[The Stute] September 7, 2018 (Issue 1, Volume CXVI)

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Volume CXV Issue 1

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Friday, September 7, 2018

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Kristie Damell resigns, takes job at NJIT by MARYIA SPIRYDONAVA and JOANA FARDAD Staff writers

A mockup of the towers presented to the President’s Leadership Council in May 2017. The tallest of the two towers will be approximately 14 feet taller than Howe.

Stevens prepares for growth, plans to build two towers by MATTHEW CUNNINGHAM Webmaster

The growth occurring on the Stevens campus has unsettled some students. Many upperclassmen have been moved from their Residence Halls to Stevens Leased Housing, and students are concerned about the future of Stevens housing. However, Stevens has a plan: replace Jacobus and Hayden Halls with two tall towers containing a university center and student housing. This upcoming capital project raises questions for some students on whether the cost

of these towers will increase tuition prices, whether Stevens will complete this project on time, and what the future of student affairs and residential housing will look like. Plans to increase undergraduate enrollment size from 2,800 to 4,000, create a large university center, and build new student housing to accommodate for growth began in 2012 when President Nariman Farvardin launched his 10-year strategic plan shortly after he began his presidency. When Farvardin released this ambitious plan, the Institute was still dealing with a massive image problem and an inability

Plans to create the towers have been discussed since at least 2012. to function. Stevens, which was handling investigations of financial mismanagement, struggled to recruit top-notch faculty and students. Infrastructure and maintenance projects were in terrible shape. The Babbio Garage project — which remained unfinished for many, many years until a few months ago — loomed over the Hudson as “an iconic symbol of the disar-

ray Stevens was in,” as Beth McGrath, Farvardin’s Chief of Staff and Vice President of Government and Community Relations, referred to it at a Hoboken City Council meeting two months ago. Farvardin and his administration released his 10-year plan, back in 2012, to fix both the public image problem and the deep systemic issues facing Stevens. The primary goals of the 10-year plan were to increase the student population, revitalize education programs, grow the research enterprise, and enhance interdisciplinary education and research. see TOWERS · Page 3

Babbio Patio completed by MELISSA KOSAR Staff Writer

One of the best selling points Stevens has over other schools is the unique skyline view. Hoboken is home to some of the best views of the Manhattan skyline. Stevens, in particular, draws students with this beautiful image seen from several places on campus. Until recently, Castle Point was the place to go to gaze across the river at the city that never sleeps. Over the summer, a new sightseeing location was introduced, Babbio East Patio. Located right outside of the Babbio Center, Babbio Patio looks over the Hudson River and directly at the picturesque Manhattan architecture. With clear views of the Freedom Tower, Empire State Building, and several other iconic buildings, this spot certainly adds to the campus. While most of us have seen the patio with our own eyes, some may be unfamiliar with what lies beneath the new landscape. The Babbio Patio actually serves as the roof to perhaps a more important aspect of this construction, the Babbio Garage. According to Robert Maffia, Vice President of Facilities and Campus Operations, “the construction of the garage began in April of 2017 and reopened for use in Janusee BABBIO · Page 4

campus news

see DAMELL · Page 4

Meeting Stephen T. Boswell, Chair of the Board of Trustees Boswell explains how the Board operates and how Stevens makes its decisions by ALEX MURTAGH Outreach Chair

Arriving at Boswell Engineering and being led through a large building was a clear indication that I was about to meet someone very important. After all, Stephen Boswell has been President of Boswell Engineering since 1990. First graduating from NYU in 1974 and then William Patterson, Dr. Boswell started his career as a high school chemistry and physics teacher. From there, Boswell moved out to California to pursue a career in industrial engineering. Although, he ultimately come home to what is now a 91-year-old family business. Boswell had started working at the company at the age of 14 helping with surveying and design, only to find himself back there as COO and eventually President in 1990. In order for Dr. Boswell to run a civil engineering company, he felt that it was important to earn an advanced degree in civil engineering. That’s what ultimately lead Boswell to earn his master’s degree in Civil Engineering and his Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering. Dr. Boswell has been on the Stevens Board of Trustees since the late ’90s. At the time, Boswell and the rest of the board were constantly saying, “What the heck are we going to do?” due to Stevens’ poor outlook. But thanks to the leadership of former chair of the board, Virginia Ruesterholz, members of the board aren’t worried about Stevens surviving, but rather motivated and excited for its future. During his almost 20 years on the Board, Boswell has served as chair of almost every committee. He has even been one see DAMELL · Page 2

Stevens works on sustainability by SARAH HOOGENBOOM Staff Writer Photo by Matthew Cunningham

Many of the first-year students seemed to enjoy the camaraderie of the Wittpenn Walk tradition.

First-year students experience new campus tradition by MATTHEW CUNNINGHAM Webmaster

Just minutes before the students of the Class of 2022 entered Canavan Arena for their New Student Convocation last Wednesday, members of the Stevens community witnessed and participated in a nascent tradition at Stevens: the Wittpenn Walk. The Wittpenn Walk, which is conveniently named after the road it occurs on, is among several efforts by both Stevens administrators and student leaders to contrive tradition on campus. Campus traditions at Stevens, which date back to Cage Ball and the Cremation of Calculus, had been absent for decades for some administrators. In particular, Sara Klein, Assistant Vice President for

· page 4

Undergraduate involvement at 27%

Student leaders dispute the actual level of involvement. Are RSOs to blame? polls

After 10 years of serving the Stevens community, Kristie Damell, Associate Dean of Students and Title IX Coordinator, has stepped down from her position. She will take a new position as Director of Student Life at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT). The Office of Student Life will be looking to fill her position in the upcoming months. Damell has had many responsibilities that influenced students in many areas. Claiming that her position “lives in three worlds,” Damell was one of the Honor Board advisors and met with students going through hearings due to violations, was an Associate Dean of Student Life involved in fraternity and sorority life, civic engagement, and safe zone training, and was the Title IX Coordinator. With Damell juggling so many different responsibilities, which all required a lot of her time and attention, “[it is] hard to just focus on one of these three areas,” Damell said. She has been heavily involved in the creation of SPEAK UP, a bystander intervention training program, as well as other Title IX training and sexual education programs. She has even paired up with RAs and helped them organize events like Sex Bingo. Also, as part of the revamping of orientation and the first-year experience, Damell assisted with introducing the required first-year reading to encourage students to take different viewpoints. Leaving Stevens “in a good place,” she believes that her projects from over the years have become stable enough to last without her. Damell feels that her leaving will be a good thing for Student Life. All her responsibilities will be divided into three new positions; now there will be more people to focus on their specific responsibilities instead of just one. Damell looks at this as a positive re-

Established 1904

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Admins need to respond to emails

Find out which administrators are the worst at responding to their emails, according to fifty student leaders.

opinion

Student Affairs, thought “some of our existing campus traditions could use some updates and improvements.” “I also felt like we needed a few more traditions that students could look forward to every year, and I also wanted them to be spread out more throughout the year,” Klein said. To resolve this problem, Klein formed a committee early in October 2017 and tasked them with creating new campus traditions that she hopes will endure for decades. The committee — composed of student government officials, Honor Board members, and some staff members, including Klein — prepared and organized several traditions for the Stevens community, like the Duck Dance, Quack Pack (a school spirit organization), and Golf Cart

· page 7

Music Review: Ariana Grande’s Sweetener Christian Bonavita spills the tea on Grande’s new album. opinion

· page 8

John Horgan: Why STEM needs Humanities

Read why students should also take humanities classes.

