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Volume CXVI Issue 21

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WE WRITE STEVENS HISTORY

Friday, April 5, 2019

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Governor Murphy unveils NJ Higher Education Plan New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and Secretary of Higher Education Zakiya Smith Ellis unveiled “Where Opportunity Meets Innovation: A Student-Centered Vision for New Jersey Higher Education.” Central to the collaborative effort is a “Student Bill of Rights.” Murphy has created a task force to accomplish his outlined goals. Creating the Plan “Our goal is to keep more

of young people here in New Jersey so they can become a part of this state’s future. I’m tired of New Jersey’s leading export being our college-bound high school seniors,” said Murphy as he announced the plan. Murphy also aims to ensure that recent higher education graduates have a place in the New Jersey economy. Murphy and Smith Ellis emphasized that the plan is student-focused. “This is a student-driven plan, not an institution-driven plan. This is a plan created with direct engagement and listening to the needs of our

students,” said Murphy. “I am proud for the state to have this student-focused vision to chart the path forward,” Smith Ellis added. The plan outlines a student bill of rights which details ten needs of students of higher education in New Jersey. The plan was developed by the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education after meetings with educational stakeholders – such as students, faculty, and staff – analyzing relevant data, and reviewing past reports on Higher Education. The Office of the Secretary of Higher Education received over 10,000 re-

Stevens Dramatic Society presents The Drowsy Chaperone by MARYIA SPIRYDONAVA Editor-In-Chief Emeritus

“A show within a show,” a technically-difficult set filled with surprises, 60 costumes, dance numbers, over-the-top characters, blindfolded rollerblading, and a live band on stage add up to one of the biggest shows that the Stevens Dramatic Society (SDS) has done in the past several years. Not necessarily a well-known musical in non-theater circles, The Drowsy Chaperone is a high-energy, intricate, and joke-filled show. The Drowsy Chaperone is one of the largest productions SDS has produced in a long time. Emily Weeks, President of SDS and Producer of the show, believes in the potential and talent of her cast and crew: “It was definitely a challenge trying to get all of the pieces to come together, but I truly enjoyed working with all the professionals this semester […] Working with the cast is is

always a challenge for me because I come from the technical side of theater, but with the help of my fellow executive board members I was able to bridge the gap and have a great experience.” The house lights are turned off and the theater is pitch black. A voice is heard signaling that the The Drowsy Chaperone has begun. Derek Petti, a sophomore student, plays Man in Chair, the narrator of the show. The Drowsy Chaperone follows a man escaping his life through the soundtrack of this fictional Broadway show, also called The Drowsy Chaperone, about the events surrounding the wedding of Broadway star Janet Van De Graaff, who plans to give up her successful career on the stage for married life. The show comes to life in the man’s apartment, resulting in an interesting challenge for the actors. Petti, for one, is on the stage for the entire duration of the show, occasionally pausing the actors on stage to share some commentary. “You

have to stay engaged and in character even if the attention isn’t on you at that moment in the show. It can be difficult to recover from slipping out of character since you don’t have any time to collect your thoughts and push forward. But, it also gives you plenty of time to really connect with the audience, which is essential in this show,” explained Petti. The actors who are in the “show” have a different challenge than Petti, since they essentially have to play two different roles simultaneously. Derek van Rouendal, the Properties Manager of the show, Publicity Manager of SDS, and a member of the cast, explained it as “playing someone who is playing someone else.” For instance, Kiera Dillon plays rising star Jane Roberts, the fictional actress who is playing Janet Van De Graaff, causing Dillon to have to think about the motivation for see SDS · Page 4

Photos courtesy of Jeffrey Vock

sponses – with half of those responses from students – in a survey they sent out last year to collect feedback. “Stevens highlighted our excellent student outcomes, including the 96% placement rate; the 87% graduation rate (note that the national average for all colleges and universities is less than 60%); the excellent ROI of a Stevens education; as well as experiential learning programs such as co-op, undergraduate research, and capstone and senior design projects that see PLAN · Page 3

CAL classes take on a new format for Fall If you are enrolling in a humanities course for the fall, you may have noticed that some look less like an intimate liberal arts class and more like your general Chemistry course. The College of Arts and Letters is debuting a new format for courses this fall: a large lecture-style class with the professor once a week, followed by smaller recitations to discuss the material with another staff member. Two courses will be piloting this style: Introduction to Cinema, taught by Professor Anthony Pennino, and History of Art: Prehistory to the Modern Era, taught by Professor Diana Bush. The change is partly a creative solution to address the increasing number of Stevens students who need to take humanities courses, according to CAL Dean Kelland Thomas. However, some students fear that it means the end to the appealing small class sizes that continues to be a selling feature of the school. One student, senior Tom Jensen, expressed a popular concern with the new format. He said, “I would expect a 100 person lecture for something like Calculus, but for art history or cinema I worry that the professors will not be accessible enough.” Although students are understandably apprehen-

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Passion for Fashion

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Farber Fellowship Talks

Off Center

Established 1904

Changes to Priority registration not actually implemented

by ALYAA ELKALIF Staff Writer

by ANDREW KINNEY Webmaster

Two weeks ago, the Office of the Provost reinstated priority status for students currently in the Pinnacle Scholars program. This reinstatement comes after the Provost’s Office had stripped priority status from many groups on campus, including those in the Pinnacle program, back in late February. More than a month ago, on February 27th, the Office of the Provost sent an email informing all undergraduate students about changes in priority registration for classes. As stated in the email, they had “reviewed priority registration policies and compared them against best practices of other universities, including comparative schools.” At the time, the Office of the Provost professed that this decision was in response to student concerns, notably, a Letter to the Editor published in the November 2018 issue of The Stute, and an effort to reduce the number of students in eligible groups by 50 percent. On March 22nd, however, another email was sent out by Senior Coordinator, Stephanie Riker, of Office of Academics only to students in Pinnacle Scholars program alerting them about the reinstatement of priority registration. Since its inception, the Pinnacle Scholars Program, an invitation-only program for high-achieving Stevens’ applicants, has offered its con-

Monday, April 1 was the first day that the new rules about priority registration impacted the course scheduling process at Stevens. Or at least, it was supposed to be. Slightly over one month ago, Provost Christophe Pierre and Interim Vice Provost Anthony Barrese, sent out an email to all undergraduates titled “Changes in Priority Registration for Undergraduate Students.” In it, they redefined which groups of undergraduates were to receive priority registration, the privilege of registering as soon as the registration period opens regardless of class year. The email stated that, going forward, the only groups that were to receive this privilege were “Select disabled students identified by the Director of the Office of Disability Services; Athletes in season identified by the Athletic Director; ROTC students; and First-year Pinnacle Scholars students, in the spring semester only.” Despite the changes, when freshman Senator E.J. Hannah woke up on Monday morning, a friend who should have been removed from the priority pool said he had been able to schedule anyway. “I knew something was up, because [they were] one of the groups that lost priority from the Provost’s announcement. I quickly logged into myStevens and

see PINNACLE · Page 2

by NATALIE TODARO Layout Editor

Hanging from the ceiling in the lobby of the Samuel C. Williams Library is just one of the many mobiles created by Alexander Calder, one of Stevens’ most notable alumnus. This year marks the 100th anniversary of Calder’s graduation from Stevens in 1919, and in celebration the library presented a lecture this week given by

Mind of A Freshman Stars of Stevens: Jimmy Sweeney Scientific Curmudgeon

see CHANGES · Page 2

Combining engineering and art: Stevens celebrates Alexander Calder

see CAL · Page 3

Optimum

Drowsy Chaperone Photos

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Priority registration reinstated for all Pinnacle scholars

by ABIGAIL MEOLA Staff Writer

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Priority Registration confusion ensues

Governer Phil Murphy announced his “student-centered” vision for Higher Education at Rutgers Newark on March 26. Photo courtesy of Rutgers Newark

by MARK KRUPINSKI Business Manager

The Stute The official newspaper of Stevens Institute of Technology, and creator of the Stevens mascot, Atilla the Duck.

art critic and Calder biographer, Jed Perl. The lecture, titled “Calder at Stevens: A Centennial Celebration of the Graduation of Alexander Calder,” was held to further educate attendees on Calder’s life and legacy. Calder’s life growing up before his Stevens career is essential in understanding his career success. He grew up in a family of artists; his father and grandfather were sculptors while his see CALDER · Page 2

Photo courtesty of the Harvard Art Museums

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TUTE We write Stevens history.

