, Trump delivers it. If you have questions about my proposition, I’d be happy to talk it over with you at your convenience. Respectfully, John Horgan, Stevens Institute of Technology [This is an revised version of a letter originally published on my ScientificAmerican.com blog, “Cross-check.”]
ers look at the quality. They assign a value to a game based on the quality. Some games aren’t worth anywhere close to the full price due to it being full of bugs, having a short story, having bad mechanics, or anything in between. In this case, piracy is more acceptable – but there is also the practice of waiting. All games will go on sale eventually. Just wait for it to go on sale at YOUR valued price. It’s going to come down, wait, don’t pirate immediately. The issue of piracy isn’t really a technology question, but more of an economics question. Companies always want to try maximize their profits – and I don’t blame them for that. They have to sat-
isfy their shareholders. However, they still need to keep their consumer in mind – placing too high of a value on their product will scare away consumers, and some of them will turn to piracy in response. It’s a careful balance, but in the end, companies should produce high quality and polished games. They will able to charge more, win awards, grows their company and maximize profits. Higher quality games are always better. Also, if you value a game at $50 and still won’t pay the $50, stop. You’re a scum. And to the video game companies, putting invasive DRM only hurts the legitimate user and is still going to get cracked. Don’t do it.
Technically Speaking
Humbly a pirate
by MARK KRUPINSKI
Freshman Computational Science Major
Now let’s face it. We’re all college students. For the most, we’re all broke. So what do we do when we want to play a new video game? We pirate it. We all, especially at an engineering school, go to the ThePirateBay or some similar website, search for a game, and then click download. It doesn’t matter whether the game costs $5 or $50. However, there are some cases where you
shouldn’t pirate a game: for example, the Humble Bundle. Now, I define the Humble Bundle as a good value. You get hours of gameplay in terrific indie games (and sometimes even AAA) for about 5 dollars. Yet, people still pirate these games. According to a study, 25% of Humble Bundle downloads come from pirated sources. Now, while this is still lower than the PC game average of 35%, it is still astonishing. The humble bundles typically cost at least 10 times less than the retail price of the games. Why do people still illegally download these games – especially at these low costs? Piracy of something like the Humble Bundle
is never OK. In addition to the game to be at a heavily reduced price, you can choose to give all the money you pay for the games to charity. It’s guaranteed to be going to a good cause. On the other hand, downloading full-priced software illegally is a bit more OK. The Adobe Creative Suite is not worth anything close to the full price for a hobbyist. In addition, without demos, you wouldn’t realize that SimCity was horrible without paying the full price of the game. In essence, the argument in favor of piracy boils down into two factors: trials and cost. Demos allow people to try a game before they purchase it, giving them a taste of the developer’s
work and the game’s overall quality without committing to the full price. As demos of video games are no longer offered, people cannot legitimately download games and “test them out”. They cannot assess for themselves whether a game is worth the $50 – or maybe even $5. This runs into the issue of value. Some (or most) companies focus on rushing their games to the market without caring too much about the quality. They just rely on the fact that “it’s the new Call of Duty game” or “it’s the new Blizzard game” to sell their product. I get it, you are awarded for brand recognition, but don’t slack. Some people look at the brand, but oth-
Campus Pulse
Friday, January 27, 2016 • Page 4
Roving Reporter What are you looking forward to this semester?
“Fun and success”
“Warmer weather”
“Warmer weather and softball season”
Parker Petroff-Rims
Daniel Rosenberger
Samantha Schattin
“Getting soldi”
“Getting good grades”
“Spring break!”
Dominic DellAntonia
Gary Marshuetz
Austin Marchese and Dylan Walsh
Polling Pierce
Sudoku
Rate your Break Scale of 1-10
32 21
18 18
7 1 1
0 2
1 3
0 4
2 5
6
7
8
Join We meet Tuesdays at 9 p.m. and Thursdays at 6 p.m. Chime in with ideas, articles, literature, opinions, poetry, and for free pizza!
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Strips
Friday, January 27, 2016 • Page 5
Do you draw comics in your spare time? YOU COULD GET PUBLISHED! Email a sample to eboard@thestute.com
Comics from: xkcd.com explosm.net filbertcartoons.com awkwardzombie.com theawkwardyeti.com poorlydrawnlines.com
News Cabinet
Continued from front page
ing student organizations. She founded the Muslim Educational and Cultural Association and was on a number of various executive boards, making her extremely qualified. Abdah is planning on establishing a religious and faith-based subcommittee to represent religious organizations. As well as, reevaluating how faculty advisors contribute to a club. Houston Migdon, the new Vice President of Finance, is focused the transition to a new budget committee structure. Daly states the changes “… removes Subcommittee Senate Representatives and replaces them with Members at Large”. Migdon wants to collaborate with administration on creating a student activity fee that will represent the needs of the student body. Hannah Timm, the new Vice President of Academic Affairs, wants
Friday, January 27, 2017 • Page 6
to investigate the “CAL 103/105” structure in hopes of revamping the courses. As a whole, Trimm plans to focus on humanities courses, such as making foreign language classes more accessible and more appealing. She wants to foster a better relationship between students and professors by increasing respect on both sides. Trimm will use student programs like peer mentors to improve student academic experiences. Trimm wants to dedicate time to finals scheduling and making sure there is an actual reading day. Parker Petroff-Rims, the new Secretary, will be implementing a new website for the SGA, to improve the transparency of the SGA to the student population. He wants to define and improve the election procedure, so that elections can alway run smoothly. Now that the SGA cabinet is ready to begin working on their goals, the senate can focus on filling the empty seats.
