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DeFusco Visit • National Coming Out Day • Storm The Castle • CSA Mid-Autumn Festival
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Friday, October 13, 2017
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Storm The Castle • P7
Music Review • P9
Hoboken re-examines master plan by SARAH HOOGENBOOM Staff Writer
On Friday, Sept. 22, Hoboken held a ribboncutting ceremony for the opening of Southwest Park. Located between Jackson Street, Harrison Street, Observer Highway, and Paterson Avenue, the 1.24 acre facility will serve the community as New Jersey’s first resiliency park with integrated green infrastructure to mitigate flooding. “The park is designed to hold 200,000 gallons of stormwater runoff,” reported News 12 New Jersey, and “incorporates rain gardens, shade tree pits, porous pavers, and a cistern for rainwater harvesting and reuse, as well as an underground detention system to reduce storm water runoff and flooding.” Aside from the flood prevention features, the park has a dog run, movable cafe tables, a pop-up market zone, multi-level seating for performances, public wi-fi, restrooms, and a lawn area. There was some controversy surrounding the park’s opening among Hoboken public officials. Hudson County View reports, “Zimmer, County Executive Tom DeGise, as well as other county and state officials, are expected to attend an 11 a.m. ribbon cutting at Southwest Park... However, Councilmen Dave Mello and Ruben Ramos
were not satisfied with this arrangement, so they took it upon themselves to host their own ribbon cutting at Southwest Park at 4 p.m. on Saturday. They will also be joined by Southwest Park’s Coalition Co-Founder John Gregorio and referred to the event as the ‘real’ ribbon cutting celebration in a media release.” Hoboken celebrated the grand opening with festivities on Wednesday, Sept. 27 from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The event included a face painter, balloon animal creator, music, food trucks, and various other activities for families to participate in. “I want to say that I’m really proud to have been a part of the groundswell of advocacy for park space and doing something to alleviate the flooding in our neighborhood and Hoboken,” Mayor Dawn Zimmer said to NJ.com during the groundbreaking ceremony in June 2016. “That happened for me back in 2006. I had a 3-year-old and a 1 1/2-year-old, and I knew as a mom how -- and I’m sure parents can relate to this -- how difficult it is to take two toddlers and try to walk 20 minutes over to Church Square Park, or over to the waterfront, and it’s just not that easy. And every community deserves a park in their neighborhood.”
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Stevens president and multiple Board of Trustees members made contributions to Gianforte’s political campaign by ALI HAMEED
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According to filings submitted to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), Stevens President Nariman Farvardin and multiple Board of Trustee Members made monetary contributions to Gianforte’s congressional election committee, “Greg For Montana.” Mr. Gianforte recently donated a total of $20 million in funding for the construction of the new Academic Gateway Center, which was thereafter named the Gianforte Academic Center. After significant concerns were raised by members of the Stevens community over Gianforte’s past support for Anti-LGBTQ groups and his assault on a reporter, a committee was formed to consider the naming of the Academic Center. The committee’s findings were passed on to the Board of Trustees, which oversees the financial, administrative, and academic affairs of Stevens. The contributions, while
in no ways illegal, raise concerns over the potential conflicts of interest faced by members of the Board of Trustees when coming to a decision. Virginia P. Ruesterholz, Chairwoman of the Board of Trustees, donated a total of $5,400 to Gianforte’s campaign. Lawrence T. Babbio, Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Trustees, donated a total of $2,000. Other members, including Philip Crowley, John Hanlon, Thomas Scholl, Stephen Boswell, and Frank J. Semcer also made significant contributions totaling nearly $10,000. Stevens President Nariman Farvardin made a $1,000 contribution to the campaign. The receipt dates for all donations, as listed by the FEC, are after the initial announcement made by President Farvardin in December of 2016 on the decision to rename the center. When first announcing the creation of the Committee to Consider the Naming of the Gianforte Academic Center, President Farvardin
wrote that the issue of renaming the center must be approached “in a thoughtful, deliberate and objective manner.” The contributions, which highlight possible cases of partiality, were not mentioned in any written statement to members of the Stevens community. Gianforte first announced his intention to run for Montana’s at-large Congressional seat on January 25, 2017, after former seatholder Ryan Zinke resigned to become Secretary of Interior for the Trump administration. On May 24, 2017, Gianforte was thrust into national news following his assault on reporter Ben Jacobs, to which Gianforte plead guilty and was sentenced to 40 hours of community service, 20 hours of anger management, 180day deferred sentence, and a $300 fine. The Board of Trustees, in their decision, wrote through e-mail that “Mr. Gianforte’s assault on a reporter was wrong” but that his subsequent apology and actions lead the
Board to believe that this “incident does not define Mr. Gianforte’s character or principle legacy.” The contributions made to Gianforte’s political campaign also highlight discrepancies between statements made by President Farvardin and Gianforte’s own political positions on controversial national political topics. These include President Farvardin’s criticism of the recent travel ban issued by Trump barring entry of immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries. Gianforte, on the other hand, expressed support for the travel ban. On September 28, 2017, the Board of Trustees decided to finalize the name of the Academic Center as “The Gianforte Family Academic Center”, with the board believing the resolution to be in the best interests of the Stevens community. Along with the Board, the Student Government Association and the administration called on members of the community to unite in the days following.
Stevens Venture Center hosts first ever Digital Healthcare Hackathon by MONICA MOSER Staff Writer
From Oct. 6 to 8, 2017, the Stevens Venture Center hosted its first Digital Healthcare Hackathon. Fifty students out of 150 applicants whose majors ranged from Computer Science, Business and Technology, Biomedical Engineering, and more participated in the three-day-long event. The Hackathon involved the participants creating digital solutions to improve medical compliance and telemonitoring healthcare and ended with a final Pitch Competition, organized by Vishal Kadmar, where the ten teams presented what they worked on to a panel of 6 judges to win money to fund their projects. CEOs and other executives
in the healthcare industry participated in the event and served as mentors to the students, including Paul von Autenfried, the CEO of Bristol-Meyers Squibb, giving the keynote address. In third place came Diagnose Me, which predicted diagnoses through big data, and they won two-thousand dollars. Lux came in second place for focusing on integrating healthcare management through Amazon Echo for mental health management and won three thousand dollars. And in first place came Ethyl, which created wearable tech for alcohol addiction recovery, winning the grand prize of five thousand dollars. Dr. Lombardi, Industry Professor at the School of Business and Master of Ceremonies for the hackathon, said the reason for
the hackathon’s focus in digital healthcare was because of how 26% of New Jersey works in the delivery of healthcare. Lombardi added, “The past thirty years have seen more new innovations in the medicine, pharmaceutical, and healthcare supply industries than in the previous 100 years combined, so as The Innovation University that is recognized as a technology leader, Stevens should be the champion action advocate for competitions such as this truly breakthrough event.” Zach Caldarola, one of the members of team Lux, participated in the event after his eventual teammate Mel Vicino reached out to him wondering if he wanted to do it with her since she had the business background as an Engineering Manage-
Photo courtesy of Olivia Schreiber
ment major, and he had the programming background as a Computer Science major. On how they came up with their idea, Caldarola said, “We knew that we wanted to create something that would be used to help patients be compliant with their medications without being too intrusive. After a few different iterations, we landed on mocking up a phone app and developing an Amazon Alexa skill to do this.” Dr. Lombardi believes that the Hackathon will have a strong impact on combatting many health problems. He said, “The charter of Stevens is to create new technologies and management strategies that benefit our community in general. Considering that the mission of healthcare is to use the combined intelligence, labor, and foresight of talented innovators to present meaningful solutions to vexing problems that beset those in pain and need - namely healthcare patients - a very promising and positive impact on our community is definitely in the offing.” Caldarola believes that the long-term effects of the hackathon will encourage entrepreneurship in the Stevens community. He hopes that they continue to have this event “because a lot of great projects came out of this event in a field that is not always focused upon.”
