[The Stute] February 2, 2019 (Issue 13, Volume CXVI)

Who would win:

tens of thousands of dollars in renevations and constructions by a prestigious technical institution over the course of months or one open window boi?

Volume CXVI Issue 13

Hoboken Bans Single-Use Plastic Bags

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Wittpenn Walk to be shut down

by SARAH HOOGENBOOM Staff Writer

by ANDREW KINNEY Staff Writer

As of January 22nd, 2019, Hoboken’s single-use plastic bag ban ordinance was put into place and has caused many to stop and think twice about plastic. As one of the first municipalities of Hudson County and the largest cities in the state of New Jersey to put in place a bag ban, Hoboken has made a stance towards reducing plastic pollution. The ban has now been implemented throughout Hoboken, including Stevens.

The issue was first brought to the attention of Hoboken City Council by students of Hoboken All Saints Episcopal Day School starting 2014. Mayor Ravi Bhalla, who was on the Hoboken City Council at the time, took the students words to heart and signed the law 5 years later. The activism of the students mirrored the opinions of many other cities and states that were banning plastic bags, including California in 2014.

Although many of the first cities that installed the plastic bag ban faced conflicts, the spread of education of the harmful consequences of plastic bags on our environment has raised the awareness of recycling, reusing, or avoiding single-use plastic.

The Hoboken Single Plastic Bag Ban enforces consumers to use compliant bags, such as those made of cloth, other washable fabrics, or plastic bags with a thickness of 2.25 mm. Alternatively, consumers at retail and food locations can purchase single-use plastic bags for up to 25 cents per bag. David Calamoneri, City

tions that were meant to be moved into temporary locations until the completion of Alexander House were “homeless” for about two weeks, with no office space for holding meetings.

Alpha Phi Omega (APO) is a Greek organization that was affected by the Jacobus Purge. With regard to this situation, President of APO Luke Langner said, “Although it’s inconvenient to us and the student body as a whole, it’s a setting we have to work for in order to make our university better in the long run.”

Wittpenn Walk, the iconic asphalt walkway from the Howe Center to the Babbio Center, is being shutdown for the next few years as part of the University Center Construction project.

The Stute reached out to the Division of Facilities and Campus operations, as well as Student Affairs, to get some details about the plan. In a joint response from Sara Klein, Robert Maffia, and Richard Snyder, they said that the shutdown fence will be built during the week of February 18th, and will run from the Howe Center to the north of Davis Hall, completely surrounding Hayden Hall. It will not encompass the entrance to the scenic outlook neighboring the Howe Center, which will remain open over the duration of the project.

Residents of Hayden will need to access the building through a fenced in walkway running along the pathway to Schaefer Gym, while the south entrance will be closed.

Residents of Davis will not be able to use the north entrance for the duration of the project, though the front and south entrances will remain open. Construction in the fenced off zone will take place between 8 A.M. and 6 P.M. The administrators stressed that “the safety of our students, faculty, staff, and visitors is of utmost importance.

All of the planned changes to Hayden and Davis Hall exits have been reviewed and approved by the Campus Police, Steven Fire Safety Director and the Hoboken Fire Department.”

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CAPS and Disability Services have relocated from the 7th floor of the Howe Center to the Pound House. Student Health Services have moved from Jacobus to the Pond House. Student Organizations previously housed in Jacobus Hall have moved to the Howe Center.

CAPS and Disability Services move to Pond House, Jacobus Student Organizations move to 7th floor Howe

by JOSEPH DOLAN Staff Writer

Due to the construction of the University Towers, many things have been moving around at Stevens. In The Stute‘s last issue of the Fall 2018 semester, there was a profile on the long history of Jacobus Hall. For the last 30 years, Jacobus has been the home of many student organizations on campus. In order to make room for the towers, Jacobus is being demolished.

In what was known as the “Jacobus Purge,” several

New RSO Financial Policy Announced at Leadership Reconnect

by MARK KRUPINSKI Business Manager

Lillian Tejeda, Financial Assistant for the Office of Student Life, announced new changes to the financial policy for student organizations at Leadership Reconnect, this Saturday, February 2.

To the discontent of many student leaders on campus, the principal policy changes include requiring receipts to be uploaded to DuckLink within

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Stevens releases Year 6 Report

Get updates on the progress of the 10 year plan.

News

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News

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Geographic Diversity at Stevens Glamour Gals

Services, Counseling and Psychological Services, Disability Services, and Wellness Education all under one roof. The Pond House has been transformed into a “state-of-theart facility and offer a comprehensive, coordinated and holistic approach to student wellness at Stevens,” according to an email sent out to the Stevens community by Marybeth Murphy, Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs. The center also has dedicated space for workshops, programs, and events to promote health and wellness education.

In the meantime, organiza-

Bone-chilling weather freezes Stevens

24 hours of any purchases (previously 72 hours) and limiting only club treasurers to pick up the P-card during her office hours of 1:30PM-3PM during the work week. Failure to follow these new policies could result in two-week financial purchase suspension.

“I spent a lot of time last semester notifying organizations time and time again to submit their receipts,” said Tejeda when she introduced the pursee POLICY · Page 2

Elena Malova, SGA Vice President of Finance, expresses dissatisfaction with the new financial policy changes implemented by the Office of Student Life for student organizations.

Photo by Mark Krupinski News

student organizations had to clean out their offices inside the building. Student organizations with office spaces were temporarily moved to the seventh floor of the Howe Center. The space was previously occupied by the Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) and Disability Services. After the Alexander House renovations are complete it will host the student organizations.

Located next to the North Building, the Student Wellness Center finally opened its doors on January 31, 2019, despite a two week delay. The center will house the Student Health

SGA Feature·

by MATTHEW CUNNINGHAM Webmaster

A merciless cold hit major regions of the United States this past week, crippling most of the Midwest and chilling areas in the Northeast. Public health experts suspect that the extreme weather has killed at least eight people in the United States. Schools have cancelled classes, shipping companies have delayed deliveries, businesses have advised workers to stay home — this weather has quite literally frozen operations across the country.

The frigid temperatures — which have dipped as low as 5 degrees in Newark, almost breaking the record of 3 degrees set in 1935, according to the National Weather Service — have also penetrated the Stevens campus, damaging campus infrastructure and forcing students to wrap themselves in layers and layers of scarves, coats, jackets, and sweaters.

On the first day of classes last week, administrators discovered an open window in a laboratory in the McLean building that was slightly open for possibly an entire weekend. The cold weather rushed into the building, eventually causing water pipes to burst. “Hundreds of students missed their first day of classes,” said admins in an email to the Stevens see COLD · Page 4

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SGA Inaguaration

Mayor Ravi Bhalla delivers the State of the City address at DeBaun Auditorium.

Photo by Terrence T. McDonald for The Jersey Journal.

Mayor Ravi Bhalla delivers Hoboken “State of the City” address

by DYLAN MOON Staff Writer

On Wednesday, January 30 at 6:15 p.m., Hoboken residents, students, councilpersons, and public servants shuffled into DeBaun Auditorium at Stevens Institute of Technology to see the city’s 39th mayor, Ravi Bhalla, give his first State of the City Address.

Following an opening ceremony that included remarks by Councilwoman Emily Jabbour and performances by the Hoboken High School’s Select Chorus and Thespians Club, opinion

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Mind of a Freshmen

Pulse·

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opinion

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Pulse·

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opinion

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Sudoku

Leadership Reconnect Crossword

Mayor Bhalla took the stage.

In his half-hour speech, he thanked several community members for their work, including Stevens President Nariman Farvardin, spoke about Hoboken’s schools and police department, and outlined his administration’s main accomplishments and goals. These goals include a Vision Zero traffic safety plan, major water main upgrades through a renegotiated contract with SUEZ, and a Climate Action Plan to make Hoboken carbon neutral by 2035.

In the footsteps of former Mayor Dawn Zimmer, Mayor Bhalla opened his State of the

Senioritis

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

City address with a report on Hoboken’s public schools.

Under the leadership of superintendent Dr. Christine Johnson and the Board of Education, said Bhalla, “the public schools have grown by leaps and bounds in the past several years,” thanks to after-school and STEM programs. He further reported that in 2018, 94% of Hoboken High School seniors were accepted to college, bringing in nearly $14 million in scholarships.

Again following Zimmer’s lead, Mayor Bhalla told the story of a young Hobokenite struck by illness. Satya see HOBOKEN · Page 3

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News BAGS

Continued from front page

of Hoboken Management, expressed that the ban “makes [consumers] think twice between using a plastic bag or a coat pocket while making a quick errand to CVS”.

Leading up to and after the ban, Calamoneri, and the Hoboken Green Team, a group of Hoboken volunteers part of the statewide Sustainable Jersey program, have been distribut-

POLICY

Continued from front page

chase suspension policy during Leadership Reconnect. Tejeda initially stated the penalty to be a one-month suspension, but later clarified it would actually be a two-week suspension. She also informed organizations that saving P-Card information and making purchases without checking out the P-Card will result in revoking P-Card access indefinitely.

Tejeda also noted that campus vendors are now required to have a certificate of insurance. “We ran into the issue where vendors don’t have insurance,” said Tejeda as reasoning for the vendor policy change. Tejeda informed those in attendance that student organizations should include the cost of insurance in their budget as vendors can bill insurance to Stevens in their contract.

Tejeda did not respond to The Stute via email for further

Monday, February 4, 2019 • Page 2

ing free reusable bags. These bags were purchased through a Clean Communities grant, and over 3,000 bags have been distributed at events. Mayor Ravi Bhalla has also taken the time to distribute bags and educate about the plastic bag ban. Calamoneri emphasizes that the bag distribution events have been utilized to educate consumers and so far, has successfully done so.

In response to the Hoboken plastic bag ban, Stevens now charges 10 cents for each sin-

gle-use plastic bag and Compass One Dining has donated more than 1,000 reusable bags at all dining locations on campus. In addition, Jennifer Gonzalez, the Director of Hoboken Environmental Services, and Stevens administration organized a bag distribution outside Pierce Dining Hall at Stevens during lunch on January 30th.

“Our faculty, students, staff and administration have demonstrated through research initiatives, stu-

dent service projects, and in many other ways that environmental stewardship and sustainability are high priorities” said Beth McGrath, Vice President for Government and Community Relations and the Chief of Staff.