Karaoke. But perhaps the most successful of the traditions suggested by the committee is the Wittpenn Walk. Klein announced the plans for this tradition back in May and that the Class of 2018 would be the inaugural group for the walk. “[The senior class will] proceed down Wittpenn Walk [from Howe] and out through the Gatehouse to Babbio for a celebration with staff and faculty,” Klein said in an email sent out to the Stevens community in May. “Beginning this August, our first-year students will process up through the Gatehouse on Wittpenn Walk into New Student Convocation. The Wittpenn Walk tradition will symbolize the start and finish of a student’s see TRADITION · Page 3

opinion

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opinion

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opinion

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Fashion Trends and Dad Shoes Mind of a Freshman Girl Talk

In efforts to build a more sustainable campus, Stevens has shifted gears and made small changes that have left a positive impression on students. At the beginning of the school year, students were greeted with new Facilities & Campus Operations vehicles. These electric cars, which appear to be a mix of a Jeep and a golf cart, are being introduced as older campus vehicles are retired or replaced. The Facilities Department has also been pushing toward green infrastructure on campus. With the completion of the Hudson Street Rain Garden this summer and functional green rooftop the previous summer, Dr. Fassman-Beck, a faculty member and leading green infrastructure expert, has made the Stevens campus a research site for testing new mechanisms for collecting and divert-

ing stormwater in urban settings. Although it is not a standard in all buildings on campus yet, green infrastructure in buildings may become an expectation for all cities of the future to conserve the environment. As the largest source of waste on campus, Stevens Dining has also followed suit in being more environmentally conscientious. Dining services has removed plastic straws from all dining locations and replaced them with more sustainable paper straws. The paper straws, which are not recyclable because they are contaminated by food products, are biodegradable and create an awareness of the small changes that an individual can make by using alternatives to single-use plastics. Paper straws, however, tend to leave pulp in drinks, so make sure to down the coffee quickly or switch to an even more sustainable option: metal straws. see STRAWS · Page 2

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News BOSWELL

Continued from front page

of the four vice chairs for a number of years. Now stepping into the role of chair, Boswell’s main goal is to continue the work outlined by the Stevens 10 year Strategic Plan. This includes recruiting more students and faculty while still increasing the quality of both parties, increasing and improving facilities, and acquiring more funds for the school. In addition to this, he sees his biggest challenge as doing as good of a job as Mrs. Ruesterholz did, seeking to be “almost as good as she was,” and “not screw up what she did.” Rueseterholz was “transformational” in her ability to introduce financial discipline and make the university more student centric. Boswell had nothing but praise for Ruesterholz, noting she is incredibly bright and honest, “allowing everyone to speak,” and providing Stevens with its current momentum. Boswell does not seek to make any major changes, but rather build on all of the work already done. “Most of the board will notice a difference except for the person who is holding the gavel.” He noted small changes like changing the name of the annual board retreat to a summit. His goal is not to reinvent the wheel, but rather tweak some things. At the same time, Boswell recognizes the many challenges that the Stevens community as a whole face, particularly the undergraduate community. The accelerated growth of the student population here at Stevens is a major point of contention for the undergraduate students

Friday, September 7, 2018 • Page 2

who now suffer from being moved off campus at higher prices, and from more people stuffed into the classrooms. Boswell empathizes with these “growing pains” as part of the strategic plan to grow Stevens to 4,000 undergraduates but notes that relief is on the way. Particularly, he highlighted the new building set to replace Jacobus and Hayden. According to documents obtained from Stevens, the new building will host an additional 866 beds. In addition, a new university center will be included, which has yet to be officially named. Another major issue due to the growth of Stevens is the lack of faculty resources for students, mainly in the Computer Science department. With Computer Science majors now overtaking Mechanical Engineering students for the second year in a row, the department has undergone rapid expansion. But Boswell assures students that “we are striving for excellence” by recruiting top quality faculty and noting that faculty growth is exceeding student growth. Boswell even joked that with the rise in number and quality of applicants, “most of the board members could not get in anymore.” Even with all of the issues, the Board is closely looking at every aspect of Stevens in great detail during every meeting. Their goal is, in conjunction with President Farvardin, to “run the school like a business.” To Boswell, the board is almost like the legislative branch, it sets policy for the executive branch, in this case, Farvardin, the provost, and the deans, to execute and oversee. In this sense, the two have worked to grow the Stevens endowment from about $58 million when Boswell

Photo Courtesy of Stevens

Stephen Boswell, Chairman of the Board of Trustees.

joined the board to now $200 million. As far as student involvement is noted, Boswell encourages students to get involved. With the Middle States Association only counting DuckLink, they estimated student involvement at 27%. But the way this is counted does not fit his definition of involvement which, in his view, should include Greek life, athletics, volunteer work, and more. Leading with that, Boswell made it clear that undergraduate involvement will not include a member of the undergraduate student sitting on the board due to conflict of interest. However, he did appear willing to encourage student presentation to the board on a more consistent basis. Boswell made note that it is important for as many graduates to give back as possible. Not only does it help the

school financially, but it also helps with rankings like U.S. News & World Report, which includes the percentage of undergraduates that give back to the school in raking schools. The way he sees it, “it’s like paying it backward.” Stevens’ most recent giving percentage was, according to the alumni office. But the main reason for this is that even at full price, a Stevens education costs twice what any student may pay, and it’s important for alumni to remember this. Finally, when asked what Stevens means to him, Boswell responded with, “Stevens is an institution that wants to stay on the leading edge of educating the next generation of leaders for America and the world.” He is very proud of Stevens and all of the students he has seen during graduation. “We have to be worth it, we are worth it.”

Only 27% of student body involved on campus, Middle States report discovered by MATTHEW CUNNINGHAM Webmaster

A report conducted by the accreditors of Stevens — the Middle States Commission on Higher Education — found that only 27% of undergraduate students are formal members of Registered Student Organizations. Released in May 2018, the report by Middle States indicated that fewer students are involved on campus than once believed by student leaders and Stevens administrators. However, most student leaders and administrators question the accuracy of this finding. Middle States attributed the lack of student involvement to the Student Government Association and the Office of Undergraduate Student Life, suggesting that the SGA and OSL should do more to “attract a larger portion of its undergraduate student body

STRAWS

Continued from front page

Sold on campus, Amazon, and many other locations, metal straws have been appearing around Stevens, showing that students are willing to invest in small changes that make a difference. Although it seems like

to engage in campus life, specifically with clubs,” Middle States said in the report. Middle States measured participation only in RSOs, not in Greek life or athletics. For their calculations, they analyzed the rosters found on DuckLink, which is a relatively new service implemented last year that organizations at Stevens use to maintain membership rosters, events, and organizational information. When asked about the low level of involvement reported by Middle States, Lucas Gallo, President of the SGA, expressed skepticism about the legitimacy of the 27% involvement figure. “This number was calculated by utilizing the rosters on DuckLink which [the SGA Cabinet and I] believe are not as accurate as they should be,” Gallo told The Stute in an email. Both Gallo and the SGA

Vice President of Student Interests, Dakota Van Deursen, admit that updating rosters isn’t as easy for RSOs as it should be and that during the first half of their terms, they neglected to remind clubs to update their rosters as much as they could have. Gallo hopes to correct bad recordkeeping by RSOs in the upcoming semester, first by having Van Deursen emphasize to clubs at the next Leadership Reconnect that they must maintain accurate rosters, and then by punishing clubs that fail to do so. “Documenting attendance is one of the criteria of the Good Standing Policy, and we hope that we will be able to more accurately depict the number of students involved by enforcing that policy next semester,” Gallo said. When asked if they had examples of RSOs that consistently maintained bad re-

cords, Gallo and Van Deursen declined to provide any. However, Van Deursen assured that “it is not a small pool of organizations.” Sara Klein, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs, agreed with SGA officials that the percentage of involved students found by Middle States is low only because RSOs aren’t updating their membership records as often as they should. “We think the [percentage of students involved] is more like 70% — 60 or 70%. We just need to do better at making people formally list themselves in organizations and for organizations to formally submit rosters,” Klein said. The Office of Undergraduate Student Life and the Student Government Association both expect to see the number of involved students rise as more RSOs formally list people as members.

this school year has been a starting point for more sustainability initiatives, many facilities and clubs on campus have already been making a difference. Last semester, dining services began to offer reusable mugs at Pierce Dining Hall to discourage students from using the unrecyclable to-go cups and participated in events like Stop Food Waste Week. Student

organizations like S.A.V.E. have continuously acted as a meeting point for students who are passionate and curious about making environmentally-friendly changes. Last semester, during the Earth Day celebration, S.A.V.E. handed out metal straws to students after advocating for recycling and reducing single-use plastics for several years.

