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Volume CXVI
Issue 17
SGA creates new Audit Committee
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ICYMI, changes to priority scheduling were prompted by a Letter to the Editor submitted to The Stute.
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Majority of Freshmen waitlisted for Stevens Leased Housing
by JOSEPH DOLAN Staff Writer
The SGA formed an Audit Committee in order to audit RSOs that the Committee on Student Interests (CSI) believes to have committed a budgetary violation. The CSI will then inform the Audit Committee of its decision, and the committee will then begin to conduct an audit. The committee will examine the activity of the RSO, its future potential to remain an active organization, and whether or not it is following the rules set for it by the SGA. Once the auditing period is complete, the findings of the committee are passed on to the CSI and the Office of Student Life. The CSI then creates a punishment for RSOs found in violations of their duties. After this, the punishments are then presented to the SGA and voted on. The committee will consist of five SGA senators, including Committee Head Liam McMurty. According to McMurty, the committee was created in order to provide real guidelines for auditing RSOs. “The SGA always had the ability to audit clubs, but there was no definitive procedure in place to do so.” McMurty wanted to take the lead on the committee because he was interested in fillsee AUDIT · Page 2
Established 1904
by ANDREW KINNEY Layout Assistant
of Academic Affairs, explained that his letter was a “driving factor.” Although this change is an attempt to help students, it is also putting many at a disadvantage. Katherine Ryan, a freshman Pinnacle Scholar, says, “After freshman year, priority registration is more of a perk than a necessity. While I understand that it isn’t something I need, I am a little annoyed now
As of 2 p.m. on Wednesday, February 27, there is no space left in Stevens Leased Housing (SLH). Wednesday was only the first of two selection days for “sophomore” students, meaning all students given a Thursday selection time were immediately added to the wait list. Additionally, all first-year SLH applicants were automatically added to the wait list. However, not all freshmen are considered “first-year” students. A student is considered a first year only if they do not meet the credit requirement to be considered a sophomore. As a result, this has caused some discrepancies. One first-year (by entry year) student was given a 10 a.m. Wednesday selection time, allowing them to receive an apartment before some sophomores. Another first-year student The Stute talked to was similarly given a sophomore selection time, though it was late enough that they still ended up on the wait list. The Stute spoke to one
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Located on the 12th floor of the Howe Center, the Provost Office made the change to remove priority registration from a large number of students. Photo by Mark Krupinski
New qualifications for undergraduate students receiving priority registration students will be losing priority registration starting this semester for Summer and Fall 2019: members of the SGA, members of the Honor Board, resident assistants (RAs), out-of-season athletes, and non-freshman Pinnacle Scholars. Freshman Pinnacle Scholars will continue to receive priority registration due to a mandatory seminar they must factor in to their schedules. Several other groups will also continue to be able to register for classes early, including
by NATALIE TODARO Staff Writer
The stress of registering for classes among Stevens students has largely been caused by the issue of priority registration. However, things are about to change. Anthony Barrese, Interim Vice Provost of Academics, has made the decision to cut priority registration from several groups of students. The following groups of
participants in Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), select disabled students identified by the Director of the Office of Disability Services, and in-season athletes identified by the Athletic Director. The major reason for the change was due to Eric Londres’ Letter to the Editor, published in the November 9 issue of The Stute last semester. Londres explained how “out of control” priority registration is, and Alex Reina, the SGA Vice President
Student leaders hold LGBTQ+ summit with Student Affairs by ERIC S. LONDRES Staff Writer
Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Sara Klein hosted a meeting of LGBTQ+ student leaders on Thursday, February 21. The meeting, formally titled “LGBTQ+ Initiatives Meeting,” was assembled by Klein to discuss various issues facing the LGBTQ+ community at Stevens and sponsor a greater spirit of collaboration between various groups represented by these leaders. The attendees at the meeting came from a wide variety of LGBTQ-related organizations. They included Isabelle Joyce, Julia Martin, Jonathan Pavlik, Matthew Doto, and Caitlin Mahoney of Torch Alliance; Nasir Montalvo, Amir Mustafa, and Adrian Castellanos of the Student Government Association (SGA) Diversity & Inclusion Committee; Chase Kahn and Tyler Wright of TRANSit; Eli Trakhtenberg, Peer Health Educator and co-founder of Sexual Wellness Education Advocacy and Training (SWEAT); Ang Contreras of Out in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (oSTEM); Dakota Van Deursen, former SGA Vice President of Student Interests; Veronika Paprocka, Graduate Coordinator for Diversity Initiatives; and Klein herself. Much attention was given during the meeting to the plethora of new and rising organizations related to the LGBTQ+ community on campus. oSTEM, a professional society dedicated to LGBTQ+ students, and SWEAT, a new organization dedicated to serving the needs of Stevens’ kink community, are continuing in the New Organization Process.
Also, TRANSit, a group dedicated to providing a safe space for Stevens’ transgender students, is seeking to enter the New Organization Process in the future. Trakhtenberg particularly spoke about SWEAT, stating her interest in re-starting the group’s momentum. “I know how it could look to say like ‘Hey, here is how you tie someone up!’ but there should be resources for students so they know how to do things safely.” A common topic of discussion was the general lack of resources for LGBTQ+ students at Stevens, and furthermore a lack of awareness of how to seek out resources from off-campus sources. Contreras said that they would like to see students more easily linked to external resources and support structures. They noted that many students do not have safe support networks of their own and should be able to find one at Stevens. Contreras mentioned that there are a lot of panels in the New York metropolitan area on subjects relevant to LGBTQ+ students, and being able to send information about such panels to students at Stevens would be a great help to the community. Klein raised the possibility of hiring a Federal Work Study employee in her office whose specific duty would be curating off-campus resources for LGBTQ+ Stevens students and delivering information about them to those students. Several students brought up issues regarding how they were treated when they went to CAPS, Stevens’ Counseling and Psychological Services office. Montalvo stated that when he went into CAPS one
day, he was handed a pamphlet without any specific information in it. Martin agreed with Montalvo, mentioning that a lot of the information on the pamphlet was also outof-date. The general consensus in the meeting was that CAPS should provide up-to-date information about counselors in the Hoboken area that are LGBT-specialized and specifically transgender-friendly. This information is not readily available to the public, said Klein. Coordination was a major focus of the meeting. The various organizations are spread across multiple subcommittees — for example, Torch is a part of the Special Interests subcommittee whereas oSTEM is part of the Professional Societies subcommittee and the Diversity & Inclusion committee is a part of the SGA, not a separate student organization. Montalvo mentioned that many of the Stevens cultural organizations enjoy a broad degree of close collaboration due to the structure of the Cultural Subcommittee and Ethnic Student Council, and that the LGBTQ+ organizations do not have this intrinsic collaborative body among them. Pavlik raised the idea of all the LGBTQ-interest organizations hosting a Stevens Pride Day celebration, as Torch has done in the past. Several people noted that Hoboken used to have an official Pride celebration but no longer does, and even when they did, it cost a significant amount of money to attend. A Stevens-oriented Pride celebration would, in Pavlik’s view, not only prosee LGBTQ · Page 2
Sheila Banks, the first African American female to graduate from Stevens graduating in 1978. Photo Courtesy of The Archives and Special Collections Department
Black History Month by MARYIA SPIRYDONAVA Editor-in-Chief
In 1924, Randolph Montrose Smith became the first African American student to graduate from Stevens Institute of Technology. Born in Barbados in 1901, Smith arrived in New York City when he was two years old, on the Cearense ship. The Stevens Library does not have a lot of records on Smith, but they were able to determine that while attending Stevens, Smith lived in upper Manhattan on West 140th Street. After graduating Stevens, Smith worked as a civil engineer for the Manhattan subway system. Smith has an undergraduate scholarship dedicated in his name, for which students can still apply. James Sylvester Braxton, a class of 1937 African American Stevens alum, has a impressive resume both