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Opinion The Stute Editorial
How different we become Have you ever written a letter to your future self? Have you ever read one you wrote to yourself 5, 10, maybe 15 years ago? Did you also think to yourself, “What is the best way to make your future self feel bad about themselves? What’s the point of these capsules? Do you think you are going to be the person you wanted to be years ago?” No one told me aspirations change with time. So what made fifth grade Tarik think he still wanted to be a musician, scientist, or a musician-sci-
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Corrections & Clarifications • •
Zamin Akmal was incorrectly spelled as “Zamen” in our article covering the SGA freshman senator candidate debate. Christian Bonavita’s major was incorrectly labeled as Chemical Biology
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reer. I’m sure my parents would have totally appreciated that. Who do we want to become as we get older? What makes those things change? I think it directly correlates to our constant indecisiveness about everything and the fact that our interests can change on a whim. It’s amazing to sit back and think about what you expected to be like at an older age. I always had this image of who I would be, and what I would look like that it almost feels like I am disappointing my younger
self by not being both seven feet tall and crazy good at singing. Only crazy good at singing. Just as we change as people every day, our aspirations and hopes change as well. I feel this lack of security because nothing is absolute. But that also means anything can and will happen.
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entist? I guess me being the Editor of this newspaper kinda fulfills my old desire to be a big-time editor of a magazine like Wired, or Fast Company, but my career aspirations as of now are SO not that. I would have never imagined myself as a Software Engineer, or pursuing engineering in general. As a child, I always felt I had more to offer on a creative level, rather than a technical level. I played the drums religiously, so back then I probably hoped I would still be pursuing that as a ca-
Senioritis
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by OLIVIA SCHREIBER Senior Chemical Biology Major
Midterms have arrived, meaning we’re kneedeep into the “Stevens squeeze,” as Dr. (“Doc”) Lombardi calls it. Yesterday, I was daydreaming of apple picking and brisk autumnal nights. Today, I’m rummaging through my notes, wishing desperately for an algorithm that would narrow down the need-to-knows for my upcoming exams. Even in the depths of midterm week, it’s important to take a stretch from the squeeze. So instead of joining my senior colleagues to sip away our sorrows at Sangria Sunday, I attended the last segment of the first-annual Stevens Venture Center Digital Healthcare Hackathon. Let’s get this straight: my attendance was a result of the extreme hospital-
ity of none other than Doc Lombardi himself. A previous email to him had begun with a question on a completely unrelated topic but ended with an invitation to attend the Hackathon as a guest. Sure, I had homework to complete, midterms to study for, and laundry to fold, but when there’s too much on your plate, push it off and try something new (disclaimer: that doesn’t always work). Serving as a spectator was such a pleasurable experience. With Dr. Lombardi as both the MC and my personal networking ninja, I was able to meet the organizers of the event, including current students Austin Cawley-Edwards and Fran Bueti, as well as Stevens alum Premal Kadmar and his brother, Vishal. Together, with the help of Stevens Venture Center Director Adriene Choma, the brainpower of this small group hosted a weekendlong hackathon, with 10 teams working diligently and speedily to deliver a digital healthcare product targeting non-compliance, diagnosis, management, or healthcare delivery. Have you ever watched one of those videos where a 12-year-old is on the
TedX stage, talking about her latest development in nuclear physics while she’s simultaneously taking second-year level courses at Harvard? If you have, you’ll understand that overwhelming, awe-struck, oh-my-goddo-I-even-know-anything feeling that I felt while observing the teams stand in front of an impressive panel of judges. There was an eleventh-grader on one team, for crying out loud! As each team presented, the digital tools and solutions became more and more impressive, as my self-esteem continued to sink more deeply into my swivel seat. I’m exaggerating; I’m decent at Calculus and Chemistry, so that counts for something, right? I got over my pity-party pretty quickly because it has come to me that I am living in a time where solutions to issues — small and large — are being developed, marketed and implemented at a stellar rate. I’m slightly frightened — mostly by imaginary genius 12-year-old nuclear physicists that go to Harvard — but more so invigorated by the collective intelligence of my peers. I had a brief conversation
with one of the competitors before she knew that she’d be going home with a portion of the secondplace $3000 prize. She noted that although she did not have the coding or business skills, she was able to offer her knowledge of the body given her clinical experience. This brief discussion made me pause and reflect on how we sometimes react to others’ success. Perhaps we get down on ourselves because we envy the gains of others, especially when we feel like the stars have not been aligning for us — it’s natural. That being said, the power lies in the people, not the individual person. You and I might not have it all, but collectively, the potential for success increases dramatically. Team-based thinking isn’t my best skill, but if I learned anything from this hackathon, I’d better get working on it. So this week, I’m giving the Stevens Venture Center a shout-out: thanks for showing me how success does come in numbers, for fostering my non-existent entrepreneurial spirit, and for demonstrating, yet again, how being surrounded by intelligence gives you the power.
Mind of a Freshman
The one about midterms
by MARY RUANE
Freshman Business and Technology Major
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The library is packed at all hours of the day, coffee is a staple, and printers are out of order. It is midterm week here on campus. The craziness of everything going on can only be described as such. I have spent nearly every hour of the day drinking coffee and writing up papers, outlines, and anything of
the sort. However, I cannot say I have it that bad. I am a business major, the only midterm I have to worry about this week is my CAL 103 midterm. Some of my other midterms have been pushed onto a week or two from now. Believe me, I’ve dedicated as many hours to analyzing the works of Feynman and Kaku as others have studied their Chemistry formulas and flash cards. By now, I know the texts ‘The Value of Science’ and ‘The Theory of Everything?’ like the back of my hand. I could probably drop out of school to spend my career speaking on the similarities and differences between the two texts. With the amount of time I have spent study-
ing and drinking coffee, I have come up with new and creative ways to get my law degree without actually putting the money and time into it. I have heard every possible song titled ‘Good Stuff’ because I forgot to switch the song after I listen to the one I actually wanted to hear. All these things have brought me to the conclusion that I should spend the breaks and summer writing a book to hit it big so I won’t ever have to jump out of my seat when Shakira replaces the soothing voice of Justin Guarini again. Being able to stop drinking the insane amounts of coffee I’ve been consuming would also be good for my health, considering I wasn’t a coffee
drinker before Stevens. In the end, I know all the work will be worth the grade, that is if I happen to do well on the midterm. All the late nights, headaches, and dead highlighters will have meant much more than just their faults. Besides, I get to experience it all again next week when preparing for my Information Systems midterm and the other things that will be thrown my way. But it’s okay, because there are at least fifty other students in my Information Systems class, so I am not going through the fight alone. I hope the rest of you do well on your midterms as well. Rest up and stay healthy guys, we aren’t even halfway there yet.