For students interested in sustainability, the Fall Sustainability Seminar is being offered on Wednesday nights by Professor Sarkar, beginning next week both online and in person. The seminar features new speakers every week from a large array of backgrounds and majors, including clean energy, pharmaceuticals, and the United Nations.

News

TOWERS

Continued from front page

“It envisions a bold but achievable future,” Farvardin said in a press release back when the 10-year plan was released. So far, implementation of these changes has bolstered the image of Stevens, making the university a sought-after place to get a degree. In the last seven years alone, the demand for a Stevens education, which is measured by the number of applications to Stevens, has increased by 157%, according to an administrator familiar with the growth. Most administrators recognized that to accommodate the massive increase in students, increasing the number of Stevens Leased Housing options was impractical for both the Institute and Hoboken. As part of the 10-year plan, Stevens will build two 21- and 19-story towers containing student housing and a university center. Plans for these towers were developed in 2015 with the Hoboken City Council, zoning boards, and planning boards. Last month, Hoboken City Council voted to approve zoning changes that authorize development for these towers. To prepare for the construction of the towers, Stevens plans to demolish two buildings along Castle Point bluff. Jacobus Hall will be demolished in Spring 2019, and Hayden Hall will be demolished in June 2019, according to Robert Maffia, Vice President for Facilities and Campus Operations. The towers, which will be on

Friday, September 7, 2018 • Page 3

the site of Hayden and Jacobus halls, are designed as a pair of residence halls on top of a university center. Estimates for the number of beds in the towers range from 866 to approximately 1,000. Plans for the university center include having a new fitness center, a conference center, student and faculty lounges, a new food service and dining venue, a convenience store, new space for student organizations, and office space, according to an email sent out by President Farvardin to the Stevens community on August 16. The future cost of On Campus Housing should remain similar to housing costs nowadays. “For those students who choose on campus housing, it is expected that the cost will be less than off campus housing once the new project is open,” Maffia said. Administrators expect the project to be finished and ready for students by August 2021, according to Maffia. After witnessing the delays and disarray of the Babbio Garage project, some students have expressed skepticism about the estimated completion date of August 2021 for the towers. However, Stevens is confident that they will complete the towers by this date. “The delays in the completion of the Babbio Garage preceded the tenure of President Farvardin,” said Maffia. “After President Farvardin assumed office, he prioritized first, the Gianforte Family Academic Center, as academic space was a critical need. Once this project was approved and construction was underway, completion of the Babbio Garage was the next priority. Once approved by the

Mockups of the new University Center and student housing project have been presented to the President’s Leadership Council and Hoboken City Council. This complex will be available to students by August of 2021, according to Robert Maffia, Vice President of Campus Operations and Facilities.

Hoboken Zoning Board, Stevens planned a 10-month construction period to open the garage, and we met that target.” The staggering cost of these towers, which has yet to be fully determined, will not raise or impact the price of tuition for students, according to Maffia. The project will, instead, “be financed through a combination of bonds and philanthropic gifts,” Maffia said. A primary philanthropic gift is from alumnus Richard F. Harries ‘58, who donated approximately $17 million in June to support the construction of the towers. Because of his substantial do-

nation, Stevens plans to name the future residence hall in the towers after him, according to a Stevens press report released in June. Once housing is expanded on campus with these towers, Stevens plans to phase out Stevens Leased Housing options. The list of leased housing options has been growing and growing ever since Stevens began to increase the size of undergraduate enrollment. The unexpectedly large size of the recent incoming class demonstrated that the larger enrollment size would affect housing for students.

The current Stevens Leased Housing options, which require students to sign an 11-month lease and purchase a meal plan, include 733 Jefferson Street, The Shipyard, 1000 Jefferson Street, and 1700 Park Avenue in Weehawken, among six others. The decision to move approximately 650 beds from offcampus leased housing to campus was made to centralize the Stevens community and reduce tensions with families who share these buildings with students, according to Keenan Hughes, a legal representative for Stevens. Despite a predicted loss of about 650 beds in the Hoboken

TRADITION Continued from front page

Attilla the Duck led the Class of 2022 as they made their way toward New Student Convocation. Photo by Matthew Cunningham.

academic career at Stevens.” For its first reveal with the Class of 2018, the Wittpenn Walk had more than 100 attendees, most of whom were student leaders who helped organize the event. “Many seniors had cried walking down Wittpenn Walk,” said Lucas Gallo, President of the SGA and a member of the campus traditions committee formed by Klein. That warm day in May signified an emotional end to a four-to-five year-long aca-

community and increase of the undergraduate enrollment size to 4,000, Stevens expects all housing needs to be covered in the future. “Based on the current percentages of students who opt-in to the Stevens Housing Program, we expect to not need Stevens Leased Housing in Hoboken,” Maffia told The Stute in an email. Once most of the Stevens Leased Housing is phased out, Stevens projects that it can reduce the number of daily runs made by its shuttle system by at least 63%. Hoboken residents, particularly in the neighborhoods adjacent to campus, have expressed concerns about the shuttle system because of the traffic it produces in the city. According to a presentation given to the Hoboken City Council by Stevens, administrators plan to readjust the shuttle lines so that they operate only to and from major public transportation options, specifically the PATH and light rail. All these changes are in line with plans by Stevens to accommodate future growth and should assist in solidifying a common Stevens culture. demic career. However, no tears were seen in the incoming class that participated in the second iteration of the Wittpenn Walk last Wednesday, the third day of classes for most of the students. As the first-year students made their way up Wittpenn Walk for the start of their academic life, upperclassmen, staff, and even a few alumni lined up alongside the road, cheering and ringing their Stevens-provided cowbells. “We definitely plan to continue this tradition for all new classes of first-year students as well as for all graduating classes,” Klein said.

News Continued

Friday, September 7, 2018 • Page 4

Students enjoying the newly opened Babbio Patio, built above the Babbio Garage, as well as the newly constructed stairs to Frank Sinatra Drive. | Photos courtesy of Jason Buckman

BABBIO

Continued from front page

ary of 2018, before the start of the spring semester.” Babbio Patio, however, was opened for use June 14, 2018, following the 2018 Spring semester. The “East Plaza” as Maffia refers to it, can accommodate up to 500 people!

DAMELL

Continued from front page

sult of her departure: “I feel better now that my job is being divided up… [there will be] more hands in the pot.” The new positions consist of a Director of Student Life, who will deal with the day-to-day running of the department, such as overseeing Greek Life and managing orientation; a position responsible for conduct cases and Title IX investigations, as well as assisting Kenneth Nilsen, Dean of Student Life, with some of his responsibilities; and a Wellness coordinator who will focus on educational programs for mental health and sexual education. During the transitional period, Damell’s roles have been split up amongst various staff members. Christopher Shemanski will be stepping in for Damell’s Student Life roles, with assistance from Sara Klein. Philip Gehman will be the main Title IX investigator, as he has already been involved with Title IX; Damell wanted to ensure that stu-

Needless to say, this addition to campus conveniently timed up with the massive increase in enrollment here at Stevens. By constructing this new project, the institution was able to “continue the culture of embedding sustainability” by using green infrastructure for the roof of the garage. The garage itself also features “five electric vehicle charging sta-

tions and sixty bike parking spaces,” Maffia was delighted to share. He also added that the garage is in the process of switching to License Plate Recognition as its new parking control system. This will eliminate the need for parking hang tags. Both the garage and the patio have already been frequently occupied by students and visitors. On the first night of class-

dents can go to him as easily as they went to her. Veronika Paprocka will be overseeing Diversity Education and the Lore-El Center for Women’s Leadership. As Damell reflected on her time at Stevens, she can’t help but admit that “everything has changed” since her first day, but, in her opinion, all in the positive direction. “[The] freshman class has more than doubled,” Damell said, “and the reputation of Stevens has skyrocketed.” Because of this exponential growth of Stevens’ name, Damell feels that now the “quality of students has become more competitive” and that this boost has resulted in the “now expanding facilities.” Damell tops off this list of pros with a final note on this change: “now there has been this great growth of diversity and even more inclusion [here].” She has experienced a lot of change here and is looking forward to the challenges she will face at NJIT. In her time here, Damell had also developed a role in the musical department at Stevens. “I’ve been so lucky to be a part of the musical part

of Stevens and will miss supporting that,” she assured. But don’t worry, Damell promised she’ll be back as she hopes to see the music part of Stevens continue to grow. Admitting that it was hard deciding to leave Stevens, Damell remembers her 10 years here fondly. Before becoming the Associate Dean, she had three other positions, experienced two different Stevens presidents, and saw a growth in both facilities and diversity. Stevens forever holds a special place in her heart, a place where she got married and had her kids. Now she will be able to be closer to her kids and be more present for them. Damell closed her interview with some final words for the Duck community: Take every opportunity at Stevens, it has a lot of resources at our fingertips; furthermore, be comfortable with the uncomfortable. “Enjoy the awkward” and challenge yourself. A lot of the Stevens students expressed bittersweet feelings, said that they will greatly miss her, and jokingly implored her to stay, yet wished her the best, and to never stop being a Duck at heart.