Trump
Continued from front page
Mike Pence was sworn in as Vice President by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Immediately after, Donald Trump was sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts. President Trump then gave his inauguration speech, which has since been criticized as being extremely populist and anti-establishment. The ceremony then ended and former President Obama was flown off to Andrews Air Force Base. It is estimated that 31 million people watched the inauguration on cable and broadcast news networks. However, this is seven million less than the 38 million who watched President Obama’s inauguration, the second highest on record. These numbers do not include the use of live stream views through the internet, which provides a new source for viewers. Twitter estimated that they had over 6 million viewers through their
platform alone. The president has been very hung up on these numbers in recent days due to the release of pictures comparing the size of the crowds. These pictures show the crowds at the time of the swearing-in during the 2009 and 2017 inauguration, with the 2009 inauguration being much larger. Trump’s busy day then included a traditional luncheon with the members of Congress. Also in attendance was former Secretary of State and former rival for the Presidency, Hillary Clinton. Although all of the attention was focused on Trump, during a speech Trump recognized Clinton for attending and for the hard-fought campaign. Trump also thanked those who worked on his campaign and supporters. He also reiterated some of the key points of what he hopes to get done during his presidency. After the luncheon, Trump attended a review of the armed forces. The events shifted into a presidential parade with an emphasis on the armed forces. Finally,
Trump and the First Family ended the night by attending three inaugural balls. In between the parade and the first inaugural ball, President Trump signed legislation allowing former Marine General James “Mad Dog” Mattis to serve as Secretary of Defense. Trump also signed executive orders to formally appoint the members of his cabinet. Finally, Trump signed a proclamation declaring that day as a “National Day of Patriotic Devotion”. This is a tradition of the presidents to declare a national holiday after their inauguration. During 2009, President Obama declared his as a “National Day of Renewal and Reconciliation”. There was a lot of controversy surrounding the events of the day, from the selection of performers to the protesters inside Washington, D.C. at the time of the inauguration. Many of the performers asked to attend immediately rejected the invitation on the basis of politics. Others had accepted, but later back out
due to immense public pressure and even death threats. The performers were highly criticized by the media and the public for their lack of A-list celebrities. Several of the peaceful protests that began during the inauguration eventually developed into riots. This caused thousands of dollars in damage, and one business may even have to shut its doors due to the damage. These riots also led to the arrest of over 200 people and the injuries of 6 police officers. The following day was filled with more protests by the women’s march. However, instead of this protest strictly taking place in Washington D.C., there were protests all around the world. It is estimated that the crowds in at the National Mall were significantly larger than that of the inauguration. While the protests have been praised as very impactful, there are still many who believe that the protests had no impact, mainly due to the crude language and threats of violence by some of the speakers.
Interested in writing? Come to The Stute! General Body Meetings: Tuesday 9pm Jacobus 2nd Floor
Stevens hosts “After the Fire” in Debaun Auditorium to teach fire safety by AUDREY DSOUZA Staff Writer
“After the Fire”, is a documentary and discussion presented by Shawn Simons and Alvaro Llanos on Wednesday, January 25th at 3 PM and 6 PM in Debaun Auditorium. It was cosponsored by the Campus Life Committee, Office of Residence Life, Office of Environmental Health & Safety, Hoboken Fire Department, and Office of Undergraduate Student Life, in order to spread awareness about fire safety in college dormitories in case of emergency. The 53 minute documentary summarized the story of the fire that occurred at Boland Hall, a freshman dormitory at Seton Hall University on January 19, 2000, and how the lives of Shawn Simons, Alvaro Llanos and their families were forever changed after that day. Three lives were lost to what is described as a “fraternity prank” and a “senseless act of stupidity”. Alvaro and Shawn’s story is described as a “huge tragedy” and a “near death experience” by speakers in the documentary, and as “heartbreaking” and “a parent’s worst nightmare” by the families of all those affected. In total, there were 58
victims, most of whom suffered from smoke inhalation. However, of those who survived the fire, Alvaro and Shawn had the worst burns and complications. The fire broke out at about 4:30 AM, a time where most students were asleep. The semester prior, the fire alarm was pulled three or four times a week in their residence hall, and during finals week it was pulled up to five times a night. They took their time in evacuating the building, at that point not knowing the gravity of the situation. The heat, estimated to as hot as 1500 degrees Fahrenheit, was described as “what hell must feel like” by Simons in the book After the Fire by Robin Gaby Fisher which records their story from the day of the event to years after. The investigation for those who committed arson took especially a long time, and without any leads was described as an “archaeological excavation”. Even after finding the arsonists responsible for such a tragedy, many call their case “imperfect justice” as the guilty lacked remorse for their crimes. During the trials they were reported to have smirked at Alvaro and Shawn, not at all apologetic for their crime. On top of that, the two who
caused the fire were able to walk free after serving two to three years respectively in a juvenile detention facility, despite being in their mid-twenties. Shawn and Alvaro have stated that it is part of their mission to share with high school and college students the dangers of dormitory fires. They emphasize that they don’t care how large their audience is; “1 or 1000 students, our presentation is the same,” says Simons. This incident has led to the improvement of fire safety awareness and education specifically in the state of New Jersey, by mandating fire sprinklers in all dorm rooms. “Unfortunately it takes a death for people to realize laws are important.” said Simons while explaining that New Jersey is only 1 of 4 states to enact such a law. They advise to everyone, “If you hear that alarm, no matter where, or for what reason: a shooting, a fire, get out of there as fast as you can.” They don’t intend to scare anyone, but rather educate students on the dangers of a fire “[that] has no prejudice” and can injure anyone. Please consider following Alvaro and Shawn on their Instagram page, or visit their website http://www.alvaroandshawn.com/.