Friday, October 13, 2017 • Page 3
Technically Speaking
The Pixel 2
by DAVID HOROWITZ Freshman Cybersecurity Major
Last year, Google introduced their new smartphone line: Pixel, and they released the Pixel and Pixel XL at premium prices in hopes of competing in the high-end market. Their phones last year were highly regarded for their unprecedented smoothness for an Android device, and the best camera in any smartphone. They kept the headphone jack, which Apple famously removed, using the line “Headphone Jack, satisfyingly not new” in their advertising. Although they were nice phones, they lacked many flagship features such as water resistance, wireless charging, an SD card slot, small bezels
and front facing speakers. The phones were also only sold by Verizon and the Google store, which limited where US customers could purchase the devices. The biggest problem with these devices, however, was Google’s inability to keep them in stock. They were back ordered for essentially the entire year, and it was not because they were selling out. Google did not release sales numbers, but it is estimated they sold between 1 and 2 million devices. This is far fewer devices than any other major phone manufacturer ships in a year, and Google has no excuse for these supply chain issues with the immense power they have as a company. Fans of the original Pixel were hoping that Google would build upon their first flagship, offering to create a feature rich flagship that had the same advantages as last year’s device. Instead, they received the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. The elephant in the room with these devices was that they lack a headphone jack, just one year after an ad-
vertising campaign that leveraged making fun of Apple for the same move. Google includes an adapter in the box; however, replacement adapters cost 20$, double the price of Apple’s adapter. Furthermore, Google does not include earbuds with the phone like Apple does. The common sentiment is that Apple’s products are overpriced, and while this can tend to be true in many cases, Google manages to outdo Apple on this front this time. The Pixel 2 has huge bezels. They are so huge, in fact, that Google themselves are embarrassed by it. All of their advertising has used the Pixel 2 XL with its somewhat smaller bezels. They only showed one picture of the Pixel 2 during their release event, and this picture had a black background with the screen off to hide the immense size of the bezels compared to typical 2017 flagships. The Pixel 2 XL does look better, and as Google said, the devices have the same features despite their size. This is another obvious jab at Apple, who
reserves dual cameras for their bigger phones. The funny thing is, Google charges 200 more dollars for the Pixel 2 XL. 200$ for a device that has a bigger screen, more reasonable bezels, and no additional features. Apple surprised many when they added an open standard to wirelessly charge the iPhone this year that companies such as Samsung have been using for years. Because of this, wireless chargers are about to get a lot more popular. They will likely start showing up in your local Starbucks and other public locations such as airports. Unfortunately, Google has neglected to add wireless charging to this year’s device and remains behind the curve. These devices are not all bad, however. They will still offer the smoothest experience Android can offer, and will likely leverage Google’s superb image processing to once again have a top tier camera. Water resistance and front facing speakers were also added. They will also be updated very quickly and will have OS updates
guaranteed for 3 years. The biggest problem the Pixel 2 line is facing is finding a niche in the high-end market. Google is in many ways trying to appeal to iPhone users, with methods such as smooth software and hardware integration and a new push to make the device simpler. They are going for an “it just works” mentality that Apple is famous for. The iPhone X has lots of hype this year, and the 8 and 8+ are still very compelling devices. This makes it hard for Google, as Apple devices are still a level above when it comes to
Photo courtesy of CNET.com
this “simple” mentality. On the other hand, Samsung has the best hardware in the smartphone business and software that is starting to catch up to the competition. Many stock Android fans are finding that Samsung devices are now much more usable than before. This makes it challenging for Google to find their place. I anticipate that the Pixel line will once again not sell well despite being overall good devices, and will await next year to see what Google does with their newly purchased hardware team from HTC.
Cuisine Corner
Catch me on the Sunnyside
by TRACY WONG
Sophomore Business and Technology Major
Cafe Bene had been a familiar name and nice reminder of home for me, so the fact that I hadn’t gotten a chance to visit before it closed earlier this year had me in the slums. But a few weeks ago, I saw that my friend had been at a cute cafe, one I had never seen before. The pictures showed the cafe to be brightly lit, clean, and simple. Intrigued, I asked her where it was. Turns out, it is the
new cafe that replaced Cafe Bene. I had actually never ventured to the small area where it is located, although near the PATH. It was a bit hidden from by the busyness and traffic. Sunnyside Cafe was really like my friends’ pictures. The overall aesthetic really fit the name. The cafe was bright, cheery, yellow and green tones, and SO... MANY...PLANTS. Plants on the wall, on shelves, on the table, you name it. At the same time, it gave a hipster vibe. Everyone in the cafe looked like cool, aspiring young people, with their coffee mugs and laptops, typing away. The menu was a good size, not so many items that it is overwhelming, but not too few that there weren’t enough options. The worker behind the cash register recommended a few of the most popular items, and I
Photo courtesy of Tracy Wong
CONTACT & INFO Sunnyside Cafe & Eatery 79 Hudson St,
ended up ordering an acai smoothie ($10), a chai latte ($5), a smashed avocado ($8), and an ABLT ($9). They also had samples of their chocolate chip cookies, which were melty, sweet, and heavenly! First, the drinks were served. When the chai latte arrived, the fragrant aroma of the cinnamon that had been sprinkled on top was strong enough to smell from several feet away. However when I took a sip, it was not what I expected. The top was coated with a thick blanket of foam and beneath, the tea was a lukewarm temperature and reminded me of a milk tea. I guess the temperature would be optimal if you were on the go and wanted to finish it right away, but I would have preferred a warmer temperature. Then came the smoothie. The TEN DOLLAR SMOOTHIE. It was in a 12-ounce plastic cup, nothing fancy. It had a deep purple and indigo color. When I took my first sip, was I blown away? Meh. The smoothie had a smooth consistency, no ice chunks, but it also had a seedy texture. I did appreciate that although it was sweet, it was not too sweet and it was creamy. For an acai drink though, it had such a strong banana taste.
Mon. – Fri. 7 a.m. – 9 p.m. Sat. and Sun 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. Pro Tip! Skip the drinks and go straight for the food! (201) 331-9930 Food: Service: Location: Price: $$
Photos courtesy of Tracy Wong
About ten minutes later, the food arrived. First, the smashed avocado - what a beautiful sight. A slice of a baguette topped with a bright light green avocado spread, decorated with red and orange cherry tomatoes and some feta cheese, pepper flakes, and pumpkin seeds sprinkled across as a finishing touch. There was also a lemon on the side, which I also dressed the toast with. First, I took a taste of the avocado, cheese, and tomatoes separately. They all tasted fresh and great in their natural state. As I took a full bite,
the bread was very crunchy, but everything really complemented each other well. It was a refreshing and healthy dish. For the ABLT (avocado, bacon, lettuce, and tomato), the dish was served warm with lettuce, avocado, tomato and tomato sauce between whole grain bread. It was interesting to have that extra flavor added by including the tomato sauce with the tomatoes. Again, the components of the sandwich really balanced and worked well with each other. In both dishes, I really appreciated that there was not a whole
lot of salt or extra overpowering flavor added to the sandwiches. The ingredients really spoke for themselves! I’d say Sunny Side did set quite a high bar in terms of food as my first brunch location. When I want brunch, I want something healthy, that will wake me up, but also filling. One of those sandwiches would definitely do that for me. Sunny Side’s sandwiches served effortless sandwiches made with delicious ingredients. They let their avocados, bacon, and tomatoes do the talking! As a cafe; however, the drink options did not wow me. Pro Tip: It’s a cafe… but I’d skip the drinks and go straight to the food.
Campus Pulse
Friday, October 13, 2017 • Page 4
Roving Reporter Do you think it’s insenstive to celebrate Columbus day?
“I wouldn’t say insensitive but I don’t necessarily think Columbus day should be a holiday.”
“No, cause we get off school.”
Joseph Naiberg
Kristina Redmond
“Yes, Columbus is an asshole.”
“No, because it’s part of history and we should understand where we came from.”
