[The Stute] February 8, 2018 (Issue 15, Volume CXV)

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Established 1904

Communication issues cause budget freeze for the Society of Women Engineers

by MARK KRUPINSKI Business Manager

Debaun Show Preview • P5

SES Strategic Plan • P5

Library Hours • P7

Over the last semester, the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) has faced communication issues between its executive board that led to budget problems and now a frozen Spring 2018 budget.

SWE requested $4180 from the Student Government Association (SGA) for its Fall 2017 budget, but according to Dakota Van Deursen, treasurer of SWE during the Fall 2017 semester and current Vice President of Student Interests, the SGA cut its budget request to $2680. A total of $1500 was cut from the requested budget, $1000 of which was from a line item for the We17 National Conference in October.

The SGA cut the large line item for the conference due to SWE’s bad track record for the number of conference attendees, according to Van Deursen.

The approved budget allocated SGA funding for only ten people — $100 per person following SGA

Stevens welcomes new Dean of the School of Systems and Enterprises

guidelines — as opposed to the original request that would have permitted a total of 20 conference attendees.

At the start of the fall semester, everything was running smoothly. According to Van Deursen, 23 people were interested in attending the conference.

He submitted an Additional Funding Request to the SGA for $1500, and the SGA approved $1000 of the request. However, the request was approved on the condition that if SWE

Staff Writer

Dr. Yehia Massoud joins the Stevens administration as the Dean of the School of Systems and Enterprises Photo courtesy of Dr. Yehia Mossoud

his time spent at Synopsys Incorporated, a leading electronic design automation software company. “I thought that was the way to make real impact and work on something that was going to be practiced and used by people.” However, he came to the realization that he could have a “much bigger impact as a faculty member.”

Beginning in 2003, Massoud joined the faculty at Rice University, where he was granted tenure in just four years. Prior to joining Stevens, he served as the Head of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and within five years saw his department rise 25 positions in

the U.S. News and World Report rankings.

Massoud found that WPI’s strategy for improvement aligned well with the ranking system.

“For example, we wanted to improve the quality of the academic program, raise the level of research impact, and increase the number of students at the undergraduate and graduate level,” said Massoud.

“We were able to achieve a great success in terms of achieving our goals and the rankings followed.”

He also recognized that emphasizing the applications and breadth within the curriculum was a key part of the improvements at his former institution.

see SSE DEAN • Page 6

did not meet the number of confirmed attendees for the conference, they would roll the money back to the SGA. Although 23 students expressed interested, only five undergraduates signed up to attend the conference, and the remaining money (roughly $1425) rolled back to the SGA. The remainder of the funding needed for the conference was to be supplied by SWE’s sponsors.

Three days before the conference in late October, the president of SWE

suffered a concussion, rendering her unable to act as president. A series aof unfortunate events ensued, imposing complications for the conference. Without the president to ensure proper conference coordination, other executive board members of SWE had to take charge and oversee the conference.

According to additional members of the SWE executive board, those who

see SWE • Page 6

Director of the Davidson Laboratory resigns

by SARAH HOOGENBOOM Staff Writer

by OLIVIA SCHREIBER

Raised just 15 miles from the ancient pyramids in Cairo, Dr. Yehia Massoud, the newly appointed Dean of the School of Systems and Enterprises, always knew he was going to start his career as an electrical engineer.

Electricity as an invisible, almost supernatural entity working behind most of the modern world’s technology is what drew Massoud in during his youth. “I was always fascinated by electronics and computing,” said Dr. Massoud in a recent interview. “I wasn’t necessarily interested in how to utilize them at the time, but more so on how these things worked.”

His keen interest in electronics and computers led him to Cairo University, where he earned both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. He ultimately decided to travel across the globe to The Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts for his Ph.D. work in Electrical Engineering.

Though Dr. Massoud has invested many years of his life into higher education, he did not start in academia. “After my Ph.D., I joined industry,” said Massoud, alluding to

swe,org

As of Jan. 31, Alan Blumberg, an admired researcher and professor in the Ocean Engineering Department, has resigned from his position at Stevens to work in the private sector of Hydrosciences and Modeling.

As the backbone of the Davidson Lab, a member of the Stevens Board of Trustees, and an admired George Meade Bond Ocean Engineering Professor, Alan Blumberg made quite the impact on the Stevens Ocean Engineering Department.

His research focused on the interactions between coastal water and urban environment while also using numerical models and laboratory experiments for forecasting systems and future

safety and sustainability of urban coastal regions.

Blumberg has worked with the New York City Mayor’s Office on coastal flooding and has also worked with the New Jersey Governor’s Office in the implementation of state-wide storm surge reduction alternatives.

During his 15 years at Stevens, Blumberg championed over 150 peer-reviewed articles, taught 12 different oceanography and coastal courses, and led the use of the New York Harbor Operation and Prediction System (NYHOPS), which continues to assess the conditions of the ocean, weather, and environment of the New York Harbor region. Considered to be one of the professional minds of regional storm and sea level rise flooding events, Blumberg has been featured in The New

Photo from The New York Times

York Times, USAToday, and his work on hurricane intensity reduction was featured in a 2008 National Geographic Special.

“It is time for me to begin the next chapter of my career,” said Alan Blumberg when asked about his decision to resign from Stevens to join Silicon Valley startup Jupiter Intel. As the cofounder and head of the New York City office for Jupiter, Blumberg hopes to expand the practical applications of weather prediction, climate modeling, and quantifying risk climate change through the use of new sensor data and cloud computing. This information would completely change the manner in which researchers view data referencing weather patterns on a national and global scale.

Reflecting on his many achievements, Blumberg states that his “career has flourished from so many opportunities… [and] could not have asked for more” from his colleagues. Through Jupiter Intel, he hopes to discover new opportunities and continue working with Stevens researchers and students.

On Monday, Feb. 12, Jupiter Intel will be officially launching their

see BLUMBERG • Page 6

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Opinion

Friday, February 9, 2018 • Page 2

The Stute Editorial

Let’s talk about sports So, I want to take a moment to discuss the phenomenon that is sports. This is unlike me because, for those of you who don’t know me, I don’t follow sports at all. Yet, I found myself watching a good majority of the Super Bowl this past Sunday. Now, this wasn’t because it’s my idea of a fun Sunday night (although even I have to admit it was a good game and, personally, I enjoy the commercials). It was because of the group of people.

Sports bring people together, even people with different interests and people who support different teams. The group of friends I was watching the Super Bowl with

consisted of avid football fans, people who were just there for the food, and fans of opposing teams. Despite the differences present, there was no hostility towards each other. Yes, the Patriots fan from Boston was upset and wasn’t in the mood to talk, but there was still laughter between fans of both teams.

This is the great thing about sports. I’m looking forward to the opening of the Olympic games this Friday. I can’t wait till the entire Earth is brought together to watch the Olympics. If you think about it, it’s kind of crazy and amazing all at the same time.

So hopefully, I leave you with some amusement at this thought, and that you

Photo from AP

are inspired to watch the games with people you wouldn’t normally see.

Perhaps you’ll discuss a certain sport with someone with whom you think you have nothing in common. Challenge yourself and let the magic of sports do its work, as it brings people together.

Maryia Spirydonava Editor-in-Chief

Mind of a Freshman

The one about Valentine’s Day

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by MARY RUANE

Freshman Business and Technology Major

Last semester, I was enrolled in Introduction to Sociology with Professor Yu Tao, and I found this course particularly fulfilling. As its name implies, sociology is the scientific study of group behavior, combining both my appreciation for scientific inquiry and my fascination of how we as a species act collectively.

Earlier in the semester, Professor Tao introduced the concept of status, which is a position — either ascribed to us at birth or earned through merit — that we occupy. We are not limited to one single status, and each position comes with requirements, called “roles.”

When I thought about what statuses I have occupied during my lifetime, several come to the forefront of my mind: student, sister, friend. If I narrow the scope, last year had been defined by my status as the Chair of the Stevens Honor Board. But alas, internal elections have come and gone, and I no longer occupy that status.

In Sociology, I more so remember our class discussing the acquisition

of status, which most often comes with a sense of fulfillment. However, we didn’t delve deeply into when one loses a status, and just two days after elections, I cannot find the words to articulate my emotional state.

There is a sense of relief (my inbox will not be as inundated as it once was), but also a small yet pronounced shred of desolation. My experience as Chair was arduous on many levels, but I believe I finally learned how to work as a cohesive team member with Emily, Lucas, and Victoria by my side at all times.

While Honor Board hearings were nerve-racking and addressing concerns within the general membership were not cut-anddry, I became very com-

fortable within my role as Chair. It was a privilege to serve alongside my peers, and I look forward to finishing my senior year as a general member.