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from his time at Stevens and after. As an undergrad, he participated in a plethora of social and professional organizations, such as The Stute and the Stevens Dramatic Society. Braxton was elected to Tau Beta Pi fraternity and appeared on the Dean’s List. The 1936 edition of The Link described him as one of the most active members of his class. After graduating in 1937, Braxton worked as a chief engineer for a general contracting firm and as a Howard University instructor. In 1945, he attended Harvard University, and was awarded a Julius Rosenwald Fellowship for graduate studies in regional planning. He graduated Harvard Graduate School of Design with a Master of City Planning degree. Braxton used his Harvard education to pursue his lifelong passion: designing and manufacturing low-cost housing systems. He worked
Put Your Records On Campus Liberal and Conservative
as a site planner of international housing projects for the New York firm of Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill and the International Basic Economy Housing Corporation. In 1950, he became Supervising Senior Planner for the Chicago Housing Authority. Braxton continued to grow in his career; in 1965, he became the Assistant Chief Engineer for the Metropolitan Sanitary District of Greater Chicago. In 1981, Braxton moved on to become the Vice President of Globetrotters Engineering Corporation. Later, as President of Braxton Inc., he was able to pursue his dream of manufacturing reduced cost housing systems. Braxton patented the Braxton Inc., a system of manufactured housing that can be assembled by unskilled labor with a minimum of training. Braxton returned to Stevens in 1987 to receive an see HISTORY · Page 3
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sophomore (by year) student who was given a 2:30 p.m. selection time on Wednesday. They said that they logged onto the site half an hour early to see what was open, and were disappointed to find only one spot. After solving a problem with their roommate group, the student was unable to reserve the room since they were now searching as a pair. At 10
AUDIT
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a.m. on Thursday, the student received an email from Residential and Dining Services saying that they were guaranteed housing, but that they could now drop out of the housing system without the normal penalty. The email said, “We are currently securing additional apartments in Hoboken,” but did not make it clear if the student would have any choice in where they would be placed once that happened. Prior to housing selection, the Office of Residential
LGBTQ+
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ing holes in SGA procedure. “The goal of the Audit Committee going forward is to be as fair and objective as possible,” McMurty said. He wants the committee to basically function as another set of eyes for the CSI and SGA in order to make life easier for everyone. With regard to RSOs, he hopes to keep a positive relationship between clubs and the committee, saying, “We definitely don’t want to be feared.”
mote collaboration and community within the Stevens LGBTQ+ organizations, but the LGBTQ+ community on campus as a whole. Montalvo also later mentioned the idea of organizing a Queer Prom. Klein spoke at length about the issue of STD/STI testing on the Stevens campus. Many students, whether or not they identify as LGBTQ+, have requested that STD testing be made available though the Health & Wellness Center which currently provides various other health services for students. Klein said that she spent nine months researching the topic and came to the conclusion that it’s impossible at the present time and infeasible for the future. On-campus STD testing would require the Wellness Center to operate its own laboratory and testing facility, which requires a host of licenses that cost extraordinary amounts of money to acquire. The maintenance costs
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that I’m losing something I was told I would have all my years as a Pinnacle Scholar.” Reina explains that he hopes students will see the positive side. He says, “I hope this change will reduce the amount of classes being filled up before a majority of students on campus even have the chance to register.”
and Dining Services decided not to renew the 1700 Park leases. In a email sent Friday, February 22, Catherine McGuire informed 1700 Park residents that, “Due to a low number of housing applications, Stevens will need to reduce its leased housing inventory. Stevens will not renew leases at 1700 Park Avenue.” The students who received this email were then given two options since they had already attempted to retain their rooms: the ability to select another available SLH
(or have the school select one), or the ability to cancel the housing contract without financial penalty. Additionally, the class of 2022 was the largest in recent memory, bringing in roughly 1,000 students this past fall, up from roughly 800 in fall 2017. This caused more individuals to demand housing with a lower amount of leased housing available. The Office of Residential and Dining Services was unable to provide The Stute with a statement by the time of publication.
of such a laboratory would also be significant. Also, implementing STD testing would require the Wellness Center be capable of billing students, which the school currently has no method of doing. Klein specifically called out the Student Information System (SIS) operated by the Stevens Division of Information Technology for lacking any billing features that would allow the school to move forward with STD testing. By the end of the meeting, the decision was made to create a Slack workspace that will act as a centralized method of communication between LGBTQ-interest organizations. It will also provide a place for news about resources for LGBTQ+ students to be posted in a common platform. Stevens students can join the new Slack workspace at StevensLGBT.slack.com. When asked about the meeting, Van Deursen said, “I am very happy that all the people in positions of power of [LGBT] identity-based organizations have been able to cre-
ate a single community Slack […] When I was Vice President of Student Interests, it was mainly Torch, but oSTEM and SWEAT were becoming a thing. I am interested to see if this Slack is able to bring these groups together and breathe a little more life into LGBT on campus.” Joyce also spoke about the meeting afterward. “I thought it went well,” said Joyce. “It was a good start of what I hope will be a continual dialog on campus between faculty, and all the growing LGBT organizations on campus. I look forward to meeting and working with everyone more.” Pavlik also commented that there was helpful discussion towards the development of the community, and that he looks forward to working with the new organizations. At the conclusion of the meeting, Klein and several attendees expressed their desire to hold these meetings more regularly, and began making preparations to organize additional meetings on a monthly basis.
FAST Game Show Night
Photos by Akash Rana
News HISTORY
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honorary degree. He conveyed his passion: “I have enjoyed being an engineer. It has both stimulated and satisfied my curiosity. My engineering training has enabled me to be more creative . . . Last year, I obtained a U.S.
Randolph Montrose Smith’s photo in The Link Photo Courtesy of The Stevens Library
Friday, March 1, 2019 • Page 3
Patent on a systems approach to housing construction. Although the system will permit construction of any type building, anywhere, the shortage of affordable housing, and the presence of so many unemployed in the inner city make it an attractive starting place. For example, I would like to see pilot projects in Newark and Chicago. I believe that a properly-designed housing system such as the one I am developing, erected by semi skilled workers could cut the cost of decent housing by a factor of one third to one half.” Women were only admitted to Stevens starting Fall 1971. Sheila Banks, a native of Newark, NJ, became the first African American woman to graduate from Stevens in 1978, over a century after the founding of Stevens. Banks earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering. Banks stated, “I want to be accepted as a person first and not because I am black or because I’m a
woman.” Banks was a member of the Society of Women Engineers, was Secretary of the Black Student Union, played violin, and was a singer in the Glee Club. After graduation, she worked in a technical marketing position at Westinghouse Electric Corporation and was promoted to Sales Engineer in their New York City office. Joelle Hinds graduated in 1993. She was born and raised in New York City. Hinds impressed with her potential in mathematics, and was introduced to Stevens by the father of friend, who happened to be an alumnus. According to the Stevens Library, Hinds attended an intensive six-week-long STEP Bridge summer program, after which she attended Stevens at the young age of 16. She graduated with an Engineering Management degree. All historical information was sourced from the Stevens Library website and from the Archives and Special Collections Department.