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116th Volume

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News CHANGES Continued from front page

compiled a list of my course codes. Sure enough, after 20 minutes of loading, I had been registered for all of my desired classes without an issue,” Hannah said. Both Hannah and his friend said they had been jokingly encouraged to try and schedule on Monday regardless by junior Mark Krupinski. Krupinski said he thought they may be able to schedule anyway since “I’ve heard of students keeping priority registration after leaving a role that gives

CALDER

Continued from front page

mother was a painter. Perl explained that all his family talked about was art, and it sometimes drove Calder crazy. “This is what made him hesitant about becoming an artist – it was like a family business.” Nevertheless, Calder still obtained an interest in art and created small figurines of a dog and a duck as a young child. This was mainly due to his parent’s inevitable influence; he was always creating little objects and working in a space set aside specifically for creative thinking. He quickly expanded his small figurines into larger ones, spanning over six feet tall, that were made out of thin wire. Among these is a sculpture, titled “Josephine Baker,” that depicts the icon as an outline of the individual shapes that make up her figure. When the time came for Calder to think about college, his mind was predominantly blank. Although he was highly intelligent when it came to academics, he had no idea what he wanted to study in college. Perl describes, “He didn’t seem driven at all. He seemed really, really smart, but unfocused.” Calder understood advanced and complicated mathematics, and he solved problems in school without hesitation. He explains himself in his autobiography that he “just naturally wanted to go to college.” The only problem was what he was going to study, and where he was going to go. Calder eventually landed at Stevens at the remarkable age of just 16 due to a recommendation from a family-friend who eventually persuaded him to attend. In addition, the proximity of Stevens to Manhattan,

Friday, April 5, 2019 • Page 2

someone priority registration. I told E.J. that it was worth a shot. Worst thing that happens is you wake up early.” E.J.’s friend, who chose to stay anonymous, echoed that sentiment: “I figured that since everything in the Registrar’s Office is done so inefficiently, with paper, that they wouldn’t be able to update the system in time to implement the new changes. I have had previous frustrations with the office and I thought (correctly) I would use it to my advantage.” After speaking to students from each of the affected groups, The Stute was able where his parents were living at the time, further encouraged him to commit to Stevens. At Stevens, Calder became a member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity, where he became undeniably entranced and amazed at the idea of brotherhood. He made close friends with a fellow student, Bill Drew, and their connection stemmed farther than just the classroom. Drew understood Calder on a level that many others could not. Both Drew and Calder didn’t come from families of lawyers, which was considered the “normal Stevens background” at the time. Later on, in the 1970s, Drew went on to talk highly of Calder, saying, “Calder was the clearest mind it has been my pleasure to know. His direct approach to problems was refreshing.” Studying mechanical engineering, Calder quickly became interested in kinetics. Perl explains, “He was a man who loved the kinetic arts and dancing. He loved physicality, although he was not very good at it.” Calder had tried doing sports at Stevens and, although he actively participated in lacrosse, he proved to be uncoordinated and clumsy. In terms of his work in the classroom, the courses he took largely contributed to his fascination with kinetics. He not only learned about friction, motion, and physics, but also how to cut, drill, and fuse metals. This overlapping of science and physical creation puzzled him, and Perl explains that Calder often felt “like an oddball” at Stevens. He often did not speak highly of his alma mater, and publicly admitted his mixed feelings that he had about his overall experience. In the 1950s, he complained

Tripes, 1974 | Photo courtesy of the Calder Foundation

PINNACLE Continued from front page

stituents priority registration. Associate Provost Cindy Chin and Anthony Barrese, Interim Vice Provost of Academics, explained that the reason-

ing behind affording priority to Pinnacle Scholars is to allow them to register for higher-level course as many of them enter Stevens with a number of AP credits. They added that the decision to reinstate Pinnacle Scholars’ priority registration was due to the fact that Pinna-

to confirm that the error affected virtually everyone who was supposed to lose priority status. There was a small handful of students who did lose early registration as was planned, but the vast majority of SGA officials, Honor Board members, resident assistants, and outof-season athletes were still able to schedule on Monday morning. When asked what prevented the changes from taking effect, the Office of the Provost said, “The Registrar’s Office checked to see if something went wrong in the system setup. Unfortunately, an error in the registration

permissions update program within the Student Information System was found. This explains why some individuals still received priority registration. The Registrar’s Office is setting up a corrective action plan to resolve this for the future.” Even though priority was not removed from the RA’s, SGA officials, Honor Board Members, and athletes who had it last semester, it was also not granted to new members of these groups. For example, individuals who were elected to the Senate for the first time this semester did not receive the privilege.

Photo courtesy of the Calder Foundation that other students saw him as “foolish and frivolous.” Once he graduated, Calder still felt feelings of uncertainty. He tried dozens of jobs within the span of four years, working as an engineer one month and in a department store the next. The reasons why he didn’t stay at one job for too long was a combination of quitting once he got bored and being fired. Eventually, he moved back in with his parents despite his father being frustrated that he wasn’t staying consistent with a job. However, life didn’t stay hard for too long. Calder traveled to Paris, France, and saw paintings from abstract artist Piet Mondrian. Instantly inspired, he wrote to his mother asking her to send him paint. Perl discussed that Mondrian was like the “North Star” to Calder. “The purity of his abstraction was very admirable to Calder.” Calder immediately threw himself into what he believed was the most captivating art form: sculpture. He became invested in the idea of combining physics and engineering with their almost total opposite, art. He used painting as a method of experimentation to lay down his ideas that lacked the amount of confidence needed to put them into formal sculpture. One sculpture that he did end up physically creating is titled “Little Blue under Red,” which, in a sense, captures a wide point-of-view of Calder’s perspective. He often strived for disparity rather than parity (“assymmetry” over “symmetry,” in the context of art), as a way to replicate the scientific ideas of mass and movement. Perl described his sculptures

as “equal but interestingly unequal,” adding that architecture was also an inspiration for Calder. He believed that architects were as practical as engineers, but at the same time concerned with aesthetics and unity. “The walls stay up and the wind doesn’t knock them down, but it’s also beautiful,” Perl illustrated. Now that we have discussed Calder’s life, it is time to draw everything together. Perl explained that once we understand the details of Calder’s life, we can begin to answer the question of what his time at Stevens meant to him. His initial disregard of Stevens and the negative attitude he portrayed can quickly be overlooked once you know his story. Calder’s time at Stevens was extremely influential to his success, and it was on this campus that he began to draw the connections between science and art. Toward the end of his life, Calder became more financially stable and was able to give back to Stevens through donations as well as leading engineering workshops on campus. He worked on projects with small teams and found that intimacy was important to him when working with others; he didn’t want to be distant from the people with whom he was collaborating. That is largely what he thought engineering should be, and he created that sense of community and equality here at Stevens. Perl concluded, “Whatever Calder said about Stevens, whatever anger he presented, what he ultimately did, in his own creative life, was invent the Stevens that he thought Stevens should be.”

cle Scholars students felt that they had been misinformed during the application process. Although not heavily publicized, on the program’s website, priority registration is one of many benefits afforded to Stevens’ Pinnacle Scholars. “Approximately 200 Pinnacle

and Clark scholars will continue to receive priority registration this year and another 100 students next year,” said Chin. Going forward, Pinnacle and Clark Scholars students will only be offered priority registration in the spring semester of their first year.

News PLAN

Continued from front page

help Stevens students do so well in the job market,” said Beth McGrath, Stevens’ Vice President for Government and Community Relations.

The Student Bill of Rights

According to the plan, “Every New Jerseyan, regardless of life circumstances, should have the opportunity to obtain a high-quality credential that prepares them for life after college.” In order to accomplish this goal, the plan outlines a ten-point “Student Bill of Rights.” First, the plan outlines that New Jersey students need early exposure to college. Specifically, they state that every student should be able to explore college and career options in secondary education, as well as have the ability to take college-level courses in high school. The second point outlines that students need comprehensible financial information. Students should have clear information on how much college will cost them – including potential loan debt. The Student Bill of Rights also calls for affordable and predictable education costs. The plan calls for colleges to be more affordable, including when taking into account non-tuition costs. The fourth right calls for more experiential learning opportunities. The plan calls for students to have the ability to gain relevant experience in their fields outside the classroom. Additionally, students need supportive staff and faculty. The plan notes a “tremendous” payoff when students build relationships with faculty and staff – including increasing their chance to graduate. Students also needs support to complete college on-time. This includes reducing academic, social, and financial barriers that prevent completion. The seventh right promotes students having the ability to gain college credit outside the classroom. This right aims to reward adults for relevant life experiences who are going back to school for a degree. The next right calls to provide high-quality academic programs for students. These programs should align with student’s career and life goals. The ninth point states that students need safe, supportive, and inclusive college campuses. This means that students feel safe from

Friday, April 5, 2019 • Page 3

physical harm as well as feel welcome on campus. The final point states that students should have a voice in decisions that affect their education. Student-centricity is at the core of the New Jersey Higher Education Plan. “The State Plan’s ‘Student Bill of Rights’ enumerates a number of areas where Stevens is particularly strong—and where Stevens could serve as a model for other institutions,” said McGrath. “These include: providing early exposure to college (which we do through our growing Pre-College Summer programs); fostering student success, including experiential learning and supporting on-time graduation; and high quality academic programs, among others.”

dent Government Representatives may have a seat at the decision making table, others at the table need to value their voice. Nationally, only two-thirds of Student Government Presidents felt they had a voice in their school’s decision making. According to Jason Chlus, President of the Student Government Association (SGA), Stevens is one of those schools: “One of the initiatives that my VPAA [Alex Reina] and I are working are restructuring the engineering curriculum to make it more applicable to students. So in regards to having a voice for education I would say yes.” “I think it’s probably the most important that students should be actively participating and have a seat at every table in which decisions are made that impact their

“The State Plan’s “Student Bill of

Rights” enumerates a number of areas where Stevens is particularly strong—

and where Stevens could serve as a model for other institutions.”