News Dodgeball
Continued from front page
25 Resident Assistants attended the tournament including 14 from lower campus and 11 from upper campus.
Friday, January 27, 2017 • Page 7
The tournament commenced with the first matchup, Castle Point Hall versus Humphreys Hall. Castle Point Hall, clad in black, started off strong with multiple eliminations within seconds of the commencement. Humphreys Hall,
dressed in green, returned the favor with a strong defense that would ultimately lead to their victory. After Castle Point Hall’s disappointing defeat, the next matchup filled the floor. Hayden Hall, dressed in blue, faced off against
last year’s victor, Davis Hall; dressed in red. Both teams started strong with very minimal eliminations. The match went on with both teams seeming evenly matched. Eliminations came slowly then ended with a Hayden victory.
The next and final match for first and second place was between Hayden and Humphreys Hall. After a tense match, Hayden in blue emerges victorious. Captain Maggi was the referee of the tournament with a few resident assistants acting as
sideline coaches. There were over 200 participants and 25 freshman hall RA’s. After the final match, Davis residents Gina DeOliveira and Victoria Kapp were named this year’s freshmen hall MVP’s for their outstanding performance.
Freshmen Dodgeball Tournament Photos
Photos by Bernard Feeney and Cole Yarburough
KSA hosts Lunar New Year celebration by DAVID OVSIEW Staff Writer
Last Wednesday at 9, the Korean Student Association held a celebration in honor of the Korean Lunar New Year. Upon arriving at the event, guests were asked to take off their shoes, grab a drink, and kneel at a series of kneehigh dinner tables, equipped with plates, utensils, and small bowls of vegetables and corn. There, guests were able to eat delicious Korean food while listening to and watching
K-pop music videos on a projector. Food was brought directly to the tables by KSA members, who went around with trays full of Korean pancakes, pork and vegetable dumplings, fried chicken, spare ribs, rice, and more. About halfway through the event, KSA President Kevin Kim stood on stage and addressed the room. He explained the meaning and widespread celebration of the Lunar New Year, as well as
the Korean tradition of eating meals of rice and banchan (side dishes). This was the first Korean Lunar New Year at Stevens where guests could eat while sitting on the floor, an ancient tradition still practiced in Korea. While Kevin Kim stated that the tables were higher than he would have liked, he is still very happy with people’s reception of it and hopes to have similar seating arrangements in the future.
Photos by Cole Yarburough
Opinion Continued
Friday, January 27, 2017 • Page 8
Cuisine Corner
Banana (leaf) on a plate
by MARKO DJAPIC
Sophomore Chemical Biology Major
Few things are more exciting than the Stute’s first issue of the semester, so to match the occasion I thought I’d go somewhere special. For this, I picked Ayame, Hibachi and Sushi, or as I like to call it now, AYUMMY. While I usually only go to Ayame for the lunch special ($13.00 for Maki Three Roll combo), I had never been there at night. In stark contrast to 2 p.m, the place was packed and incredibly alive with the roar of hibachi. To my continued surprise, there are actually small tables aside from the ones next to the window. You learn something new every day. After doing my time as the designated door closer (the door doesn’t quite shut when people walk through it), we finally
got one of the tables next to the hibachi grills, or should I say, Teppanyaki grills. It was around that moment that we sat down that I remembered how much theater goes into Hibachi, as I was quickly reminded by a massive roar of flame and heat on the back of my neck courtesy of the chef behind us. While I would’ve loved to have gotten actual Hibachi, I was on a mission: special rolls. I had only ever gotten special rolls once in my life, and I was ready to try them all. Reading the three pages worth of rolls, my head was spinning with decisions. An aversion to eel on my friend’s behalf quickly knocked off a lot of choices, and an aversion on my behalf to mango knocked off a few more, but ultimately we settled on a few that sounded more like action movie titles than sushi rolls. Those were the Yellow Dragon, Sweetheart, Playboy, and Crazy Angel rolls. We received all the rolls in maybe fifteen to twenty minutes, which was much faster than I had expected given how packed the place was. More than that, however, was how BEAUTIFUL our
plate was. All the rolls were popping with different colors and different shapes, with a giant banana leaf (I assume) wrapping the display together on a green background. Sushi in general I find very visually appealing, but this one really had me blown away. I couldn’t wait to dig in. The first roll that I got my hands on was the one I was personally waiting for the most; THE CRAAAAZY ANGEL. Filled with Cajun pepper tuna and asparagus and topped with tuna, yellow tail, salmon, eel, avocado, spicy mayo, wasabi, and eel sauce, I was immensely curious what this roll would taste like. My first bite was everything I had hoped it would be, which was delectably savory, spicy, and creamy, with a hard
crunch in the asparagus which gave way to the wonderful textures of the fish towards the end of the bite. This is definitely worth trying. Going down the line was the Sweetheart. The Sweetheart certainly looked the most romantic, with its almost heart shaped pieces and pink hues, and it certainly felt like cloud 9. The first bite was like biting into a delicious cloud, filled with spicy tune and avocado and covered in spicy pango mayo and tuna salmon. The whole bite through, the piece remained incredibly soft and begged to be chewed more and more, slowly rising in intensity as the heat of the spices unexpectedly took their full effect on your mouth. I recommend it. On the back two, the