Every 10 cents saved matters and finding a reusable bag is simple as using your backpack and making the switch from plastic to reusable by learning more on https://www.hobokennj. gov/resources/plastic-bags.

comment on the policy change.

“It’s a student organization manual without student input to write it,” said Elena Malova, Vice President of the Finance of the Student Government Association, on the policy changes.

Malova gave a separate presentation on the financial policy changes strictly to treasurers of organizations after Tejeda’s presentation.

During her presentation, Malova reiterated the policy on P-Card receipts in the student organization manual, including the time frame of when to have receipts uploaded by. She noted that the final step, not being allowed to use purchase goods or services, is ambiguous. “There is no limit on the student organization manual on how much weeks you have to wait to purchase. It just starts off with one day and goes on until you actually submit the receipt,” said Malova as the previous policy.

Specifically, on the new penalty introduced for neglecting receipts, she stated, “I was overridden. [At first] I was told

‘one month’ you cannot use your P-Card to spend money. I fought, fought hard, and I got it down to two weeks, at least.” said Malova. “But I still don’t agree with this, I still think you should have access to your money because you do pay for it,” she added. Earlier in her presentation, she stated that

told us a bunch of stuff that we should’ve known before planning our events. Now we gotta scramble for these fools,” said one anonymous treasurer of a student organization. Another stated their dissatisfaction with the timeline for Amazon purchases, which Tejeda mentioned as two to three weeks

“It’s a student organization manual without student input to write it.”

- Elena Malova, SGA Vice President of Finance

everyone present paid $230 as a student activity fee and that everyone should have an equal opportunity to use funds generated by the student activity fee. Malova stated she will continued to fight for the original purchase suspension policy.

“Two weeks is a long time,” said Malova, “In my perspective, that’s like a month for organizations.”

While some treasurers did not have an opinion on the new policy changes, others spoke largely in disagreement. “They

during her presentation as well as never receiving packages ordered on Amazon via the Shop Catalog. One former treasurer exclaimed their dissatisfaction with Tejeda as a whole and stated “bring back Brielle” as a comment on the policy change.

Brielle Melillo served as the financial assistant prior to Tejada.

The updated student organization financial policy is current unavailable for students, but its previous iteration is avaliable on Ducklink.

Stevens releases Year 6 Report on 10-Year Plan

by SARAH KUPTCHIK Staff Writer

President Farvardin drafted a 10-year strategic plan, called The Future. Ours to Create, back in 2012. The ultimate goal is to help Stevens become a “premier, student-centric, technological research university.” At the end of 2018, the sixth year in which this plan has been implemented, Stevens released their annual report.

The statistics used are based on the new class that enrolled in Fall 2018.

The first goal of the 10-year strategic plan is to have an undergraduate student enrollment of approximately 4,000

by Fall 2022. From Fall 2017 to Fall 2018, undergraduate enrollment increased from 3,123 to 3,431. Additionally, President Farvardin hopes to diversify and have a more even distribution between engineering and other majors (such as computer science, science, humanities, business, etc.). The target goal for 2022 is that engineering majors will constitute 60% of the undergraduate population. In Fall 2018, 59% of the undergraduate student enrollment was in an engineering program, signifying that the goal for 2022 is on track. Along with its goal of diversified majors, Stevens is attempting to diversify and represent students from different backgrounds. Undergraduate admissions is aiming for a population that is at least 35% female, 48% out-of-state, 8% international, and 15% underrepresented minorities.

From Fall 2017 to Fall 2018, the percentage of undergraduate women decreased by 1%, from 29% to 28%. Similarly, the percentage of out-of-state undergraduates decreased by 1%, from 39% to 38%. The percentage of international undergraduate students also dropped from 4.1% in Fall 2017 to 3.5% in Fall 2018. Optimistically, the percentage of underrepresented minorities increased from 12.5% in Fall 2017 to 13.6% in Fall 2018. In order to help diversify the student body, Stevens introduced the first cohorts of the A. James Clark Scholars and the Stevens ACES (Accessing Careers in Engineering and Science).

A graph from the strategic plan update displaying the increasing trends of SAT scores of admitted Stevens Students | stevens.edu The goal of these programs is to help underrepresented students (minorities, women, and people from underserved communities) become professionals in STEM fields, with monetary incentives such as generous financial aid.

In order to accommodate the rapidly growing, diversified community, Stevens is hiring more faculty in the areas with high demand. This is to ensure the integrity of the low student to faculty ratio that Stevens boasts. Additionally, Stevens is re-evaluating some of its academic programs to ensure that they align with the school’s vision. The History and Computational Science programs are being cut from the Stevens curriculum. Stevens is also considering adding new majors that they do believe will align with the university’s focus.

The second goal of the 10year plan is to increase the selectivity of the school. Despite the growing undergraduate population, Stevens intends to accept a smaller percentage of

applicants and strengthen the academic profiles of admitted students. By Fall 2022, the middle 50% of the SAT score range is projected to range from 1280 to 1450, with an acceptance rate of 35% or less. From Fall 2017 to 2018, the numbers of undergraduate applications increased from 8,335 to 9,265 and the acceptance rate decreased from 44% to 41%. In Fall 2018, the middle 50% of SAT scores ranged from 1330 to 1480. As the student profiles improve, Stevens intends to expand programs such as the Pinnacle Scholars, the Clark Scholars, and the ACES. The third goal of the 10-year plan is to increase the six-year graduation rate to at least 88% and improve the retention rate.

Some strategies that have been used include an improved system for academic advising, MapWorks surveying, and programs that support first-generation college students.

The fourth goal of the plan is to maintain a placement record of 95% for graduating students.

In 2018, 96% of graduates either entered the workforce, were admitted to graduate school, returned to their home country, or joined the military.

This has been attained by encouraging and helping students secure internships, the cooperative education program, and creating new resources for preprofessional students.

The fifth and final goal is to improve the relations between students and faculty in order to provide a more personalized experience. This has been implemented through a new office hours policy, new guidelines requiring academic advisors to outline their responsibilities to the students, engagement in the Student-Faculty Alliance, and communication between the Student Government Association and faculty.

Generally, Stevens is on track to fulfill the goals of the 10-year strategic plan. The future of this university is, statistically, looking optimistic and it is evident that the school is making an effort to improve in many areas.

News HOBOKEN Continued from front page

Again following Zimmer’s lead, Mayor Bhalla told the story of a young Hobokenite struck by illness. Satya Singh was diagnosed with cancer at age one, and, having survived, inspired over $500,000 in donations towards childhood cancer research. The Mayor offered his sincere thanks and recognition.

Mayor Bhalla moved on to voice his commitment to making every resident of Hoboken feel “welcome, safe, and cared for.” Under his administration, Bhalla reported, all city workers have been secured parental leave, a new task force has provided job training and housing vouchers to the homeless, and over 500 residents have received help from Hoboken’s Office of Constituent Affairs, which reopened last year. He added that, in 2018, Hoboken was one of only two cities in New Jersey awarded a perfect score by the Human Rights Campaign, a civil rights organization that focuses on LGBTQ issues.

The Mayor intends to make the city just as welcoming to small businesses and announced plans to create a Special Improvement District.

Within Special Improvement Districts, property and business owners often pay an additional tax, or assessment, to provide services to the area beyond what the city alone can offer. In this case, Mayor Bhalla said the District will “make investments and create marketing opportunities on behalf of our small business community,” which he believes will be a “gamechanger.”

Helping businesses also involves boosting Hoboken’s reputation as a destination city, according to Bhalla, “Yes, for the food, the walkability, and the proximity to New York City, but also as a hub for the arts and culture community.”

He hopes to achieve this with the installation of new art projects and murals, to be made possible in part by an execu-

Monday, February 4, 2019 • Page 3

tive order signed in June of last year, which requires that up to 1% of the city’s future bond ordinances go towards funding public art.

Additionally, the Mayor said he will continue to fight efforts

by NY Waterway to turn the Union Dry Dock property into a ferry maintenance and refueling station. In December of last year, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued the necessary permit to NY Waterway, but the Bhalla administration remains hopeful. According to Bhalla, “this property should be utilized as publicly accessible waterfront space, and not for the purpose of lining the pockets of a corporation.”

Mayor Bhalla also highlighted some quality of life improvements under his administration.

Most recently, he signed into law a plastic bag ban, thanks to the advocacy of students and teachers at the All Saints Episcopal Day School. The students approached Bhalla, then a councilman, with the idea to reduce plastic waste. They are now, in Bhalla’s words, “living proof that by speaking up and making your voices heard, you can accomplish anything, no matter what your age.”

Another major goal, he said, is to upgrade old parks and construct new ones, hopefully including a Special Needs and Inclusive park. Many of these improvements will be part of the city’s so-called “Parks as Defense Strategy,” which aims to incorporate flood prevention measures into all new park designs. Such designs, according to Bhalla, will be used in an expansion of Hoboken’s Southwest Park. And a fully new sixacre Northwest Resiliency Park is set to open this year, which he imagines will be like “Hoboken’s own Central Park.”

Flood protection will be further advanced as the administration moves forward on the $230 million Rebuild by Design project, whose Citizens Advisory Group is chaired by former Mayor Dawn Zimmer. The project seeks to provide protection to the city while avoiding, in Bhalla’s words, “big, ugly seawalls.” To give input on the

Ravi Bhalla delivered State of the City address in DeBaun auditorium. design, residents are invited to attend two Design Zone Workshops — one on Monday, February 4 at 7 p.m. at the Hoboken Multi-Service Center and the other on Thursday, February 7 at 7 p.m. at Elysian Charter School.

These development efforts will complement major renovations to the old YMCA in uptown Hoboken, made possible by a $5 million public benefits deal with KMS Development Partners. Two of the five million dollars will go to the YMCA renovation project, to create a community pool, classroom space, and a new library branch. All of this, Mayor Bhalla emphasizes, “at zero taxpayer expense.”

Also included in the deal is $1 million towards infrastructure, $1 million to the Hoboken Public Education Foundation, and $400,000 to charter schools. Additionally, Vanessa Falco, councilwoman and Assistant Director of Pre-College Programs at Stevens, secured $200,000 for Hoboken’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund.

Mayor Bhalla thanked her and others for their advocacy.

