[The Stute] October 12, 2018 (Issue 6, Volume CXVI)

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Volume CXVI Issue 6

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Stevens launches new Accelerated Masters Program

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Friday, October 12, 2018

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SGA working with Board of Trustees to increase transparency by JACOB MILLBURN Staff Writer

by ELINA TUDER Staff Writer

The Office of the Provost will be unveiling the Accelerated Master’s Program, a replacement for the 4+1 program that offers Stevens undergraduate students an accelerated process to obtain their graduate degree. Previously, Stevens offered the 4+1 Master’s Program, which allowed selected students to obtain a graduate degree with a 20% tuition scholarship for the final year of full-time graduate study. Only students who received this offer upon admission into Stevens were able to pursue this program and receive the 20% scholarship. The Office of the Provost is leading the development of the Accelerated Master’s Program (AMP) as a replacement of the 4+1 Master’s Program. AMP will allow students to take up to three graduate-level courses that fulfill the requirements of both the undergraduate and graduate programs as undergraduate students, thus counting those three courses for both their bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Furthermore, AMP will be an applicationbased program. Stevens students enrolled in their sixth or seventh semester, including current students, can apply to the program, as long as they have a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA and have completed all credit requirements for their first five semesters at Ste-

by ANDREW KINNEY Staff Writer

Dr. Muhammad Hajj is so passionate about the fields he oversees that he tried to get convince The Stute reporter to change his major from Mechanical Engineering to Ocean Engineering at the end of my interview with him. Dr. Hajj was hired this past summer to be the new Chair of the Department of Civil, Environmental & Ocean Engineering (CEOE) and Director of Davidson Laboratory, replacing both Interim Chair Linda M. Thomas and Alan Blumberg, the previous Director of Davidson Lab. He comes from Virginia Polytechnic Institute, where he was the Associate Dean of the Graduate School and Director of the Center for Energy Harvesting Materials and Systems. When asked about why see HAJJ · Page 2 World

news

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Crossword

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Dots & Boxes

Play Dots & Boxes with your friends!

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see BOARD · Page 3

Debaun Performing Arts Center celebrates 20 years since opening by MARYIA SPIRYDONAVA Editor-in-Chief

The number 20 is projected onto the red stage curtains. The voice of David Zimmerman, Executive Director of the Office of University Events and Director of the production, comes over the speaker and the DeBaun Performing Arts Center (PAC) 20th Anniversary Show begins. Before DeBaun Auditorium was converted into a theater in 1903, it was utilized as a laboratory, a classroom, and a gym. Once the space was converted into a theater, national meet-

ings, like the founding of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, were hosted. In 1910, the Stevens Dramatic Society (SDS) was created, and from this point the theater put on at least one production per semester. At one point in the theater’s history, it was called the Stevens Experimental Theater; new and innovative sound and lighting techniques that were used on Broadway were tested here. This theater was where the first 3D movie sound system, 3D Stereographic Sound, was developed. In 1991, the theater closed for renovation and remained dark due to a lack of funds to com-

plete the project. Trustee Kenneth DeBaun, Class of 1949, and his wife Grace built alumni support to raise funds to complete the remodeling. The theater was named after them in recognition of their support and leadership gift, and the doors opened again in 1998. Today, DeBaun Auditorium holds many events, including SDS productions, band and chorus performances, and even Hoboken community programs. As the stage curtain opens, the audience sees a minimalistic stage with steps and two hanging blue and red quatrefoils, which replicate the design that lines the walls of the theater. Be-

Crime Statistics for Rape

Each year, Stevens is required by the Clery Act to crime statistics. These statistics only reflect a small portion of the report.

On campus

Residential Non-campus building Public Facility or property property

Total

2017

4

4

2

1

7

2016

0

0

2

0

2

2015

2

2

1

0

3

2014

0

0

0

0

0

2013

0

0

0

0

0

Data reported from the 2015 and 2018 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report released by Tim Griffin, Chief of Police.

Seven instances of rape reported in 2017, report reveals by MATTHEW CUNNINGHAM Webmaster

Seven instances of rape in the Stevens community were reported in 2017, according to the 2018 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report released by Tim Griffin, Chief of Police at Stevens, on October 1. This number of reports is more than triple the number reported in 2016 — two reports of rape — and more than double the number reported in 2015 — three reports of rape. In both 2014 and 2013, there were zero reports of rape, according to the 2015 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report. These statistics on sexual assaults — which is the broader category of rape, fondling, incest, and statu-

UN Ambassador Nikki Haley steps down IUA gives “street food” aspect of culture to attendees.

hind the stairs sit the keyboardist, Sue Chandler, the drummer, Jerry Ficeto, and the bass player, Tim Metz. The production consists of 12 songs in Act I and 14 songs in Act II, which are from different productions that were put on in DeBaun over the past 20 years. These productions include The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Wizard of Oz, Avenue Q, and many more. Zimmerman provides some history about not only DeBaun, but also the history of each song that is performed. Listening to the narrations, it

The Board of Trustees — the council of Stevens administration, friends, and alumni is the highest level of management of the University — has recently been investigating ways to improve itself. One of the items they identified was transparency, since most of the student body is ignorant of the Board’s activities. Another item that they identified was student accessibility. A few members of the Board are working with the Student Government Association to provide students with a better line of communication so that the Board is more immediately aware of issues that the student body is having. Stevens has changed immensely in just a handful of years, with more changes on the way. Since 2011, various initiatives have skyrocketed the demand for a Stevens education; undergraduate applications more than doubled by 2017, for example. We are continuing to grow and expand, which will no doubt lead to some unforeseen circumstances that may require the Board’s attention. Should that be the case, a more direct line of communication with the Board will provide a faster turnaround on these issues. Last semester, the Board began to investigate ways to improve its transparency.

“Oh the Thinks You Can Think,” Seussical performed by the Ensemble Photos by Jeffrey Vock Photography

see AMP · Page 2

A sit-down with Civil Department Chair Dr. Hajj

Established 1904

tory rape — are reported by Stevens each year, as required by the Clery Act. These statistics, which include other broad categories of crime such as homicide, robbery, and stalking, are modeled from data collected from various Stevens administrators, according to the Annual Security and Fire Safety Report. A report of rape — where rape is defined as “the penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim,” according to the report — is not always investigated, according to Sara Klein, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs. When a report of rape is processed by Title IX, it is

up to the victim to decide whether or not an investigation is pursued. If a victim requests an investigation, then Stevens must take immediate steps to assess the alleged conduct, impose interim measures, and determine appropriate courses of action. If a victim decides against an investigation, then Stevens might not take any action, unless it is determined that the safety of the university would be comprised if nothing happens. Reports of sexual assault are not limited to cases involving students, Griffin told The Stute in an email interview. Some of these cases involve “students and nonstudents within our community,” said Griffin, “as well as people who have no affilisee SEVEN · Page 2

opinion

Mind of a Freshman

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opinion

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opinion

Senioritis

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opinion

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opinion

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Scientific Curmudgeon

Letter to the Editor Campus Conservative Stars of Stevens

New club on the rise: American Sign Language by NATALIE TODARO Staff Writer

Language is often thought of as only spoken word. How we articulate defines our own unique voice, and society differentiates languages as English, French, Latin, and Mandarin. Lost in this list is a language and a community that communicates through gestures. This is known as American Sign Language. Aiming to become a registered student organization (RSO) in January, the Stevens American Sign Language (ASL) Club is starting to bloom. Phil Gehman, the Director of Disability Services, shared information with Peer Leaders over the summer about what Stevens Disability Services can provide for new students. He mentioned the possibility of creating an ASL club on campus. Dylan Skurnik, a sophomore student, now a leader in the ASL club, showed interest and contacted Gehman to help start the club. Gehman and Skurnik have spent time spreading the word around campus, and there are currently 30 students interested in joining. Skurnik describes the club meetings as “ASL workshops.” Gehman will teach signs to students to practice during the meeting and throughout the week, and he will review previous signs that were taught as well.