Joelle Hinds Photo Courtesy of Stevens Institute of Technology
Sheila Banks Photo Courtesy of Stevens Institute of Technology
James Sylvester Braxton’s photo in The Link Photo Courtesy of The Stevens Library
Alumnus James Sylvester Braxton receiving an honorary degree from Stevens. Photo Courtesy of The Stevens Library
Randolph Montrose Smith seated in the third row with graduating class of 1924 in front of the EAS Building. Photo Courtesy of The Stevens Library
Perspectives
Cris Collado by MARK KRUPINSKI Business Manager
“I genuinely just love that people can enjoy themselves and have a great time and engage with their peers, faculty, administrators,” said Cris Collado on leading the Founder’s Day Ball Committee for his third and last time. Cris Collado is a fifth-year student who has a resume of roles held on campus including Resident Assistant, Student Government Association Senator, President of Gear & Triangle, President of Rho Alpha Sigma, Founder’s Day Ball Chair, and multiple leadership roles within Sigma Phi Epsilon. From his roles on campus, he hopes that he made a long-term impact by challenging people to think that “leadership is because they care [about something]” and imparting his wisdom on future student leaders. From his freshman year, Collado looked up to student leaders on campus and admired them. He stated this as a reason why he joined Sigma Phi Epsilon. “I befriended [these leaders] before I knew they were in SigEp,” said Collado. “Once they revealed themselves to be SigEp, I thought, oh this is cool, there’s a lot of campus leaders in one place.” Being in a fraternity helped him develop himself as a leader: “Even though we all gravitated toward the same place, we’re all different people. We knew in our fraternity, we all have to understand the different interests of your group and what they need and what is missing.” He cited that in his fraternity, face-to-face interactions and learning from
different people helped him develop himself and helped him understand relationships. Collado attended two national Sigma Phi Epsilon events that furthered his development. After his sophomore year, Collado attended the Ruck Leadership Institute. At Ruck, he learned the principles of being an effective leader: “All of these ideals further endorsed and made me self-assured in my leadership style,” he said. “I think getting that very official session and [being told] this is effective leadership was cool. I think this came at the perfect time.” He also stated that it reassured him that he could be an effective leader on campus. “That was like, insane,” said Collado regarding his second national event, Tragos Quest for Greece, which he participated in last Summer. Only 16 Sigma Phi Epsilon brothers participate in Tragos Quest each year. “When you get [selected], it’s a really big deal,” said Collado. “I think what Tragos did, it gave me a more introspective look at myself. I think a lot of times leaders are externally based; there’s talking to people, organizing events, this and that, but this trip made me take a step back and just understand how I navigate the world and I how I navigate my relationships and things I do and why I do them. It kind of got to the root reason of why I do the things I do. It was a cool exploratory experience for me.” As a leader, Collado appreciates the ability to make an impact on individual stu-
dents’ lives. As an RA, he noted that “it’s a really unique experience because you’re heavily looked up to by your residents.” He also wants to help his residents: “For me it comes down to how am I helping students and how can I help them form and be a better version of themselves,” said Collado. On a larger scale, he also enjoyed making an impact by chairing the Founder’s Day Ball Committee. “I’m so happy I did it,” said Collado. “I love that I can provide an event where tickets are sold out in a matter of five minutes and is highly anticipated on campus.” He enjoyed creating an environment in which people could enjoy themselves while interacting with their peers, faculty, and administrators. He also cited Founder’s Day Ball as an event that helped him develop his leadership abilities: “It’s definitely tested me a lot, but all for the better,” said Collado. Each year that he ran Founder’s Day Ball, the committee grew. “Things that I did the year before that I did alone, I was now tasking to other people, which made me have to change my leadership style [to incorporate] more teamwork-based operations.” He noted that he mentions Founder’s Day Ball on job interviews due to its largescale size. “It’s super impressive if you think about how something so big and so popular has remained such a tradition of the past 10 years,” said Collado. Now, in his final semester at Stevens, Collado aims to guide younger student leaders in the future: “For me, it’s
not so much about managing and micromanaging about what they’re doing. [Instead, it’s] almost whispering in their ear to a certain degree. Like this is really cool, what you’re doing here is awesome, here’s some feedback I have,” said Collado. He said he wants to ensure that student leaders put forth ideas that are their own, and have older leaders serve as mentors. He cited Gear & Triangle as a resource. While Gear & Triangle President, Collado helped solidify the Dean’s Activities List and the associated mentorship program. “We have the mentorship program that we started and made more official during my presidency.” As President, he aimed to solidify Gear & Triangle as an organization to aid in personal development: “I think a lot of people here are very career-focused and driven to just do their school work, academia, get some jobs, graduate, and move forward, but I don’t think there’s a huge focus on character development.” As a Stevens student, he notes that support for student activities here is “underdeveloped,” which is a challenge for student leaders: “I think that it’s a good thing but also a bad thing,” said Collado.“There’s a lot of room for new ideas and growth and change, [but] it’s also hard to have a lot of structure for student leaders to follow.” He states that due to a lack of structure, it can sometimes be difficult to determine where to start to make an impact at Stevens. “I think there’s a lot of room for tackling for big problems,
Photo Courtesy of Cris Collado
and I think it’s hard to figure it out and find the vehicles to get that chance,” he stated. One potential vehicle he mentioned is the Student Government Association. He notes that Student Government Association officials should remind themselves that “they’re the representatives of the student body and [should] not just [be influenced by] personal motivations and interests.” He added, “I think that’ll help the SGA and the way people perceive them. If they want to be that voice, then I think it has infinite potential to be a really cool think tank for a lot of people.” Generally, he reminded student leaders not to be leaders for recognition. “There should be a driving force that leaders feel compelled aside [from] recognition,” said Collado. However, he did note that recognition creates excitement for student leaders and inspires people: “When we look at leaders outside of
Stevens, people who we all look up to — and we feel inspired. [Like], wow, they’re awesome, I want to do what they’re doing.” Collado noted that as a university, the school is shifting towards student-centricity, but that change isn’t going to happen overnight: “Is it going to happen in one day? Absolutely not,” said Collado. “There needs to be a huge overhaul; we have to grow a lot more in a lot of aspects.” He wants to remind upper administration to always take into account student feedback: “Students are at the foundation of the school. I think always involving students for any decision making for your university is key.” Perspectives is an interview series with student leaders from the Stevens Community. The opinions published here are those of the individual interviewed and are not representative of The Stute or any of its writers.
Features
Friday, March 1, 2019 • Page 4
Founder’s Day Ball by Maryia Spirydonava
On February 22, 2019, at the Liberty Science Center, Stevens students celebrated the 10th Annual Founder’s Day Ball. An accumulation of work from multiple organizations, Founder’s Day Ball was hosted by the Office of Student Life and the Division of Student Affairs, funded by the Student Government Association, and organized by the Founder’s Day Ball Committee, with assistance from the Entertainment Committee. Founder’s Day Ball began as a small, complimentary event for the 140th anniversary of Stevens. The event began as a cocktail hour with about 150 to 200 attendees in what is now known as Bissinger, before it gained momentum over the years. From Bissinger to the Liberty Science Center, the 10th Annual Founder’s Day Ball welcomed 550 guests. Guests were able to mingle at cocktail hour, and then once all the guests settled in their seats, Cris Collado, the Chair of the Founder’s Day Ball Committee, gave a toast to the 10th annual ball, ending with all the guests drinking a toast of sparkling apple cider from the Founder’s Day champagne flutes. The rest of the night consisted of lots of dancing and lots of photos.
Clockwise: Student Government Association, Cris Collado giving speech as Chair of Founder’s Day committee, Students posing while eating a meal, Students entering the Liberty Science Center, Students in Astronaut cutouts, Brothers of Sigma Phi Epsilon, Resident Assistants of Stevens Leased Housing.