- Beth McGrath, Vice President of Government and Community Relations

Student-Centricity at its Core

- Zakiya Smith-Ellis, Secretary of Higher Education

education,” said Smith Ellis. Smith Ellis emphasized that this applies to all decisions – whether its locally on the Board of Trustees or on state-wide initiatives. Currently, there is not a student representative to the Board of Trustees at Stevens. “My role with the board of trustees is fairly small. I have had conversations with Matt [Hunt] and Olivia [Schreiber] and there was not a lot that they could tell me what they were working on,” said Chlus. Hunt and Schreiber are Young Alumni members on the Stevens Board of Trustees. The plan includes establishing working groups to complete the goals outlined in the Student Bill of Rights. Students will be a member of each working group. “We want all students to apply to be members of our working groups because we really feel like there’s not enough student input,” said Smith Ellis. “We wanted it to be a plan that is student-focused.” She noted that the focus should be what students need, not what colleges need. Currently, students from the Government and Community Relations Committee of the Student Government Association have been lobbying the New Jersey State Legislature to pass a bill that will “establish [a] New Jersey Higher Education Student Advisory Committee.” The bill has been introduced in the Senate as S2965 and in the Assembly as A5207. Smith Ellis, when asked for comment on the legislation, said, “I can tell you that the plan says that we want students to have a seat at every table.”

format because it will allow her to focus on broad narratives during the lectures and more specific questions during recitations. She said, “I am looking forward to more students gaining exposure to art history and the critical thinking involved.”

Pennino is also excited about teaching in a large lecture hall because, in his words, “The cinematic experience should be one of grandeur.” He is excited for students to experience classic films like 2001 and Lawrence of Arabia

The New Jersey State Higher Education Plan was developed with students in mind. While developing the plan, Smith Ellis consulted with students at universities all across the state. “[I have] learned firsthand their passion for learning and the challenges they encounter on the way to getting a college credential,” said Smith Ellis. She noted that the plan is the result of her conversations with college students. On November 15, 2018, President Nariman Farvardin sent an email to every student, faculty, and staff member: ‘Survey: Informing the State Plan for Higher Education.’ In the email, he emphasized that New Jersey’s Office of the Secretary of Higher Education wanted to hear direct feedback from current students. Additionally, within the Student Bill of Rights, the last “right” listed calls for students to have a voice in the decision-making process for topics that affect their education. “The diverse perspectives of New Jersey’s college students can provide new approaches and add innovative solutions to improve higher education within the state,” the plan stated. Students just having a seat at the table is not enough. Even though Stu-

“I think it’s probably the most import-

ant that students should be active par-

ticipating and have a seat at every table in which decisions are made that impact their education.”

CAL

Continued from front page

sive, the two professors undertaking the new format are cautiously optimistic. Bush thinks that History of Art is well suited for this

Secretary of Higher Education Zakiya Smith-Ellis provides more details on the New Jersey Higher Education Plan. Photo courtesy of TAPinto

Putting the Plan to Action

In order to accomplish the goals, Murphy signed Executive Order No. 61. This order created a task force divided into five working groups to accomplish the goals outlined in the plan. The five working groups include: creating on-ramps to college; making college affordable; student success; safe and inclusive learning environments; and research, innovation, and talent. The task force will contain at least 10 members, including at least two student members. “It is likely that a Stevens representative will serve on at least one of the committees,” said McGrath. Each one of the five working groups will aim to translate at least one of the goals in the Student Bill of Rights into workable action items. Listed in the plan are specific tasks for each group to accomplish. The first group, creating on-ramps for colleges, aims to increase early exposure to college. The group will be tasked with exploring why students choose to attend a school outside of New Jersey and creating a feefree model for dual enrollment and other programs. The next group, making college affordable, aims to accomplish the second and third item on the bill of rights: students should have clear and comprehen-

sible financial information as well as affordable and predictable education costs. The group will be charged with creating a guide on non-tuition costs for students, creating an affordability benchmark, and proposing a completion-orientated funding model. The working group on fostering student success aims to ensure students can complete college on-time and have the opportunity to earn credit outside the classroom. The group has four tasks: exploring alternatives to developmental education, exploring how to standardize college credit, investigating multi-intervention models, and identifying strategies to accelerate degree progress. The group on promoting safe and inclusive learning environments aims to ensure students have a voice in their education and are learning on safe, supportive, and inclusive campuses. The group will promote data analysis through a campus climate survey, establish best practices for creating a safe and inclusive environment on campuses, and draft a guide for implementing the recommendations from the 2017 Task Force on Campus Sexual Assault. The final working group, cultivating research, innovation, and talent, will aim to accomplish three items on the Student Bill of Rights: experiential learn-

ing opportunities, supportive faculty and staff, and high-quality academic programs. This group will aim to increase women and underrepresented minorities in STEM, determine how to attract diverse faculty and staff, develop partnerships to ensure research and employment for students, and identify strategies to increase research, development, and commercial activities at state-sponsored research universities. While universities are not required to take part in the plan unless they wish to receive state funding, Smith Ellis believes that universities will want to buy into the plan as it was developed with feedback from colleges. “We feel that every single college in state should be able to state ‘Yes I commit in principle, there’s nothing here that I’m not going to work with the state to accomplish,’” said Smith Ellis. Smith Ellis added they will ask universities for a formal commitment to the plan. “We will monitor the discussions and recommendations of the working groups in the coming months to better understand the implications of the State’s Plan for Higher Education and its impact on Stevens,” said McGrath. The findings of the working groups will be public and are due within one year of the announcement of the higher education plan.

A graph describing Higher Education Students within the State of New Jersey from the Higher Education Plan

their intended venue. He does, however, worry that he will have to adapt his normally personal teaching style to actively engage the large group of students. He has thought about it a lot and isn’t opposed to going “full Oprah,” running up and

down the aisles of Kidde. Both professors are hopeful that the new format will allow a wider breadth of artistic knowledge on Stevens campus. It will hopefully help students make connections and collaborate outside of their field

of study. As Pennino said, “If a large number of students can come together and share the experience of film as entertainment, as art, and, perhaps, as the spark of innovation, then we will have done a service for the community of Stevens.”

News

Friday, April 5, 2019 • Page 4

Optimum Users Lose Internet

by DAKOTA VAN DEURSEN Staff Writer

At 1:05am on Wednesday 3 April, thousands of Hobokenites, at least 600 of them members of the Stevens community, abruptly lost their Internet. This happened as students were finishing term papers, studying for midterms, and preparing to sign up for Fall 2019 classes. The outage lasted four hours. Optimum, Stevens’ off-campus Internet Service Provider (ISP), had “planned network upgrades” through out the wee hours of the morning, according to Matthew, an Optimum Business support specialist. On the phone at 1:10am, he ex-

SDS

Continued from front page

both Jane and Janet. And, on top of that, there are also many parts of the show where the actors are frozen because Man in Chair has “paused” the recording. Van Rouendal discussed both the mental and physical challenges, explaining, “Not only is it tiring on the mind, since it is natural to want to look at moving objects and focus on where the sound is coming from, but it actually leaves you quite sore.” Julia Cahn, who plays the Drowsy Chaperone herself, also commented on the freezes, saying, “[It] keeps me on my toes. Sometimes the lights go down before I get to where I expect to be, and I just have to freeze making a ridiculous face.” She also talked about the comfort of having Petti moving around the actors on stage: “It’s incredibly comforting. He reminds us that there’s always someone in our corner […] It’s the kind of relationship an actor dreams to have with the audience but never gets the chance to experience.” Seemingly filled with challenges for the actors, The Drowsy Chaperone not only had acting challenges but also costume challenges. With such a large cast, 18 to be exact, it is not surprising that there would be a lot of costumes. On top of that, most of the men have at least two costumes each, and the majority of the women have a minimum of three. Abby Hulse, who plays Trix and is one of the Costume

plained that cable and Internet service “for Optimum users in seven North Jersey towns” had been taken offline. He stressed that these interruptions were only temporary, and full service would be reinstated by 5:00am at the latest, with Hoboken expected to return online by 3:00am. Several students were quick to express their dissatisfaction with the outage. “I also have no internet,” said Eric Londres at 1:33am. “how tf am I supposed to register for classes at 7?” At 1:37am, Audrey Dsouza commented, “Yikes its not that hard to send out an announcement.” Chaz Zwicker’s 1:28am message read, “This has happened multiple times throughout the year. They don’t seem to have a webpage