They also encourage student teaching, as Skurnik says, “If a student has learned on their own and wants to share, they are more than welcome to demonstrate for the group.” This will bring a sense of community within the club by bringing students together to learn ASL. Their goal is to increase awareness and knowledge of the deaf community. As Gehman explains, ASL is often forgotten about as a language. He says, “Unfortunately, I think ASL is often looked at as just gestures, but it’s much more than that. Understanding ASL’s hand shape patterns and distinctive grammar shows the unique construction of the language. Contrary to what is still sometimes believed, ASL shares the complexity and utility of spoken languages.” As well as ASL workshops, Gehman hopes that club members can attend events that promote the acknowledgment of the deaf community. He explains, “As someone with deaf parents, finding the deaf community around me has been a priority for me in every location that I’ve lived.” He enjoys attending events in Manhattan such as ASL poetry nights, theatre performances, and Disability Pride events. Club members who attend these kinds of events will gain outside exposure to ASL to help increase their skills. For more information on the ASL club, contact Dylan Skurnik at dskurnik@stevens. edu.

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News AMP

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vens. For students enrolled in the co-op program, the sixth or seventh semester refers to the number of academic semesters completed, excluding semesters spent on co-op. AMP requires that students spend one semester as a full-time graduate student (taking nine to twelve credits) but allows them to complete the rest of their graduate degree either full-time or part-time, online or on-campus. Within the application for AMP, students must declare the graduate program which they wish to pursue, include a list of the three graduate courses which they plan to utilize for both their undergraduate and graduate degrees, and provide a faculty letter of recommendation. There will be no fee to apply to AMP, and the program will not be capped at a certain number of students. Current juniors and seniors will still be able to take advantage of AMP as long as they meet the requirements and have free slots in their schedule to take advantage of the double-counted courses. Juniors and seniors would also be applying in their sixth or seventh academic semester and should submit the application one semester before they plan to enroll as a graduate student. The Office of the Provost decided to create a new program instead of expanding the 4+1 Program to all students because the new Accelerated Master’s Program is structured in a way

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that makes it easier for students to follow. AMP also clearly defines when a student is an undergraduate and a graduate student, the distinction of which is essential for financial aid purposes, both through Stevens and on the state and federal levels. The name of the previous 4+1 Program was also misleading, since not all students had to stay for an entire additional academic year to earn their graduate degree. Giving the new Accelerated Master’s Program its own distinct name aims to prevent confusion with the prior 4+1 Program. The creation of the Accelerated Master’s Program is being spearheaded by Cindy Chin, the Assistant Provost for Administration and Finance in the Office of the Provost. Provost Christophe Pierre asked Chin to lead a working group with representatives from the Office of Undergraduate Academics, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, the Office of Graduate Admissions, the Office of Financial Aid, and the Office of the Registrar to find ways to improve programs for students seeking advanced studies at Stevens. The group determined that revamping the 4+1 Program into the new Accelerated Master’s Program was the way to go after extensive research, benchmarking against other universities, and consultation with internal constituents. Current Stevens students who were offered the 4+1 Master’s Program upon admission can choose to stay in the 4+1 Program, but they can also choose to apply to the Accelerated Mascial intelligence and the threat of cyber attacks at the same time. Currently, the department relies heavily on the use of mathematical models due to the nature of its work, and large amounts of time are spent augmenting and improving those models by hand. In the future, however, he wants to use artificial intelligence to improve physical models by processing volumes of data outside of the scope of human researchers. Wrapped up in implementing artificial intelligence are myriad concerns about cyber security, and when Dr. Hajj said, “We are looking at designing buildings with a lot of connectivity, structures with connectivity, wastewater treatment plants with a lot of connectivity, and ships with a lot of connectivity,” it immediately became clear how grounded those concerns are. While cybersecurity is obviously more at home in the Computer Science Department, Hajj said it will be important to educate CEOE majors in how it works going forward. That way they can at least understand the basics and collaborate more efficiently with hacking experts.

he chose to come to Stevens, he said, “[Stevens] is a good place. There is an opportunity to be a part of the world-renowned Davidson Lab; there is very great research going on in the fields of Coastal Engineering, Environmental Engineering, and Ocean Engineering. So, it’s a good program, I’m glad to be a part of it, and I’ll try to lead it into a new place.” He found it amusing when he was asked why the positions of Davidson Lab Director and CEOE Department Chair were consolidated into one person since he was being asked about someone else’s decisions. Regardless, he said it allows him to achieve more at once, completing research while also tackling administrative responsibilities. Furthermore, he said it keeps the department tightly connected, enhancing both the department itself and the education it provides. Our discussion about the department’s future started out with praise for its existing achievements, with Dr. Hajj specifically mentioning the fact that 100% of undergraduates receive jobs or job offers prior to graduation. With this in mind, he said his first goal is to make sure CEOE students continue to have the same amount of opportunities. The solution, in his words, “is to have a more rigorous education that is also more flexible at the same time.” His second goal is to prepare the department for Dr. Muhammad Hadd | Photo from Virginia Tech the future of artifi-

ter’s Program instead. Chin recommends that students speak to an advisor to determine what is the best option for them, as this is on a case-by-case basis based on their current study plan. When deciding which three graduate courses to take for AMP, students must ensure that those courses will fulfill both their undergraduate and graduate degree requirements and that they meet the prerequisites for those graduate courses. Thus, if there are no overlapping courses for their undergraduate and graduate program, students will have to use the graduate courses to fulfill their general elective requirements as an undergraduate. However, if an undergraduate student enrolled in AMP has space in their schedule to take more than three graduate courses throughout their undergraduate semesters, they will still only be able to count three predefined graduate courses towards their graduate degree, and the superfluous courses would need to fulfill undergraduate degree requirements. Students who are ahead in their curriculum should speak to an advisor to determine when it would be most appropriate to take the double-counted courses. Chin recommends that students who still have a significant amount of free space in their schedules consider taking additional undergraduate courses towards a minor or double major. Future Stevens students will have the possibility of being offered the Accelerated Master’s Program upon acceptance, but they would still have to apply

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ation with Stevens, but the rape occurred in a location frequented regularly by Stevens students for sporting events or other activities and were reported to an outside law enforcement agency but still within our Clery Geography [...] and requires reporting.” Regardless of whether or not an investigation occurs, and whether an investigation proves or disproves a report of rape, Stevens must report the incident as a rape, which is reflected in the Annual Security and Fire Safety Report, according to Klein and Griffin. The other categories of sexual assault — fondling, incest, and statutory rape — each received zero reports in 2017, according to the Annual Security and Fire Safety Report. The exact reason why the number of reported rapes increased in 2017 remains unknown and might be impossible to determine. “We can never be sure why the number [of reports] increased,” said Klein. A possible reason, suggested Klein, is that attitudes toward sexual assault and, in particular, rape, have changed over the past year. Efforts at Stevens, such as Take Back The Night, College 101 (a program presented to students during orientation), bystander intervention programs, and other awareness campaigns, have been made to promote resources for sexual assault victims on campus. On a

to the program as a sixth or seventh semester Stevens student. The Accelerated Master’s Program will be officially announced by the Office of the Provost on the week of October 22 through an email. Information sessions about AMP are also in the works, as well as the incorporation of information regarding AMP into the Office of Graduate Admissions information sessions. Applications for AMP will be available starting this fall, and the inaugural group of students enrolled in AMP will be in fall 2019. The second phase of implementing AMP will be to create predefined study plans that depict which undergraduate and graduate programs are easy to pair together to pursue both degrees sequentially. When asked about the expansion of graduate programs at Stevens, Chin says that Stevens is “always looking for ways to improve and provide more educational and research opportunities for students, especially those in areas where there is growth and demand in the field.” Three new graduate programs are currently in the works: Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Data Science. If students have questions about the Accelerated Master’s Program, their main points of contact are staff members of the Office of Undergraduate Academics and the amp@stevens.edu email alias, but more information will be available with the official announcement of the program on the week of October 22. national scale, #MeToo — a national grassroots campaign — has transformed the conversation about sexual assault: destigmatizing the process of speaking out and reminding victims that sexual assault happens more often than people assume. Increased focus on resources for sexual assault victims could contribute to the increased number of reports, Klein said. Griffin noted that the increased number of reported rapes is not happening at just Stevens — it’s happening across America. “People are feeling more empowered to report sexual assaults more now than ever before,” he added. With the increasing number of reported rapes, it is still impossible to know the full extent of rape occurrences on the Stevens campus. “Some students choose not to report them,” Klein said. “There is no way to know whether there are additional instances of rape that go unreported,” said Griffin. “However, research indicates that many sexual assaults are not reported. We strongly encourage our students to report any sexual assault to either the police or the Title IX Coordinator so that it can be fully investigated.” “We want to be able to support these students,” Klein added. “But we can’t do that if we don’t know who they are. It’s best if everyone reports.” Members of the Stevens community who feel comfortable can report an experience of sexual assault to Stevens’ interim Title IX Coordinator, Phil Gehman.