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es, the Office of Residence Education hosted the Flock Party After Dark on the patio. According to Maffia, the Flock Party After Dark is a perfect example of the kinds of use we will get out of the patio. “The space is expected to be a venue for student, faculty, staff, and alumni events.” Even though many are excited about the potential of the new plaza, many

in the community comment on it looking bare and thinking, “Will there be any furniture?” The answer is yes! “There will be cafe tables and seating, along with bench seating,” Maffia says. Those features are in the process of being selected and ordered, but they will eventually be there. Thanks to the Class of 2017, there will be a viewfinder like the one at

Castle Point, which was donated as their senior class gift. Any student with an idea for things to go on the patio or to be hosted on the patio can reach out to the Student Government Association with their input. Maffia says, “student input is always welcomed.” Students should look out for events happening on the patio soon.

Damell was integral to many aspects of student life at Stevens.

Campus Pulse

Friday, September 7, 2018 • Page 5

Roving Reporter How do you feel about the Duck Dance?

“The Duck Dance is a cool way to get involved on campus.”

“Absolutely legendary.”

Brian Taglialavore

Ethan Foskey

“It’s cringy enough to be funny but memorable.”

“It’s a torture device used by the CIA.”

“Needs to be bass boosted.”

“It’s pretty dope because it sounds like it’s sung by Tyga.”

Jake Millburn

Kevin Chmielewski

Saurin Badlani

Sudoku

Jack Brummer

Polling Pierce

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Opinion

Friday, September 7, 2018 • Page 6

The Stute Editorial

The Hoboken Turtle Club Most of you either have never heard of the Hoboken Turtle Club or know it as that bar (sorry, it just closed). Either way, the Hoboken Turtle Club is actually so much more than that — it’s actually a part of Stevens history. It all started back in 1796 with John Stevens, a member of the Stevens family. He was a former captain of George Washington’s Continental Army. Colonel Stevens was a jack-of-all-trades, as he was an inventor, lawyer, and treasurer for New Jersey. He had led a lucky life and had enjoyed a sizable fortune. He also had prized European chickens. This seems random, but it’s not, for the chickens were getting poached by... snapping turtles! The riverfront of John Stevens’ estate was being overtaken by the turtles, which Stevens described as “conniving cold-blooded reptiles.”

by NATALIE TODARO Freshman Music & Technology Major

Unless you’ve met me before on campus and had a long conversation with me, you wouldn’t know that occasionally I stutter. It’s not often, but if you talk with me enough, it’ll happen. I usually never explain it to people because, well, it basically never happens. But once

Stevens sent out a shepherd boy to look after his turtles. The job turned out to be tougher than anticipated. The shepherd reported that the turtles were grabbing the chickens by the legs and pulling them into the river. In fact, a New York Times article from 1878 described the situation: “a huge turtle, with an arched back completely covered with moss,

myinwood.net

crept out of the river, seized an unsuspecting hen by the leg and

dragged her off to his felonious retreat on the river bottom.” So what does Stevens do? Does he move the chickens to a more secure location? No, of course not! He declares war on the turtles and invites all his rich buddies to feast on some delicious turtle soup. According to the same New York Times article, “Each man cut the throat of his own turtle.” The feast quickly turned into a club where the eating and partying would go on for days. The original club consisted of various important people from Manhattan, some of whom were George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin. Apparently the club is the oldest club in American history. The club was so popular that the population of snapping turtles in the Hudson went extinct. Around 1878, the club events were moved into Manhattan,

hosted in Tammany Hall, in the Lower East Side. Currently there is a club there and at the club’s entrance is a giant turtle shell with the letters “H.T.C.” imprinted in it and hung from the balcony of the locale, signifying the Hoboken Turtle Club. Over time, the club was renamed the New York Turtle Club, moved to several different locations, and invitations to the club were highly coveted. Around the 1890s, membership was down, yet the feasts kept going! John Tarbell manned the soup kettle for the club at the end of the 19th century. Tarbell’s talents were acclaimed by turtle aficionados. His turtle soup recipe, a “state secret,” was shared only with the president of the organization. Two days before the guests arrived, Tarbell would enter the cookhouse with his turtle. One would

I sat there awkwardly after I assessed my situation. After a few minutes of frantically searching, I had come to the realization I was dreading: there was no wastepaper basket in the bathroom stall. I idly waited until everyone in the bathroom had left before I made my hasty exit to dispose of my pad and discreetly throw some paper towels over

Maryia Spirydonava Editor-in-Chief

Senioritis

Practicing bravery

The calm in the storm

I got settled here on campus and college was starting, I noticed that I was stuttering more frequently than I ever was, and by the third day of orientation I started to have to explain to my peers that I stutter sometimes. Not only was I struggling to get words out of my mouth, but I also found myself becoming uncomfortable talking to new people I met during orientation. I had never thought that I would have to tell people that I stutter sometimes, and I especially wasn’t familiar with having to deal with it in front of new friends. I found myself not talking as much as I had wanted to because I was afraid of stuttering and not being able to “get the words out right.” I even minimized how often I spoke to avoid the fear of being judged about the way I was

speaking. I was afraid of asking questions during orientation events because I knew in my mind that I was going to mess up the words. A part of me was upset at myself for not using my voice, but in the moment I was convinced that I was protecting myself from judgement by others. But that’s where I went wrong. Whether I stutter or not, my voice is important. I had to remind myself that it’s dangerous to let fear weigh me down and even choose my decisions for me. I know that it’s easier to say this than to actually do it, but perfection shouldn’t be your end goal. You can’t beat yourself up over failures even if you know that you could’ve done better. One of my favorite quotes was written by Robert Frost: “The best way out is always through.” Let it be

a reminder that in order to succeed, you must go through failure. Soon my stuttering won’t happen as often since it’s most likely a result of stress from the transition to college, but it isn’t gone forever. There will be days when I can talk clearly, and there will be days when I will struggle. All that’s important is to keep working at not letting this challenge overpower my decisions or my routine. We all must work on being brave because allowing fear to create barriers for you only adds fire to the already burning flames. With bravery comes success, but it takes practice. So in addition to your textbook readings and lab assignments, add bravery to the top of your to-do list. With practice comes change, and every day is a step closer to overcoming your struggles.

When women become a design flaw

Freshman Biology Major

Aaron Burr adopted the rule that no one could partake of turtle unless he had taken some part in its preparation. Dinner was served at 4 p.m. in the afternoon and consisted of boiled eggs, brandy, and, drum roll please... you guessed it, turtle soup! Even after its colorful past, the history of the Hoboken Turtle Club was forgotten after membership diminished in the 1940s. So, if you didn’t know any Stevens-related history, now you know some of the colorful history of John Stevens.

