[The Stute] April 6, 2018 (Issue 22, Volume CXV)

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Featured in this Issue: New campus IDs, French Toast with the First Lady Lorde concert review, Nike Air Max Day, Tim Urban lecture FAST Flower Festival, Professor Bryan Ackland, Jen Searing Friday, April 6, 2018

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Tim Urban speaks at Stevens as part of the Presidents Lecture Series

by MIA HILDEBRANT Staff Writer

ultimately the two parties were able to come to an agreement.

After months of hard work, with Klesaris, Baldyga, and other members of the Entertainment Committee including Carly Palicz (EC Vice President of On-Campus Events), Stephanie Roberson (EC Vice President of Off-Campus Events), and Lisa Mengotto meeting every Thursday since October 2017, for ap-

Tim Urban delivered a lecture “From Echo Chamber to the Idea Lab: An Intellectual Revolution” on April 3.

You may have heard of Tim Urban from his viral TEDx talk in April 2016 titled “Inside the Mind of a Master Procrastinator,” which has upwards of 18 million views on the TED website. He is also one of the Internet’s most popular writers and is the creator of the blog, Wait But Why? Additionally, Urban has produced numerous articles on subjects ranging from procrastination to artificial intelligence to why humans have not encountered alien life forms. Moreover, Wait But Why has quite the following, and fans include Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Twitter cofounder Evan Williams.

One of the first comparisons Urban brought up was “What

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T-Pain performing live for Rolling Stone in Minneapolis. | Getty/Jerritt Clark

T-Pain announced to perform at Techfest

by ELINA TUDER Staff Writer

With 14 days remaining until TechFest, the question on many students’ minds is: who is this year’s headlining performer?

Now confirmed by Greg Klesaris, President of the Entertainment Committee (EC) since 2015 and David Baldyga, incoming President of EC, T-Pain will be headlining TechFest on April 20, 2018. According to Klesaris and Baldyga, “This de-

cision was made through a mix of feedback from students as well as using our own past experiences from running so many events through the Entertainment Committee. Therefore, we could make an informed decision on which artist would appeal to the widest variety of students.”

However, this decision did not come easily, due to communication delays between the Entertainment Committee, Student Life, and upper adminis-

tration which had to approve the performer and consider all aspects of the decision when signing the contract. Entertainment Committee was touching base with Student Life on a daily basis, but maintaining a consistent loop of contact with busy administrative officials proved to be arduous. Furthermore, getting the agent of the performer and the administration to be on the same page and satisfied with the contract delayed the process the most, but

Gianforte Family Academic Center opens site to students

by ALEX MURTAGH Outreach Chair

Recently, the Students Governments Association’s (SGA) Vice President of Academic Affairs, Marianna Fleming, reached out to students with an opportunity to tour the Gianforte Family Academic Center (GFAC) construction site. Fleming is working with people from both in and out of the Stevens community to turn this idea into a reality. On the Stevens side, Professor Ellyn Lester from the Civil Engineering Department and Rober Maffia, Vice President for Facilities and Campus Operations. On the construction side, Senior Project Manager, Marcus Caamano from Group PMx, has been involved as well. “Caamano and Professor Lester are seasoned professionals who have been really communicative and wonderful to work with.”

The idea for these tours first sprung from a meeting Flemming had with Dean Nilsen in discussing her new role in the SGA in combination with talking to the superintendent of the GFAC project. Ultimately, it was her own curiosity that lead to the creation of these tours. “The project site is challenging to tour because of how tiny it is, especially at this point because they are completing excavations and shoring.”

It’s challenges like this that made Fleming recognize that other students may be interested in touring the site as well.

When asked what she hopes students will gain from this experience Fleming responded, “I hope students are able to gain some insight into a project on their own campus and some real-

Abby Hulse, Clayton Lundgren, and Derek Van Rouendal . | Charles Zwicker

SDS presents Spring Awakening

by NICK BURNS Staff Writer

View from inside the construction site. | James Construction Co., Inc.

life experience into how a project develops.” One of the major components of this project is that the students will get the opportunity to interact with important people involved in the project. This includes people who don’t regularly visit the site like architects, engineers, and project managers.

The frequency of the tours is depending on when these key players are around the site and have the time to talk with students, in addition to some other factors.

As of now, the tours haven’t started due to the poor weather conditions in recent weeks. However, the group of roughly 15 students that will be

participating in the tours has already attended the first safety orientation session. For those who were unable to attend and still want to participate the good news is that a second orientation will be held because more students expressed interest in touring the site. Fleming is aiming to hold an additional safety orientation at the beginning of the fall semester so incoming freshmen also have the opportunity to participate in the site tours. The majority of the students that have signed up are civil engineers, however, there are students from other majors that are interested in attending as well.

Stevens Dramatic Society will be performing Spring Awakening this weekend. Spring Awakening is a story that deals with a lot of very sensitive subject matter, including physical abuse, sexual assault, and suicide. Focusing on several adolescents discovering their own sexualities within an oppressively conservative society, the musical deals with what director Mark Cirnigliaro calls “subject matter that is very important today. We can’t shy away from it.”

This is the third show Mark has directed with SDS, after Guys and Dolls and Into the Woods. Mark says this show differs significantly from his previous work with SDS, since “the demands of this show on the actor are substantial. It takes great faith, commitment, and heart.” Mark is proud of the performers since they have

put so much of themselves into this show.

The leading characters, Melchior Gabor, Wendla Bergmann, and Moritz Stiefel, all deal with learning about sex in their own ways, and the actors behind these characters portray this awkward time in life very accurately. Clay Lundgren, Abby Hulse, and Derek van Rouendal fill these respective roles. Abby Hulse, when asked about her role, said, “For the first time, it felt like a character I could really connect with.” She remembers her recent teenage years and notes how anyone can relate to adults not taking teenagers seriously.

The set of this show follows a creative image, built entirely out of deconstructed pallets.

The pallets are framed to mimic an explosion, those closest to center stage less intact than the pallets further away.

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TechFest

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proximately three hours, everything is now finalized. All that remains is putting together the manpower and running the event the day of.

This year’s TechFest is the first one since 2014 that has been solely spearheaded by the Entertain-

Talk

Staff & Contributors Anthony LaBonte Brad Tylutki Charles Zwicker Christian Bonavita Daniel Kang Elina Tuder John Horgan Koby Garcia Lisa Mengotto Marko Djapic

News Continued

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you think vs. How you think” specifically when ideas are put on a spectrum, ranging from insane to mainstream. Of course, ideas are numerous and complex and only certain ones are fit to be spread.

The sensitivity concerning certain topics, like gay marriage, has changed over the years. Gay marriage has gone from being deemed a “controversial” topic to now being more “mainstream,” which is the most common category for ideas, while the least common are the more radical ideas. Urban also discussed “Overton Window,” which is a designated area under a distribution curve representing a range of ideas ranging from insane to mainstream which is concerned mainly with what is in the mainstream category and rarely dapples in the controversial area.

This is similar to how politicians appeal to their audiences—by talking about “safe” topics that are not taboo. Here, we see that our ways of thinking are akin to a science experiment. Urban referred to this idea as a “Marketplace of ideas,” which involves “idea labs.” Idea

ment Committee and will be an overall larger event with additional activities to participate in, other than the concert.

Klesaris and Baldyga are “most excited for when the performer takes the stage, not because we want to see the concert, but because we want to see all of the students in attendance having an amazing time.

That is what makes the Labs represent a culture where people are like experimenters and ideas are experiments all with the goal of moving toward truth. It is through these idea experiments that advancements and truth can be discovered.

Thinking is not always a straight-forward process.

Even for scientists, there is always a chance for cognitive bias or confirmation bias. Urban drew a comparison to a sports fan who wants their team to win; you want them to win fairly, but you are still rooting for the team regardless of the method the team takes to win. This is analogous to a scientist going for truth but being biased because they want to be right. There is also a term Urban coined, “Nonfalsifiable land,” which refers to an individual being so steadfast in their belief/ idea that nothing you can show them can change their mind and admit that they were wrong. Urban related it to someone that was an attorney. Attorneys, for one, sometimes think backwards from B to A, working from a conclusion and then finding the evidence to back it up and build a case. There is also thinking from A to B. Urban also discussed a term called “Echo Chambers,” which refer to a

Friday, April 6, 2018 • Page 2

almost year of planning and hundreds of hours of work put into this event all worth it. This is all about the students and making them have a once in a lifetime experience.”

TechFest will start at 5 pm on April 20th on Palmer Lawn. There will be food trucks, carnival games, caricature artists and more! Then at 7 pm, instead of the “typical”

culture of agreement and confirmation and what you think is sacred. This notion is connected to “Ancient tribal psychology,” which deals with moral purity, moral dualism, and sacredness. This can be seen in the “Us vs.

Them” mentality. By having certain ideas and ways of thinking that align with a certain group, those people become your tribe and hence you become a part of that Echo Chamber.

In reality, Echo Chambers are difficult, in that to classify them, there is no “good” or “bad” Echo Chamber. Urban compared this idea with Dis-

opener student DJs will perform, competing for crowd’s votes. Finally, at 8 pm, the main performer, T-Pain, will perform his set. Students must bring their Stevens IDs and no bags. The event is open to all undergraduate members of the student body (only Stevens students) and will allow students to come together to experience this Stevens tradition.

Tim Urban | hrmag.com

ney. In Disney movies, there are clear good and bad characters. There are no nuanced gray areas— instead, there are binary good and bad characters. The takeaway is that thinking is on a spectrum and this spectrum evolves with how people and their thoughts change. For example, people’s political leanings are a spectrum.

People are not just liberal, progressive, or conservative. It is generally a mix: more progressive vs less progressive, more liberal vs less liberal.

Hence, thinking changes, and politicians need to be able to catch up.

Professor Highlights

Copyright © 2018 The Stute

Dr. Bryan Ackland

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

by SARAH HOOGENBOOM Staff Writer

As the first professor to be highlighted in the Professor Highlight Series, it is fitting that this professor is one of the most beloved in the Electrical Engineering Department. Doctor Bryan Ackland shows an immense amount of passion and dedication to the field of Electrical Engineering in the classroom and through his successes in the field. Since this is his last semester at Stevens before retirement, Professor Ackland has quite the history to share, starting from his undergraduate years in Australia to now as a professor at Stevens.

As a high school student, Professor Ackland had an interest in Physics and Science and naturally found himself pursuing an undergraduate degree in Physics. As an Australian native, Ackland attended Flinders University in South Australia for four years only realize that he had a real passion for circuitry rather than physics. After graduating

from Flinders, Ackland graduated in 1975 from the University of Adelaide two years later with an Engineering Degree in Electrical Engineering.

The decision to pursue a completely different degree because of a change of passion from physics to electrical engineering was a deciding factor for the rest of Professor Ackland’s professional career.

After graduating as an Undergraduate student, Ackland continued his education at the University of Adelaide for a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and completed his thesis in studying high-speed memory processing in small computers. While completing his Ph.D., Ackland was approached by a friend that was working at Bell Laboratories in New Jersey and was asked to join as a Member of Technical Staff in Research.

With the full intention to move back to Australia after a few years at Bell Laboratories, Ackland remained on the east coast after being promoted to Director of Research at Bell Labs. He then became

the Vice President of an integrated circuit company that branched from Bell Laboratories. Then, in 2004, Ackland took a risk in joining a photography and optics Start-up with a group of colleagues from Bell Labs. The start-up ended up falling under in 2010 due to a lack of marketing, but Ackland states that “…its failure does not bother me…it was a really exciting and fun 6 years working with an extremely talented team”.

Traveling to and from his family in NJ on the weekends and work in MA on the weekdays, each new discovery the team made in night vision photography using geranium and silicon made it worth the commute.

After arriving at Stevens in 2011 as an Adjunct Professor, Professor Ackland will be completing his seven years as an Electrical & Computer Engineering Department Professor. During his time here, Professor Ackland has “…enjoyed seeing the enthusiasm in students…” and the challenging questions that keep him on his

stevens.edu

toes. As a piece of advice to all Stevens students, “…always have some idea of what an answer should look like and if it is ridiculous do not be afraid of acknowledging that it is ridiculous.” In addition to teaching classes and sharing his wealth of knowledge and experience to his students, Ackland has taken full advantage of learning about the other Stevens academic departments by attending talks and concerts.

Most importantly, what is Professor Ackland going to do during his retirement? He plans on learning how to play the oboe, traveling back to Australia for 2 months, and volunteering at the Homeless Shelter.

News Continued SDS

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This explosive symbolism is meant to mirror the way the characters try to break the status quo established by their parents. Using no more set than what is on stage at all times, the set includes a few dynamic elements to differentiate locations when necessary and to change the tone depending on who is speaking.

Spring Awakening opens Thursday, April 5 at 9 p.m., with more performances on Friday, April 6 at 8 p.m., and Saturday, April 7 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. in DeBaun Auditorium.

Friday, April 6, 2018 • Page 3

Freshman senator hopes to improve Campus IDs

by MATTHEW CUNNINGHAM Webmaster

Student Government Association (SGA) Senator Madison Gemma has dedicated the last month to pursue an initiative of her own: improving the Campus ID cards on campus, hoping to add “emergency contact [information] on the back of Stevens’ Campus IDs.” The Campus IDs are the cards used to swipe into the library, pay for things with Duckbills, and get into Pierce, among other uses.

Gemma had the idea to add emergency contact information – such as

“the phone number and hours of CAPS” and “a number for a 24/7 suicide prevention lifeline” – in mid-February after noticing the large empty space on the back of the current Stevens Campus IDs. “By adding the emergency contacts [on the back of Campus IDs], professors and Stevens staff could easily direct people to the numbers and information,” said Gemma. “The accessibility of emergency contacts [on Campus IDs] should generally make resources more aware to students.”

In early March, Gemma arranged a meeting with Rebecca Jennings,

the Director of Student Accounts, and Angela Edge, Associate Director of Student Accounts for Campus Card Services, to suggest making changes to Campus IDs. When she met with them, Gemma asked if emergency contacts could be added, and Jennings told her that it wouldn’t be possible until the Fall 2019 semester. Updates were highly unlikely because the Campus ID cards for Fall 2018 were already ordered; changes to those couldn’t happen.

“Jennings told me that she supported the idea of emergency contacts on the back of the cards,”

said Gemma, “and that we may be able to add that information starting the Fall 2019 semester only if we could demonstrate interest from the student body.”

To demonstrate the interest in adding emergency contact information to Campus IDs, Gemma drafted an official SGA proclamation with the intention to send it to the Campus Card office. More than one dozen Senators sponsored the bill, and Gemma obtained support from Dr. Melissa Zarin, Assistant Director of CAPS, who, according to Gemma, “agrees that

these resources should be widely advertised and easily accessible.”

With support acquired from students and faculty members, Gemma sent the proclamation to Jennings and Sara Klein, Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs. Klein said that “we will look at your proposal and have some internal conversations” and that “the earliest any changes would be reflected is in about a year from now.”

Gemma hopes that by next year, the conversations will continue to add emergency contact information on the back of Campus IDs.

Hoveida Farvardin hosts French Toast with the First Lady

by ELINA TUDER Staff Writer

Hoveida Farvardin hosted French Toast with the First Lady to empower Stevens women with an open forum on leadership.

After introducing and giving her background, Farvardin shared that she studied engineering in Iran and that she currently works at the World Bank in Washington D.C, and commutes between Washington D.C. and Hoboken every week.

She also shared her passion for Stevens history and archives, relaying the work that she has put in to ensure the preservation of the university’s artifacts.

Following her introduction, students were invited to enjoy breakfast. FarvardFarvardin welcoming the students to her home. | Elina Tuder in has taste-tested numerous French Toasts to decide which one to serve. The resulting French Toast used brioche bread.

After the guests enjoyed their meals, Farvardin opened a ‘Question and Answer session,’ where she addressed topics such as the transition from college to the real world, time management, and being a woman in the workplace.

In regards to entering the workforce and the real world, Farvardin understood the fear of going from the known structure of college to an ever-changing adult life. She said that the biggest question in this transition is “how do I apply the thinking I learned to the work that I do?” She recommended finding a mentor at work, as she did at her first Students enjoying a variety of breakfast options. | Elina Tuder job, and to always ask ques-

tions and admit when one does not know something.

In regards to time management and balancing one’s workload, Farvardin recommended that instead of taking on too many tasks, students should “let go of certain things that don’t energize them.” Farvardin encouraged students to focus their time on what they like: if someone tries to do too much, they can never truly get involved with the things that they are passionate about. To practice better time management, Farvardin suggested reading the book Getting Things Done.