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This semester, it delegated the process to the Young Alumni, two recent graduates of Stevens who are elected to the Board with the intention of being the student body’s voice, while still maintaining a degree of separation due to confidentiality issues. Olivia Schreiber ’18 and Matthew Hunt ’17, the two Young Alumni, met to brainstorm ideas on how to increase transparency from the Board. One of the earliest problems they identified was that there are still a handful of unknowns about the nature of the issue. They reached out to the SGA and proposed a survey to be distributed to the student body. Rami Kammourh and Lucas Gallo, the Vice President of Operations and the President of the SGA, respectively, saw this survey as an opportunity to push for increased communication between students and the Board. “One of our goals as a ticket when we ran for President and Vice President of Operations was to improve the relationship the SGA has with upper administration,” says Gallo. “We just

Friday, October 12, 2018 • Page 3

wanted a way to provide student input/feedback to higher ups in the school. That was the overall goal.” The survey, sent out in September, provides unsurprising results. Of the 455 responses, over 98% either had no or some idea of what the Board of Trustees does, yet 93% also claimed that it is important or somewhat important for students to be aware of what the Board of Trustees is doing. Kammourh, Gallo, and Schreiber met and discussed a variety of methods by which to increase both transparency and student representation on the Board of Trustees. “My position is, by its very nature, a step removed from the current student body,” stated Schreiber, who graduated last semester. They agreed to establish regular meetings between the Cabinet and the Young Alumni. As a measure to prevent turnover in the SGA Cabinet from being a potential issue in the future, they decided to make these meetings officially written into the bylaws of the SGA. The bill, approved on Monday, October 8, reads as follows: “The Cabinet shall offer to meet with the trustees defined in Section 2.4.4. of

the Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Trustees of the Stevens Institute of Technology, either electronically or in-person, within ten days of each regularly scheduled or special meeting of the Board of Trustees. The Secretary shall prepare an agenda for these meetings. At the meeting, the Secretary must record minutes. The Secretary must make these minutes available to the Student Body within seventy-two hours.” Kammourh and Gallo are hopeful that more change is on the way. When asked about student presentations to the Board, Gallo replied, “For the first time last semester, the SGA presented to President Farvardin’s cabinet. I can totally see, if it’s not in the near future, then definitely sometime soon… There was no reason in the past for the administration to trust our mechanisms of government.” Kammourh added, “That was what Matt Hunt spent his entire presidency fighting, was proving to the administration that we are a legitimate governing body for the students. It’s hard to convince them of that when we accomplished very little and we were just budgeting back then.” Schreiber echoes this hope-

Young Alumna Olivia Schreiber (‘18) gives speech at Board of Trustees Party. | Photos by Jeffrey Vock Photography

ful note. She believes that one possibility is to have smaller meetings between students and Trustees to have the most direct line of communication possible. For example, she was instrumental in arranging the interview between The Stute and Virginia Ruesterholz, former Chair of the Board. She strongly agrees with the Board’s move to increase transparency and supports the distribution of regular bulletins with information from the Board meetings, like the one sent out on October 10.

As for next steps, Kammourh and Gallo believe that they can draft a proposal to the Board for permission to have student representation on Board committees. They agree that an undergraduate student representative on the Board itself is unnecessary and, in fact, presents a problem due to conflict of interest, a sentiment Schreiber also, independently, voiced. The representation could either be a student member of the committee or presentations by students to specific committees for certain is-

sues. The more immediate steps, according to Schreiber, are to have a meeting between the Young Alumni and the SGA Cabinet to discuss the Board’s reception of the survey results and to brainstorm other ideas for providing student feedback. Note: Olivia Schreiber is not allowed to speak for the Board of Trustees and offers only her own perspectives and goals. However, the credit for the Board’s transparency initiative is attributed to the Board as a whole, since it is a collective effort.

SGA hosts forum instead of debate for Freshmen by CHARLES ZWICKER Staff Writer

The SGA hosted its first Freshman Forum in Babbio Atrium on Wednesday, October 10. This event was intended to replace the Freshman Senate Debate that has been hosted in past years. Rather than debating with their fellow classmates, 18 freshmen gave short introductions about themselves — their name, place of birth, major, and, most

importantly, ideas they have for improving Stevens. They all came from different backgrounds, with some having held many leadership positions and others looking for this position as their first experience. One cited improvement was that the candidates wanted to improve storm runoff at Stevens. Other ideas included improving the social environment, creating more opportunities for professors to work with students, and

improving the variety of the food in Pierce. Questions were not asked of the candidates, as they were in previous years. This was a much less formal event, in which attending students could simply engage in a conversation with the candidates after their short introductions. There are 13 open spots for which the 18 freshmen are competing. Voting is open until 1 p.m. on October 15. Student can vote at www. stevens.edu/vote.

Nikki Haley with President Donald Trump. | Photo from Vanity Fair

Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley resigns by ANDREW KINNEY Staff Writer

Screenshot from SGA Facebook Live

On October 9, 2018, United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley (full name Nimrata Haley) announced that President Donald Trump had accepted her resignation effective the end of this year. In the wake of this news, President Trump lauded Haley, “She’s done a fantastic job and we’ve done a fantastic job together. We’ve solved a lot of problems and we’re in the process of solving a lot of problems.” Quite controversially, this resignation came a day after a watchdog organization accused Haley of ethics violations for taking several luxury flights from a South Carolina businessman. Ambassador Haley played a critical role in the Trump administration and has had a storied political career. In 2004, she ran for and won a seat on the South Carolina House of Representatives as a Republican, serving for five years. In 2009, Haley announced her intentions to run for the Governorship of South Carolina. In 2010, she won, becoming the first ever female and Indian-American Governor of South Caroli-

na. She announced that she would reject any bill passed by the South Carolina state legislation to force transgender people to use the bathroom of their biological sex. Haley was quoted as saying, “Y’all haven’t reported on anything. I haven’t heard anything that’s come to my office. So when I look at South Carolina, we look at our situations, we’re not hearing of anybody’s religious liberties that are being violated, and we’re, again, not hearing any citizens that feel like they are being violated in terms of freedoms.” After the deadly Charleston shootings in 2015, Haley also approved a bill to remove the Confederate battle flag from the South Carolina Capitol Building. On November 24, 2016, then President-elect Donald Trump nominated Haley to become his Ambassador to the United Nations, replacing President Obama appointee Samantha Power. On January 27, 2017, she was officially sworn in as ambassador. During her two-year-long tenure, Haley repeatedly went to bat for Israel, voicing her opposition to previous Obama-era Security Council resolution that called for an immediate end to Israeli settlements in

Palestine. She also used the Security Council vote of the United States to block the appointment of UN ambassadors who were notably unfriendly to Israel. In her statement, she said, “For too long the UN has been unfairly biased in favor of the Palestinian Authority to the detriment of our allies in Israel.” She also attracted notoriety for her strong hand in the treatment of Iran and North Korea. She supported President Trump’s decision to let the Iran Nuclear Deal expire, and she supported the heavy economic sanctions placed upon North Korea by the Trump administration. In arguably her most famous act, Ambassador Haley pulled the U.S. out of the UN Human Rights Council, once again citing UN bias against Israel. Haley has stated publicly that she doesn’t know what she will be doing after she resigns from her position. However, she stated to the press that she won’t be making a presidential run in 2020 opposing Donald Trump, presumably to put a stop to any rumors before they begin. President Trump has said that he will pick a new ambassador within the next two to three weeks.