flavors were no less impressive. The Yellow Dragon was more in-line with my established idea of sushi, and it was a delicious execution. The mix of tuna, salmon, and yellow tail came together to provide a savory, luscious core that anchored the crunch wrap, avocado, spicy mayo, and eel sauce and allowed them to play off each other. The Playboy, meanwhile, hit a soft spot in my heart, given that I have always loved shrimp tempura. It was also the best tempura I had ever had, in that it was incredibly crunchy while retaining a soft interior, more so than any other tempura I’ve tried. The spicy tune, avocado, tobiko, spicy mayo, and eel sauce blended into the tempura with each chew, adding more and more flavors to a deli-
cious texture. Both were excellent and deserve attention. All in all, Ayame, Hibachi and Sushi is one of the top sushi places in Hoboken, and I look forward to coming back for the Hibachi.
CONTACT & INFO Ayame Hibachi & Sushi 526 Washington St
Monday 11:30 AM – 11 PM Tues - Thurs 2 PM – 11 PM Friday - Saturday 11:30 AM – 11:30 PM Sunday 12 PM – 10:30 PM
(201) 683-8243 Food: Service: Location: Price: $$$ Photo courtesy of Ayame Hibatchi and Sushi
Girl Talk
The women have marched. Now what?
by NAMANKITA RANA
Sophomore Engineering Management Major
Last week marked two historic events. Friday, January 20th, was the presidential inauguration of Donald Trump and Saturday, January 21st was marked by an event that was arguably just as big if not even bigger: the Women’s March on Washington. These women — around half a million — marched together to protest the Trump agenda and defend women’s rights, civil rights, LGBTQ rights, and human rights as a whole, all of which are currently under attack from the new administration, but the march wasn’t limited to the nation’s capital alone. Women’s Marches occurred across the US and in other countries; women, men and children took to the streets, with estimates showing more than 3 million participants worldwide. On paper, the Women’s March has done exactly what it was meant to do – unite women of all backgrounds in a display of civic strength
and unity. The feeling of mutual bonding among the marchers, as well as the impact of this experience on young children, especially young girls, is no doubt incredibly important. And yet, for all the clever signs and record-shattering numbers, all the positive feminist rhetoric and excited media coverage, a small, cynical part of me can’t help but believe that it all still rings hollow. I’ve spent a lot of time in the aftermath of the election pondering in what ways the conversation, and indeed women themselves, have changed, if they have changed at all. Some of it has been positive, but much of it has been depressingly negative. And it seems to me that most of it, regardless of where it is coming from, is merely white noise in the background of something much bigger and harder to influence. After all, merely days ago, Trump signed an incredibly restrictive antiabortion law through executive order, and there are several more anti-abortion bills pending passage in Congress as we speak. With all due respect, I doubt the signs with “p*ssy grabs back” or other vaginarelated puns/paraphernalia from the marches slowed his hand for even a moment. Sure, they make for great clickbait during a slow news day, but will they have
enough of an impact to prevent them from being erased from our collective memory? The point I’m trying to get to is this: the civic strength shown at these marches, while inspiring, will do nothing on its own. Can it turn into an organized, actionable movement, something that can actually have an effect? This new-age feminist movement, if one can truly dub it that, risks falling into the same trap that has befallen so many of its predecessors – complacency. There comes the risk of simply being all bark and no bite. Think back to the anti-war protests prior to and after the 2003 invasion of Iraq, which took place not just on American soil but also worldwide; or the 2011 Occupy Wall Street Movement, which was started with the objective of ending Wall Street greed. In the case of the former, loud, impressive demonstrations worldwide didn’t stop the sitting administration from doing whatever they wanted. And in the case of the latter, the movement may have started with good intentions, but a lack of a cohesive agenda and a clear delineation of real, achievable policy goals caused the movement to fizzle out. The women’s movement runs the risk of falling apart the same way as those
failed movements did. Right now, it suffers from a lack of a coherent agenda. There is no clear message, no clear demands. And as any woman who’s ever been in a situation that involved negotiation knows, it’s when you lose sight of your specific demands that you get talked over or simply ignored. Infighting is also a serious concern. The women in these protests are held together by the most tenuous of threads, and as several media outlets have correctly noted, modern day feminists often forget that their feminism must be inclusive, and take into account the experience of ALL women, including minorities, LGBTQ women, disabled
women, etc. Despite the organizers’ best efforts, the marchers remained, for the most part, overwhelmingly white and economically privileged. Diversity and inclusion extends beyond just race and socioeconomic status though; diversity of thought is important too, and it seems that, although politically conservative women were not stopped from marching, they were not really accepted, either. Excluding them from this conversation and relying on liberal women alone as a support base would be a huge mistake. The marchers that day drew strength from one another, and that’s good. They need the strength to follow up with seri-
ous political organizing and action, or this inspirational march will be little more than a footnote in a history textbook. It’s an uphill battle, for sure. But it’s not impossible. To paraphrase a tweet from Michael Nutter (that was later retweeted by Hillary Clinton): Marching is good. Organizing is better. Speaking up is good. Running for office is better. Registering is good. Voting is the best. And to paraphrase a quote from Hillary Clinton’s concession speech: Never stop believing that fighting for what’s right is worth it. But also, get a plan to make said fight a whole lot easier. Because there’s a long fight ahead of us.