Brad Tylutki
Nick Ciulla
“It doesn’t matter to me, I don’t have an opinon.” Adam Coscia
“No, it’s up to interpretation. I understand both sides.” Sam Winter
Polling Pierce
Should Columbus Day be kept, renamed or removed? Removed 14 Kept Renamed 37
49
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News
Friday, October 13, 2017 • Page 6
Wildfires ravage and raze California
by DAVID ROGERS Staff Writer
Between a 36-hour period on Oct. 8 and 9, 17 major wildfires began in much of Butte, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Nevada, Orange, Sonoma, and Yuba counties in California, four of them being northern California’s wine country. The fire leveled swaths of the City of Santa Rosa in Sonoma County, where eleven died. In total, the fire claimed 21 lives and over 2,000 structures. The Sonoma County Sheriff has received over 240 missing person reports, and only 57 have since been located. California Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in eight counties: for one of the worst firestorms in California history. Mandatory evacuations north of San Francisco Bay include at least 20,000 people and 160,000 acres. Containment efforts began swiftly, including a Global SuperTanker, the converted Boeing 747, which dropped over 19,000 gallons of fire
retardant on the northern California fires. Several thousand firefighters from across the state and six California National Guard helicopters have been sent to the area. Still, the emergency alert systems failed many, according to Napa County officers who reported “parents trapped in garages” during the fire. Fires have been difficult to contain with strong ‘Diablo Winds’ as fast as 70 mph spreading the fire. Cal Fire spokesperson Dan Berlant said the two largest fires, the Tubbs and Atlas Peak fires in Napa County, were uncontained as of Tuesday as they burn 27,000 and 25,000 acres, respectively. Firefighters will be able to contain the fires once the winds calm. Some of the smaller fires, including the 2,500acre Sulphur fire in Lake County and the 2,000-acre 37 fire in Sonoma County, have been contained. According to Vice President Mike Pence, President Trump approved a major disaster declaration, allowing the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to mobilize resources to the area. “Many of these fires, it’s going to take several more days, even potentially more weeks, before we have full containment,” Berlant said. Investigators have not determined the cause of the fire yet, but California is typically prone to fires, given its dry climate and strong winds. With an unusually wet winter following its recently ended drought, vegetation is particularly thick and fire-prone. Fall is usually California’s peak fire season. At the same time, a blaze scorched over 6,000 acres and destroyed at least 24 homes in Orange County, south of Los Angeles, and separate fires consumed much of Nevada County, East of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Orange County has suffered several smaller blazes lately, and the near statewide distribution of the fires have dispersed statewide assistance to different parts of the state. As of Wednesday, all fatalities were in northern California.
Mayor candidate Michael DeFusco visits Stevens College Democrats by NASIR MONTALVO Staff Writer
On Thursday, Oct. 5th at 9 p.m., the College Democrats at Stevens (CDS) held their third general body meeting with special guest Michael DeFusco. CDS also advertised that Michael Flett (one of DeFusco’s councilmen) would be joining them, but he was unable to attend. He is the second candidate to attend one of CDS’ meetings, with DeFusco being preceded by Ravi Bhalla. CDS is pushing for the people of Stevens to learn about these candidates and choose one to vote for. CDS has even partnered with the Student Government Association and College Republicans for this push as well, with the coalition hoping to register 1870 voters in Hoboken. Following CDS’ initial presentation, Michael DeFusco entered the room with his office assistant
Julie. DeFusco spoke about how he became invested with politics, even though he never thought he would be running for mayor. His reasoning was his satisfaction in helping other people, which led him to run for city council. DeFusco is also apart of the LGBT community, and while this turned into an obstacle for him in running for office, he states he has not let it get the best of him. DeFusco is looking to bring many changes to Hoboken by becoming mayor, with some changes leading him on and off the path of current Mayor Dawn Zimmer. Although he has come into disagreements with her, he expresses that through “disagreement, you find commonality”, which led him to encourage those at the meeting to stand up for what they believe in. One of DeFusco’s ideas has Stevens in mind, which is rebuilding part of the train terminal in conjunction with the university to create a market that rivals
Chelsea Market in New York. DeFusco also had a few things to say about the newly named Gianforte Family Academic Complex, stating that although “money is a strange bedfellow, the administration should not be taking money from a violent man.” DeFusco also argues that the history of the Stevens family should have no influence on the name either. Before DeFusco closed, he answered some questions from members and guests, including his opinion on the Washington Street construction. He says the project has been delayed due to “government inefficiency”, as they delayed the project and even added an extra $3,000 to the initial budget plan without letting the council know. DeFusco closed the night by encouraging Stevens to go out and vote no matter who they voted for, as long as he knew the population of Stevens was getting involved in their community.
Stevens celebrates National Coming Out Day by MATTHEW CUNNINGHAM Staff Writer
feed.matthewkeys.net
On Oct. 11, 2017, the Stevens Office of Student Affairs hosted the first “National Coming Out Day Campus Celebration” event. This year is the first year for Stevens to formally celebrate ‘National Coming Out Day,’ but this LGBTQ awareness day has existed nationally since 1988. LGBTQ advocacy groups, such as the Human Rights Campaign, say that ‘National Coming Out Day’ helps create an environment that welcomes and accepts gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer-identifying people. The two-hour long ‘National Coming Out Day’ event, hosted underneath the Moon and Stars sculpture in front of the Samuel C. Williams Library, encouraged all students to celebrate the LGBTQ community at Stevens. The event offered all students a chance to spin a wheel and win a variety of prizes such as rainbow cupcakes, coffee mugs, and colorful rubber ducks. To encourage and assist the coming out process, the event featured a purple door that students could ‘come out’ of. Students were encouraged, once coming out of the door, to sign their name so that the names could be memorialized. Jacquis Watters, the Diversity Educator at Stevens, said, “We are keeping the door. Folks can sign it, and I’ll be keeping it in my office.” The bright door, the food, and the celebration of love appealed to the dozens of students who were at the event at any given time. Ms. Watters said that “the importance of this event” lied in what the event recognized and stood for. “When we’re talking about supporting all Stevens students,” said Ms. Watters, “it’s imperative to be holistic and see that our differences in our social identities, in particular, must be affirmed for someone to feel like this is home.” Stevens students in the LGBTQ community or who are allies of the LGBTQ community are encouraged to attend Torch meetings, the LGBTQ society of Stevens.
Photos courtesy of Stevens Institute of Technology
News
Friday, October 13 2017 • Page 7
Multicultural Greek organizations “Storm the Castle” by MARK KRUPINSKI Business Manager
On Wednesday, October 11th at, the Stevens Multicultural Greek Council hosted, “Storm the Castle”, a step, stroll, and salute show that features the multicultural Greek organizations on campus and at surrounding college campuses. This is the 2nd “Storm the Castle” event with the first last Spring. Storm the Castle was aimed at bringing together the multicultural Greek community and represent the culture of Multicultural Greek Organizations to a wider audience on campus. Stepping, strolling, and saluting, are important components of a multicultural Greek organization, with each taking roots from African-American Greek Organizations. Each multicultural Greek
organization took their turn to give a little of their history, and then perform their own step, stroll, and salute. First, the non-Stevens multicultural Greek organizations performed, starting with Lambda Tau Omega’s Heptakin Eta Chapter from Seton Hall University. The sisters of Lambda Tau Omega took pride in their values branding themselves as the “mermaids” and proudly wore shirts with their year of founding on it, 1988. Next to perform was Lambda Theta Phi Fraternity, Incorporated. Lambda Theta Phi, who branded themselves by the literal meaning of the “conquistadors”, differentiated themselves from the other multicultural organizations, by stating that out of respect, they only salute, and do not step or stroll. During their salute, brothers from the Eta Chapter of Rutgers University – Newark
and New Jersey Institute and Technology, and the Beta Phi Chapter of Ramapo College, took pride in their colors: brown and white. The last non-Stevens multicultural Greek organization to perform was Chi Upsilon Sigma. Chi Upsilon Sigma, whose official name is Corazones Unidos Siempre Chi Upsilon Sigma National Latin Sorority, Incorporated, called themselves the “women of wisdom” and noted that their organization focused on “social change” for women. Their performance, which featured saluting, stepping, and strolling, featured members of their national stepping and strolling teams. After their performance, there was a short intermission followed by a performance from one of Stevens’ own multicultural sororities, Omega Phi Beta, formally known as Omega
Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated. Omega Phi Beta, who are known as the “radiant sisterhood”, stepping, strolled, and saluted. The last organization to perform was Lambda Upsilon Lambda, known as La Unidad Latina Lambda Upsilon Lambda Incorporated, who stated that they were founded at Cornell in 1982 with the idea of “education for all”. Lambda Upsilon Lambda performed a stroll for the audience. At the end of the event, Glenn Anna Abellana, president of the Stevens Multicultural Greek Council, and primary MC of the night thanked everyone for coming to the end and asked everyone to donate for hurricane relief. On the event, Glenn stated, “Storm the Castle is a great way to learn and explore multicultural Greek life outside of the Stevens community”.