Reminding residents of his pledge to be “Hoboken’s infrastructure Mayor,” Bhalla offered an update on the ongoing Washington Street Project: expect it to be completed “in just

a few months.” Other projects, such as major water main renovations stemming from a renegotiated contract with SUEZ, are hopefully forthcoming. If finalized, the new contract will contain $1.5 million designated each year for proactive water main replacements. Separately, the administration plans to spend $10 million over the next two years replacing antique water mains — cast iron pipes laid as early as 1880, according to Hoboken Business Administrator Stephen Marks. Water main investments will total $33 million over the next 15 years if approved by the City Council.

Above ground, Hoboken’s Vision Zero campaign, one of Mayor Bhalla’s “most important priorities of 2019,” aims to have zero traffic deaths and injuries in Hoboken by 2030 via smarter road and crosswalk designs. The initiative has been adopted by nearly 20 cities in the United States so far.

Public safety has already improved in other ways. According to Bhalla, crime in Hoboken dropped 18 percent in 2018, and emergency response times have decreased. The Mayor thanked Police Chief Ken Ferrante and Fire Chief Brian Crimmins for making Hoboken “a much safer place to live than in years past.” He also congratulated Dana Mulvaney on be-

coming Hoboken’s first female fire inspector.

Finally, Mayor Bhalla addressed the issue of climate change — “Despite what you hear from the White House, climate change poses an enormous threat to our future.” The U.S. Green Building Council named Hoboken a LEED Gold City, a first among New Jersey cities. “But it’s clear we can do more, and we must do more,” he said. The Mayor announced the Hoboken Climate Action Plan, which will promote energy efficiency in buildings and transportation. “Our Climate Action Plan aims for Hoboken municipal operations to be net zero by 2025 and carbon neutral by 2035, and for the City as a whole to be net zero by 2030 and to be carbon neutral by 2050, which are standards that exceed the goals set by the Paris Climate Agreement.”

“Ladies and gentleman, the state of our city is very strong and our future is very bright.”

Before leaving the podium, he reminded the audience, “My door is always open. My phone is always on.”

While some were disappointed by Mayor Bhalla’s decision to leave out the work and accomplishments of several city councilpersons, others were pleased by speech. Following the address, Vanessa Falco

said she was happy to receive a “shoutout” from the mayor and to hear him bring attention to some of the more important things that are going on in the city.

Beth McGrath, Vice President for Government and Community Relations and Chief of Staff at Stevens, said “the State of the City Address provided an excellent report of progress in Hoboken over the last year.” She noted that pedestrian and traffic safety improvements, water infrastructure improvements, and reduced crime rates have “a direct and positive impact on the Stevens community.”

When asked about potential collaborations between Stevens and the city on upcoming engineering projects, she responded, “there have been preliminary discussions with members of the Bhalla administration with Prof. Jon Miller regarding collaborations on a living shoreline in Weehawken Cove.”

On behalf of Stevens, McGrath added, “We were pleased that Mayor Bhalla thanked Stevens for hosting the event and acknowledged President Farvardin’s leadership during his remarks.”

A full video of the 2019 State of the City Address can be found on the @Hoboken Facebook page.

Percentage of out-of-state students stagnates at 38%, despite efforts to increase geographic diversity

by MATTHEW CUNNINGHAM Webmaster

A recent report revealed that the percentage of undergraduates who come from outside of New Jersey has stagnated at 38 percent for nearly a decade.

This finding indicates that Stevens is not on track to achieve its goal of having an undergraduate population with 48 percent of students from outside of New Jersey by 2022.

The hope to diversify the undergraduate population began in 2012 when President Nariman Farvardin launched his strategic ten-year plan. The first goal listed in the plan — Goal U1 in the section “Undergraduate Studies and Experience” — describes various changes to the undergraduate composition that Stevens wants to see.

Among these changes include a goal to increase the under-

POND

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Alexander House was scheduled to open on December 28, 2018. Unfortunately, renovations were delayed again. According to Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs Sarah Klein, there were many unforeseen structural

graduate enrollment to 4,000 students; increase the percentage of female students to 35 percent, compared to 25 percent in Fall 2011; grow the percentage of international students to 8

percent, compared to 5 percent in Fall 2011; increase the percentage of domestic out of New Jersey students to 48 percent, compared to 38 percent in Fall 2011; and raise the percentage

of underrepresented minorities to 8 percent, compared to 5 percent in Fall 2011.

Every year since the launch of the ten-year plan, Stevens has released an annual report that

outlines the progress of each goal. So far, Stevens has been on pace to meet most of these goals.

However, the goal to increase the percentage of out of New Jersey students has remained out of reach despite efforts to modify this demographic.

“While the raw number outof-state domestic students continues to grow, the percentage has remained the same due to the overall increase in the size of the incoming class,” said Jacqueline Williams, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions.

In hope to increase the percentage of out of New Jersey students, Stevens has targeted students through social media, visits to high schools, and information sessions across the country, according to Williams.

“The launch of the virtual tour has made a visit to our campus possible for students all over the world,” she added.

Marybeth Murphy, Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs, who is also one of the people directly responsible for achieving Goal U1, attributed the lack of out of New Jersey growth to increasing class sizes.

“As we continue to increase our recruitment efforts around the U.S.,” Murphy added, “and as Stevens’ reputation continues to grow beyond the New York metropolitan region, we expect our efforts will bear fruit and that the geographic distribution of applicants and enrolled students will become more diverse in coming years.”

The percentage of undergraduates who come from outside of New Jersey has hovered around 38% since Fall 2010. Graph from Stevens’ Year 6 Annual Report. issues revealed by the renovations. The project is now expected to be completed in the summer of 2019. The SGA and Office of Undergraduate Student Life expect RSOs to be fully moved into Alexander House in time for the Fall 2019 semester.

As of Friday, February 1 student organizations have

all been moved into temporary locations. WCPR is now located in the former Disability Center. The Honor Board, Student Government, The Link, and The Stute are in what used to be the CAPS office. Certain organizations have storage spaces on the seventh floor of Howe and in the basement of Humphreys.

WITTPENN Continued from front page

The shutdown will also be affecting the new tradition from The Stevens Senior Week Committee and the Office of Student Life, The Wittpenn Walk. This tradition consisted of walking incoming first year students up Wittpenn Walk

on their way to New Student Convocation, and outgoing seniors down pathway on their way out of graduation to symbolize the start and finish of a student’s academic career at Stevens. As to how this tradition will be affected, Sara Klein said “we plan to detour the walk around to the other side of Walker Gym. Instead of the

Gatehouse (which is about to be taken down for a few years while we construct the University Center and residential towers), we will create a red and gray balloon arch that students will walk through, symbolically representing the Gatehouse.

The event will still have the same energy and excitement, just shifted over a few feet!”

News COLD

Continued from front page

community, “researchers were unable to enter their labs, and thousands of dollars of damage was done to the ceiling tiles, walls, floors, piping systems, and elevator.”

Also in this past week, administrators discovered that extreme wind dislodged a piece of plywood that was temporarily sealing a window in the Howe Center, inviting the cold temperatures to creep into the building. Once administrators discovered the open window, it was too late. “Ex-

Monday, February 4, 2019 • Page 4

treme cold penetrated much of the Howe building, causing inconvenience to students and staff in the building,” admins said. “Had this situation been noticed and reported earlier by anyone on campus over the weekend, the disruption of cold in the Howe building could have been avoided.”

As weather became more severe, and as campus infrastructure became more and more impacted, Provost Christophe Pierre and Robert Maffia, Vice President for Facilities and Campus Operations, sent a mass email to all faculty, administrators, and students and instructed them

to close windows whenever possible and not choke open doors. “With many old buildings, an aging infrastructure, and chronic cold conditions during the winter months, many unexpected infrastructure challenges arise,” they explained. “Therefore, we need to minimize and, to the greatest extent possible, eliminate those that can be avoided by using good sense.”

Shortly after the National Weather Service issued a warning that a polar vortex was threatening many areas in the United States, Police Chief Tim Griffin sent an email to the Stevens community and

warned that cold temperatures could result in falling trees and hazardous winds. He reminded students to keep warm while the outside freezes. “Above all,” he added, “make certain that all windows are closed and locked to avoid pipes from freezing and bursting.”

To protect students from the cold, some professors have canceled classes and advised students to, instead, remain indoors and stay warm.

Take Elizabeth FassmanBeck, for example, a civil engineering professor who sent a message to one of her classes on January 30: “In anticipation of dangerous traveling

conditions and advice to minimize outside exposure, I will be recording tomorrow’s lecture for you to view online.”

A few campus organizations cancelled their meetings to protect students.

“Tonight’s meeting will be cancelled due to the dangerous weather,” wrote Jonathan Pavlik, secretary of Torch, in a message to its organization members.

Many students swathed themselves in blankets to keep warm. Some also expressed their discontent that unlike other universities across the Midwest and Northeast, Stevens remained

open and continued to offer classes, despite dehabilitating temperatures. Victoria Piskarev, a student, tweeted, “Other schools: oh no its really cold we better cancel classes for the safety of our students. Stevens: if u so much as crack a window open we will drop kick you into the hudson river bitCH.” Temperatures are expected to improve and warm up in the coming weeks, according to the National Weather Service. Hoboken weather should return to its normal conditions of cloudy skies and 50 degree temperatures for the first few days of February.

The cold front hits Stevens campus, freezing campus over.

Photos by Matthew Cunningham

GlamourGals: Bridging the Gap between Generations

by SUZY SHAILESH Staff Writer

Rachel Doyle was only 17 when she gave her first GlamourGals makeover. A junior in high school in Commack, New York, she sought a way to honor her grandmother who had recently passed away. As a lover of fashion and makeup, she came up with the idea to go to a local senior living home and offer makeover services to its residents. She dragged along two of her classmates from homeroom, knowing

they needed some community service hours, and spent some time with three lovely ladies at the senior home, painting their nails and chatting about life.

Her efforts that day gained the attention of several local newspapers and the New York Times. With the momentum she needed, she continued to run GlamourGals in her community as a simple service project throughout the rest of her high school career. The organization expanded as it sparked interest in girls in many other communities who worked towards creating chap-

ters of their own. Eventually, in her freshman year of high school, GlamourGals officially became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

Doyle and her volunteers aim to combat the effects of elder isolation, the result of placing seniors in residential care, away from their communities and the society they participated in every day for decades. In fact, according to the GlamourGals website, about 60% of the approximately 3.3 million seniors who will find themselves in residential care this year will not receive any visitors. Doyle

urges people to consider the residents of their senior homes and how lonely their situations must get, and take action to provide them with some friendly human interaction.