Mind of a Freshman

Girl Talk

by LEIGHA TIERNEY

think that turtle soup would be heavily compromised of turtles; however, Tarbell shared with a reporter, “You see, this is turtle soup of the best kind, but there’s not much turtle in it. It wouldn’t do you know. Too much turtle spoils turtle soup…If 1,500 turtles made any better soup than six; we’d have the 1,500. But they wouldn’t; they’d spoil it. It would be so rich, nobody could eat a cupful of it.” His recipe consisted of some vegetables, which were potatoes, turnips, cabbage, radishes, peas, beets, tomatoes, cucumbers, and cauliflower. It was said that the soup was known to be so rich in taste that nobody was able to have more than two bowls. Turtle Club members also contributed to the preparation of the food. In fact, rumor has it that “important men” like John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and

it in the garbage for good measure. This embarrassing predicament occurred over The Stute‘s Freshman Weekend, my very first experience living at the place I would be calling home for the next four years. While I quickly brushed off the experience, the lack of accommodations made for women is an issue that has been a problem for decades now. While women make up half of the population, we are routinely forgotten when it comes to requiring different standards based on our different needs. One glaring example that shook up the tech world in 2014 was when Apple debuted the HealthKit app, a program which allows users to input data about themselves, such as the amount of steps taken, how many hours slept in the night, and even allergy and immunization records. While the app hosted a

variety of ways to track one’s health, it failed to allow users to track their menstrual cycles, effectively alienating the female user base. Another example that has had a widespread and harmful effect is the lack of female representation in clinical trials for medications. A study conducted on sex-specific medical research by Brigham and Women’s Hospital outlined the reality of women’s struggles to have their specific needs met: while cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of women, only 31% of cardiovascular clinical trial subjects are female; while lung cancer is the deadliest cancer for women, researchers often fail to take into account sex-specific factors in incidence; and despite the fact that two-thirds of Alzheimer’s patients are women, it has been assumed that this is attributed to women’s average longer lifespan instead of the

effect of hormonal changes due to menopause and sex differences in gene expression. While there are countless other instances of femalespecific needs being ignored — lack of female crash test dummies when testing cars, innovative artificial hearts designed only to fit male chest cavities, and lack of awareness of female-specific heart attack symptoms — it’s time to stop ignoring the fact that sometimes equality means acknowledging our differences. I’m not just a smaller and lighter non-male. I have different fat distribution than men, my heart beats more rapidly than male hearts, I have different hormone cycles than men, and I have two X chromosomes in every single cell of my body. We need to end the idea that men are the prototype human and recognize that women and men can’t achieve equality in a world tailored to men.

Join the Stute ! Tuesdays at 9 ! Jacobus 2nd floor ! Yay !

by NAMANKITA RANA Senior Engineering Management Major

I absolutely hate yoga. I’m sure my ancestors would be rolling in their graves at the statement (after all, India is the ancient birthplace of yoga), but the allure of the practice has always escaped me. I never understood why anyone would willingly choose to contort themselves into the oddest of positions known to mankind. Sorry, hard pass. So, naturally, I got roped into attending an early-morning yoga class for three days straight by the only person on the planet who can make me do anything against my own free will — my mom. I’ll be honest — I didn’t particularly enjoy those three days. I was sore and cranky after each session. But I walked away with an interesting piece of advice — nay, a perspective — that I won’t ever forget. It was in the middle of a particularly gnarly set of exercises. The instructor could see that the whole class was struggling, and motioned for us to all relax. Then, he posed two simple questions to the class: “Why, exactly, do you practice yoga? What’s the point of it all?” (I wanted to mention that I’d been brought here against my own volition, but the timing seemed less-than-ideal.) People gave different answers — to increase flexibility, improve one’s health, etc. He nodded politely through all of them, but it seemed like no one really hit the nail on the head. Finally, he spoke again: “When you practice yoga, you are putting your body under stress. A lot of it. It can be painful and uncomfortable. But the longer you do yoga, the quicker you learn to get used to

it, and get through it gracefully. Therein lies the point of it all — in life, you need to breathe, balance — and then find the calm in the storm. That is what yoga teaches.” That explanation really struck a chord. Too often, I’ve found common stress relief solutions to be a bit contrived. Coloring books, drinking tea, putting on noise-cancelling headphones, taking a walk… all of those so-called ‘solutions’ involve somehow numbing the side effects of whatever it is that is making one uncomfortable. They help cover up the symptoms of stress, maybe, but they don’t actually address the problem itself. Those solutions never seemed to work for me because they always seemed a lot like running away from the problem. That’s not to say I’m not guilty of trying to run away from my problems — I simply make do through other means. See, I’m an escapist by nature. For better or for worse, I live mostly inside my own head. That allows me to tune out a lot of what’s going on around me, but it also means that if I’m stressed about something, I’m gonna mull over it forever. Alternatively, I may choose to simply ignore it entirely, worsening the problem. Worst of all, no one is going to be able to snap me out of it, no matter how rationally they approach the situation. With his explanation, though, it suddenly struck me — life is not about avoiding or running away from the pain. It’s about learning how to face it, head-on. How to deal with it. Mostly, though, it requires accepting that pain is a temporary but necessary state of nature for growth. Nothing extraordinary comes out of staying firmly within one’s comfort zone, after all. That’s advice I’ve always had an easy time doling out, but currently am having a hard time practicing at this point in my life. How could I? So many things suddenly seem uncertain. It’s only now that I’m (slowly) understanding that there’s beauty in uncertainty, too. Peace, I realized, doesn’t mean having no noise, trouble, or hard work. Sometimes, it’s enough to just keep breathing, trust yourself — and find the calm in the storm.

Opinion Continued

Friday, September 7, 2018 • Page 7

Put Your Records On

Ariana Grande’s Sweetener is a sugar rush

by CHRISTIAN BONAVITA Sophomore Chemical Engineering Major

Welcome to year two of my Stute music column, now named Put Your Records On! Last year, I reviewed several of the biggest pop albums, as well as some lesser-known efforts, and spoke my mind about some of my favorite new artists. This year, I hope to continue bringing forward my favorite new music from pop, R&B, alternative, and beyond, along with new tunes that aren’t exactly my favorites. This week, though, I’ll be shining the spotlight on Ariana Grande’s inescapable new album, Sweetener. The release of Sweetener on the radio, streaming platforms, and iTunes seemed like one of the largest events in pop music in recent memory, as far back as the release of Adele’s 25.

The New York Top 40 station Z100 advertised Grande’s album and played many of her tracks, not just her singles, on their station on the album’s release date. Sweetener garnered the most streams ever for a female pop album in its first week, with 126.7 million track streams. These numbers are huge for pop albums, as rap and hip-hop tend to dominate streaming services. And finally, the album entered the Billboard 200 albums chart, topping it with the largest sales figure Grande has ever boasted, 231,000 units. At this point, Ariana Grande has established herself as a household name revered for her voice and chart dominance. Grande’s profile and public anticipation for her fourth album were higher than ever just before the release Sweetener, especially resulting from the Manchester Arena Bombing in May 2017, which occurred after a performance of her Dangerous Woman Tour. In fact, Grande herself stated that the tragic event changed expectations for the album, raising the stakes. The aftermath of the bombing can be clearly heard in Sweetener. Grande decided to fight the violence and hate with positivity, and the album largely

centers around the idea of finding and spreading love after a tragedy. Manchester’s events permeate the record on the album’s opening track “raindrops,” which features lyrics, “The day you left me / An angel cried,” and the theme continues through the album. Despite the common theme, though, the songs on the album never feel trapped within one genre or idea; on Sweetener, Ariana Grande repurposes her early trials with ’90s-influenced R&B, fusing the genre with her later style of trap-pop to create an album that sometimes feels bipolar stylistically, but is genuinely enjoyable to listen to on repeat. Most of the album’s upbeat tracks were produced by Pharrell Williams, and the direction in which he and Grande took this album is unlike anything many fans were expecting. When “the light is coming,” the album’s third track and second song to be released before Sweetener, was released ahead of the album, fans were confused by the 8-bit percussion, spoken chorus, and aggressive Nicki Minaj feature. While many fans had already lost hope after hearing the experimental track, the song proves much more successful within the context of the

Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia

track listing, serving as a preview to the album’s thesis about finding the light after darkness. However, the track still manages to overstay its welcome, even in just its four-minute runtime, and has yet to grow on me completely. In all other songs Pharrell produced on the album, eight in total, his signature is apparent through his frenetic, busy, tempo-pushing arrangements. His work is successful here; it’s quite impressive how his production can be recognizable without slapping listeners in the face. Grande and Williams breathe life into the first half of the

album, but made a misstep with the album’s final track, “get well soon,” which is an unfortunate mess of cliché, preachy lyrics, and an unfocused melody. As with any Ariana Grande project, her vocals are the centerpiece, clearly the most powerful instrument at work. For the first time, though, Grande shows some serious restraint and maturity throughout the album with her vocals. She has mastered a range of vocal tonality from ethereal to heavy and explores her lower ranges extensively on Sweetener. Still, she can display a

devastating amount of vocal power, like on “God is a woman,” or “everytime.” In addition, her vocal layering and ear for harmony have been greatly refined since previous efforts. Nearly every song possesses something to love about Grande’s vocals, without having to resort to her signature high notes, like many of her previous songs. Although the album has some issues with staying cohesive, especially as songs like “blazed” and “better off” don’t seem to fit with the album stylistically or thematically – Sweetener is nothing if not sweet. The album shines when Grande best mixes her influences and styles to describe the feeling of new love and starting over. On standout “R.E.M,” Grande does just that, mixing trap and pop with the same doowop that influenced her first album, Yours Truly, which transforms an unreleased Beyoncé song into her own new style. Sweetener functions not as a departure from Grande’s earlier styles, but rather as a rough but brave step forward that merges her influences, and, with the help of Pharrell, delivers a sugar-coated message about love in the face of hate and a light at the end of the tunnel.

Passion for Fashion

Spoiler Alert

Dad Shoe trend rules the year

Eighth Grade

by DANIEL KANG Sophomore Biomedical Engineering Major

You may not know it yet, but the coolest shoes right now are the ones your dad already owns. If you closely observe the sneaker trends in the industry right now, you will likely come across a lot of chunky retroinspired sneakers. These are commonly referred to as “dad” shoes for their bulky design and thick soles but, surprisingly, have been adopted by both high-end luxury houses and athletic sportswear companies. Understandably, many people hate these shoes and prefer companies to go back to elegant, streamlined shoes. Nike’s Air Monarch shoes have been credited with starting the trend decades ago while New Balance popularized this design aesthetic with its 990v4 sneaker. Although these shoes are not as aesthetically appealing as other shoes, at least they seem to be comfortable and thus widely adopted by fathers all over the country. The lineup of ugly sneakers include Balenciaga’s Triple S sneakers (first released in January 2017), Louis Vuitton’s Archlight sneakers (October 2017), Louis Vuitton’s Run Away Pulse

(August 2018), Gucci’s Rhyton Logo leather sneaker (February 2018), Flashtrek sneaker (July 2018), Dior Homme’s B22 trainers, Chanel’s SS18 Trainers, Prada’s Cloudbust sneakers, adidas Yeezy Boost 700 Wave Runners, adidas Yeezy 500, adidas Ozweego 3 by Raf Simons, Nike M2K Tekno, Vetements Reebok Instapump Fury, Vetements 80mm Platform Sneaker, ASICS Gel-Burz 1 Kiko Kostadinov, Puma Thunder Electric, Acne Studios Rockaway, Valentino Bounce Runner, Stella McCartney’s Eclypse sneakers, Maison Margiela’s Fusion Leather Trainer sneakers. The most interesting of these is definitely the Balenciaga Triple S. As it implies, Balenciaga’s signature shoe is made up of three soles: one for running, one for basketball, and one for soccer. For its expensive retail price of $850, one would expect these sneakers to sit on shelves, but they actually sold out worldwide. Even though they are no longer produced in Italy, and are beginning to be made in China, there has been no visible dip in demand. Honestly, I would not rock them, but I think they’re a unique concept that deserves more credit for bringing exaggerated soles to the forefront of fashion. One other interesting shoe that has been released recently is the Yeezy Boost 700 that first

released in November of 2017. Up until then, Kanye was famous for coming up with minimalistic sneakers but the Wave Runners represent a new direction for Kanye’s celebrated collaboration with Adidas. Kanye is looking to further diversify his portfolio with the release of the Yeezy 500, a new chunky silhouette that does not utilize Boost technology but rather uses Adiprene for the sole. I have tried on both shoes and can say that they are a bold statement piece that are still really comfortable. The relatively high retail price of $300 for the Yeezy 700 may deter some from purchasing this shoe, but with a global release planned for September 15, you still have time to consider. As you can see, dad sneakers are not just limited to high fashion anymore. They have successfully crossed over to streetwear to the point that all of the above sneakers would not look out of place in a line waiting for Supreme or in Soho, NYC in general. Unattractive footwear has reached a point where it is more common to see those rather than the futuristic, sleek sneakers such as the Air Vapormax and Ultraboost that have been put forth by Nike and Adidas in recent years. The ugly dad sneaker trend looks to stay strong for the rest of 2018 and beyond.

Yeezy Boost 700, Photo Courtesy of yeezysupply.com

by KOBY GARCIA Senior Visual Arts and Technology Major

You may know him from that unorthodox comedy special on Netflix your friend showed you in 2013 or maybe from YouTube in 2008, but now in 2018, Bo Burnham has delivered high-quality content again. This time it is in the form of my favorite movie this year, Eighth Grade, a comedy/ drama coming-of-age film like no other I have seen before. If you’re looking for a chance to relive all of the awkwardness that comes with being in middle school, then this is the movie for you. Eighth Grade follows 13-year-old Kayla (played by Elsie Fisher) and her last few adventures in middle school leading up to graduation. From attending a popular girl’s birthday party, shadowing and eventually befriending a high school student, experiencing an extremely uncomfortable and dangerous car ride home with a boy, and finally wrapping up with graduation, Kayla had an intense last few days of middle school. Kayla participates in the main thing you would expect all adolescents to participate in nowadays: social media. Bo Burnham never misses an opportunity to showcase mid-

dle schoolers’ obsession with technology, which usually includes shots of their eyes glued to some kind of screen. Kayla is reserved, but goes out of her way to portray the antithesis of her considerably introverted character by producing unpopular YouTube vlogs. Her vlogs are self-improvement tutorial-like videos where she explains to her viewers concepts like “how to put yourself out there” and “how to be confident,” all of which are directly reflective of the events happening to her. We, as the audience, experience her vlogs exclusively through a computer screen except for one vlog where she tells her viewers that she will no longer be making videos. In this moment, we see Kayla’s face not through a screen, but from behind her laptop, which communicates to the audience that she is being legitimate and not her onscreen persona. Director Bo Burnham employs a number of satisfying tactics, such as dropping the score and letting the camera linger for the entirety of

strongly awkward moments, having the film open and close with the same shot of Kayla’s eyes seen through a laptop screen, and utilizing immensely entertaining and accurate dialogue. The adults in this film are seen attempting to fit in, using outdated language such as “lit” and now unpopular actions such as dabbing. Throughout the film, Kayla’s dad actively attempts to check in and begin a personal conversation with Kayla, which she puts off until towards the end of the film during a beautiful moment of reflection and self-awareness when Kayla asks her dad, “Do I make you sad?” Kayla goes on to describe anxiety in an innocent and accurate manner: “I’m nervous, like I’m waiting in line for a roller coaster. I never get the feeling of after you ride the roller coaster.” There is something for everyone in this film. Simply describing it as an accurate depiction of a day in the life of a 13-year-old would be an understatement. I am sure that you, just like me, will be talking about this film for many years to come.

