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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 19
Friday, March 10, 2017
TheStute.com
Alpha Phi joins Stevens’ Greek Life community
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Established 1904
Habitat for Humanity assists the community
Photo Courtesy of Habitat for Humanity
by ADITYA PENDYALA Staff Writer
Photo Courtesy of Stevens Alpha Phi
by VICTORIA PISKAREV Business Manager
Alpha Phi is joining Stevens campus this semester as the campus’s fifth sorority. Alpha Phi has been in talks to join since 2014, along with Sigma Delta Tau, in a stacking procedure. Sigma Delta Tau was given two years to become an established chapter - the usual time it takes to turn from an interest group to a colony to a chapter. Once Sigma Delta Tau was fully integrated into the Panhellenic council and the Greek community, Alpha Phi began advertising and figuring
out a recruitment plan. “[We saw] increasing number of women joining sororities and going to Stevens,” says Thea Zunick, Associate Director of Student Life, explaining the reason why two sororities came on campus in such a short time, “We wanted women who would have never thought to join before to create a legacy of a new group on campus.” Associate Director Zunick is also aware of how large sororities have become. In a medium-sized school like Stevens, she states the average chapter size should be around 55 to 60 collegians each, but Stevens
average is currently 98 collegians per chapter. She hopes that with Alpha Phi on campus, it will help alleviate some of the pressures of having a large sisterhood. Now that Alpha Phi officially arrived on campus, they have welcomed 40 women to become the founding members of Alpha Phi. Alpha Phi Headquarter ELCs, educational leadership consultants, are helping run the new member education program for the founding wome, and helping them make a mark on campus. They have already been
see ALPHA PHI • Page 6
Rhinocerous poached in zoo outside of Paris was used to cut off one of his horns. As for the second horn, Duguet said, “his second horn was only partially cut, which suggests that the criminals were disturbed or that their equipment proved defective.” As horrific as this event was, the event was not unforeseen. Experts have been warning wildlife conservationists of the possibility of potential attacks, for several years, after private collections and exhibitions were robbed.“I wish I was surprised, but these animals are so brutally targeted,” said Cece Sieffert, Deputy Director at the International Rhino Foundation, which supports rhino conservation in Africa and Asia. “Wildlife crime is run by organized crime syndicates with very complex networks of middlemen moving rhino horns from Africa and India to networks in Southeast Asia. With the poaching crisis at such an alarming rate, it was sadly only a matter of time before these animals in zoos and other protected areas were targeted.” Southern White Rhinos, like Vince, were on the brink of extinction in the late 19th Centu-
ry, and they are not the only not endangered rhinos. However, with protection efforts and the high price on rhino horns, this might change soon. Rhino horn sale is banned by international convention, yet it still persists. A kilogram of rhino horn could be sold for nearly $54,000 in 2015, according to the zoo. “It’s really a no-brainer for these criminal groups,” he said. “It’s a low-risk, high-profit enterprise for them, and they can make as much money robbing a bank as they can killing a rhino with far, far less security.” Crawford Allan, Senior Director of TRAFFIC North America stated. The zoo reported that the perpetrators forced open the outer gate, right outside the rhinoceros building, at night. They then proceeded to pry open a second metal door and break open an inner door, which granted them assess to the animal lodges. “This odious act was perpetrated despite the presence of five members of the zoo staff living on site and surveillance
Front page continued
Wet Dream
Roving Reporter What are you doing over Spring break? Polling Pierce Did you get preferred housing?
OPINION 2-3
CAMPUS PULSE 4
NEWS 6-8
by MARYIA SPIRYDONAVA Managing Editor
The illegal trafficking and hunting of preserved wildlife is one of the world’s largest criminal activities; which affects numerous endangered species. The rhinoceros is one of those animals; desired for its horn used in southeast Asia. The demand for rhino horns is so high that experts believe any rhino, anywhere in the world, is at risk. Poachers have hunted rhinos in the wild and in protected reserves all around the world, threatening four of five rhino species. Now rhinos are unsafe in the protection of a zoo. After breaking into the Thoiry Zoo, outside of Paris, poachers slaughtered fouryear-old rhino, Vince, and sawed off one of his horns. “It is extremely shocking what just happened,” Zoo Director Thierry Duguet told France’s 20 Minutes newspaper. “An act of such violence, never before seen in Europe.” It was reported that Vince was shot three times in the head. It appeared as if a chainsaw
see RHINO • Page 6
In 1976, Habitat for Humanity International was founded to be a non-governmental and nonprofit organization, located in over 70 countries. Its mission is to create a world where everyone has a place to live. The organization provides housing, lodging, and transportation funds for the underprivileged across the world. On March 8, Stevens students attempted to bring this vision to life by setting up a stall on campus to help a North Carolina couple support their granddaughter by providing donations for her basic necessities and daily well-being. By selling brownies for charity on Walker Lawn, the students in-
tend to collect enough money to ensure that the family receives basic shelter and nutrients. Habitat for Humanity’s mission of ensuring that the basic right of all humankind, a shelter and four walls, is carried forward today by the minds and visions of many of our students, with the charitable intention of providing a better quality of life to millions of the homeless around the world.
