OPEN ACCESS Students should have free access to textbooks, oligopolies in academia must be broken up
IPHONE FILM INDUSTRY Steven Soderbergh’s latest film is one of many shot entirely on a smartphone
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Biology is top ranked major Rutgers offers ELIZABETH KILPATRICK CONTRIBUTING WRITER
General Biology was ranked as the number one major at Rutgers University—New Brunswick, according to College Factual. Christy Beal, an assistant professor of General Biology at the University, said the major has expanded it aims to help students learn and conceptualize the lessons while also preparing them for their post-Rutgers experiences. Beal said the University’s Division of Life Sciences has a whole group of people working toward the same goal, which is to make a foundation for students that can be used in graduate school, medical school or whichever path they choose to take after their undergraduate years. “There is integrated communication between faculty and staff,” Beal said. “Everyone meets together every week and reviews what needs to be done.” Biology workshops, which are led weekly by teaching assistants, walk the students through practicing certain concepts and drive students to
work with each other. “Students are more enthusiastic about what we’re doing in workshop in recent years,” Beal said. In addition to the workshops that meet once a week, there are practice sessions approximately 4 to 6 times a week for an hour to an hour and a half. Students work together in groups and often play challenging games to better understand material. There are also optional practice groups that give students an extra credit toward their course load. Beal said she came to Rutgers as a teacher in the Fall 2015 semester, during what she described as a re-modification of the course. Members of the Division of Life Sciences are still working on it. She estimates there to be approximately 2,200 students studying General Biology per semester. Beal said she sees improvements in both the major and the students in the classrooms. “Students are asking better questions,” Beal said. “It’s one thing to memorize, but another to actually be able to apply and make connections and innovate.”
Students win free tuition in Career Services contest MADISON MCGAY CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Assistant Professor of General Biology at the University Christy Beal first came to teach at Rutgers in 2015. She said she has seen the improvements in the biology major. TWITTER
Over the past four years, University Career Services has been offering students the opportunity to earn a semester of free tuition through the #RutgersWorks Free Tuition Career Challenge. “The #RutgersWorks Free Tuition challenge is an incentive program that rewards Rutgers students for their participation in career-related activities both in person and online,” said Kaitlyn Weiss, associate director for strategic outreach at University Career Services. Students must complete at least ten challenge requirement “stamps” in order to be entered into the drawing for free tuition for the following semester. Stamps can be earned through involvement in events held by University Career Services and online at Rutgers Handshake. SEE CONTEST ON PAGE 4
Researchers creating linguistics database RYAN HALSTATER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Ken Safir, a professor in the Department of Linguistics, said the database for the Afranaph Project was made specifically for linguistic purposes, but it has also made an impact on other fields because of its innovative research model. RUTGERS.EDU
A team at Rutgers is creating a database that helps develop descriptions of African languages in order to further linguistics research. The Afranaph Project began in 2003, where only five case files of languages were developed with each containing research and information about a particular language. The project now has 33 language case files, according to the project’s website, and is led by Ken Safir, a professor in the Department of Linguistics. “There are now over 6,000, 7,000 languages in the world. About 1,500 or perhaps 2,100 of them are in Africa, and we have very few of these languages even remotely described,” he said. The project operates by finding native speaker linguists in Africa, providing training if possible and incorporating the linguistic data they contribute into a database. Safir said in the best case, this interaction develops into the native speakers becoming collaborators. People are usually quite proud of the languages they speak and want them to be recognized. That means individuals who are trained
VOLUME 151, ISSUE 15 • UNIVERSITY ... 3 • OPINIONS ... 6 • INSIDE BEAT... 8• DIVERSIONS ... 9 • SPORTS ... BACK
in linguistics tend to want to study their indigenous language. The Afranaph Project allows for individuals to participate in the international community of linguists and helps build up collaborations and careers, Safir said. Part of the project also involves orthography, or representing the sounds of a language through written or printed symbols. “Most of the languages of Africa are understudied or not studied at all, some of them don’t have orthography,” he said. “And so the goal of many African linguists when they first learn linguistics is to create an orthography for their language.” Safir said Africa is an appealing continent to study because there are many languages and ethnic groups. Lydia Newkirk, a graduate student in the Department of Linguistics and member of the project, said she enjoyed looking at the datasets and seeing how the pronouns worked in all of the different languages. “Part of our goal with Afranaph is to collect a lot of information from a lot of different languages, especially African languages, so we can SEE DATABASE ON PAGE 5
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February 22, 2019
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Campus Calendar FRIDAY 2/22 Student Access and Educational Equity presents “Read to the Youth Literacy Campaign” from 6:30 a.m. to noon at Lucy Stone Hall on Livingston campus. This event is free and open to the public. Rutgers Gardens presents “Cooks’ Market — Winter Farm Market” from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Rutgers Gardens on Cook campus. This event is free and open to the public. SATURDAY 2/23 School of Ar ts and Sciences Depar tment of American Studies presents “An Evening of Gospel Choirs” from 7 to 10 p.m. at Busch Student Center on Busch campus. This event is free and open to the public. The Rutgers Film Co-op, New Jersey Media Ar ts Center and the Rutgers University Program In Cinema Studies present “New Jersey Film Festival Spring 2019 Screening” from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at Voorhees Hall on the College Avenue campus. This event is $10 for students.