When addressing being a woman in the workforce, Farvardin stated that she is aware that her male colleagues may not face the same challenges as women, as the business world was created by men. However, according to her, it is not their fault. Farvardin explained that “...for me, being a woman is a beautiful thing, and I don’t want to apologize for it or regret it.”

When people get to work, they need to use their skills and intelligence to produce successful results, regardless of gender.

Hoveida Farvardin hopes that through French Toast with the First Lady she will be able to share her experiences with the students of Stevens and serve as an unbiased point of contact to help with personal, professional, and any other advice that is needed. She looks forward to students continuing to contact her after the event on March 24.

Stevens Italian Club celebrates Italian Easter

by MARK KRUPINSKI Business Manager

Stevens Italian Club celebrated Italian Easter on April 3, 2018.

Similar to an Easter celebration in a traditional American household, Italian Easter features mostly Italian food, a huge gathering of family, and a religious com-

ponent, common in many Italian households. At the event, students could enjoy traditional Italian food, paint ping-pong ball Easter eggs, play a giant game of Jenga, or greet friends with a “Buona Pasqua,” which means “Happy Easter” in Italian, according to Robert Mikesh, treasurer of the Stevens Italian Club.

The food was catered

by CompassOne, to the surprise of many students. The Stute actually postponed their GBM so all the members had ample time to get some food.

The date of Stevens Italian Club’s next GBM has not been decided.

Stevens Italian Club will also be hosting a “Cook Like an Italian” event later this semester.

Students enjoying the food at Italian Easter in Jacobus Lounge. | Mark Krupinski

Join the Stute ! Tuesdays at 9 ! Jacobus 2nd floor ! Yay !

Campus Pulse

Friday, April 6, 2018 • Page 4

Roving Reporter Who do you think is the artist for Techfest?

“I haven’t heard anything.”

Alex Gaydos

“I’ve heard techfest is happening; I haven’t heard anything about it.”

Delores Termini

“I’ve heard T-Pain is coming.”

Abe Edens

“I have no clue.”

Alyssa Regan

“It’s T-Pain.”

“Smash Mouth.”

Sam Conte

Gary Marshuetz

News

Friday, April 6, 2018 • Page 5

Library rooms open for an interactive historical learningWISO experience hosts Potluck

by LISA MENGOTTO Staff Writer

Several exhibit rooms in the Samuel C. Williams Library were opened for viewing during the annual Behind the Books on Wednesday evening, co-hosted by the Honor Board and Gear and Triangle. Several alumni of the Honor Board joined undergraduate students in a viewing of the unique collections housed in the library.

Students were able to walk a self-guided tour through the library to four open rooms. Members from the Honor Board and Gear and Triangle were stationed in each room to provide general historical context and facilitate the hands-on exploration of some artifacts. An additional exhibit about campus traditions was constructed by the library’s professional staff and displayed in Sam’s Place.

“I get very excited to see the infectious enthusiasm and engagement the students have for our history and historical collections. I really feel that events like Behind the Books instills a greater sense of pride for Stevens and really brings our important and sometimes hidden history and historical collections to life,” said Leah Loscutoff, Head of Archives & Special Collections.

The Mary Stuart Stevens Room is located on the first floor of the library, off of the Great Hall. The room is decorated with artifacts from the original Castle Stevens, portraits of Stevens family members, and display cases containing historical objects signifying Stevens family achievements. Several free print copies of a painting by F.

Giudici ‘89 picturing the Castle were available.

On the second floor is the Frederick Winslow Taylor Room — a small biographical museum dedicated to Taylor, who earned a degree in mechanical engineering from Stevens in 1883 and later became the “Father of Scientific Management”. The collection covers much of Taylor’s contributions as a pioneer in shop management and efficiency, including prototypes of his well-known metal cutting tools; his sportsrelated inventions, including a two-handed putter and innovative tennis racket; and, his more personal pieces, such as his diploma and typed letters.

Daniel Fenton, a 4/5 mechanical engineering student said, “I wish they had this event more often because I think it’s important that Stevens students know this stuff is available to be seen not only the Stevens history.”

“Once a year I come to the library, just for this,” said Zachary Calderola, a senior graduating with both a Bachelor’s and Master’s in computer science.

Adjacent to the Taylor Room is the Lieb Memorial Leonardo da Vinci collection, donated by John William Lieb. Lieb earned his Master’s from Stevens in 1880 and spent over a decade in Italy for work under direction of American inventor Thomas Edison.

The Stevens alumnus returned with an incredible fascination with da Vinci, as both an engineer and philosopher.

Posthumously, the collection was dedicated to the university. Students had the opportunity to

handle old books such as Divina Proportione, authored by da Vinci’s math tutor with geometric illustrations by da Vinci dating all the way back to 1509.

“I love this event because I think it’s important to learn about our schools history by seeing the actual contributions made by our alumni,” said Jose Angeles, a 4/5 electrical engineering student.

The Campus Traditions exhibit was brought back out for viewing in Sam’s Place. The display was curated by Ted Houghtaling, Archivist and Digital Project Librarian, and was setup in the first floor display cases for from October 2017 through March 2018. The display system included samples of The Link and The Stute archives. According to Library Director Linda Beninglove, the Campus Traditions exhibit will be reinstalled and expanded for this year’s Commencement celebrations on campus.

Beninglove commented, “Behind the Books offers a unique and memorable opportunity for the Library Staff to connect with student organizations, learn more about students’ diverse interests and knowledge, and to contribute to a sense of pride in Stevens history. It is so exciting and inspiring to see students become interested in the fascinating artifacts in the Library Archives and Special Collections. We hope students will continue their interest in the impact of Stevens throughout history, and we hope students will come back to campus and visit the Library as Alumni.”

Honor Board Chair Stephen Cornwell provided background information about Frederick Winslow Taylor and tells about Taylor’s innovative sports equipment.

Gear and Triangle member Zachary Caldarola stood before a group of students, gloves on, to explain the contents of old books available for student handling as part of the Leonardo da Vinci Collection.

Honor Board member and Webmaster Joseph King helped students identify portraits of Stevens family members while stationed in the Mary Stuart Stevens Room.

Photos by Lisa Mengotto

FAST and other ethnic orgs host a Flower Festival

by AUDREY DSOUZA Managing Editor

The Filipino Association of Stevens Tech (FAST) hosted a Flower Festival to emulate the traditional Flipino Panagbenga Festival celebrating the blooming of flowers. This event, hosted on April 5 in Walker Gym, paid tribute to the

revival of the Philippine population after the Luzon earthquake of 1990.

At the event, students made flower crowns and paper origami flowers, took photos in the photo booth, and got henna tattoos.

The food included fried chicken, spring rolls, varieties of rice, and various

other options.

The event was co-hosted by the Korean Student Association (KSA), West Indian Student Organization (WISO), Chinese Student Association (CSA), Omega Phi Beta Sorority, Nu Alpha Phi, and Lambda Upsilon Lambda. “Because flower festivals are widely celebrated all over the

world, we wanted to collaborate with other ethnic RSOs and put together a more conglomerate festival, inclusive of a diverse spread of traditions,” explained Nina Ioanis, Culture Chair for FAST. The festival featured student performances by CSA, the Greek organizations, and members of FAST.

Students dig through piles of mutli-colored flowers to construct their own crowns in celebration the beauty of perseverance after a natural disaster.

Photos by Cole Yarbrough

Opinion

Friday, April 6, 2018 • Page 6

The Stute Editorial

Changing the norm, not embracing it This week I wanted to discuss movies, specifically “movement” movies. You know the type: the ones that market themselves as having either an all-female cast, or an all non-white cast, etc. It’s great that these movies are out there, yet I think that Hollywood has forgotten the origi-

nal goal.

For example, examine last summer’s Ghostbusters remake, marketed as having an allfemale cast. Now, there is an all-female cast of Ocean’s Eight. I understand that this is Hollywood’s way of screaming to the world, “Look, we are advanced and sup-

port minorities,” but why can’t we give minorities better roles and original storylines, instead of giving them old, well-known roles? This takes away from not just the movies themselves, but also the work the actors put into it. Many critics and moviegoers compare the original

“We, as a society, need to stop focusing on the movements

and instead remember why the movements were started.

Yes, there should be more minorities in the arts, and yes,

they should be paid the same. Yet, that doesn’t mean that we can say, “That was a good movie – for a female director.””

and the remake, which is not what should be happening. The goal should be to change the norm, so that it is common for female, black, Hispanic, etc. actors/directors/ screenwriters and staff to be involved in successful movies and be winning awards. The goal shouldn’t be to use that as a marketing scheme.

Black Panther, in my opinion, did a great job of this. Everyone involved in the movie discussed the quality of the movie itself, from the writing to the strong characters. Yes, it was an almost all African American cast, but that

wasn’t the focus of the marketing team. If anything, everyone involved with the movie tried to avoid that stigma, and the media tried to bring attention to this. Everyone involved in the movie simply wanted for it to be known as a successful comic book movie, not as the most successful movie for an all African American cast.

We, as a society, need to stop focusing on the movements and instead remember why the movements were started. Yes, there should be more minorities in the arts, and yes, they should be paid the same.

Yet, that doesn’t mean that we can say, “That was a good movie – for a female director.” The accomplishments of individuals should be discussed for their quality and achievements, not for the race or gender of the individual. We need to change the norm, not use it as a marketing ploy.

Maryia Spirydonava Editor-in-Chief

Senioritis

Can science just get women right?

by OLIVIA SCHREIBER Senior Chemical Biology Major

I usually write my columns over the weekend to submit by our Monday deadline, but this week was not the case.

I was waiting for something different—exciting, challenging, puzzling (we’ll skip over the KHODA exposé from last week’s issue… that’s for another time).

I’m glad I waited. Fellow columnist and Director of the Center for Science Writings John Horgan invited Angela Saini, a British science journalist and author of Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong, to speak as a lecturer this past Wednesday about

sexism in science. As a woman studying chemical biology with a newfound appreciation for science journalism, I was more than intrigued.

She began her talk with pictures, all taken from the Hollywood hit “Planet of the Apes.”

“What looks similar in all of these images?” she asked the audience, as images of male apes skirted across the projection screen. Male apes beating their chests, the Abraham Lincoln memorial replaced with the bust of a male ape—all of the power was centralized around the male figure. The only female character of any substantial prowess was ascribed by birth, a mere result of her kinship to a powerful male figure.

Saini admits that after

“I

she became a mother, she saw more clearly how male domination is the “given rule,” which impelled her to look further into the nonprogressive attitudes towards women in science.

In her research, Saini uncovered that the creation of the patriarchy started in the years of the Mesopotamians and Assyrians. Saini reports that “we were egalitarian once,” although this fact has remained unbeknownst to many and faded from history.

She also discussed the validity of our scientific predecessors, such as Charles Darwin. I came to revere Darwin during my high school biology classes, with his explorations to the Galapagos and theory of evolution by means of natural se-

lection. It was shocking—and hurtful—to know that he, as per Saini, was known to insist that women are inferior to men. But Saini raised a good point: “Darwin wasn’t looking everywhere,” she said, referring to Darwin’s somewhat limited sample. He was looking at Victorian women who had been taught to dress modestly, oblige their husbands, and live stifled lives. “They had no space,” Saini argued, and these observations lent themselves to support a very unscientific, yet widely-accepted notion that women are intellectually inferior than their male counterparts.

What captivated me the most was Saini’s argument that “gender roles are not facts of bi-

ology.” Take the Bonobo, a chimpanzee species that is female dominated, or the ancient tribal community of Tibetan Buddhists called the Mosuo, who demonstrate the closest thing to a matriarchal society.

Saini maintains that because gender roles are not universal—meaning not common to all cultures—they cannot be accepted as products of our genetic makeup.

Saini’s lecture served as a reality check for me. Our society has been built up, reconstructed, demolished, and revitalized countless times and yet we continue to see the perpetuation of male dominance and female inferiority everywhere—in film, music, and in my own beloved realm of science. In his

would echo those doubts, but Saini left us with an important message: be

observant of yourself. Just as science students are expected to remain astute of their surroundings and engineers are needed to identify points of weakness in a

system, we need to be more mindful of how and why we treat each other the way we do.”

introductory remarks, Horgan mentioned that it has been more difficult for him to remain an optimist, given the state of our administration, inequality on all fronts, and the idea that the label “social justice warrior”—which Saini has been labeled as by critics—is necessarily negative.

I would echo those doubts, but Saini left us with an important message: be observant of yourself. Just as science students are expected to remain astute of their surroundings and engineers are needed to identify points of weakness in a system, we need to be more mindful of how and why we treat each other the way we do. Like Saini said, our generation has the opportunity to remove ourselves of the gendered “luggage” our parents and grandparents carry.

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to throw this nonsensical, pseudoscience garbage into the Hudson so that it may sink and never resurface again.

Mind of a Freshman

The One About Important Things

by MARY RUANE

Freshman Business and Technology Major

I am at the point in the semester where I really do not know what month it is or how many weeks we have left in the school year. The days are pretty shifty in my mind too; I was almost certain

that Tuesday was Monday despite having gone to my Monday classes.

Thank god for having my schedule imported into my phone calendar because I really would have no idea what’s going on without it. I do feel that despite this haze, I have learned a lot in this past semester that I wanted to share.

The first thing I have learned is that the world is a lot bigger than just the United States. We have fifty states, all crawling with culture and things that make them different from each other, but other countries have so much to offer. For example, Portugal. I stayed in Lisbon over Spring Break

for a course and everything about Portugal was breathtaking. There is no real way to describe the beauty of the culture and land; or how I adored every minute of the little trips to towns outside of Lisbon. However, I can say that being there made the world feel so much bigger. Looking out over Cabo de Roca, I felt like there was so much more to see that I have not already and it made me excited about traveling further.

The next thing I learned is that you need to stop making time for people who would never make time for you. If they are not answering, it is because they do not want to

talk to you. Do not waste your time getting worked up over people who don’t care as much as you do.

It is okay to be selfish; it is okay to want people to want you around. There are people who do, but you are probably focusing on the people who do not. You should stop that.

The last important thing I have learned this

semester is that anything can feel better as long as you have Netflix, Beyoncé, and a bag of your favorite candy. If you are feeling low, watch a movie with your favorite actor/actress in it. Listen to hours of Beyoncé music and if you are not a Beyoncé type of person, The Maine, Ingrid Michelson, Sam Smith, and J-Cole all have your

back.

You can spend time being sad and tripping over yourself, but always remember that you are the hero of the story you are living. You will get through it.

That being said, I hope you guys have a great weekend and that this helped remind you of things I’m sure you already know. See you next week.

“However, I can say that being there made the world feel

so much bigger. Looking out over Cabo de Roca, I felt like there was so much more to see that I have not already and it made me excited about traveling further.”

Opinion

Friday, April 6, 2018 • Page 7

Stars of Stevens

Jen the Star!

by MIA HILDEBRANDT Junior Civil Engineering

“I can’t even imagine my life without music, so I decided that this [music] was something I wanted to dedicate my time to when I’m not studying,” Jen Searing discloses. “Playing in a music group makes me feel like I’m an important part of something positive on campus, and it’s nice having something to look forward to every week.”

Jen Searing is a freshman Quantitative Finance major minoring in Music and Technology and is from Shoreham, Long Island, NY. She is very involved in the performing

arts on campus. Her various extracurriculars include Choir, Orchestra, President’s Ensemble, Newman Catholic Association, Stevens Christian Fellowship, Stevens Women in Business, and Theta Phi Alpha. In her free time, Jen enjoys singing, playing flute, traveling, and drinking tea. “My favorite kind of tea is Earl Grey.” (That’s my favorite flavor, too!)

“I’ve been singing for my entire life,” Jen says.

“Both my parents are in a church group, and I grew up always around that. I decided to play the flute because my mom also plays, and I’ve been in bands, orchestras, and choirs since then.”

Through all her musical journeys, one memory sticks out in particular: “When I was traveling with American Music Abroad in Europe, we were supposed to perform in an outdoor venue in a small town in France, but we got rained out,” Jen recounts. “The rain stopped for a bit, so

a bunch of my friends and I were in the town square and there was an older woman who didn’t get the memo that the concert had been called off. So, my friends and I decided to put on an impromptu performance with all of the people we had. We sang through a bunch of our songs and by the end of it, about fifty people who lived there were gathered to hear us sing and the woman had the largest smile on her face. Even though most of us didn’t speak the same language as she did, we could communicate through our music, which felt so good.”