GlamourGals volunteers not only get the chance to develop their bedside manners and get community service hours, but gain the knowledge of wonderful elderly women with interesting stories to share.

Now, Doyle lives in Paris with her husband and two young children. She takes whatever opportunity she can get to speak with and empow-

er young women in her communities. On January 31st, she spoke at Stevens’ Lore-El Center, answering participants’ questions and having a laidback fireside chat. She shared the obstacles she encountered on her way to being the CEO of a nonprofit organize, including taking business conference calls in a closet between her classes in college and struggling to balance her busy professional and personal lives.

Doyle’s story is a testament to what one can accomplish when they have passion and dedication. She never found

herself on an easy path to success; she simply had a good idea and worked hard to transform it into a national organization that brings generations together and spreads joy in many communities. Doyle reminds young people that they can accomplish whatever they set their hearts to through determination and perhaps bribing a few professionals with a cup of coffee. If all else fails, Doyle recommends sitting back and turning on the Jennifer Lopez movie Gigli– a reminder to yourself that even JLo has her low moments in life.

Residential Education hosted Crafts & Creation

Photos for the 3rd Annual Crafts & Creation are courtesy of Steven Couras, Area Director for On Campus Housing

News

Monday, February 4, 2019 • Page 5

Perspectives

Jason Chlus

by MARK KRUPINSKI Business Manager

“I do believe that the administration and the faculty, their main goal is to teach, relay information, relay wisdom, set the students up for the rest of their lives.”

From areas such as diversity, to the student organizations, Jason Chlus speaks confidently of administration’s support and believes Stevens to be “student-centric” yet calls for students to have more pride in Stevens.

Jason Chlus, a sophomore Software Engineering major, was elected President of the Student Government Association (SGA) last November after a run-off election following Jonathan Darlak declining his victory in the initial round of elections. Chlus, who previously served as a member of the Budget Committee while a senator, is the first sophomore President since 2015.

Last semester, the SGA undertook the initiative of improving diversity education on campus. Chlus feels administration supports this goal: “I think they realize it’s important and I think they realize they’ve waited too long to incorporate it.”

Chlus aims to work with Nasir Montalvo, Chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Ad-Hoc Committee, and Nina Ioanis, Vice-President of Student Interests, in this pursuit. He describes both of them as

“extremely passionate” about diversity. Aside from a safe space of learning for diversity on campus, Chlus hopes to work with admissions to recruit people of diverse backgrounds. He hopes that these just as qualified individuals bring a new visual to Stevens to transform Stevens from a local, commuter school to a school that includes individuals from diverse locations and backgrounds.

The administration continues to recognize problems students face and aims to solve them. With the recent delay of the Alexander House and the resulting difficulties for student organizations, Chlus recognizes that this upcoming semester will be difficult. “The administration has thought of every idea possible to give people the proper space they deserve and they’ve been really doing a good job in that sense,” said Chlus, “but it comes down to the end of the day we just don’t have enough space right now.” He further stated that the SGA does not have a specific plan of action and continued to stress that the administration has thought of every possible idea to allocate space.

For issues which the administration and student body disagree on, Chlus believes they [administration] will change their stance once they hear the students’ perspective.

One of the recent blights for students was the shortening

of the Wednesday Academic Break last year from five hours to two hours. “Stevens is something that is difficult to get a big response out of it, and this definitely got a large response,” said Chlus. So far, any attempt to bring back the academic break has been unsuccessful. However, Chlus believes he will succeed in bringing the break back. Last semester, Chlus developed a relationship with the Provost, Christophe Pierre, and hopes to create a plan with him this semester. Chlus claims the space issue that caused the shortening of the academic break in the first place will be solved once the new Gianforte Family Academic Center opens, “We’re getting a hundred something classrooms, another two buildings which are just massive, there’s like no reason, there’s no struggle for space anymore,” Chlus stated. However, he also stated that he did not work with Pierre to determine if there actually was enough space in the Gianforte building and did not have a set plan for bringing the fulllength academic break back.

Building connections didn’t inspire Chlus to run for President, but rather his experiences with student government in high school. In high school, Chlus stated that the student government did everything from prom to clubs and stated students were thankful for its work. He wants to bring that

feeling to the SGA at Stevens.

When Chlus shared these feelings with the past cabinet, specifically Lucas Gallo, Marianna Flemming, and Anthony Picone, they suggested that he run for President.

Centrally, Chlus notes the large communication gap between the student body, faculty, and the student government as well as a lack of campus pride. “It boils down to how do you get students to care about what’s going on,” said Chlus. He draws on a story from a friend who goes to Clemson University and the large amount of campus pride they have. He hopes to build that pride at Stevens. While Stevens cannot rely heavily on athletics like Clemson, Chlus hopes to rely on other avenues that make Stevens stand out. “It’s very important that people know they’re getting a strong degree, and they enjoy the classes they’re taking, they’re actually learning the material,” said Chlus, “that comes from getting the faculty involved and getting good connections and getting to know your teachers and being present on campus.”

How does Chlus plan to instill this campus pride?

Drawing from personal experience: Getting involved on campus. “I came here my freshman year and I didn’t join any orgs at all, I didn’t do anything,” said Chlus, “And I was feeling distant from Stevens.” He believes

Jason Chlus, a sophomore software engineering major, was recently elected to the presidency of the Student Government Association. that getting involved on campus will remove the apathetic feeling of Stevens students, thus increasing campus pride.

He hopes that non-involved students will be motivated by seeing how much heavily involved students enjoy being involved. “People will follow that enthusiasm and people will be led by it,” said Chlus, “Just watching others enjoy what they are doing.”

Chlus hopes that this campus pride will improve student success after Stevens and alumni connections. He hopes that by working closely with the Career Center, Stevens students will be able to use a network to progress themselves in their further career

goals. By using this network, Chlus hopes Stevens students will gain an advantage in the job search. Once Stevens has campus pride, he thinks this network will be successful.

“Like oh you’re from Stevens, I would love to help you,” Chlus stated as the mentality he wishes to develop.

Focusing on the year ahead and developing campus pride, Chlus isn’t necessarily looking at a second term. “I’ve considered it,” said Chlus on running for a second term.

“There’s a lot of things to be done this term and we’ll see at the end of my term if I should do it again [and] if I believe I did a good job. It’s a little too early to decide.”

Chlus and new SGA Cabinet get sworn into office at inauguration

by ANDREW KINNEY Staff Writer

Top: The 2019 SGA Cabinet Swearing In Left: Madison Gemma, Secretary of the SGA signs the constitution.

Bottom: The new Vice President of Finance Elena Malova signs the constitution.

Right: Jason Chlus is sworn in as the 2019 Student Government Association President.

Photos by Cole Yarbrough

The new Student Government Association cabinet was inaugurated into office on Wednesday, January 23 at 8 PM. This was the first year for the inauguration to take place in the evening, due to the removal of academic break last semester.

As about 25 people milled around in Babbio Atrium, most of them current or former members of the Student Government Association, former SGA President Lucas Gallo prepared to speak.

He began with his usual greetings and thanksgivings, highlighting accomplishments of the SGA and his cabinet during his term. He didn’t speak for very long, but in closing he presented a valuable quote from the 1913 Editor-and-Chief of The Stute, who said, “to the members, and especially the recently elected officers of the organization, who indeed could not have been better selected, I would say: the life, the reputation, the very honor of our Alma Mater rests within your grasp. Henceforth, it is to you, as arbiters, that all faces will turn. And it is your judgment, your honor and your integrity that will hinge the gates to success.” With one last thanks and a cheers for the new cabinet, he conceded the podium.

When incoming President Jason Chlus took the stand, he was eager to thank those in attendance and make his appreciation of his predecessor clear. He stressed that he and his cabinet promised to “uphold all of the duties of our positions while striving to make Stevens a better place…that is our only goal.”

Turning to his cabinet, he acknowledged that they had “big shoes to fill,” but expressed nothing but certainty that they could rise to the challenge. Finally, he addressed the student body and encouraged them to “use SGA as a tool. Use us to better your experience, bombard us with thoughts and ideas that pop into your mind. Get to know a member of the SGA, if not join yourself, and you can achieve a lot more than you think.”

With that, he and his cabinet prepared to take the oath of office.

SGA Parliamentarian (now Speaker) Dylan James Moon then performed the honor of swearing in Chlus and the new cabinet. After reciting the oath, it was signed by Chlus, VP of Operations Ryan Tom, VP of Finance Elena Malova, VP of Student Interests Nina Ioanis, VP of Academic Affairs Alex Reina, and Secretary Madison Gemma.

News

Monday, February 4, 2019 • Page 6

Ski and Snowboard club skis annual Sugarloaf trip

by MIA HILDEBRANT Staff Writer

This winter break, nearly 200 Stevens students headed north to snow-covered Carrabassett Valley, Maine, home to Sugarloaf Mountain, for some fun on the slopes. This is the 12th year that the Stevens Ski and Snowboard Club has hosted the annual trip to Sugarloaf Mountain.

Sugarloaf Mountain is pretty tall for starters. At 4,237 feet tall, Sugarloaf is a perfect winter destination for snow-lovers, especially skiers and snowboarders.

“Welcome to Sugarloaf” was one of the first things heard once we all got off the bus, which we had all been riding for over eight hours. We hopped onto shuttles heading to our respective condos.

The condos were all near the mountain, either a short walk or shuttle ride away. There were also free ski/snowboard lessons for the week, and they were completely worth it. Many of the instructors had decades of experience and were passionate about the beautiful sport. As an advanced skier who gets on the slopes about once a year, I found that the lessons provided the technical expertise needed to brush up on form and to improve as a skier.

Billy Harris, the President of the Ski and Snowboard Club, has organized the annual trip for the past few years. He has skied with the club for all five years of his tenure at Stevens

and, according to him, it is “hands down one of the best things we have on campus.”