SUNDAY 2/24 The Catholic Center presents “Catholic Mass” from 11 a.m. to noon at the Catholic Center on the College Avenue campus. This event is free and open to the public. Rutgers Athletics presents “Rutgers Men’s Basketball vs Minnesota” from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Rutgers Athletic Center on Livingston campus. This event requires tickets for admission. MONDAY 2/24 Center for Counseling, Alcohol and Other Drug Assistance Program and Psychiatric Ser vices presents “Mindfulness Meditation” from noon to 1 p.m. at Rutgers Business School on Livingston campus. This event is free and open to the public. Rutgers University Libraries presents “Data Visualization and Machine Learning with Python” from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at Librar y of Science and Medicine on Busch campus. This event is free and open to the public.
If you would like to submit an event for the Campus Calendar section, please email marketing@dailytargum.com. For more information please visit www.dailytargum.com. Due to space limitations there is no guarantee that your event will be listed.
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CORRECTIONS The Daily Targum promptly corrects all errors of substance. If you have a comment or question about the fairness or accuracy of a story, send an email to eic@dailytargum.com.
February 22, 2019
UNIVERSITY
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Rutgers enters partnership with Swedish police CATHERINE NGUYEN NEWS EDITOR
Rutgers will be working with the Swedish National Police to forge relationships with law enforcement agencies in the United States to help Sweden and other countries in Europe fight organized crime, gun violence and extremism in domestic areas, according to Rutgers Today. The Miller Center for Community Protection and Resilience, which is part of the Rutgers Institute for Secure Communities (RISC) and a joint enterprise with the Eagleton Institute of Politics and Rutgers Law School, will be in charge of leading the partnership. They will be participating in a series of meetings between leaders of the Swedish National Police, New Jersey State Police, New York Police Department and U.S. Department of Homeland Security this week. “Through the Miller Center, we are bringing decades worth of law enforcement, intelligence and security expertise to communities around the globe who need to adapt to evolving threats and security challenges,” Elie Honig, executive director of the RISC, said. The center is responsible for helping communities and city, state and national governments to create programs to protect individuals and also prevent organized crime and extremist group violence. As a result, leaders from the Swedish government
contacted the Miller Center to help them with increased gang violence in their area. “The Miller Center, whose work began in response to the increase in extremist violence directed at vulnerable communities in Europe and the United States, has provided assistance to areas as different from each other as Brussels, Belgium and Whitefish, Montana, and to communities as diverse as the Muslim community in Mollenbeeck, Belgium and the Jewish community in Whitefish,” said John Farmer, the executive director of the Miller Center. He said the center is committed to assisting said communities, and that law enforcement was working with them to enhance public safety. He is sure that officials in the United States will learn as much from Swedish police forces as they learn from the United States. Patrick Callahan, the colonel of the New Jersey State Police, said since the creation of the New Jersey Regional Operations and Intelligence Center (ROIC) in 2006, it has become an essential part of the state’s homeland security and law enforcement missions. The center has also expanded to fight the opioid crisis with programs like the Drug Monitoring Initiative, which identifies regional drug trends and notifies the public of narcotics. “The ROIC has cultivated strong partnerships with federal, state, county and local law
enforcement in addition to private sector stakeholders, greatly enhancing New Jersey’s ability to prevent and combat crime,” he said. “Sweden’s law enforcement community will without question benefit from the intelligence-led policing, analysis and information sharing that fusion centers promote.” The Swedish National Police first contacted the Miller Center in spring of 2018, organizing meetings with agencies such as the Swedish Defense University, Ministr y of Justice and Civil Contingencies Agency to discuss the Swedish law enforcement’s social challenges and how to solve them. In turn, the Rutgers team provided insight on its training programs to build relationships between communities and law enforcement. “Thanks to the Rutgers University Miller Center for Community Protection and Resilience for giving us the opportunity to meet with our fellow law enforcement colleagues at the New Jersey State Police. We recognized that we have many common challenges concerning extremism, organized crime and gang violence. We are going to share best practices, lessons learned and engaging in collaborative research in these critical areas. We look forward to continuing our work with Rutgers University and New Jersey State Police in a long-term relationship,” said Jan Everson, the Swedish National Police Commissioner.