Photo courtesy of CNN
Friday, January 27, 2017 • Page 9
Letter to the Editor
Goodbye Madam President by ANONYMOUS
‘Goodbye, Madam President’ — this has been a phrase I’ve been saying to myself for a while now these last few months. But last week’s inauguration of President Trump, and her gracious presence there with her husband on her arm really drove home the finality of this numbing, historic farewell. Which brings me to the I’ve had one question since the election: How did we get here? It started, of course, on Election Day, the day that all reputable pollsters had predicted a Clinton win. Of course, that is not the way things turned out. Election night was a hard night. Watching the live results flash onto the Empire State building, seeing as her chances of winning the presidency tumbled into a free fall was unspeakably painful to watch. By the time I clocked out at 3 AM, I knew she had lost. I went to bed that night tired, and afraid of the path our country had chosen to go down on. But even more than that, my heart broke for the brilliant, confusing, frustrating woman I had grown to admire over the last few years. I don’t know what hurt me more - the thought that losing could have finally made her break out in tears, or even worse, the thought that
she probably did what she had done her entire life: kept a stiff upper lip, swallowed her emotions, and gracefully conceded to the winner, a significantly less qualified man who took up politics on a whim, rated women’s bodies on a scale of one to ten, and felt entitled to grab them, in his own words, “by the p*ssy”. The criticisms and dissections of Clinton and her campaign in the aftermath of the election were tiring, too. Some were legitimate, but most were simply lazy journalism. The most annoying recurring criticism was that she was somehow a weak candidate. Weak? Please. It took Russia, Wikileaks, the FBI, and some of US history’s tightest voting law restrictions to finally take her down. And despite her loss, she still defeated her opponent in the popular vote by nearly 3 million votes.The woman has won more votes than any white man in history, and just less than an African American man. And although her strategy failed, she had the foresight to build a coalition of marginalized, minority voters who will one day be the majority of this nation. ‘Weak’ is a disservice to all of that. So weak is not, in my opinion, exactly the right sentiment. But there’s a small ring of truth to the fact that aside from longstanding fans, most people never saw the good in her, or the potential
she brought to the table. Part of it, in my opinion, was because of the moral puritarian hysteria that swept the Democratic primaries. An imperfect candidate, record of public service aside, was suddenly unacceptable to the far left of the party. And so, hating Hillary became the new vogue. It was “in”, it was edgy, and all the cool liberal kids did it. Facts sure as hell didn’t matter, because Hillary was suddenly a corrupt Wall Street bitch, standing in the way of a white man who was, in reality, the self-appointed savior of a party he refused to officially join or fundraise for, and one who was probably no more or less “crooked” of a politician than Clinton herself. No, no, no, in their minds, she was just oh-so-conveniently responsible for everything that went wrong in the Obama administration and nothing that went right. Never mind that all her decisions had to be signed off by the president himself. Never mind that the leaked DNC emails showed no sign of rigging, just a staff that was royally ticked off on her behalf, but not on her instruction. Never mind that a quick search on Snopes would have eliminated 90% of people’s reservations about her. Because if you saw a meme on Facebook that said so, it had to be true, right? Liberals always pride themselves on being so
damn smart. The truth is that they’re just as susceptible to false information as anyone on the right, but they’re too stuck up to admit it. Being inflammatory wins you brownie points and social media shares. Being truthful doesn’t. In the end, I bit my tongue and bore everything thrown her way — the blatant misogyny, the conspiracy theories, and the outright lies reposted over and over on my Facebook feed — because in the end, I truly believed that she would succeed in smashing that highest, hardest glass ceiling. My hope, as I told a friend, was to someday tell my children that we’d had our first African-American president and our first woman president back to back. I wanted to tell them that in this great country, despite the divisions of race and gender, with hard work, grace, and dignity, they could overcome anything and be anyone. I cannot say that to my children now, simply because I don’t believe that anymore. The most depressing part of all this is that her loss is the only scenario where Hillary actually, truly wins. I mean that. Her Day 1 in the presidency would have been marked by some kind of faux scandal, an immediate call vfor impeachment, an assassination attempt, or all of the above. Instead, her loss comes as the equivalent of a political martyrdom,
and the administration that could have been gets to live on in our imaginations as a rose tinted vision, an incomplete promise. I have no doubt that history will eventually vindicate her and call the election season for what it truly was — an extended witch trial. But the fact that her historic achievement was not truly appreciated when she ran still leaves a bitter aftertaste in my mouth. The election also felt incredibly personal because as a young girl, Hillary was one of my first powerful female role models. Growing up, she was a living, breathing embodiment of what I fundamentally believed to be true: that hard work and ambition could shatter even the toughest of glass ceilings. I also saw parts of myself in her — her bookworm, wonky nature, her awkwardness with speaking to large crowds, her perceived lack of “warmth” — all things that she was mercilessly ripped apart for. And in the end, I do believe she tried her hardest. She smiled. She wore makeup. She won all three presidential debates. She did everything she “needed” to do and more. And she still lost. But now, in her defeat, she’s finally free. Free to do whatever the hell she wants — lose the makeup, scowl all she wants, paint her nails purple whenever she feels like