And while my grappling might continue, I can only assume this is normal (I’ll have to ask Dr. Tao about this one). This small void will be filled with another status — if I’m lucky, one that is salaried and comes with benefits — and my time as Chair will become just another fond memory of my time at Stevens. In the meantime, if you’re like me and are saying goodbye to a status you cherished, thank those who entrusted you in the first place because without the group behind you, these statuses are merely self-proclaimed labels.

Senioritis

Role change

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Corrections & Clarifications

For corrections and clarifications regarding any of our issues, please email eboard@thestute.com !

by OLIVIA SCHREIBER Senior Chemical Biology Major

Last semester, I was enrolled in Introduction to Sociology with Professor Yu Tao, and I found this course particularly fulfilling. As its name implies, sociology is the scientific study of group behavior, combining both my appreciation for scientific inquiry and my fascination of how we as a species act collectively.

Earlier in the semester, Professor Tao introduced the concept of status, which is a position — either ascribed to us at birth or earned

through merit — that we occupy. We are not limited to one single status, and each position comes with requirements, called “roles.”

When I thought about what statuses I have occupied during my lifetime, several come to the forefront of my mind: student, sister, friend. If I narrow the scope, last year had been defined by my status as the Chair of the Stevens Honor Board. But alas, internal elections have come and gone, and I no longer occupy that status.

In Sociology, I more so remember our class discussing the acquisition of status, which most often comes with a sense of fulfillment. However, we didn’t delve deeply into when one loses a status, and just two days after elections, I cannot find the words to articulate my emotional state.

There is a sense of relief (my inbox will not be as inundated as it

once was), but also a small yet pronounced shred of desolation. My experience as Chair was arduous on many levels, but I believe I finally learned how to work as a cohesive team member with Emily, Lucas, and Victoria by my side at all times. While Honor Board hearings were nerve-racking and addressing concerns within the general membership were not cut-and-dry, I became very comfortable within my role as Chair. It was a privilege to serve alongside my peers, and I look forward to finishing my senior year as a general member.

And while my grappling might continue, I can only assume this is normal (I’ll have to ask Dr. Tao about this one).

This small void will be filled with another status — if I’m lucky, one that is salaried and comes with benefits — and my time as Chair will become just another fond memory of my time at Stevens. In the meantime, if you’re like me and are saying goodbye to a status you cherished, thank those who entrusted you in the first place because without the group behind you, these statuses are merely self-proclaimed labels.

COUNTDOWN TO FREEDOM

103 Days until Commencement, May 23th, 2016

Friday, February 9, 2018 • Page 3

Spoiler Alert

The Shape of Water: visual storytelling

by KOBY GARCIA

Junior Visual Arts and Technology Major

Guillermo Del Toro’s 2017 film, The Shape of Water, tells the story of a mute woman, Elisa Esposito (played

by Sally Hawkins), who falls in love with and subsequently rescues an amphibian man who was brought into the research facility, which she cleans at night. A band of other characters help her in this rescue, including: her co-worker Zelda Fuller (played

by Octavia Spencer), her best friend Giles (played by Richard Jenkins), who is a closeted gay man, and Dr. Robert Hoffstetler (played

by Michael Stuhlbarg) who’s actually a Russian spy but goes against his own mission to help Elisa. All the while, Elisa’s boss Richard Strickland (played by Michael Shannon), is on a hunt to find the amphibian

man. By the end of the film, Strickland finds Elisa and the amphibian man, shoots them both, but gets knocked out by Giles. The amphibian man then jumps into a pier with Elisa and begins to heal her (he has magic healing powers and eats cats, interesting dude). The “scars” on Elisa’s neck are actually gills, and she regains consciousness before embracing the amphibian man underwater.

Del Toro uses lighting and attire to his advantage in order to differentiate the characters.

Elisa begins to wear a red headband (she is eventually dressed entirely in red), representative of her excitement surrounding her flourishing relationship with the amphibian man once she has rescued him from the science facility. This isn’t the only time apparel is used to communicate the nature of the characters in the film: both Zelda and Elisa are part of the nightly cleaning crew and thus wear uniforms of a muted, gray and blue color scheme. Dr. Robert Hoffstetler (the secret Russian spy) has the mission of preventing the Americans from learning anything about

Off the Press .

Honor Board to implement duels as form of punishment

by OFF CENTER

The Stevens Honor Board, comprised of the most honorable people in the school, has decided to change the penalty for breaking the Honor Code to a duel with pistols at dawn. A sophomore member of the Honor Board thinks this will be a great way to stop repeat violators of the Honor Code, explaining, “I don’t think any student is going to bother cheating again if they lose one of these duels.”

However, this update to the Stevens Honor System was not passed through the Honor Board unanimously. It passed, 16 votes for and 4 against.

One junior member who voted against the amendment thinks it is not a good idea to make students pistol duel because “it is not severe enough.

If a student who cheated wins the duel, nothing happens to him.”

When asked why this change was taking place, the Chair Member responded with, “We’re all really big fans of Hamilton the musical.”

According to the new

Honor Board Constitution, the student who submits the violation will be the other member in the duel, which allows accusing students of being held accountable for their claims. The document also mentions that the instructor for the class where the honor violation occurred can choose to give the student a zero for the assignment instead.

The students on campus seem to entirely disagree with the amendment.

One senior Chemical Engineering student says, “this is going to make my senior design project so much more stressful.”

Another student adds, “I really don’t want to die at this school.”

Even some professors disagree, as the CAL department released a statement saying, “The Book of Mormon is a much better musical.”

Because of the new rules in the Honor System, the pledge will now have to change from the familiar “I pledge my honor that I have abided by the Stevens Honor System,” to “I pledge my life that I have abided by the Stevens Fight Club.”

JOIN THE STUTE !

Photo from IndieWire

the amphibian man, but decides to help Elisa run away with the amphibian man instead. Dr. Hoffstetler’s superiors then visit him at his home to interrogate him and ask what he had done with the subject, where they catch him with his pants down, literally.

The antagonists of the characters in the film are usually shown as wearing tight, professional clothing, as to emphasize their demeanor and power, whereas the protagonists wear work uniforms and loose clothing.

From the very beginning

of the film, Elisa is constantly juxtaposed with water; her morning routine involves boiling eggs and spending some very personal time in the bath. Being that she is part of the nightly cleaning crew, she is usually working with a mop and a bucket. The lighting associated with each of the characters varies depending on what character is in the shot. Strickland and the Russians are usually placed in harsh lighting locations while Elisa and the others are placed by windows and dark rooms, accentuat-

ing the soft lighting.

Del Toro brilliantly and blatantly uses lighting and attire in order to communicate a change in character as well as serving as a reflection of the the narrative.

Although I would have preferred if Elisa’s juxtaposition with water was more difficult to pinpoint in order for the ending to be more of a surprise, I understand that it goes hand in hand with the playful nature of some of the other elements of the film. Sally Hawkins’ performance is like no other, especially

amongst the other women who are nominated for lead actress. If you get a chance to watch this film, keep an ear out for the refreshing and Golden Globe winning score by Alexandre Desplat. Although he has a long history of fantasy films (his bread and butter genre), Guillermo Del Toro really hit it out of the park with this story.

The film is beautifully written and executed, and although it is not my personal pick, I do think The Shape of Water will win the Oscar for Best Picture.

Scientific Curmudgeon

Bees, Sex Bots and the Solipsism Problem

by JOHN HORGAN CAL Professor

Last fall I attended a conference at NYU called “Animal Consciousness.”

It should have been called “Animal Consciousness?” to reflect the uncertainty pervading the meeting.

Speakers disagreed over when and how consciousness evolved, what is required for it to occur and what creatures have it.

In a previous column, I focused on the debate over whether fish can suffer.

Scholars also considered the sentience of lampreys, spiders, crustaceans and other species. Speakers presented evidence that creatures quite unlike us are capable of complex cognition. To convince us that octopuses are conscious, philosopher Peter Godfrey-Smith showed us a video of them goofing around while a pufferfish watched, seemingly out of pure curiosity.

Biologist Andrew Barron argued that bees, in spite of their minuscule brains,

are not mindless automatons. Their capacity for learning rivals that of mammals. When harmed, bees stop eating and foraging as if they were depressed.

Bees, Barron concludes, are conscious. Philosopher Peter Singer considered whether cockroaches and bedbugs can suffer, and if so whether we should treat them more humanely. At the other extreme, psychologist Stuart Derbyshire questioned whether even dogs are conscious.

Looming over these disputes is the solipsism problem. I know I am conscious, but I can’t be absolutely sure that anything else is, because I have access only to my own subjective experience. I’m pretty confident that you and other humans are conscious, because we’re so similar.

But my confidence in the consciousness of nonhuman things diminishes in proportion to their dissimilarity from me.

As long as we lack a solution to the solipsism problem, theories of consciousness will be unconstrained and hence wildly divergent. Integrated information theory, a leading explanation of consciousness, implies that consciousness pervades all matter, including nonliving things, as decreed by the ancient mystical doctrine panpsychism.