Music truly is a universal language. Go, Jen! “The leader of music in my church, Carrie Logan, inspired me to sing more. [At first] I didn’t like singing alone, but she helped me find a purpose to sing and become more passionate about my music,” Jen says. “My high school choir teacher, Dennis Creighton, was also a

mentor to me. He gave me opportunities to pursue what I love and helped me to be more confident. He encouraged me to audition for All-State choirs and take advantage of opportunities to sing more.”

In addition to being a hobby, music has also been a way to relieve stress. Jen says, “Music has given me a place to destress and refocus my goals. Also, just the act of having to make time for rehearsals and balance that on top of classes and schoolwork has improved my time management skills and made me a better student.” Jen adds, “I know there have been studies done as well that suggest music skills and math skills use the same part of the brain, so I’m sure that has also had an impact on both music and academics.”

“Music is such a huge part of my life, and I’m so glad that I can be in ensembles here,” Jen expresses. “I feel that the music community is so

A Photo of Jen Searing.|Photo Courtesy of Mia Hildebrant

welcoming and provides its members with a sense of belonging. Music helps me express myself, and I feel like I’m free to be the person I want to be.”

Jen plans to continue her musical pursuits

through college and beyond. She says, “Whatever I do, I know that I want to help people and improve their lives. A random goal of mine is to visit all seven continents at some point.”

Girl Talk

Fairtytale Feminism: The Case for Cinderella

by NAMANKITA RANA

Junior Engineering Management Major

Like most people, I am an avid Disney fan.

I grew up on those movies, and the characters I adored the most were undoubtedly the princesses.

When asked who my favorite princess is, however, my answer usually surprises people.

It’s Cinderella.

Yup. There’s no gag there. She is really my favorite princess of the lineup. Always has been and always will be, even over the more “modern” princesses like Merida, Tiana, and Elsa.

Usually, when I tell people that, they express some mixture of surprise, confusion, and disappointment. It’s usually something along the lines of “How could you like her? She just waited around until a rich prince decided she was pretty and saved her. What an anti-feminist character!”

That, in my opinion, is an embarrassingly shallow take on the story’s message, but I understand why it’s such a prevailing one.

Since the original Cinderella movie came out in 1950, times have changed.

Modern-day feminism prizes women’s independence and strength. Hell, I’ve written several pieces prais-

ing the growing quality and diversity of women’s roles in film, especially for women of color.

Roles like these are a huge relief to see on screen after decades of relegation to eye-candy roles, as they represent an important step forward. However, that doesn’t suddenly mean that the more old-fashioned Cinderella deserves to be derided. She is a feminist role model in her own right, too.

There are other kinds of bravery and heroism besides the kinds involving weapons and words, overthrowing despots or starting revolutions. Cinderella’s environment, in my mind, represented a much more grounded version of reality than many fairytales did. Her oppressors didn’t have magical powers or vast governmental influence, and they weren’t some shadowy, mysterious overlords. They were her family, people who were supposed to look out for her — but chose to abuse and manipulate her instead, as family, friends, and strangers unfortunately sometimes do.

To say she sat down and “took” the abuse is the wrong way to look at it. She survived it and went on to find love later in life. More importantly, the suffering she went through didn’t turn her hard and cold inside.

She remained good and kind, and found a way to be happy even though her tormentors tried to snatch joy away from her.

It’s hard to do the right thing. And it’s really hard to be truly, sincerely nice to those who treat you poorly. It requires a

Photo Courtesy of beautyinside.com

kind of strength of character that is rare to find and even rarer to maintain in a world where niceness and naiveté are considered one and the same.

I love the 1950 version of Cinderella, but the 2015 live-action film put into words the central theme that the animated version really alluded to more than stated outright: “Have courage and be kind.”

That, really, is what it comes down to.

For Cinderella, it’s kindness that is an act of courage, of transgression.

Repeated abuse warps you on the inside. People have certainly found far lesser reasons to become bitter and cynical towards the world.

In Cinderella’s case, yes — the whole world wrongs her, but she doesn’t want revenge.

She doesn’t kick-flip her way out of a situation, swearing to wreak havoc on her abusers.

Instead, she chooses kindness. She chooses forgiveness.

“I forgive you” are, indeed, the last words she utters to those who have so ill-used her.

That’s much more painful, much more realistic, and — in my opinion — much braver.

I can see myself talking tough words, refusing to take shit from someone who thinks less of me.

But having the strength of character to forgive someone like that? Hav-

ing that much kindness in my heart?

I don’t see that in myself.

But I don’t think the point of fairytales is to show us what we already are. It’s to show us what we could be, what we should aspire to achieve.

And that’s why I think the story of Cinderella will never fade away.

The point of her story is to show that having courage and being kind is its own form of bravery.

“To say she sat down and “took” the abuse is the wrong way to look at it. She

survived it and went on to find love later in life. More importantly, the suffering she went through didn’t turn her hard and cold inside. She remained good and

kind, and found a way to be happy even though her tormentors tried to snatch joy away from her.”

Opinion Continued

Friday, April 6, 2018 • Page 8

Cuisine Corner .

Dessert Goals: A Short and Sweet Escapade

by TRACY WONG

Sophomore Business and Technology Major

After my first AWESOME experience at the Brainfood convention held by Spoon University, I decided to head out on another food adventure in Queens. I came across the Dessert Goals event on Facebook and my attention was immediately grabbed by the simple but pretty graphics that decorate the page.

I perused the website and discovered that there were different ticket options: the early bird special, general admission, and VIP packages. Intrigued by the low price of the early tickets, I put my typing skills to the test (thank you to the Entertainment Committee who has prepared me for this) and fortunately, I copped some early bird tickets.

I received a few emails leading up to the day of the event. They suggested dressing up to the theme, “floral disco” (basically pastels, ‘70’s inspired and a bunch of sequins). One of the most intimidating things about going to a foodie festival is worrying about how amazing everyone else will look for the event. I didn’t want to look like I didn’t care or try when I just didn’t own too many clothes related to the theme. Granted, this was a food event and not a Fashion week show, I still predicted that the event would be populated with overly

dressed instagrammers. So I felt super self conscious and worried the whole one and a half hour commute to Long Island City in my super simple pastel tee and lightwashed mom jeans.

Upon arriving at the event, I was relieved to see most other attendees dressed in normal clothes firstly, and secondly, glad I arrived about fifteen minutes early. The line started getting VERY long VERY fast. While standing in line, we were actually checked in and given wristbands with little tags to redeem our free goodies.

I think the pre-check in was a great idea considering the fact that a whole new set of people would have to enter for the second time shift as the other group left. We actually entered about ten minutes later, but left ten minutes later than printed as well.

Upon entering, we were greeted by representatives from Boxed Water and Bai. We gave them our “water” tag and redeemed some samples of their products. I had always found boxed water to be quite cool and boujee but never something I would buy myself so I approved!

And of course we’re going to need some water to wash down all the sugar. Bai gave out normal drinks as well as a new carbonated drink that I had never seen before.

Later on, I also redeemed some free candy, which was not very exciting because the candies were very basic, and my free toothpaste from quip, which I thought was adorable. Zico (coconut water) was also at the event giving out hot chocolate (which was perfect because it happened to be pretty chilly outside) made with their coconut water and a cinnamon stick to give it an

extra umph. Next to it was the savory “Salt Bar”, where there were samples of chips to cleanse our pallets from all the sugar. Surprisingly, we also received a small bag in which there was a small packet of mix to make chocolate cake in a cup from Duncan Hines.

Looking around, I could tell the organizers, but also the vendors, put a lot of thought and effort into setting up a gorgeous booth and space for us. Many of the decorations, inside and out, stayed very true to the theme. There were silver candies being given out that gave a disco feel, outside was a pretty garden-like area to take pictures, and each vendor’s booth was very representative of their respective brands but in a very visionary way. Outside specifically, there was also a cute area set up with different backgrounds to take pictures in (they know that beautiful natural lighting is a must!). Not to mention the gorgeous view of Manhattan as well.

Back inside, I tried desserts from four of the booths and ended up buying from two.

In total, twenty one vendors including Lady M,Tipsy Scoop (who I believe was also at Brainfood!), Aux Merveilleux de Fred, New Territoies, and Bonsai Kakigōri were at the festival. There were many well known dessert spots present, so I decided that I could skip those and try new brands. I tried desserts from Becky’s Bites, Supermoon Bakehouse, MOJO Mousse by Johan, and Petee’s Pie Co. Starting with Becky’s Bites, the dessert shop actually had a bunch of samples so I was able to try them before deciding to make a committed purchase.

Becky’s was selling snack

The lemon pie by Johan and Peete’s Pie Co. was decorated with small flowers.

Tracy Wong

packs of cookie dippers and cream cheese dip -but with a twist. Each dip has a different theme or flavor like peanut butter and jelly flavored or smores and chill. I tried the gluten free “Cookie Monster” which came with mini cookie dippers and a blue cream cheese and little candy eyes to make it look like a pile of Cookie Monster. At first glance, I was extremely hesitant. It looked like a pile of blue frosting: sugary, thick and no depth of taste.

As I grabbed a cookie and slid it across the dip, I realized I was going to be okay when it glided smoothly across the blue cream. I took a bite and the spread was a

continued on thestute.com

The Hazelnut Mousse from MOJO Mousse by Johan and Petee’s Pie Co. | Tracy Wong

Passion for Fashion

Nike Air Max Day 2018

by DANIEL KANG

Freshman Biomedical Engineering Major

Last Monday on March 26, Nike held the 35th anniversary of the release of its inaugural Nike Air Max shoe. The first Air Max Day was held 4 years ago in 2014. It was a genius marketing move by Nike to get the sneaker community excited about new releases by reminiscing about past releases.

In 2015, Nike held a Vote Back campaign, which let people decide which shoe to bring back for reissue.

Then, Nike switched to holding a Vote Forward competition and put up a dozen unique designs by 12 creatives called “Revolutionairs” for the pub-

lic to vote. Sean Wotherspoon’s design ended up winning and went into production for this year’s celebration.

Sean Wotherspoon, founder of the consignment store Round Two, won last year’s Vote Forward competition to design the next Air Max shoe. His love of vintage shoes and apparel, his native Virginia and LA, and favorite shoe models influenced the design.

People around the world voted on their favorite design and Sean Wotherspoon’s innovative design came out on top. Out of the dozen shoe renderings that emerged from the competition, Sean Wotherspoon’s design caught my eye instantly.

The Sean Wotherspoon Nike Air Max 1/97 is a clean hybrid design that combines the sole unit of the Air Max 1 and the upper of the Air Max 97. The corduroy colorway completes the look of one of the best shoes of the year.

The pastel colors remind me of Easter, fitting given the time of year. Other

features are small Swoosh branding, corduroy pull tabs, smiley face on the insoles, interchangeable tongue patches, “VA -> LA” embroidery on the heel (a reference to Wotherspoon’s hometown of Richmond, Virginia and then eventual move to Los Angeles, California), and four lace options.

Initially released on November 21, 2017, these shoes were part of an official general release on Air Max Day. Nike also released a plain white T-shirt with puffy prints and a multicolored corduroy hat. Somehow, I was not able to get my hands on a pair even after entering multiple raffles and trying to purchase online manually. So far, I have never won anything on the notoriously difficult Nike SNKRS app. I am still thinking about getting one for resell because prices have stabilized at $550. The ones with accessories such as extra laces and patches are going for approximately $650.

It is especially amusing to see these shoes for sale at

Round Two since Sean is in effect creating and then reselling his own sneaker.

Nike is gradually turning me into an Air Max fan and these shoes are obviously a must have in any Air Max fan’s collection so I am tempted to make the purchase.

Other releases include the Air Max 270 (featuring Nike’s biggest heel bag yet), Air VaporMax 2.0 (updated Nike flyknit upper), Air VaporMax Plus (combines design lines of Air Max 98, Air Max Plus, and air sole of VaporMax), Air VaporMax 97 (combines Air Max 97 upper with fulllength Air-Sole unit of the Air VaporMax), Air Max 180 (featuring 180 degrees of visible Air cushioning), and Air Max 93.

In addition to these, atmos, a sneaker boutique established in New York City, and Nike teamed up for a re-release of their “Animal” Pack, originally from 2006. The Air Max 95 and Air Max 1 were covered in exotic animal prints, such as the zebra and leopard.

The Nike Air VaporMax97 was one of the sneakers demonstrated at Nike Air Max Day 2018 Photo Courtesy of Sneaker News

To continue with Nike’s theme of supporting the choices of the public, Nike is holding an “On Air” sneaker design workshop from March 22 to April 15 in cites such as NYC, London, Paris, Seoul, Shanghai, and Tokyo. Participants will go through the 5 stages of designing a sneaker: concept development, silhouette selection, material exploration, color

exploration, and embellishment. Then they will submit their designs to a judging panel, which will select 3 designs from each city and put it to a global vote. The winning design from each city will go into production in the future. Hopefully, a design as revolutionary as Sean Wotherspoon’s shoe comes out of the NYC area so that I could finally represent my city.

Opinion Continued

Friday, April 6, 2018 • Page 9

The Stute Music Review

Lorde at Barclays Center

by CHRISTIAN BONAVITA Freshman Chemical Engineering Major

On Wednesday night, sometime between researching for my horribly unfocused CAL-105 Proposal and freaking out about Design 2, I found the time to take the 4 train to Barclays Center and watch Lorde perform on her Melodrama Tour.

Since buying the tickets for this concert nearly ten months ago, I have only become a more de-

voted Lorde fan; her lyrics and synth-influenced melodies transport me to a place of nostalgia and joy, even more so as I reach my late teens.

So, I was beyond excited to break out of the midweek blues and see one of my favorite artists Wednesday night. Lorde was nothing short of stellar – everything, from her energy to the show’s production, was perfectly on-point to create the perfect concert experience.

The show was opened by the ethereal Mitski and rambunctious Run the Jewels. Mitski, the Japanese-American indie rock artist, used her feminine and versatile voice to bring to life a few familiar tunes, like “Your Best American Girl” and “Townie.” Run the Jewels then started the party with a 40-minute set packed with old and new

releases, and even threw in a sample of We are the Champions by Queen.

The crowd responded to their energy with many standing to dance, showing that there were quite a few Run the Jewels fans in the audience.

However, there was no debating that the sold-out crowd was most excited for Lorde. As she rocketed through her hits and fan favorites, the crowd was almost as loud as her, reverberating back every word and dancing whenever they had the chance.

It’s difficult to find a gap or missing piece in the 21-year old’s catalog.

Despite only having released two albums, she possessed enough strong material to keep the show running for just under two hours. By mixing explosive pop like “Yellow Flicker Beat” and “Green Light,” and an acoustic interlude featuring “Writer in the Dark,” “Liability,” and a cover of St. Vincent’s “New York,” Lorde kept the audience in a euphoric state, holding their emotions in her grasp. Her abilities as a performer have never been stronger.

In addition, Lorde’s voice has never sounded better. Her low notes were fierce growls, while her high notes, contrastingly, stayed light. She has found the consistency that she struggled

Lorde performing in concert at the Barclays Center. | Photo Courtesy of Lorde’s Twitter

with in her earlier performances, and wasn’t afraid to change melodies on the fly and have fun with the vocals.

The show’s greatest highlights came with “Ribs” and “Supercut,” two of her most critically- and fan-acclaimed songs. Both have lyrics dealing with memories and looking back on failed relationships or great friendships, and slight tweaks to their arrangements showed Lorde’s endless creativity with her art. The ambient buzzing of “Ribs” left chills on my spine for the entirety of the song,

while “Supercut” was simply pop perfection delivered by a jumping, ecstatic Lorde. Another highlight came when Lorde unexpectedly invited out Jack Antonoff, producer and co-writer for much of Melodrama, and he played guitar and piano for her, along with adding some commentary. It’s clear that Lorde and Jack are close friends.

In addition to the music, the Melodrama tour nailed the lighting and staging aspects of the experience. The dancers who accompanied Lorde were emotive and performed in a large, sus-

pended glass box, which added a new level of drama to the show. The creative lighting brought a distinctive color scheme to each of Lorde’s songs, which isn’t a surprise, given that Lorde has synesthesia. And finally, yes, Lorde’s trademark dancing came in full force to the concert and looked even better live than I could’ve imagined.

Overall, this was one of my favorite concert experiences ever. Lorde is meticulous and passionate about her music, which translated to a stunning show that I never wanted to end.