Through the years, he has come to realize that Sugarloaf isn’t so great because of good or bad conditions but because of the people that go. He explains, “It’s a time for students to have fun with their friends over winter break, not worry about school at all, and show off their skills or learn a new one. There’s no better deal for a week of room and board with five day lift tickets and there’s no cheaper way to learn for the first time. Cooking and living in a condo with your best buddies is unmatched and no other Stevens event allows students these opportunities. For this reason, Stevens students love Sugarloaf.

And to be honest, Sugarloaf loves us. Plus, Sugarloaf is a great mountain to send it on.”

For new skiers, these lessons were indispensable.

Fourth-year Justin DeTone learned to ski for the first time on the trip this year.

He described the trip as an enjoyable experience and rewarding in the sense that he went from knowing nothing about skiing to being able to hold his own on a green and blue trail. For him, being in a colder climate where there’s actually snow (yay!) and skiing with friends made the trip memorable. Fourth-year Abe Edens learned to ski on the Sugarloaf trip a year ago. All his skiing experience has taken place at Sugarloaf, which is a testament to their amazing

Students enjoy the ski trip hosted by Stevens Ski and Snowboard Club to Sugarloaf Mountain Photos by Mia Hildebrant ski/snowboarding instruction.

At first, it was a little tough, he concedes. Abe describes doing “pizza” all the way down a blue (intermediate) trail, Tote Road. “Pizza didn’t work,” he said with a laugh. Nevertheless, Abe persevered and was going down black diamonds and glades just a year later.

Veteran skiers like Jimmy Sweeney, a fifth year, just finished his fourth and final Sugarloaf trip with Stevens this winter, His only regret is not coming his freshman year. He says, “It seems like the great conditions come with us every year, and fresh powder has dropped for us the last two.” He adds, “There’s something awesome about coming to a mountain with 200 people from the same [school], and realizing as you go who you know under the masks and goggles.

Whether you’d rather chill in your condo, goof around with some friends on the slopes, or really challenge yourself on the tougher trails or in the glades, there’s something for everyone. I’ve had some of my best skiing here and [have] been happy to be a part of a GNARly Stevens tradition.”

Economic crisis becomes political schism in Venezuela

by JOSEPH DOLAN Staff Writer

In order to fully understand the current crisis in Venezuela, we have to look a little bit into the past. Current President Nicolas Maduro is under fire from all sides, but his predecessor Hugo Chavez was incredibly popular with working class venezuelans.

His increase in social programs catapulted him to four consecutive presidential terms. Chavez built the Venezuelan economy around soaring oil prices, and nationalized several industries.

However, in 2011 Chavez was diagnosed with cancer, and in 2013 he passed away.

Chavez’s chosen successor and then Vice President Nicolas Maduro inherited the presidency from him. While a global recession and slightly lower oil prices had harmed Venezuela’s economy, the country was fairly politically stable. Inflation was rising, but the new President Maduro was doing his best to combat it. However, almost every single negative indicator began spiking just a year later in 2014, and a global surplus caused oil prices to hit rock bottom. The Venezuelan economy, while hanging on

by a thread, quickly began to collapse. Without their primary source of income, inflation rose dramatically, thousands of businesses closed, food shortages began, and the country entered a recession.

Demonstrations against the Maduro regime soon began, and persisted over the next four years as oil prices never returned to their original state. Inflation rates began massively spiking, and by 2016 they had risen to 800%.

Going into the 2018 Presidential election, it seemed that the previously praised successor to Hugo Chavez was going to lose the Presidency. However, Maduro was actually re-elected for a second term. The election’s date was pulled forward over six months from December to May of 2018, and had the lowest voter turnout in the history of Democracy in Venezuela, with 25% of the population coming out to vote. Reports also surfaced of the Maduro government bribing citizens to vote for Maduro with promises of food. Two of Maduro’s election opponents contested the results, and the United States along with many other countries like the EU and Australia rejected the results. Other

countries like Russia, Iran, China, and Cuba all recognized the results as legitimate. Pro and Anti Maduro marches broke out across the nation after the election.

Because of this, in September 2018 the United States began to apply sanctions to Venezuela, which crippled their economy further.

On January 10, 2019, Nicolas Maduro was sworn in for a second term as President of Venezuela. The very next day, Juan Guaido, the Presi-

dent of Venezuela’s National Assembly declared himself Interim President of Venezuela, citing clause 233 of the Venezuelan constitution.

According to clause 233, the President of the National Assembly gains powers as the acting President when the presidency is otherwise vacant. According to Guaido, if the 2018 elections are illegitimate as he believes them to be, then Maduro is not President, and he should be able to take temporary powers as

President until new elections can be held. On January 23, United States President Donald Trump declared his support for Guaido. In response, Maduro ordered that all United States diplomats leave the country within 72 hours. While a deal was reached allowing US diplomats to stay, tensions remain incredibly high. Both Guaido and Maduro consider themselves legitimate presidents, and lines of support have been drawn. Several

high profile US politicians such as Ro Khanna, Bernie Sanders, Rashida Tlaib, and Alexandria-Ocasio Cortez have expressed opposition to a US-backed military coup in Venezuela. At the same time, National Security Advisor John Bolton and Vice President Mike Pence have expressed their support for a “return to Democracy” in Venezuela, in whatever form that may take. The Presidential crisis in Venezuela is still a developing situation.

Individuals Protest the Maduro Government in Venezuela | Photo Courtesy of cnn.com

Campus Pulse

Monday, February 4, 2019 • Page 7

Roving Reporter What are your goals for the smester?

“We’re looking to get good grades, so we get a good job”

“I graduate in May, I want a good job and a good GPA”

Vighnesh Kularni

Elizabeth Becz

“To get over a 3.5 gpa”

“I’m graduating so I want to get a good job”

“I’m graduating this semester, I want a job across the river”

Neha Tembe

Matthew Jaros

Aprajita Seth

“To not fail my classes”

Shraddha Barde

Leadership Reconnect Crossword

Sudoku

Opinion

Monday, February 4, 2019 • Page 8

Editorial

Read Harry Potter First I am writing my column, two days after the deadline.

“But Maryia, you had the entire winter break to write it!” Two things to you: One, what did you do over winter break that you are judging me? And two, I have been thinking about what to write for literally two weeks.

This is my biggest problem with writing an editorial every week; I never know what to write! I love to write, I find it very therapeutic. When I am going through a lot of emotions, I usually sit down and just write my thoughts down.

By the end, my thoughts are organized and I have realized things that I didn’t know about my feelings before. I

used to write stories and poems, yet now I face writer’s block almost every time that I sit down to write this column.

I think my block stems from wanting to use this platform to discuss an important issue, like how students should have more say in the design of the new university towers or that we need to take the political power away from large oil companies.

However, when I sit down I feel like I have nothing important to say.

My generation has become known for writing their immediate thoughts for all to see. And this is the problem. If we stop and think, we don’t really know how we

feel about a certain issue. If we remove outside influences, whether that is parents, roommates, or tweets from favorite celebrities, we don’t usually stop to think about things, do research, and decide for ourselves what is important.

At a technical school like Stevens, we are only focused on our studies. Unlike liberal arts colleges, we don’t discuss philosophy or social constraints or world problems, at least for the most part. I’m not saying that we are all guilty of this. All I’m trying to say is that sometimes we need to stop being so focused on our personal career mission and look at the world around us.

We all joined our respective career fields for some reason. Sure, money is a part of it, but I don’t believe that is what drives us at our very core. Most of us want to have leave some kind of mark on the world, a legacy if you will — whatever that legacy is depends on each individual.

How can we leave a mark on our world if we never look up and around us? What is going on in the world outside of our respective careers?

The whole point of this long-winded, rambling column is that we all need to be educated. I don’t mean that we should know everything.

I mean that we should look at an issue, look at the facts

Mind of a Freshman

available to us, and come up with our own personal opinion. We shouldn’t just let our initial emotions dictate us.

Instead of letting the news (whether you watch NBC or Fox) or social media dictate what our brains are thinking.

I’ll put it this way: for the first four years of elementary school, I refused to read Harry Potter. I would say that I wasn’t interested and that I didn’t like it. In reality, I didn’t want to read it because my friend at the time didn’t think it was “cool” or whatever. And I let that rule me. It wasn’t until my mom brought me the first Harry Potter book from the library (basically forcing me to read

it) that I finally gave it a try.

And I loved it! Harry Potter is a very important book series to me, and has influenced me in so many ways. I can’t even imagine how different my life, and I, would be if I didn’t have my own experience and have my own thoughts and instead just followed what my friend said.

So basically, read Harry Potter first before you form an opinion about it.

Maryia Spirydonava Editor-in-Chief

Senioritis

The creatures in the sky

Now What?

stargazing a little over one year ago when I discovered the song “Cassiopeia” by Sara Bareilles. “Cassiopeia” is arguably one of the most well-known constellations, as well as the Queen of Ethiopia in Greek mythology. I remember the first time I was able to spot the infamous W shape of her in the sky and being absolutely speechless.

Speechless at the fact that I was looking at the same patterns that Galileo or Edwin Hubble were once looking at. I was undeniably frazzled that I had found a creature with a name amidst the black that I had never thought to look into.

I had this same feeling when I stumbled across the constellation of my sun sign for the first time, Leo the lion.

I had to wait a few months until I would be able to see it since certain constellations are only visible during specific months of the year due to the position of Earth. So during those few months of waiting I looked at countless pictures of the shape as if it were a celebrity I admired.

I am, for all intents and purposes, wrapped up with all the major requirements of a college senior. I’ve had a full-time role lined up for almost an entire semester (though, as I wrote in a column last fall, I thought about the decision for a long time).

My undergraduate and graduate study plans are finally polished and turned in. Hell, I even have my outfits for all the big upcoming senior year events ready to go (seriously, I was that bored).

Everything I ‘need’ to do is done. That leaves me with… what I want to do, I guess?

I should probably be happier about those prospects. But after years of prioritizing my ‘needto-dos’ over ‘want-to-dos’, this new freedom is very strange.

And honestly? I’m not totally sure what it is that I ‘want’ to do anymore.

The idea of going after what I ‘love’ has never looked more daunting. And, strangely enough, I’ve never felt more hollow, more unfulfilled. Even though, on paper, that should be wildly untrue.

I don’t know what it’s stemmed from, exactly.

Perhaps it’s the underlying knowledge that in a few months, my slate gets wiped clean. In no time, very little of what I did here will matter at all. My degree, my experiences, everything I went through will become a one or two sentence bit of small talk, if that.