At the other extreme are so-called eliminative

materialists, who question whether anything is really conscious, including humans. An advocate of this position is philosopher Daniel Dennett, who spoke at “Animal Consciousness.” In his recent book From Bacteria to Bach and Back, Dennett calls consciousness an “illusion.” He comes close to suggesting that we are zombies, beings that appear conscious but actually lack an inner life.

The solipsism problem haunted other meetings I’ve attended over the past two years. At “Ethics of Artificial Intelligence,” computer scientist Kate Devlin considered whether sexbots, robots designed to have sex with humans, might be conscious and hence deserving of rights.

At a workshop on integrated information theory two years ago, participants debated whether dark energy is conscious.

Last spring, NYU hosted “Is There Unconscious Perception?” Scholars argued over the implications of conditions such as blindsight, which is caused by brain damage. Subjectively, you feel blind, but if someone throws a ball at you, you will catch it.

Blindsight proves that perception and other cognitive functions need not be accompanied by consciousness, according to philosopher Ned Block, an organizer of the meeting.

Block reiterated this point at “Animal Consciousness,” which he also helped organize. Other scholars disagree with Block’s interpretation of blindsight data, contending that people with blindsight might possess visual awareness even if they insist that they don’t. That strikes me as a very weird claim. But my point is that even if you restrict your discussion of consciousness to humans, you can’t escape the solipsism problem.

As long as we can’t solve the solipsism problem, we will favor theories of consciousness for subjective reasons. You are big-hearted, so you grant consciousness to bees, jellyfish, sexbots and dark energy. I am a snob, so I restrict consciousness to humans, primates and a few especially clever birds, like crows. Your Consciousness Club is capacious, mine vanishingly small. You may think your preference is wholly rational and objective, but it is based more on taste than truth. We cannot escape our subjectivity when we try to solve the problem of subjectivity.

John Horgan directs the Center for Science Writings in the College of Arts & Letters. This column is adapted from one originally published on his Scientific American blog “Cross-check.”

Campus Pulse

Friday, February 9, 2018 • Page 4

Roving Reporter What was your favorite Super Bowl ad?

Hashtag, it’s a tide ad.

Avneet Singh

The tide ad.

Jamie Shamilian

The tide ones.

Justin Boyd

Sadly, probably the tide ad.

Emily Raque

I really liked the Cardi B Alexa one.

Melissa Maruri

I think Alexa loses her voice.

Maddie Hutchison

The M&Ms one with Danny Devito.

Tori Larsen

They weren’t that good this year; there were too many tide ones Teny Odaimi

The one where the eagles won the Super Bowl.

Damon Del Priore

News Continued

Friday, February 9, 2018 • Page 5

Preview for the Scottish Play

by NICK BURNS Staff Writer

Macbeth will be playing in DeBaun Auditorium this weekend, put on by DeBaun Performing Arts.

While not affiliated with Stevens Dramatic Society (SDS), there is a significant amount of overlap in both actors and crew of SDS and DeBaun Performing Arts.

The entire show is given a workshop feel when it comes to sets and costuming. This is done with a static arrangement of chairs onstage at all times, serving whatever purpose is needed in each particular scene. The costumes are simple, but clearly different to avoid confusion, since multiple parts are played by the same actors. Some costume changes even happen onstage to allow the action of the play to flow more smoothly.

The entire show is a rapid continuation from one scene into the next, in part because of William Shakespeare’s writing and in part because of the director’s wishes. “It’s like a roller coaster you can’t get off of,” said Dr. Bethany Reeves, the direc-

tor of this production. She has worked previously on the summer theater shows and the yearly Shakespeare production that DeBaun puts on. DeBaun has been doing a Shakespeare production every year for the past five years to “give students the chance to play those rolls they really want. If you’re serious about acting, you want to play these classic roles,” Dr. Reeves commented, adding, “we’ve got some damn good actors [and actresses] at Stevens.”

Just like classic Shakespeare, there are no mics, so all amplification comes from the actors and actresses themselves. While there are a few sound effects, the sound design is limited. On the other hand, the lighting design is not as limited, which is headed by stage manager Shawna Hawkins, and operated by Stevens student Kiera Dillon. Dillon operates the lighting board for this show, after doing some lighting in high school and working on previous Shakespeare productions with DeBaun Performing Arts. Without being distracting, the lighting does an excellent job of highlighting the mood of

each scene, at times bringing the actors together to tell the classic story.

Another significant director on this show was the fight director, Jessica Pecharski, as there are multiple fight scenes. When asked about challenges with this show, Pecharski answered, “Well, no one had any experience before.

Before we could even think about choreography we had to go over safety, and the basics.” She had previously worked in DeBaun theater with SDS on The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 as the stage manager. She said she was proud of all the actors’ progress, especially Ian DiGuilio, playing Macbeth, and Clayton Lundgren, playing Macduff, whose final battle comprises minutes of the play, with the two using the entire stage for their fight.

Pecharsky’s biggest concern when doing stage combat is safety, “and there’s always the problem to keep it real, while making it safe.”

The two-hour play will run Friday, Feb. 9 and Saturday, Feb. 10, starting at 8 p.m. both nights in DeBaun Auditorium in the Edward A. Stevens building.

Charles Zwicker

SES presents Strategic Plan

by ALEX MURTAGH Outreach Chair

The Schaefer School of Engineering & Science (SES) has been working over the past six months to put together a strategic plan to guide the school forward.

While responsible for the strategic plan’s conception, Dean Jean Zu has allowed the Strategic Planning Steering Committee and the members of the SES community to have a significant influence on the direction of the plan. The recent SES faculty retreat and town hall meeting have both served to provide channels for others’ voices to be heard in the process. After opening the town hall meeting, Dean Zu left, citing a conflict of interest, encouraging those present to ask any questions and provide their input without fear of judgment. According to the committee chair, Pro-

fessor Henry Du, “The plan is the work of the community, as Dean Zu put more elegantly, the collective wisdom of the community.”

Professor Du provided both internal and external rationales for why SES needs a strategic plan. Internally, Professor Du said that there is a sense of a lost cause and that there has never been a shared vision by those within the school. Externally, the graduate engineering program has fallen ten places in the U.S. News and World Report rankings since 2015 and SES awards have dropped by a factor of two. Du was also very careful to note that “We haven’t seen the bottom yet.” However, now that the school has formed the strategic plan, there are high hopes among the faculty that everything will begin to turn around. Within the plan, the committee has set multiple indicators to understand the

impact of the plan on both SES and the entire Institute.

The Strategic Planning Steering Committee is made up of 14 members with various backgrounds. According to Dean Zu, Professor Du was chosen to lead the committee due to his experience at Stevens and the fact that he can deliver results. When deciding who should be placed on the committee, Professor Du said that it was important to have the best minds and people who were representative of the community, which means the inclusion of an undergraduate student.

The Strategic Plan focuses on five key areas: Education and Training of Undergraduate and Graduate Students; Research, Scholarship, and Infrastructure; Faculty Investment and Development; Innovation and Entrepreneurship; Culture, Governance and Reputation Building. As Professor

Rainer Martini mentioned, the education and training of students is at the top of the list for a reason. The plan was developed with a focus on producing better students, as well as preparing those students to have an impact in the science and engineering world.

Education and Training of Undergraduate and Graduate Students: The goal that has been laid out by the plan aims to improve the education of SES, including undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate, students in multiple ways. From the undergraduate perspective, students will notice many changes both in and out of class. Specifically, students will see improvements to teaching and research laboratories to get more handson experiences. There are also parts of this plan that seek to improve connections with private industries and foreign universities.

Photo Courtesy of Stevens Institute of Technology

Also, there will be changes to the engineering design spine because according to professor Hamid Hadim, “It hasn’t reached the potential it was intended to”, so portions of the curriculum will be adjusted to improve students experience and give them all necessary skills.

Finally, this portion of the plan aims to integrate the undergraduate and graduate populations, as well as increase connections with alumni and SES leadership.

Research, Scholarship, and Infrastructure: The main point of this portion of the plan is to build up and maintain the faculty of SES, while also providing them with the proper tools to be competitive within their respective fields. Currently, the school is looking to hire a large number of faculty members though cluster based hiring to meet the goal of maintaining a “critical mass” of faculty. A large portion of this plan is dedicated to ensuring that “current seed funding initiatives [are expanded] to help faculty launch projects” according to Professor Samantha Kleinberg.

Faculty Investment and Development: In order to achieve all of the above goals, it is critical that SES recruits more faculty. Professor Martini discussed how faculty are stretched to extremes because many are forced to teach instead of focusing on their research. This is likely due to the fact that the number of students has grown over the past five years, while the number of faculty members has declined over that same time period. The plan also aims to help current faculty through areas such as mentorship pro-

grams to help faculty continue to advance their careers. In addition, the plan will work to promote the successes of all faculty and gain both them and the school greater recognition.

Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Stevens bears the title of “the Innovation University”. In keeping with this title, SES plans to promote entrepreneurship in a number of ways.

This begins with an innovation and entrepreneurship (I&E) hub for SES to support both faculty and students. According to Professor Christos Christodoulatos, students in SES will begin to see more elements of I&E in their curriculum and in a new seminar series.

Culture, Governance and Reputation Building: The final goal of the plan is to foster a culture of excellence. This is mainly achieved through effective communication and visibility, improved leadership, and collaboration both inside and out of Stevens.

One of the most important measures as to progress in this area is the various U.S. News and World Report rankings, and how they are affected by this plan. “This increase in Stevens’ reputation can only further improve the quality of experience for all students and faculty of the Institute,” said Professor Koduvayur Subbalakshmi.

After going through multiple revisions, the plan is entering its final stages of approval and should be finalized within the next month. Once the plan is finalized the plan will enter the implementation phase and be carried out for the next five years.

News Continued SWE

Continued from front page

were left in charge ensured that the conference ran smoothly. Following the conference, the conference was declared “a great success and the girls had fun” according to one SWE e-board member and all that was left to do was to send conference receipts to Financial Coordinator Brielle Melillo, in a timely manner.

In the direct aftermath of the conference, however, Namankita Rana, Acting President of SWE and Dakota van Deursen, Treasurer, faced some unforeseen logistical troubles. Right before the conference, the funding from SWE’s sponsors — roughly $2350 from Exxon and Credit Suisse, larger than the approximately $1500 dollars needed for the conference — failed to arrive on time. While this funding was secured by the former president of SWE, she was unable to pressure the companies to provide the funding sooner given her concussion.

Rana stated she called Van Deursen and asked him what to do, asking if she could use the SWE pcard. Rana states that Van Deursen said yes and assured her that it was fine, noting that he would fix loose ends if there were any troubles.

Van Deursen has a different account. Van Deursen claims that Rana called him “essentially saying, you need to pay for the hotels on the pcard.” Van Deursen said that he could not do that, but Rana insist that they needed to move it because the hotels were currently being held with their advi-

sor’s personal credit card.

Afterwards, Rana insisted, according to Dakota, to “just put it on the p-card,” Van Deursen “dragged his heels” and moved the payment to the p-card.

Van Deursen claims he had weekly conversations with Houston Migdon, Vice President of Finance at the time, after the conference regarding SWE’s budgeting situation. Additionally, he had three short meetings with Melillo during November to try to resolve the issue.

Van Deursen could not recall what was specifically discussed at those meetings. Dakota explained part of the issue is how rollovers are done: in SGA accounting, rollovers are processed immediately, while Melillo calculates rollovers at the end of the semester. Ultimately, the SWE account appeared to have approximately $1400 more dollars than it actually did. This provided funds to be spent for the conference from the p-card without any issue.

He also stated some of the sponsorship money came in and was applied towards their debt, however all of the money had yet to come in within the month after the conference. No set person was decided on to follow up on the sponsorship money.

Rana stated she leaned on Van Deursen, and trusted that he would know SGA policy. Additionally, she stated Van Deursen said the budget “was good”. She was unaware that anything was wrong until a few days before the end of the semester, when she heard that SWE’s budget might be frozen. She stated that she relied on Van Deursen as treasurer and believed that he resolved all con-

Friday, February 9, 2018 • Page 6

ference and sponsorship issues. According to her, she gave Van Deursen info and budgeting figures in a timely manner when needed. She believes that the treasurer is ultimately responsible for financial matters, and “any budgeting errors are [their] problem.”

Networking Night presented more communication problems. Networking Night was an event in coordination with Society of Women in Computer Science (SWICS) and Women’s Programs.

SWE’s efforts were coordinated by Rana and another SWE e-board member, Sarah Bertussi. Three weeks before the event, Rana told Van Deursen over Slack that she would need approximately 200 dollars more for Networking Night and later confirmed the amount. Van Deursen suggested pulling the money needed from a SWE Venmo account. Additionally, Bertussi stated Rana made “action items” to tell Dakota to reallocate money, and Rana always followed up on and accomplished them by the next meeting they had to plan the event. She also stated that the reallocation requests were told to Van Deursen two weeks before the event. However, Dakota stated that he asked Rana multiple times to show him the Networking Night budget, but she did not do so. According to Van Deursen, Rana sent him the budget too late to submit a reallocation request or additional funding request to fund the event. Either way, no request was sent to the SGA, and they were left $267.40 in the hole from Networking Night, and were still counting on more sponsors that had

American Chemical Society celebrates Valentine’s Day

yet to come in to fund the event.

Former Vice President of Student Interests Soindos Abdah asked to come to the SWE executive board meeting on December 3 prior to the SGA Senate meeting. Rana had no idea why she wanted to come to the meeting; all of the executive board members were under the pretense that the meeting would be an end-of-semester wrapup. At the meeting, Abdah told the SWE leaders that after conducting an audit with Migdon, there was a budgeting issue. According to Rana, the e-board was “horrified”. According to multiple SWE eboard members, this was the first time that they had heard of any budgeting issues; they had no idea that was any issues with the budget. According to Van Deursen, Abdah was “pragmatic”: she would make sure there would be a fair punishment. Abdah was contacted for a comment about the SWE situation, but did not respond to any emails sent. Additionally, Migdon stated that he had “no comment” on the issue.

The issue was first brought up in public later at the December 3 SGA meeting with the nomination of Dakota Van Deursen for Vice President of Student Interests.

At the meeting, Houston brought up that there were “vast financial violations [with SWE]… any rule they could have broken either financially or VPSI related, they broke.”

This was the first time the Senate, including current President Lucas Gallo, had heard of the issue. Houston also noted that Dakota was forthcoming “awhile after it happened,” with the Senate consensus that

SWE’s situation should not affect Van Deursen’s appointment as VPSI. Van Deursen explained his viewpoint to the SGA and stated “I was assured by my VP that the money was good,” a statement that Rana claims to be false.

According to her, Van Deursen said the money “was good.” In the end, Dakota’s appointment as Vice President of Student Interests was approved.

Rana was not present at the SGA meeting to give her account and believes that Dakota is not an unbiased source on the issue. According to her, “Dakota’s possible political motivations to become VPSI and their influence on his story aside, I think there are several problems with what happened. One Sunday SGA meeting, one side of the story (his, and his alone) and then immediately a unanimous vote confirming him as VPSI, with everyone taking his word as the truth. The speed at which that decision was executed — it’s a bit terrifying. The fact that he wasn’t vetted further for the disaster he left in his wake, or a proper investigation wasn’t done to get both sides of the story was frustrating and only serves to add yet another credibility concern for the SGA. At very least, the vote installing him as VPSI should have been delayed for a full investigation to be completed.

Now, a person who is at least a little responsible for putting one club’s budget frozen is supposed to represent all of them.”

Additionally, an anonymous SWE e-board member stated, “[Dakota] didn’t even comply with his responsibilities when [the president of SWE] was around,” and noted

he was disrespectful of the president during meetings and openly mocked her. Ultimately, there were underlying issues with communication, and multiple e-board members agreed with this.

In response to this and other issues, The SGA is working to create a more “uniform” punishment for RSO issues and punishments. According to both Gallo and Van Deursen, the SGA is working on creating a penalty matrix.

Currently, it is up to the VPSI to decide a punishment: whether it’s a budget freeze, RSO disbandment, or the organization electing a new e-board.

By creating a penalty matrix, Gallo and Van Deursen hope to remove subjectivity from punishments.

Van Deursen stated that as VPSI, he will treat SWE as another RSO, without any special treatment.

Rana doesn’t disagree with the SGA’s punishment to freeze their budget, and additionally gave some advice to other RSOs to avoid future budgeting issues: “make sure not one, but several people on your board are familiar with SGA rules and guidelines, or you might be in for some stormy seas. Never rely on a single person as a crutch/source for SGA knowledge because that won’t end well. I regret not taking it upon myself to learn everything, because if I had I may not have been blindsided.”

SWE’s SGA budget was frozen this semester; however, it is still able to host events by using additional sponsorship money. Despite the issues, Rana believes that SWE will continue to grow and succeed over the Spring 2018 Semester.

SAVE hosts recycled bottle candle making

by ELINA TUDER

by AUDREY DSOUZA

Staff Writer

Managing Editor

The American Chemical Society (ACS) hosted a Valentine’s Day celebration on Wednesday, February 7 at 5 PM in Hayden Lounge. At the event, the club provided the opportunity for students to make bath bombs, Borax hearts, test tube valentines, and enjoy a wide variety of sugary treats. ACS wanted to give students a break from their lives and give them a fun way to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Secretary Vitaliya Taletska, said, “We want to show chemistry as fun and a good way to make things for the love of your life.” ACS’s next General Body Meeting will be held on Wednesday Feb. 28 at 5 PM in EAS 329.