“Her low notes were fierce growls, while her high notes, contrastingly, stayed

light. She has found the consistency that she struggled with in her earlier perfor-

mances, and wasn’t afraid to change melodies on the fly and have fun with the Photo courtesy of Columbus Arts

vocal.”

Spoiler Alert

Ready Player One

by KOBY GARCIA

Junior Visual Arts and Technology Major

Although extremely predictable, watching Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One was one of the most distinct and incredible experiences I’ve had in a movie theater. Based on the book by the same title, the film, which takes place in 2045, follows a boy named Wade who lives a difficult life in Columbus, Ohio and his journey to find three keys that lead to an Easter Egg hidden in the virtual world of the OASIS. The OASIS is a virtual reality video game that nearly all inhabitants of Earth partake in, so much so that success in the game translates to some type of

success in the real world.

Wade must beat the money hungry IOI Corporation in finding the Easter Egg, which grants the victor control of the OASIS and all of the creators’ stocks in the game.

The film didn’t really know what it wanted to be. There was profanity, but also cheesy dialogue about love that came off as childish. The film also hinted at some religious comparisons, which I found to be thought provoking: Halliday created a world in which participants worship him, and there’s even a headline of an article that says something along the lines of “Halliday playing God.” Furthermore, Wade is worshipped as he plays through the game and is the only character to meet Halliday, but not

before “dying,” then coming back (sound familiar?) and finding the final Easter Egg. The main antagonist used to work for Halliday, but is the cause of Wade’s initial virtual death, and the film was even released on Easter weekend.

The plethora of references to popular culture throughout the decades is thrown at audiences at a rapid fire rate, at times lingering on the screen and, at other points, overcrowding it. There aren’t just visual references either: the soundtrack is a collection of hits that coincide with the decades represented with the visual references. Remove the references and quirky adventures throughout pop culture history, and you are left with a band of flat characters in a

“...watching Steven Spielberg’s Ready

Player One was one of the most distinct and incredible experiences I’ve had in a movie theater.”

played out good vs. evil, people vs. corporation, fun vs. business story.

This is not to say that the content of the film isn’t interesting, though. The setting is unlike many other films and the contrast and comparison of having a life in the real world and having a life in the virtual world is engaging and raises some hard-to-answer questions. On the surface, it may seem like the virtual world is better, especially in the bleak world of 2045. However, Halliday, the creator of the OASIS, commends living in the real world “because reality is real.” This speaks to the world’s blinding obsession with virtual reality that even the creator of THE virtual world of the film is dismissing. Art3mis/Samantha’s character (who I believe was very underutilized and trope-ish) also comments on the nature of the virtual world when she says, “You only know what I want you to know.

You only see what I want you to see. That’s what you’re in love with.”

Photo courtesy of IMDB

Opinion

Friday, April 6, 2018 • Page 10

Campus Conservative

Is it too early to call the 2018 elections?

by ALEX MURTAGH Sophomore Civil Engineering Major

Well, it’s comforting to know that Trump policies can win for both a Republican and Democratic candidate.

For those of you who don’t know what happened in Pennsylvania a few weeks ago, let me break this down for you.

There was a special election held in Alleghany County, PA, because news broke that a Republican Congressman had an affair, got his mistress pregnant, and wanted her to get an abortion. That congressman resigned, leaving a vacant seat, and therefore requiring that a

special election be held.

So, what was considered a fairly solid Republican seat in an ironically Democratic part of the country was up for grabs. Trump won the district by 20 points in 2016, so many felt this could be a huge referendum on his presidency.

Alleghany County is a unique area because it has a mix of Republican and Democratic positions from its history.

The area is highly supportive of unions and strict labor laws, but they are also firm supporters of the second amendment and tend to be more socially conservative.

The Republicans ran a very lackluster candidate who didn’t excite

the base. Meanwhile, the Democrats ran an excellent candidate who fit his district perfectly.

Former Marine Conor Lamb didn’t run as a Nancy Pelosi Democrat, but as a center-left candidate, a truly unique candidate in the age of radical leftism. He fully sided with Trump on the idea of steel and aluminum tariffs. This is a smart move in the city that houses US Steel headquarters and manufacturing plants around the county. However, he only partially sided with Trump on other issues. He called tax cuts a giveaway to the wealthy, but still good for the middle class except for the fact that it would add a large sum

My friend Robert Wright recently gave a terrific talk here at Stevens about his bestseller Why Buddhism Is True. He argues that Buddhism has correctly diagnosed humanity’s problem. We are victims of our own incessant desires, never satisfied for long. The treatment for this problem is meditation, which can give us distance from and hence reduce our cravings and other negative emotions.

Meditation not only makes us happier, Wright says, it also makes us nicer, less selfish, more considerate of others. He has observed these changes within himself, and he claims that meditation, if widely practiced, can help us overcome the aggression and tribalism that cause war and other harmful behaviors. “I think the salvation of the world can be secured via the cultivation of calm, clear minds and the wisdom they allow,” he declares in Why Buddhism Is True.

Because I’m not a very nice person (in spite of taking a meditation class

So what does this mean

away? Two things. One, if the Democrats really want to win they will need strong candidates that may not be in lockstep with them all the time. Two, if Trump can continue to excite his base the election might not be a huge loss as it has been historically for the party in power. But the election is still far off and a lot can change between now and then.

”

Can Meditation Make Us Nicer?

CAL Professor

with the party no matter what, and so far that strategy has allowed Democrats to do a good job at stopping Trump’s agenda.

It’s also interesting to note that seats tend to flip sides when they are caught up in some sort of major scandal. Over the past ten years or so, a handful of elected representatives have been caught red handed doing something the public deems below their ideal standards of what a politician should be.

The fact that this election was so close really says something good for the Republicans if the seat was only won by a razor thin margin.

“So what does this mean for the 2018 midterm elections that are still 7 months

Scientific Curmudgeon

by JOHN HORGAN

to the national debt. He said that he personally opposes abortion, but since it’s a right under the Supreme Court Decision he’s basically okay with it. Finally, concerning the hot button issue right now, gun control, he’s said during speeches that he only wants to tighten up background checks, but not add any new gun control laws.

This is radically different from the most popular figures in today’s Democratic party, like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, who voted ‘no’ on the tax bill and still refuse to support it, want the second amendment basically repealed, and want abortion on demand. Every Democrat is told to vote

since last fall), I question Wright’s linkage of meditation to moral behavior.

Throughout history, warriors have meditated or prayed before battle so they can fight more effectively. Moreover, a disturbing number of meditation teachers have behaved more like sociopaths than saints. The way that Buddhists in Myanmar have treated a Muslim minority also gives me pause.

But these are anecdotes.

Now a peer-reviewed report has cast doubt on the claim that meditation makes you nicer. Titled “The limited prosocial effects of meditation: A systematic review and metaanalysis,” the study was carried out by psychologists Ute Kreplin, Miguel Farias and Inti Brazil. “Our primary aim in this article,” they write, “is to examine the extent to which the use of meditation-based techniques in healthy populations, outside of a religious context, might lead to improvements in prosociality. In other words, can meditation per se make the world a better--less aggressive and more compassionate--place?”

The researchers began by identifying thousands of studies on meditation’s positive effects. They winnowed this number down to 22 studies, with a total of 1,685 subjects, that met minimal standards of rigor, including the comparison of meditators to a control group. The studies, all published since 2004, examined meditation’s effects on one or more of

these prosocial and antisocial traits: compassion, empathy, connectedness, aggression and prejudice.

In just under half of the studies, the meditation teacher was an author of the study, introducing a possible source of bias.

The researchers emphasize that meditators might also be biased by their expectations of self-improvement, and “only one of the studies we examined controlled for expectation effects.” This concern is especially pertinent, given that most studies of meditation measure subjects’ self-reported benefits.

The researchers found that meditation “might make one feel moderately more compassionate or empathic, but our findings suggest that these effects may be, at least in part, the result of methodological frailties, such as biases introduced by the meditation teacher, the type of control group used and the beliefs and expectations of participants about the power of meditation.”

In other words, meditation does not work that well at making people nicer. My take-away is that if you want to save the world, there might be more productive things you can do than meditating.

John Horgan directs the Center for Science Writings, which is part of the College of Arts & Letters.

This column is adapted from one originally published on his Scientific American blog, “Crosscheck.”

for the 2018 midterm elections that are still 7 months away? Two things. One, if the Democrats really want to win they will need strong candidates that may not be in lockstep with them all the time.

Two, if Trump can continue to excite his base the election might not be a huge loss as it has been historically for the party in power. But the election is still far off and a lot can change between now and then.

Who can forget the infamous Billy Bush tapes and the letter from James Comey that may have helped to sway the election in the end only weeks prior to the election itself?

Trumps starting to poll higher than ever before, even taking a shot at President Obama on twitter saying that his poll ratings are higher now than Obama’s were.

If this holds true, its a good sign for Republicans that the election won’t be a total wipeout and that Democrats better start to bring their Agame before its too late.

Strips

Friday, April 6, 2018 • Page 10

Sports

Friday, April 6, 2018 • Page 12

Kyra Bednarksi earns national Player of the Week honors

ON DECK IN SPORTS

Friday WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD @ TCNJ Invitational 11 a.m.

Ewing, NJ

n

Stevens Sports Information

SSI Kyra Bednarski, who led the Stevens Institute of Technology women’s lacrosse team to wins over No. 12 Wesleyan University and No. 20 St. John Fisher College with 10 points in the two games last week.

Not surprisingly, she was also named the Empire 8 Player of the Week on Monday.

Click here to see the release from the IWLCA Bednarski scored a hattrick, including the game winner, against No. 12

Wesleyan on Wednesday.

She assisted on the goal to tie the game 9-9 with 11:45 remaining and then scored unassisted with 2:14 left play for the game-winner.

On Saturday in perhaps Stevens’ most im-

portant game of the regular season, she scored four goals and had two assists against then-No. 20 St. John Fisher as the Ducks put a stranglehold on the conference standings after early victories against both the Cardi-

nals and Nazareth College.

Stevens is ranked No. 20 in the latest national poll.

The Ducks will have a week off before hosting Utica College next Saturday at 11 a.m.

No. 3 Men’s Volleyball bests MSOE in four sets SSI - Graduate student Gabe Shankweiler recorded a team-high 16 kills, sophomore Grant Burden handed out a career-high 47 assists in his first collegiate start as No. 3 Stevens Institute of Technology men’s volleyball defeated Milwaukee School of Engineering in four sets (2521, 25-21, 22-25, 25-22) Wednesday afternoon in a non-conference match at Canavan Arena.

Junior Dylan DeBoer added 12 kills and six assists for the Ducks, who won their fourth straight to improve to 21-4 on the year. It was the first meeting between the programs since February 25, 2007.

Senior Thomas Burrell turned in another efficient performance on both sides of the net, collecting nine kills on 14 assists without an error (0.643), while totaling four blocks. The Somerset, New Jersey native continues to lead the country in both hitting percentage and blocks per set.

Logan Baerenwald had a match-high 17 kills and Sam Stealey added 10 kills for the Raiders, who fell to 12-10 on the year. MSOE has dropped four straight matches, although each was to a nationally-ranked opponent.

Volleys and Points A Baerenwald kill opened the match scoring.

The Ducks strung together four straight points

Date 3/31 3/31 3/31 3/31 3/31 3/31 3/31 3/31 3/31 3/31 3/31 3/31 4/3 4/4

to jump ahead 4-1. Shankweiler began the stretch with a kill and an ace, and an attack error from Bryant Holland closed it.

Stevens jumping out to an early lead would set a trend throughout the match. The Ducks took early leads in each set only to see the visitors rally later in the frame.

After taking the lead on Holland’s error, the Ducks maintained the advantage throughout the remainder of the set.

Stevens committed just three attack errors in the first set, opening up as much as a six-point lead on a Burrell ace.

Two kills and a block drew MSOE to within two at 20-18, however, Stevens scored three of the last four points to close out the set.

DeBoer pinned down a MSOE misplay to open the match scoring.

The teams alternated three-point runs that saw Stevens come away with a 9-6 lead. A double block

by Burrell and Burden handed the hosts a threepoint lead.

Stevens opened as much as a six-point lead, only to see MSOE close to within two points on consecutive Stevens errors.

A Jake Christensen service error brought Stevens to set point and freshman Ryan Byrne converted a Burden set to give the Ducks a 2-0 lead.

Kills by sophomore Da-

vid Lehman and classmate Jonathan Frenzel gave Stevens an early lead in the third set.

MSOE forced consecutive attack errors to jump out in front at 4-3.

Back-and-forth play saw MSOE jump in front 10-9.

The teams again exchanged three-point runs and consecutive Byrne errors handed the Raiders a 15-13 lead.

MSOE turned in its most-efficient attack of the match and recorded five blocks in the set to come away with a three-point win.

Unable to close out a fiesty MSOE squad in the third, the Ducks came out firing in the fourth, receiving consecutive kills from Lehman and Shankweiler to snag an early lead.

Kills from Neil Naughton and Christensen bookended a Shankweiler error as MSOE took a two-point lead midway through the set.

The fourth set featured twelve ties as the frame featured the tightest play between the teams.

Frenzel connected on a Burden set to put Stevens up 17-16.

Sophomore Michael Snajder’s kept MSOE offbalance as DeBoer picked up his second kill of the set as Stevens opened a threepoint edge to force a MSOE timeout.

Shankweiler converted a pair of Burden passes

BASEBALL

VS Houghton College 5:45 p.m.

Hoboken, NJ

BASEBALL

Saturday Stevens Sports Information

to stop the Raiders from stringing together consecutive points.

Byrne pinned down a Burden set to bring Stevens to match point, where the Ducks quickly and emphatically closed the match.

Match Point A double block by Frenzel and Lehman closed out the match.

Inside the Numbers Stevens outhit the Raiders 0.288 to 0.236.

MSOE recorded a matchhigh 0.400 attack percentage in the third set, recorded 13 kills on 30 attacks with just one error.

Stevens recorded three aces on the day.

Each team had eight blocks and 50 assists.

Lehman recorded 11 kills for his 16th doubledigit kill performance of the season.

MSOE’s third-set victory snapped a streak of eight straight sets claimed by Stevens in the series.

Unsung Hero Making his third career start, sophomore Jonathan Frenzel matched a career-

high with four kills and three blocks.

Coach Speak “Today we performed well as we had two players step into the starting lineup against a solid MSOE squad and kept the level expected. Grant did a great job running the offense and Jon recorded a high hitting percentage and got great touches at the net. Offensively we had great days from all of our pins: Gabe, Dylan and Dave, with the usual output from Tom on both sides of the ball. “ - assistant coach Amable Martinez Up Next No. 3 Men’s Volleyball welcomes Hunter College and the College of Staten Island for a non-conference tri-match on Sunday, April 8.

Prior to the 3 p.m. match against CSI, Men’s Volleyball will recognize the Class of 2018 in a prematch ceremony.

Live stats and video links on StevensDucks. com.

Stevens

Opponent/Event

Score

Result

Baseball

VS SUNY-Canton VS SUNY-Canton VS Elmira College VS Elmira College @ Nazareth College @ St John Fisher College VS St John Fisher College @ Nazareth College @ Stockton Invitational @ Stockton Invitational

10-8 3-5 8-0 5-0 9-0 17-10 11-4

W L W W W W W W

Men's Lacrosse Men's Volleyball

@ TCNJ Invitational 11 a.m.

Ewing, NJ

VS Houghton College 8 p.m.

Hoboken, NJ

Duck Country Scoreboard

Baseball Softball Softball Men's Tennis Men's Lacrosse Women's Lacrosse Men's Volleyball Women's Track & Field Men's Track & Field Equestrian Men's Tennis

MEN’S TRACK & FIELD

VS IHSA Regionals @ St John Fisher College @ Stevenson University VS Milwaukee School of Engineering

3-1 5th 4th Complete 9-0 12-13 3-1

N/A N/A N/A W L W

Stevens Sports Information

MEN’S TENNIS

VS Alfred University 9 a.m.

Hoboken, NJ

WOMEN’S LACROSSE

VS Utica College 11 a.m.

Hoboken, NJ

MEN’S TRACK & FIELD

@ TCNJ Invitational 11 a.m.

Ewing, NJ

WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD @ TCNJ Invitational 11 a.m.

Ewing, NJ

SOFTBALL

VS Utica College 1 p.m.

Utica, NY

MEN’S LACROSSE

@ Utica College 1 p.m.

Utica, NY

MEN’S TENNIS

VS Houghton College 1 p.m.