it. If she wants to build 100 schools for girls in the Middle East through the Clinton Foundation, she can do it. If she would prefer to do nothing more than take selfies in the woods in Chappaqua, she can do that too. She has some lingering sadness, yes, but she also gets some well-deserved peace. That said, I don’t believe we will have a female president any time soon. Truly, I don’t. And I wish that there could be some other way around it, but the way I see it, the Democrats’ audacity in running a female candidate at the top of their ticket, only to have her lose, is one that will hurt aspiring female candidates on both sides for a long, long time. So goodbye, Madam President. There will perhaps one day be a woman leading our nation, but by God, I really wanted this one. Hillary Rodham Clinton was someone who never hid her ambition or intelligence, who worked harder and smarter than just about everyone around her, and who dared to smash through glass ceilings despite knowing full well that the impact could leave her bleeding. Well, something has definitely been shattered, and folks are definitely bleeding. I just hope that we can pick up the broken pieces so that someday, someone will be able to take aim at that highest, hardest ceiling once again — and break it.
Letter to the Editor
Teachers and Professors by JAMES McCLELLAN III
Teachers are important and should not be undervalued. We have all had memorable teachers who have taught us each important things and have changed our lives. Remember who taught you how to ride a bike? Play chess? A musical instrument? The calculus? Without such teachers as our instructors and guides we would be perpetual children, diminished, uneducated, and incapable of functioning in the world. For me, my 11th-grade chemistry teacher, Mrs. Hess, opened up the wonderful world of moles and the periodic table, and I went off to college fully intending to be a chemistry major. That didn’t happen, but Mrs. Hess had a profound influence on me that remains to this day, notably in instilling in me the excitement of learning new and wonderful things. Good teachers have incredible skills that allow them to facilitate student learning and shepherd their development. For a while long ago, I was an inner-city elementary school teacher, but I
lacked any skills and any notion of what it was to be a good teacher, and the third graders in my charge quickly defeated me. On the other hand, my wife Jackie was a special education high-school math teacher, and she was armed with an exquisite skill set that involved not only the elements of how to teach math, but also insights into her charges that allowed her to tailor her instruction to each individual student and what was best for him or her individually. If it was only to permit her students to balance a checkbook, she endowed them with powerful tools to be successful in life each in his own way. What about professors? A recent talk at Stevens sponsored by our esteemed Center for Faculty Engagement & Advancement explored “the differences between a teacher (who facilitates learning) and a professor (who imparts information).” Really? Is a professor merely that “sage on the stage” who rattles on uncaringly about this or that before an audience of largely bored students who try to absorb “information” as best they can in anticipation of regurgitating it on another
mind-numbing exam? My students had a hard time grasping what I meant when I told them – as I always did – that I was not their teacher, but their professor. That is not to say that I didn’t care what happened in the classroom. I always tried to make my classroom a dynamic and interesting place. I took every opportunity to vivify the topic at hand, and ex post facto every class offered an occasion to assess what worked and what didn’t. I have had my share of positive student evaluations and teaching awards to show that being a professor is not equivalent to a deadly dull classroom experience or simply “imparting information.” In the end a professor professes, much like a preacher, and the hard truth is that it’s ultimately up to students to embrace what’s put before them and to take responsibility for their own education. That said, apparently there’s still a need to explain what a professor really is. Two qualities seem to me to be essential to the character of any real professor. One, professors are part of living traditions of intellectual inquiry, and
secondly, they are under the obligation to produce new knowledge. I became a historian, and so in some general sense I am a successor to Herodotus, “the father of history.” More than that, I am the product of the Annales school of French historians, and I necessarily brought that tradition into the classroom and my own work. Even more, I became a historian of science and so joined a discipline that harks back to such pioneers as George Sarton and Alexandre Koyré earlier in the twentieth century. Real professors are not trained simply to transmit the work of the men and women with whom they studied. Unlike priests or preachers, professors are called upon to build on the work of their predecessors and advance it into new territory. The humanities and liberal arts are living traditions, as are the natural and social sciences, where researchers form part of spatially extended, “invisible colleges” on the cutting edge of the research front. Thus, when I stood before a classroom as a professor I was almost less an individual than an embodiment of a deeply