Photo courtesy of Habitat for Humanity
Kappa Sigma presents: “Stronger than Cancer”
Photo courtesy of Kappa Sigma
by VICTORIA PISKAREV Business Manager
Kappa Sigma hosted their first annual Stronger than Cancer event on Tuesday, March 7 in Schaefer Gym. This fundraiser event was in honor of Aedan Wall, the biological brother of Liam Wall, a Brother of Kappa Sigma at Stevens. He was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma, a very rare form of cancer that can develop from connective tissues in the body, such as muscles, fat, bones, the linings of joints, or blood vessels. Wall
fiercely battled for eight months before it claimed his life on January 3, 2017. In honor of his spirit, The Aedan Wall Medical Support Fund, Stevens Institute of Technology Wrestling Team, and the Kappa Sigma fraternity devised a way to support Aedan’s family in this difficult time by creating a fun athletic competition with a heartfelt message. This event was a way to show one’s strength and raise money, all of which went to the Memo-
see STRONGER • Page 6
INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Don’t jump in the Hudson Motivation An ode to Spring break Feminists vs. Feminists
CIA Hacking St. Patrick’s Day MECA Bowling BreakFAST
Midtown Philly Steaks Philosophy
Softball wins Women’s fencing championship
Stayin’ Alive
Dello Russo runs
OPINION CON’T 9
SPORTS 10
STUTE THE
We write Stevens history.
The student-run newspaper of Stevens Institute of Technology since 1904
114th Volume Executive Board Editor-in-Chief Business Manager Managing Editor Layout Editor Outreach Chair
Tarik Kdiry Victoria Piskarev Maryia Spirydonava Phil Fishbein Mark Krupinski
Editorial Board Systems Administrator Layout Assistant
Staff & Contributors
Aditya Pendalya Bernie Feeney Cole Yarbrough David Rogers Evan Bedser Jay Rungta
Matthew Doto Audrey DSouza
John Horgan Katie Brown Namankita Rana Nicholas Burns Rachel Stern Teny Odaimi
Opinion The Stute Editorial
What motivates you to wake up everyday? An alarm clock. The sun. An alarming sun. I’m totally right aren’t I? You thought this was going to be a motivational piece that will leave you refreshed and motivated to finish that assignment or finally call your mother. In that case you thought right. This wouldn’t be much of an editorial if I just simply answered a question that I had asked now would it? It’s a tough question for students here, really. Some of us wake up anticipating a long workout for a sport or maybe for some club responsibility. Whatever it may be, there is one thing
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that prompts us to wake up in the morning here at Stevens. That thing is class. The countless classes, unimaginable workload, and back-to-back exams. We all have our share of this, engineering major or nonengineering major. I don’t know about you, but if that ‘s all I had to live for on this planet, I don’t think I’d be very happy. It gets old after a while, really. Waking up and having the first feeling cross your mind be dread. How can anyone live like that? As I’ve mentioned in my previous editorials, hobbies and passions are important. They
are very important when asking yourself what motivates you in the morning. Another point I forgot to add is our dreams. We all have dreams that we are currently chasing through our hard-work and almost unimaginable perseverance. I doubt many of you anticipate 8am lecture and 5 o’clock freshman quiz periods for the sake of doing it. We all want to be professionals in our fields of studies right? It’s that dream that one day you will be a doctor, a vet, or, in my case, a software engineer. We may not keep that in mind every morn-
ing, but there are not many other reasons to get out of bed other than to chase our dreams. Those dreams spark motivation, even if it feels like urgency and anxiety most of the time. I say let that motivation define you and keep that in mind everytime you decide to snooze your alarm or blow off a lecture. Unless it’s at 8am, then it makes sense. Until next time.
Tarik Kdiry Editor-in-Chief
Mind of a Freshman
Don’t jump into the Hudson!
Contact Us Office Phone
Friday, March 10, 2017 • Page 2
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by AUDREY DSOUZA
Freshman Business and Technology Major
Hi, friends. How are you all doing? Well, I hope, but there is a lot going on. Did you have many midterms this week? They are terrible, I feel you. The stakes are high too. Did you get your preferred housing, or are you basically gonna be homeless? I have friends that both got River and whose numbers were not good enough for housing at all.The career fair was this week too! Do you know what you’re gonna be doing this summer? I feel like my friends either already have plans, or totally none at all. In midst of this stressful week, where lots of choices have to be made, a lot of people try to make the situation better with humor.
But I’ve noticed that really often it’s morbid “humor”; suicide jokes. Now I know what you’re probably thinking, “Audrey, you really can’t take a joke,” or “Audrey, I’m not actually suicidal, you’re overreacting.” Okay. Maybe, in your situation. But only you know what goes on in your head, and decide if it’s all safe thoughts. Sometimes you might not even know though.You might just brush off your fears and anxieties as feelings everyone has, and one day, like a pressure cooker being forced shut, you might explode, do something you can’t take back. Maybe I am overreacting, but I don’t know! I just want to take precaution. I care a lot about the people around me, and when I hear that they’re sad, I’m sad. When I find out that their smiles are fake, I’m worried. How can I get these friends to trust me, or to at least get to the resources they deserve? So here, I will write about what I think is a good strategy to cope with tough times for them. Reflect and think about your day, every day. This is mindfulness, a buzzword in psychology these
days. Essentially, it’s closing your eyes, and sitting in a quiet space with just your thoughts. Being mindful of the sounds around you; the birds, or the fridge, or construction happening outside. There are apps that can play pre-recorded nature soundtracks, with a woman with a soothing voice asking you about your feelings. But in general, your goal is to just sit still, almost in a meditative state, and just listen. My CAL professor last semester actually used to spend the first five minutes on class practicing mindfulness with us, and it really works. With the bustle of classes, friends, plans, and work, you sometimes “don’t have the time” for yourself. It’s up to you to make the time for that. Maybe wake up five minutes earlier each day, and write down the things you want to use the day for. And in the evening, close your eyes, and take in all the sounds of the night. Think about everything that happened that day: did you accomplished that you hoped in the morning? Why or why not? If something good happened unexpectedly, or something bad happened that you couldn’t prevent. By doing
this, and closing off all of the things that distract you from your reality, you can figure out what you really feel. Just analyzing your life on a day-to-day basis is important. Reflecting on how you use your time helps you realize the things you are doing, and hopefully the things you could be doing better. You’ll start to think positively about your tomorrows, and keep going. Spring break is coming up. If you couldn’t hold on to your new year’s resolutions, start them again! The only person whose opinions matter is yourself. If your thoughts are toxic, or someone else is putting toxic thoughts into your head, talk to someone you can trust about it. These suicide jokes are a subconscious reflection of what people are feeling. Take this break as an opportunity to prepare for the final stretch. Yes, it’s only gonna get harder, but taking it one day at a time makes it a lot better. Talking to your friends about it makes it better. Don’t “jump into the Hudson”, stare at your reflection. The water may not be clean right now, but as you take steps to make it clearer, the better you will feel.