Features
Friday, March 1, 2019 • Page 5
Clockwise: Cocktail hour, Sisters of Theta Phi Alpha Sorority, Students enjoying a drink before dinner, Group shot of The Stute, Students enjoying dinner at the Ball, Students excited for the night, Band performing at Founder’s Day Ball, the Dance floor ready for students to arrive.
Photos courtesy of J-Chung Photography on Facebook
Campus Pulse
Friday, March 1, 2019 • Page 6
Roving Reporter Where do you get your coffee?
“I don’t drink coffee.”
John Hartofilis
“If I have money, I go Starbucks. If I have a moderate amount of money I go to Dunkin. If I don’t have money I go to Pierce.”
Mitko Bozinov
“Bwè.”
Parker Petty
“Red and Gray.”
“I work in the School of Business, they have coffee there.”
“I don’t drink coffee.”
Tegh Johar
Aprajita Seth
Nina Ioanis
Strips SGA Slack Shenanigans
Sudoku
Instagram Insights
Opinion
Friday, March 1, 2019 • Page 7
Passion for Fashion
The Space Race in Fashion
by DANIEL KANG Sophomore Biomedical Engineering Major
It hasn’t been long since the trend of dad shoes (clunky models) passed the mantle to hiking shoes, which are bulkier shoes that also look like they belong right on a hiking trail. This trend seems to be a consequence of a desire for more utilitarian options rather than just looking stylish. All the shoes listed below are designed to withstand the elements and whatever else Mother Nature throws at you. Designers this year have pulled out all the stops and their reimagination of hiking shoes as everyday casual sneakers will likely dominate 2019. As the brand that launched the chunky Triple S, Balenciaga fittingly started a new trend last year with its Track Trainer at a retail of $850. The Track Trainer was first revealed at its F/W 2018 presentation in Paris last year. The nine-piece molded sole, double laces, and layers of overlays that take inspiration from performance sports gear pad your feet and give them a boost while walking. All eyes were on the
functional shoes from Demna Gvasalia, and he delivered on another cult favorite that combined athletic and high fashion elements. Only time will tell if these sneakers will be as popular as the Triple S Sneakers and Speed Sneakers. Off-White is gearing up for its own hiking shoes as well. At its F/W 2019 show during Paris Fashion Week, Virgil Abloh revealed the new shoes called the ODYS-1000. The completely original silhouette features a partially translucent upper, large sewn Off-White arrow, vividly colored laces, and a thick, rippled sole. This in-house sneaker was shown in a variety of colorways but it looks like the label is just getting started with more details on the way. Of course, Abloh is no stranger to tackling trends head-on and shaking up the world of footwear as he already released Off-White Jogger Sneakers with a Vibram sole last year. As his Nike collaboration winds down and creative role at Louis Vuitton heats up, it will be exciting to see where Off-White heads. UNDERCOVER’s Jun Takahashi showcased a collaborative Nike React Element/ACG Hybrid boot at its Paris Fashion Week F/W 2019 show along with bright colorways of the Nike Air Max 720. The React Element boot incorporates the lightweight and water-resistant upper of Nike ACG (All Conditions Gear) while keeping the breakthrough React Element sole. More details will be forthcoming but the Japanese brand has been killing it with its remixes of Nike silhouettes in-
Balenciaga Track Trainiers, Eddie/Lee Hypebeast cluding the React Element 87, the Daybreak (essentially an updated Nike Tailwind), and the Gyakusou Vaporfly 4% Flyknit. Matthew Williams of 1017 ALYX 9SM revealed an oxford with a removable Vibram sole at his FW19 Paris Fashion Week show, similar to his allblack technical runner with a removable Vibram sole featuring ALYX embroidery. It has also collaborated with technical hiking brand ROA multiple times in the past on hiking boots with Vibram soles. At the FW19 show, ALYX also reworked several of ROA’s Oblique hiking boot models with smooth leather uppers and rubber toecaps. The mountain footwear models seem to be a great option for switching out between being formal and informal. Heron Preston’s new shoe does not have a name yet but the Vibram sole sets it apart from
Gio Rocks!
Doors of Howe The latest punishment for violating the Stevens Honor System has been doled out: a student, Jeremy Wilkerson, has been sentenced to opening the notoriously heavy leftmost front door of Howe. Doesn’t sound so bad? Well, here’s the catch: the door closes whenever the Wilkerson opens it. And then he has to reopen it. Many students have decried this punishment as not only cruel but unconstitutional, citing the 13th Amendment, which banned hard labor. When asked for his opinion, the president of the Honor Board said, “It’s just a door. How hard could it be to open?” After polling over 100 students, this correspondent found that students, on average, report that they somewhere between agree and strongly agree (slightly leaning towards strongly agree) with the following statement: “the doors of Howe are heavy.” One student who asked that we keep his identity private called the doors “really heavy.” This task, by all appearances, takes a Herculean feat of strength. Defending herself against claims that Honor Board members are “mercurial tyrants,” Sarah Hong, an Honor Board representative for the class of 2020, said, “I don’t know. I always thought of myself more as an Athena
type of girl. Maybe Aphrodite on a good day. I prefer the Greek canon, anyway.” Wilkerson admitted that he thought that he “kinda deserved [the punishment]” which was slated to last “for all eternity, I think.” He received the punishment for getting caught sharing a Chegg account with two friends. Wilkerson was offered a plea deal on the condition that he reveal the identity of his account-mates, but he refused. His honor, ironically, has since been lauded by students and faculty alike, and even President Favardin reported that he was proud for finally having a student who was “not no snitch.” Wilkerson said that it “sucks” whenever the door closes, and that now he “understand[s] how Syphilis [sic] felt” whenever he (the mythical figure, not Wilkerson) watched his boulder fall back down the hill. “That’s what I get for flying too close to the sun,” he said, heaving the door open for the 818th time that day. Officer Bryant, the campus police officer stationed in the lobby of Howe, reported that while he was happy that Wilkerson was learning his lesson, he was also upset because the student was completely disregarding the “Please Use Revolving / Doors To Maintain / Lobby Temperature” sign.
or a criss-crossing grid pattern featuring the JW Anderson logo. This bigger, bolder version boasts contrasting proportions and hardy tread bottoms, which goes to show that Anderson found a way to tap into the current zeitgeist without compromising the timeless look of the Converse Chuck 70. Even Tyler the Creator is hopping on the new wave. For Golf Wang F/W 2018, he teased a bulky trail shoe that looks nothing like his other GOLF Le FLEUR* collaborations with the Converse One Star and Converse Chuck 70. The sneakers have still not released so expect more details soon. Tyler was also seen wearing a pair of formal leather shoes with subtle GOLF Le FLEUR* branding on the tongue so this could mean he is branching out with shoes produced in-house. Brain Dead, the global cre-
Stars of Stevens
Off the Press
by OFF CENTER
his Nike Huarache E.D.G.E. and UGG collaborations. On the preview shared through his Instagram, the designer solicited potential names. The indigo colorway, patterned laces, and Cyrillic writing on the heel indicate a new era for Preston. His debut sneaker was also spotted in a striking yellow and black colorway at his Paris Fashion Week F/W 2019 show. The latest JW Anderson and Converse collaboration is much chunkier than its previous iterations. Officially called the Converse x JW Anderson Run Star Hike, the lace-up fastening and platform rubber sole made it the highlight of Anderson’s Spring/Summer 2019 presentation in London last September. This marks JW Anderson’s fourth distinct offering of its ongoing Converse collaboration; his other versions came with felt, glitter,
ative collective hailing from California, revealed a new hiking shoe in collaboration with ROA as well. Brain Dead’s take on the Oblique sneakers also looks completely different from their Converse and Vans collaborations. The yellow laces and yellow pull tab are eye-catching in addition to the Brain Dead logo on the side of the heel panel. The Vibram sole sports a winter camouflage pattern. Even Supreme jumped into the hiking-inspired trend two years ago with its release of the Nike Air Humara ‘17, a forgotten trail runner that was brought back for the F/W 2017 season. There were four different colorways with neon uppers and 3M paneling. In hindsight, I still do not like them but Supreme always likes to recognize the lesser-known silhouettes from Nike’s catalog each season. In the midst of hiking shoes take over, you will start to notice technical details such as gores, rubber soles, and supportive silhouettes more often. Brands like Salomon, Ami, Merrell, and Saucony with an authentic heritage of hiking and action sports are just starting to attract well-deserved attention and gain notice from fashion insiders. Look forward to more entries by legacy hiking brands into the foray of fashion. By all measures, it should be a boon for everyone involved since this does not seem like a trend that will go away soon. Although it is unlikely you will wear these shoes in actual athletic pursuits, you can still balance your winter outfit with hiking shoes and be ready for any terrain.