Debaun 20th Anniversary

Friday, October 12, 2018 • Page 4

by Maryia Spirydonava photos by Jeffrey Vock

“Aquarius,” Hair performed by Barbara Carames and Ensemble

“Summer Nights,” Grease performed by Kieran Walters, Natalie Marone, and Ensemble

“My New Philosophy,” You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown performed by Julia Cahn and Michelle Yip

“On Broadway,” Smokey Joe’s Cafe performed by Eric Anderson, Trevor Batchelder, Ben LaGue, and Kieran Walters

Julia Cahn receiving the Linda Vollkommer Award from Vollkommer and David Zimmerman

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Linda Vollkommer reprising her role as Glinda the Good Witch from the Wizard of Oz

Shawna Hawkins received the Robert Reed Service Award, pictured with Carl Russell and David Zimmerman

Joe Schneider received an award from David Zimmerman and Barbara Carames for his generous donation to the performing arts

becomes evident that the PAC has had a significant impact on campus. Aarong Bogad, for instance, directed a number of shows in the mid-2000s for The Theater Company and for SDS. Believing that the students were missing this and would enjoy it, Bogad began Off Center, Stevens’ sketch and improv comedy group. After he directed their first performance, it became completely student written, directed, and performed like it is today. Bogad also directed The Rocky Horror Show, the musical, and the following year the involved students started a shadow cast version. “The musical was very popular, as you can imagine, and being done at Halloween, we also performed numbers from the show at different bars around Hoboken as well as the theater,” remarked Zimmerman. Zimmerman and Kathy Gaccione ‘10, Producer and Choreographer, had a wide range of shows and songs to chose from. They selected songs using a list of productions from the past 20 years and attempted to match them with the actors’ talent. “We wanted to tell the history of DeBaun PAC while still presenting a strong musical revue that everyone would enjoy. We were happily surprised that most if not all of the performers were thrilled with the songs selected for them,” commented Zimmerman. Roles in “Aquarius,” “The Elements Song,” and “The Time Warp” were all reprised by Barbara Carames, Joe Manfredonia, and Eric Anderson, respectively. Unlike most shows, which are only performed for one weekend, this production will be performed for two weekends. Carl Russell, Director of DeBaun Performing Arts Center, pointed out that it was nice to have two weekends to perform after all the hard work that was put into the show. Following the first performance on October 6, a dinner celebration was held in Bissinger to honor various people, including Joe Schneider, Class of 1946, for his support and $10,000 donation. Julia Cahn was presented with the Linda

Vollkommer Award for 2018 for having the most influence on advancing theater for 2017-2018 at Stevens Institute of Technology and DeBaun Performing Arts Center. Shawna Hawkins was presented with the Robert Reed Service Award for 2018 for volunteering her time, energy, and talent to further the performing arts at DeBaun Performing Arts Center and Stevens Institute of Technology. Watching the rehearsals, a lot of laughter and joking around could be witnessed. Benjamin LaGue, a performer and Stevens alumnus, joked that this show was a “whirlwind of old and new faces, laughs and tears, and the right amount of flatulence.” All the joking aside, it was evident that a lot of soul and care was placed into the production. DeVon Lineman, an alumnus, expressed that he enjoyed seeing people’s faces light up with excitement and to have an impact on people when performing. Kiera Dillon, a current Stevens student, mentioned that she enjoyed “working with these wonderful people.” She described that the process was slightly different from other shows since there was juggling of a lot of different schedules between classes and “adult jobs.” Some dance rehearsals began over the summer, but the musical rehearsals only began at the start of the academic semester. The main focus of DeBaun PAC has changed with the interests of current students — at one point it was technical design; The Theater Company and Actors Shakespeare Company allowed students to do set, lighting, and sound design. At another point students became more interested in performing, so small readings and one act festivals were created outside of SDS and Off Center. “DeBaun PAC changes as the needs of the students change,” explained Zimmerman. “We will see where the future takes us next...” Final performances are on October 12 and 13 at 8 p.m. in DeBaun Auditorium.

STEP: A Future for Minorities

Friday, October 12, 2018 • Page 5

by NATALIE TODARO AND APARAJITA RANA Staff Writers

Fifty years ago, Stevens Institute of Technology started the Stevens Technical Enrichment Program (STEP); in this time, the program has seen rapid, positive growth. STEP started out as a precollege program and has grown into an organization that engages current Stevens students as well as potential future students. Stevens’ fourth President, Jess Davis, created STEP to address the underrepresented and low-income students in STEM. The program’s primary goal was to help members gain skills and knowledge to become eligible for acceptance into competitive universities. This academic year, the STEP program has 190 undergraduate members. Every summer, STEP conducts a six-week-long residential program for incoming freshmen. Known as “Bridge,” the summer program gives students time to gain a preview of Stevens courses and residential life, while helping them build new friendships and relationships with faculty, staff, and peers. This allows freshman STEP members to begin their first semester at Stevens with a comfortable sense of college life. Members of STEP in the Class of 2022 gush about the wonderful experiences they had over the summer. Students grew accustomed to life at Stevens and bonded with their future classmates. The six-week program included a variety of courses the members attended, as well as the opportunity to attend a Mock Career Fair to give students early insight into job preparation. Valentina Bustamante explains, “From the mock career fair to the freshman seminars, we were basically given all the tools to succeed the moment we started the school year.” Although some members of the STEP program initially had reservations about spending their whole summer away from their family and high school friends, they soon fell in love with the program. Bustamante emphasizes this sentiment, saying, “At the beginning […] we felt like our summer was being taken away from us […] but after two weeks we saw the advantages of being a part of STEP and how amazing all the people around us were.” Similar to the size of the freshman class, STEP had a record-setting 58 freshman in the program. Maria Torres, another freshman in the STEP program, says, “Having the opportunity to be a part of STEP enables me to experience college in all aspects: socially, academically, and mentally. Through STEP I saw a lot of amazing things Stevens has to offer.” STEP also coordinates the Mathematics Immersion Program (MIP). MIP is a three-week summer program for New Jersey college undergraduates who are recipients of a New Jersey Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) grant. The goals of MIP are to help improve students’ confidence in the understanding of general mathematical concepts and the role of mathematics in their daily lives. During the program, students will receive academic assistance and instruction from current Stevens students. Students are also able to live on Stevens’ campus, which allows them to develop friendships with students from other New Jersey colleges. Recently, a dinner ceremony was held to celebrate STEP’s 50th anniversary and to honor its history, achievements, and plans for a strong future. The evening consisted of the recognization of STEP faculty, alumni, and students. Alumni traveled from as far away as California and Texas, and awards were given to some who have had a lasting impact on STEP. Notably, many alumni of the STEP program spoke highly of the program and shared personal stories of how STEP changed their lives. During the dinner, there was also discussion of the two new programs that have been created to further enhance STEP’s representation of minority students at Stevens. One will be known as Stevens ACES, which “identifies talented students in underserved communities, providing scholarships for Stevens’ pre-college programs to high school students, tuition scholarships for undergraduates, and other support.” The second program is the Clark Scholars program, which was introduced this semester. The first group of Clark Scholars consists of “23 students from underserved communities and first-generation college students who want to study engineering.” As a goal for the future, STEP wants to solidify its legacy and become a more notable resource at Stevens. It is clear that to involved Stevens students, STEP means much more to them than just a program they are members of. Osazee Nosa, a freshman student, explains, “STEP is more than just an organization […] STEP is a family.” Additionally, Bustamante explains her perspective on how STEP has impacted her. “In those six weeks, I met some of my closest friends which has created an incredible college experience so far.”

Bridge 2018 Class at the STEP closing ceremony

Some STEP students taking a group photo

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Campus Pulse

Friday, October 12, 2018 • Page 6

Roving Reporter What do you think the Honor Board does?

“The Honor Board is responsible for appropriately punishing people who are academically dishonest and upholding and enforcing integrity.”

Izy Engle

“Keeps it so people have academic integrity.” Jackson Brown

“They just investigate honor board violations.” Pat Catanzaro

“They make the decision on whether students are guilty.”

“They regulate between students and faculty to make sure everybody is being honorable with their work.”

“They make academic integrity at Stevens, and investigate infractions of honor.”