Senioritis
An Ode to Spring Break
by KATIE BROWN
Senior Chemical Engineering Major
I always hated midterms. The concept of having major cumulative exams and projects on top of regular homework assignments and campus activities is a recipe for sadness and a lot of coffee. Even as a senior with seven semesters of sleep deprived midterms seasons under my belt, I never feel 100% prepared when I walk into a midterm exam, and I feel like my projects are lackluster. Stressful night
after stressful night to get my work done leaves me exhausted and in need of total decompression when it’s over. Fortunately this semester, there is a beautiful light at the end of the tunnel: Spring Break. For the first time in my time at Stevens I am actually getting out of Hoboken for Spring Break! If anyone is around on campus this Sunday, feel free to wave to me from Castle Point because I’ll be crusin’ to the Bahamas. I love this city so much, but with four seasons in the matter of two weeks happening outside, I’m excited to experience a constant wave of nice weather. There is something rejuvenating of being able to catch some rays lazily by a pool and not from walking around Hoboken. I’ll need to pack some SPF 10000 for my Casper like skin tone, but
I’m honestly ready to enjoy some nice weather. I’d define myself as a “lazy outdoors woman” with my love of being outside, but hatred of doing anything extremely physical. This spring break I’ll be b-lining to the nearest lounge chair with a drink in my hand and taking a nice nap. I literally cannot wait. In addition to the weather, I’m really excited to spend time with my friends. Though my wallet is already very sad because of my vacation plans, I am happy to be going all out and having one last hoorah with my friends before we all go our different career paths. As many of you know, I try to actively not think about graduation or the “real world” but, especially in the spring semester, it’s a hard thought to ignore. With my friends getting job offers and ac-
ceptances into graduate schools all over the country, reality is slowly hitting that I won’t be a few buildings away from my friends for much longer. The perfect solution to this mild crisis of everyone moving is clearly confining everyone to a massive boat in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. With all seriousness, I will be taking this time to really hang out and make memories with my best friends because it’s one of our last big things we college kids do together. No promises that we’ll make it back to port in New York all in one piece. Finally and most importantly, spring break is a nice cherry on top of a pretty stressful week. Even when I didn’t go somewhere extravagant, Spring Break was the perfect opportunity to veg out and do nothing (my specialties).
In the past, I would remain on campus to give tours and work on the SDS musical, but it would still take my mind off the stresses of school. Did I really do nothing? Not particularly, but Spring Break always gave me an opportunity to recharge myself. All I really ever need is a few days without having to do an integral or remember an equation to feel refreshed and be ready to get back to work. Spring break is always the perfect amount of time I need to get ready to
kick ass and take names the second half of the semester. In the midst of finding the appropriate time to nap before I take a midterm, I had to give an ode to spring break to reinforce how much I need to relax and also how excited I am to be given the opportunity to do so. Are midterms ruining my life? Slowly but surely. Am I getting mentally prepared for my cruise? Absolutely. I’m ready to make this the best last Spring Break I ever had.
COUNTDOWN TO FREEDOM
75 Days until Commencement, May 24th, 2016
Friday, March 10, 2017 • Page 3
Across the Hudson
New York: a wet dream
by DAVID ROGERS
Sophomore Mechanical Engineering Major
In honor of the third Hoboken water main break of the year, I’m going to write about an odd and underappreciated benefit of New York: the water. While the tap water is fine in most of the country, NYC water is clearly something special since pizzerias and bagel shops in Florida and San Diego are having water shipped cross-country and down most of the east coast. This begs the question: what makes the water so special in the first place? First, the ideal chewy texture in the pizza crust, bagels, donuts, and just about any other baked good in New York comes from the water’s calcium content. Most of the country’s tap water doesn’t have enough calcium, so the result is bad pizza.
Of course, if a bakery or pizzeria in say, Montana has enough extra money, they can treat the water or dough with calcium sulfate, but most of them don’t. Secondly, the pH in New York water is close to pure water. As most of my readers know from General Chemistry I & II, having a lot of extra H+ or OH- ions can really interfere with a reaction. Again, a bakery with enough extra money can treat their water, it’s just that most don’t. Regardless of how bakers in the rest of the country could treat their water, the fact is that ours don’t have to. The reasons why involve a lot of infrastructure, land preservation, and luck. The luck lies about 130 miles north of the city, in the Catskill/Delaware Watershed. The watershed covers over a million acres, and has almost no limestone. This requires less treatment to produce purer water. Governments and non-profit organizations have preserved nearly half of the land around the watershed. The remaining 60% of the watershed’s land is
heavily regulated to prevent any contamination. This water is brought to the city through a 92 mile long, gravity-powered, underwater aqueduct. The gravity-powered system allows the aqueduct to work 24/7, but is scheduled to receive a $3.4 billion dollar repair in 2022. The water is constantly monitored by field scientists, who predict future water quality. Once the water actually reaches the south end of the aqueduct, it passes through the world’s largest ultraviolet disinfection facility, located just north of the city in Westchester. The water doesn’t go straight from the Westchester facility to the city, though. It’s treated to prevent pipe corrosion and to raise pH levels. It’s then sent to the Hillview Reservoir, which is the water’s last stop before the water main tunnels. Since almost no one drives in this town, there isn’t really a need for gas. That’s why I call water the city’s secret fuel. So that’s how we get our fuel: with an extraordinary, 130+ mile long operation.