Designers, commented on the show “that’s over-the-top in every way, so it makes sense for the characters to have so many different costumes, but it made things very difficult for myself and Carissa Greene, my Co-Costume Designer.” For some of the over-the-top characters, the costumes were a part of their persona. Aldolpho is one such character. Portrayed by Kyle Castillo, Aldolpho is a self-proclaimed ladies’ man who has a personality that takes up the entire stage, literally. Castillo very skillfully uses the entire stage to his advantage with very large movements that don’t seem fake but instead add to his character, and his costume definitely assists him. It is hard not to have a smile on your face when a character who calls himself the “King of Romance” is dancing around the stage in an extravagant black cape. The costumes really help add to the personalities of the characters. Janet Van De Graaff is an attention-loving star. Dillon, who plays Janet, sings a song in which she has five costume changes while claiming, “I don’t wanna show off.” As challenging as this is, it does illustrate to the audience the kind of person that Janet is. Aside from the five costume changes in a single song, Dillon has five additional costume changes. And she’s not the only one! There are six other actors who have a quick change that occurs in less than a minute. One of the most impressive parts of the show is the set. Meant to initially look like

with status/planned outages.” A third-party service, aptly named “Is The Service Down,” confirmed Matthew’s explanation. As of 3:49am, 24 municipalities in the greater NYC metropolitan area reported outages, including Hoboken, Jersey City, Union City, Elizabeth, and Newark itself. Optimum provides information on service outages on their website, but this is only available after logging in to an Optimum or Optimum Business account. As Stevens does all business with its ISP on behalf of its students, it is difficult for individuals to proactively check for outages or verify one is occurring. A second call to Optimum, several hours later at 4:20am, cleared up more questions. Jean,

another Optimum Business support specialist, further explained that this outage, Outage 2217060, had been “announced at 1:00am on April 3rd” — five minutes before the outage effected Hoboken residents. He noted that Stevens “probably got some sort of notification [by e-mail],” though “in certain instances, [Optimum will] opt not to notify for security purposes … if phone or alarm systems will be down.” Based on Optimum’s terms of service, Jean said Optimum cuts service “any time they want to expand … [or] to fix the network.” Internet connection in Hoboken was re-established between 3:15am and 3:45am. Select members of the Optimum

network — only those who called in during the outage — were notified of the reinstatement by robocall at 9:00am. Neither Stevens’s Division of Information Technologies nor Office of Residence Education was available for comment in the days following. Before a typical power, Internet, or phone outage, Stevens sends out alerts via e-mail and/or text message. No such notification was ever released. Similarly, the City of Hoboken has an alerts program which was not utilized. What if this happens again? Is there anywhere in Hoboken that students can go to find steady, round-the-clock Internet? Luckily, yes, and it doesn’t involve racking up a mobile hot spot bill.

Due to the number of sensitive and indispensable machines on campus, Stevens serves as its own ISP. Unless Stevens loses power, all buildings on campus have 24/7 Internet services guaranteed for the Stevens community. From CPH to EAS, Howe Center to Davidson Lab, all on-campus buildings had reliable Internet during the outage, and will continue to for the foreseeable future. Should Stevens students in SLH or other members of the Hoboken community lose Optimum Internet access in the future, an outage can be verified by calling (516) 364-8400 and providing the CMAC ID located on the white sticker under their modem.

Photos courtesy of Jeffrey Vock the modern-day apartment of Man in Chair, different parts of the set change in unexpected ways to become the 1920s setting of the show within a show. To create this transition, there are a lot of surprises in the set, and things aren’t always what they seem — everything in the apartment has a dual purpose. One thing that stood out from previous SDS shows is the placement of the band. Gabriella Poska, the Scenic Designer, said, “From the beginning, we knew we wanted the band to be on stage in order to create the illusion that the sound was coming from the record player and not from a distant spot off stage.”

Photos courtesy of Jeffrey Vock

After a lot of discussion over the possible placement, it was decided to raise them higher onto a platform and then cover it with scrim, a material that becomes transparent when light shines from behind it. “This allows the band to be hidden, creating the effect of the sound coming from the record player, but also allows them to be seen at certain times, giving them the credit they deserve,” commented Poska. The band consists of one keyboard player, two reed players, a flutist, and one drummer. In the original production, the reed parts required the musicians to play multiple woodwind instruments. For one of the original

reed players, they had to play the alto saxophone, clarinet, flute, piccolo, and soprano saxophone. Marcus Baker, the Music Director, rearranged the parts for the musicians for the SDS show, making it more manageable. Jie Dai, the flute player, said, “The reed 1 and 2 players will be playing different saxophones and clarinet, and I will be playing the flute and the piccolo.” The 1920s-style jazz music involves constant instrument changes. “Challenge” is a commonly-heard word when talking to the cast and crew, but there is also a lot of excitement and appreciation for the show. “This show really is something special,

and it might be the most important show I’ve ever done,” said Petti. Van Rouendal commented, “If everything was puppy dogs and rainbows, you wouldn’t get to appreciate the absolutely wonderful finished product. I am extremely proud of the cast and the crew for what has been accomplished and what is still to be accomplished throughout the run of this show.” To see this high-energy, funny show, and musical numbers like “Toledo Surprise,” a song that is filled with pure energy and enthusiasm, audiences can come see the show on Friday, April 5 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, April 6 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.

News

Friday, April 5, 2019 • Page 5

Stevens launches Farber Fellowship by JOSEPH DOLAN Outreach Chair

This past Tuesday, the College of Arts and Letters hosted its first Farber Fellowship talk between Professor Alex Wellerstein and Dr. David Farber called “Cyberwar in a Nuclear Age and Nuclear War in a Cyber Age.” You may not have heard of the David and GG Farber Faculty Fellowship before, most likely because it’s a very recent addition to Stevens. The Fellowship, founded by Farber and his late wife Gloria (or GG), was established to recognize and support CAL professors who study and

raise public awareness about scientific and technological issues. Wellerstein was the inaugural recipient of the Fellowship. The speaking engagement between Wellerstein and Farber was the first event in a series of speaking engagements created by the Farber Fellowship, and it was a big success. Stevens students and media outlets packed into Babbio 104 to listen to the two men discuss their fields. Wellerstein and Farber, experts in nuclear studies and computer science, respectively, engaged in an hour-long discussion on the current nature of nuclear and cyber war. After the first forty minutes of dis-

cussion, the floor was opened for questions. One topic which Wellerstein dwelt on longest was the risk of nuclear war. While Wellerstein doesn’t believe a large scale exchange between global powers is likely, he did mention the possibility of an exchange between countries like India and Pakistan. One of Wellerstein’s primary concerns was the usage of a small-yield weapon against a conventional force. If that happened, it could normalize the usage of nuclear weaponry in regular combat. Farber, on the other hand, had a different problem. While Wellerstein decreed that it was highly unlikely for terror-

ists to get their hands onto a nuclear device of some kind, anyone can become an expert in hacking. Skilled hackers could do substantial damage to both our public and private institutions. Private companies without strong protection can lose the personal information of millions of customers in a hack. The sustained loss of power from the hacking of electrical grids could spell disaster for many. Farber noted that most of our infrastructure has poor protection against these kinds of cyber attacks. Following the talk, a reception was held in the Babbio 4th floor conference room.

FAST’S Panagbenga Festival

Photos by Cole Yarbrough

Photo courtesy of Luis Ogaz

Students jam out to local bands by DYLAN VAN SICKELL Staff Writer

The blue stage lights bounced sharply off the opaque bass of the drum set. Behind it, the lights from the New York City skyline skipped across the Hudson River, through the floor to ceiling windows of the Bissinger Room on the fourth floor of the Howe Center, and into the eyes of concert goers. Stevens Underground Music Awareness Committee (SUMAC) hosted a concert this past Saturday featuring Stevens’ very own bands Phoneboy and Exit114, as well as The Hotelier. The room was buzzing with anticipation. What the event lacked in sheer numbers, it made up for in energy. As attendees waited eagerly for the show to start, they enjoyed pizza and beverages, which were free with proof of a Stevens ID. At 7:30 p.m., Phoneboy took the stage. The crowd pressed tightly to the stage within seconds. Front man, sophomore Wyn Barnum, stood on his tiptoes to signal an “all good” to the sound team in the back. The stage lights flickered dramatically with the first drumroll. Sophomore Ricky Dana joined Barnum on guitar and lead vocals. Bassist James Fusco strummed coolly to the side. Fusco wore a plain yellow polo one size too small and jeans just low enough to not be considered floods: classic. The first few songs were reminiscent of a jam session, which was confirmed after the set when band members acknowledged “it is hard to write songs, most of our original ideas come out of jam sessions.” Select members of the crowd joined in singing the lyrics, but more people simply bounced their heads along with the beat. A type of rhythmic sway overtook the crowd. As they shifted their weight from heel to toe it was clear they were not listening to mu-

sic but having a separate experience all together. Equally, as Phoneboy moved into their cover of Mom Jeans they were no longer musicians performing, but artists in the midst of a piece. Barnum announced they’d play one more song. The crowd cheered loudly, knowing the band was about to dive into their Spotify hit Acid Girl. For just under four minutes, the floor pulsated with every jump and crash of the crowd. After a short intermission, Exit114 kicked off their segment. They possessed an unmatchable energy that the crowd struggled to keep up with. Their set was comprised of covers, comedy, and at one point a slam dunk contest. The music paused and band members did their best Michael Jordan impersonation. Shortly after, The Hotelier arrived on the scene. The lead vocalist, Christian Holden, approached the microphone. “I have to pee.” The crowd laughed and jeered, and then waited another 7 minutes. Holden admitted he, and other bandmates, had never gone to college. Maybe not the kind of anecdote to connect with a crowd comprised almost entirely of college students? It wasn’t late, not even 10 p.m., but the crowd seemed tired and distant. The show had all the early signs of a flop. Then, Holden’s voice and the unique sound of The Hotelier pierced through the fog. The audience may not have been ready to hear it, but The Hotelier had something to say. The songs from their album, “Home, Like Noplace Is There,” possessed a message rooted in aging and experience. In college, creativity and expression often take a backseat to deadlines and grading rubrics. It was refreshing to be a part of such a talented showcase. Music provides a sense of oneness. Phoneboy, Exit114, and The Hotelier succeeded in silencing the distractions and unifying the crowd.