CSA holds mid-autumn festival by AUDREY DSOUZA Outreach Chair
On Tuesday, Oct. 10, the Chinese Student Association (CSA) hosted its’ annual MidAutumn Festival. The event took place in Babbio Atrium at 9 PM that evening. The Chinese Mid-Autumn festival is similar to Korea’s Chuseok and Japan’s Tsukimi, all holidays celebrating the fall harvest, family, and friends. The main event was Lantern Riddles, during which attendees were able to answer riddles tied to the lanterns that decorated the walls. If attendees got more than 10 riddles correct, they had the opportunity to win a prize of lantern string lights. The event also had lantern making using construction paper, for people to create while eating and chatting with friends. At the event, CSA served Beef and Broccoli, Vegetable Fried Rice, Chicken Lo Mein, Scallion Pancakes, and Dumplings. “I’m really glad that the food didn’t run out…We had over 200 attendees again so we’re keeping a steady growth. Definitely better than last year,” said Tracy Wong, Secretary for CSA. Treasurer Sophia Hua added, “We tried our best to adequately portray Chinese culture. I’m really glad… because I don’t think the student body gets enough culture… it’s a great way to open [students’] eyes and let them explore more food and different customs.”
Catalan issues Declaration of Independence from Spain by NICHOLAS BURNS Staff Writer
The Catalan President issued a declaration of Independence on Tuesday, October 10th. Catalan is a region of Spain that has historically tried to be either independent or autonomous. Starting in 1850, many political groups within the Catalan region demanded independence from the rest of Spain. In 1932, Catalan finally had enough political influence to declare its independence, only to negotiate for a statute of autonomy allowing Catalan to have a separate government while still being within the kingdom of Spain. In 1938, with the rise of the fascist Francisco Franco, Catalan’s autonomy was revoked and they remained under Spanish rule until 1979 when the new democratic constitution of Spain, following Franco’s death, granted them autonomy once again. In 2013, the government of Catalan issued a statement regarding the Right to Decide of the Catalan People, as well as a declaration of sovereignty. The Spanish constitutional court ruled the declaration of sovereignty unconstitutional but allowed the right to decide. The leaders of Catalan declared a referendum vote for the 9th of September, 2014, and while the vote results were 88% for independence, voter turnout was only 43%, and the Spanish government threatened criminal charges for the Catalan leaders since the vote was not approved. In January 2016, Charles Puigdemont was inaugurated as the president of Catalan, allowed under the statute of autonomy, but was the first president of
Catalan to omit the oath to the Spanish Constitution and loyalty to the king while being sworn in. He announced in late 2016 that a vote for independence would take place in fall 2017, and in July 2017 set the official vote date for October 1st of this year. The Spanish government responded that the vote would not take place, as it was illegal. The vote occurred in spite of Spanish opposition, with police confiscating ballot boxes, stopping voters from entering voting locations, and taking down websites with voting information. The vote, which asked simply “Do you want Catalonia to be an independent state in the form of a republic?” resulted in 92% yes votes, and prompted President Puigdemont to issue a declaration of independence on October 10th, only to immediately suspend the declaration in hopes to open talks with Madrid, to discuss the future of the region. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s response came Wednesday morning, demanding clarification as to whether or not Catalan had actually declared independence, rather than addressing the request for negotiations. The Spanish constitution has an article, article 155, that would allow for the government of Spain to entirely dissolve the autonomous government of Catalan. This could result in military action if the Catalan government resists. Spanish Prime Minister Rajoy on Wednesday gave Puigdemont an ultimatum: he had to clarify Catalan’s position by Monday, October 16, and in the event the clarification was independence, Spain would grant three more days until Thursday, October 19 during which Catalan could consider its position.
Caitlin Uang
FAST holds the MassKara Festival by ELINA TUDER Staff Writer
On Wednesday, October 11, the Filipino Association of Stevens Tech (FAST) hosted the MassKara Festival in Walker Gym. It is a “festival of smiles” to celebrate perseverance and hard work in the Philippines. MassKara originated in Bacolod, Philippines, after a series of tragedies, including the price of sugarcane dropping to an all-time low, and the sinking of the commercial vessel MV Don Juan. After these adversities, to lighten their spirits, the people created the MassKara Festival, derived from the words “mass” meaning crowd, “kara” meaning face “maskara” meaning mask, and “MassKara” meaning a multitude of faces. During the festival, people wear vibrant masks to represent hope and participate in cultural dances to celebrate their heritage. Although the festival first appeared in 1980, it is now celebrated every fourth Sunday of October, which cultural chair Anthony Lucero, believes is “ a testament to pride and strength because even though the Philippines may not be the most fortunate country, they have the most amazing people as they care so much and decide to smile on and appreciate their blessings.” FAST began preparing this festival in the summer, and its members have been rehearsing dances for three weeks, with three to four hours per practice and two to three meetings per week. At FAST’s festival, following the presentation regarding the history of the event, attendees were able to participate in a brief trivia quiz and were then treated to authentic Filipino food, including pork lumpiang shanghai (pork filled egg rolls), torta talong (eggplant omelet), maja mais (coconut and corn pudding), and much more! Throughout the event, students were also able to make masks and take photos at the photo booth. The event included members of FAST performing the Pandanggo, a dance involving candles to represent fireflies, and the Tinikling, which involves people stepping in and out of clapping bamboo sticks. A group of students from Stony Brook University also joined the festival and performed the Bulaklakan, a dance of swaying flowers. Daniella Magcalas, the social chair of FAST, described the general ambiance of the festival as “Ito ay may ilaw”, which translates to”It’s lit” as the festival is utilized to promote positivity and educate students on Filipino culture on campus.
David Horowitz
Opinion Continued
Friday, October 13, 2017 • Page 8
Not with Those Shoes
How to be #Basic in Paris
by HOPE BRANDES
Senior Visual Arts & Technology Major
If you’re somewhat into fashion, you’ve probably heard tales of the French “it” girl being sung from Vogue
to Fashionista. How exactly do the women of Paris stay so chic while looking so effortless? On one hand, French style is what we all aspire to achieve in our casual wardrobes. On the other, it seems like all they ever wear are jeans…what’s so difficult about that? The secret is building a wardrobe of versatile basics that can easily be used in different outfits that are chic, cleancut and appropriate without being predictable. Okay, that might not sound so simple, but we’ll go step by step. The first step is to have a collection of basic, but quality pieces that can be used
Photo from Pinterest
in multiple outfits. The most obvious is a striped shirt; oh how the French love their Breton stripes! A striped long or three quarter sleeve shirt is essential for walking the streets of Paris. What you might not know is that navy or black and white stripes are considered neutral and can be worn with anything from solids to florals. Buy Bretons in short sleeves, long sleeves, boat neck, crew cut…whatever your heart desires! Just make sure the shirt is clean, unwrinkled and a good fit. Clothes that fit don’t have to be tight, in fact, a slouchy shirt harkens more to that effortless Parisian flair! Besides stripes, you also want a solid tee, preferably in white or gray but navy and black work as well. T-shirts are easy enough, and you know what else is? Jeans! Skinny jeans are a French girl’s best friend, right after Breton stripes. You should have one perfect pair of dark wash skinny jeans with no tears or holes that fit just right. After that, you might want to expand your wardrobe with a more fun pair of jeans like a boyfriend cut, flares or widelegs. Since you already have a basic pair, feel free to buy these in whatever color you want with tear, embroidery or fun cuffs. In addition to jeans, you might try an ankle pant in a straight or skinny fit in navy or black. Button down shirts are also a must-have. White and light blue are the usual staple colors. You might also experiment with different
cuts a long tunic or an oversized boxy fit. You can tuck part or all of these shirts into your jeans for ‘I-just-threwthis-on-before-running-outthe-door chic’. The last tops you will need are sweaters. Slim turtlenecks make excellent layering pieces and oversized, chunky knits add to that I-don’t-care feel. The last few items you need include a black skirt, a structured tan coat (either a pea coat or a trench) and a navy or black blazer. A leather jacket never hurt anyone either. At this point, your wardrobe might sound rather boring. The key to turning it into it-girl style is to acces-
The Stute Music Review.