Photo courtesy of NYC Environmental Protection
Girl Talk
Feminists vs. Feminists: Emma Watson’s Vanity Fair controversy & the Feminist hypocrisy
by NAMANKITA RANA
Sophomore Engineering Management Major
For years now, Emma Watson has been one of Hollywood’s most influential voices for the feminist cause. She played Hermione, which has since become an iconic feminist character. Watson is also the UN ambassador for HeForShe campaign, which aims to mobilize one billion men to accelerate gender equality. But now, thanks to a controversial photo in Vanity Fair, many on the Internet are dismissing her history as a feminist and calling her a hypocrite. The Vanity Fair cover story, which, ironically enough, is focused on her feminist views, came out as her new film, “Beauty and the Beast,” is about to hit theaters. “I used to be scared of words like
‘feminism,’ ‘patriarchy,’ ‘imperialist.’ But I’m not anymore,” Watson said in the piece. But in an ironic twist, it was not the article, but rather a shot on the inside of Watson in a white crocheted bolero jacket showing her cleavage— that drew controversy. Within minutes of publication, Watson received an outpouring of hatred and personal attacks. Most were by other socalled “feminists”. “Attention seeking hypocrite. Acting like a slut and flashing her tits is not what a real feminist does,” posted one on Twitter. “Is Actress and Feminist Emma Watson a Hypocrite for Going Topless in Vanity Fair?” asked the Hollywood Reporter’s Pret-a-Reporter. “Did Emma Watson pose ‘topless’ because of the patriarchy or despite of it? I doubt she knows herself,” announced another headline in the Independent. In the hours that followed, Emma Watson shot back at critics, in which she said “There are so many misconceptions and misunderstandings about feminism. Feminism is about giving a woman
a choice, it’s not a stick with which to beat other women.” That particular quote -- “Feminism is not a stick with which to beat other women” -- is what stuck out to me in her response. It points to a more troubling pattern I’ve noticed in recent times on social media and other platforms -the energy, nay, eagerness, with which we are willing to criticize, judge, and drag down someone who has a different opinion than us, even if they’re on our team. This is especially true of the feminist movement, where it’s almost become a trend, a mark of honor, to “drag” or “call out” other women for doing perceived exclusionary or unfeminist behavior, even if the behavior was done by accident or out of sheer ignorance. This isn’t really a surprise: some feminist camps idolize sexually liberated women while others vehemently hate them. There comes a question of whether or not expressing one’s sexuality is freedom of expression, or simply another way to pander to the “male gaze”. It’s
certainly a valid debate to have, but it largely misses the point. If Watson identifies as a feminist, her doing a sexy shoot doesn’t have to undermine that. Feminism about freedom of individual choice. True individual freedom does not make being sexy and being a feminist mutually exclusive traits. There was, of course, another side to this controversy. Many feminists who lashed out against Watson did so because she supposedly criticized Beyonce’s sexiness and feminism a few years ago. The quote, of course, was taken out of context, and Emma Watson did manage to defend herself on Twitter by simply posting the full quote in context of the interview in which she gave it. But by then, it was effectively too late. There were already a million and one think pieces on the Internet dragging her through the mud for her purported lack of intersectionality and labeling her a “white feminist” . The initial comment by Watson that blew up on Twitter was quoted to look like she was criticizing Beyonce’s dual-
ity as a feminist and a sexual creature. But in the full quote, Watson actually says that Beyoncé presenting herself as sexually empowered, intellectual, and feminine while not negating her feminist message was one of her main appeals. As a WOC, I’ll be the first to say that the intersectionality of feminism is undoubtedly an important conversation to have. This is especially true in the context of black women, whose sexuality is often unfairly judged, fetishized, and policed. However, it’s an insult to the importance and integrity of that conversation if feminists are willing to make up faux controversies to bring these discussions to the forefront. Retweets and social media likes alone do not make a successful social justice campaign. Neither does slandering the name of a highprofile feminist who is simply trying to do better and has herself admitted that she is privileged, has spoken about minorities, and herself says she has a long way to go when it comes to matters of intersectionality. It’s a bad look for anyone who calls them-
selves a feminist, and it only hurts the cause. More importantly, even if Emma Watson gave up her acting career and simply dedicated her entire life to the study of feminism, she could never get it right in a way that would silence all her feminist critics. That’s because feminism is inherently a nebulous, messy, concept. To try to hold her to some impossible standard of moral purity when it comes to these matters is naivety at best and outright harassment at worst. Her brand of feminism is a work-in-progress, just like everyone else’s. As ever, the focus of the discourse has turned to what a woman should or shouldn’t be doing, rather than the much more important discussion of how our culture presents, policies, and consumes women’s bodies and condemns their actions. As feminists, we need to challenge these things and conditions, and show a little more understanding to the individual women stuck in the system. There is a much more important conversation to be had, and much more important battles to be won.
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Campus Pulse
Friday, March 10, 2017 • Page 4
Roving Reporter What are you doing over Spring Break?
“Going home. Homework, sleeping, Netflix, family.”
“Nothing, just sleeping”
“Going home.”
Isabella Biesty
Zach Hacklander
Dante Monteleone
“Working. Literally just going back and programming 8 hours a day.”
“Going to Canada”
“Sitting in my room and crying”
Isaac Hirschfeld
Ian Blakeslee
Brad Tylutki
Polling Pierce Did you get preferred housing?