Letting go of that isn’t the daunting part, per se. But be-

by NATALIE TODARO Freshman Music and Technology Major

I believe that everyone should know something about the night sky. Whether it be as simple as being able to recognize one constellation, or as complex as knowing all 88 of them, looking up at the sky changes something in you.

For me, stargazing never fails to overcome me with this immense feeling of humbleness and hopefulness. I think it’s a matter of not only knowing our place in the universe but also understanding that we’re literally as small as a single grain of sand.

I became interested in

Eventually, I finally spotted Leo from my backyard resting above my house, and it was as if I was meeting that celebrity in person, and I cannot explain that feeling in words.

Unfortunately, Stevens isn’t the most ideal location for stargazing since the bright city lights of Manhattan outshine almost all of the stars. On the other hand, it’s really great for beginner stargazers — constellations stand right out as opposed to having to search for them among a sea of stars.

By now I’ve gotten familiar with the winter sky, so although I don’t have to search for the constellations anymore, occasionally I’ll stop and look up. Waking through campus at night and looking up to see Orion staring back at me is a certain comforting feeling that I can’t quite describe. Knowing that they’ll be there and the repetition of them is particularly grounding, and I encourage everyone to brace the cold and take a minute to look up.w

“it was as if I was meeting that celebrity in person, and I cannot explain that feeling in words.”

by NAMANKITA RANA Senior Engineering Management Major

This was a very difficult column to write.

I feel like I say that about nearly every piece I write, and while each one is a challenge in its own right, this is different.

Stylistically, I struggle with getting words on paper in a way that ‘flows’. Years of STEM classes and very little reading or writing for leisure has done that to my brain, but I accepted that reality a while back.

This isn’t a stylistic problem, though. This has more to do with the fact that I’m not sure how best to articulate what it is I want to say. I certainly don’t think this is a column anyone would have expected for the first write-up for Senioritis this semester. But here it goes, anyways.

The time off during winter break made me realize: I’m in a bit of a weird headspace, presently.

coming a new person? That’s a little scary.

I told my father a few days ago of a strange anxiety that I have — this weird feeling that if I don’t ‘succeed’ by age 25, I feel as if someone will literally come and shoot me. Even though, I confessed, I have no idea what my definition of ‘success’ even is (and that, of course, I know no one would be pressed enough to shoot me).

None of these feelings make sense. After all, I’ve always said I was ready to join ‘the real world’. I do think I am, at least from a professional standpoint. I can’t wait to start work. I hope, more than anything else, that I’ll find it to be fulfilling. But everything else surrounding adulthood? All of that seems lonely and terrifying at once.

I didn’t mean to turn this column into a prognosis. I usually end with some sort of life lesson or happy platitude to take away.

I don’t know that I have anything like that to offer this time around. All I can say is this: It’s okay to not have it all figured out. Or to have it all figured out on paper, but still not feel great. We’re all allowed off days, allowed unreasonable anxieties, allowed to spend too much time inside our own heads.

Maybe the tides will shift, and I’ll get a new perspective. Time is the best healer, after all. But until then, while these feelings are imperfect, I’m okay with feeling this way. And all I can do is hope for a better tomorrow.

Opinion

Monday, February 4, 2019 • Page 9

Spoiler Alert

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

by KOBY GARCIA Senior Visual Arts and Technology Major

“Spider-Man” is no unfamiliar name: after six live action blockbuster movies and more to come, it can be easy to feel numb to any more Spider-Manrelated stories. But before you think “it’s just another Spider-Man movie,” hear me out: you’ve never seen a Spider-Man movie nor a superhero movie quite like this. I know, I know, there has been an overabundance of superhero movies and television shows in the last 20 years, but don’t worry, you don’t have to “catch up” before watching this one.

For you comic book fans out there, it’ll be rewarding for you to see the niche, lesserknown Spider-Man comic book storylines unfold on

the big screen. Sure, you may already be groaning at the thought of having to sit through yet another SpiderMan origin story, but Into the Spider-Verse tells you more than a handful of different Spider-Man origin stories you probably have never heard of or seen before.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse mainly follows Miles Morales, a personable and intelligent teenager from Brooklyn as he tries to fit into a new private school.

After spray painting an abandoned subway tunnel, Miles is bitten by a peculiarlooking spider, and when he returns to the tunnel the next day, he runs into Spider-Man trying to stop Kingpin from revving up a “Super Collider.” Spider-Man realizes that Miles and him share Spidey Senses and tells Miles to hide just before Kingpin kills Spider-Man and turns on the machine. Eventually, as Miles is adjusting to his powers, he encounters Peter B. Parker, a SpiderMan from an alternate universe who was pulled into Miles’ universe as a result of the Super Collider. The duo eventually cross paths with Spider-Gwen, SpiderHam, Spider-Noir, and Peni Parker — all Spider-People

from their own universes who must join forces to defeat Kingpin. This funloving band of Spider-People, along with the array of familiar villains (Kingpin, Green Goblin, Prowler, Doc Ock, Tombstone, and Scorpion) and stellar cast (Shameik Moore, Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld, Mahershala Ali, Brian Tyree Henry, Lily Tomlin, Luna Lauren Velez, Zoe Kravitz, John Mulaney, Kimiko Glenn, Nicolas Cage, Kathryn Hahn, Liev Schreiber, Chris Pine, and Natalie Morales), makes for a non-stop entertaining experience.

The combination of many enjoyable twists, captivating visual effects, humor, comic book aesthetic, soundtrack, cinematography, performance, and and narrative explains its immense success and Oscar nomination (Animated Feature Film).

With its PG rating and heartwarming message that anyone can be Spider-Man, it’s an amazing movie to bring kids to. Don’t let its rating fool you though, this isn’t just some “kids’ movie” you might be used to. There’s something for everyone in this movie, so bring everyone you talk to to the closest theater and enjoy.

The Movie Poster for Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse | Google.com

Put Your Records On

Songs are getting shorter – and who is to blame?

by CHRISTIAN BONAVITA Sophmore Chemical Engineering Major

If you’re a music fan, you’ve probably realized that song length is trending downward. Songs with a duration of under three minutes can be found in almost any album released in 2018, and statistics from Billboard Charts confirm

this trend: the average song length of songs on the Hot 100 in 2018 was 3 minutes and 30 seconds long, dropping from 3 minutes and 50 seconds just five years prior. Additionally, the number of songs on the chart that pushed the boundaries of brevity, each with a duration of less than 2 minutes and 30 seconds, increased from 1% in 2015 to 6% last year.

First, is this a bad thing?

Not necessarily; several of the most critically acclaimed albums, and some of my personal favorites from 2018, undoubtedly followed suit with the above trend, but did not sacrifice artistry or quality in doing so. For example, Noname’s Room 25 had an average song length of 3

minutes and 5 seconds, and its first two songs, the jazzinfused “Self” and “Blaxploitation,” which together totaled under four minutes, were acclaimed by critics as a stunning opening onetwo punch to the record.

Another of my favorites from last year, Mitski’s Be The Cowboy, landed at #1 on nine critics’ year-end best album lists, but had an average song duration of a staggeringly short 2 minutes and 17 seconds, successfully featuring several vignettes that flash before the listener before they disappear into the next song. So, shortness of song does not automatically correspond to a loss of development and quality (well, except for Kanye and Lil Pump’s “I Love It”);

A graph demonstrating shortening of tracks on recent releases.

A graph demonstrating the percentage of Billboard hot 100 songs that are 2:30 minutes or less. in Mitski’s case, it has allowed for an interesting concept to come alive.

In many ways, the tendency of songs to be shorter has developed as artists find new ways to engage their audience and interact with the technology of the time. The most prominent example of this was Tierra Whack’s Whack World, an album from last year that spanned just 15 songs, each precisely one minute in length. This album was playful, funny, sometimes startlingly good, and was, very much intentionally, perfectly compatible with Instagram’s 60-second video limit, allowing Whack to brilliantly release songs on Instagram with their corresponding videos (seriously, look her up on Instagram and scroll down to the album – it’s one of the coolest uses of social media I’ve seen). As ever, the most successful artists show the ability to adapt to the changing landscape of music consumption, and the shortening of songs

may be an attempt to grab consumers in an unprecedented way.

Another commonly-cited reason for this trend is Spotify’s payout method, which compensates artists per stream of their song.

That is, one stream of a ten-minute song awards an artist the same amount of money as a stream of a two-minute-long competitor. So, an artist will be rewarded much more over time for releasing an album containing 20 three-minute songs instead of an album with 15 four-minute songs.

As Spotify has grown in ubiquity, the impact of this advantage for short tracks has been felt over multiple major artists’ albums from various genres; Drake’s tracks on Scorpion (2018) were 11% shorter than on Views (2016), Kanye West’s tracks were 39% shorter on The Life of Pablo (2016) than on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010), and Eric Church’s tracks were 21% shorter on Desperate Man (2018) than

on The Outsiders (2014).

Again, whether these artists’ works have changed in quality is anyone’s opinion, but it will be interesting to see to what extent artists go in the future to take advantage of this lucrative opportunity.

Finally, I’d like to finish this column by recommending some of my favorite songs from either end of the spectrum of song duration, to illustrate how different artists have benefitted by either keeping songs brief or extending the duration into the double digits of minutes. Here are my recommendations: My Favorite Long (9+ minutes) Songs: Lana Del Rey, “Venice Bitch” Sufjan Stevens, “Impossible Soul” Susanne Sundfør, “Memorial” Short (<2:30) Songs: Mitski, “Geyser” Rosalia, “De Aquí No Sales – Cap.4: Disputa” Tierra Whack, “Flea Market”

Opinion Continued

Monday, February 4th, 2018 • Page 10

Passion for Fashion

Top Shoes of 2018

by DANIEL KANG Sophomore Biomedical Engineering Major

Now that 2018 is officially in the books, it is time to present to you my list of the top 10 sneakers released in 2018. Some of these shoes have already been discussed in previous articles so I will not being going into too much detail.

I can already tell what you’re thinking. Most of this list is composed of shoes from the Swoosh. I can assure you that the Beaverton behemoth has not paid me in any way for this article. Nike simply did the best job at creating the best shoes. Nike cemented its place at the top and its cultural legacy in 2018 and did the most to change the game, constantly pushing the boundaries, all within a busy 12 months. Below are the shoes that had us yelling, “Checks over Stripes.” I can already tell you that making this list was incredibly difficult. Nevertheless, here goes.