by MIA HILDEBRANDT Senior Civil Engineering Major
Giovanni (Gio) Koleshnick is a fourth-year Civil Engineering major from Freehold, NJ. He can be described as a spider, in the sense that he is an adept rock climber. In addition to being the Stevens Climbing Team founder, he is also involved in the Climbing and Mountaineering (CAM) Club and is a brother of Sigma Phi Epsilon. His hobbies include rock climbing (of course), hiking, swimming, camping, and traveling. After his first outdoor trip to the Red River Gorge, Gio feel in love with climbing. Climbing indoors at the gym was fun, but it wasn’t until he climbed outdoors that he finally got hooked on the sport. Rock climbing has tied into his love of traveling and has allowed him to visit a number of places in nature. One of his most recent climbing trips was in Spain. He recounts that he would be out 8 hours per day and climb a few hundred meters of challenging routes. “It was fun being abroad and out of my comfort zone, and I was
able to climb different styles and rock[s] than anywhere I have been in the states.” Other places Gio has climbed include Joshua Tree (CA), Red River Gorge (KY), New River Gorge (WV), Romney (NH), Red Rock Canyon (NV), as well as Siurana and Montserrat in Spain. One may think that rock climbing is a risky sport. Gio explains that “Rock-climbing can be dangerous if you don’t give it the respect it deserves. There is a lot that can go wrong, but the risk can be mitigated if you learn about the safety aspects beforehand.” He adds, “As far as injuries, rock climbing is a lot less injury-prone [compared to] many other competitive sports. It is a lot less dangerous than it seems if you’re only slightly reckless.” In terms of competitions, Gio has competed in a few Tristate Bouldering Series and has competed in a collegiate bouldering competition. Recently, Gio has been competing in the advanced brackets in college competitions, and he is looking forward to competing more this semester. “There should be plenty this semester for me to push myself to improve for.” Only a few months away from graduation, Gio hopes to pursue project management and become a resident engineer and work on large-scale infrastructure projects later in life. He adds that it would also be nice to be able to have the work flexibility to do the things he loves, especially traveling. “Hopefully, I can find a
good excuse to visit every continent at some point and climb around the world. Anywhere you go to will have a substantially different feeling than somewhere else in the world. Besides that, I want to get my PE in around five years or less and work toward my professional life.” For those interested, getting started as a new climber does not require a large investment. One can easily try rock climbing through the Stevens CAM club on campus. Gio says, “Once you start climbing consistently, you’ll have to pay a little more. I’d say it isn’t that costly since getting a pair of shoes that’ll last you a year and then getting outdoors/to a gym isn’t too much of a burden. The most significant cost is the gym
memberships if you stick to indoor climbing.” Climbing is a beautiful sport. If you get the chance, check out “Free Solo,” which is this year’s Oscar-winning documentary featuring Alex Honnold, who achieves his lifelong dream of scaling El Capitan in Yosemite without a rope. The sense of passion and impeccable technique of climbing is incredible and inspirational. For those interested, there are Stevens CAM trips on alternating Tuesdays and Wednesdays, as well as Fridays around 5 p.m. The club team practices are on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 6 p.m. onwards. If people are interested in the team, they can reach out Gio at gkoleshn@stevens.edu or Adam Testa at atesta@stevens.edu.
Gio Koleshnick | Photo Courtesy of Mia Hildebrant
Opinion
Friday, March 1, 2019 • Page 8
The Stute Editorial
On my morning commute, while listening to my latest obsession “My Favorite Murder” podcast, I heard about the very interesting concept of liminal space. In the podcast, it was used to discuss how changing up your routine can help get the creative juices flowing. To me, this sounded simple, and like something I’ve heard about before, yet the way it was being discussed made me curious about the concept. So I did some research on it. Think of a time as a straight line. On the left you have the
past, on the right you have the future, and in the center is the present. The past has already happened and cannot be changed. The future, on the other hand, hasn’t happened yet. The only place that change can occur is the present. Sound simple right? “Maryia, this is so obvious, why are you telling me this?” you’re probably thinking. Well, I’ll tell you. We live our lives on autopilot, a series of habits and routines. We don’t really think about what we are doing daily. We go to class, do home-
The in-between
work, go to sleep, repeat. Or we wake up, go to work, come back to work, eat, sleep, repeat. I bet you could probably guess what you’re doing tomorrow pretty accurately, because you probably did the same thing last week. Now what if we turn off our autopilot mode? What if we switched up our routine a little bit? For example, taking a different path to work/class. Or going to a different coffee shop. Since you are walking a different path or have new surroundings, you are more likely to pay attention to what is go-
ing on around you. Author of Liminal Thinking, Dave Gray, says, “You don’t have to know what happens when you shut off autopilot. Just shut it off, see what happens.” Bring yourself back to them moment. That is the whole point! Stop worrying about the past and obsessing over the future, because you can’t change either. Any real change can come from the moments in-between; the moments we have control over. Turn off the autopilot. Focus on the present. Do something different. See what happens.
Autopilot is like being on a path, who know what would happen when you step off the path. Liminal space is the time between the ‘what was’ and the ‘next.’ It is a threshold or a doorway. Instead of focusing on which door you want to walk through, just randomly pick a doorway. See what happens. Life is so unpredictable, focusing on the current moment can lead to something new. You might be inspired to start writing again. You might find a new career path. Or you might simply find a new favor-
ite coffee shop. Le’ts stop obsessing over the “what ifs” and the “could be.” Instead honor the space between no longer and not yet. Personally, I’m gonna take a different way to work tomorrow.
sure, is true. But it goes a bit beyond that. If we are able to so clearly delineate what it is we do and don’t want in our relationships, how much time we’re willing to spend, what we’re willing to give up to get it — well, we should be able to extend the same to our friendships, too. And we should treasure them all the same, for as long as we have them. Because not all things are meant to last forever. Not all things can. At the end of the day, we’re all looking to connect with each other. To crack a smile, make someone laugh, pass some time. The rise of social media and the digital age has left humans more connected, and yet, somehow, just as fundamentally lonely as ever before. We only serve to make ourselves lonelier still if we let ourselves think that romantic love trumps all other kinds. A great piece of advice I read
the other day, one that struck me in its simplicity: treat your friends like your lovers. Treat them with the same respect and priority and joy. Their presence in your life should be just as wonderful and giddy a love affair as the one you have with whoever you’re seeing. At the same time, we should also be allowed to view them with as careful an eye as we do our romantic relationships. To enjoy them while they last, and then let them end when the time is right. Or, conversely, to reconnect with those we’ve let pass us by, before they’re lost forever. There’s a whole universe of emotion to be found in friendships alone. Who’s to say that leaves you any less fulfilled than finding “the one”? Make time for your friends, not just your lovers. Be honest. Be true. And, of course — don’t be afraid to fall a little bit in love, too.