Living outside of Stevens 12
Yes 19
No 25
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Sudoku
Strips
Friday, March 10, 2017 • Page 5
Comics from: xkcd.com explosm.net filbertcartoons.com awkwardzombie.com theawkwardyeti.com poorlydrawnlines.com
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News Alpha Phi
Continued from front page
broken into various committees such as recruitment, philanthropy, and academics. Katrina Guido, a new member of Alpha Phi, is on the Chapter Operations committee, which is, among other things, in charge of reviewing the bylaws, creating a point system, and managing the budget. “It has been an absolutely incredible experience thus far,” Guido says about the process, “The beginning was a whirlwind of activities designed for us to get know one another and Alpha Phi, and now we are at the point of planning more fun events designed to bring all of us closer and shape the sisterhood we want to form. I really am amazed at far we’ve come over the past few weeks. I’ve met some incredible women who I wouldn’t have otherwise met, speaking both of my fellow peers and our
Rhino
Continued from front page
cameras, “ stated the zoo. “Animal parks throughout Europe have been put on alert to look out ... to get into these places they have to climb 3.5 meter fences, go through padlocked doors,” said Paul de La Panouse, the former director of the zoo’s African enclosure, according to The Guardian. According to the Dodo, the Thoiry Zoo attack occurred merely two
Friday, March 10, 2017 • Page 6
ELCs. I really am excited to see how far we can go because everyone is so willing to get involved and to get to know one another is invested in making this the best possible experience for not only every member, but also the campus community as a whole.” Alpha Phi won’t be getting a house just yet; there is nothing up for grabs in the Stevens owned housing, and Stevens does not have commitment to grant them housing soon, and neither does the Alpha Phi national organization. It is not typical to invest in a permanent structure for a brand-new colony. However, they plan to be active on campus and find creative ways to recruit for their sisterhood by showing how close their bonds are. Alpha Phi will be more active on campus by attending future events like Castle Point King, Take back the Night, and Dance Marathon. They will also have a place on the Panhellenic council, and a fifth seat as Secreweeks after two armed men raided a rhino orphanage in South Africa. The men not only assaulted the staff, but also held them hostage and killed two baby rhinos for their horns. Allan said zoos need to do risk assessments as soon as possible, since the criminals probably already found another zoo to target. He also recommended upgrading security equipment to include thermal imaging cameras that can automatically identify humans, as well as hiring more security guards.
Photos courtesy of Office of Residence Life and Tarik KdPhoto Courtesy of Stevens Alpha Phi
tary will be introduced to the Panhellenic execu-
Stronger
Continued from front page
rial Sloan Kettering fund, a fund for cancer research, in Aedan’s name. The competition hosted numerous categories, including deadlift, squat, bench, pull-up, and pushup, divided into sections based on gender and weight. There were also prizes for the winners based on the categories, including one for strongest sorority and strongest fraternity. The strongest sorority was awarded to Phi Sigma Sigma, whom lifted a total of 2265 pounds. The strongest fraternity goes to Sigma Phi Epsi-
tive council, to be filled by an Alpha Phi sister in
the upcoming semester. Alpha Phi will be do-
ing informal recruitment in the fall.
lon, whom lifted a total of 6685 lbs lifted. “It was a great charity event that allowed all the fraternities to get together and support each other,” says Evan Bedser, a Brother of Sigma Phi Epsilon, who competed in squat, deadlift, and bench press. The individual winners for each category were: Nick Krute for lifting 555 lbs in deadlift, Neil William Forrester for lifting 500 lbs in squat, K.C. Vasilas for lifting 365 lbs in bench press , Erik Saar for completing 37 pull ups, and Peyton Ouano for completing 106 push ups. The event raised a total of $610, $160 0f which were just donations from spectators. 48 competi-
tors participated in the competition, including competitors from Sigma Phi Epsilon, Kappa Sigma, Delta Tau Delta, Alpha Phi Omega, Theta Xi, Sigma Nu, Phi Sigma Sigma, Sigma Delta Tau, and Theta Phi Alpha. “Overall the event went
really well,” Ronald Ankner, fundraising chair of Kappa Sigma, states, “There was some really stiff competition, but also a friendly atmosphere. All of the money raised will be donated to Memorial Sloan Kettering in Aedan Wall’s name.”
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Photos Courtesy of Kappa Sigma
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WikiLeaks reveals alleged C.I.A hacking tools by JAY RUNGTA Staff Writer
On Monday, February 13, the son of late North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il, Kim Jong-Nam, was killed in an airport. CCTV cameras recorded him being approached by two women, who appeared to spray some sort of liquid onto him. The encounter took less than 15 seconds. Kim Jong-Nam proceeded to nearby authorities, but quickly became too dizzy and was taken into an am-
bulance. He passed away before reaching the hospital. The two woman made no attempt to hide their identities, one wearing an easily identified ‘LOL’ t-shirt, and even attacked the victim in an extremely crowded hallway of the airport. The assailant wearing the t-shirt returned to the airport on Wednesday to take a flight out of the country, but was recognized and apprehended. Many are speculating that Kim Jong-Un may be
involved, as his banished half brother could potentially shine a negative light on his family’s dynasty. Kim Jong-Nam has been known to denounce his family’s ruling, and was also a frequent gambler and playboy. Many
Photo Courtesy of @CIA
believe the dictator of North Korea would not want his banished elder brother to continue living such a promiscuous lifestyle, and eliminated him. A North Korean spokesperson claimed that the man assassinated was not, in fact, Kim Jong-Un’s brother, but an imposter, designed by the South Koreans to create confusion, and draw attention away from civil unrest within the South’s government. South Korea has yet to respond to these allegations.