Campus Pulse

Friday, April 5, 2019 • Page 6

Roving Reporter What do you think of the Stevens wall?

I N S T A G R A M I N S I G H T S

“It’s stupid.”

“Have you seen the meme?”

“I hate it. I don’t know what else to say.”

Samantha Brown

Monica Traupmann

Sophia DeGregorio

“It’s kinda sad.”

“It’s annoying that I have to walk around it, but it’s fine I guess.”

“It’s a great way to keep fake news from escaping Jacobus.”

Carolyn Wang

Zharee Richards

Dakota Van Deursen

Opinion

Friday, April 5, 2019 • Page 7

Passion for Fashion

The Best of Supreme’s Box Logos

by DANIEL KANG Sophomore Biomedical Engineering Major

I made a list of my favorite Supreme box logo tees for Supreme’s 25th anniversary. There are box logo hoodies and crewnecks, but they usually release each year whereas the tees usually have a special story. The Supreme box logo is one of the most recognizable with its plain white Futura Oblique font on a red background. Notorious for its rebellious anti-establishment attitude, Supreme has a long history of collaborating with artists and brands who represent just that. Supreme’s high-quality product and limited distribution have transformed it into the most sought after brand that continuously raises hype every season. While most brick-and-mortar stores and shopping malls are going out of business, Supreme is doing the exact opposite: expanding. Supreme also differs from other brands by closing down after the end of each season to prepare for the next season. No wonder Supreme is the pinnacle of cool streetwear and induces hysteria in kids around the globe.

Founded in 1994 by James Jebbia, Supreme has gone on to become the premier streetwear brand in the world. More than 20 years later, Supreme’s legacy overarches its initial start as a skatewear brand. It is amazing how such a simple logo can yet be so powerful and captivate the imagination and pockets of passionate kids. Supreme Jackson Pollock Box Logo (1999) Supreme’s affection for the art world was nothing new even back then. Supreme has liberally sprinkled the art of Jean-Michel Basquiat, Roy Liechtenstein, Keith Haring, Andy Warhol, Vincent van Gogh, Salvador Dali, and even Leonardo da Vinci into its releases. Jackson Pollock’s famous abstract paintings have already sold for hundreds of millions of dollars. Although the release was relatively low-key, Pollock’s drip paint style and the classic box logo made for an extremely desirable variation and is almost impossible to find anywhere. 2. Supreme Sopranos Box Logo (1999) Taking inspiration from the TV show of the same name, this box logo tee replaces the letter ‘r’ in Supreme with a gun. The HBO drama series ran from 1999-2007 and has frequently been called the greatest show of all time for its realistic portrayal of flawed characters and the Mob. The New York influence shows on this rarity. 3. Supreme Grid Box Logo (Tokyo Daikanyama Store Opening) (1998) The first ever Supreme store to open in the Land of the Rising Sun was in Daikanyama

in 1997. The first foreign box logo tee came with a cursor and minimal blue dots on the corners making it look like it was in the middle of being cropped and edited on Microsoft Word. For the store opening, friends and family received a box logo tee without Supreme branding featuring a woman with mouth agape and horizontal lines running across the box logo. Another notable Daikanyama exclusive was Supreme’s bootleg Patagonia fleece jacket. 4. Supreme Tokion Box Logo (2001) Supreme’s collaboration with now-defunct Japanese magazine company Tokion has since been continued with American publishing house and bookstore Rizzoli. The box logo features a skyscraper, possibly a reference to Tokion’s NY office, and got rid of the Futura Oblique font in favor of the simple phrase, Supreme vs Tokion. The sleeves also feature the logos of both brands. This tee is virtually impossible to find and remains a grail among collectors. 5. Supreme Pink Snakeskin Box Logo (Tokyo Harajuku Store Opening) (2006) Supreme continued to play with their infamous box logo tees, this time using an embossed, glossy snakeskin pattern as the background for the box: fitting for a store located in the heart of Tokyo’s fashion district. Three colors (red, grey, and yellow) were available for the box logo tee at all locations while the pink box tee logo was exclusive for the opening party at Harajuku. The “160906” on the

back indicates the date of the opening (16 September 2006). 6. Supreme Molodkin Box Logo (Donald Trump) (2004) This unreleased sample would have been great to wear during this presidency. Russian conceptual artist Andrei Molodkin teamed up with Supreme for his signature penstyle to illustrate the blue box logo and a negatively exposed image of Donald Trump on the back of the red tee. Considering Supreme’s long rebellious history, they probably did not produce this to put Trump in a positive light. Molodkin also made a sample featuring Meg Ryan and another one featuring three ink box logos on the front of a tee. All of these tees are only known to have existed as one-offs. 7. Supreme A Bathing Ape Box Logo (1999) East meets West on these box logo tees. The best streetwear collaboration of its time, maybe even to this day. A Bathing Ape was just starting to gain traction outside of Japan and Supreme had already opened three stores in Japan. Perfect timing for fifteen of these tees to release with stitched Ape Head sleeve tags, the standard for Bape tees. My favorite is definitely the OG Camo print. Some are easy to find and some are not so easy — you will definitely need a good eye and a deep pocket to collect the entire set. 8. Supreme Coca-Cola Box Logo (1997) In terms of brand recognition and popularity, Coca-Cola is no doubt up at the top of the food chain. But when Supreme blatantly ripped off

Spoiler Alert

by KOBY GARCIA Senior Visual Arts and Technology Major

Jordan Peele delivers yet another captivating and clever horror film with strong rewatchability. Us (2019) follows Adelaide Wilson (Lupita Nyong’o) and her family as they vacation at their beach house and are met by a family of red-jumpsuit-wearing, gold-scissor-carrying doubles. The family of doubles are not exclusive to the Wilsons, however; there are doubles living underground every living person, waiting to kill their above-ground counterpart in order to become “untethered” from them. There is an abundance of imagery and ideas that emphasize duality found throughout the film. The ever-present “Jeremiah 11:11,” (which appears numerous times throughout the film and is a reflection of itself); the twins of the Tyler family; Adelaide’s son Jason’s (Evan Alex) Chewbacca mask; the house of mirrors; the contrast of The Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations” with N.W.A.’s “F*ck tha Police” in the same scene; and many, many, MANY other uses of pairs

their logo and catchphrase, “Enjoy Supreme,” for a box logo tee, Supreme managed to get away with it presumably because it was too small to get noticed. There is no doubt that such a thing could not possibly happen now without copyright infringement. 9. Supreme Hebrew Box Logo (LA Store Opening) (2004) You don’t have to be Jewish to recognize the value of these tees. Fairfax Avenue was originally a Jewish cultural hub before being taken over by streetwear brands and becoming a popular shopping destination. The Hebrew lettering in white font is a clear

homage to Judaism. The tee also has Supreme’s address (439 N Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036) printed on the back. It was a cool way for Supreme to recognize the history of its new neighborhood. Also, the store itself is home to a full, double-circle skate bowl where friends and family can be found riding. 10. Supreme Damien Hirst Box Logo (2009) Coming out of world-famous artist Damien Hirst’s second project with Supreme was a white box logo T-shirt (originally sampled in red),

continued on thestute.com

Off the Press

would take repeat viewings to spot them all. The cinematography and editing showcase Peele’s cleverness as there are plenty of shots involving reflections and shadows. Intercutting towards the end of the film also shows a physical altercation between Adelaide and her double, Red, cut along with Adelaide performing a dance routine when she was younger. There are countless horror references found in Us, some more in plain sight than others. Young Adelaide wears a Michael Jackson “Thriller” t-shirt, but this isn’t the only “Thriller” reference. The film concludes with Lupita Nyong’o’s character looking back at Jason, when he realizes the truth of what has happened, much like when Michael Jackson looks into the camera at the conclusion of the infamous “Thriller” music video. A more not-so-obvious horror reference in Us comes indirectly through its subject matter. This interpretation may be a reach, but bear with me. Stanley Kubrick’s legendary horror film The Shining (1980) has elements of pairs and doubles that appear throughout the film. Jordan Peele even dressed as Jack Torrance during an interview about Us and replied to a tweet of a picture of him in this outfit with “All work and no play….” a blatant reference to The Shining. Peele utilizes suspense and anticipation beautifully as he plays with the conventions of the horror genre in order to subvert the audience’s expectations with a laugh or well-timed comment as opposed to the expected

Top to bottom: Supreme Pollock Box Logo Tee, Supreme Sopranos Box Logo Tee | Photos courtesy of Supreme Museum

scare. While this film’s elements play more into the horror genre than Peele’s Get Out (2017), the added use of humor proves Peele’s masterful ability to balance tone. Some of the most humorous and disturbing moments of the film come from the doppelganger’s actions. It seems like Peele is making a statement about the United States. When the doppelgangers are asked who they are, they reply with “We are Americans,” which, to me, felt out of place. This isn’t the only America connection, however. The “Hands Across America” movement from 1984 plays an important

role in the film and serves as the foundation for the motivation of the doppelgangers closing the film. It closes with everyone’s doppelgangers holding hands. It is also worth noting that the title doubles as an acronym for “United States.” Us will keep you on the edge of your seat for the entirety of its 116 minutes. This movie is captivating, to say the least, as it’s jam packed with references, foreshadowing, and metaphors, as well as a unique story and incredible performances by all of the cast members. I am eager to see what Jordan Peele accomplishes next.