Maryia Spirydonava Editor-in-Chief
Senioritis
by NAMANKITA RANA Senior Engineering Management Major
Two days ago, a girlfriend I’ve known since freshman year left our small, shared group chat. There wasn’t any warning, per se. No dramatic build up, no screaming match of sorts. As far as ending friendships go, it was a fairly clean break. Practically painless, really. One day ago, a close friend of mine broke up with her boyfriend of over two years. Not her first, but her second breakup,
with a boy she’d made plans to move in with, maybe even marry one day. She’d joked not long ago that I’d be her bridesmaid at their wedding — and then, just like that, it was over. Of the two events — can you guess which one took priority in my brain? I spoke to my friend about what happened with her (nowex) boyfriend, skipping any sort of critical evaluation about what happened with my old friend. Didn’t think about it twice. But what was left unsaid was this: the end of a friendship can be every bit as devastating as a breakup with a romantic partner. Even if the end wasn’t a fiery explosion so much as simply fading into the background. Honestly? I hardly noticed it happen until it was over. Now, though, I think I should’ve paid more attention. And I wish I didn’t feel quite so callous say-
Friends and Lovers ing that. I don’t think I’m alone in this sentiment, though. In prioritizing affairs involving romantic love over the very real, sticky issues of friendship. There’s a seemingly universal obsession with the intricacies of romance, and rightfully so. Romantic love evokes powerful feelings — hope and hatred, longing and desperation. It pushes us to do things we’d never do otherwise. It brings out the very finest, rawest of human emotions, fuels the stuff of legends and myths as well as our everyday reality. Love stories are as old as humanity. Our fascination with them is unceasing. And yet. Somehow. For all our obsession with love, friendships often get tossed to the side. They’re viewed as lesser, expendable in a sense. After all, in the throes of a new romance, it’s
seen as perfectly normal, acceptable, even, to let old friends fade into the background. They’ll still be there, we reassure ourselves, if things don’t work out. Except they aren’t always still there. And when we come up missing, when old friends are suddenly gone, we simply cut our losses and move on. Friendships are seen as something to pass the time, but finding romantic love? That’s the end-all. The final goal, the ultimate measure of if you’ve truly succeeded in the grand scheme of things. Frankly, though, I think that’s the wrong approach. I think friendship and romance are two sides of the same coin. They’re not quite as different as we’ve all convinced ourselves they are. The lines between emotional intimacy and physical attraction get blurred all the time. That, for
Scientific Curmudgeon
The case for soaking the rich
by JOHN HORGAN CAL Professor
Can you be too rich? I think so, and so does newly-elected Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. “I’m not saying that Bill Gates or Warren Buffet are immoral,” she said recently, “but a system that allows billionaires to exist when there are parts of Alabama where people are still getting ringworm because they don’t have access to public health is wrong.” Many experts agree that inequality has gotten out of hand. According to a report from anti-poverty organization Oxfam, maximum tax rates in the richest countries have fallen from 62% to 38% over the last half-century, and inequality has surged. The number of billionaires has doubled over the past decade to 2,208. The collective
wealth of the 26 richest people now equals that of the 3.8 billion poorest, whose total wealth fell last year by 11%. In short, the rich are getting richer and the poor, at least lately, poorer. Ocasio-Cortez has proposed raising the federal tax rate for ultra-wealthy Americans to 70%, almost double the current maximum federal tax on income. The so-called marginal tax would apply to annual income above $10 million. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders have urged similar tax increases. Paul Krugman, a Nobel laureate in economics, agrees on the need for such taxes. The 70% tax proposal of Ocasio-Cortez, he writes in his New York Times column, is based on research by economist Peter Diamond, a Nobel laureate, and Christina Romer, former chair of President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers. Their analyses, Krugman explains, are based on “the common-sense notion that an extra dollar is worth a lot less in satisfaction to people with very high incomes than to those with low incomes.” This is the reasoning behind progressive tax rates, which rise along with income. Raising tax rates too high might discourage high achievers
from being more productive, resulting in a net loss of tax revenue. Balancing these factors, Diamond and Romer recommend maximum marginal tax rates of 73% and 80%, respectively. Krugman rejects the claim that high taxes hurt the economy. Maximum tax rates reached 90% in the late 1950s, and they remained at 70% as recently as the early 1980s before plummeting during the Reagan administration. The U.S. economy “did just fine” during these periods, Krugman says. “Since then tax rates have come way down, and if anything the economy has done less well.” Another Nobel-winning economist, Joseph Stiglitz, argues that inequality is socially corrosive. In “A Rigged Economy,” published in Scientific American in November, Stiglitz notes that “economies with greater equality perform better, with higher growth, better average standards of living and greater stability. Inequality in the extremes observed in the U.S. and in the manner generated there actually damages the economy.” Rising inequality leads to a “vicious spiral,” Stiglitz contends, that subverts democracy. Economic inequality “translates into political in-
equality, which leads to rules that favor the wealthy, which in turn reinforces economic inequality.” Stiglitz recommends countering inequality with campaign-finance reform, cheaper education and, yes, higher taxes on the rich. I appreciate capitalism. Over the last few centuries free-market forces have helped humanity escape millennia of crushing poverty, ignorance, and early death. To help my students appreciate humanity’s progress, I show them charts, compiled by economist Max Roser, that track the surge in humanity’s health and wealth. But as anthropologist Jason Hickel points out, more than half of humanity still lives on $7.40/day or less, barely adequate for a decent life. The persistence of such poverty in our “fabulously rich” world is “obscene,” Hickel says. Neither I nor any of the critics I’ve cited wants capitalism abolished. We simply want the wealthiest to give more back to the system that enriched them. 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 “Cross-check.”
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Opinion
Friday, March 1, 2019 • Page 9
Spoiler Alert
The 91st Academy Awards
by KOBY GARCIA Senior Visual Arts and Technology Major
The 91st Academy Awards happened on Sunday, February 24, and, much like last year, I’d like to use this week’s Spoiler Alert entry to review the results of the films that were nominated that I had previously written about! Roma walked away with a total of three Oscars (Director, Cinematography, and Foreign Language Film) out of its 10 total nominations. Although it was my personal pick for Best Picture, you can imagine I was quite happy with these results; however, like I’ve mentioned in pre-
vious Spoiler Alert entries, I was already happy with the amount of recognition that the film was getting. Black Panther also walked away with three Oscars (Original Score, Costume Design, and Production Design) out of its seven nominations (one of which was Best Picture!). I’m not surprised that Black Panther wasn’t awarded more than these three; the Academy has not historically considered comic book-based films as “worthy,” which I vehemently disagree with. I’m elated that Black Panther received the nominations it did, especially Best Picture, and hopefully this is a sign of future recognition for superhero movies at the Oscars. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was the winner in all categories it was nominated in! Sure, it was only nominated in one category (Animated Feature), but much like my feelings towards Black Panther’s performance at the Oscars, I was thrilled to see one of my favorite movies of last year be recognized within a
strong group of nominees. While being nominated for four Oscars, First Man was only successful in one category (Visual Effects). While he was not the recipient of the Oscar, I was happy director Damien Chazelle’s third feature film was able to perform well at the Oscars like his other two films, which are my two favorite movies (Whiplash (2014) and La La Land (2016)). BlacKkKlansman was also only successful in one category; Adapted Screenplay. I did not even mention Oscar contention when writing about this movie in September, but I can’t say I’m surprised about the categories it was nominated for. Of its six nominations, however, I had expected BlacKkKlansman to win in the film editing category, which ended up going to Bohemian Rhapsody. Bohemian Rhapsody received the Oscar in four of the five categories it was nominated in. I was wholeheartedly anticipating Rami Malek’s win in the Lead Actor category, having written, “I wouldn’t
The academy awards figurines. Photo from thegoldknight.com
be surprised if we see Rami Malek’s name come up in February,” back in November. While I am not surprised with Bohemian Rhapsody’s win in Sound Editing and Sound Mixing, I am a bit perplexed with its win in Film Editing. Bradley Cooper’s A Star is Born took home one Oscar of eight total nominations. Despite having written about its impressive cinematography in my dedicated entry about the film, I had not seen Al-
Return of the Bern
Will Democrats ever find a viable candidate?