News
Friday, March 10, 2017 • Page 7
Stevens Irish Association celebrates St. Patrick’s Day
Tarik Kdiry
MECA hosts bowling event
“The club is about uniting the Muslim community on campus and providing various services such as Friday prayer as well as educating non-Muslim students about Islam and breaking stereotypes and isconceptions.” -Iman Alshafie - President of MECA
Bernard Feeney
News
Friday, March 10, 2017 • Page 8
Women’s Programs organizes International Women’s Day Symposium
Photos Courtesy of Carla Noshi and Theta Phi Alpha
Computer Science Club hosts Advanced Vim Day
Photos Courtesy of Moenika Chowdhury
FAST breaks fast
Photos Courtesy of FAST
l
Opinion Continued
Friday, March 10, 2017 • Page 9
Cuisine Corner
Midtown Philly Steaks
by MARKO DJAPIC
Sophomore Chemical Biology Major
While I’ve been to plenty of restaurants, I usually only try to review places that I haven’t been to before. After all, Stevens is all about innovation (does that count?) and why review a place you’ve already been to 100 times? This week, though, I made an exception, and went to check out Midtown Philly Steaks. Midtown Philly Steaks is a quick-bite local right next to Sixth and Washington. Specializing in (you guessed it) Philly Cheese Steaks. Midtown is the perfect place to go if you want a big, greasy sandwich and
don’t care who knows. If you still want a cheese steak but maybe something healthier, they also have all their sandwiches with a chicken option. If you aren’t healthy but still want chicken, they also have wing buckets. On top of these entrees, you can get a wide variety of fries and drinks to top off your meal, and of course some standard sides like onion rings and muttz sticks. After not going for almost a year, I was ready for some prime time after-party/ post-night-out-in-the-city food. I wanted something that would raise my cholesterol while simultaneously making me salivate. To achieve my goal, my friend and I got a California cheese steak and a Hawaiian cheese steak, respectively, along with homemade chili fries and mozzarella sticks. And no, the surfer theme was not on purpose. Despite my hardest desire to, I had a really hard time convincing myself that I
was in love with their food. As opposed to the greasy, high fat, melt your mouth with triglycerides deliciousness I was expecting, I was greeted by a rather underwhelming ensemble that less forgiving reviewers might compare to a shoe. The steak itself was tough, dry, and not particularly tasty. The cheese, while nicely stringy and tasty, was tough to find. The loaf of bread itself was airy and not very filling, and finally, the vegetables tasted like something you would get at a Surf Taco. The Hawaiian cheese steak also left my friend underwhelmed, for similar reasons. On top of that, the homemade chili fries were little more than frozen fries with some reheated chili thrown on top of them, while the mozzarella sticks came out to a disappointingly small amount (6 for 6.50!). Certainly, my tastes might have been different if I was horribly inebriated, but I wasn’t particular
thrilled sober. Despite my disappointment, I do also recognize the issues with my choices. Hawaiian anything is a risky gamble, and “California” anything is usually code for “questionable lettuce”. The primary reason I went for these two was because I had had other, more typically-me options, like the Barbecue and the Pizza cheese steak, when I went a year ago. Those were what made me fall in love with Midtown Philly
in the first place. Most food critics, after all, visit a place multiple times before writing a review, but given the time scale of Stute news cycles, that isn’t feasible; thus, despite my quiet disillusionment, I don’t want to be quick to write off Midtown Philly just like that. Midtown Philly Steaks is close, cheap, and satisfying if you’ve been craving a good cheese steak. Just be sure to avoid the Hawaiian and California cheese steaks!
Midtown Philly Steaks CONTACT & INFO 523 Washington St.
Sun - Wed 10:30 AM to 11PM Friday 10:30 AM - 2 AM Saturday 10:30 AM - 4 AM Sunday Closed
(201) 222-7400 Food:
Service: Food: Price: $$ Photo courtesy of Yelp
Scientific Curmudgeon
Technically Speaking
Is philosophy a kind of poetry?
Stayin’ Alive
tual doldrums and helps us see life anew. Good philosophy does that. Thus Spoke Zarathustra transports me to the lonely mountaintop with crazy Zara-Nietzsche. Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus gives me a similar frisson. Confronting the oracular utterances of Wittgenstein, I feel like Amy Adams in Arrival. I’m awed by my encounter with an alien intelligence, in which, if I look hard enough, I might dimly discern myself. Conversely, some of my favorite literary works have philosophical themes. In mordant metaphysical fables like “The Zahir” and “Funes the Memorious,” Jorge Luis Borges warns that there is such a thing as too much knowledge. Stanislaw Lem’s novel Solaris, about humans’ discovery of a sentient planet, dives as deep into the mind-body problem as Thomas Nagel’s “What is it like to be a bat?” Rebecca Goldstein, like Lem, trained as a philosopher before writing The Mind-Body Problem and 36 Arguments for the Existence of God. Her novels subject ideas to severe stress tests by embedding them in intellectuals buffeted by ambition, love, fear. Goldstein (who is speaking at Stevens on April 27) describes her novels as “philosophical fiction.” Call it “phi-fi.” But I don’t want to push the philosophy-art analogy too far, because it poses problems. First, imagine, as an absurdly implausible thought experiment, that philosophers all start churning out arty philosophy, or phi-fi. One shudders to think of the resulting flood of hogwash, which would fail as either philosophy or art. Second, most philosophers will reject the poetryphilosophy analogy. Gary
