[The Stute] October 5, 2018 (Issue 5, Volume CXVI)

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TUTE

We did nothing bad this week give us a break!

Volume CXVI Issue 5

THE

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

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Amnesty International Hosts Gun Violence Panel

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Friday, October 5, 2018

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Students react to the reveal of Stevens’ 2016 tax documents

by DANIEL KANG Staff Writer

Amnesty International held a visual activism installation and guest speaker panel on the gun violence crisis in America called “In the Line of Fire: Gun Violence and Human Rights” in Jacobus Lounge on October 4, Thursday, from 4 to 8:30 PM. Vice President of the Stevens Amnesty chapter, Paige Metzheiser, remarked, “This event is unique in that Amnesty usually discusses international issues but chose to focus on a domestic issue specific to the United States. The necessity for gun reform and gun safety is a human rights issue, and that’s why we held this event. The human rights issue is that people walk in fear.” One of the more prominent facts was that over half of suicide deaths are with firearms. The exhibition called “Shooting Range” was full of interesting facts and photographs intended to show viewers the destructive effect of firearms in our society. Each table in Jacobus covered a different topic and gave a general see GUN · Page 4

by MATTHEW CUNNINGHAM Webmaster

and got engaged right before graduating in 1983. She felt that coming to Stevens was one of the best decisions that she had ever made. After Stevens, she began work at a power plant simulation company but was soon recruited by New York Telephone in 1984 into their management career development program.

Across campus, students at Stevens turned to various social outlets — Facebook, Instagram, Slack — to discuss an article recently published in The Stute, which detailed the general financial conduct of the university in 2016. The article raised many questions and concerns for students, prompting them to wonder if the high price of tuition is worth the cost. A primary point of contention for students was President Nariman Farvardin’s earnings. In 2016, Farvardin earned “$734,013 in base pay as well as several other forms of compensation, such as an $827,800 bonus,” wrote Eric Londres of The Stute. The article also found that other top administrators each made more than $500,000 and that Stevens invested over $27 million in the Caribbean and Central American regions. Reactions to this news from students ranged from shock to outrage to ambivalence. “I was very frustrated. The numbers are a little

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Photos by Jeffrey Vock Photography

Virginia Ruesterholz, former chair of the Board of Trustees, stepped down from her position this past Spring. The former Verizon executive was surprised with a party commemorating her achievements as chair in Bissinger on September 25. | MORE PHOTOS ON PAGE 3

Board of Trustees threw surprise party for former chair Virginia Ruesterholz by ALEX MURTAGH Outreach Chair

From 2013 to 2018, Virginia Ruesterholz served as the Chair of the Stevens Board of Trustees. During her tenure as chair, a lot has changed here at Stevens. Thanks to Ruesterholz’s leadership, the school worked to execute the 10-year plan designed to

make Stevens a more studentcentric and innovative place. Due to all of the advancements that Stevens has made under her leadership, the new Chair of the Board of Trustees, Dr. Stephen Boswell, and the rest of the board decided to throw a surprise party for her on Tuesday, Sept. 25. In attendance were the majority of the Board members as well as President Farvardin, and

many high ranking faculty members. Prior to the party, Ruesterholz sat down for an interview with The Stute. Virginia Ruesterholz began her Stevens career back in the fall of 1979 as an undergraduate student studying chemical engineering. During her next four years at Stevens, she eventually met her future husband, who was also studying chemical engineering,

Office of the Provost hosts first Pizza with the Provost

Religious student organizations upset with “unfair” treatment by CHARLES ZWICKER Staff Writer

Leaders of Stevens’ four religious organizations (Newman Catholic, Stevens Christian Fellowship [SCF], Muslim Educational & Cultural Association [MECA], and Hillel) met on Monday, Oct. 1, to discuss the growing sentiment that Stevens is increasingly placing less of a focus on religious organizations on campus. The four religious organizations currently share one small office on the second floor of Jacobus. This room is used as an office for Newman Catholic’s campus pastor and storage for the clubs. SCF has been given a small amount of storage in BC 104 for their materials, for which Ethan Dytioco, a representative for SCF, considers themselves to be “quite lucky.” Space is a common issue for all of the religious organizations. Newman Catholic prays in the rosary on Castle Point in the mornings, but in the case of inclement weather, they move into Jacobus Lounge. They host Sunday masses in Hayden Lounge, having to share the area with other students who may be playing games or working on projects. This is a less-than-desirable solution for both Newman Catholic and the students that are already working in Hayden Lounge, according to Newman Catholic. Iman Alshafie, president of MECA, said that not having a dedicated prayer space is difficult for members of the Muslim faith, who pray five times a day. “Having that space where people can have time for themcampus news