Hudson River Laboratory by OFF CENTER

The Hudson River has made a watershed, nostrings-attached donation to the Stevens Department of Naval Engineering of 10 million gallons of water. The Hudson River is, in geological terms, a drowned river, meaning that the rising sea levels from melting glaciers after the most recent ice age flooded the Hudson Fjord. Geologists estimate that this happened somewhere between 26,000 and 13,000 years ago, but the Hudson River refused to comment, saying, “You know it’s rude to ask a river her age.” During the donation ceremony, the Hudson diverted her course for one minute, aiming at the tennis courts on the northern end of campus. The courts, along with the CPH parking lot, became covered with about 3 feet of water. Among the casualties were the tennis nets, a bucket of tennis balls that have since presumably floated to the Atlantic, the sea turtles that these tennis balls

likely killed, and Dr. Patterson’s new pair of shoes that she accidentally left by the courts. Although ten million gallons of water sounds impressive, it’s only about enough to fill six Olympic-sized swimming pools and only set off six car alarms (of the 34 that were parked in CPH lot during the donation). Much to the anger of the students and faculty whose cars got soggy, the Chief of Campus Police announced that, no, you can’t file lawsuits against the river and that, yes, they would have to file an insurance claim. The Hudson donated the water in honor of her beloved children: more than 200 species of fish. The Hudson asked only that the new building be named after her, but after student outrage and careful administrative deliberation, Stevens was proud to announce the construction of a new Naval Engineering building: The Hudson River & Catfish & Atlantic Sturgeon & Lamprey & Dogfish & Bullhead & Chub & Perch & Butterflyfish & Sunfish & Bass & … Laboratory.

The Stute is Cool and Good Us Movie Poster | Photo courtesy of collider.com

Opinion

Friday, April 5, 2019 • Page 8

The Stute Editorial

A University on the rise In case you missed it, last weekend was Pre-Accepted Students Weekend at Stevens. I couldn’t catch most of it because I work on Saturdays from 9 A.M. to 2 P.M., but I caught a glimpse of the festivities on my way back to campus. As usual, faculty and admissions representatives were out and about in their best suit and dress, boasting about the career placement and excellent location of Stevens. All seemed to be well until I remembered… the new Stevens fence. For those of you at home, due to the construction of the new University Towers, a fence has been erected around Jacobus and Hayden on Wittpenn walk. There’s also a fence around Alexander House, but I think everyone can agree that Wittpenn Walk is the main attraction. Every day, I see people walking around this fence, either on the grass

or the newly paved paths around the fence. It’s borderline comical – the fact that this is going to be the way of life for the next three years. The best part – “A University on the rise” is what’s printed on the fence. If anyone follows /r/stevens, you would have seen the photoshopped image of the banner saying “A University full of lies” on April Fool’s Day. I literally laughed out loud when I saw that because seriously, how true. The current freshmen did not sign up to live at a construction site for four years, I know I certainly didn’t. But what can we all do? To support the growth and vision that the Stevens administration is working towards, new dorms and classroom must be built now. Similar to President Davis’ vision in 1937 when they were building Jacobus and Palmer Halls, “the main campus

of the college, occupying 35 acres at Castle Point, is not adequate enough for the present student body.” Back then, the student body was 500, and regardless of whether or not students liked it, a change had to happen to support “New Stevens.” And, like, I get it, I guess. It’s true that if you don’t pursue change and growth you stagnate and fall behind. Obviously, nobody wants that for Stevens; it benefits everyone if Stevens becomes more relevant and competitive. Just… I couldn’t help but wonder, what do these high school students think of the construction? As complete outsiders, deciding whether or not to invest in a Stevens degree, they see this construction and they see the self-deprecating meme culture. Some may not mind it, but essentially this whole ordeal begs the question, why Stevens?

One prospective student on Reddit stated, “I felt like if I went to Stevens I’d definitely be able to find a well paying job after graduation, but I wasn’t 100% sure about how I’d feel about my time at Stevens. I just didn’t get a good feel of the student experience, things to do on campus, the community.” Along with their rising SAT average, they’re smart enough to realize that the ROI isn’t gonna cut it. Why go through four or five years of chaos when you can go to a different school where “student centricity” is real and matters. If Stevens wants to secure top talent, they must start focus on improving the Stevens experience. The best marketing is a happy customer and, with all that’s going on, there aren’t too many happy customers. If you want students to donate ten years down the line, focus on improving the lives of current students,

not just their job placement. Even when your students graduate and make the big bucks, they won’t attribute their success to you. They won’t give you a cent. It’s the small things – like the usefulness of a class or financial aid not screwing you over. Putting in a purchase order for tape and having it arrive sooner than six weeks later. These frustrations can be fixed with changing a few staff around and hiring more competent people. Many of the recent changes on campus – gender-neutral restrooms and housing, making the gym more accessible and comfortable for Stevens women, the D&I proclamation – can be attributed to the hard work of students in the SGA. Their passion for advocating for students is unmatched. And, they do it for free! So I’m saying – create advisory boards, host town halls for students,

be transparent about the construction timelines and changes that are happening to the school. Work with students who are passionate to make a difference and clubs like the SGA and The Stute to communicate information instead of concealing information on purpose. It only benefits Stevens in the long run if students and administrators work together. Comfort us about the construction instead of surprising us, invite feedback from us instead of trying to shut it down. The times are changing. Stevens needs to grow, but also needs students on their side before claiming that they’re “on the rise.”

Audrey Dsouza Editor-in-Chief

Mind of a Freshman

You should go and love yourself

by NATALIE TODARO Freshman Music and Technology Major

When I love something, I really love it. I’m hopelessly romantic, selfishly optimistic, and genuinely empathetic. I’m emotional but realistic, dramatic but sensitive, and unapologetically expressive

but introverted. Basically I’m just your typical Leo with a heart too big for my body. These personality traits inevitably come through in my writing, which isn’t exactly the best thing to happen when you’re writing for a public audience. Last semester I went through a bit of a rough patch, so when I sat down to write this column that week I couldn’t help but spill everything that was happening. I told every detail and every emotion I was feeling, but I knew I couldn’t and wouldn’t actually publish it. And, appropriately, at this time I came across a quote online that made everything make

sense: “Resist the urge to make a performance of your emotions while you are still in the midst of feeling them.” I took this very literally and as a result took a week off from publishing this column. I know that seems like a pretty dramatic response, but, like I said, I’m a pretty dramatic lady. It took me a while to fully understand who I was. For a while in elementary and middle school, I actually denied who I was as a result of being bullied and picked on for being so “sensitive” and crying at everything. All I wanted to do was prove them wrong, so I convinced myself that I wasn’t sen-

sitive and suppressed my emotions for a while. High school was slightly better, but the voices of those people who made it seem like being sensitive was a bad thing were still circling around in my head. But eventually I turned 18 and went to college, both in the same month for me, and at that point I couldn’t really be anybody but myself. Figuring out who I am was never easier than when I was forced to be myself in front of people I was meeting for the first time. I’ve come a really long way in terms of accepting who I am and how I look. And just writing that sentence makes me realize how incredibly

silly yet sad it is that so many of us don’t like ourselves. Being okay with ourselves should be a natural instinct, not something we have to work towards or search for throughout our lives. There should never be a moment where we tell ourselves, “Okay, I’m happy with myself now,” because we should always feel that way. Loving yourself shouldn’t be some sort of graph where you color in a box each day that you feel more confident in yourself. There’s no such thing as a ranking or classification for the attractiveness of humans; we’re all just humans, and we’re all on the same level. But un-

fortunately, for most of us, loving ourselves can sometimes seem impossible. My advice to anyone struggling with their self-esteem is to work in steps. The first step is to make time for yourself, and the second step is to get to understand your own personality traits. The third and final step is to start changing your mindset from “I don’t like how I look ” to “I’m my own person, perfectly pretty.” Working in steps is important instead of tackling something as detailed as your self-esteem head-on. In the words of Robert Frost, “The best way out is always through.”

to be in a musical by Sondheim. Company is another favorite. I love any music I can sing.” “For the short term, I want to solidify a cappella at Stevens by forming a full-fledged RSO — we’re in Step 3 right now,” Jimmy

says. Looking to the future, after graduation, Jimmy is looking for roles where he can integrate the technical background he has gained in the classroom with the ability to plan, coordinate, and communicate.