od, a possible solution towards living longer is a brain or full body transplant. A brain transplant puts the brain of one person into the whole body of another person. While this may not be able to directly extend someone lifespan beyond normal means, it can help someone with a life-threatening disease “continue” their life. In their new body, they would have the same personality and the same memories, but without any of the health issues. The slight problem is that a brain transplant hasn’t been accomplished yet – even in test organisms such as mice. The closest thing was a head transplant involving monkeys; however, the monkey still died after a few days. Work still needs to be done on this front. Evidently, there isn’t a way to boost our lifespan (easily) via technology right now, but what about in the future? Cryonics prepares us now for that future. Cryonics is the preservation of living or recently dead humans or animals for a possible revival in the future. Cryonics focuses on preserving information in the brain, as supporters believe that the information stored within the brain is key for future revival. During cryonics, a body is drained of all liquids, filled with a sort of “anti-freeze” mixture, and stored at temperatures typically under negative 200 degrees Celsius in order to “freeze” it and prevent any information loss in the brain. From the information in the brain, a new “being” can be formed with
by JOHN HORGAN CAL Professor
This is the fourth in a series of posts on philosophy. Last year, struggling to understand an especially dense philosophical paper, I was reminded of my youthful efforts to decode poets like Emily Dickinson and Wallace Stevens. Then I had an epiphany: Philosophy is like poetry with little rhyme and lots of reason. And philosophy, perhaps, has the same point as art. Philosophers, like it or not, have much in common with poets. Dickinson and Stevens don’t impart truth, empirical or ethical. They don’t say, This is how things are, or ought to be. They say, This is how things might be. Poets yank you from your self so you can peer out of someone else’s eyes. And poets draw attention to their medium, asking, Aren’t words weird? Philosophy does these things too. Plato disparaged poets, and yet he relied on imagination as much as logic—and on metaphors, characters and dialogue–to advance his arguments. His meanings can be murky, too. I like teaching the parable of the cave to freshmen not because it’s clear but because it isn’t. If philosophy is an art form, we don’t have to fret over its lack of progress, because progress isn’t the point. What matters is whether an artist’s work jolts us out of our percep-
Gutting recently described the work of modern French philosophers as “a kind of abstract poetry.” That’s not a compliment. Gutting thinks those philosophers are “unnecessarily” obscure. For Gutting, clarity of expression is a virtue. Equating philosophy and art, in the end, doesn’t do justice to either, and it emphasizes style at the expense of substance. Good art needn’t be philosophical, nor good philosophy artful. David Chalmers won’t be offended when I say that “Why Isn’t There More Progress in Philosophy?”, which inspired this series of posts, isn’t poetic. It’s doggedly straightforward. What I appreciate most about Chalmers is his overall philosophical outlook. He maintains faith in the possibility of knowledge even as he candidly acknowledges his field’s history of futility. That tension between optimism and skepticism suffuses his work. It’s time to tip my cards. What good is philosophy in a scientific age? Its chief value, I propose, is protecting us from our yearning for certainty. Skepticism can be excessive, and insidious. A tobacco executive hoping to obfuscate the link between smoking and cancer once said, “Doubt is our product.” Doubt is philosophy’s product, too, except in a good way. And that’s the theme I’ll explore in my next and final post of this series. 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 ScientificAmerican.com blog, “Cross-check.”
by MARK KRUPINSKI
Freshman Computational Science Major
This week, let’s move to technology integration in a field that tons of people have an interest in study: biology and medicine. Everyone has a fear of dying to some degree, so let’s take a look at living. How long are we actually capable of living? The “maximum” lifespan of a human is thought to be 125, but will it be possible to go beyond that using technology? One method would simply be some form of advanced cell repair. During death, cells are effectively dead: they cannot function anymore. If some form of rapid cell repair can be developed, death can be prevented on the moment and in the future with each failing body part. Unsurprisingly, while we are forming more synthetic organs successfully, they are not perfect. All of them have a high chance of failure; there is no guarantee of success yet. Nanotechnology has also not progressed enough to be able to able to rapidly repair cells, nor have medical devices progressed enough to form fully authentic organs. Synthetic organs also cannot replace some functions of the body; a synthetic brain is essentially a robot in a human shell. On a different meth-
all of the same information. Of course, currently there is no way to “resurrect” someone who has been frozen via cryonics. Additionally, there isn’t a guarantee that the future conscious being will be the same as the one that is frozen. Would they lose their personality after their brain is not active for such a long time? In essence, they would be a newborn with lots of “knowledge” available to them? Now, a discussion on boosting our lifespan wouldn’t be complete without talking about the ethics involved. Obviously, reviving someone or boosting a lifespan will cost a great deal of money, and if it doesn’t, it will likely be limited in some manner. For many people, overpopulation is an issue. Either way, the only people who will be able to live longer are either extremely wealthy or extremely powerful. There will be no way for the “average joe” to be able to live longer. It will be limited to a select few – the wealthy and powerful such as Donald Trump. In addition, life preservation will not be based purely on this, but on the political agenda. If someone who is extremely wealthy dies but isn’t supported by the political regime, their money may not be accepted for the life extension. Also, let’s not forget about the religious opposition because it might go against God’s word. Going against the “teachings of God” is an issue for many people. It’s one of many barriers that artificial life extension would need to pass.