Jhene Aiko’s Trip is an honest look at loss and love
by CHRISTIAN BONAVITA Freshman Chemical Engineering Major
When Jhene Aiko surprisedropped “Trip” in late September, many fans were unsure of what to expect. In the past, Aiko had mostly stuck to an electronic-influenced, R&B and hip-hop style, releasing many collaborations, a solo album, and an album with rapper Big Sean as duo Twenty88. However, “Trip” is Aiko’s first solo album since she has had time to reflect on the loss of her brother, Miyagi, to cancer in 2012. Her loss is felt throughout the album: “Trip” is a concept album detailing Aiko’s journey of coping with her brother’s death, first by using drugs, and later by recognizing the present and being grateful for it. The album, while rooted deeply in contemporary R&B, has many moods, but still manages to sound like one cohesive project thanks to its tropical feel,
subject matter of love, psychology, and drugs, and Aiko’s smooth, colorful vocals. As alluded to by the album’s title, much of the album deals with drugs and how Jhene used them to cope with her brother’s death. In fact, most of the album follows a cycle of Jhene, through the character Penny, trying a new drug, then dealing with its effects, usually spending one or two songs on a “high” or in an ethereal state, followed by one or two songs where she expresses negative feelings, before being introduced to a new drug. For example, after the song “Sativa,” which is the name of a strain of marijuana, Jhene talks about being at peace and feeling close to her brother on the songs “New Balance” and “You Are Here,” but then expresses anger and insecurity on the songs “Never Call Me” and “Nobody.” Finally, a new drug, probably cocaine, is introduced on “Overstimulated,” which then renews the cycle. This cycle and abrupt variation of moods is not easy to pull off, but Aiko shows great skill in knowing when to include electronic influences, or, conversely, strip down songs to add emotion when needed. Her vocals and electronic influences are a major component of why these stylistic changes work; on a standout song, “While We’re Young,” her lyrics
Photo from Pinterest
sorize the right way. You want to follow the less-ismore rule too. Basic French girl accessories usually include scarves, bags, hats and minimal jewelry. You also want to make a statement with your shoes. Have a pair of clean, well-kept sneakers for when you’re walking but still need to look put together. Flats and loafers are great alternatives that won’t kill your feet, but look dressier. A pair of ankle booties and a cute pair of sandals are also a necessity. Now we have all the pieces, we want to put them together in a way that isn’t so typical. You might au-
Off The Press
Destruction plans set in motion for Gianforte Family Academic Complex tered by 2019 for the project to stay on track. Stevens plans to use the finest winAs pure, most definitely dow smashing rocks whose positive excitement be- migratory patterns bring gins to amass in anticipa- them to the New York area tion for construction of once every three years. I the new Gianforte Family personally believe that our Academic Complex here at university should use rocks the ol’ duck pond, other an- that can be caught locally nouncements have recently here in Hoboken; if you been swept under the ta- agree, please reach out to me ble. While everyone in the so you can sign my petition. Stevens community knows Wall removal is expected to the Gianforte Family Aca- start soon after the ribbondemic Complex will open cutting ceremony. The walls to students and faculty in will come down in the order 2020, few know that its de- decided by an online fantasy molition is scheduled to be football draft picker. After completed in early 2021. many heated discussions The Gianforte Family Aca- with Stevens administration demic Complex is planned and the building crew, the to replace the beloved, walls will not be torn down though decrepit, Lieb Build- while classes are in sesing, as well as the Sixth sion; club meetings, on the Street parking lot. In wake other hand, are free game. of such destruction of in- I, for one, cannot wait to see frastructure, the Gianforte the resultant pile of rubble Family Academic Complex when visiting campus as must be brought to ruin a Stevens alumnus. Who in order to restore balance knows? Maybe they will to campus. Yin and Yang. have finished drafting blueEqual and opposite reac- prints for a new building tions. Everybody Hates to replace the entire MPK Chris and Loves Raymond. complex, which will fall As the building is erected, apart all on its own as soon expect to see signs of wreck- as it’s built. As long as we age at every turn. The win- keep seeing money being dows will be the first to funneled into knockdowngo. Every single pane of able buildings, I will be one glass in GFAC must be shat- happy duck. by OFF CENTER
Photo from Pitchfork
and voice are warm as she sings over tropical-synths, giving the song the optimistic feeling of what Aiko calls her “ideal love situation.” As effective are the trap beat and low, seething tone of her voice during “Never Call Me,” which create the angry tone of the song. In the final portion of the album, Aiko goes through a sort of reawakening, realizing that she doesn’t need to live with grief and should enjoy what is in the present. She demonstrates this transition with “Sing to Me,” a duet with her daughter, who she has said, “in real life … brings [me] back to reality.” The last four songs of the album have a forward-looking and positive tone. In “Frequency,” Jhene sings, “Bless the gen-
eration, let them know/know that there’s love,” expressing her hope for the future. “Trip” is an album with much importance and meaning in Jhene Aiko’s discography. While the enormous length of the album (22 songs and 85 minutes) could easily scare some listeners away, “Trip” feels very cohesive, with each song merging into the next and telling a story, and the album does not drag on much. This was a surprisingly strong album and could function as a deep listen for lyrics and meanings, or a more casual listen for the atmospheres and textures created by Aiko’s versatile vocals and production. Essential Songs: “While We’re Young,” “New Balance,” and “Nobody”
tomatically reach for your sneakers with a t-shirt and jeans, instead, try using your sneakers to dress down a skirt and button-down or a skirt and striped tee. With your jeans, wear ankle boots or flats with a half-tucked button down and leather jacket. Did you buy a pair of ripped, slouchy jeans? Top it with a white tee, blazer, and sandals. If you want to add some small details to any of these outfits, try pearl or diamond stud earrings, a nice watch or a pearl necklace. While the basic wardrobe can create some of my favorite looks, the real creativity starts when you add just a few unconventional pieces. You should spend your money buying quality basics that will last and be worn over and over again, but you can save a little for a couple trendy items that will make these looks more personal. For example, maybe you add a brightly colored floral sweater to the mix for fall. Maybe you have an extra purse in bright red or yellow to wear with neutral outfits. Those ankle booties I recommended? Leopard print. Snag an extra pair of slim-trousers in a polka-dot or plaid pattern and instead of a black leather jacket, buy one in a velvety, burgundy suede. We all want to look like fashion it-girls, but if we all followed the same formula, it would be rather boring wouldn’t it? It’s always important to learn the rules, but you really only want to learn them so you know how to break them.