Hoboken, NJ

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

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Issue 22

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Featured in this Issue: New campus IDs, French Toast with the First Lady Lorde concert review, Nike Air Max Day, Tim Urban lecture FAST Flower Festival, Professor Bryan Ackland, Jen Searing Friday, April 6, 2018

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Tim Urban speaks at Stevens as part of the Presidents Lecture Series

by MIA HILDEBRANT Staff Writer

ultimately the two parties were able to come to an agreement.

After months of hard work, with Klesaris, Baldyga, and other members of the Entertainment Committee including Carly Palicz (EC Vice President of On-Campus Events), Stephanie Roberson (EC Vice President of Off-Campus Events), and Lisa Mengotto meeting every Thursday since October 2017, for ap-

Tim Urban delivered a lecture “From Echo Chamber to the Idea Lab: An Intellectual Revolution” on April 3.

You may have heard of Tim Urban from his viral TEDx talk in April 2016 titled “Inside the Mind of a Master Procrastinator,” which has upwards of 18 million views on the TED website. He is also one of the Internet’s most popular writers and is the creator of the blog, Wait But Why? Additionally, Urban has produced numerous articles on subjects ranging from procrastination to artificial intelligence to why humans have not encountered alien life forms. Moreover, Wait But Why has quite the following, and fans include Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Twitter cofounder Evan Williams.

One of the first comparisons Urban brought up was “What

see TECHFEST • Page 2

see TALK • Page 2

T-Pain performing live for Rolling Stone in Minneapolis. | Getty/Jerritt Clark

T-Pain announced to perform at Techfest

by ELINA TUDER Staff Writer

With 14 days remaining until TechFest, the question on many students’ minds is: who is this year’s headlining performer?

Now confirmed by Greg Klesaris, President of the Entertainment Committee (EC) since 2015 and David Baldyga, incoming President of EC, T-Pain will be headlining TechFest on April 20, 2018. According to Klesaris and Baldyga, “This de-

cision was made through a mix of feedback from students as well as using our own past experiences from running so many events through the Entertainment Committee. Therefore, we could make an informed decision on which artist would appeal to the widest variety of students.”

However, this decision did not come easily, due to communication delays between the Entertainment Committee, Student Life, and upper adminis-

tration which had to approve the performer and consider all aspects of the decision when signing the contract. Entertainment Committee was touching base with Student Life on a daily basis, but maintaining a consistent loop of contact with busy administrative officials proved to be arduous. Furthermore, getting the agent of the performer and the administration to be on the same page and satisfied with the contract delayed the process the most, but

Gianforte Family Academic Center opens site to students

by ALEX MURTAGH Outreach Chair

Recently, the Students Governments Association’s (SGA) Vice President of Academic Affairs, Marianna Fleming, reached out to students with an opportunity to tour the Gianforte Family Academic Center (GFAC) construction site. Fleming is working with people from both in and out of the Stevens community to turn this idea into a reality. On the Stevens side, Professor Ellyn Lester from the Civil Engineering Department and Rober Maffia, Vice President for Facilities and Campus Operations. On the construction side, Senior Project Manager, Marcus Caamano from Group PMx, has been involved as well. “Caamano and Professor Lester are seasoned professionals who have been really communicative and wonderful to work with.”

The idea for these tours first sprung from a meeting Flemming had with Dean Nilsen in discussing her new role in the SGA in combination with talking to the superintendent of the GFAC project. Ultimately, it was her own curiosity that lead to the creation of these tours. “The project site is challenging to tour because of how tiny it is, especially at this point because they are completing excavations and shoring.”

It’s challenges like this that made Fleming recognize that other students may be interested in touring the site as well.

When asked what she hopes students will gain from this experience Fleming responded, “I hope students are able to gain some insight into a project on their own campus and some real-

Abby Hulse, Clayton Lundgren, and Derek Van Rouendal . | Charles Zwicker

SDS presents Spring Awakening

by NICK BURNS Staff Writer

View from inside the construction site. | James Construction Co., Inc.

life experience into how a project develops.” One of the major components of this project is that the students will get the opportunity to interact with important people involved in the project. This includes people who don’t regularly visit the site like architects, engineers, and project managers.

The frequency of the tours is depending on when these key players are around the site and have the time to talk with students, in addition to some other factors.

As of now, the tours haven’t started due to the poor weather conditions in recent weeks. However, the group of roughly 15 students that will be

participating in the tours has already attended the first safety orientation session. For those who were unable to attend and still want to participate the good news is that a second orientation will be held because more students expressed interest in touring the site. Fleming is aiming to hold an additional safety orientation at the beginning of the fall semester so incoming freshmen also have the opportunity to participate in the site tours. The majority of the students that have signed up are civil engineers, however, there are students from other majors that are interested in attending as well.

Stevens Dramatic Society will be performing Spring Awakening this weekend. Spring Awakening is a story that deals with a lot of very sensitive subject matter, including physical abuse, sexual assault, and suicide. Focusing on several adolescents discovering their own sexualities within an oppressively conservative society, the musical deals with what director Mark Cirnigliaro calls “subject matter that is very important today. We can’t shy away from it.”

This is the third show Mark has directed with SDS, after Guys and Dolls and Into the Woods. Mark says this show differs significantly from his previous work with SDS, since “the demands of this show on the actor are substantial. It takes great faith, commitment, and heart.” Mark is proud of the performers since they have

put so much of themselves into this show.

The leading characters, Melchior Gabor, Wendla Bergmann, and Moritz Stiefel, all deal with learning about sex in their own ways, and the actors behind these characters portray this awkward time in life very accurately. Clay Lundgren, Abby Hulse, and Derek van Rouendal fill these respective roles. Abby Hulse, when asked about her role, said, “For the first time, it felt like a character I could really connect with.” She remembers her recent teenage years and notes how anyone can relate to adults not taking teenagers seriously.

The set of this show follows a creative image, built entirely out of deconstructed pallets.

The pallets are framed to mimic an explosion, those closest to center stage less intact than the pallets further away.

see SDS • Page 3

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TechFest

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proximately three hours, everything is now finalized. All that remains is putting together the manpower and running the event the day of.

This year’s TechFest is the first one since 2014 that has been solely spearheaded by the Entertain-

Talk

Staff & Contributors Anthony LaBonte Brad Tylutki Charles Zwicker Christian Bonavita Daniel Kang Elina Tuder John Horgan Koby Garcia Lisa Mengotto Marko Djapic

News Continued

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you think vs. How you think” specifically when ideas are put on a spectrum, ranging from insane to mainstream. Of course, ideas are numerous and complex and only certain ones are fit to be spread.

The sensitivity concerning certain topics, like gay marriage, has changed over the years. Gay marriage has gone from being deemed a “controversial” topic to now being more “mainstream,” which is the most common category for ideas, while the least common are the more radical ideas. Urban also discussed “Overton Window,” which is a designated area under a distribution curve representing a range of ideas ranging from insane to mainstream which is concerned mainly with what is in the mainstream category and rarely dapples in the controversial area.

This is similar to how politicians appeal to their audiences—by talking about “safe” topics that are not taboo. Here, we see that our ways of thinking are akin to a science experiment. Urban referred to this idea as a “Marketplace of ideas,” which involves “idea labs.” Idea

ment Committee and will be an overall larger event with additional activities to participate in, other than the concert.

Klesaris and Baldyga are “most excited for when the performer takes the stage, not because we want to see the concert, but because we want to see all of the students in attendance having an amazing time.

That is what makes the Labs represent a culture where people are like experimenters and ideas are experiments all with the goal of moving toward truth. It is through these idea experiments that advancements and truth can be discovered.

Thinking is not always a straight-forward process.

Even for scientists, there is always a chance for cognitive bias or confirmation bias. Urban drew a comparison to a sports fan who wants their team to win; you want them to win fairly, but you are still rooting for the team regardless of the method the team takes to win. This is analogous to a scientist going for truth but being biased because they want to be right. There is also a term Urban coined, “Nonfalsifiable land,” which refers to an individual being so steadfast in their belief/ idea that nothing you can show them can change their mind and admit that they were wrong. Urban related it to someone that was an attorney. Attorneys, for one, sometimes think backwards from B to A, working from a conclusion and then finding the evidence to back it up and build a case. There is also thinking from A to B. Urban also discussed a term called “Echo Chambers,” which refer to a

Friday, April 6, 2018 • Page 2

almost year of planning and hundreds of hours of work put into this event all worth it. This is all about the students and making them have a once in a lifetime experience.”

TechFest will start at 5 pm on April 20th on Palmer Lawn. There will be food trucks, carnival games, caricature artists and more! Then at 7 pm, instead of the “typical”

culture of agreement and confirmation and what you think is sacred. This notion is connected to “Ancient tribal psychology,” which deals with moral purity, moral dualism, and sacredness. This can be seen in the “Us vs.

Them” mentality. By having certain ideas and ways of thinking that align with a certain group, those people become your tribe and hence you become a part of that Echo Chamber.

In reality, Echo Chambers are difficult, in that to classify them, there is no “good” or “bad” Echo Chamber. Urban compared this idea with Dis-

opener student DJs will perform, competing for crowd’s votes. Finally, at 8 pm, the main performer, T-Pain, will perform his set. Students must bring their Stevens IDs and no bags. The event is open to all undergraduate members of the student body (only Stevens students) and will allow students to come together to experience this Stevens tradition.

Tim Urban | hrmag.com

ney. In Disney movies, there are clear good and bad characters. There are no nuanced gray areas— instead, there are binary good and bad characters. The takeaway is that thinking is on a spectrum and this spectrum evolves with how people and their thoughts change. For example, people’s political leanings are a spectrum.

People are not just liberal, progressive, or conservative. It is generally a mix: more progressive vs less progressive, more liberal vs less liberal.

Hence, thinking changes, and politicians need to be able to catch up.

Professor Highlights

Copyright © 2018 The Stute

Dr. Bryan Ackland

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

by SARAH HOOGENBOOM Staff Writer

As the first professor to be highlighted in the Professor Highlight Series, it is fitting that this professor is one of the most beloved in the Electrical Engineering Department. Doctor Bryan Ackland shows an immense amount of passion and dedication to the field of Electrical Engineering in the classroom and through his successes in the field. Since this is his last semester at Stevens before retirement, Professor Ackland has quite the history to share, starting from his undergraduate years in Australia to now as a professor at Stevens.

As a high school student, Professor Ackland had an interest in Physics and Science and naturally found himself pursuing an undergraduate degree in Physics. As an Australian native, Ackland attended Flinders University in South Australia for four years only realize that he had a real passion for circuitry rather than physics. After graduating

from Flinders, Ackland graduated in 1975 from the University of Adelaide two years later with an Engineering Degree in Electrical Engineering.

The decision to pursue a completely different degree because of a change of passion from physics to electrical engineering was a deciding factor for the rest of Professor Ackland’s professional career.

After graduating as an Undergraduate student, Ackland continued his education at the University of Adelaide for a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and completed his thesis in studying high-speed memory processing in small computers. While completing his Ph.D., Ackland was approached by a friend that was working at Bell Laboratories in New Jersey and was asked to join as a Member of Technical Staff in Research.

With the full intention to move back to Australia after a few years at Bell Laboratories, Ackland remained on the east coast after being promoted to Director of Research at Bell Labs. He then became

the Vice President of an integrated circuit company that branched from Bell Laboratories. Then, in 2004, Ackland took a risk in joining a photography and optics Start-up with a group of colleagues from Bell Labs. The start-up ended up falling under in 2010 due to a lack of marketing, but Ackland states that “…its failure does not bother me…it was a really exciting and fun 6 years working with an extremely talented team”.

Traveling to and from his family in NJ on the weekends and work in MA on the weekdays, each new discovery the team made in night vision photography using geranium and silicon made it worth the commute.

After arriving at Stevens in 2011 as an Adjunct Professor, Professor Ackland will be completing his seven years as an Electrical & Computer Engineering Department Professor. During his time here, Professor Ackland has “…enjoyed seeing the enthusiasm in students…” and the challenging questions that keep him on his

stevens.edu

toes. As a piece of advice to all Stevens students, “…always have some idea of what an answer should look like and if it is ridiculous do not be afraid of acknowledging that it is ridiculous.” In addition to teaching classes and sharing his wealth of knowledge and experience to his students, Ackland has taken full advantage of learning about the other Stevens academic departments by attending talks and concerts.

Most importantly, what is Professor Ackland going to do during his retirement? He plans on learning how to play the oboe, traveling back to Australia for 2 months, and volunteering at the Homeless Shelter.

News Continued SDS

Continued from front page

This explosive symbolism is meant to mirror the way the characters try to break the status quo established by their parents. Using no more set than what is on stage at all times, the set includes a few dynamic elements to differentiate locations when necessary and to change the tone depending on who is speaking.

Spring Awakening opens Thursday, April 5 at 9 p.m., with more performances on Friday, April 6 at 8 p.m., and Saturday, April 7 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. in DeBaun Auditorium.

Friday, April 6, 2018 • Page 3

Freshman senator hopes to improve Campus IDs

by MATTHEW CUNNINGHAM Webmaster

Student Government Association (SGA) Senator Madison Gemma has dedicated the last month to pursue an initiative of her own: improving the Campus ID cards on campus, hoping to add “emergency contact [information] on the back of Stevens’ Campus IDs.” The Campus IDs are the cards used to swipe into the library, pay for things with Duckbills, and get into Pierce, among other uses.

Gemma had the idea to add emergency contact information – such as

“the phone number and hours of CAPS” and “a number for a 24/7 suicide prevention lifeline” – in mid-February after noticing the large empty space on the back of the current Stevens Campus IDs. “By adding the emergency contacts [on the back of Campus IDs], professors and Stevens staff could easily direct people to the numbers and information,” said Gemma. “The accessibility of emergency contacts [on Campus IDs] should generally make resources more aware to students.”

In early March, Gemma arranged a meeting with Rebecca Jennings,

the Director of Student Accounts, and Angela Edge, Associate Director of Student Accounts for Campus Card Services, to suggest making changes to Campus IDs. When she met with them, Gemma asked if emergency contacts could be added, and Jennings told her that it wouldn’t be possible until the Fall 2019 semester. Updates were highly unlikely because the Campus ID cards for Fall 2018 were already ordered; changes to those couldn’t happen.

“Jennings told me that she supported the idea of emergency contacts on the back of the cards,”

said Gemma, “and that we may be able to add that information starting the Fall 2019 semester only if we could demonstrate interest from the student body.”

To demonstrate the interest in adding emergency contact information to Campus IDs, Gemma drafted an official SGA proclamation with the intention to send it to the Campus Card office. More than one dozen Senators sponsored the bill, and Gemma obtained support from Dr. Melissa Zarin, Assistant Director of CAPS, who, according to Gemma, “agrees that

these resources should be widely advertised and easily accessible.”

With support acquired from students and faculty members, Gemma sent the proclamation to Jennings and Sara Klein, Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs. Klein said that “we will look at your proposal and have some internal conversations” and that “the earliest any changes would be reflected is in about a year from now.”

Gemma hopes that by next year, the conversations will continue to add emergency contact information on the back of Campus IDs.

Hoveida Farvardin hosts French Toast with the First Lady

by ELINA TUDER Staff Writer

Hoveida Farvardin hosted French Toast with the First Lady to empower Stevens women with an open forum on leadership.

After introducing and giving her background, Farvardin shared that she studied engineering in Iran and that she currently works at the World Bank in Washington D.C, and commutes between Washington D.C. and Hoboken every week.

She also shared her passion for Stevens history and archives, relaying the work that she has put in to ensure the preservation of the university’s artifacts.

Following her introduction, students were invited to enjoy breakfast. FarvardFarvardin welcoming the students to her home. | Elina Tuder in has taste-tested numerous French Toasts to decide which one to serve. The resulting French Toast used brioche bread.

After the guests enjoyed their meals, Farvardin opened a ‘Question and Answer session,’ where she addressed topics such as the transition from college to the real world, time management, and being a woman in the workplace.

In regards to entering the workforce and the real world, Farvardin understood the fear of going from the known structure of college to an ever-changing adult life. She said that the biggest question in this transition is “how do I apply the thinking I learned to the work that I do?” She recommended finding a mentor at work, as she did at her first Students enjoying a variety of breakfast options. | Elina Tuder job, and to always ask ques-

tions and admit when one does not know something.

In regards to time management and balancing one’s workload, Farvardin recommended that instead of taking on too many tasks, students should “let go of certain things that don’t energize them.” Farvardin encouraged students to focus their time on what they like: if someone tries to do too much, they can never truly get involved with the things that they are passionate about. To practice better time management, Farvardin suggested reading the book Getting Things Done.