by ALEX MURTAGH Junior Civil Engineering Major
The race for the presidency and the Democratic nomination are quickly heating up. According to Politico, as of right now, there are currently 10 Democratic candidates who have launched exploratory committees or declared their candidacy. There are an additional 15 Democratic candidates who have not explicitly stated that they will or will not seek the nomination in 2020. And on top of all of that, there are still a number of other Democrats that the media isn’t paying any attention to that could be running. For now, let’s take a look at the 10 who have declared. And full disclosure, I don’t believe there is a single de-
on his exploratory committee website. Julian Castro’s most notable claim to fame was his position as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Although not a very flashy position, it is still critical to the president’s cabinet. Castro didn’t do much during his tenure, but he did manage to keep the organization running and advance some of HUD’s goals. He is most famous for violating the Hatch Act with his endorsement of then-candidate Hillary Clinton. Once again, there’s not much information about Castro’s stances on the issues, but from what little I can find, he falls in line with the typical progressive candidates we see today. John Delaney is a representative from Maryland’s 6th Congressional District. Once again, he is a fairly unnoticeable candidate because he has never held a high-ranking position or made a splash in the media. However, Delaney has done some important work in Congress relating to the establishment of the AI caucus. He appears to be more moderate
continued on thestute.com
ing too!). It even made me want to revisit the film and soundtrack, so I recommend taking a look at the performance if you have the chance. I can’t say I’m as satisfied with this year’s films and winners as I was with last year’s, but 2018 did bring a plethora of movies that weren’t included in the Oscars but which I’ll still be talking about for awhile; Sorry to Bother You, Eighth Grade, and Bad Times at the El Royale.
Campus Liberal
Campus Conservative
clared candidate that I like. First up is the junior senator from New Jersey, Cory Booker. The first thing that comes to mind when I think of Booker is his botched “Spartacus” moment during the Kavanaugh hearings. Booker is one of the most liberal people in the entire Senate based on the bills he has proposed and sponsored, as well as many of the ideas he campaigns on, like single-payer healthcare. To my understanding, he has become more of an anti-Trump politician rather than an advocate for the people of New Jersey and Democrats in general. Next is Pete Buttigieg. This is the first time I’ve ever even heard of Buttigieg, which certainly doesn’t help his chances. He currently serves as the Mayor of South Bend, Indiana, but before that, he served in the United States Navy and toured in Afghanistan during his service. If elected, Buttigieg would be the first openly gay president, and he would become the youngest president to serve. Honestly, the little information I could find about his two terms as mayor seems great, but I can’t really form much of an opinion on him because there is no information
fonso Cuarón’s Roma just yet. While I would have liked to have seen A Star is Born receive a couple more Oscars, I am satisfied with its win in the Original Song category for “Shallow” (written by Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando, Andrew Wyatt, and Benjamin Rice). Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga’s performance of the song at the award show was incredibly enjoyable to watch (the camera work was amaz-
by JOSEPH DOLAN Freshman Cybersecurity Major
Democratic Primary 2020: Return of the Bern Alright folks, a quick preface: In the interest of keeping this column sub two thousand words, I will be doing a limited breakdown of each candidate. If I misstate your favorite candidate’s positions, or offer an ungenerous breakdown of a town hall answer, then I am deeply sorry. Alas, I am a human being with his own opinions and biases, and cannot monolithically offer a breakdown of the candidates that everyone agrees with. The 2020 Democratic Primary is in full swing. Eleven candidates that I would call “major” have announced their
candidacy (yes, I’m throwing Schultz in with the Democrats). Presumably, Beto O’Rourke and Joe Biden will also throw their hats into the ring in the next few months. O’Rourke seems to be a done deal, while Biden may still decide not to run. I’ve been trying my best to research each candidate and get an idea of who I would support as the 2020 Democratic nominee. I ranked the 11 candidates based on a variety of factors: Who I think has the most momentum, who I think would make the best nominee against Trump, who I think will realistically gain enough delegates to become the nominee, and more. Bernie Sanders – For 2020, Bernie is my guy. I was apolitical and apathetic before 2016, but I was almost immediately enraptured by him. The more I learned, the more I fell in love. When Bernie was the mayor of Burlington, VT, he would issue Anti-Imperialist proclamations, and once wrote a letter to Margaret Thatcher complaining about her treatment of the Irish! Who does that? Bernie does. Videos of him openly standing up for LGBT members of the American military in the ’90s. Who does that? Bernie does. We’ve all seen the picture of him getting arrested at a civil rights march. Senator Sanders has been stand-
ing up for the most vulnerable among us as long as he has been in politics. The mantra that no American should be bankrupted by their medical payment, student loans, or lack of a living wage has been consistent throughout his entire career. On the first day of his campaign, he raised four times the amount of money that Kamala Harris did on her first day, with an average donation of $27. The base is still there, and Bernie is in the exact opposite position that he was in 2016. Now Bernie is the frontrunner, and it’s his race to lose. He has a diverse, incredibly competent campaign staff ready to bring him to the nomination. I truly believe that he can take the fight to Trump, and win. Elizabeth Warren – If something causes Bernie to drop out of the race between now and the 2020 Democratic National Convention (DNC), Elizabeth Warren is absolutely my pick. She has the best politics out of anyone else currently running not named Bernie Sanders. She has a distinguished history of fighting for progressive reform, and in some cases her record is even more substantial than Bernie’s. However, I have a pretty major problem with her
continued on thestute.com
Put Your Records On
When the cramming begins, let Spotify take over
by CHRISTIAN BONAVITA Sophomore Chemical Engineering Major
I did exactly one thing last weekend: study for my first Chemical Engineering Ther-
modynamics quiz. On Saturday, after five weeks of internally panicking, I very quickly began externally panicking, which was then followed by 36 hours of learning what I probably should’ve been keeping up with throughout the weeks prior to the quiz. And, while I was cooped up at my desk, I was very aware of my roommates baking, having friends over, and being altogether less stressed than I was. Thankfully, with my headphones on and music playing, it didn’t seem like I was missing out as much. Weekends like this occur quite infrequently, but they
certainly aren’t unfamiliar to me as a student at Stevens. They always begin the same way: since I’m typically a very calm person, I vastly overestimate my knowledge of the approaching quiz’s subject matter. Next, as I realize I have made this terrible overestimation, something happens in my brain that can only be explained by referencing SpongeBob — my brain feels like it’s on fire, and all its files are being burned to a crisp as I regret watching every episode of The Other Two I’ve binged in the last few weeks. And then, the cram begins — hours and hours of textbooks,
lecture slides, and formula sheets. Additionally, when cramming chemistry into my brain, there’s always an element on the table (pun partially intended — I’m so sorry) that infallibly helps me focus and brush aside my anxieties, and that element is music. I listened to about 20 albums last weekend, which included everything from Weezer (The White Album) to Broadway’s The Great Comet soundtrack. And, for this week’s column, due to the general lack of exciting new pop music, I’d like to thank the Gods of Spotify and my favorite musical artists for keeping me sane last
weekend while I pulled my all thermo braincells together, and I would like to challenge you to find music that works for you to reduce stress when those exam dates approach. The myth that listening to Mozart or Beethoven while studying can help students better retain information or expands the brain at all has been proven and debunked dozens of times — just google the issue and you’ll see a number of contrasting headlines on the very first page. Ask your friends and you’ll hear the same contentious discourse — some people can’t listen to music without get-
ting distracted, some listen to music to avoid getting distracted, and even others are more particular. I consider myself lucky to be less particular about the music I’m listening to while I’m studying — it can be something new or something I’ve heard a million times. It can be a movie soundtrack or thank u, next. Although it might seem uncomfortable at first to all the particular people, I want you to try to expand your musical boundaries in your next study session — listen to a completely new genre and see if you like the vibe. I’ll be doing the same.