1. Jordan 1 Retro High Union Los Angeles Blue Toe The contrasting uppers and lowers catch the eye immediately. Then you notice the way the bright yellow stitching holds the shoe together. The dual color laces are a nice finishing touch.

The best part might not even be visible: the thick leather is a throwback to vintage Jordans produced more than two decades ago. The founder of Union LA, Chris Gibbs, said it was meant to look like a kid stitched together two of his/her favorite sneakers.

Gibbs’ concept of a vintage customized Jordan takes the cake for 2018 and truly celebrates DIY culture and vintage hunting. The other colorway, Black Toe, is phenomenal as well with bright blue stitching.

2. Jordan 1 Retro High Off-White White Virgil Abloh. Jordan 1. Instant classic. The irony is that even if this shoe released last year as it could have except for a last-minute decision, this shoe would have still belonged on my top 10 list.

Limited to a European release, all of Abloh’s immediately distinguishable design features appear on the shoe: the deconstructed Swoosh, the writing in quotes, the zip-tie. The shoe even made it to a Paris runway, breaking down the barrier between streetwear and high fashion. The iconic Chicago colorway will always be the best but Abloh’s tonal blocking comes close to recreating that same awe.

3. Nike React Element 87 Sail Light Bone First unveiled at Undercover’s Paris Fashion show in March, the React Element 87 is undoubtedly the best silhouette of the year, although Nike quickly managed to kill the hype by releasing so many colorways and even introducing a lowcost version, React Element 55. If you look on the periodic table, the 87th element is Francium, the most explosive or reactive element. The translucent upper and React cushioning combined with the deconstructed build managed to counter the dad shoe trend and retain breathability and comfort. This photogenic shoe fits with anything and proves that React is the future.

4. Air Max 1/97 Sean Wotherspoon More Air! Have a Nike Day! Sean Wotherspoon stole the show on Air Max Day 2018 with his signature shoe coming with a corduroy up-

Union Jordan 1 Blue Toe, nike.com per. His unique taste and sincere love of vintage shines through this shoe. Stay tuned for more moves by Sean Wotherspoon not just in the sphere of footwear but in streetwear as he expands his popular resale outlet, Round Two. 5. Jordan 4 Retro Travis Scott Cactus Jack Travis Scott had a breakout year in 2018 from having the #1 album in the country, Astroworld, to having a baby girl, Stormi Webster, with billionaire social media influencer Kylie Jenner. However, no one could have foreseen the Jordan Brand cosign so quickly after the release of his Air Force 1 Low in 2017.

Paying homage to his hometown team, the Houston Oilers, Travis Scott’s Jordan 4 in blue suede and paint splatter induced well-deserved hysteria when first shown, which continued until the actual release. Replacing the Nike and Jordan Brand logo with his own Cactus Jack logo was a bold move that paid off. Rumors of a Travis Scott Jordan 1 seen at his concerts will release sometime this year.

6. adidas Futurecraft 4D Daniel Arsham Arsham’s foray into the

footwear scene began with an ordinary sneaker but his latest shoe equipped with adidas’ state-of-the-art 4D technology blew me away.

As the sole (no pun intended) adidas shoe on this list, Arsham achieves the full potential of the revolutionary 4D midsole. The monochromatic green color scheme and unbelievably clean packaging presents itself as another unforgettable vision for the future.

7. Jordan 3 Retro Seoul Look it’s a True Blue!

Look it’s a White Cement!

Wait, it’s something different! Celebrating the 30th anniversary of the 1988 Summer Olympics held in Seoul, these shoes proudly show the South Korean flag on the tongue with Korean phrases on the other side — small details that translate into something very important.

It’s nice to see an international brand give something special to a specific market, especially in Asia. Limited to under 1000 pairs, this Jordan 3 will stand the test of time. Adidas tried to pull a similar move with the adidas Ultraboost 4.0 Seoul 1988, but it doesn’t look nearly as good as the Jordan. Nice try though.

8. Air Fear of God 1 Black I’ve been waiting for a great Nike basketball shoe for a while now and this is definitely it. Nike Basketball peaked in the early 2000s, so seeing a brand new silhouette in the Air Fear of God 1 is a welcome sight. Its high retail price of $350 might not see it on or off the court that often; nevertheless, this performance-oriented basketball sneaker is sure to make waves beyond 2018. The double stack Zoom Air unit and TPU midfoot cage come together for a sleek, simple silhouette. The lifestyle version of the shoe, the Air Fear of God Shoot Around, is alright but not comparable to the Air FOG 1. Love it or hate it, its focus on performance while not compromising on style will have us talking for a long time.

9. Nike SB Dunk Low Diamond Supply Co Canary So begins the comeback of the Nike SB Dunk. This shoe lives up to the hype of the original Diamond Supply Co. Tiffany more than a decade ago. The bright yellow colorway of the most recent one is sure to break necks. Beginning with the riot at ComplexCon and ending with a jewelry store pop-up in LA’s

Diamond District, the Canary Dunks are truly something special. Two other colorways, black and white, were released nationwide but the yellow stands out.

10. Jordan 1 Retro High SoleFly Art Basel Sail It was no surprise this year that the SoleFly Jordan 1 caused a riot in Miami after the release of the Igloo and Rust Pink Jordan 1 colorways back in 2017 caused a riot as well. What was surprising was that the South Florida sneaker boutique managed to come out with another iconic shoe in addition to the SoleFly Jordan 3. There were two versions: smooth leather and patent leather. My favorite is the white-based orange pair with smooth leather although the patent leather black pair goes crazy as well.

Both are inspired by Miami and SoleFly did a great job in color-blocking like OG Jordans, appealing to both celebrities and sneakerheads.

Honorable Mentions: Jordan 4 Retro Levi’s Denim, Air Max 1 Parra, Jordan 1 Retro High Nigel Sylvester, Air Force 1 Low Travis Scott Sail, Air Force 1 Low A-ColdWall* White, adidas Yeezy 500 Blush, and New Balance 990v3 JJJJound

Campus Conservative

Government shutdown: Round 1 winners and losers

by ALEX MURTAGH Junior Civil Engineering Major

What is likely to only be the first half of the highly partisan government shutdown was a real wake up call for many Americans.

For most, it showed that the government being shut down didn’t make much, if any, a difference in their lives. For others, it was a daily struggle and a realization that

the government has way too much control over people’s lives when government gridlock strikes. Now to be fair, the government has never been shut down for 35 days like it was this past month, so this was an unusual circumstance. But nonetheless, it’s important to understand that this could happen again and has the potential to be even worse.

So who was affected by this shutdown, and what was the impact that it had on them? One of the largest groups was the roughly 800,000 non-essential government employees who went that 35 days with no paycheck. With many Americans living paycheck to paycheck (78% according to a poll conducted by CareerBuilder), it is likely many government employees were included in that 78%. But

that previous statistic isn’t surprising given that 2/3s of Americans couldn’t pass a basic financial literacy test.

The shutdown was fair to them in the sense that they would all be paid as soon as the shutdown ended. However, not having that money for over a month was likely devastating.

Another group of losers in this fight (at least for now) are the border patrol agents who have been requesting proper funding from the government for years now.

Why did Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi refuse to work with Trump? For many reasons, but two stick out to me. First, this was the symbol of the Trump campaign, and if he got this, every American who voted for him in 2016 would do it again in 2020. Second, the Democratic leaders would have

lost the progressive base of their party, particularly in the House, where there are many extreme left-leaning freshman Representatives already causing headaches.

If they lost that base, the Democratic Party would be doomed forever. So in that way, Nancy and Chuck won the first round, though according to one poll, Nancy now has a lower approval rating than Trump. My guess is that this is due to her obstructionist position during the shutdown because she never sought a compromise.

To be fair, a different poll has shown that more people thought she “won” the shutdown, which is technically true because she got what she wanted, but her approval rating still took a big hit.

For now, Trump is both a winner and a loser. He lost in the sense that he didn’t

get what he initially wanted.

However, he called Nancy’s bluff and reopened the government to see if she would actually negotiate. As of now, she has taken a back seat in the search for compromise and at the time of this writing has not met with Trump to negotiate. If Nancy doesn’t talk with Trump, she will prove that she was not in this for the government workers, but rather for partisan reasons.

It’s also important to remember how the many American people who rely on government-insured loans, national parks, food inspection agencies, and even research grants were affected, including some at Stevens.

So all of these people lose during a shutdown, and this all has a grand effect of a $1.5 billion per week loss on the overall economy (though

this isn’t much in the U.S. economy).

The worst part is that this was just round one if lawmakers can’t reach a deal before the deadline of February 15.

But why should they care?

They still get a regular paycheck during the shutdown, unlike the thousands of people they represent. Even the “new face of the Democratic Party” Alexandria OcasioCortez promised to defer her check, but that never actually happened according to left-leaning CNN). Now to be fair, CNN found that a bipartisan group of 102 Representatives and Senators went without pay and even donated it in some cases. So most Congress members were still winners while their constituents were losers. And they still struggle to wonder why the Congressional Approval rating is only 18.3%.

STUDENTS: THE STUTE HAS MOVED TO HOWE 717

Opinion Continued

Monday, February 4th, 2019 • Page 11

Off The Press

Serial WindowOpener Loose on Campus

by OFF CENTER Stevens’ Comedy Group

Pandemonium broke out last week when three pipes burst in the McLean building, forcing the building to close for the rest of the day. Crack investigators have determined that the reason for this tragedy was that someone had left a window open in a lab, causing the pipes to reach critically low temperatures. The results, as expected of a building that is composed of approximately 85% sinks, were disastrous.

Since then, it has been revealed that this act was not, in fact, a careless accident, but the first strike against the school by a serial criminal who plans to continue opening windows throughout campus at the expense of the school.

“We have not received any demands yet,” said a spokesperson for the campus police in a press release earlier this week, “But it’s clear that they want to send a message: last night, a window in the campus police office was left open, causing $17,000 worth of damages. I assure you, we are putting all of our resources into finding the culprit.” A special Window Crimes Division has been created by campus police to investigate the incident.

It is suspected that the removal of a piece of plywood covering a window in Howe is connected to the serial opener.