Nora Mullins, right, plays the lead in the movie Eighth Grade Photo Courtesy of the New Haven Register

Opinion Continued

Campus Conservative

Campus Liberal

True progressivism in America

by MATTHEW DOTO Junior Computer Science Major

Generally, when “progressives” think of corporatists, they usually think of Republican politicians. When they think of people who will cater to their donors’ every whim and not give a thought to the voters’ will, they think of Republican politicians. They think of the wealthy elite tricking the poor into voting against their interests with phrases like “trickledown economics,” the idea that somehow cutting taxes for the rich and raising or maintaining them for people who can’t

afford to survive with a fulltime job will somehow help the economy. Unfortunately, the problem extends far beyond the reaches of the GOP and into nearly every Democrat elected into federal office. The Democratic Party is not the progressive party. They are no longer, and perhaps never were, the party of the true liberal. The party is made up almost entirely of “establishment” or “corporate” Democrats, who choose their donors over their constituency except in the rare occasion that a journalist sniffs it out. Perhaps the most nationally visible result of this is Bernie Sanders’ loss to Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary in 2016, an affair surrounded in controversy and orchestrated by the DNC leadership. The clearest example of the Democratic Party’s hypocrisy is all the talk they spew about being for the people and for social programs, but as soon as your back is turned they vote for a $100 billion increase in military spending. Did you know

the overwhelming majority of the U.S. population wants to end the wars? And yet somehow our military budget for 2019 has ballooned to the point where it will exceed the current spending of the next top 10 countries combined. This increase alone is larger than the total military spending of Russia, and it was voted for 89 to 9 in the Senate, despite the Senate containing 47 Democrats. There is no universe where that should be an acceptable move by the people meant to represent us. As a result of this establishment dominance of the Democratic Party, groups such as Justice Democrats and The Party of Reason and Progress have risen up to fight for true progressivism and populist left ideas. The most visible victory of this movement recently has been Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s win over the five-year incumbent Joe Crowley in New York’s 14th district, though five other Justice Democrats have won their primaries this season as well. Populist ideas like

Medicare for all, free college, a living wage, criminal justice reform, and clean energy are all immensely popular among voters of all stripes, to such an extent that even Donald Trump used populist left rhetoric when he ran for office — and it worked. Representing the people and the people’s interests without catering to corporations is, I think it’s reasonable to say, what the vast majority of voters want. The mainstream media, the outlets you see everywhere, tend to cover those ideas as “far-left” fringe ideas that have no support, when in fact they are all supported by the majority of the population, according to polling. My point is this: There is a blue wave rolling in. Thanks to the visibility of Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, people are starting to see what it means to care about policies over rhetoric, and they like what they see. Expect a new generation of Democrats that will fight back against corporatist policies, and fight for the welfare of the people.

Ocasio-Cortez beat out incumbent Joe Crowley for a seat in the House of Representatives, in what has been described as the biggest upset victory in the 2018 midterm election season. Photo Courtesy of The Intercept.

Scientific Curmudgeon

Why STEM students need the humanities

by JOHN HORGAN CAL Professor

What’s the point of the humanities? Of studying philosophy, history, languages, the arts? This question has become increasingly urgent lately, as enrollment in the humanities continues to plummet. According to one analysis, the number of American students majoring in humanities has dropped under five percent. Last month, an LA-based public radio station, WUTC, asked me to join a discussion about the purpose of the humanities. I’ve given this topic a lot of thought, because I’ve been teaching required freshman humanities courses for years here at Stevens. I love teaching these courses, but I don’t assume students love

taking them. When I ask how many would skip the courses if they weren’t required, many raise their hands. They say they came to Stevens for engineering, computer science, math, physics, premed, finance. They don’t see the point of reading impractical stuff by Plato, Kant, Kuhn, and other old dead guys. Then I give them my pitch for the course, which goes like this: We live in a world increasingly dominated by science. And that’s fine. I became a science writer because I think science is the most exciting, dynamic, consequential part of human culture, and I wanted to be a part of that. But it is precisely because science is so powerful that we need the humanities now more than ever. In your science, mathematics, and engineering classes, you’re given facts, answers, knowledge, truth. Your professors say, “This is how things are.” They give you certainty. The humanities, at least the way I teach them, give you uncertainty, doubt, and skepticism. The humanities are subversive. They undermine the claims of all authorities, whether political, religious, or scientific. This skepticism is

especially important when it comes to claims about humanity, about what we are, where we came from, and even what we can be and should be. Science has replaced religion as our main source of answers to these questions. Science has told us a lot about ourselves, and we’re learning more every day. But the humanities remind us that we have an enormous capacity for deluding ourselves. They also tell us that every single human is unique, different than every other human, and each of us keeps changing in unpredictable ways. The societies we live in also keep changing — in part because of science and technology! So in certain important ways, humans resist the kind of explanations that science gives us. The humanities are more about questions than answers, and we’re going to wrestle with some ridiculously big questions in this class. Like, What is truth anyway? How do we know something is true? Or rather, why do we believe certain things are true and other things aren’t? And how do we decide whether something is wrong or right to do, for us personally or for so-

Friday, September 7, 2018 • Page 8

ciety as a whole? Also, what is the meaning of life? What is the point of life? Should happiness be our goal? Well, what the hell is happiness? And should happiness be an end in itself or just a side effect of some other more important goal? Like gaining knowledge, or reducing suffering? Each of you has to find your own answer to these questions. Socrates, one of the philosophers we’re going to read, said wisdom means knowing how little you know. Socrates was a pompous ass, but there is wisdom in what he says about wisdom. If I do my job, by the end of this course you’ll question all authorities, including me. You’ll question what you’ve been told about the nature of reality, about the purpose of life, about what it means to be a good person. Because that, for me, is the point of the humanities: they keep us from being trapped by our own desire for certainty. John Horgan directs the Center for Science Writings, which is part of the College of Arts & Letters. This column is adapted from one originally published on his Scientific American blog, “Cross-check.”

The growing divide of the Democratic Party

by ALEX MURTAGH Junior Civil Engineering Major

For years, the Republican Party was split into multiple factions fighting for power, and to some degree it still is. Now it looks like the same thing is happening to the Democratic Party. Those who have remained in lock-step with mainstream Democrats, like House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, are beginning to fight back. This ultimate fight between the mainstream Democrats, the progressives, and those who don’t want to give up power is slowly brewing. Many in the House are disappointed with Pelosi’s leadership, and it’s no surprise considering the conclusion of the 2016 elections: Democrats had lost over 1,000 seats, from the most powerful seat on Pennsylvania Avenue down to seats in each of the 50 state legislatures since 2008. Now the fight is ramping up for those who are desperate to remain in Congress. Since the 2018 midterm elections are only two months away, this is crunch time for those running for election. On the House side of things, over 50 Democratic candidates have announced that they will not support Pelosi as the next Speaker of the House if Democrats manage to retake the House. It’s important to note that number only includes a handful of incumbent candidates. However, many in the House have begun to float the idea of challenging Pelosi. In my opinion, it’s time for a change, especially considering the sheer amount of gaffes from “We have to pass the bill to find out what’s in it,” all the way to “Every month that we do not have an economic recovery package, 500 million Americans lose their jobs.” (Note that the current population is 325 million.) And let’s not forget that poor, 78-year-old Nancy can’t remember that President Bush is not the same person as President Trump. On the Senate side of things, Chuck Schumer started less than two years ago in his role as minority leader and, compared to his counterpart in the House, he has kept a tight ship until recently. The looming elec-

tions are making Democrats in traditionally Republican states very nervous. Democratic senators from Montana, West Virginia, Indiana, and Missouri are starting to show Republican tendencies of potential support for some of Trump’s policies. Without those four critical votes, it will be much more difficult for Schumer and the mainstream Democrats to say they have accomplished anything in their “resistance” fight against Trump. But the long-term problem for both Democratic leaders will be the progressives. Those who are holding on for power will jump back in line if they win their election. However, with the election of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the Democratic Socialist from Queens, and the popularity of Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign, it’s time for Nancy and Chuck to move over for the new Democratic power couple. After all, Ocasio-Cortez can perfectly fill Pelosi’s gaffe ridden career. Just since winning her primary, Ocasio-Cortez has made so many gaffes that she banned the press from a recent town hall. And Bernie can easily take over Chuck’s job of rallying the numerically challenged to vote for fiscally irresponsible policies. Looking at the big picture, it looks like a progressive takeover is inevitable, especially considering 7080% of young Democrats would vote for a socialist candidate in the near future. From my perspective, progressives and socialists are the same books, just with different covers. The progressives want to drag the party to the point of socialism, whether it be “democratic” or just plain old fashioned socialism. As recently as the 1990s, the Democratic platform sounded very similar to the Republican platform. Just take immigration for example. Then President Bill Clinton, in the 1990s, could have been a stand-in for President Trump at his rallies based on how similar they are policy-wise. Today, mainstream Democrats want to give more to illegal immigrants, and progressives go even further to say they want open borders. The list of policy disagreements could go on forever. It is rare that there is a single issue that mainstream Democrats and progressives can agree on. An evolution is happening in the Democratic Party and it’s not looking good for mainstream Democrats, especially considering the groundswell of support for progressive policies by the extremely misinformed who will do whatever Bernie and other progressive leaders tell them to do.