rooted and on-going tradition of inquiry in my field. Real professors undertake research in response to questions being investigated at the cutting-edge of their specialties. Such research requires mastery of the existing literature and an almost tacit knowledge of how exactly to pursue research in a particular context. To add to existing knowledge requires creativity and artistry of a sort. The end results are novel contributions made by individuals to larger conversations undertaken and adjudged by communities of experts. (These are not the requirements of ordinary teachers.) Think how far the world has come both in understanding and in practical application by dint of this model of knowledge-making. I needn’t dwell on my own research over forty years to make the point. Perhaps the point that needs to be made is that the university today may no longer need professors,…that all we need are teachers plain and simple. Important exceptions aside, the university in America today is less and less a center of learning that harbors profes-
sors who instantiate their fields and profess what they know and do. The university seems ever less a haven where students go to get an education and become educated citizens. Plainly, for most students (and most administrators) the university is evermore an institution (and dare I say a capitalist institution) for training and as a stepping stone for jobs. Such students need teachers and all the help they can get to see them through. Given the almost universal decline of secondary education in America, the university today is becoming the functional equivalent of the high school of yore. Sadly, because we seem increasingly to devalue learning and the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake, perhaps the university today needs more Mrs. Hesses and fewer Professor McClellans. I daresay many will gleefully agree, but will they recognize what is lost in the bargain? James E. McClellan III Professor Emeritus College of Arts & Letters Stevens Institute of Technology 22 January 2017
Sports
Friday, January 27, 2017 • Page 10
Robert Delaney joins Stevens Baseball staff
D3Hoops.com and MBWA honor Astel ON DECK IN SPORTS
Saturday
Stevens Sports Information
SSI - Stevens Institute of Technology baseball coach Kristaps Aldins has announced the addition of Robert Delaney to the coaching staff. Delaney will primarily work with the team’s pitching staff and will serve as the program’s recruiting coordinator. “I am very excited to have Rob Delaney join our baseball family in time for the 2017 season,” Aldins said. “Rob is an accomplished teacher of the game with experience at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels. His personality relates well to our student-athletes and I am looking forward to seeing him thrive as a Stevens Duck.” A veteran pitcher with eight years of professional playing experience, Delaney most recently served as an assistant varsity coach at Wayne Hills High School, where he primarily worked with the school’s pitching staff, using his experience to create and
implement throwing and conditioning programs. “I want to thank Coach Aldins and [Athletic Director] Russell Rogers for providing me an opportunity to be a part of the Stevens family,” Delaney said. “The baseball program has been one of the top programs, in terms of consistency and winning, in recent years, and I am excited to be able to join the staff. I am anxious to get started working with the student athletes.” Signed as an undrafted free agent by the Minnesota Twins out of St. John’s University, Delaney spent five seasons in the organization, where he was a multi-season All-Star and was named the MLB ClassA Relief Pitcher of the Year in 2007, after going 3-0 with a 1.03 ERA with 35 saves and 83 strikeouts between Class-A Beloit and Fort Myers. The River Vale, New Jersey native made his major league debut with the Twins on Sept. 4, 2010, facing five batters in an inning of work in Min-
nesota’s 12-4 victory over the Texas Rangers. After signing with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2011, Delaney was named Pitcher of the Year by the Triple-A Durham Bulls after registering a 4-2 mark in 51 games with a 1.86 ERA. While with the Bulls, he received a promotion to the majors, making four appearances and earning his major league hold. Following his time with the Rays organization, Delaney spent time with the Miami Marlins, Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim organizations before retiring in 2013. After stepping away from the game as a player, he joined the staff of the Sag Harbor Whalers of the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League, serving as the team’s pitching coach for one season. A graduate of St. John’s University with a degree in Sports Management, Delaney was Team Captain in 2006 and was also a Big East Academic All-Star
Stevens Sports Information
SSI - Stevens Institute of Technology graduate student Kaitlyn Astel earned the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association Division II-III Player of the Week award and was named to the D3Hoops. com Team of the Week Tuesday, following her record-setting performance against St. John Fisher. “Kate had a great week,” said head coach Megan Haughey. ‘She rebounded, played defense, looked for assists and was a consistent offensive threat.” A 5-11 guard from Staten Island, NY, Astel --- who was named Empire 8 Conference Player of the Week Monday --- averaged 24 points as the Ducks (8-7) surged over .500 overall and into a tie atop the conference standings with a
home victory over Ithaca and road wins over Nazareth and St. John Fisher. For the week she shot 55% (26-of47) from the field and nailed 90% (18-of-20) at the free throw line. Astel opened her week with a 23-point, 18-rebound performance in defeating Ithaca 74-43 and closed the week by scoring a school-record 36 points in a comefrom-behind 81-68 triumph over St. John Fisher. In between she registered 13 points, two blocks and a steal as Stevens toppled Nazareth 75-66. Astel’s record-setting 36 points marks the highest single-game total for any women’s player in the Empire 8 this season and matches the second-highest point total on record for the conference.