Despite all two witnesses to the missing piece, no authorities were notified until it was too late. With the barrier removed, the constant windstorm that surrounds Howe

was allowed free access to the interior, dropping the internal temperature of the building to what scientists believe is the closest to absolute zero that has ever been documented. By the time campus police arrived, five members of staff had frozen solid, and 17 were hospitalized for acute hypothermia. One witness described the temperature inside the building as “as if I had stepped onto the sun, except if the sun was cold instead of hot.”

Students have been urged to lock their windows closed for protection against this heinous criminal, even nailing them shut if possible. An emergency “window watch” has been deployed, where volunteers go around campus, looking into windows to make sure that they’re properly closed. This has been deemed “entirely necessary” and everyone is fine with it.

We at Off the Press are legally obligated to announce that if any student sees an open window on campus, they should immediately contact campus police after, obviously, closing it with extreme prejudice. A special hotline specifically for windowrelated calls has been set up, although Off the Press unfortunately does not have access to the number of the hotline at the moment; our best advice is to just keep calling random numbers until you find the right one. Secondary announcement: if anyone finds out the number to the window hotline, please let us know what it is.

Scientific Curmuggedon

Dear Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, Please Help Us End War

by JOHN HORGAN CAL Professor

Below is an edited version of a letter I mailed this month to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives last fall. –John Horgan

Dear Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez: I am a science writer and professor at Stevens Institute of Technology. Like many Americans, I’m heartened by your election to the U.S. Congress. There’s hope for our democracy!

Your call for a “Peace Economy” — and the video of you dancing to the classic lyric “War, what is it good for?” — inspired me to send you this letter, along with my book The End of War. I wrote the book because nine out of ten people (according to my surveys) think war is a permanent part of the human condition. I reject this fatalism, and I hope you do too.

We can end war, just as we

ended slavery and other oppressive customs, if we have the will to do so.

Shortly before his death, President John Kennedy urged Americans to see peace not as a utopian dream but as a practical goal. “World peace,” Kennedy said, “like community peace, does not require that each man love his neighbor — it requires only that they live together in mutual tolerance, submitting their disputes to a just and peaceful settlement.”

I keep waiting for a bold politician to recognize the vast potential of a movement aimed at ending war once and for all. I hoped Barack Obama, especially after his Nobel Prize, might initiate

a global antiwar movement, but that was not to be. You have the courage, charisma, and eloquence to take on this goal.

As you emphasized during your campaign, our gigantic military budget is a drain on the economy, and our violent interventions in Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere have done more harm than good. “This continued action,” you stated, “damages America’s legitimacy as a force for good, creates new generations of potential terrorists, and erodes American prosperity.” As antiwar activist David Swanson points out, few progressives have spoken out this forcefully against U.S. militarism.

The goal of ending war, if

presented in a non-partisan way, should have enormous appeal. It should attract Americans on the left and right, liberals and fiscal conservatives, business folk and people of faith. Given recent protests at Google and other companies, I bet many technology workers would support an antiwar movement.

And imagine what would happen if those for whom the Bible serves as sacred text started taking its prohibition against killing seriously!

Even the most just wars are immoral, because they invariably kill the innocent, including children. Wars are also terribly wasteful. If we cut the U.S. military budget in half, it would still be bigger

than that of Russia and China combined. And think of the resources freed for addressing problems like health care, criminal justice, education, and climate change!

As other activists have pointed out, defense cutbacks could help pay for the Green New Deal, your exciting program for countering global warming and other threats to the environment. The U.S. can scale back its military empire in coordination with other nations to ensure the security of all. I hope this letter, and perhaps my book, gets you thinking about these possibilities. Thanks for giving me a hearing.

Sincerely, John Horgan

Hey, Stevens Admins!

We promise to be good neighbors on the seventh floor. We’ll host all parties, raves, mixers, and ragers after business hours only.

And, of course, you’ll be invited.

With love, The Stute.

Sports

Friday, November 30 2018 • Page 12

Three Three-Pointers from #3 Pushes Women’s Basketball Past NYU

ON DECK IN SPORTS

Friday WRESTLING @ Day One 3:30 p.m.

York, PA

Stevens Sports Information

SSI - Freshman Allie Moss drained three shots from beyond the arc as the Stevens Institute of Technology women’s basketball team topped New York University 60-47 in Wednesday evening’s non-conference matchup at Canavan Arena.

Freshman Jess Broad tallied game-highs of 16 points and five

steals as the Ducks improved to 5-2 overall. Moss added a careerhigh 11 points, while graduate student Anna Toke led Stevens on the boards with a game-high 13 rebounds.

The teams alternated points to start the game, but the Ducks ended the first quarter on a 5-0 run capped off by a three-pointplay from Broad after being fouled on a made layup. The Marlboro, New Jersey native opened the second quarter with another three-point-play after making a steal and going coast-

coast before drawing the foul on the made basket.

The Violets were able to shorten Stevens’ lead to seven at the end of the third quarter after a layup by Olivia Linebarger, but

back-to-back baskets from Broad and Toke at the start of the fourth quarter put the Ducks ahead for good.

NYU was paced by Katie Foos, who made five three-pointers to finish with 15 points. The Violets fell to 2-2 on the year.

Inside the Numbers Toke and sophomore Christina Li each added nine points.

The Ducks made 18-of-22 from the charity stripe, finishing with a free throw percentage of 81.8%.

Sophomore Lily Taeuber re-

corded a career-high three blocks.

NYU’s Annie Barrett dished out a game-high four assists.

Stevens’ largest lead was 16 points.

The Ducks scored 17 points off turnovers.

The Violets outrebounded Stevens, 38-34.

Tonight’s win marks the

Ducks’ first-ever victory against NYU. The Violets have won the last 10 games against Stevens, dating back to the 2001-2002 season.

From the Court

“I am extremely proud of the entire group tonight. We defended and were the aggressors on the offensive end. Overall solid contributions across the board.”

- head coach Megan Haughey Up Next The Ducks host Trinity College on Saturday, Dec. 1 at 1 P.M.

The only meeting between the two teams was last season in Hartford, Conn., where the Bantams defeated Stevens 66-42.

Live stats and video links on StevensDucks.com.

WOMEN’S SWIMMING VS Gompei Invitational 9 a.m.

Worcester, MA

MEN’S SWIMMING VS Gompei Invitational 9 a.m.

Worcester, MA

MEN’S

Men’s Basketball Returns to Win Column with 58-55 Win Over TRACK AND FIELD Staten Island VS Bison Opener TBA Lewisburg, PA

WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD VS Bison Opener TBA Lewisburg, PA

Saturday WRESTLING @ Day Two 9 a.m.

York, PA

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Stevens Sports Information

SSI – Sophomore Alec DiPietrantonio scored eight points and pulled down a career-high 16 rebounds as the Stevens Institute of Technology men’s basketball team defeated the College of Staten Island 58-55 Wednesday in a non-conference game at Canavan Arena.

Junior Michael Zignorski came off the bench to score a team-high 14 points and senior Ryan Coffey added 11 points and nine boards for the Ducks, who improved to 4-2.

Stevens has won each of the last three meetings with CSI and improved to 10-4 in the all-time series (Updated information provided by CSI Athletic Communications).

Christian Taylor scored a game-high 18 points and Adeola Latunji added 11 points

and seven rebounds for the Dolphins, who fell to 1-5.

DiPietrantonio grabbed six offensive rebounds and 10 on the defensive glass to finish with the most boards by a Duck since Kenny Gan pulled down 19 against Ithaca on Feb. 14, 2015. The Mount Laurel, New Jersey native also made a key layup with 16 seconds left in regulation that gave the hosts a threepoint advantage. Senior Kevin Florio had reclaimed the lead for Stevens with a jumper after Staten Island took its first lead of the half two possessions earlier Pivotal Point After Staten Island used their final timeout to draw up a potential game-tying play, Stevens forced the Dolphins

away from their designed play with suffocating defense on the perimeter.

Austin Mick fired a wild three with two seconds remaining, but the shot was well off its mark and was easily snagged by junior Dylan Walsh.

Inside the Numbers Staten Island outshot Stevens, 35.6% to 33.8% The Ducks held the Dolphins to just 3-of-14 shooting from behind the arc. Conversely, Stevens made five threes.

The Ducks held a 47-41 edge in rebounding, including a 10-4 advantage on the offensive glass. Stevens’ 47 boards marked a season high.

DiPietrantonio recorded a game-high three blocks.

Stevens held the advantage in points in the paint, bench points, points off turnovers and second-chance points.

Senior Frank Amari drained his first three of the season.

The victory closed out a doubleheader sweep for Stevens. Women’s Basketball earned its first-ever victory over NYU to open the evening in the first non-conference twinbill played at Canavan Arena since Nov. 22, 2011.

Unsung Heroes Walsh came off the bench to score seven points and pull down a pair of rebounds, but his defensive positioning with Coffey and DiPietrantonio kept Staten Island off the offensive boards, holding the Dolphins to just four offensive rebounds and three second-

chance points.

From the Court “I’m happy that we found a way to win tonight. We got a lot of the shots that we wanted, but they just didn’t fall.

Luckily, we defended really well, which gave us an opportunity to win the game.”

- head coach Bobby Hurley Up Next Stevens opens Empire 8 Conference play against Sage on Dec. 1.

The Ducks swept the Gators last season.

It’s the earliest Men’s Basketball has opened conference play since the 2012-13 season.

Video link is available on StevensDucks.com and a live stats link will be posted when made available.

Duck Country Scoreboard Date

Stevens

Opponent/Event

Score

Result

11/20 11/20 11/25 11/25 11/26 11/28 11/28

Men's Basketball Women's Basketball Men's Basketball Wrestling Women's Basketball Men's Basketball Women's Basketball

@ Farleigh Dickinson University VS Farleigh Dickinson University VS Rutgers-Newark @ New York University @ Montclair State University VS College of Staten Island VS New York University

75-74 66-60 64-75 13-28 58-62 58-55 60-47

W W L L L W W

Stevens Sports Information

VS Trinity College 1 p.m.

Hoboken, NJ

MEN’S FENCING

VS Alumni Meet 2 p.m.

Hoboken, NJ

MEN’S BASKETBALL

@ The Sage Colleges 4 p.m.

Troy, NY

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