Ciaran Russell

Norma Martinez

Toby Dalton

Dot & Boxes

Riddles 1. The more you take, the more you leave behind. What am I? 2. What has a head, a tail, is brown, and has no legs? 3. Can you name three consecutive days without using the words Monday, Tues day, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday? 4. What comes once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years? 5. David's father has three sons: Snap, Crackle and _____? 6. What room do ghosts avoid? 7. When does Christmas come before Thanksgiving? 7. In the dictionary 6. The living room 5. David. 4. The letter "m" 3. Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow 2. A Penny 1. Footsteps

Answers

Join

Sudoku

Opinion

Friday, October 12 2018 • Page 7

The Stute Editorial

“I can’t then, I have a meeting,” is a much too common phrase that comes out of my mouth. Being really involved on campus is a tiring thing, and sometimes you wish that you could just watch T.V. (after doing some homework, of course). Yet, I know myself, and that schedule would keep me entertained for maybe a week. After that, I would start thinking, This is a sad way to spend the day. I find myself constantly telling people, “You do too much.” (Yes, I’m a hypocrite.) Some people are so involved

that it’s almost like they never sleep (you know who you are), and you find yourself wondering how are they even functioning. So the question is, if so many people are having this problem of being too busy and overworked, how come no one is doing anything about it? Well, I don’t think that it is a problem, as long as you are passionate about the things that keep you busy — and as long as you are keeping up with your school work. Being passionate increases your quality of work and how

Passion is key

productive you are. If you have a packed schedule, you will be more likely to make good use of your time. Obviously, that isn’t always the case, but you live and learn. I remember that in my freshman year, I had signed up for so many different clubs. I attended maybe five of those clubs. I was passionate about those clubs when I started, yet as time went by, I realized that I wasn’t getting what I wanted from those clubs and had to move on. That is okay. It’s alright if your passions change and you realize you

don’t want to do something. The important thing is to actually take action and step away from that job, organization, etc. Losing passion for something is normal; it doesn’t mean you don’t care about that organization. It merely means that it is time to move on. So if you find yourself swamped with work, pause and take a look at what you are involved in. Do some of those things seem like a chore? (And no. I’m not talking about class work — the add/drop pe-

Editor-in-Chief

On Coping

Kicking My Caffeine Addiction, Part I

When I’m good, I’m good. But when I’m low, I really hit low. As in obsessive, impulsive, can’t-shut-my-brain-off low. The last two weeks of my life were a bit rough for me, to put it gently. It was a perfect storm: a tempest of some very good things, mixed with some very bad things, in a swirling concoction seemingly designed to press my buttons all-too-perfectly. I was already feeling vulnerable, and then things just got worse. As a result: I couldn’t sleep.

I couldn’t breathe. I felt like I was on the verge of a mental breakdown every few seconds, for the most irrational of reasons. My body hated me for the way I was punishing it, and my brain wasn’t doing me any favors, either. The people in my life were probably sick and tired of hearing me talk about what was on my mind, but I couldn’t help it — once the words started, they kept tumbling out, as if of their own accord. But unlike what talking it out usually does for me, I only grew more restless, more anxious. Peace was nowhere to be found. My coping mechanisms? Admittedly, terrible. I’d rather not put them in print for all of posterity to see, but let’s just say that I’m not very kind to myself. Ironic, given that just last week, I literally wrote about trying to be kinder to myself. But as the saying goes: do as I say, not as I do. And everyone’s capable of hypocrisy. It’s just our nature. Part of it, I think, has to do with my general attitude towards this sort of thing. Self-love and self-kindness always struck me as the kind of thing only suckers go for.

Life moves fast and leaves you in the dust if you lick your wounds too long. You just need to keep running and beat yourself up to do it if need be. Or so I always thought. Then, the storm happened — and then, just when I couldn’t take it any longer, the storm passed. Mentally punishing myself did me no good. Didn’t make the answers come any easier. Didn’t change the outcome of what happened next. I gained nothing by putting myself through hell. One thing I took away: it’s important not to become engulfed by one’s distress. What seemed like an ocean of misery one moment looked trivial and silly to me not long after. My peace of mind didn’t need to be the collateral damage. My fear was the interest paid on a debt I didn’t owe in the first place. So the next time I see storm clouds on the horizon, I hope I remember to pull myself together. Breathe. Be kind and not cruel to myself. Because as the saying goes — this too shall pass. As these things always do.

by JOHN HORGAN CAL Professor

I recently carried out an experiment involving my decades-long caffeine consumption. I have ingested caffeine, mostly in the form of coffee, since my twenties. My average daily intake of six or seven cups of strong-brewed coffee has caused problems. In this column, I’ll offer observations on caffeine, and in the next I’ll describe my attempt to kick my habit. Medical Background First, some background information, culled from “Caffeine Use Disorder: A Compre-

Mind of a Freshman

An 18-year-old mind in disarray

Honestly, college is lowkey weird. I say “weird” for the sole reason that I just have a lot of thoughts, and it’s the best word that I can think of to sum them all up. I’ve tried writing my thoughts in an organized way, but it hasn’t worked because the way I feel is just... messy. So, I’m going to write messily. First thought: I live in Humphreys, and, as you probably know, the amount of times the fire alarm has gone off in Humphreys is insane. I got pretty used to hearing the unbearable, blar-

Maryia Spirydonava

Scientific Curmudgeon

Senior Engineering Management Major

Freshman Music & Technology Major

found. So whether you need to find a new sense of admiration for what you’re doing or inspiration to try something new, take the time to have these conversations with yourself, because passion is key.

Senioritis

by NAMANKITA RANA

by NATALIE TODARO

riod is long over.) Do you find yourself excited to be doing what you’re doing? If you find yourself dreading activities, then you might want to consider doing something new. I am coming up on my one year as Editor-in-Chief, and it is a thankless and frankly exhausting job. I definitely see the appeal of resigning before elections come around. However, sometimes all it takes is one person telling you, “In my opinion, The Stute has never been better,” and somehow all the work seems worth it and a new breath of inspiration is

ing sound pierce through my ears at any given time of day. I went home this past weekend, and I noticed that every time any loud, unusual sound went off, I was filled with adrenaline, ready to drop everything and get the hell out of wherever I was. My point: I really hate the fire alarms. Next thought is for all the peeps who have to deal with menstruation. Periods suck in general, but they suck even more in college, and this past weekend while I was home, I got my lovely dose for October. I was so happy that I literally wanted to throw a party and yell out the window about how ecstatic I was that I had gotten my period while I was at home. Normally, my period brings terrible, terrible feelings for me: painful cramps, insane food cravings, frustration, and irritability. And while I still felt those things and wanted to rip my abdomen apart from the pain, it’s interesting to me that I was incredibly thankful to be bleeding. Who knew? I also have a massive crush on a guy. Yeah, I know, it’s silly to use the word “crush,” but my feelings honestly

feel a little silly. I feel like the typical freshman with big, wide eyes taking in everything new. I almost feel embarrassed about it, but I don’t mean embarrassing in a cute, cheeky way. I mean embarrassing as in I really don’t want anybody to know (I can’t believe I’m even writing this right now). I’m sure you’re thinking that my feelings are normal, but I usually don’t get embarrassed at all when it comes to these types of things. In high school, I was always super forward towards someone that I liked, and I’ve never been too concerned with or afraid of rejection. I still feel that way, but I also feel the overall pressure of college relationships — the pressure that comes with the realization that a college relationship could actually amount to something. High school relationships were a bit of a joke to me, so college just seems more real. That realness and intensity are a little scary, and I don’t really know what to do about it. For now, I’m just letting these feelings resonate within me. College is also weird in

that most of my classes are actually extremely useful towards my future career. I know, right? High school me is thinking, what’s that like? A lot of high school classes felt pointless and like total bulls**t if they didn’t pertain to your interests. There’s definitely more pressure in college to be responsible and productive because this is basically “adulting.” I genuinely need to study and understand what’s going on in my classes because the material I’m learning will help me in the future, which I find pretty crazy. So those are the thoughts that are currently bouncing around in my head. I thought it would be beneficial to just spit them out this week, and I think all of us need to do this at some point. I can proudly say that I take advantage of CAPS to simply talk about my life; getting my thoughts out of my head helps me gain clarity. Maybe you related to some of these thoughts, and if you did, please tell me so I can feel better about my word vomit of a column this week.