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selves… is really important,” according to Carinne Werthaim, active president of Hillel. MECA hosts Friday prayer in the Jacobus basement, which is not enough space to properly setup, according to Alshafie, and results in many people feeling uncomfortable. Stevens plans to move offices of clubs from Jacobus to a temporary location in Alexander House, while the new University Center is being built (estimated completion date of August 2021). Steven’s administration has told the religious clubs that they will not be receiving a room in Alexander House, either for storage or for prayer/meetings. The solution administrators suggested to the religious organizations was to schedule a time in the multipurpose room on the first floor of Alexander House. This room would be shared among all clubs, similar to how many clubs can utilize Jacobus or Hayden Lounge for events, but priority will be given to Student Life over the other clubs. “It’s like reserving a bathroom in EAS, it just isn’t practical,” says Dante Volpe, SGA Subcommittee Chair for Religious Organizations. A shared sentiment shared between the four organizations is that Stevens administration is increasingly placing less and less of a focus on religious diversity on campus. Leaders of these organizations cited an email -- titled “Update on Initiatives to Create a More Diverse and Inclusive Community” -- that was sent by President Nariman Farvardin in November 2017, in which

IUA hosts International Snack Night IUA gives “street food” aspect of culture to attendees.

Crossword

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Tic-Tac-Toe

Play Tic-Tac-Toe with your friends!

Established 1904

by MARK KRUPINSKI Business Manager

MODEL SHIP FOUND by ERIC LONDRES Staff Writer

The model ship donated to Stevens in February of last year has been found this week. The discovery of the $4,500 ship comes one week after The Stute published an article that said efforts to find the ship “have not been successful.” “Stevens also received a total of $22,970,900 in gifts and contributions,”

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the article stated. “Notably, this included the donation of a model ship evaluated at $4,500. The Stute’s efforts to locate this ship over the course of the past two weeks have not been successful.” The Stute previously reported the donation of the boat last week as part of a broader examination of Stevens’s tax returns. The ship is a model of Charlie’s Flying Fish 1851, and was donated by the estate of Charles Berendsen ‘51, according to Amy Roberts,

A Photo by Eric Londres

Assistant Vice President for Development Services. The original ship was Berendsen’s senior design project. Students can view the model ship in the Mary Stevens room on the first floor of the Samuel C. Williams Library. The ship’s designer and namesake, who passed away in December 2016, was a member of the Stevens Legacy Society. His estate also donated $800,000 in cash at the time of the ship’s donation.

The Office of the Provost hosted its inaugural “Pizza with the Provost” event. The event gave staff members of the Office of the Provost and undergraduate students the opportunity to interact with each other. The event opened with all of the students introducing themselves. Students represented a wide-variety of majors — from Science, Technology & Society to Civil Engineering — and all class years at Stevens. Afterwards, the two members of the Office of the Provost introduced themselves — Cindy Chin, Assistant Provost for Finance and Administration, and Christophe Pierre, Provost. Chin noted that she was a Stevens alumna who majored in Business and Technology and was a member of Alpha Phi Omega and Delta Phi Epsilon. In her professional career, she started in the financial industry before moving to Stevens see PIZZA · Page 2

EMAIL EBOARD@THESTUTE.COM WITH YOUR BREAKING NEWS STORY.

see RSO · Page 2 opinion

Mind of a Freshman: A home of my own

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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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opinion

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Scientific Curmudgeon

Campus Liberal vs. Campus Conservative Off the Press: New tax returns revealed Put your records on: Billy Joel

The Stute meets every Tuesday at 9 PM on the second floor of Jacobus Hall. Come join the team!


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