Bernard Feeney

On Tuesday, Feb. 6, Sustainability Activism Volunteering and Engineering (SAVE), which is Stevens Environmental Club, hosted its first-ever Recycled Bottle Candle Making event. Attendees were able to select any glass bottle or jar, score it, have it filled with hot wax, and then mix in their desired colors and scents. While waiting for their candles to solidify, students could also enjoy sweets, which included cookies and candy. Kaitlyn Zak, the Events Chair of SAVE, hopes that the event will “encourage people to be sustainable and find ways to reuse bottles, rather than just throwing them out.” Through the entire event, SAVE used 20 pounds of wax. SAVE meets every Tuesday and Thursday at 9 pm in the Griffith Building and is working on a solar-powered smoothie cart.

Elina Tuder

News Continued SSE Dean Continued from front page

“I was also interested in getting our students into top positions after you graduate so I always met with companies when they came to visit,” said Massoud, listing off companies such as Google, SpaceX, Tesla, and Apple.

“We wanted to see what kind of things [these companies] look for in our students, which would help them achieve high positions and high salaries.”

One could say that Dr. Massoud’s strategy at his former institution aligns with that of the Stevens’ 10-year Strategic Plan, The Future. Ours to Create., which, according to the Stevens website, has “charted a course for Stevens to become a premier, student-centric, technological research university.” Massoud admits that when he was contacted for the SSE Dean position, he was “very impressed” with Stevens.

“As an institution, Stevens puts a great emphasis on having top-quality programs, which is something I strongly believe in” said Massoud. “It provides the the highest quality of education, and not just textbook education, but knowledge that prepares one to be ready to join the workforce and become future leaders of science and technology.”

Massoud comes with many accomplishments and accolades, both in industry and academia. He has published over 200 papers, developed novel compressive sensing systems for signals needed for biomedical implantations and wearable devices, has two IEEE Best Paper awards, served as the editor for several scientific publications, and was awarded the NSF CAREER Award, in addition to many others. While the

physical transition from institution to institution is cumbersome, Massoud finds that all of his previous experience has given him the gift of perspective that he can now share with Stevens.

In the same early-December announcement, Provost Pierre stated that he “[was] very pleased that a scholar and academic administrator of Dr. Massoud’s caliber will join the Stevens senior academic leadership,” and insisted, “Dr. Massoud’s leadership will be a vital part of our efforts to continue Stevens’ steep upward trajectory as we further develop our stature as a premier institution.”

Massoud is determined to catapult The School of Systems and Enterprises to the very top. “We will work together to make this happen,” promised Massoud. “We will work with the faculty, students and the administration to take the right steps and reach that level.”

Much of Massoud’s life has been defined by academia, but he does admit that he is quite the avid ping pong player and football fan. “The reason I like sports, like football, is that I really like the strategy of the game,” said Massoud, referencing the New England Patriots’ success (unfortunately, success that did not play out at this past weekend’s Super Bowl). “It’s impressive to see how they plan for success, build a winning team, and sustain excellence.”

At the end of the day, sports and electrical engineering aside, Dr. Massoud took on this new position to make an impact. “I am directly affecting students’ lives,” noted Massoud. “If I can help improve someone’s path towards success and excellence, it gives me great satisfaction and this is why I am in leadership.”

Friday, February 9, 2018 • Page 7

Interviewing the new assistant Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life

by DANIEL KANG Staff Writer

Malcolm McDaniel is the new Assistant Director of Fraternity & Sorority Life at Stevens. The old director was Thea Zunick.

In this new position, Malcolm will coordinate Stevens’ 18-chapter fraternity and sorority community alongside its four governing councils. He was born and raised in Queens Village, New York. He went to Long Island University, Post Campus for his Bachelor’s of Science in Speech Language Pathology and Audiology and obtained his Master’s degree at Hofstra University in Higher Education Leadership and Policy Studies. Malcolm was involved in Greek life, joining Latino America Unida/ Lambda Alpha Upsilon Fraternity his senior year. He was previously Assistant Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life in the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs at Lehigh University.

His first impression of Stevens was that it was “small. In terms of the campus at Lehigh, it was like huge because they have all the hills. But for Stevens, this was it for the most part.” Before applying for the position, he also commented on being pleasantly surprised at “Stevens winning a lot of awards.

They must be doing a lot of good work on campus and the fraternity and sorority population here must be pretty awesome.” He appreciates Stevens for not having as many hills as Lehigh. He was drawn to Stevens because he wanted to live closer to home in NY, but he also wanted the opportunity to oversee Greek

Library extends late night hours three days a week

by LISA MENGOTTO Staff Writer

The Samuel C. Williams Library is piloting extended hours of operation, thanks to an initiative from the Campus Life Committee (CLC) of the Student Government Association (SGA).

The new hours push back late night closing from 2 o’clock a.m. to 3 o’clock a.m. on three days of the week, Monday through Wednesday.

Last semester, a few senators received questions from their districts’ constituents regarding

places to study that are open later than the library. The Campus Life Committee, chaired by Sophomore Senator Jesse Priest, took on the initiative.

“I found out from [the Office of] Student Life who the best contact would be, and I was told to reach out to the Library Director, Linda Beninghove, Ed.D. After a few emails, we met to discuss what could be done to improve the library’s operations. She was welcoming of the SGA and CLC’s involvement in the library and was excited to see what she could do

to help,” said Priest.

The first action item was last semester when the 24-hour library opening began the last week of classes, which is one week sooner than when they usually do 24-hour opening for finals period.

The library will continue the pilot hours for the rest of the semester until the 24-hour opening that occurs the week before finals. The front desk employees have been instructed to do rounds of the building at 2:30 a.m. and record the number of students present. Despite the extended library hours, the Stevens shuttles did not extend hours of operation beyond 2:15 a.m.

Priest stated that Beninghove continues to welcome student feedback to help improve the library.

Campus Life Committee and the rest of the SGA are excited to work with the library in the future.

Community as well as supervising graduate assistants, which were opportunities that he did not have at Lehigh.

Malcolm also said that he came into his job at the beginning of the semester, so it was hard to compare especially since he missed out on Panhellenic and IFC recruitment. When he started his first day on Thursday, January 25th, he was involved in a weekend retreat. Part of his transition was spent dealing with paperwork and meetings and he missed out on event planning making this a headfirst experience for him. Malcolm described it as “blessing by fire.” For his last position, Malcolm started over the summer and was able to acclimate himself to the campus and getting used to things before the hectic arrival of students. This time, with students already here, Malcolm did not know what to expect. He remarked that both students at Stevens and Lehigh are similar in that they are highly driven and very academic focused.

Malcolm has been working with Craig Shook, Graduate Coordinator for Greek Life, who has been helpful in adjusting him to campus and figuring out where he left off as a graduate student. He also works with everyone in the Undergraduate Office of Student Life, who helped him figure out Ducklink.

Malcolm’s vision for Greek life at Stevens is a “community where everyone is thriving and being successful. A community where we support each other, where we have the ability to work in partnership.”

He speaks about culturallybased organizations being cut off from partnerships

Photo Courtesy of Stevens Greeks

between the IFC and Panhellenic organizations at a national scope and hopes to bring them together to benefit not just the Stevens community, but the Hoboken community as well. His specific goals for this semester include figuring out an easier way to streamline processes. He did not come in with a lot of goals because he knew he was coming in the middle of the semester. He said it would be unbecoming of him to come in and ruin everyone’s plans and does not think that will help anyone.

He wants this semester to be one of learning, specifically what our community likes and dislikes. He wants to focus on learning about the students and the students learning about him.

He wants to learn about the traditions and cultures of the fraternity and sorority life.He also wants to bring some changes to the

community and come up with a game plan to implement those changes at the beginning of the new academic year. Malcolm hopes to change the accreditation policy and wants to look more into it. He speaks of it as a “checkbox that isn’t applicable to all our fraternities and sororities, especially depending on what size the chapter is.” He wants Greek organizations to be able to explain why they are doing things and chapters to compete against themselves instead of competing against others. He wants fraternities and sororities to be the best chapters they can be. Malcolm says that we should expect more policy understanding instead of major policy changes. He wants to introduce more transparency to the policies between the organizations and himself.

And with that, welcome to the community!

Housing applications opens with changes to policy

by DYLAN MOON Staff Writer

On Tuesday, the Office of Residence Life opened the Housing Application process for the 20182019 academic year. Students who intend to live on campus or in Stevens Leased Housing must submit their applications

by Friday, Feb. 28. They will then be eligible for Room Selection, which begins Mar. 2 and ends Mar. 22. The Housing Application can be found on the myStevens Housing & Dining page.