Opinion Continued
Friday, October 13, 2017 • Page 9
On Oct. 1, 2017, 64-year-old Stephen Paddock opened fire on the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas, NV. The shooting left 58 people dead and an estimated 500 or more injured. Paddock shot from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel, where he left a note with calculations on how to fire at the crowd. When police stormed his room, Paddock had killed himself. Paddock possessed over 22 semi-automatic guns and other explosive devices. The motive of the gunman is still under investigation. by ALEX MURTAGH
Las Vegas: The Facts
Campus Liberal
Apparently guns are worth more than human life
by MATTHEW CUNNINGHAM Freshman Computer Science Major
Las Vegas is only the beginning of a long line of shootings. I predict that, in the near future, we’ll witness a far greater massacre that will impact more families, more children, and more Americans. And after that, we’ll have an even larger massacre. The violence, the fear, and the bloodshed — none of it will cease anytime soon. Obviously, I don’t want another shooting to happen. But until we offer more than thoughts and prayers when people die because of gun violence, until we provide more than a heartfelt tweet or Facebook post, until we act on our sympathy and pass any type of worthwhile legislation to protect us from the gun craze, we can only expect another massacre to devastate America. We’re insane to believe that after centuries of wars and animosity, the world will figure gun violence out on its own. We have to do something impactful if we want to ensure our communal safety. It has been hard for me to feel protected in a country that hasn’t passed meaningful gun-control legislation since Sandy Hook. It’s why I was almost shocked when this past week, after the Las
Vegas shooting, I saw Congress negotiate a gun control agreement. Democrats and Republicans — with the support from groups like the N.R.A. — admitted that we must place restrictions on a firearm accessory called “bump stocks.” A bump stock, as I found out, was used by the Las Vegas shooter. It replaces a rifle’s standard stock and frees the weapon to slide back and forth, harnessing the energy from a gun’s kickback. A bump stock effectively turns a semi-automatic weapon into an automatic weapon. Both major political parties agreed that this gun modifier shouldn’t be available to the general public. But here’s the problem with Congress’s effort to ban bump stocks: it’s largely symbolic, and will not stop another mass shooting from happening. Nearly all other mass shootings in America have not used bump stocks, so we are fooling ourselves if we believe that banning bump stocks is how we’ll stop gun violence. If we truly don’t want to see another Las Vegas, Orlando, Dallas, San Bernardino, or Sandy Hook — to name too many — we have to do more. We have to enact meaningful gun control. Meaningful gun control does not mean taking away guns from responsible gun owners. Meaningful gun control means, for example, disallowing people who are on the no-fly list from purchasing a firearm. If someone is too dangerous to be on a plane, they are too dangerous to own a gun. Meaningful gun control means prohibiting concealed guns in college classrooms, or in elementary schools, or in nurseries. It means restricting access to militarygrade firearms. It means
we regulate the 12 states that allow people to carry concealed weapons without any kind of permit. Gun possession is not an unlimited right, and it’s subject to some restrictions to maintain public peace. Yet some conservatives insist that gun possession is an unlimited right — that the Second Amendment guarantees every person in the United States access to a firearm. These conservatives frequently cite the phrase “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms” at the end of the Second Amendment. But by arguing this, these conservatives ignore the Second Amendment’s preamble, which specifies that access to a firearm is specifically for “a well regulated Militia,” not the general public. The Second Amendment provides a collective right to gun possession, not an individual right. If the framers of the constitution wanted to expand the meaning of the phrase “bear arms” to include all civilians, they could have done so by adding the phrase “for the defense of themselves” to the end of the Second Amendment, as was exactly done in the state constitutions of Pennsylvania and New Hampshire. This clarification within the constitution would have expanded unlimited access to firearms for individual Americans. It could have been a simple inclusion, but it was explicitly left out. Even if the meaning of the Second Amendment were susceptible to a different interpretation, the burden would be on the conservatives to explain how the
continued on thestute.com
Campus Conservative
Lets consider the facts
by ALEX MURTAGH Sophomore Civil Engineering Major
First off though, my heart goes out to all of those affected by the tragedy in Las Vegas. There are two important aspects to consider from this incident: we do not yet have a motive for why this horrible atrocity was committed, and what made this guy blend in with the general population so he was not flagged by any of the intelligence agencies? How many Americans actually own more than seven firearms, and are considered “super owners”? Over 7.7 million Americans. How many of them have actually committed a mass murder with them? 1 and only 1. This means that we must distinguish what makes him different from everyone else. Hopefully, this situation will lead to improved background checks. Wait, did I just say improved background checks, insinuating that I support background checks? Yes. Yes, I did. Thanks to effective background checks, we have the ability to weed out people who have a history of abusing firearms and committing crimes. In this respect, they do an excellent job be-
cause those people have been flagged after going through due process. You know, one of those rights listed in the Bill of Rights. Background checks suddenly become ineffective and dangerous when they try and guess if a person will commit crimes with no history and do not provide due process. Much like the recently repealed Obama-era gun law that most liberals will say took guns out of the hands of the mentally ill. Except it didn’t. It took due process away from people who sought help to manage their financial situation with social security income. This is also why banning weapons from those on the no-fly list should remain illegal, because there is no due process to those placed on the list, and flying is not a right listed in the Constitution. Former Senator Ted Kennedy was placed on the list for crying out loud, even if it was a mistake that “T. Kennedy” was there. This also leads us to debunk the number, 33,636 gun deaths every year. First off, roughly 2/3 of those deaths are by suicide. About 3% of the original figure are accidental or undetermined. The remaining 1/3 are homicides. Also, more than 80% of the 1/3 are gang and drugrelated. The remaining roughly 2,100 people are killed by handguns, with a very small number of them being killed by so-called semi-automatic “assault weapons,” a.k.a. the big scary military rifles. So what we really need to take a hard look at is how to keep handguns out of criminal hands and not take them away from
law-abiding citizens, who on average use a gun in self-defense every 13 seconds in the U.S. I would also like to define the difference between manual, semi-automatic, and automatic guns. Manual are the kind used in civil wars and revolutionary eras. Semi-automatic means the rounds are reloaded without the need for human intervention. Oneshot per trigger pull. Automatic means one trigger pull and the magazine is emptied. The shooter used a semi-automatic, and with training and modifications, could have fired near the rate of an automatic. Automatic weapons have been banned in the U.S. since 1934, and made stricter in 1984, with the exception of difficult to obtain permits. The bump stocks used in the attack should be banned in accordance with previous acts. The NRA also supports the ban. But the larger issue at hand really boils down to what rights do we have as Americans, and why do we have those rights? The Second Amendment, in partnership with the Federalist papers, and the District of Columbia v. Heller case tells us that all U.S. citizens have the right to own a firearm without question. How many firearms, the capabilities of them, firearm attachments, and many other facets are left to be regulated by the federal, state, and local governments. But given examples of cities with strict gun control laws run by liberals for decades like Chicago, Baltimore, Detroit, and many others, this may not be a good thing.
Scientific Curmudgeon
Lets ban nukes and war in general
by JOHN HORGAN CAL Professor
I hope this year’s Nobel Peace Prize adds oomph to efforts to eliminate the threat of nuclear war— and war in general. The Norwegian Nobel Committee just awarded the 2017 Peace Prize to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). The committee lauded ICAN for “its work to draw attention to the
catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons and for its ground-breaking efforts to achieve a treaty-based prohibition of such weapons.” ICAN, based in Geneva, is a coalition of hundreds of activist groups around the world. The coalition came together a decade ago to lobby for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. In a vote at the United Nations in July, 122 nations, or about two thirds of all U.N. members, approved of the treaty. According to the ICAN website, the treaty “prohibits nations from developing, testing, producing, manufacturing, transferring, possessing, stockpiling, using or threatening to use nuclear weapons, or allowing nuclear weapons to be stationed on their territory. It also pro-
hibits them from assisting, encouraging or inducing anyone to engage in any of these activities.” A nation that already possesses nuclear weapons must pledge to “destroy them in accordance with a legally binding, time-bound plan. Similarly, a nation that hosts another nation’s nuclear weapons on its territory may join, so long as it agrees to remove them by a specified deadline.” Nine nations possess nuclear weapons: the U.S., Russia, Britain, France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea. Between them, the U.S. and Russia account for about 14,000 of the 15,000 warheads in existence. None of the nuclear-armed nations signed the prohibition treaty. The Nobel committee acknowledges that “so far
neither the states that already have nuclear weapons nor their closest allies support the nuclear weapon ban treaty. The Committee wishes to emphasize that the next steps towards attaining a world free of nuclear weapons must involve the nucleararmed states. This year’s Peace Prize is therefore also a call upon these states to initiate serious negotiations with a view to the gradual, balanced and carefully monitored elimination” of all nuclear arms. In 2009, the Norwegian committee gave the Nobel Peace Prize to President Barack Obama for his “vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons.” That prize turned out to be ironic. Obama approved a $1 trillion “modernization” of the U.S. nuclear arsenal, which critics fear could
trigger a new arms race with Russia and hamper anti-proliferation efforts. My Stevens colleague Alex Wellerstein, an authority on nuclear weapons and the subject of my last post, doubts the feasibility of a ban. He notes that “the nuclear weapons states still feel that nuclear weapons are necessary for their security. Should they? That’s a really hard question to answer; there are many sides to it. But suffice to say: until the states with nuclear weapons feel that they live in a world where the lack of nuclear weapons will not affect their security or their prestige, they will hold onto them tightly. And that will have rippling effects.” The logic of the nuclear states seems topsy-turvy to me. To my mind, none of us should feel secure as
long as nuclear weapons still exist. Implementing a ban that can be verified and will not destabilize relations between nations won’t be easy. As long as nations feel threatened by each other, some will be tempted to rely on nuclear weapons as a defense. The solution to this dilemma is clear: We need to eliminate the threat of conventional war, too. Abolishing war between nations seems like a long shot now, but we have no choice but to seek it, so let’s start now. Donald Trump, are you listening? John Horgan directs the Center for Science Writings, which is part of the College of Arts & Letters. This column is adapted from one originally published on his Scientific American blog, “Crosscheck.”