When addressing being a woman in the workforce, Farvardin stated that she is aware that her male colleagues may not face the same challenges as women, as the business world was created by men. However, according to her, it is not their fault. Farvardin explained that “...for me, being a woman is a beautiful thing, and I don’t want to apologize for it or regret it.”

When people get to work, they need to use their skills and intelligence to produce successful results, regardless of gender.

Hoveida Farvardin hopes that through French Toast with the First Lady she will be able to share her experiences with the students of Stevens and serve as an unbiased point of contact to help with personal, professional, and any other advice that is needed. She looks forward to students continuing to contact her after the event on March 24.

Stevens Italian Club celebrates Italian Easter

by MARK KRUPINSKI Business Manager

Stevens Italian Club celebrated Italian Easter on April 3, 2018.

Similar to an Easter celebration in a traditional American household, Italian Easter features mostly Italian food, a huge gathering of family, and a religious com-

ponent, common in many Italian households. At the event, students could enjoy traditional Italian food, paint ping-pong ball Easter eggs, play a giant game of Jenga, or greet friends with a “Buona Pasqua,” which means “Happy Easter” in Italian, according to Robert Mikesh, treasurer of the Stevens Italian Club.

The food was catered

by CompassOne, to the surprise of many students. The Stute actually postponed their GBM so all the members had ample time to get some food.

The date of Stevens Italian Club’s next GBM has not been decided.

Stevens Italian Club will also be hosting a “Cook Like an Italian” event later this semester.

Students enjoying the food at Italian Easter in Jacobus Lounge. | Mark Krupinski

Join the Stute ! Tuesdays at 9 ! Jacobus 2nd floor ! Yay !

Campus Pulse

Friday, April 6, 2018 • Page 4

Roving Reporter Who do you think is the artist for Techfest?

“I haven’t heard anything.”

Alex Gaydos

“I’ve heard techfest is happening; I haven’t heard anything about it.”

Delores Termini

“I’ve heard T-Pain is coming.”

Abe Edens

“I have no clue.”

Alyssa Regan

“It’s T-Pain.”

“Smash Mouth.”

Sam Conte

Gary Marshuetz

News

Friday, April 6, 2018 • Page 5

Library rooms open for an interactive historical learningWISO experience hosts Potluck

by LISA MENGOTTO Staff Writer

Several exhibit rooms in the Samuel C. Williams Library were opened for viewing during the annual Behind the Books on Wednesday evening, co-hosted by the Honor Board and Gear and Triangle. Several alumni of the Honor Board joined undergraduate students in a viewing of the unique collections housed in the library.

Students were able to walk a self-guided tour through the library to four open rooms. Members from the Honor Board and Gear and Triangle were stationed in each room to provide general historical context and facilitate the hands-on exploration of some artifacts. An additional exhibit about campus traditions was constructed by the library’s professional staff and displayed in Sam’s Place.

“I get very excited to see the infectious enthusiasm and engagement the students have for our history and historical collections. I really feel that events like Behind the Books instills a greater sense of pride for Stevens and really brings our important and sometimes hidden history and historical collections to life,” said Leah Loscutoff, Head of Archives & Special Collections.

The Mary Stuart Stevens Room is located on the first floor of the library, off of the Great Hall. The room is decorated with artifacts from the original Castle Stevens, portraits of Stevens family members, and display cases containing historical objects signifying Stevens family achievements. Several free print copies of a painting by F.

Giudici ‘89 picturing the Castle were available.

On the second floor is the Frederick Winslow Taylor Room — a small biographical museum dedicated to Taylor, who earned a degree in mechanical engineering from Stevens in 1883 and later became the “Father of Scientific Management”. The collection covers much of Taylor’s contributions as a pioneer in shop management and efficiency, including prototypes of his well-known metal cutting tools; his sportsrelated inventions, including a two-handed putter and innovative tennis racket; and, his more personal pieces, such as his diploma and typed letters.

Daniel Fenton, a 4/5 mechanical engineering student said, “I wish they had this event more often because I think it’s important that Stevens students know this stuff is available to be seen not only the Stevens history.”

“Once a year I come to the library, just for this,” said Zachary Calderola, a senior graduating with both a Bachelor’s and Master’s in computer science.

Adjacent to the Taylor Room is the Lieb Memorial Leonardo da Vinci collection, donated by John William Lieb. Lieb earned his Master’s from Stevens in 1880 and spent over a decade in Italy for work under direction of American inventor Thomas Edison.

The Stevens alumnus returned with an incredible fascination with da Vinci, as both an engineer and philosopher.

Posthumously, the collection was dedicated to the university. Students had the opportunity to

handle old books such as Divina Proportione, authored by da Vinci’s math tutor with geometric illustrations by da Vinci dating all the way back to 1509.

“I love this event because I think it’s important to learn about our schools history by seeing the actual contributions made by our alumni,” said Jose Angeles, a 4/5 electrical engineering student.

The Campus Traditions exhibit was brought back out for viewing in Sam’s Place. The display was curated by Ted Houghtaling, Archivist and Digital Project Librarian, and was setup in the first floor display cases for from October 2017 through March 2018. The display system included samples of The Link and The Stute archives. According to Library Director Linda Beninglove, the Campus Traditions exhibit will be reinstalled and expanded for this year’s Commencement celebrations on campus.

Beninglove commented, “Behind the Books offers a unique and memorable opportunity for the Library Staff to connect with student organizations, learn more about students’ diverse interests and knowledge, and to contribute to a sense of pride in Stevens history. It is so exciting and inspiring to see students become interested in the fascinating artifacts in the Library Archives and Special Collections. We hope students will continue their interest in the impact of Stevens throughout history, and we hope students will come back to campus and visit the Library as Alumni.”

Honor Board Chair Stephen Cornwell provided background information about Frederick Winslow Taylor and tells about Taylor’s innovative sports equipment.

Gear and Triangle member Zachary Caldarola stood before a group of students, gloves on, to explain the contents of old books available for student handling as part of the Leonardo da Vinci Collection.

Honor Board member and Webmaster Joseph King helped students identify portraits of Stevens family members while stationed in the Mary Stuart Stevens Room.

Photos by Lisa Mengotto

FAST and other ethnic orgs host a Flower Festival

by AUDREY DSOUZA Managing Editor

The Filipino Association of Stevens Tech (FAST) hosted a Flower Festival to emulate the traditional Flipino Panagbenga Festival celebrating the blooming of flowers. This event, hosted on April 5 in Walker Gym, paid tribute to the

revival of the Philippine population after the Luzon earthquake of 1990.

At the event, students made flower crowns and paper origami flowers, took photos in the photo booth, and got henna tattoos.

The food included fried chicken, spring rolls, varieties of rice, and various

other options.

The event was co-hosted by the Korean Student Association (KSA), West Indian Student Organization (WISO), Chinese Student Association (CSA), Omega Phi Beta Sorority, Nu Alpha Phi, and Lambda Upsilon Lambda. “Because flower festivals are widely celebrated all over the

world, we wanted to collaborate with other ethnic RSOs and put together a more conglomerate festival, inclusive of a diverse spread of traditions,” explained Nina Ioanis, Culture Chair for FAST. The festival featured student performances by CSA, the Greek organizations, and members of FAST.

Students dig through piles of mutli-colored flowers to construct their own crowns in celebration the beauty of perseverance after a natural disaster.

Photos by Cole Yarbrough

Opinion

Friday, April 6, 2018 • Page 6

The Stute Editorial

Changing the norm, not embracing it This week I wanted to discuss movies, specifically “movement” movies. You know the type: the ones that market themselves as having either an all-female cast, or an all non-white cast, etc. It’s great that these movies are out there, yet I think that Hollywood has forgotten the origi-

nal goal.

For example, examine last summer’s Ghostbusters remake, marketed as having an allfemale cast. Now, there is an all-female cast of Ocean’s Eight. I understand that this is Hollywood’s way of screaming to the world, “Look, we are advanced and sup-

port minorities,” but why can’t we give minorities better roles and original storylines, instead of giving them old, well-known roles? This takes away from not just the movies themselves, but also the work the actors put into it. Many critics and moviegoers compare the original

“We, as a society, need to stop focusing on the movements

and instead remember why the movements were started.

Yes, there should be more minorities in the arts, and yes,

they should be paid the same. Yet, that doesn’t mean that we can say, “That was a good movie – for a female director.””

and the remake, which is not what should be happening. The goal should be to change the norm, so that it is common for female, black, Hispanic, etc. actors/directors/ screenwriters and staff to be involved in successful movies and be winning awards. The goal shouldn’t be to use that as a marketing scheme.

Black Panther, in my opinion, did a great job of this. Everyone involved in the movie discussed the quality of the movie itself, from the writing to the strong characters. Yes, it was an almost all African American cast, but that

wasn’t the focus of the marketing team. If anything, everyone involved with the movie tried to avoid that stigma, and the media tried to bring attention to this. Everyone involved in the movie simply wanted for it to be known as a successful comic book movie, not as the most successful movie for an all African American cast.

We, as a society, need to stop focusing on the movements and instead remember why the movements were started. Yes, there should be more minorities in the arts, and yes, they should be paid the same.

Yet, that doesn’t mean that we can say, “That was a good movie – for a female director.” The accomplishments of individuals should be discussed for their quality and achievements, not for the race or gender of the individual. We need to change the norm, not use it as a marketing ploy.

Maryia Spirydonava Editor-in-Chief

Senioritis

Can science just get women right?

by OLIVIA SCHREIBER Senior Chemical Biology Major

I usually write my columns over the weekend to submit by our Monday deadline, but this week was not the case.

I was waiting for something different—exciting, challenging, puzzling (we’ll skip over the KHODA exposé from last week’s issue… that’s for another time).

I’m glad I waited. Fellow columnist and Director of the Center for Science Writings John Horgan invited Angela Saini, a British science journalist and author of Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong, to speak as a lecturer this past Wednesday about

sexism in science. As a woman studying chemical biology with a newfound appreciation for science journalism, I was more than intrigued.

She began her talk with pictures, all taken from the Hollywood hit “Planet of the Apes.”

“What looks similar in all of these images?” she asked the audience, as images of male apes skirted across the projection screen. Male apes beating their chests, the Abraham Lincoln memorial replaced with the bust of a male ape—all of the power was centralized around the male figure. The only female character of any substantial prowess was ascribed by birth, a mere result of her kinship to a powerful male figure.

Saini admits that after

“I

she became a mother, she saw more clearly how male domination is the “given rule,” which impelled her to look further into the nonprogressive attitudes towards women in science.

In her research, Saini uncovered that the creation of the patriarchy started in the years of the Mesopotamians and Assyrians. Saini reports that “we were egalitarian once,” although this fact has remained unbeknownst to many and faded from history.

She also discussed the validity of our scientific predecessors, such as Charles Darwin. I came to revere Darwin during my high school biology classes, with his explorations to the Galapagos and theory of evolution by means of natural se-

lection. It was shocking—and hurtful—to know that he, as per Saini, was known to insist that women are inferior to men. But Saini raised a good point: “Darwin wasn’t looking everywhere,” she said, referring to Darwin’s somewhat limited sample. He was looking at Victorian women who had been taught to dress modestly, oblige their husbands, and live stifled lives. “They had no space,” Saini argued, and these observations lent themselves to support a very unscientific, yet widely-accepted notion that women are intellectually inferior than their male counterparts.

What captivated me the most was Saini’s argument that “gender roles are not facts of bi-

ology.” Take the Bonobo, a chimpanzee species that is female dominated, or the ancient tribal community of Tibetan Buddhists called the Mosuo, who demonstrate the closest thing to a matriarchal society.

Saini maintains that because gender roles are not universal—meaning not common to all cultures—they cannot be accepted as products of our genetic makeup.

Saini’s lecture served as a reality check for me. Our society has been built up, reconstructed, demolished, and revitalized countless times and yet we continue to see the perpetuation of male dominance and female inferiority everywhere—in film, music, and in my own beloved realm of science. In his

would echo those doubts, but Saini left us with an important message: be

observant of yourself. Just as science students are expected to remain astute of their surroundings and engineers are needed to identify points of weakness in a

system, we need to be more mindful of how and why we treat each other the way we do.”

introductory remarks, Horgan mentioned that it has been more difficult for him to remain an optimist, given the state of our administration, inequality on all fronts, and the idea that the label “social justice warrior”—which Saini has been labeled as by critics—is necessarily negative.

I would echo those doubts, but Saini left us with an important message: be observant of yourself. Just as science students are expected to remain astute of their surroundings and engineers are needed to identify points of weakness in a system, we need to be more mindful of how and why we treat each other the way we do. Like Saini said, our generation has the opportunity to remove ourselves of the gendered “luggage” our parents and grandparents carry.

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to throw this nonsensical, pseudoscience garbage into the Hudson so that it may sink and never resurface again.

Mind of a Freshman

The One About Important Things

by MARY RUANE

Freshman Business and Technology Major

I am at the point in the semester where I really do not know what month it is or how many weeks we have left in the school year. The days are pretty shifty in my mind too; I was almost certain

that Tuesday was Monday despite having gone to my Monday classes.

Thank god for having my schedule imported into my phone calendar because I really would have no idea what’s going on without it. I do feel that despite this haze, I have learned a lot in this past semester that I wanted to share.

The first thing I have learned is that the world is a lot bigger than just the United States. We have fifty states, all crawling with culture and things that make them different from each other, but other countries have so much to offer. For example, Portugal. I stayed in Lisbon over Spring Break

for a course and everything about Portugal was breathtaking. There is no real way to describe the beauty of the culture and land; or how I adored every minute of the little trips to towns outside of Lisbon. However, I can say that being there made the world feel so much bigger. Looking out over Cabo de Roca, I felt like there was so much more to see that I have not already and it made me excited about traveling further.

The next thing I learned is that you need to stop making time for people who would never make time for you. If they are not answering, it is because they do not want to

talk to you. Do not waste your time getting worked up over people who don’t care as much as you do.

It is okay to be selfish; it is okay to want people to want you around. There are people who do, but you are probably focusing on the people who do not. You should stop that.

The last important thing I have learned this

semester is that anything can feel better as long as you have Netflix, Beyoncé, and a bag of your favorite candy. If you are feeling low, watch a movie with your favorite actor/actress in it. Listen to hours of Beyoncé music and if you are not a Beyoncé type of person, The Maine, Ingrid Michelson, Sam Smith, and J-Cole all have your

back.

You can spend time being sad and tripping over yourself, but always remember that you are the hero of the story you are living. You will get through it.

That being said, I hope you guys have a great weekend and that this helped remind you of things I’m sure you already know. See you next week.

“However, I can say that being there made the world feel

so much bigger. Looking out over Cabo de Roca, I felt like there was so much more to see that I have not already and it made me excited about traveling further.”

Opinion

Friday, April 6, 2018 • Page 7

Stars of Stevens

Jen the Star!

by MIA HILDEBRANDT Junior Civil Engineering

“I can’t even imagine my life without music, so I decided that this [music] was something I wanted to dedicate my time to when I’m not studying,” Jen Searing discloses. “Playing in a music group makes me feel like I’m an important part of something positive on campus, and it’s nice having something to look forward to every week.”

Jen Searing is a freshman Quantitative Finance major minoring in Music and Technology and is from Shoreham, Long Island, NY. She is very involved in the performing

arts on campus. Her various extracurriculars include Choir, Orchestra, President’s Ensemble, Newman Catholic Association, Stevens Christian Fellowship, Stevens Women in Business, and Theta Phi Alpha. In her free time, Jen enjoys singing, playing flute, traveling, and drinking tea. “My favorite kind of tea is Earl Grey.” (That’s my favorite flavor, too!)

“I’ve been singing for my entire life,” Jen says.

“Both my parents are in a church group, and I grew up always around that. I decided to play the flute because my mom also plays, and I’ve been in bands, orchestras, and choirs since then.”

Through all her musical journeys, one memory sticks out in particular: “When I was traveling with American Music Abroad in Europe, we were supposed to perform in an outdoor venue in a small town in France, but we got rained out,” Jen recounts. “The rain stopped for a bit, so

a bunch of my friends and I were in the town square and there was an older woman who didn’t get the memo that the concert had been called off. So, my friends and I decided to put on an impromptu performance with all of the people we had. We sang through a bunch of our songs and by the end of it, about fifty people who lived there were gathered to hear us sing and the woman had the largest smile on her face. Even though most of us didn’t speak the same language as she did, we could communicate through our music, which felt so good.”