hensive Review and Research Agenda,” by behavioral scientist Roland Griffiths and others. Caffeine is the most widely used drug in the world. Nine out of 10 adult Americans consume it on a regular basis. The average daily dose of caffeine is 200 milligrams, roughly what you get from two cups of coffee, or five caffeinated soft drinks. Regular consumption leads to tolerance, meaning that larger doses are required to achieve positive effects. Cessation leads to withdrawal symptoms, including “headache, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and dysphoric mood.” Many people find it hard to quit caffeine even when it compromises their physical and mental health, according to Griffiths et al. They state that “caffeine dependence is a clinically meaningful disorder that affects a nontrivial proportion of caffeine users.” Personal Background Until my recent experiment, I have had caffeine pretty much every day for 40 years, and my intake has gradually increased. On a typical day, I have a four-to-five-cup pot right after waking and another cup or two in the afternoon. Coffee gives me a surge of energy that jump starts my day. I get a lot of writing done while drinking those first few cups. Coffee boosts my mood, too. It fills me with can-do euphoria. But it’s a dirty high. The excess energy often jams my mind, making thinking and writing harder, and as the day goes on I get anxious, jittery, glum, impatient, and irritable. Over the past couple of years, these negative effects have increased, which is why I wanted to cut back or quit. Short-Term Benefit, LongTerm Harm Many people, I suspect, get short-term benefits from caffeine but pay an increasing price over the long term. This trend is true over the course of a day, and over years. That is, your baseline mood is lower — more glum and anxious — than it would have been if you’d never become a java junkie. The pattern of short-term benefit versus long-term harm is probably true of all moodaltering drugs, legal and illegal. Antidepressants and other psychiatric medications help many people, especially initially. But their net effects over the long term are negative, and quitting the drugs

may make you feel worse than you did to begin with. I hoped that if I quit caffeine, my overall mood and energy level would rise, more than compensating for the loss of morning energy spikes. I would be a happier, nicer person, maybe even a better writer. When I quit drinking alcohol in 2009, my baseline mood and writing immediately improved. Caffeine and Capitalism Billions of people consume caffeine daily while remaining productive members of society, but productive in what sense? Caffeine transforms us into machines that perform tasks mechanically without reflecting much on their value. It makes us automatons, instruments for carrying out to-do lists. Caffeine is the ideal drug for our hyper-capitalist culture, which venerates productivity, especially of wealth, over all other values. Caffeine is antithetical to mindfulness, that is, rose-smelling, cloud-watching, paying attention to things and people for their own sake. Caffeine fosters an impatience that erodes enjoyment of the best things in life, such as love, friendship, eating, exercise, and work itself. My primary work for the past 35 years has been writing. It’s my spiritual path, my way of paying attention to the world. But when I am hypercaffeinated, my writing feels compulsive rather than reflective. Caffeine and Digital-Technology Addiction We are addicted to information technologies as well as to caffeine, and the addictions are unhealthily symbiotic. Ideally, coffee gives me the energy and focus to get writing done. But my mental state often degrades into a distracted twitchiness that is bad for writing, but ideal for Internet surfing. It is surely no coincidence that caffeine consumption and information-technology addiction are both endemic in our culture. The archetypal urban citizen hustles down a sidewalk staring at an iPhone in one hand and gripping a Starbucks coffee in the other. That’s enough on why I wanted to stop consuming caffeine. In my next column, I’ll describe the results of my experiment. John Horgan directs the Center for Science Writings, which is part of the College of Arts & Letters. This column is adapted from one on his Scientific American blog, “Cross-check.”

Opinion Continued

Friday, October 12, 2018 • Page 8

Passion for Fashion

My experience at the first ever Hypefest

by DANIEL KANG Sophomore Biomedical Engineering Major

Maybe you noticed the sudden influx of kids rocking fashionable outfits in New York City and thought nothing of it since there was a BTS concert in Citi Field, New Yorker Festival, New York Comic Con occurring simultaneously. I can tell you they probably did not attend any of the three events but instead showed up at the first annual Hypefest, organized by the multimedia publication Hypebeast, took place in DUMBO, Brooklyn this past weekend, October 6-7, from 12-10 PM. Many brands and sponsors participated in this event such as A-COLDWALL*, adidas originals, Awake NY, BAPE, Diesel, G-SHOCK, Lacoste, Marcelo Burlon, Moncler x Palm Angels, Heron Preston, Puma, and Undercover. Hypefest is meant to be a convention for culture and more importantly, an experience for art, creativity, fashion, music, and more. Kevin Ma, founder and CEO of Hypebeast (founded in 2005), said in a public message, “Culture and learning shouldn’t have a price attached to it. I will personally cover the cost of tickets to make Hypefest a free experience for all” (@kevinma, Instagram). However, on the other side of the country, it costs $125 for a one day general admission pass and

$300 for the VIP experience at ComplexCon, organized by media empire Complex, so I appreciate the different mindset Ma brought to the table while forming this event. As a college student, I appreciate his kind gesture and acknowledge that access to learn more about culture should be available to all at no cost. Tickets sold out almost immediately on Tuesday, September 17, at 12 PM. The VIP 2-day ticket pass was gone instantly. I still do not understand how I was able to obtain two general admission day passes. There were restocks of general admission tickets randomly announced on Hypebeast social media channels. The committee members were Hiroshi Fujiwara and Sarah Andelman, both legendary figures in their respective fields. On the Hypefest website, Fujiwara is listed as “the godfather of the ura-harajuku fashion scene. His fragment design imprint continues to drop collaborations with global brands including Louis Vuitton, Moncler, Nike and more. His expertise, knowledge and foresight of cultural trends is unrivaled within the industry.” In addition, Andelman is listed as “the creative director of colette, the multilabel concept store in Paris from 1997 to 2017. She is famed for discerning fashion edits and curating an exclusive mix of lifestyle products. She now runs “Just An Idea”, a consulting company building bridges between disciplines.” (hypefest.com) The first day, I got to the venue around 1 PM and waited in line for about 45 minutes. Security was really tight and once we verified our tickets at registration and passed the security check, we boarded a shuttle bus that took us to the actual venue.

The second day, I got there right at noon and waited in line for less than 10 minutes. Listening to people talk about their favorite brands, what merchandise they wanted to buy, and what installations to visit was really interesting. No cash was allowed and all transactions were handled through Google Pay or Apple Pay. Gourmet food vendors were in food trucks along the second pavilion. I was not able to get much food since I was too busy running around catching events and people but the grilled cheese sandwich I tried was the bomb. There was a central DJ set on the main stage that continuously played music that is most likely on your playlist already, good vibes only. Renowned graffiti artists such as Futura, STASH, and Kevin Lyons held live art displays and autographed people’s merchandise. Adidas Originals hosted a customization workshop for people to design their own clothes and

The exhibits found at the Hypefest Photos by Daniel Kang shoes. Pieces from the adidas archives, immersive art, design installation, and limited ZX merch was also available to explore. There was a Pokemon and Thunderbolt Project booth, organized by Hiroshi Fujiwara, that gave out free bags and stickers to Pokemon trainers that were above level 25. There were

so many people trying to get into that booth that security was called to control the crowd. My favorite booths were from Sacai (Japanese brand that will be dropping a hybrid collection with Nike in early 2019), MAINS (contemporary brand founded by grime rapper Skepta), The VINYL by Beats by Dre and

Hiroshi Fujiwara (listening experience with vinyl records). Among the merchandise exclusive to Hypefest, the ones that caught my eye were the adidas Never Made collection which includes the I-5923 4D silhouette, BAPE Continued on thestute.com

Spoiler Alert

Venom

by KOBY GARCIA Senior Visual Arts and Technology Major

Does anyone remember Spider-Man 3? You know, “emo” Peter Parker? I was a nineyear-old boy who hadn’t been more excited for anything ever. Three villains? Venom?! My mind was blown! I walked out of the movie theater wideeyed and thinking that no other movies needed to be made ever since cinema had reached its peak. This is how I imagine nine-year-olds feel about Venom (2018). It’s action packed, unnecessarily fast-paced, and full of cheesy dialogue. My opinions on Spider-Man 3 have since changed, but my love for Spider-Man and all related characters has not. When I heard that Venom was getting its own movie, I felt like

Photo courtesy of crosswalk.com I was nine-years-old again, much like I’m sure many other people felt. I did not, however, come out of the theater feeling the same way I did back in 2007. From the very beginning of the film, audiences are shown the bleak and downtrodden world in which the film is about to take place. Eddie Brock (played by Tom Hardy) is a successful investigative reporter who plays by his own rules (except when he gets

fired). Anne Weying (played by Michelle Williams) is barely present in the movie other than being taken over by Venom for a brief moment in the film. Almost every character seems all too familiar, playing into their stereotypes with predictable dialogue to go along with it. The villain is your good, oldfashioned owner of a shady science company that wants to take over the world. One interesting aspect of this film is the collection of sym-

biotes and how they interact with the world around them. The film opens with a space shuttle returning to Earth that contains a total of four symbiotes, which eventually cause the space shuttle to crash. All but one of the symbiotes fall into the possession of the aforementioned stereotypical villain, Carlton Drake (played by Riz Ahmed). The lone symbiote is not Venom, but Riot, a symbiote who eventually finds his way to Carlton Drake

and wants to take his rocket to space in order to bring back millions of symbiotes to take over the world. One of the symbiotes in Carlton Drake’s lab is, of course, Venom, who finds Eddie Brock, and the titular character’s journey begins. Venom acts as both an alter ego to Eddie Brock as well as its own independent character with its own motives. Venom is actually the funniest character in the film with the wittiest humor and the most entertain-

ing lines of dialogue, unlike Riot. Despite the entertainment the character of Venom provides, this still clashes with the tone of the rest of the film. The movie seems unsure what it wants to be: Clever? Serious? Humorous? Violent? Epic? It’s unbalanced. Evidenced by (most of) their other dozens of films, Marvel has this tonal formula figured out, but Venom proves that Marvel doesn’t always get it right.