Sports
Friday, March 10, 2017 • Page 10
Women’s Fencing takes DIII title at NIWFA Championships
Softball opens 2017 with doubleheader sweep of FDU
ON DECK IN SPORTS niwfa.com
BASEBALL
Stevens Sports Information
SSI - Junior Olivia Gemma pitched five shutout innings and hit a two-run home run, junior Lauren Shirley collected six hits and drove in a pair of runs, and the Stevens Institute of Technology softball team opened its 2017 season with a doubleheader sweep (40, 8-2) of Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham Wednesday. Senior catcher Amanda DiLeo also drove in two for the Ducks, who their season-opening for the fourth straight season. “This was a great start to the season,” head coach Erica Mehalick said. “We played well from start to finish and many players contributed to these two wins.” Michelle Mangini homered and singled to account for the only runs of the day for FDU-Florham. The Devils fell to 1-4. Shortstop Corinne Loncar produced the first hit of the season for Stevens, connecting for a single off Megan Zaccario (11). Shirley followed with a well-placed ball that reached the wall for a triple. Staked with a 1-0 lead,
Gemma (1-0) went to work on an FDU offense that came into the game averaging 7 1-2 runs over its first two games. The right-hander scattered just four hits, struck out four, and retired nine straight Devils, to earn the win. Loncar added a sacrifice fly in the fifth and DiLeo stroked a bases-loaded single to score Marissa Barnes and Julia DeCandia to provide Stevens with a little breathing room. Sophomore Christine LaRochelle pitched two innings to earn her first career save. In the nightcap, Stevens scored in each of the first four innings en route to an 8-3 victory. Senior Emily Sellitti jumped on an Audrie Thomas (0-2) offering to deliver a leadoff double to right center. Junior Farryl Groder sacrificed the third baseman to third and Loncar calmly drove a single through the left side of the infield for the game’s first run. FDU finally got on the board in the second. Mangini connected for a long home run off LaRochelle (1-0). The Devils would add another run off
the Stevens pitcher in the fourth, but in-between, the Somerset, New Jersey native retired six straight batters, as the offense staked her to a 3-1 lead after three innings. LaRochelle allowed two runs on four hits in her four innings of work. She walked one and struck out four. The Ducks broke the game open in the sixth. Sellitti led off with a walk and advanced to second on a Groder sacrifice. After Loncar flied out to center, Shirley drove in the fifth Stevens run with an RBI double. Gemma followed with a mammoth blast to left center to close the scoring. Shirley and Gemma led the team in home runs (7) in 2016. Sophomore Marissa Cappello fired three hitless innings for her first save of the season. Cappello earned the first two saves in Softball history in 2016. Up Next: Stevens heads west to Tucson, Arizona for the 2017 Tucson Invitational Games, with ten games on the schedule. The Ducks will match up with Central College to open the event Sunday.
VS SUNY - New Paltz 1 p.m.
MEN’S FENCING
Stevens Sports Information
SSI - For the third consecutive year, the Stevens Institute of Technology women’s fencing team captured the Division III Title at the NIWFA Championships hosted by Army. The Ducks finished second overall as a team behind first-place Temple, while Johns Hopkins took third. FDU and Drew rounded out the top five of the 17-team competition. The championship included teams from both DIII and DI, and included Florida, Navy, Maryland, and Haverford. Keying Stevens’ victory was strong performances across all three weapons as sabre placed third with 41 wins, foil second with 42, and epee fourth with 38. Temple finished ahead of Stevens at all three, but Johns Hopkins was the
only DIII program to finish in front of the Ducks. Individually, Abby Kaye placed second at foil with 14 wins, while Allison Urban-Spillane and Nicole Strezewski each hit double-digit win marks in team competition to help the Ducks place second at the weapon. Julie McEldoon placed seventh at epee in addition to 12 wins from Erin Hatcher, in addition to a second place finish for Michelle Drobish at sabre. Julia Yang also competed individually for Stevens at sabre. Amanda Choy placed took 10th at epee, Urban-Spillane 9th at foil, and Yang ninth at sabre. Stevens will be back in action next weekend when qualifiers will compete at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships.
Dello Russo to represent Stevens at NCAA Championships SSI - Stevens Institute of Technology women’s indoor track and field freshman Gina Dello Russo has qualified for the 2017 NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships in the 400-meter dash. Dello Russo reached the national championships with a time of 57.57, achieved at last weekend’s ECAC Championships. The time also broke the Stevens record in the event. “We knew that we were getting a special athlete in Gina,” head coach Justin Wood said. “She has already accomplished so much in a very short time
at Stevens and now she has her first NCAA qualifier to add to her list.” The Whippany Park, N.J native was named earned a pair of Empire 8 Conference Track Athlete of the Week awards and was named All-Conference in both the 200 and 400 meter-dashes. Dello Russo also earned Track Athlete of the Meet at the Empire 8 Conference Championships and finished the season ranked 15th in the country in the 400. The 2017 NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships will be held in Naperville, Illinois and are being hosted
3/4 3/4 3/4 3/4 3/4 3/4 3/4 3/5 3/5 3/5 3/5
NCAA Regional Championships 10 a.m. TBD
WOMEN’S FENCING
NCAA Regional Championships 9 a.m. Lafayette, PA
MEN’S TRACK & FIELD
NCAA Championships TBD
WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD
NCAA Championships TBD
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
MIT Tri-Match 1:30 p.m. Cambridge, MA
WRESTLING
NCAA Championships 11 a.m. La Crosse, WI
Sunday BASEBALL
@ Johns Hopkins University 2 p.m. Baltimmore, MD
SOFTBALL
Stevens Sports Information
by North Central College, March 10-11. The preliminary heat is being held on Friday, Mar. 10, with the championship following on Saturday.
“The national championship exposure will be very important to her development,” Wood added. “Hopefully it is the first of many national
championships and so we’ll focus on managing the environment of a big national championship while competing on the biggest stage.”
Stevens
Opponent/Event
Score
Result
Women’s Fencing Men’s Lacrosse Men’s Tennis Men’s Track & Field Women’s Track & Field Men’s Volleyball Men’s Volleyball Baseball Baseball Men’s Fencing Men’s Tennis
NIWFA Championships VS Tufts University @ Brandeis University ECAC Championships ECAC Championships @ Cairn University VS Arcadia University VS Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute VS Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute MACFA Championships
N/A 6-19 1-8 N/A N/A 3-0 3-0
2nd L L 7th 15th W W W
@ Babson College
VS Central College 11 a.m. VS Augsburg College 1 p.m. Tucson, AZ
MEN’S TENNIS
VS Amherst College 10 a.m. Orlando, FL
Duck Country Scoreboard Date
Saturday
6-5 7-0 N/A 8-1
W 4th W
Stevens Sports Information
FOR MORE INFORMATION, HEAD TO: STEVENSDUCKS.COM STEVENSREC.COM