Elie Honig, the executive director of the Rutgers Institute for Secure Communities, said the Miller Center provides years worth of expertise to areas with security challenges. TWITTER
John Farmer, the executive director of the Miller Center, said the center has provided assistance to areas across the globe, from Montana in the United States to Belgium in Europe. RUTGERS.EDU
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February 22, 2019
CONTEST More than 2,400 students so far have competed in #RutgersWorks Free Tuition challenges “It helped me realize that college presents you with a lot of opporThe challenges, which are tunities to succeed, but you have worth different amounts of to be willing to put in the work to stamps, range from field trips, to chase it.” Weiss said the funding for the company offices, to finding a parttime jobs, to activating the Rut- Free Tuition challenge came from revenue earned at career gers Handshake account. “Last semester, over 2,400 stu- fairs, as well as various other givdents created a game board and ing opportunities. Nikita Patel, a School of Envicompeted in the #RutgersWorks Free Tuition challenge,” Weiss ronmental and Biological Sciences junior, is one of said. “And the many stucurrently 49 percent of the “It helped me realize that dents participatcurrent student college presents you with ing in the #RutgersWorks Free body has activata lot of opportunities to Tuition chaled their Handshake account.” succeed, but you have to lenge for the spring semester. Weiss said the be willing to put in the “The Free challenge not Tuition chalonly offers stuwork to chase it.” lenge is a golddents the opporen opportunity tunity to win a that would help semester of free CHRISTINA GONZALVE me discover tuition, but also School of Arts and Sciences junior myself, meet helps to expose career counselthem to all of the resources University Career Ser- ors, upgrade my resume, make vices offers that makes the chal- me more aware of field trips, enhance my interviewing skills and lenge possible in the first place. The winner of the Fall 2018 help me keep my Handshake proFree Tuition challenge was Chris- file upgrade,” Patel said. Other than entering for the tina Gonzalve, a School of Arts and Sciences junior. She said as chance for free tuition, she said an introvert, participating in the students learn more about themchallenge helped her to improve selves and the resources students her networking skills and was an have at their disposal that Univerincentive for her to get out of her sity Career Services has to offer. “I am grateful to Career Sercomfort zone. “To be fortunate enough to win vices for a great opportunity like was icing on the cake, and it has this that has only benefits for all definitely helped me feel more the participants,” Patel said. “Evconfident and engaged in my eryone’s a winner even if they classes this semester,” she said. don’t really win the free tuition.” CONTINUED FROM FRONT
Christina Gonzalve, a School of Arts and Sciences junior, was the winner for the Fall 2018 Free Tuition challenge. In order to be eligible for the prize, she had to complete tasks relating to career development and improving professional skills. COURTESY OF MADISON MCGAY
Crime alert details off-campus robbery BRENDAN BRIGHTMAN NEWS EDITOR
Stay connected.