Sports
Friday, October 13, 2017 • Page 10
Cross Country Sweeps Empire 8 Weekly Awards
Klimchak, Regan, Named, Top DIII Student-Athletes in NJ
ON DECK IN SPORTS
Friday Stevens Sports Information
Stevens Athletics
SSI - HOBOKEN, N.J. (October 9, 2017) – Junior Mary Visca and freshman PJ Gunther of the Stevens Institute of Technology corss country programs were both named the Empire 8 Runners of the Week after outstanding results at the Highlander Invitational and Atlantic Regional Preview on Saturday. This is the secondstraight Runner of the Week nod for Visca. This past Saturday, she placed
fourth out of 147 runners in the 6k women’s event in a time of 22:27. It was a 6:02/mile pace in a day that saw hot, humid racing conditions. Visca has led the Ducks in every race so far this season. Gunther is now the third Duck on the men’s side to take Runner of the Week honors this season. The rookie posted the quickest 8k time for a freshman in Stevens history on Saturday, leading the team to its
second-best average time in school-history. The Sayville, New York native clocked in at 25:51, a 5:12/mile pace to take 12th out of 187 entrants. Greg Arabagian has won two weeks and Jake Catalano also won this season. The Ducks will run again on Saturday at the Inter-regional Border Battle at Rowan University in the final tune-up before the Empire 8 Championship on October 28.
Mitchell Recieves Empire 8 Weekly Player Accolade
Stevens Athletics
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (October 9, 2017) – Stevens Institute of Technology women’s volleyball sophomore Taleen Mitchell was named Empire 8 Conference Player of the Week Monday after helping the Ducks achieve a pair of league victories Saturday in an conference tri-match at Canavan Arena. Mitchell totaled 25 kills on 47 attacks with just two errors (.489 attack percentage) as the Ducks swept both Nazareth College and The Sage Colleges to move to 17-5 on the year and a perfect 6-0 in conference play. Stevens clinched a spot in the Empire 8 Conference Championship and
will secure the number one overall seed with a victory over St. John Fisher at the Hartwick tri-match on Oct. 21. “Taleen had an incredible weekend,” head coach Annie McShea said. “Her only two errors came in the first match and she was perfect for rest of the day. She picked apart two solid defenses on the other side of the net and scored at will. She worked hard all week on adding new shots to her arsenal and being more creative, and that translated to her game play this weekend. Taleen is extremely deserving of this award.” It is the first career Player of the Week honor for the
Los Angeles, California native and the third for the women’s volleyball program this season. Mitchell began her day by recording 12 kills and six digs against Nazareth as the Ducks handed the Golden Flyers their first conference setback. The outside hitter followed her opening-match performance by tallying 13 kills on 20 attacks without an error against Sage. Up Next: Stevens opens the 2017 Stevens Invitational Friday with matches against Stockton University and the United States Coast Guard Academy. It will be Stevens’ Dig Pink event.
SSI - SOMERSET, N.J. (October 12, 2017) – Recent graduates Evan Klimchak and Amy Regan of Stevens Institute of Technology were named the Student-Athletes of the Year by the College Athletic Administrators of New Jersey at the organization’s annual awards ceremony on Thursday. It is Regan’s third time winning the title, an unprecedented feat in the history of the award. Regan, a member of the women’s cross country and track & field teams, won the CAANJ StudentAthlete of the Year award for the third-straight year after capturing the sixth and final NCAA Championship of her career last fall in women’s cross country. She earned her 12th, 13th and14th career All-American honors during the 2016-17 school-year, and placed second nationally in both the outdoor 10,000and 5,000-meter races. She won Empire 8 titles in all those events as well She was also named the Empire 8 Senior Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year and received the Stevens Gear and Triangle Award as the top female athlete of the senior class. She was also a national chamion in cross country (2014), indoor 3,000 meters, indoor 5,000 meters, outdoor 5,000 meters and outdoor 10,000 meters (all in 2016) She has been named the United States Track & Field
and Cross Country Coaches Association Indoor National Athlete of the Year, Outdoor Athlete of the Year, USTFCCCA ScholarAthlete of the Year, Empire 8 Scholar-Athlete of the Year and a CoSIDA Academic All-American. Upon her graduation this spring with a 3.87 GPA in Engineering Management and Systems Management, she was mentioned a total of 103 times in Stevens record books. Klimchak was an outstanding basketball player for the men’s program at Stevens. He was the 20th member of the Castle Point 1,000-point club and led the team in scoring each of the past two seasons. He was a First-Team AllEmpire 8 last season and a second-team selection in 20015-16. He was the team’s most valuable player in his senior season. In the classroom, the Readington, New Jersey native earned a 4.0 grade point average in Engineering Management and graduated with high honors with a degree in engineering management. This marks the third time in school-history that Stevens has swept the Student-Athlete of the Year awards. Regan and David Evans (men’s volleyball) teamed for the feat in 2015 and Laura Barito (track/ swimming) and Zach Carr (men’s soccer) swept in 2011.
15 Softball Players Earn NFCA All-American Scholar-Athlete Honors
Stevens Athletics
Stevens
Opponent/Event
Score
Result
VS New Paltz VS The Sages Colleges VS The Sages Colleges VS Elmira College @ Houghton College @ Nazareth College VS Nazareth College Highlander Invitational Highlander Invitational @ St John Fisher College
5-3 3-0 4-2 9-0 4-5 2-3 3-0
W W W W L L W 5th
10/11
Field Hockey Volleyball W Soccer M Tennis W Field Hockey Soccer W Volleyball W Cross Country M Cross Country W Soccer W Field Hockey Field Hockey
10/11
Soccer M
10/4 10/7 10/7 10/7 10/7 10/7 10/7 10/7 10/7 10/8 10/8
@ Nazareth College VS Stockton University @ Franklin and Marshall College
VS Stockton 4 p.m.
WOMEN’S TENNIS
VS St John Fisher 4 p.m.
FIELD HOCKEY @ William Paterson University Wayne, NY
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
VS US Coast Guard Academy
Saturday WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
VS Montclair State 10 a.m.
WOMEN’S TENNIS
VS Empire 8 Pittsford, NY
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
VS Union College 12 p.m.
WOMEN’S SOCCER
VS. Alfred University 12 p.m.
MEN’S SWIMMING
@ Drew University Madison, NJ 1 p.m.
WOMEN’S SWIMMING
Duck Country Scoreboard Date
WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
N/A N/A 4-0 5-1 4-3 0-0
4th W W W T
Stevens Sports Information
@ Drew University Madison, NJ 1 p.m.
MEN’S SOCCER
@ Elmira College Elmira, NY 3 p.m.
MEN’S GOLF
VS Round One Elkton, MD TBA
FOR MORE INFORMATION, HEAD TO: STEVENSDUCKS.COM STEVENSREC.COM