[The Stute] November 9, 2018 (Issue 10, Volume CXVI)

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The Stute is the banana peppers of the Stevens community.

Volume CXVI Issue 10

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The Stute The official newspaper of Stevens Institute of Technology, and creator of the Stevens mascot, Atilla the Duck. The Stute Online Subscriptions You can get a PDF of The Stute sent to your email every Friday, free. Never miss a bit of news. Visit thestute.com/subscribe TheStute.com

Interview with Steve Forbes by JOANA FARDAD Staff Writer

Student Government Presidential candidates debate on Wednesday Night. | Photo by Sarah Bertussi for The Link

SGA Presidential candidates debate by JAKE MILLBURN Staff Writer

The SGA Presidential Debate occurred this past Wednesday, November 7. In the debate, the candidates for President and Vice President of Operations had the opportunity to answer some questions from the moderators, from a survey, and from the audience. This article aims to highlight some of the key differences between the tickets noted over the course of the debate, including primary goals and specific paths of development. The SGA President and VPO are perhaps two of the most influential offices a student can

hold here at Stevens. There is a recent tradition of transformative tickets in the office. Matt Hunt began the SGA’s transformation four years ago, followed by Thomas Daly, and continued to this day in the work of Lucas Gallo and Rami Kammourh. The bar for these new candidates to meet is high, that much is certainly clear. Opening Statements The first ticket is Jason Chlus for President and Ryan Tom for VPO. Their tagline is, “Creating better opportunities through accountability, efficiency, and communication within the administration, faculty, SGA, and student body.” Chlus emphasized in his opening statement the pressure

he and Tom intended to lay against the administration to improve the student experience rather than just focus on the school’s ranking. One initiative that they have is to push the administration to be more transparent with its finances. Another initiative was to remove curves from classes — professors use it so that their students can have good grades, yet they may learn nothing in the course. A third initiative is to reinstate the Wednesday academic break from 1 to 5 PM, as the Gianforte Academic Center will allow more simultaneous class sections. Their final specific initiative is to make the SGA the role model for efficiency and clarity for

MISSED THE DEBATE? WATCH IT ON SITTV’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL

other clubs. The second ticket is Mark Krupinski for President and Alex Murtagh for VPO. The first issue they aim to tackle is that the SGA does not tackle the issues faced by the student body at large and instead focuses on those felt by student leaders, in their opinion. They have divided their campaign into three major pillars: Living, Learning, and Social. For Living, Krupinski claimed that one of the issues that could be addressed is living in Student Leased Housing. Partnering with a realtor for discounts on Hoboken apartments, along with expanding the residence options with other students, could rectify the prices paid by see DEBATE · Page 4

Steve Forbes is currently the Editor-in-Chief for the world renown publication, Forbes Magazine. Grandson of one of the original founder’s, B.C Forbes, Steve Forbes has always been interested in publishing and media. In grade school, you could find him doing occasional news sheets for classmates and even getting into some mischief with grading his own teachers. Because why not? They were grading him too. By the time Forbes attended Princeton University in 1970, he helped found his first magazine, Business Today, which is still operating today by undergraduates. With this in mind, Forbes was quick to provide his own two cents to the Stevens students about economics, especially before entering the workforce. “You succeed when you meet the needs and wants of other people [...] expect setbacks and failure,” Forbes said. “It is not the end of the world, pick yourself up and move forward. It happens to everybody.” Now, Forbes is the chair and Editor-in-Chief of an acclaimed publication. He views this opportunity as “a delight and a privilege in the sense that we have a purpose that I think is unique.” Forbes was quick to add, “Back in 1917, in the first issue, my Grandfather said that the purpose of business is to produce happiness, and not to pile up money.” To Forbes, Forbes Magazine is about creativity and innovation, which enables us, as a society, to move

Nasir Montalvo and DuJaun Kirk hosted a Diversity Town Hall to share ideas and experiences about how to make a more diverse and inclusive campus. At the town hall, Montalvo shared his past experiences that led to this initiative, potential solutions to create a more diverse and inclusive campus, and steps for moving forward. “I think at first, the motivation stemmed from the voting initiative that student affairs and diversity education were pushing,” said Montalvo on what motivated him to start the initiative. Montalvo felt that the voting posters were “tasteless” and “clearly [placed] a target on the black population of Stevens.” However, Montalvo is no longer focused solely on voting posters, but fighting for marginalized groups on campus. “I have been trying to pursue some activist things in BSU, such as cohosting with Amnesty for their Gun Rights event, but I wanted to do more. After sending out that email to all of 10th floor Howe basically, and having to meet with them, I figured I would just take the reins and host a town hall,” Montalvo said. At a meeting with Sara Klein, Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs, Montalvo progressed in working to further pursue the initiative. The first solution discussed was expanding Safezone Training to “encompass people of color, women and gender non-conforming students, those with disabilities.” Moncampus news