Opinion Continued

Friday, October 12, 2018 • Page 9

Campus Conservative

Is it time to update the U.S. voting system?

by ALEX MURTAGH Junior Civil Engineering Major

From voter ID laws to simple things like the day of the week that we vote on, a lot of our current voting practices are based on laws decided in the past. As we all know, the U.S. was at one point a

highly religious and agrarian society; everything was based around the Sabbath and the harvest season. However, things have changed significantly since then. In the more than 240 years since the Declaration of Independence was signed, the United States has been through multiple technological revolutions, and the American people no longer take religion as seriously as they once used to. So if the times have changed, why haven’t our voting laws changed as well? That exact answer is hard to pin down. Our voting laws have clearly changed since the days when only white, landowning males were allowed to vote — today, everyone has the right to vote regardless of

race, property, or gender. But those changes only dealt with who is allowed to vote, not when or how you can vote. So, I guess a better question would be, why haven’t the dates and rules behind elections changed? More than anything, it’s a lack of effort on the part of Congress to take action. (Wow, Congress not doing anything, there’s a shocker.) There have been many different proposals of how to improve the system from people all over the country, but they are regularly ignored by Congress. One of the most popular proposals out there is either to move election day to a weekend or make it a federal holiday so employers are obligated to give people the day off

to vote. In my opinion, there’s nothing wrong with either of these proposals; however, the issue that people are trying to solve with either of these has already been solved. Everyone has the option to fill out an absentee ballot if they cannot get time off work, and there are numerous states that allow people to vote anywhere from 4 to 50 days prior to an election. Now, I know that you’re thinking, “I should be able to change my mind up until the day of the election!” And you would be right to say that; serving that need would be the only benefit of these proposals. But honestly, in my opinion, you should have your mind made up before then since these campaigns have been running

Letter to the Editor

I wanted to write about the article written in the Stute on September 28th, which did not do the event justice. It mainly focused on the “politics” and money that went into the event, and only drew from the opinion of one person. The article was written under the Campus News section of your edition, not the opinion column. Which theoretically should have made it more focused on the event itself, and its meaning rather than the thoughts and feelings of one person. What this article failed to include was the hours of work that went into the event before, during, and after to make this event happen. The volunteers put in hours of hard labor to set-up and breakdown the event and spent a lot of time giving people information about the display. The very fact that so many people

volunteered suggests that the climate on campus in regards to mental health is starting to change. The event did cost a lot of money, and that made me hesitant about bringing it to Stevens, but I couldn’t let an opportunity of this scale pass itself up. A new Active Minds chapter almost never gets to host this event, and it is a huge honor to be allowed to facilitate this at our school. The event cost $5000, so I applied for a grant from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention for half of it. Since destigmatizing mental health has been an task that the SGA and Active Minds have both been trying to complete, I then asked the SGA if they would be willing to co-sponsor the event. After presenting to both the budget committee and the senate they approved it with no hesitation. This was on no terms, meaning there was nothing stated about needing

to be on the flyer. I offered that they could table at the event, but they declined. The other sponsoring organization, AFSP the national organization who gave us $2500 through a grant, requested specifically to be on the flyer. Their incentive for doing so was to advertise their Out of the Darkness Walk in October and their national organization. The purpose of this event was be focused on mental health awareness in our community, which is greatly needed, rather than analyzing the “politics” or the money. This event was a powerful display that is meant to bring awareness to mental health. We are trying to change the conversation around mental health and suicide, and part of this change is the wording we use. We try to use language such as died by suicide and lost by suicide, the article uses language that is not recommended by Active Minds, such as “committed” suicide which subconsciously

1900s meant to keep African Americans from voting. Finally, we need to take a hard look at election security. Living in the digital age makes electronic voting extremely dangerous, as evidenced by the 2016 election. In my opinion, we need to return to all-paper ballots to ensure that there is as little interference in the election as possible. Elections are the keystone of our republic and should not be tampered with. Electronic voting presents the potential issue of hackers trying to adjust outcomes in their favor, not in favor of the American people. So all in all, it’s time to update the voting laws in this country and make them suitable for the modern age.

Letter from the Editor

Letter to the Editor by ASHLEY PECK

for months on end. The other major issue surrounding voting is voter ID laws. Many people view voter ID laws as nothing more than a racist attempt to bar minorities from voting. This could not be further from the truth. Insinuating that minorities are incapable of obtaining a government ID because of the color of their skin is actually racist. In reality, voter ID laws are there to prevent people from voting multiple times under the same name in different places, or under different names in the same place. This is to ensure accountability and keep the process fair, not to bar anyone from voting. It is not a tax, nor is it a test like the ones back in the early to mid-

Response

makes the person at a fault for a crime. Seeing as they interviewed a representative, I would think that they would have the kindness to ask about this language on such an important and sensitive subject before it gets distributed to the entire student body. Active Minds is a probationary-RSO who is trying to recruit new members in order to grow the club. Being the topic of a Stute slander article is not the way for us to recruit new members. I am, and have been, committed to growing this club since it was proposed as a Step 1 RSO.This article only hurts us and the work that I have done to bring this club to campus. The article also hurts the work that many have done to destigmatize mental health. By slandering the one mental health student group we have on campus the Stute has shown that it does not stand behind Active Minds, and consequently the general student body as well.

by MARYIA SPIRYDONAVA Thank you for writing to us about your concerns on the article about Send Silence Packing. I appreciate the feedback. The Stute is not perfect, and we are always looking for ways we can improve. That being said, the writer of the article had reached out to you several days before writing the article and did not hear from you by the time the article

was published. We can only publish the information that is known to us and cannot be expected to relay information that was not shared with us. I hope this can be a learning opportunity for both of us and that we can build a relationship between The Stute and Active Minds. We really want to cover the Out of the Darkness Walk in the future because it is an important event, and we hope to work with you on it in the future.

Want to Submit a Letter to the Editor of your own? email it to eboard@ thestute.com

Stars of Stevens

Rosin up that bow!

by MIA HILDEBRANDT Senior Civil Engineering Major

Carter Rosen’s face lights up when he plays violin — I know this from experience, because he is my stand partner in the Stevens Orchestra. In addition to being the Assistant Concertmaster in the orchestra, he is also involved in the Audio Engineering Club, RGB Photography, and the Off Center improv group on campus. His hobbies include making short films, drawing, painting, and rock climbing. Carter is a firstyear biomedical engineering

major from Gillette, NJ. Carter started playing violin when he was in second grade, which makes this his 11th year as a violinist. In addition to violin, Carter also sings and plays ukulele, mandolin, and bass. He even built a cajon, which is a box-shaped percussion instrument. Carter explains, “Whenever I’m stressed, I like to try out a new instrument or form of art.” Carter is able to communicate largely through his music. Like words on a page, he is able to express himself through song. “Music is kind of like… poetry, without the need for words,” Carter says. “I can show people how I feel, and I can make them feel that same emotion. Playing on stage in front of 300 people with an orchestra behind me feels so powerful. It’s crazy having everyone’s eyes fixated on you, waiting for your art.” When asked if he has any

inspirational role models, Carter mentions Joshua Bell, one of the greatest violinists of all time. Carter recounts a time during one of Bell’s concerts when the violinist [Bell] had a nosebleed. “It was during my favorite piece of all time,” Carter remembers. “He kept playing, with all the blood on his neck and violin. It was pretty metal.” Carter has played a vast number of pieces, including “The Four Seasons” by Vivaldi, and his favorite piece of all time, “Zigeunerweisen” by Pablo de Sarasate. He enjoys these pieces for different reasons — the Vivaldi for how expressive and fun they are to play and to listen to, and the Sarasate for its emotion and intensity. He adds, “That’s the one Bell played.” While he enjoys classical repertoire, Carter is also a fan of more modern music. He includes Green Day and Radiohead as a few of his

Photo courtesy of Mia Hildebrant current favorite bands. In studying classical music, Carter has grown to appreciate all music, including romantic, punk, rap, and alternative. While Stevens is a “tech school,” there are more musicians on campus than one might think. Carter adds,

“The people here are fantastic. I think the people that music has connected me with makes it all worth it. I’ve never met a musician that was stupid; I think music does that to people. Maybe it’s the work ethic of practicing, or just the constant stimulation of the mind, but

a musician is always a good study buddy.” Many of Carter’s future goals include playing violin, whether that be for gigs for fancy parties in the city, playing electric violin in a rock band, or even street performing with a quartet in Central Park.