Sports
Friday, March 1, 2019 • Page 10
Zanki Qualifies for NCAAs in Two Events
ON DECK IN SPORTS
Friday MEN’S TRACK AND FIELD VS AARTFC Indoor Championships AllAtlantic Region Championship 11 a.m. Ithaca, NY
SSI - Stevens Institute of Technology men’s swimming junior Tyler Zanki will race for a national championship in the 100 and 200yard breaststroke at the NCAA Division III Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships, as announced by the NCAA Division III Men’s and Wom-
en’s Swimming and Diving Committee Wednesday evening. The championships will be held March 20-23 at the Greensboro Aquatic Center in Greensboro, North Carolina. The event will be co-hosted by the Old Dominion Athletic Conference and the Greensboro Aquatic Cen-
ter. A total of 579 participants (526 swimmers and 53 divers) will compete in the championships. “Congratulations to Tyler on being invited to NCAAs! We are proud to have him represent our program and Stevens on the national stage,” exclaimed head men’s and women’s swim-
ming coach Paul Hughes. “This is a culmination of a ton of hard work on Tyler’s part and we look forward to him continuing to compete at a high level in a couple weeks!” Zanki posted both of his qualifying times at this past weekend’s Empire 8 Conference Championships, where
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he was named Male Swimmer of the Meet. During the four-day meet, the Wyckoff, New Jersey native registered personal-bests in both the 100 and 200-yard breaststrokes with times of 55.17 and 2:00.43, respectively. Both of his times rank in the top-10 nationally.Friday, Feb. 22.
Yang and Drobish Set New Program Record as Women’s Fencing Sweeps at FDU Invite SSI - The Stevens Institute of Technology women’s fencing team swept all opponents to tie the program’s record for most wins in a single season at the Fairleigh Dickinson University Invitational Sunday afternoon. The Ducks defeated Tufts University (22-5), Lafayette College (21-3), The City College of New York (24-3), Long Island University-Post (24-3), Fairleigh Dickinson University (22-5) and New York University (17-10) to improve to 32-6 on the year. Seniors Julia Yang and Michelle Drobish each broke the program’s record for most sabre wins in a single season, as they both finished the day with 86 wins. The record (previously set at 80 wins) was snapped by the seniors during their match against LIU-Post. Additionally, junior Teny Odaimi captured her 100th career win at epee to cap of an ex-
citing meet for the Ducks. Epee The epee squad went undefeated on the day, including sweeps over CCNY and NYU. Senior Amanda Choy only dropped one bout to lead epee fencers with a 16-1 record. Odaimi finished 15-3 on her way to her 100th victory. Senior Julie McEldoon registered a 14-2 finish. Freshman Christine Chan tallied two wins at epee for Stevens. Foil The foil squad went 5-1, only dropping one meet to NYU. Freshman Kayleigh Kubit led with a record of 9-2, followed by classmate Sara Persau at 9-1. Juniors Nicole Strezewski and Allison Urban-Spillane each finished at 7-3. Junior Caitlin Uang ended the day at 4-1, followed by graduate student Rachel Rosa (3-3) and
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freshman Ashley Yu (1-1). Sabre The sabre squad also went undefeated at the invite while sweeping CCNY, LIU-Post and FDU. EWFC Sabre Fencer of the Year Kiera Barnes led with her
13-1 record. Yang and Drobish ended their record-breaking day at 12-2 and 11-3, respectively. Freshman Bayla Gellerstein went undefeated with a 4-0 record. Freshman Gabriela Onelli
registered a 3-1 record, while sophomore Kian Wissemann ended the day at 2-2. Up Next The Ducks will compete in the NIWFA Championships at Drew University on Saturday, March 2.
Stevens
Opponent/Event
Score
Result
2/22 2/22 2/22 2/22 2/22 2/22 2/22 2/23 2/23 2/23 2/23
Men's Swimming Women's Swimming Men's Track & Field Women's Track & Field Baseball Men's Basketball Women's Basketball Men's Swimming Women's Swimming Equestrian Men's Tennis Men's Track & Field
VS Empire 8 Championship VS Empire 8 Championship VS Empire 8 Championship VS Empire 8 Championship VS Salve Regina University VS Alfred University VS Empire 8 Championship VS Empire 8 Championship VS Empire 8 Championship VS Centenary University Show
687 570 74 74 1-7 57-80 52-72
1st 2nd 1st 1st L L L 1st
2/23 2/23 2/23 2/23 2/24 2/24 2/24 2/24 2/24 2/24 2/24
Women's Track & Field Wrestling Baseball Men's Lacrosse Men's Tennis Men's Fencing Men's Fencing Men's Fencing Women's Fencing Women's Fencing Women's Fencing Wrestling
Saturday WOMEN’S FENCING
VS TBA - NIWFA Championship 8 a.m. Madison, NJ
VS AARTFC Indoor Championships AllAtlantic Region Championship 10 a.m. Ithaca, NY
Date
2/23
VS AARTFC Indoor Championships AllAtlantic Region Championship 11 a.m. Ithaca, NY
MEN’S TRACK AND FIELD
Duck Country Scoreboard
2/23
WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD
VS University of Mary Washington VS Empire 8 Championship VS Empire 8 Championship VS NCAA Mideast Region Champ VS William Paterson Universtiy VS Endicott College VS Sewanee: University of the South VS University of Pennslyvania VS Princeton University VS Penn State University VS Fairleigh Dickinson University VS Lafayette College VS The City College of New York VS Day Two NCAA Mideast Region
993 863 N/A 1-8 172 159 66 3-10 17-6 2-7 11-16 7-20 4-23 22-5 21-3 24-3 108
2nd Complete L 1st 1st 3rd L W L L L L W W W 3rd
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WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD VS AARTFC Indoor Championships AllAtlantic Region Championship 10 a.m. Ithaca, NY
MEN’S TENNIS
VS Haverford College 12 p.m. College Township of Washington, NJ
BASEBALL
VS University of Massachusetts Boston 12 p.m. Boston, MA
MEN’S LACROSSE
@ Springfield College 1 p.m. Springfield, MA
FOR MORE INFORMATION, HEAD TO: STEVENSDUCKS.COM STEVENSREC.COM