Stars of Stevens

Starring Jimmy!

by MIA HILDEBRANDT Senior Civil Engineering Major

One could say that Jimmy Sweeney, a super senior, has made the most of his five years at Stevens. He is an RA, SGA Senator and Committee on Academic Rights Committee Chair, and is a part of OXE and Order of Omega, Kappa Sigma Fraternity, President’s Ensemble, and Quackappella. Jimmy enjoys singing, distance running, and

Dungeons and Dragons. He will be graduating this May with his bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering along with a master’s degree in Systems Engineering — Jimmy is literally a star both inside and outside the lecture halls. Jimmy’s favorite thing about Stevens is that it is a small enough place that, with some passion and dedication, one can make an impact. He affirms, “In my nearly five years here, I can confirm that this is the case.” “I was lucky to have a great music teacher in elementary school,” Jimmy says. “Mr. Pedas [had] a storied career of directing music and recruited me into a community choir he directed.” Jimmy sang in the choir for

six years, and in that time and beyond, he sang in a few state and eastern honor choirs. Then, in high school, he performed in an a cappella group and concert choir before getting involved in the performing arts at Stevens. “Mr. Pedas continued to be my voice teacher through high school and mentor into college. While at Stevens, singing has been a creative outlet and a way to unwind. Jimmy elaborates, “It’s really rewarding to come together with a great group of people, sing and work and laugh for a few hours per week, and come out with a product that can make other people’s day better.” Like school, performing and music can teach a person a lot.

Jimmy states, “I think one of the best [lessons learned through music] is the ability to focus in on just one thing for a while. “Especially when you have tons of emails and a pile of things to do, taking a couple hours to focus on playing a character or getting better at singing a song is really liberating.” It is important to make sure your passion in your schedule really is enjoyable and therapeutic for you, and if that if that is not the case, then to say something. There are only so many hours in the day, and pursuing passions you enjoy will make juggling a busy schedule all the more worth it. Jimmy has spent a lot of time doing musical theater.” I would love to have the chance

Jimmy Sweeney | Photo Courtesy of Mia Hildebrant

Opinion

Friday, April 5, 2019 • Page 9

Campus Liberal

Mulling over Mueller

by JOSEPH DOLAN Freshman Cybersecurity Major

As the Robert Mueller obsession swept the nation over the last two years, I always remained ambivalent. While many believed that the Mueller Report would be the silver bullet that would bring down President Trump, you couldn’t convince me. Call me a pessimist, but I never believed that the systems of power controlled by the Executive Branch would indict a sitting president. Furthermore, I never believed that President Trump actually colluded with Russia. Did he commit campaign finance violations? Probably. Did he attempt to obstruct justice plenty of times via Twitter? Absolutely. Has he committed more fraud and crime in his career as a real estate developer than we could all possibly conceive? Positively. But I don’t believe he colluded with Russia

to steal an election. From what we’ve seen from the Mueller investigation so far, plenty of his lackeys absolutely tried to collude with Russia, but Trump himself did not. On March 24, 2019, I was proven to be correct. Attorney General William Barr published his summary of the submitted Mueller Report in which he claimed that the report exonerated Trump of collusion charges and did not reach a conclusion on obstruction of justice. Twitter lit ablaze as Trump supporters did a glorious victory dance for many days, for the libs had finally and truly been owned! Of course, a reasonable counterargument arose, seeing as the Barr letter literally states that the report did NOT exonerate Trump on charges of obstruction of justice. To be completely honest, I don’t even trust Barr’s interpretation of the report. Many congressional Democrats agree, and have been pushing for a release of the full, unredacted report. Honestly, I don’t even believe that the full, unredacted report would take Trump down. If the unredacted report did contain damning secrets that Barr failed to cite in his letter,

I’m not sure if Trump would be removed from office. In my opinion, the Mueller obsession always seemed like a cop-out for people on the left. Robert Mueller and William Barr, two lifelong Republicans, were never going to buck centuries of government precedent to arrest a sitting President. There’s only one thing we can do to defeat Trump in 2020: Run a candidate that can beat him. For me, that’s Bernie. For you, it may be someone else. But the important thing is to actually get involved with a candidate who you feel represents your views, and vote for them. Waiting for someone else to solve our problems for us isn’t productive, we need to actually take part in our democracy. If Trump really does go down for obstruction of justice, I’ll make sure to publish a column and apologize for ever doubting Mueller. However, if you think the system has failed us, don’t sit around and wait for the system to fix itself. In the meantime, I’m going to volunteer for the causes I’m passionate about, and donate to politicians who best represent my interests to help change that system.

Campus Conservative

The Mueller Report Fallout

by ALEX MURTAGH Junior Civil Engineering Major

After roughly two years, accusations from both sides of the aisle, and loads of speculation, the famed Mueller Report has finally been delivered to Attorney General William Barr. A few short days later Barr released a summary of the report based on his understanding of what Special Counsel Robert Muller and his team had documented in the report. Even though the report has been delivered and we have an idea of what’s in it, this story is far from over: we can make a few conclusions about what the report may contain and what all this means going forward. So let’s try and establish some sort of a timeline. First off, the night before the report was delivered to the Justice Department, we learned that there were no additional indictments. However, there was a grand total of 199 criminal charges, 37 indictments or guilty pleas, and 5

prison sentences. It is critical to note that many of these charges, including those aimed at former Trump associates, were not related to the 2016 presidential campaign. The good news about no additional indictments meant it was more likely that the President had not colluded with the Russians. It wasn’t until a few days later when the Attorney General stated “[T] he investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities.” Although Barr is very clear in that statement, we still must trust that he is telling the public the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. For now, let’s trust what he’s saying because chances are the American people, or at the very least members of Congress, will get to see the report. It wouldn’t make sense for Barr to lie about anything because he would likely get caught later. Barr also noted in his summary that this report did not make any conclusions about whether or not Trump obstructed justice. On one hand, this clearly doesn’t look good for Trump, but on the other there is still a fair chance that he did nothing wrong. Although this all seems fairly cut and dry, members of Congress, specifically the Democrats, are

still holding out hope that there is something else being hidden in this report that Barr refuses to expose. This thinking is clearly silly and delusional. But let’s assume for a minute that they’re right. There must be collusion hidden somewhere in the report so we need to release it to Congress and the public. If Barr is telling the truth, this only helps the President and makes the Democrats look foolish. If Barr lied, the Trump administration will basically cease to exist and the country will be thrown into a panic attack. Now I’m not just saying that to scare you or make it appear as if this report should never see the light of day, I’m simply speculating based on the way this nation reacts to the smallest of instances. So where do we go from here? Based on my logic, I say release the report and let the chips fall where they may. I doubt the Trump administration has anything to worry about, and they will have the opportunity to tear into the crazed Democrats that want to take Trump down. I should also mention, that in this world there’s always an unseen twist that could come down the road and everything I laid out could be for nothing. But on the odds that I’m right, it looks like nothing but smooth sailing for Trump and the Republicans for the next two to six years.

Scientific Curmudgeon

New Zealand Acts to Stop Mass Shootings. Why Not U.S.?

by JOHN HORGAN CAL Professor

Last month, an avowed white supremacist shot to death 50 people in two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. The shooter carried out the slaughter with weapons, including an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle with a high-capacity magazine, that he had purchased legally, according to the BBC. Prime minister Jacinda Ardern immediately called for a banon semiautomatic guns, assault rifles and high-capacity magazines. The government will buy back banned weapons from current owners, mak-

ing exceptions for guns needed for pest control, stock management and hunting. Ardern said more restrictions would follow, including more rigorous licensing rules. New Zealand’s plan resembles one enacted by Australia in 1996– also after a mass shooting–that is credited with sharply reducing homicides and suicides. The New Zealand law is expected to go into effect in mid-April, less than one month after the Christchurch massacre. Mass shootings in the U.S. provoke lots of lamentation and little action. The 2012 massacre at the Sandy Hook elementary school in Newton, Connecticut, in which a man killed 20 children and seven adults, including himself, spurred calls by President Obama and others for stricter controls, in vain. Since Sandy Hook, according to Vox, there have been 1,992 mass shootings (defined as