The Office of Residence Life also announced some changes to the Room Selection policy. As of next semester, Stevens Leased Housing will have the option of gender-inclusive housing, which means that students may choose apartment-mates regardless of their sex or gender identities. Students

already living in Leased Housing will, on Mar. 1, have the option to pull in roommates of any gender while retaining their current unit. Another change is the creation of Roommate Groups. Unless selecting a room alone, students will be required to form Roommate Groups of two to six people via “Room Selection” under myStevens Housing & Dining, designating one group leader to select a unit on the behalf of the entire group.

Similarly to years past, upperclassmen will select rooms first, followed by sophomores, and then freshmen. In order to accommodate as many freshmen on campus as possible, one source says, current Sophomores and Juniors “will only see SLH options during their own signup times, but could be pulled into oncampus housing by freshmen during their signups

later in March.” The oncampus options for current Freshmen will include Jonas Hall, Palmer Hall, and River Terrace.

But, according to Residence Life, only one half of the current Freshman class will receive on-campus housing next semester.

For additional information on the Housing Application and Room Selection process, students may contact the Office of Residence Life at reslife@ stevens.edu or refer to Catherine McGuire’s school-wide email announcement from Feb. 6.

The Office of Residence Life is also hosting information sessions in the Fielding room (third floor of the Howe Center), on the following dates: Wednesday, Feb. 7 from 2 to 3 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 13 from 9 to 10 p.m., Friday, Feb. 23 from 3 to 4 p.m., and Wednesday, Feb. 28 from 1 to 2 p.m.

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Opinion Continued

Friday, February 9, 2018 • Page 8

Cuisine Corner

The Night Life Review: East L.A.

by MARKO DJAPIC

Junior Chemical Biology Major

Whenever I miss getting the Stute p-card on a Friday I always end up scrambling last minute to go out the next week.

Morning? No one is open on a Monday morning.

Afternoon? Class. Evening? My night class goes till 8:50. Fortunately, as of this week, I am now legally allowed to peruse Hoboken’s most varied and famous establishments! So, taking my ID and my pride proudly on Washington Street at 10 PM, I made it extremely far off campus and stumbled into East L.A., a casual joint known for their margaritas and Mexican comfort food right off of 6th street.

Walking into East L.A., I was immediately impressed with the intimacy of the space. It may have been the Tuesday night crowd, but the air was incredibly laid back with very close seating either at the bar or in a booth.

True, if you brought your backpack you might want to leave it with a friend before hand, but the intimate-without-feelingclaustrophobic vibe was a welcome relief after a full day of classes. The music choice also won my heart over after 2 songs; hopping between alt rock to hip hop to rap, I felt like someone had taken my 8th grade playlist and hit shuffle. Modern or old, I was bopping all night until I realized I had a 9 AM the next day. ooking at the menu, I was pleasantly surprised to find out we came on their TACO TUESDAY! Chicken, pork, beef, or vegetarian, all tacos were 2 dollars; for those of you out there who are also above 21, the deal can also include a malt flavored beverage of your choice. Of course, I ordered one of each taco

except for vegetarian, all crispy shelled, while my #1 ChemBio™ colleague had a pork and a beef taco soft shelled. For dessert, we also ordered the flan, which I had never had the

pleasure of having before.

After rocking out to Big Data for the first time since high school, our food came out piping hot.

At first glance, there have definitely been more impressively presented tacos in this world. The fillings were classic meat with herbs, seasonings, and green onions, and

Marko Djapic

there was nothing else in the tacos. While they certainly had me salivating waiting to eat them, they had a hard time fill-

ing the expansive space of a hard shelled taco.

After my first bite, I completely stopped caring about looks; all three were fantastic, especially for how much they had cost me. The chicken was the driest of the three, but it was also somehow refreshing in how light it was. The pork, meanwhile, was heavy and greasy in the best way possible. Rounding it all out, the beef was a good balance between the two, with a savory sweetness that offset the sharpness of the seasonings delightfully. Afterwards, the flan was also quite the treat.

The creamy, puddinglike texture of the main body combined with the caramel sweetness of the sauce around it in a much more delicate way than I thought it would, and I took my time savoring every bite. I highly recommend all of it.

Overall, East L.A. has something for everyone.

Between the cheap food, excellent location, and bopping playlist, it’d be hard to come here and not have fun. If you’re

above 21, I’m sure you could have even more fun here with their expansive selection of colorful margaritas. If there is any advice when choosing to come here, come casual.

The atmosphere is definitely one for conversation with the squad.

her sisters, Kourtney and Khloe, and her half-sisters, Kendall and Kylie Jenner, who have a combined 310 million followers on Instagram. I’ll stop here since I think you get the point.

Technically, none of this may even be legal. The fashion blog The Fashion Law points out that according to the Federal Trade Commission, social media influencers must explicitly disclose their material connections, whether it be money, free clothes, or other perks. In other words, Kanye cannot present content that he pays for as coming from independent sources. The FTC’s rules regarding the nature of ad campaign do not apply to Yeezy in my opinion. All of the clothing is logo-less and is in a casual setting, as opposed to a photo-friendly artificial background. The method and distribution differ from traditional campaigns, which is genius. I do not know whether the FTC will conduct an investigation into this but either

way Kanye has achieved his purpose of revealing the Yeezy Season 6 collection to as many people as possible without resorting to wasteful and showy procedures.

You may not agree with Kanye’s tactics, but you cannot deny the fact that he has effectively utilized social media to his own ends. He definitely deserves credit for that. The interesting thing is that the clothes are not even the focus of the campaign.

It is the people. The models, the reactions, the commentary. Kanye is proving that expensive advertisements and runway shows aren’t needed to showcase a fashion brand. He has always been the best at rejecting old and outdated standards and creating new innovative ones.

Maybe the traditional catwalk is not enough for our tastes anymore. Kanye forces us to confront the alternatives and consider different methods of communication and experimentation.

CONTACT & INFO East LA 508 Washington St. (201) 798-0052

Monday - Sat. 11 AM - 2 AM Sunday 11 AM - 12 AM Service: Food: Location: Price: $

Not with those Shoes

Yeezy season

by DANIEL KANG

Freshman Biomedical Engineering Major

It’s February of 2018, and you know what that means! Another rendition of New York Fashion Week, arguably the most well known and famous series of fashion collections in the world.

But you may be wondering from the title of this article what Kanye West has anything to do with this. After all, he is mainly known as a rapper, producer, and entrepreneur. When he isn’t creating beats and dropping bars in the studio, Kanye is busy designing new and eclectic clothing trends. His independent fashion label, Yeezy, and celebrated footwear line in collaboration with Adidas, also called Yeezy, are two of the most influential brands on the planet. This year will be the sixth iteration of his label and his Adidas line debuted in 2015. Before Adidas, Kanye had a footwear line with Nike, but they had a falling out after Nike refused to give Kanye royalties and his own official line. Kanye then reached out to Adidas and they accepted his terms. Anyway, enough

about the past. Kanye is unique enough to host his own event without being affiliated with New York Fashion Week. Allow me to fill you in on his shows. Yeezy Season 1 and 2 were relatively quiet shows with decent clothes. However, he spared no expense on Season 3. He held Yeezy Season 3 in Madison Square Garden in 2016, 20,000 tickets were sold out and people still tuned in to watch from far away theatres and venues. It was also where he released his most recent album, The Life of Pablo, so it was basically a huge listening party with some clothes.

To be honest, the clothes were a sideshow. Later in the fall, Yeezy Season 4 was even more controversial due to the nature of the show itself. First, the press was bussed to a secret location, which turned out to be Four Freedoms Park on Roosevelt Island. The event was poorly organized and had people waiting for four hours for the event to finally start. To top it all off, his models fainted left and right in the heat.

Thankfully, Yeezy Season 5 turned out to be a little more subtle and actually managed to start on time.

Now, Kanye has decided to take advantage of the current climate, and use social media to maximize the promotion of his products. Last year, his wife, Kim Kardashian West, was seen modeling Season 6 on her Instagram. The shots could initially be mistaken for paparazzi pictures, but there is no urgency on the

part of the photographer.

Kim is relaxed and confident, seemingly without a care in the world. Posters of screenshots of Kim’s Instagram posts were plastered around the Art Basel Convention Center in Miami as well. The venue of the international art fair is one of the most popular places for artists in the world, and drew a lot of attention to Kanye’s promotion of his posters, bringing and it could be argued that they are art as well. Nothing more was heard about Yeezy Season 6 until just a few days ago when Kim Kardashian’s friends, including Paris Hilton, Jordyn Woods, Amina Blue, Shannon and Shannade Clermont, Sierra Skye, Kirsten Noel Crawley, Stassie Baby, Abigail Ratchford, Chinq Pink, Sami Miro, Sahara Ray, Sophie Mudd, Sarah Snyder and more recreated the original pictures.