Music truly is a universal language. Go, Jen! “The leader of music in my church, Carrie Logan, inspired me to sing more. [At first] I didn’t like singing alone, but she helped me find a purpose to sing and become more passionate about my music,” Jen says. “My high school choir teacher, Dennis Creighton, was also a

mentor to me. He gave me opportunities to pursue what I love and helped me to be more confident. He encouraged me to audition for All-State choirs and take advantage of opportunities to sing more.”

In addition to being a hobby, music has also been a way to relieve stress. Jen says, “Music has given me a place to destress and refocus my goals. Also, just the act of having to make time for rehearsals and balance that on top of classes and schoolwork has improved my time management skills and made me a better student.” Jen adds, “I know there have been studies done as well that suggest music skills and math skills use the same part of the brain, so I’m sure that has also had an impact on both music and academics.”

“Music is such a huge part of my life, and I’m so glad that I can be in ensembles here,” Jen expresses. “I feel that the music community is so

A Photo of Jen Searing.|Photo Courtesy of Mia Hildebrant

welcoming and provides its members with a sense of belonging. Music helps me express myself, and I feel like I’m free to be the person I want to be.”

Jen plans to continue her musical pursuits

through college and beyond. She says, “Whatever I do, I know that I want to help people and improve their lives. A random goal of mine is to visit all seven continents at some point.”

Girl Talk

Fairtytale Feminism: The Case for Cinderella

by NAMANKITA RANA

Junior Engineering Management Major

Like most people, I am an avid Disney fan.

I grew up on those movies, and the characters I adored the most were undoubtedly the princesses.

When asked who my favorite princess is, however, my answer usually surprises people.

It’s Cinderella.

Yup. There’s no gag there. She is really my favorite princess of the lineup. Always has been and always will be, even over the more “modern” princesses like Merida, Tiana, and Elsa.

Usually, when I tell people that, they express some mixture of surprise, confusion, and disappointment. It’s usually something along the lines of “How could you like her? She just waited around until a rich prince decided she was pretty and saved her. What an anti-feminist character!”

That, in my opinion, is an embarrassingly shallow take on the story’s message, but I understand why it’s such a prevailing one.

Since the original Cinderella movie came out in 1950, times have changed.

Modern-day feminism prizes women’s independence and strength. Hell, I’ve written several pieces prais-

ing the growing quality and diversity of women’s roles in film, especially for women of color.

Roles like these are a huge relief to see on screen after decades of relegation to eye-candy roles, as they represent an important step forward. However, that doesn’t suddenly mean that the more old-fashioned Cinderella deserves to be derided. She is a feminist role model in her own right, too.

There are other kinds of bravery and heroism besides the kinds involving weapons and words, overthrowing despots or starting revolutions. Cinderella’s environment, in my mind, represented a much more grounded version of reality than many fairytales did. Her oppressors didn’t have magical powers or vast governmental influence, and they weren’t some shadowy, mysterious overlords. They were her family, people who were supposed to look out for her — but chose to abuse and manipulate her instead, as family, friends, and strangers unfortunately sometimes do.

To say she sat down and “took” the abuse is the wrong way to look at it. She survived it and went on to find love later in life. More importantly, the suffering she went through didn’t turn her hard and cold inside.

She remained good and kind, and found a way to be happy even though her tormentors tried to snatch joy away from her.

It’s hard to do the right thing. And it’s really hard to be truly, sincerely nice to those who treat you poorly. It requires a

Photo Courtesy of beautyinside.com

kind of strength of character that is rare to find and even rarer to maintain in a world where niceness and naiveté are considered one and the same.

I love the 1950 version of Cinderella, but the 2015 live-action film put into words the central theme that the animated version really alluded to more than stated outright: “Have courage and be kind.”

That, really, is what it comes down to.

For Cinderella, it’s kindness that is an act of courage, of transgression.

Repeated abuse warps you on the inside. People have certainly found far lesser reasons to become bitter and cynical towards the world.

In Cinderella’s case, yes — the whole world wrongs her, but she doesn’t want revenge.

She doesn’t kick-flip her way out of a situation, swearing to wreak havoc on her abusers.

Instead, she chooses kindness. She chooses forgiveness.

“I forgive you” are, indeed, the last words she utters to those who have so ill-used her.

That’s much more painful, much more realistic, and — in my opinion — much braver.

I can see myself talking tough words, refusing to take shit from someone who thinks less of me.

But having the strength of character to forgive someone like that? Hav-

ing that much kindness in my heart?

I don’t see that in myself.

But I don’t think the point of fairytales is to show us what we already are. It’s to show us what we could be, what we should aspire to achieve.

And that’s why I think the story of Cinderella will never fade away.

The point of her story is to show that having courage and being kind is its own form of bravery.

“To say she sat down and “took” the abuse is the wrong way to look at it. She

survived it and went on to find love later in life. More importantly, the suffering she went through didn’t turn her hard and cold inside. She remained good and

kind, and found a way to be happy even though her tormentors tried to snatch joy away from her.”

Opinion Continued

Friday, April 6, 2018 • Page 8

Cuisine Corner .

Dessert Goals: A Short and Sweet Escapade

by TRACY WONG

Sophomore Business and Technology Major

After my first AWESOME experience at the Brainfood convention held by Spoon University, I decided to head out on another food adventure in Queens. I came across the Dessert Goals event on Facebook and my attention was immediately grabbed by the simple but pretty graphics that decorate the page.

I perused the website and discovered that there were different ticket options: the early bird special, general admission, and VIP packages. Intrigued by the low price of the early tickets, I put my typing skills to the test (thank you to the Entertainment Committee who has prepared me for this) and fortunately, I copped some early bird tickets.

I received a few emails leading up to the day of the event. They suggested dressing up to the theme, “floral disco” (basically pastels, ‘70’s inspired and a bunch of sequins). One of the most intimidating things about going to a foodie festival is worrying about how amazing everyone else will look for the event. I didn’t want to look like I didn’t care or try when I just didn’t own too many clothes related to the theme. Granted, this was a food event and not a Fashion week show, I still predicted that the event would be populated with overly

dressed instagrammers. So I felt super self conscious and worried the whole one and a half hour commute to Long Island City in my super simple pastel tee and lightwashed mom jeans.

Upon arriving at the event, I was relieved to see most other attendees dressed in normal clothes firstly, and secondly, glad I arrived about fifteen minutes early. The line started getting VERY long VERY fast. While standing in line, we were actually checked in and given wristbands with little tags to redeem our free goodies.

I think the pre-check in was a great idea considering the fact that a whole new set of people would have to enter for the second time shift as the other group left. We actually entered about ten minutes later, but left ten minutes later than printed as well.

Upon entering, we were greeted by representatives from Boxed Water and Bai. We gave them our “water” tag and redeemed some samples of their products. I had always found boxed water to be quite cool and boujee but never something I would buy myself so I approved!

And of course we’re going to need some water to wash down all the sugar. Bai gave out normal drinks as well as a new carbonated drink that I had never seen before.

Later on, I also redeemed some free candy, which was not very exciting because the candies were very basic, and my free toothpaste from quip, which I thought was adorable. Zico (coconut water) was also at the event giving out hot chocolate (which was perfect because it happened to be pretty chilly outside) made with their coconut water and a cinnamon stick to give it an

extra umph. Next to it was the savory “Salt Bar”, where there were samples of chips to cleanse our pallets from all the sugar. Surprisingly, we also received a small bag in which there was a small packet of mix to make chocolate cake in a cup from Duncan Hines.

Looking around, I could tell the organizers, but also the vendors, put a lot of thought and effort into setting up a gorgeous booth and space for us. Many of the decorations, inside and out, stayed very true to the theme. There were silver candies being given out that gave a disco feel, outside was a pretty garden-like area to take pictures, and each vendor’s booth was very representative of their respective brands but in a very visionary way. Outside specifically, there was also a cute area set up with different backgrounds to take pictures in (they know that beautiful natural lighting is a must!). Not to mention the gorgeous view of Manhattan as well.

Back inside, I tried desserts from four of the booths and ended up buying from two.

In total, twenty one vendors including Lady M,Tipsy Scoop (who I believe was also at Brainfood!), Aux Merveilleux de Fred, New Territoies, and Bonsai Kakigōri were at the festival. There were many well known dessert spots present, so I decided that I could skip those and try new brands. I tried desserts from Becky’s Bites, Supermoon Bakehouse, MOJO Mousse by Johan, and Petee’s Pie Co. Starting with Becky’s Bites, the dessert shop actually had a bunch of samples so I was able to try them before deciding to make a committed purchase.

Becky’s was selling snack

The lemon pie by Johan and Peete’s Pie Co. was decorated with small flowers.

Tracy Wong

packs of cookie dippers and cream cheese dip -but with a twist. Each dip has a different theme or flavor like peanut butter and jelly flavored or smores and chill. I tried the gluten free “Cookie Monster” which came with mini cookie dippers and a blue cream cheese and little candy eyes to make it look like a pile of Cookie Monster. At first glance, I was extremely hesitant. It looked like a pile of blue frosting: sugary, thick and no depth of taste.

As I grabbed a cookie and slid it across the dip, I realized I was going to be okay when it glided smoothly across the blue cream. I took a bite and the spread was a

continued on thestute.com

The Hazelnut Mousse from MOJO Mousse by Johan and Petee’s Pie Co. | Tracy Wong

Passion for Fashion

Nike Air Max Day 2018

by DANIEL KANG

Freshman Biomedical Engineering Major

Last Monday on March 26, Nike held the 35th anniversary of the release of its inaugural Nike Air Max shoe. The first Air Max Day was held 4 years ago in 2014. It was a genius marketing move by Nike to get the sneaker community excited about new releases by reminiscing about past releases.

In 2015, Nike held a Vote Back campaign, which let people decide which shoe to bring back for reissue.

Then, Nike switched to holding a Vote Forward competition and put up a dozen unique designs by 12 creatives called “Revolutionairs” for the pub-

lic to vote. Sean Wotherspoon’s design ended up winning and went into production for this year’s celebration.

Sean Wotherspoon, founder of the consignment store Round Two, won last year’s Vote Forward competition to design the next Air Max shoe. His love of vintage shoes and apparel, his native Virginia and LA, and favorite shoe models influenced the design.

People around the world voted on their favorite design and Sean Wotherspoon’s innovative design came out on top. Out of the dozen shoe renderings that emerged from the competition, Sean Wotherspoon’s design caught my eye instantly.

The Sean Wotherspoon Nike Air Max 1/97 is a clean hybrid design that combines the sole unit of the Air Max 1 and the upper of the Air Max 97. The corduroy colorway completes the look of one of the best shoes of the year.

The pastel colors remind me of Easter, fitting given the time of year. Other

features are small Swoosh branding, corduroy pull tabs, smiley face on the insoles, interchangeable tongue patches, “VA -> LA” embroidery on the heel (a reference to Wotherspoon’s hometown of Richmond, Virginia and then eventual move to Los Angeles, California), and four lace options.

Initially released on November 21, 2017, these shoes were part of an official general release on Air Max Day. Nike also released a plain white T-shirt with puffy prints and a multicolored corduroy hat. Somehow, I was not able to get my hands on a pair even after entering multiple raffles and trying to purchase online manually. So far, I have never won anything on the notoriously difficult Nike SNKRS app. I am still thinking about getting one for resell because prices have stabilized at $550. The ones with accessories such as extra laces and patches are going for approximately $650.

It is especially amusing to see these shoes for sale at

Round Two since Sean is in effect creating and then reselling his own sneaker.

Nike is gradually turning me into an Air Max fan and these shoes are obviously a must have in any Air Max fan’s collection so I am tempted to make the purchase.

Other releases include the Air Max 270 (featuring Nike’s biggest heel bag yet), Air VaporMax 2.0 (updated Nike flyknit upper), Air VaporMax Plus (combines design lines of Air Max 98, Air Max Plus, and air sole of VaporMax), Air VaporMax 97 (combines Air Max 97 upper with fulllength Air-Sole unit of the Air VaporMax), Air Max 180 (featuring 180 degrees of visible Air cushioning), and Air Max 93.

In addition to these, atmos, a sneaker boutique established in New York City, and Nike teamed up for a re-release of their “Animal” Pack, originally from 2006. The Air Max 95 and Air Max 1 were covered in exotic animal prints, such as the zebra and leopard.

The Nike Air VaporMax97 was one of the sneakers demonstrated at Nike Air Max Day 2018 Photo Courtesy of Sneaker News

To continue with Nike’s theme of supporting the choices of the public, Nike is holding an “On Air” sneaker design workshop from March 22 to April 15 in cites such as NYC, London, Paris, Seoul, Shanghai, and Tokyo. Participants will go through the 5 stages of designing a sneaker: concept development, silhouette selection, material exploration, color

exploration, and embellishment. Then they will submit their designs to a judging panel, which will select 3 designs from each city and put it to a global vote. The winning design from each city will go into production in the future. Hopefully, a design as revolutionary as Sean Wotherspoon’s shoe comes out of the NYC area so that I could finally represent my city.

Opinion Continued

Friday, April 6, 2018 • Page 9

The Stute Music Review

Lorde at Barclays Center

by CHRISTIAN BONAVITA Freshman Chemical Engineering Major

On Wednesday night, sometime between researching for my horribly unfocused CAL-105 Proposal and freaking out about Design 2, I found the time to take the 4 train to Barclays Center and watch Lorde perform on her Melodrama Tour.

Since buying the tickets for this concert nearly ten months ago, I have only become a more de-

voted Lorde fan; her lyrics and synth-influenced melodies transport me to a place of nostalgia and joy, even more so as I reach my late teens.

So, I was beyond excited to break out of the midweek blues and see one of my favorite artists Wednesday night. Lorde was nothing short of stellar – everything, from her energy to the show’s production, was perfectly on-point to create the perfect concert experience.

The show was opened by the ethereal Mitski and rambunctious Run the Jewels. Mitski, the Japanese-American indie rock artist, used her feminine and versatile voice to bring to life a few familiar tunes, like “Your Best American Girl” and “Townie.” Run the Jewels then started the party with a 40-minute set packed with old and new

releases, and even threw in a sample of We are the Champions by Queen.

The crowd responded to their energy with many standing to dance, showing that there were quite a few Run the Jewels fans in the audience.

However, there was no debating that the sold-out crowd was most excited for Lorde. As she rocketed through her hits and fan favorites, the crowd was almost as loud as her, reverberating back every word and dancing whenever they had the chance.

It’s difficult to find a gap or missing piece in the 21-year old’s catalog.

Despite only having released two albums, she possessed enough strong material to keep the show running for just under two hours. By mixing explosive pop like “Yellow Flicker Beat” and “Green Light,” and an acoustic interlude featuring “Writer in the Dark,” “Liability,” and a cover of St. Vincent’s “New York,” Lorde kept the audience in a euphoric state, holding their emotions in her grasp. Her abilities as a performer have never been stronger.

In addition, Lorde’s voice has never sounded better. Her low notes were fierce growls, while her high notes, contrastingly, stayed light. She has found the consistency that she struggled

Lorde performing in concert at the Barclays Center. | Photo Courtesy of Lorde’s Twitter

with in her earlier performances, and wasn’t afraid to change melodies on the fly and have fun with the vocals.

The show’s greatest highlights came with “Ribs” and “Supercut,” two of her most critically- and fan-acclaimed songs. Both have lyrics dealing with memories and looking back on failed relationships or great friendships, and slight tweaks to their arrangements showed Lorde’s endless creativity with her art. The ambient buzzing of “Ribs” left chills on my spine for the entirety of the song,

while “Supercut” was simply pop perfection delivered by a jumping, ecstatic Lorde. Another highlight came when Lorde unexpectedly invited out Jack Antonoff, producer and co-writer for much of Melodrama, and he played guitar and piano for her, along with adding some commentary. It’s clear that Lorde and Jack are close friends.

In addition to the music, the Melodrama tour nailed the lighting and staging aspects of the experience. The dancers who accompanied Lorde were emotive and performed in a large, sus-

pended glass box, which added a new level of drama to the show. The creative lighting brought a distinctive color scheme to each of Lorde’s songs, which isn’t a surprise, given that Lorde has synesthesia. And finally, yes, Lorde’s trademark dancing came in full force to the concert and looked even better live than I could’ve imagined.

Overall, this was one of my favorite concert experiences ever. Lorde is meticulous and passionate about her music, which translated to a stunning show that I never wanted to end.