an incident in which four or more people are shot) in the U.S. These have left at least 2,408 people dead and 8,160 wounded. By the time you read this these figures will probably be surpassed. Mass shootings wreak collateral damage. Two survivors of last year’s massacre at a high school in Parkland, Florida, took their own lives last month, according to The New York Times. So did the father of a child killed at the Sandy Hook school. Brady United, a nonprofit that works to reduce gun violence,applauded New Zealand’s prompt actionand called on U.S. politicians to pass similar legislation, including a bill that would ban assault weapons. (See this description of the billfor precise definitions of assault and semiautomatic weapons.) The U.S. will be hardpressed to emulate New Zealand, German Lopez asserts in Vox, for

two reasons. America’s form of government makes it harder to pass controversial legislation. And the National Rifle Association, which claims five million members, has stymied gun-control efforts. In part because of the NRA, the U.S. has “the most relaxed gun control measures in comparison with other developed nations,” Lopez states. There are “so many loopholes” in current federal, state and city laws that “most people can buy a gun without too much of a problem.” The U.S. is the only nation with more firearms than people. There are 120.5 guns for every hundred Americans, according to the watchdog group Small Arms Survey. Yemen is a distant second, with 52.8 guns per 100 people. New Zealand now has 26.3 guns per 100 people, but it will soon have fewer. The U.S. has much higher rates of gun vio-

lence than other developed nations. The rate of gun-related homicide in the U.S. is 29.7 for every million people, compared to 1.6 per million in New Zealand (before the Christchurch massacre), 1.4 in Australia and 5.1 in Canada. Mass shootings account for a fraction of all firearm-related casualties in the U.S.. According to Gunpolicy. org, 36,658 Americans were killed by guns in 2016, including more than 14,000 homicides and 22,000 suicides. That total-death figure is up from 28,663 in the year 2000, an increase of 28 percent. The NRA has derided New Zealand’s pending ban as “socialist disarmament” and has denouncedcalls for similar laws in the U.S. Such measures, the NRA warns, are first steps toward “confiscation,” which is “the ultimate goal of gun control advocates.” On that final point, the NRA is right. I want to see massive

reductions in firearms, which would undoubtedly lead to massive reductions in deaths, injuries and fear. The NRA has the gall to describe itself as “freedom-loving.” The NRA is actually a bully. It exploits the fear and fanaticism of its members—and the greed of arms manufacturers–to raise millions of dollars, with which it bends gutless politicians to its will. Most Americans want stricter gun laws, according to multiple surveys. By thwarting this goal, the NRA isn’t defending “freedom,” it is subverting democracy. The right of a minority to possess weapons should not supersede the right of the rest of us to live in a less violent world. John Horgan directs the Center for Science Writings, which is part of the College of Arts & Letters. This column is adapted from one published on his Scientific Americanblog, “Crosscheck.”

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Sports

Friday, April 5, 2019 • Page 10

Women’s Lacrosse Scores a Season-High 20 Goals in Conference Win Over Alfred

ON DECK

Friday WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD VS The College of New Jersey (Day One) Invitational 1 p.m. Ewing, NJ

MEN’S TRACK AND FIELD Stevens Sports Information

SSI - Junior Hannah Condren netted four goals as 11 different players recorded at least one point as the Stevens Institute of Technology women’s lacrosse team defeated Alfred University 20-1 Saturday in an Empire 8 Conference matchup at the DeBaun Athletic Complex. Freshman Gale Bennett had two goals and two assists and classmate Maeve McGovern added a goal and three assists for the Ducks, who improved to 3-6 and evened their conference record at 1-1. Since joining the Empire 8 for the 2008 season, Stevens has captured all 12 meetings with the Saxons. Taylor Miller netted the lone goal for the Saxons, who fell to 1-6. Alfred has dropped three straight. “Today was a great team ef-

fort and it was nice to see a lot of different players get involved in the scoring today,” said head coach Karen Shaddock. “Many players were able to get their first goals and we were great on the draw after making a couple of adjustments early on.” Condren joined sophomore Haley Hanrahan in registering their first markers of the season, while sophomore Margaret Carroll and freshman Jesse Kim netted the first collegiate goals. Junior Kyra Bednarski extended her scoring streak to 25 games with her sixth hat trick of the season, while also adding her eighth assist of the year. The Syracuse, New York native upped her season total to 34 and her career total to 150. Freshman Natalie Fitzpatrick had a goal and an assist, while Han-

rahan, Kim and junior Brianne Salera each had two goals. Junior Emily Shanklin and freshman Morgan Westerby joined Carroll in scoring once to round out Stevens’ scoring. Freshman Lauren Cunniff made her first career start and earned the victory. Paige Rowlee made five saves for Alfred. “Lauren had her first win in the cage and our defense did a great job,” Shaddock added. “Today was another opportunity for us to get better and I’m happy with how hard we worked.” Stevens scored on 10 of its first 13 shot attempts to build a comfortable margin. The offensive fireworks continued as the home team scored five times over the final ten minutes to take a 17-0 lead into the intermission.

Condren scored her fourth of the day to open scoring in the second half, before Carroll scored her first career goal to push the lead to 19. Miller spoiled Cunniff’s shutout bid with her eighth of the year before Kim added her second of the day to provide the final margin. Stevens fired a season-high 32 shots, with 25 registering on-net. Bednarksi took a gamehigh six shots, while Condren uncorked five. The Ducks were disruptive on defense throughout the game, forcing 20 Alfred turnovers, while only committing 12. Sophomore Tori Bruce caused a game-high three miscues, while Condren and senior Regan Littell each caused two. Rowlee caused one turnover to

lead Alfred. Stevens’ defensive intensity caused Alfred to be successful on just 6 of its 15 clear attempts, while the Ducks went 10-of-11. Hanrahan earned seven draw controls to help Stevens gain an 18-5 edge in the statistic. Shanklin earned five draws for the Ducks, while Westerby added three. Madison Latranyi led Alfred with three. The Ducks outearned the Saxons 17-3 in ground balls, with five different players scooping up two. Rowlee collected all three ground balls for Alfred. Stevens scored on one of its three free-position attempts, with Westerby successfully converting the shot, while Alfred did not take a free-position attempt.

Stevens Moves to 40th in Winter Learfield Directors’ Cup Standings SSI - The Stevens Institute of Technology Department of Athletics is ranked No. 40 nationally in the 2018-19 Learfield Directors’ Cup Division III Winter Standings, it was announced. The 40th-place finish is the highest in the Empire 8 Conference and ranks third in the state of New Jersey. The Ducks totaled 150 points to bring their com-

bined fall and winter point total to 250. The Ducks slotted between OAC members University of Mount Union (252.50 points) and Otterbein University (246 points). Stevens earned points in fencing, women’s indoor track and field and wrestling. Johns Hopkins leads Division III with 804.25 points, with Williams College (744), Washington University in St. Louis

(696.75), Middlebury College (594.75) and the University of Chicago (580) rounding out the top-five. Freshman Wolfe Crouse reached the Men’s Fencing National Championship, posting an 11-12 record at Epee to finish one victory away from achieving All-America status. Junior Gina Dello Russo repeated as a multiple-event All-American at the Division

III Indoor Track and Field Championships, while senior Katie Weeks repeated as an All-American in the weight throw to help the Ducks tie for 18th place. On the mats, sophwomore Brett Kaliner posted his second straight top-three finish and senior Joey Borai closed his career on Castle Point with his first career All-America honor to help the Ducks finish 12th

at the Division III Wrestling Championships. The Learfield Directors’ Cup was developed as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today, and points are awarded based on each institution’s finish in NCAA Championships. Nearly 250 institutions were represented in the poll.

Duck Country Scoreboard Date

Stevens

Opponent/Event

Score

Result

3/29 3/29 3/29 3/30 3/30 3/30 3/30 3/30 3/30 3/30 3/30

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

VS Widener University VS Widener University VS California Lutheran University VS Kean University VS Roanoke College VS Dickinson College VS Vassar College VS Houghton College VS Alfred University VS Dean's College

N/A N/A 2-3 6-5 10-12 10-17 3-2

Complete Complete L W L L W L

3/30 3/30 3/30 3/30 3/31 3/31 3/31 3/31 4/3 4/3 4/3 4/3

Men's Tennis Men's Volleyball Softball Men's Golf Men's Tennis Baseball Men's Lacrosse Softball Baseball Softball Women's Lacrosse

Postponed VS Houghton College VS Alfred University VS Elms College Postponed VS NYU Spring Invitational VS University of Rochester VS Saint John Fisher College VS The Sage Colleges VS Ramapo College VS SUNY-New Paltz VS Ramapo College VS Union College

4-5 20-1 3-0 N/A 21-2 9-0 1-3 N/A 650 3-6 9-10 23-1 1-5 9-10 4-2 11-16

W W N/A W W L N/A 4th L L W L L W L

Stevens Sports Information

VS The College of New Jersey Invitational 1 p.m. Ewing, NJ

SOFTBALL

VS Houghton College 3 p.m. Weehawken, NJ

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

VS Southern Virginia University 4:30 p.m. Hoboken, NJ

Saturday EQUESTRIAN VS IHSA Zones TBA

MEN’S GOLF

VS Susquehanna University Invitational TBA Selingsgrove, PA

WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD VS The College of New Jersey (Day Two) Invitational 10 a.m. Ewing, NJ

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