The predictable reaction to the campaign was one of awe and amazement. I think you can at least appreciate the sheer number of people who will be exposed to Kanye’s new collection. Kanye has always rebelled against the fashion establishment, but this takes the rebellion to another level. This goes beyond clever marketing and cultural commentary.

Yeezy Season 6 introduces us to Kanye’s humorous side. The clothing itself does not look out of place in a regular athleisure store. His last seasons were all too serious and pretentious. Kanye was also daring enough to schedule his shows at the same time as that of

another designer, forcing attendees to choose between him and the other person. His latest collection shows that Kanye and his family clearly dominate the cultural landscape and national conversation. Yeezy Season 6 also introduces us to his newest shoe, the Yeezy Desert Rat 500 Blush. It will release sometime in February or March and retail for $200. The Yeezy 500 seems to be another instance of Kanye embracing the clunky “dad sneaker” trend along with his Yeezy 700 Wave Runners, which released last year. There was already a lot of buzz surrounding these sneakers since a different colorway was previously only available as part of a $700 bundle with a sweatshirt and sweatpants. Now, a lot of people, myself included, cannot wait for this impending release. There is also another shoe in the form of Yeezy Season 6 Crepe Sneaker in a Thick Shaggy Suede ‘Chalk’ Colorway. It is currently on sale at select retailers for $400. Both shoes are an interesting step forward (no pun intended) for Kanye. It demonstrates his boldness in forming an entire collection around his unique laidback style.

Although Kanye deleted his social media accounts on Instagram and Twitter, his wife Kim Kardashian West has over 107 million followers on Instagram alone. She has another 58 million followers on Twitter. That audience alone comprises roughly half the population of the United States. And let’s not forget

Courtesy of Sole Collector

Opinion Continued

Friday, February 9, 2018 • Page 9

Campus Liberal

Campus Conservative

Even the black guy’s profile A conservative response to says, “sorry, no black guys” the State of the Union

by MATTHEW CUNNINGHAM Freshman Computer Science Major

Last summer, when I wasn’t at work or at the gym, I spent nearly every moment on Grindr. For those who don’t know what Grindr is, it’s an app for gay men to find other gay men with whom they can have sex with. It’s a hookup app.

Since I was fresh out-ofthe-closet and eager to find a man of my own, I was addicted to it.

I waited for new profiles to appear on my screen every hour. Unlike other dating apps, Grindr keeps the nearby profiles on a gridded main screen at all times. I could even see how far away each user was in terms of feet. If a new profile appeared 635 feet away from me and they had their sixpack abs as their main picture, I liberally sent messages to them. It didn’t matter to me that some of these people omitted their age, location, or face on their profile. I was eighteen and recklessly making the most of my youth.

I kept my profile simple. It said, “18, athlete, not looking for anything serious.” One thing I admire about Grindr is that people are very explicit about their intentions on the app. Other apps — like Tinder and Bumble — require people to tiptoe around what they want. But not Grindr. If you want sex, you ask for sex.

Some people put odd requests in their profile like “feet stuff please” or “looking for a sugar daddy,” which I found weird, but not dangerous. But those types of requests were rare.

A majority of Grindr profiles, however, contained something much worse than these fetishes. They typically contained a common phrase: “no fats, no fems, no blacks, no curry.”

This code meant that a person couldn’t be overweight, feminine, black,

or Indian if they hoped to talk to that user. “No rice” is also a common one included in profiles, meaning that a person can’t be Asian. “No irish” simply meant no Irish.

“No Latinos” extended to both Latino and Hispanic men — I once saw it written as “no tacos.”

A month into using Grindr, I asked these guys why they would put these racial bans in their profile. They said to me, “It’s a sexual preference.

I like what I like, so there’s nothing wrong with saying that.” I was surprised that these guys felt justified in their decision to selectively choose guys based on skin color. I was especially surprised because it wasn’t just white guys who had phrases like “no blacks” in their profile; it was also Hispanic men, Asian men, and even black men.

No amount of convincing would alter their belief that their “sexual preference” targeted specific races and communities in an unfair way. Their bans favored a specific type of guy: muscular, masculine, and white.

After a few months of hopeless attempts, I stopped talking to the guys who marginalized people of specific races and ethnicities. It felt pointless. I concluded that this discrimination existed solely because I was on an app that hypersexualized men. On Grindr, men are treated as objects — not as humans — so they aren’t given the respect that humans deserve.

It seemed like a reasonable conclusion to make for an app like this.

But part of me knew that this conclusion didn’t make total sense.

Mainly because, in real life, not just on apps, the LGBTQ community focuses its attention on a particular set of people: the “G” of the LGBTQ community. And even further, I’d say we focus only on the white G. For example, political parties, TV shows, and popular culture revere themselves for including LGBTQ people in their organizations. However, those people tend to only be white, gay men.

For the Republican Party, the most well-known LGBTQ person they have is Milo Yiannopoulos, who just happens to be a white, gay male. Harvey

Milk was an American politician and a Democrat in the 1960s, who was the first openly LGBTQ person elected in California; he also happened to be a white, gay male. Modern Family, a popular American TV show, has LGBTQ characters of their own too: two white gay dads.

When movies feature LGBTQ people, they’re typically white men. When songs are written about LGBTQ people — consider “Same Love” by Macklemore — they’re typically about white men.

White men dominate the LGBTQ scene. And I’m not saying that white, gay men are bad people; most of them are very wonderful. I just find it concerning that out of all the LGBTQ people we admire, most happen to be white.

After watching a recent Hoboken City Council meeting, City Councilmember Mike DeFusco, when accused of being a racist, said, “it seems absurd that the first openly gay council member elected in this city could be [accused of that,]” as if being gay absolved him from expressing prejudice for other groups. Many LGBTQ people fail to consider that they must maintain respect for other marginalized groups and that being LGBTQ isn’t the only identity many of us possess. Intersectionality — the idea that someone who is both gay and black is less privileged than someone who is gay and white — is a conversation that many of us aren’t having, especially those of us within the LGBTQ community.

The racist codes on Grindr still exist today, even in New York City, one of the most diverse places in the world. LGBTQ people experience discrimination, and yet we treat people just as bad as those who target us.

I end this column with this: a poem written

by Danez Smith, a man who, with his poems, reminds thousands of gay people-of-color that discrimination exists even within the LGBTQ community and that they aren’t alone in their struggles. His poem is the inspiration for my column’s title, and I hope that he receives more attention for his wonderful work.

imagine a tulip, upon seeing a garden full of tulips, sheds its petals in disgust, prays some bee will bring its pollen to a rose bush. imagine shadows longing for a room with light in every direction. you look in the mirror & see a man you refuse to love. small child sleeping near Clorox, dreaming of soap suds & milk, if no one has told you, you are beautiful & lovable & black & enough & so — you pretty you — am i.

by ALEX MURTAGH Sophomore Civil Engineering Major

It might seem like a fairly simple question, but over the past few years, conservatism has been completely distorted. Many of those who are uninformed in the age of information, chose to simply accept the facts, usually presented by liberal elites and the media, as they are presented and ask no further questions. Many people call Donald Trump and congressional republicans conservatives, but are they really? In the world of politics, terms are thrown around fast and loose and as a consequence, only those who ask questions and search for answers can find some semblance of the truth. I am going to attempt to clear some of this up.

There are many common principles that all conservatives should believe, but there are some core that stand out. So, what are those principles? To sum them up as simply as possi-

ble: government should be limited, everyone is responsible for their own actions, you have the right to believe whatever you want, your rights come from a higher power, and the free market is, and always will be, superior to any other economic system. If you were to give this list in the form of yes or no questions it could serve as a kind of “litmus test”.

Anyone who agrees with all these statements falls on the conservative side of the political spectrum. There’s also a good chance that you will find most libertarians in this fold as well. Anyone who disagrees and believes in the idea of big government is without a doubt a liberal, or a progressive, or a Democrat, or a socialist, or whatever version of that word they prefer.

Within these principles, there are many different sub-groups that fall under the conservative umbrella.

For example, the three largest groups are the social, neo, and economic conservatives. Ask anyone who defines themselves as a conservative and you are likely to get much more than these three particular classifications. I myself do not identify with any of the groups, I am a conservatarian. In other words a mix between a conservative and a libertarian.

It is important to note that the president and many of the Republicans in Congress would fail this test. If you even support ideas that

increase the size government and its control over your life, you are in no way a conservative. I’m looking at you Donald Trump, the populist who posed as a Republican. Although to be fair, Trump has pushed many conservative ideas as a result of his advisors and staffers in the white house.

It’s also important to clarify what conservatives are not.