Join the Stute; I tried to make a pun but the plural of fungi is funguses. YAY ENGLISH!

Sports

Friday, October 12, 2018 • Page 10

Hain’s Record Breaking Night Sends Women’s Volleyball Past Sage

ON DECK IN SPORTS

Friday WOMEN’S TENNIS

VS St. John Fisher College 12 p.m. Hoboken, NJ

n

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL Stevens Sports Information

SSI - Junior Sara Hain set a new program record with a perfect 1.000 hitting percentage (min. 8 attempts), freshman Elizabeth Chu recorded her first career double-double, and the Stevens Institute of Technology women’s volleyball team remained perfect in Empire 8 Conference play with a sweep of The Sage Colleges (257, 25-12, 25-10) Wednesday at Canavan Arena. Senior Brianna Perez also had a perfect night on the attack, recording a kill on all five of her attempts, while also dishing out 14 assists. Freshman Kathleen Riegner added an additional 10 assists and served a career-high six service aces. The Ducks recorded a season-high 24 aces in moving to 18-4 overall and 6-0 in league play. Stevens has yet to drop a set

in conference play and can clinch hosting rights for the E8 Tournament with a victory over St. John Fisher College on Oct. 20. Miranda Nethaway led Sage with four kills and two blocks. The Gators have dropped three straight matches to fall to 5-16 and 0-6 in the E8. Hain recorded eight kills on eight attacks without an error, to break the previous mark of .812, achieved by Summer Hamilton on 9/29/2006 against Mount Saint Vincent. The Roseville, Minn. native has posted 13 matches this season with a hitting percentage of .300 or better. After tonight’s performance, Hain moved into second in the conference in hitting percentage at .340. Chu totaled 12 aces and 11 digs to complete the rare libero

double-double. The Old Tappan, New Jersey native is believed to be just the second libero in Division III to achieve the feat this season. Volleys and Points The Ducks opened the first set with a 7-0, led by four aces delivered by freshman Elizabeth Chu. The Gators were unable to claw back, as Stevens hit .750 in the first set. Stevens began the second set with a 6-0 run, before a kill from Sage’s Miranda Nethaway broke the streak. The Ducks went on two more runs in the set to keep a far distance from Sage. The Gators opened the final set with a kill from Alexys Hutchins. Stevens answered with two kills from Hain and Perez, along

with four more Chu aces. Multiple unanswered runs from the Ducks proved too much for the Gators, as Stevens held them to 10 points in the final set. Match Point Freshman Corinne Dougherty delivered a kill to close out the match. Inside the Numbers Sage totaled just eight kills on the night, marking the lowest for any Stevens opponent this season. The Ducks held the edge in kills, aces, blocks, assists, and digs. A potent net presence forced the Gators into a negative hitting percentage in all three sets. Junior Shelby Stewart led all players with three blocks. Stevens hit .350 for the match;

their second highest this season. From the Sidelines “We had an incredible team effort tonight led by Sara hitting 1.000 and Lizzie’s double double.” “We served tough and put ourselves in a position to try new things and go outside our comfort zone a little bit.” “We have a big weekend coming up with four tough opponents so we were glad to have a solid performance like that leading into it.” Up Next The Ducks open the 2018 Stevens Invitational on Friday with matches against the University of Scranton (4 PM) and Haverford College (8 PM). Live stats and video links at StevensDucks.com.

VS University of Scranton 4 p.m. Hoboken, NJ

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

VS Haverford College 8 p.m. Hoboken, NJ

Saturday WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY VS Connecticut College Invitational 11 a.m. Waterford, CT

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

Panko Tabbed Empire 8 Women’s Soccer No. 21 Men’s Soccer Falls to Offensive Player of the Week No. 16 Franklin & Marshall

VS Arcadia University 11 a.m. Hoboken, NJ

SSI - Stevens Institute of Technology women’s soccer junior Julia Panko was tabbed Empire 8 Conference Women’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week Monday, the league office announced. It is the first career Player of the Week accolade for the Millstone Township, New Jersey native and

FIELD HOCKEY

Stevens Sports Information

the first weekly honor for women’s soccer this season. Panko totaled two goals and two assists as the Ducks went a perfect 3-0 during the review period to extend their winning streak to seven. Panko began her week with a key assist in Stevens’ 2-1 victory over in-state rival Montclair State University in the Route 3 Derby and concluded it with a pair of goals and an assist in a 5-0 conference win over Houghton. The junior fired 12 shots over three matches, with seven registering on goal, and her marker against Houghton proved to be the game-winner.

SSI - No. 21 Stevens Institute of Technology fired 17 shots, but could not find the back of the net, and fell to No. 16 Franklin & Marshall College 1-0 Tuesday in a nonconference fixture at the DeBaun Athletic Complex. Senior Aaron Henry made a pair of saves for the Ducks, who fell to 11-2-1. The setback snapped Stevens’ 10-match unbeaten streak. A.J. Kopacz recorded the lone goal of the match in the 61st minute and Christopher Amoruso made six saves for the Diplomats, who improved to 10-1-2. Franklin & Marshall has won two straight. Stevens had a pair of quality chances in the match, but sophomore Cristiano Hocken rang a shot off the crossbar in the 21st minute and Amoruso made a leaping save to rob freshman Adam Silva in the 80th minute. Pivotal Point Locked in a possession battle, Ugo Okolie took advantage of a

Duck Country Scoreboard

Stevens turnover and went on a long run down the far sideline. Okolie fired a cross from well to the left of the goal. Kopacz rose above the pack and headed the ball neatly inside the post for his sixth marker of the season. Inside the Numbers

Stevens outshot Franklin & Marshall 17-7, including a 6-3 edge in shots on net. Silva led all players with seven shots, including three on net. Kopacz’s tally snapped Stevens’ 331-minute scoreless streak. The Ducks outearned the Diplomats 9-5 in corner kicks, including 6-0 in the second half. Stevens fell to 2-3 all-time against Franklin & Marshall From the Sidelines “Disappointing result. We got punished for our mistake, but I was very proud of the effort from the Continued on stevensducks.com

Date

Stevens

Opponent/Event

Score

Result

10/6 10/6 10/6 10/6 10/6 10/6 10/6 10/7 10/7 10/7 10/7

Equestrian Men's Soccer Women's Volleyball Women's Soccer Women's Tennis Women's Volleyball Men's Golf Women's Soccer Women's Tennis Field Hockey Men's Golf Men's Soccer

VS New Paltz Show VS Elmira College VS Utica College @ Houghton College @ The Sage Colleges VS Houghton College VS Mason-Dixon Collegiate @ Alfred University @ Elmira College @ Utica College

N/A 4-0 3-0 5-0 9-0 3-0 323

N/A W W W W W 14th W

10/9 10/10 10/10

Field Hockey Women's Volleyball

VS Mason-Dixon Collegiate VS Franklin and Marshall College @ Stockton University VS The Sages Colleges

5-1 9-0 3-2 N/A 0-1 0-1 3-0

W W N/A L L W

Stevens Sports Information

VS Nazareth College 11 a.m. Hoboken, NJ

WOMEN’S TENNIS

VS FINAL 11 a.m. Hoboken, NJ

MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY

VS Connecticut College Invitational 12 p.m. Waterford, CT

MEN’S SOCCER

@ The Sage Colleges 1 p.m. Troy, NY

WOMEN’S SOCCER

VS Nazareth College 2 p.m. Hoboken, NJ

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