No. 7 Wrestling decimates opponents in home quad SSI - The No. 7 Stevens Institute of Technology wrestling team registered eight falls Saturday afternoon in Hoboken in a pair of dominating Centennial Conference wins over Gettysburg and McDaniel. The Ducks started the day with a 46-3 victory over Gettysburg, before topping McDaniel 43-9 in match two. The wins pushed Stevens’ dual record to 16-0, and extended its historic win streak to 30. The victories also pushed Stevens’ Centennial Conference win streak to seven. No. 7 Stevens 46, Get-
tysburg 3 After senior Rob Murray gave Stevens the early lead with a 9-2 decision win at 125, freshman No. 1 Troy Stanich and freshman Dylan Van Sickell followed with falls at 133 and 141 respectively. Stanich earned the pin in 3:39 to give him 13 for the season, while Van Sickell got it done in 1:20. Junior No. 7 Zach Wilhelm continued the dominance with a 22-8 major at 149, followed by a fall for junior Aaron Wolang at 157 in 2:13. A 25-9 technical fall victory for senior No. 8 Colin Navick-
as came next at 165, while junior Josh Smith converted the 13-2 major at 174. A forfeit at 184 in Stevens’ favor and a pin for junior No. 8 A.J. Kowal clinched Stevens’ 46 points in what was Kowal’s team-leading 15th fall of the season. Gettysburg did get on the board at 285 with No. 5 Paul Triandafilou’s decision win over senior Pete Andrich, but the loss had no impact on Stevens’ rout. The four falls matched the mark set against Hunter earlier this season, while the 43 point margin
of victory was Stevens’ largest of the season. No. 7 Stevens 43 McDaniel 9 A forfeit at 125 gave way to back-to-back pins for No.1 Stanich and Van Sickell at 133 and 141 respectively. Both got the win in under two minutes with Stanich edging Van Sickell’s by just 10 seconds. No. 7 Wilhelm followed with a 15-0 technical fall win at 149, but McDaniel did finally get on the board with a decision win at 157. No. 8 Navickas responded with a pin in 4:17 at 165 for his fourth fall of
the season, before Smith notched his first fall of the afternoon in 1:21 at 174. Senior Danny Moore continued the momentum with 13-5 major at 184, followed by one for Kowal at 197 by a margin of 15-3. McDaniel got on the board once again with a fall at 285, but the damage was done as Stevens still cruised to the victory by overwhelming margin. UP NEXT The Ducks will continue their homestand Friday night when they host No. 18 NYU for senior day at Canavan Arena.
Stevens ranked 23rd in fall Learfield Cup standings SSI - The Stevens Institute of Technology Department of Athletics is ranked No. 23 nationally after the fall season in the Learfield Directors’ Cup standings. The fall finish is the highest in the both the Empire 8 Conference and state of New Jersey, while Stevens is the only E8 team ranked in the top 40. Stevens captured the
conference championship in women’s soccer this fall, while reaching the tournament championship match in women’s volleyball and women’s tennis. Women’s volleyball earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament where it reached the Sweet 16, while women’s soccer reached the second round. Women’s cross country
earned its first ever at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament after placing fifth at regionals, while individually senior Amy Regan captured the conference, regional and national championship. Regan capped her season in late November when she was named USTFCCCA National Women’s Athlete of the Year. Overall for the fall sea-
son, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, women’s volleyball, field hockey and women’s tennis combined for an 8125-2 mark, while each finished top four in the E8 to qualify for the conference championship tournament. Stevens is no stranger to success in the prestigious ranking as the department finished 13th in 2015-16 in what was its highest finish
Duck Country Scoreboard
ever. The Learfield Directors’ Cup was developed as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today, and points are awarded based on each institution’s finish in NCAA Championships. Nearly 200 institutions were represented in the poll.
Date
Stevens
Opponent/Event
Score
Result
1/20 1/20 1/20 1/21 1/21 1/21 1/21
Women’s Basketball Men’s Basketball Men’s Volleyball Women’s Basketball Men’s Basketball Men’s Volleyball Men’s Volleyball Wrestling Wrestling
@ Nazareth College @ Nazareth College VS. Juniata College @ St. John Fisher College @ St. John Fisher College VS. Rutgers-Newark VS. University of California, Santa Cruz VS. Gettysburg College VS. McDaniel College
75-66 80-77 3-0 81-68 63-84 3-0 3-0
W W W W L W W W W
1/21 1/21
46-3 43-9
Stevens Sports Information
MEN’S BASKETBALL
VS. Utica College [Alumni Day] 4 p.m.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
VS. Utica College [Alumni Day] 2 p.m.
MEN’S SWIMMING
@ Hartwick College 1 p.m. Oneonta, NY
WOMEN’S SWIMMING
@ Hartwick College 1 p.m. Oneonta, NY
MEN’S TRACK & FIELD
@ Boston University Terrier Classic 10:30 a.m. Boston, MA
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
@ Ramapo College 12:30 p.m. VS. Medaille College 2 p.m. Mahwah, N.J.
WRESTLING
@ Muhlenberg College 12 p.m. VS. Ursinus College 12 p.m. Allentown, P.A.
Sunday WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
@ University of Pennsylvania 5 p.m. Philadelphia, PA
WOMEN’S FENCING
@ University of New Hampshire Invitational VS. WPI VS. UNH VS. UV Durham, N.H.
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
VS. Elms College 1 p.m.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, HEAD TO: STEVENSDUCKS.COM STEVENSREC.COM