We are not: racists, sexist, xenophobic, homophobic, Islamaphobic, or any other phobia related to someone’s appearance that you can come up with. Conservatives judge an individual based on their character, not how they look. If someone claiming to judge based on one of the above -ists or -bics, they are not conservatives, they are liberals. That’s right, liberals. It is important that we draw conclusions for what we believe based on context and on facts, not feelings. As the famed author and columnist Ben Shapiro says “Facts don’t care about your feelings.” As hard as the facts may sound, no matter how “unkind” or “hateful” social justice warriors may deem them, they are what should guide all political decisions.

So, what is a conservative?

Simply put, it someone who believes that you should mind your own business.

But, feel free to disagree with me, even if you are a conservative. This is just my interpretation of what being a conservative is.

STEVENS STUDENT SPECIALS 2 PLAIN SLICES + SODA - $7 2 SPECIALITY SLICES + SODA - $7.90 10% DISCOUNT FOR STEVENS STUDENTS

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Sports

Friday, February 9, 2018 • Page 10

Stanich ranks as Seventh-Most Dominant Wrestler in Division III

Julianna Ricci Named Stevens’ NJAIAW Woman of the Year

ON DECK IN SPORTS

Friday Stevens Sports Information

Stevens Sports Information

SSI - No. 17 Stevens Institute of Technology wrestling sophomore Troy Stanich was ranked as the seventhMost Dominant Wrestler in Division III by the NCAA Wednesday in the latest standings for the 2018 NCAA Wrestling Awards. The awards, which began in 2012, recognize the Most Dominant Wrestler in each division, as well as the student-athletes that have accumulated the most falls and the most technical falls throughout the course of the regular and postseason.

Wednesday’s rankings were the first to contain the Most Dominant Wrestler award standings.

Stanich, the D3Wrestle.com Freshman of the Year and Centen-

nial Conference Rookie of the Year, as well as the Most Outstanding Wrester of the 2017 Centennial Conference Championship, has compiled an average of 4.71 points per match over 27 bouts and is .03 points per match away from ranking among the top-five. The Most Dominant Wrestler standings are calculated by adding the total number of points awarded through match results and dividing that number by the total number of matches wrestled. Points per match are awarded as follows: Fall, forfeit, injury default or DQ = 6 points (-6 points for a loss) Tech falls = 5 points (-5 points for a loss) Major decision = 4 points (-4 points for a

loss) Decision = 3 points (-3 points for a loss) To date, the Roxbury, New Jersey native, ranked No. 1 in the country at 133 pounds, has amassed a perfect 27-0 record, with 11 pins, seven major decisions and five technical falls. Wesleyan heavyweight Isaiah Bellamy, ranked fourth in the country by the NWCA, leads the nation with 5.28 points per match.

Up Next: No. 17 Stevens heads to Lexington, Virginia for the 2017-18 Centennial Conference Championship, hosted by Washington & Lee University. The Ducks will be look to be just the third team in Centennial Conference history to “fourpeat”.

SSI - Senior Julianna Ricci of the Stevens Institute of Technology women’s lacrosse program was the school’s recipient of the New Jersey Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (NJAIAW) Woman of the Year award in a ceremony in conjunction with National Girls and Women in Sports Day at Seton Hall University on Sunday.

Award winners are chosen by their institution’s athletics department based upon athletic excellence, academic success and citizenship/community service. More than 150 high-school and junior and senior college studentathletes earned the award in 2015.

“We are so proud that Julianna that was selected to represent Stevens as the NJAIAW Woman of the Year,” said head coach Celine Cunningham of the Stevens women’s lacrosse program. “She is a standout

in the classroom and on the field, but what is most impressive is her leadership ability. Julianna has made a big impact on our program and is a great example of the strong, driven studentathletes at Stevens.”

Ricci has been a starter since her freshman year for the Ducks, and has been named to both the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association Academic Honor Roll and the E8 President’s List. She has scored 62 goals in her career with 93 ground balls.

Just this year, Ricci volunteered with Stevens’ edition of National Girls and Women in Sports Day, the One Love event at the New York Jets training facility and the Ho-Boo-ken 5k race. She was named a captain for the Ducks’ 2018 season.

Ricci’s senior season will get underway on February 25 at St. Joseph’s College of Long Island.

No. 24 Men’s Swimming wins 13 of 14 events to defeat Hartwick SSI - Score: No. 24 Stevens Institute of Technology Men’s Swimming: 187; Hartwick College: 73 Short Story: The 24thranked Stevens Institute of Technology men’s swimming team won each of the first nine races and 13 of 14 events on the afternoon, to defeat Hartwick College Saturday at the DeBaun Aquatic Center. It was the final dual meet of the season for men’s swimming. Prior to the meet, Stevens Swimming recognized the fivemember Class of 2018.

The Ducks concluded the duals season with a 4-3 record.

The Ducks finished first and second in the 400-yard medley relay to open the day. Freshman Blake Holland, sophomore Tyler Zanki, junior

Vincent Tavoletti and senior Matthew Burk finished in 3:33.53 to win the race. Juniors Sam Fuller and Christopher Ludeke, freshman Kurt von Autenried and sophomore Daniel Rosenberger placed second.

Rosenberger paired with classmate Chris Rudel to take the top two spots in the 1,000 free.

Rosenberger reached the wall in 10:09.73, with Rudel touching in 10:21.96.

Freshman Theodore Jagodits won the 200 free in a time of 1:48.12. Fuller placed second nearly two seconds later.

Holland continued the Stevens run with a victory in the 100-yard backstroke. The Rogers, Arkansas native reached the finish in 54.09 seconds.

Zanki took first in th

100-yard breaststroke in a time of 59.65 seconds. Hartwick’s Yuri Chernyak finished second. The Hawks earned second place in consecutive events only two times on the afternoon.

Freshman Joshua Palpallatoc and sophomore Tristan Dixon took the top two spots in the 200yard butterfly. The Teaneck, New Jersey native touched the wall in 1:59.78.

The 50-yard freestyle provided one of the most exciting finishes of the day as junior Matthew Shaw edged von Autenried and Burk, with less than one second separating the top three spots.

Stevens also swept the top three spots in the 100 free.

Fuller bested Holland in the 200-yard back-

stroke to win the race in 1:56.30.

After Hartwick posted its lone victory of the day in the 200-yard breaststroke, Rosenberger returned Stevens to the win column with a victory in the 500 free. The Media, Pennsylvania native finished the race in 4:50.72.

Tavoletti continued men’s swimming’s dominant performance, by taking first in the 100 fly with a time of 51.98 seconds.

Ludeke rounded out the individual events with a first-place showing in the 200-yard individual medley, winning the race by over three seconds.

Stevens took the top two spots in the final event of the day, the 200yard freestyle relay, to close out the day, From the Coach’s Lane

“It was a great day to celebrate the seniors last home dual meet. To complete four years of a collegiate sport is a great accomplishment and I know they’ve worked hard in and out of the pool to get here.” “[Regarding the meet], everyone showed up today and was ready to race and have some fun. It’s tough having a week off from competition so today was a good day to get in and go fast.

This was the last time we could get some competition before we head to the METS and Empire 8 Championships in a few weeks. Now our focus shifts to taper and getting ready to swim even faster at our conference meet.” - assistant swimming coach Daniel MacQuarrie.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

VS Alfred University 6 p.m.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

VS Alfred University 8 p.m.

MEN’S TRACK AND FIELD Boston Valentine Invitational TBA Boston, MA

MEN’S TRACK AND FIELD Boston Valentine Invitational TBA Boston, MA

Saturday WRESTLING Centennial Conference Championship 10 a.m.

Lexington, VA

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

Juniata College 12 p.m.

Huntingdon, PA

MEN’S BASKETBALL

VS Houghton College 3 p.m.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

VS Houghton College 5 p.m.

Duck Country Scoreboard Date 2/3 2/3 2/3 2/3 2/3 2/3 2/3 2/3 2/3 2/3 2/3 2/3 2/3 2/3 2/3

Stevens

Opponent/Event

Score

Result

Men's Fencing Women's Basketball Men's Volleyball Men's Basketball Men's Swimming Women's Swimming Wrestling Wrestling Men's Volleyball Men's Fencing Men's Fencing Men's Track & Field

VS Brandeis University @ Nazareth College VS Rivier College @ Nazareth College VS Hartwick College VS Hartwick College VS Washington and Lee University @ John Hopkins University VS Lehman College VS Boston College

8-19 65-69 3-0 69-87 187-73 153-109 26-13

L

Women's Track & Field Women's Fencing Women's Fencing

VS Brown University @ Frank Colden Invitational @ Frank Colden Invitational VS New Jersey Institute of Technology VS Boston College

30-3 3-0 15-12 11-16 N/A N/A 20-7 10-17

W W L W W W W W W L Complete Complete W L

Stevens Sports Information

FOR MORE INFORMATION, HEAD TO: STEVENSDUCKS.COM STEVENSREC.COM