talvo noted that an issue is that there is not a concentrated Safezone program that is required for faculty during training. Integrating this expanded Safezone training within leadership connect so the RSO e-board can spread information to their general body was discussed. The second solution was create a safe space on campus; the only space on campus is Lor-El. There is no space for any other marginalized groups. The third solution was creating a diversity coalition between students, faculty, and staff. Montalvo refused to call it a “committee” due to some negative connotations surrounding the word. The coalition would help connect students with faculty and bring up issues that marginalized groups on campus are facing. Faculty and staff who are minorities on campus sometimes do not have the chance to interact with each other often, and creating a coalition could solve this issue. Montalvo advised using proclamations to help the coalition reach their goals. By issuing a proclamation, the Student Government Association (SGA) could make a formal opinion and request for diversity and inclusion. Going forward, Montalvo hopes to formalize the diversity initiative by creating a “Diversity and Inclusion” ad-hoc committee within the Student Government Association (SGA). Montalvo noted that Lucas Gallo, President, and Rami Kammourh, Vice President, were pushing for

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Read about the Student Government Senators brought up for impeachment.

Crossword

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SGA Presidential Word Search

Who’s running for SGA President? Test your knowledge with this word search.

The Editor-In-Chief of Forbes Magazine will speak at Stevens on Nov. 12 ing the midterm elections that had just happened this week. “For the Republicans, it could have been worse,” he said. “I think the takeaway here is that the GOP [the Republican Party] must do more to appeal to people in the suburbs see FORBES · Page 2

by ERIC LONDRES Staff Writer

Photo by Cole Yarbrough

SDS performs Peter and the Starcatcher by CHARLES ZWICKER Staff Writer

Peter and the Starcatcher is being performed this weekend by the Stevens Dramatic Society (SDS) as their annual fall play. The show is adapted from a written novel, and it serves as a prequel to the story of Peter Pan. It tells the story of three orphans and how they come to find their way to Neverland, as well as their adventure on their way there. The show’s set doesn’t go through any major changes, such as large pieces being moved, but is instead more versatile, changing details in the set to convey the current

see DIVERSITY · Page3

SGA Senators Impeached

forward and progress. Not only is Forbes involved in the publication scene, but he has found himself involved in the political world as well. Forbes said, “I was always interested in policy and what makes the world tick.” However, he never saw himself entering elected politics until 1994 when he was the head of an organization that was emphasizing reforms and taxes. The organization was founded by Jack Kemp, who everyone had assumed was running for the presidency in 1996. It was shocking when Kemp revealed later on that he was not going to run, but “instead of complaining [Forbes] tried it” himself. Forbes also had the opportunity to work with President Ronald Reagan, who appointed him to the head of the Board of International Broadcasting. There they were able to broadcast to “areas of the old Soviet Union, areas behind the Iron Curtain.” Tying it to current events, Forbes found himself discuss-

SGA votes against dissolving RedShift

Students host Diversity Town Hall by MARK KRUPINSKI Business Manager

Established 1904

location. The show is full of many witty jokes and wellpaced action. There really was never a lull in the pace, a testament to the performers and director. The show features Cameron Clifford, Kyle Castillo, and Nicholas Re as Boy, Prentiss, and Ted, respectively, all in their first role with SDS. Other returning cast members include Clay Lundgren as Black Stache and Kiera Dillon as Molly. The cast is comprised of actors and actresses of varying theatrical experience, but all seemed to do a convincing job of portraying their respective characters. “It’s definitely a much harder show to costume that Spring

Show Times for Peter and the Starcatcher Friday Nov. 9 @ 9 PM and Saturday Nov. 10 @ 2 PM and 8 PM at Debaun Auditorium

opinion

Mind of a Freshman

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opinion

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opinion

Don’t give up your dreams

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opinion

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opinion

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opinion

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Scientific Curmudgeon

Awakening was,” said Abigail Hulse, referring to SDS’s musical last semester. “The biggest challenge was making the mermaid costumes and the mollusk costumes.” Their hard work paid off, as many of the costumes are very creative and whimsical, particularly the aforementioned mermaid costumes. The show is also full of creative lighting and sound effects, making the scenes more believable. Peter and the Starcatcher will be performed on Friday, November 9 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, November 10 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m in DeBaun Auditorium. Admission is free with a Stevens ID, and $7 for general admission.

Life is a Movie at ComplexCon Midterm Elections Senioritis

The Student Government Association (SGA) voted against a motion to dissolve RedShift on October 28th, after a lengthy and, at times, heated discussion. The motion to “revoke the Probationary RSO status of, to remove from the New Organization Process, and to dissolve RedShift,” as brought by junior senator Mark Krupinski, represented the culmination of a debate that had been ongoing in private chambers of the SGA for quite some time. RedShift is Stevens’s literary magazine. According to their constitution, their purpose is “to publish works submitted by the Stevens community and promote creativity at Stevens. RedShift shall serve as a medium for student expression.” Krupinski claimed that RedShift has not shown any evidence that they are working towards their stated goal of producing a magazine for the arts at Stevens. Their general body has consistently been small, with one general body meeting visited by The Stute consisting of only two members other than the executive board. RedShift has also had issues maintaining a consistent executive board, with most of their then-current executive board resigning earlier this semester. Nasir Montalvo, a current SGA senator and forsee REDSHIFT · Page 2

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