HAPPY EARLY ROSH HASHANAH LOVE, THE STUTE

Friday, September 7, 2018 • Page 9

THE STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION PRESENTS:

LIVE VIEWING PARTY

M A R C H12,72018 TH September B U RBabbio CHAR D 118 122

4PM - 6PM *Food will be provided*

Alex Wellerstein, Ph.D. Nuclear Threats Reawakened: Should we Duck and Cover Again?

Kristie Damell, Ed.D. Title IX Today: Time’s Up to Speak Up

Jan Cannizzo, Ph.D. Reimagining Calculus Education Elizabeth Fassam-Beck, Ph.D. Looking Up the Downspout: Green Infrastructure for Roof Runoff

Sports

Friday, September 7, 2018 • Page 10

Harden named Head Men’s & Women’s Cross Country and Track & Field Coach

ON DECK IN SPORTS

Friday WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

VS Mount Saint Vincent 4 p.m.

WOMEN’S SOCCER

n

VS New York University 5 p.m. Stevens Sports Information

SSI Stevens Institute of Technology Director of Athletics Russell Rogers announced that Emory University assistant Lance Harden has been hired as the Ducks’ Head Men’s and Women’s Cross Country and Track and Field Coach. Harden spent four seasons with the Eagles, managing all aspects of the men’s distance program, including training, recruiting and administration. Under Harden’s watch, Emory Cross Country reached the NCAA Championship in four straight seasons, while winning a pair of South/Southeast Regional titles. With Harden in tow, Emory set 10 school records, had four University Athletic Association (UAA) individual champions, six NCAA Track Championship qualifiers and three NCAA All-Americans. A member of the 2015 UAA Men’s Outdoor Coaching Staff of the Year, Harden was also recognized as the 2016 United States Track & Field and Cross

Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Men’s Outdoor Track Assistant Coach of the Year. Additionally, during his time at Emory, 28 studentathletes garnered USTFCCCA Individual All-Academic honors and two were tabbed Academic All-Americans by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). “We are excited to welcome Lance to Stevens as our new head cross country and track & field coach,” Rogers said. “He brings with him a wealth of Division III coaching experience at outstanding academic institutions with top level programs.” “More than that, Lance really seemed to connect well with our student-athletes during his visit to our campus,” Rogers continued. “I look forward to supporting his efforts in providing a positive and meaningful experience for our student-athletes and in leading our programs to even greater success.” “Lance did a wonderful job

for us during his time at Emory,” added John Curtin, Head Men’s and Women’s Cross Country and Track & Field Coach at Emory University. “He was a bright and personable young coach who had a true passion for the sport. He will be missed.” Prior to his time in Atlanta, Harden spent three seasons as an assistant with Williams College, where he was charged with organizing training for the Ephs’ student-athlete contingent of more than 80 competitors. “I am honored and excited to lead the Track & Field and Cross Country programs at Stevens,” Harden said. “I would like to thank Russ Rogers and the rest of the athletic department staff for entrusting me with this opportunity. In addition, I am grateful to all of the coaches and administrators who have supported and mentored me along the way at Emory, Williams, and Davidson. With the help of our outstanding assistant coaches,

Veronica Montrose, Samella Koroma, and Chris Sandoli, I am eager to guide our teams to new heights.” Harden had his first professional coaching opportunity at his alma mater, Davidson College, where he spent one season as a volunteer coach, serving in a mentorship role for student-athletes to discuss race strategy, injury maintenance and mental preparation. As an undergraduate, Harden helped guide Davidson to its first NCAA Division I Southeast Regional ranking and the program’s best team finishes at conference and regional meets. He was the Southern Conference’s Outdoor Track & Field 10,000-meter champion and was an eight-time AllSouthern Conference honoree, collecting two all-conference nods in cross country and three each in indoor and outdoor track & field. Additionally, Harden set set schools records in 8K Cross Country, 3,000 and 5,000-meter runs in indoor track and

was a part of a record-setting 4 x 1,500-meter relay team in outdoor track. A 2009 graduate of Davidson College with a bachelor’s in philosophy, Harden will become the fifth coach in program history. Harden, who was at the helm of the cross country team for the Vassar College Season Opener, inherits a program that achieved many program milestones during the 201718 season, including Men’s Cross Country’s first Empire 8 Conference championship, the program’s first-ever Men’s Track & Field All-American and multiple All-America performances on the women’s side. Additionally, three members of the team received Google Cloud Academic AllRegion distinction from CoSIDA and Alex Kainer became the third Duck to be named a CoSIDA Google Cloud Academic All-American. Both men’s and women’s cross country return to Poughkeepsie, New York this

Overtime goal sends No. 18 Oneonta over No. 15 Men’s Soccer SSI - Despite being outshot on the day, the Garnet made both of their first half shots count, scoring twice in the opening 45 minutes. Marin McCoy and Brittany Weiderhold scored for Swarthmore, who improved to 2-0. Stevens held a 12-5 edge in shots, including a 10-3 advantage in the second half. Sophomore Taylor Shaad led Stevens with three shots and five different recorded a shot on goal. The Ducks fell to 1-1. It was the first meeting between the programs. Turning Point With the teams battling to secure a loose ball in front of the net, a bouncing ball was headed in by Marin McCoy past the reach of goalkeeper Izzy DiDario. Inside the Numbers Stevens held a 5-3 advantage in shots on goal. The Ducks held Swarthmore to one shot on goal

over the final 45 minutes. The teams combined for five corners, with Swarthmore claiming one more than Stevens (3-2), although neither team earned one in the first half. Freshman goalkeeper Izzy DiDario made one save. From the Sidelines “Tough results for us here at Swarthmore. We were able to do a lot of the things we wanted, but unfortunately, they didn’t lead to a result on the scoreboard today. Our opponents made the most of their chances and that ended up being the difference.” “We’ll regroup, stay together and start looking forward to our next performance in the annual Engineering Cup this upcoming weekend.” Up Next Stevens opens the 15th annual Engineering Cup on Friday, September 7 with a non-confer-

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

VS Kean University 8 p.m.

Saturday MEN’S GOLF

VS St. John Fisher Collegiate Invitational 8 a.m. Phoenix, NY

MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY

VS Ron Stonitsch Invitational 10 a.m. Poughkeepsie, PA

WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY VS Ron Stonitsch Invitational 10 a.m. Poughkeepsie, PA

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

VS Plattsburgh State 11 a.m.

FIELD HOCKEY

@ Mount Holyoke College 11:30 a.m. South Hadley, MA

WOMEN’S TENNIS

VS Utica College 1 p.m.

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

ence fixture with New York University.

The Ducks edged the Violets 1-0 last season on a Taylor

Stevens Sports Information

Schaad goal just before the end of the first half.

VS Swarthmore College 11 a.m.

Duck Country Scoreboard Date

Stevens

Opponent/Event

Score

Result

9/1 9/1 9/2 9/2 9/3 9/5 9/5

Men's Soccer Women's Volleyball Women's Soccer Field Hockey Men's Soccer Women's Volleyball Field Hockey

VS Mitchell College @ Ithaca College @ Swarthome College VS Farleigh Dickinson University @ Oneonta @ New York University @ Albert Magnus College

2-0 1-3 0-2 1-3 1-2 3-0 13-0

W L L L L W W

Stevens Sports Information

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