“Her low notes were fierce growls, while her high notes, contrastingly, stayed

light. She has found the consistency that she struggled with in her earlier perfor-

mances, and wasn’t afraid to change melodies on the fly and have fun with the Photo courtesy of Columbus Arts

vocal.”

Spoiler Alert

Ready Player One

by KOBY GARCIA

Junior Visual Arts and Technology Major

Although extremely predictable, watching Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One was one of the most distinct and incredible experiences I’ve had in a movie theater. Based on the book by the same title, the film, which takes place in 2045, follows a boy named Wade who lives a difficult life in Columbus, Ohio and his journey to find three keys that lead to an Easter Egg hidden in the virtual world of the OASIS. The OASIS is a virtual reality video game that nearly all inhabitants of Earth partake in, so much so that success in the game translates to some type of

success in the real world.

Wade must beat the money hungry IOI Corporation in finding the Easter Egg, which grants the victor control of the OASIS and all of the creators’ stocks in the game.

The film didn’t really know what it wanted to be. There was profanity, but also cheesy dialogue about love that came off as childish. The film also hinted at some religious comparisons, which I found to be thought provoking: Halliday created a world in which participants worship him, and there’s even a headline of an article that says something along the lines of “Halliday playing God.” Furthermore, Wade is worshipped as he plays through the game and is the only character to meet Halliday, but not

before “dying,” then coming back (sound familiar?) and finding the final Easter Egg. The main antagonist used to work for Halliday, but is the cause of Wade’s initial virtual death, and the film was even released on Easter weekend.

The plethora of references to popular culture throughout the decades is thrown at audiences at a rapid fire rate, at times lingering on the screen and, at other points, overcrowding it. There aren’t just visual references either: the soundtrack is a collection of hits that coincide with the decades represented with the visual references. Remove the references and quirky adventures throughout pop culture history, and you are left with a band of flat characters in a

“...watching Steven Spielberg’s Ready

Player One was one of the most distinct and incredible experiences I’ve had in a movie theater.”

played out good vs. evil, people vs. corporation, fun vs. business story.

This is not to say that the content of the film isn’t interesting, though. The setting is unlike many other films and the contrast and comparison of having a life in the real world and having a life in the virtual world is engaging and raises some hard-to-answer questions. On the surface, it may seem like the virtual world is better, especially in the bleak world of 2045. However, Halliday, the creator of the OASIS, commends living in the real world “because reality is real.” This speaks to the world’s blinding obsession with virtual reality that even the creator of THE virtual world of the film is dismissing. Art3mis/Samantha’s character (who I believe was very underutilized and trope-ish) also comments on the nature of the virtual world when she says, “You only know what I want you to know.

You only see what I want you to see. That’s what you’re in love with.”

Photo courtesy of IMDB

Opinion

Friday, April 6, 2018 • Page 10

Campus Conservative

Is it too early to call the 2018 elections?

by ALEX MURTAGH Sophomore Civil Engineering Major

Well, it’s comforting to know that Trump policies can win for both a Republican and Democratic candidate.

For those of you who don’t know what happened in Pennsylvania a few weeks ago, let me break this down for you.

There was a special election held in Alleghany County, PA, because news broke that a Republican Congressman had an affair, got his mistress pregnant, and wanted her to get an abortion. That congressman resigned, leaving a vacant seat, and therefore requiring that a

special election be held.

So, what was considered a fairly solid Republican seat in an ironically Democratic part of the country was up for grabs. Trump won the district by 20 points in 2016, so many felt this could be a huge referendum on his presidency.

Alleghany County is a unique area because it has a mix of Republican and Democratic positions from its history.

The area is highly supportive of unions and strict labor laws, but they are also firm supporters of the second amendment and tend to be more socially conservative.

The Republicans ran a very lackluster candidate who didn’t excite

the base. Meanwhile, the Democrats ran an excellent candidate who fit his district perfectly.

Former Marine Conor Lamb didn’t run as a Nancy Pelosi Democrat, but as a center-left candidate, a truly unique candidate in the age of radical leftism. He fully sided with Trump on the idea of steel and aluminum tariffs. This is a smart move in the city that houses US Steel headquarters and manufacturing plants around the county. However, he only partially sided with Trump on other issues. He called tax cuts a giveaway to the wealthy, but still good for the middle class except for the fact that it would add a large sum

My friend Robert Wright recently gave a terrific talk here at Stevens about his bestseller Why Buddhism Is True. He argues that Buddhism has correctly diagnosed humanity’s problem. We are victims of our own incessant desires, never satisfied for long. The treatment for this problem is meditation, which can give us distance from and hence reduce our cravings and other negative emotions.

Meditation not only makes us happier, Wright says, it also makes us nicer, less selfish, more considerate of others. He has observed these changes within himself, and he claims that meditation, if widely practiced, can help us overcome the aggression and tribalism that cause war and other harmful behaviors. “I think the salvation of the world can be secured via the cultivation of calm, clear minds and the wisdom they allow,” he declares in Why Buddhism Is True.

Because I’m not a very nice person (in spite of taking a meditation class

So what does this mean

away? Two things. One, if the Democrats really want to win they will need strong candidates that may not be in lockstep with them all the time. Two, if Trump can continue to excite his base the election might not be a huge loss as it has been historically for the party in power. But the election is still far off and a lot can change between now and then.

”

Can Meditation Make Us Nicer?

CAL Professor

with the party no matter what, and so far that strategy has allowed Democrats to do a good job at stopping Trump’s agenda.

It’s also interesting to note that seats tend to flip sides when they are caught up in some sort of major scandal. Over the past ten years or so, a handful of elected representatives have been caught red handed doing something the public deems below their ideal standards of what a politician should be.

The fact that this election was so close really says something good for the Republicans if the seat was only won by a razor thin margin.

“So what does this mean for the 2018 midterm elections that are still 7 months

Scientific Curmudgeon

by JOHN HORGAN

to the national debt. He said that he personally opposes abortion, but since it’s a right under the Supreme Court Decision he’s basically okay with it. Finally, concerning the hot button issue right now, gun control, he’s said during speeches that he only wants to tighten up background checks, but not add any new gun control laws.

This is radically different from the most popular figures in today’s Democratic party, like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, who voted ‘no’ on the tax bill and still refuse to support it, want the second amendment basically repealed, and want abortion on demand. Every Democrat is told to vote

since last fall), I question Wright’s linkage of meditation to moral behavior.

Throughout history, warriors have meditated or prayed before battle so they can fight more effectively. Moreover, a disturbing number of meditation teachers have behaved more like sociopaths than saints. The way that Buddhists in Myanmar have treated a Muslim minority also gives me pause.

But these are anecdotes.

Now a peer-reviewed report has cast doubt on the claim that meditation makes you nicer. Titled “The limited prosocial effects of meditation: A systematic review and metaanalysis,” the study was carried out by psychologists Ute Kreplin, Miguel Farias and Inti Brazil. “Our primary aim in this article,” they write, “is to examine the extent to which the use of meditation-based techniques in healthy populations, outside of a religious context, might lead to improvements in prosociality. In other words, can meditation per se make the world a better--less aggressive and more compassionate--place?”

The researchers began by identifying thousands of studies on meditation’s positive effects. They winnowed this number down to 22 studies, with a total of 1,685 subjects, that met minimal standards of rigor, including the comparison of meditators to a control group. The studies, all published since 2004, examined meditation’s effects on one or more of

these prosocial and antisocial traits: compassion, empathy, connectedness, aggression and prejudice.

In just under half of the studies, the meditation teacher was an author of the study, introducing a possible source of bias.

The researchers emphasize that meditators might also be biased by their expectations of self-improvement, and “only one of the studies we examined controlled for expectation effects.” This concern is especially pertinent, given that most studies of meditation measure subjects’ self-reported benefits.

The researchers found that meditation “might make one feel moderately more compassionate or empathic, but our findings suggest that these effects may be, at least in part, the result of methodological frailties, such as biases introduced by the meditation teacher, the type of control group used and the beliefs and expectations of participants about the power of meditation.”

In other words, meditation does not work that well at making people nicer. My take-away is that if you want to save the world, there might be more productive things you can do than meditating.

John Horgan directs the Center for Science Writings, which is part of the College of Arts & Letters.

This column is adapted from one originally published on his Scientific American blog, “Crosscheck.”

for the 2018 midterm elections that are still 7 months away? Two things. One, if the Democrats really want to win they will need strong candidates that may not be in lockstep with them all the time.

Two, if Trump can continue to excite his base the election might not be a huge loss as it has been historically for the party in power. But the election is still far off and a lot can change between now and then.

Who can forget the infamous Billy Bush tapes and the letter from James Comey that may have helped to sway the election in the end only weeks prior to the election itself?

Trumps starting to poll higher than ever before, even taking a shot at President Obama on twitter saying that his poll ratings are higher now than Obama’s were.

If this holds true, its a good sign for Republicans that the election won’t be a total wipeout and that Democrats better start to bring their Agame before its too late.

Strips

Friday, April 6, 2018 • Page 10

Sports

Friday, April 6, 2018 • Page 12

Kyra Bednarksi earns national Player of the Week honors

ON DECK IN SPORTS

Friday WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD @ TCNJ Invitational 11 a.m.

Ewing, NJ

n

Stevens Sports Information

SSI Kyra Bednarski, who led the Stevens Institute of Technology women’s lacrosse team to wins over No. 12 Wesleyan University and No. 20 St. John Fisher College with 10 points in the two games last week.

Not surprisingly, she was also named the Empire 8 Player of the Week on Monday.

Click here to see the release from the IWLCA Bednarski scored a hattrick, including the game winner, against No. 12

Wesleyan on Wednesday.

She assisted on the goal to tie the game 9-9 with 11:45 remaining and then scored unassisted with 2:14 left play for the game-winner.

On Saturday in perhaps Stevens’ most im-

portant game of the regular season, she scored four goals and had two assists against then-No. 20 St. John Fisher as the Ducks put a stranglehold on the conference standings after early victories against both the Cardi-

nals and Nazareth College.

Stevens is ranked No. 20 in the latest national poll.

The Ducks will have a week off before hosting Utica College next Saturday at 11 a.m.

No. 3 Men’s Volleyball bests MSOE in four sets SSI - Graduate student Gabe Shankweiler recorded a team-high 16 kills, sophomore Grant Burden handed out a career-high 47 assists in his first collegiate start as No. 3 Stevens Institute of Technology men’s volleyball defeated Milwaukee School of Engineering in four sets (2521, 25-21, 22-25, 25-22) Wednesday afternoon in a non-conference match at Canavan Arena.

Junior Dylan DeBoer added 12 kills and six assists for the Ducks, who won their fourth straight to improve to 21-4 on the year. It was the first meeting between the programs since February 25, 2007.

Senior Thomas Burrell turned in another efficient performance on both sides of the net, collecting nine kills on 14 assists without an error (0.643), while totaling four blocks. The Somerset, New Jersey native continues to lead the country in both hitting percentage and blocks per set.

Logan Baerenwald had a match-high 17 kills and Sam Stealey added 10 kills for the Raiders, who fell to 12-10 on the year. MSOE has dropped four straight matches, although each was to a nationally-ranked opponent.

Volleys and Points A Baerenwald kill opened the match scoring.

The Ducks strung together four straight points

Date 3/31 3/31 3/31 3/31 3/31 3/31 3/31 3/31 3/31 3/31 3/31 3/31 4/3 4/4

to jump ahead 4-1. Shankweiler began the stretch with a kill and an ace, and an attack error from Bryant Holland closed it.

Stevens jumping out to an early lead would set a trend throughout the match. The Ducks took early leads in each set only to see the visitors rally later in the frame.

After taking the lead on Holland’s error, the Ducks maintained the advantage throughout the remainder of the set.

Stevens committed just three attack errors in the first set, opening up as much as a six-point lead on a Burrell ace.

Two kills and a block drew MSOE to within two at 20-18, however, Stevens scored three of the last four points to close out the set.

DeBoer pinned down a MSOE misplay to open the match scoring.

The teams alternated three-point runs that saw Stevens come away with a 9-6 lead. A double block

by Burrell and Burden handed the hosts a threepoint lead.

Stevens opened as much as a six-point lead, only to see MSOE close to within two points on consecutive Stevens errors.

A Jake Christensen service error brought Stevens to set point and freshman Ryan Byrne converted a Burden set to give the Ducks a 2-0 lead.

Kills by sophomore Da-

vid Lehman and classmate Jonathan Frenzel gave Stevens an early lead in the third set.

MSOE forced consecutive attack errors to jump out in front at 4-3.

Back-and-forth play saw MSOE jump in front 10-9.

The teams again exchanged three-point runs and consecutive Byrne errors handed the Raiders a 15-13 lead.

MSOE turned in its most-efficient attack of the match and recorded five blocks in the set to come away with a three-point win.

Unable to close out a fiesty MSOE squad in the third, the Ducks came out firing in the fourth, receiving consecutive kills from Lehman and Shankweiler to snag an early lead.

Kills from Neil Naughton and Christensen bookended a Shankweiler error as MSOE took a two-point lead midway through the set.

The fourth set featured twelve ties as the frame featured the tightest play between the teams.

Frenzel connected on a Burden set to put Stevens up 17-16.

Sophomore Michael Snajder’s kept MSOE offbalance as DeBoer picked up his second kill of the set as Stevens opened a threepoint edge to force a MSOE timeout.

Shankweiler converted a pair of Burden passes

BASEBALL

VS Houghton College 5:45 p.m.

Hoboken, NJ

BASEBALL

Saturday Stevens Sports Information

to stop the Raiders from stringing together consecutive points.

Byrne pinned down a Burden set to bring Stevens to match point, where the Ducks quickly and emphatically closed the match.

Match Point A double block by Frenzel and Lehman closed out the match.

Inside the Numbers Stevens outhit the Raiders 0.288 to 0.236.

MSOE recorded a matchhigh 0.400 attack percentage in the third set, recorded 13 kills on 30 attacks with just one error.

Stevens recorded three aces on the day.

Each team had eight blocks and 50 assists.

Lehman recorded 11 kills for his 16th doubledigit kill performance of the season.

MSOE’s third-set victory snapped a streak of eight straight sets claimed by Stevens in the series.

Unsung Hero Making his third career start, sophomore Jonathan Frenzel matched a career-

high with four kills and three blocks.

Coach Speak “Today we performed well as we had two players step into the starting lineup against a solid MSOE squad and kept the level expected. Grant did a great job running the offense and Jon recorded a high hitting percentage and got great touches at the net. Offensively we had great days from all of our pins: Gabe, Dylan and Dave, with the usual output from Tom on both sides of the ball. “ - assistant coach Amable Martinez Up Next No. 3 Men’s Volleyball welcomes Hunter College and the College of Staten Island for a non-conference tri-match on Sunday, April 8.

Prior to the 3 p.m. match against CSI, Men’s Volleyball will recognize the Class of 2018 in a prematch ceremony.

Live stats and video links on StevensDucks. com.

Stevens

Opponent/Event

Score

Result

Baseball

VS SUNY-Canton VS SUNY-Canton VS Elmira College VS Elmira College @ Nazareth College @ St John Fisher College VS St John Fisher College @ Nazareth College @ Stockton Invitational @ Stockton Invitational

10-8 3-5 8-0 5-0 9-0 17-10 11-4

W L W W W W W W

Men's Lacrosse Men's Volleyball

@ TCNJ Invitational 11 a.m.

Ewing, NJ

VS Houghton College 8 p.m.

Hoboken, NJ

Duck Country Scoreboard

Baseball Softball Softball Men's Tennis Men's Lacrosse Women's Lacrosse Men's Volleyball Women's Track & Field Men's Track & Field Equestrian Men's Tennis

MEN’S TRACK & FIELD

VS IHSA Regionals @ St John Fisher College @ Stevenson University VS Milwaukee School of Engineering

3-1 5th 4th Complete 9-0 12-13 3-1

N/A N/A N/A W L W

Stevens Sports Information

MEN’S TENNIS

VS Alfred University 9 a.m.

Hoboken, NJ

WOMEN’S LACROSSE

VS Utica College 11 a.m.

Hoboken, NJ

MEN’S TRACK & FIELD

@ TCNJ Invitational 11 a.m.

Ewing, NJ

WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD @ TCNJ Invitational 11 a.m.

Ewing, NJ

SOFTBALL

VS Utica College 1 p.m.

Utica, NY

MEN’S LACROSSE

@ Utica College 1 p.m.

Utica, NY

MEN’S TENNIS

VS Houghton College 1 p.m.

Hoboken, NJ

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