A crime alert was sent yesterday informing the Rutgers community of a robber y occurring off-campus in a residential building on Easton Avenue between Ray Street and Senior Street. The New Brunswick Police Department is investigating the incident. The victims, who are affiliated with the University, reported hearing a knock on the front door. When they opened it, they saw
four male perpetrators, according to the email. The perpetrators demanded items of value while displaying a firearm and a sharp object. The email stated the suspects had prior knowledge of the residence and it is believed to be an isolated incident. After receiving property from the victims, the perpetrators left the area in an unknown direction. None of the victims were physically injured as a result, according to the email. The email stated that the perpetrators’ descriptions were limited at the time.
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The New Brunswick Police Department is currently investigating a robbery that occurred off-campus. The robbers were seen displaying a firearm. GARRETT STEFFE / ASSOCIATE PHOTO EDITOR
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February 22, 2019
DATABASE There are approximately 7,000 languages globally, 1,500 to 2,100 of which are in Africa CONTINUED FROM FRONT
figure out how they work alike and how they work differently,” she said. Hazel Mitchley, a graduate student in the Department of Linguistics and another member of the project, said it enables others in academia to perform more research on understudied languages. One example is Bantu, which is a subfamily within four of the main language families in
Africa. She said many of the languages in the Afranaph database are Bantu-based. “From the Bantu language family you can say, ‘I made him walk there’ in one word,” Mitchley said. The database also contains useful linguistic data, such as how parts of words correspond to parts of meaning. Most of the impact of the project, though, is in academia, she said. “It will filter through over time in terms of people using it to do research and making it easier to
do research, and then once re- other databases with similar possible based on just seeing and search is available it starts affect- principles adapted for other speaking, so the Afranaph aping things like machine transla- purposes. Safir said during the proach is a novel idea. The primary goal is to scicourse of carr ying out research, tion,” Mitchley said. entifically exThe research plore human model for the language. LanAfranpah Project could also be “To best encompass what’s humanly possible, we want guages spoken by humans applied to other to see what humans have actually been using.” have different fields because it characteristics trains people to KEN SAFIR than “languagprovide sophisProfessor in the Department of Linguistics es” used by ticated data that other species. would normally Safir said the ultake years to timate goal is to gather, and then makes that information accessible the database design became in- understand the human capacity to learn a language. novative unintentionally. to anyone, Safir said. “To best encompass what’s huHe said people see doing fieldThe Afranaph database, organized by Alexis Dimitriadis, was work on a language as going out manly possible, we want to see made specifically for linguistic into the community and trying to what humans have actually been purposes, but it has inspired put together all the information using,” Safir said.
The Department of Linguistics building, which is located on the College Avenue campus, aims to understand how natural languages are acquired and learned. One of its projects is the Afranaph Project, which focuses on African languages. CASEY AMBROSIO / STAFF PHOTOGRAP[HER
WACKY WEATHER Due to the winter storm that occurred on Wednesday, speed limits for the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway were temporarily lowered to 45 miles per hour. GARRETT STEFFE / ASSOCIATE PHOTO EDITOR
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OPINIONS
February 22, 2019
Memes are important counterculture tools
P
eppa Pig, an innocuous children’s cartoon character, was scrubbed from its various vidGIANNA CASTELLI eo-sharing platforms in China due to its association with counterculture memes and “society people” — slang for unruly slackers and gangsters. The “cheeky little piggy” has sparked a tattoo craze and other subtle ways to take a jab at the communist government, which heavily monitors the media its citizens consume as an effort against western influence. Despite its pushback, Peppa Pig continues to grow among rebellious Chinese youth. The intermingling of popular culture and politics is a reality in our country, whether you like it or not. Regardless of what you identify as, politics crops up — quite ham-fisted, I might add — in everything we consume, especially in memes. Perhaps the worst offenders are politicians and corporations trying to appeal to the young demographic with cringe-inducing and out-of-touch memes that were relevant in 2012. These people go out of their way to market themselves to the younger generation and fail miserably, yet nobody tells them to stop. Why? Memes have the power to influence culture — as we saw in the 2016 presidential election — and they are scrambling to catch up. Richard Dawkins originally coined the term “meme” as a concept to explain the evolution of ideas and cultural phenomena. Examples of memes include fashion, slang and the sharing of cultural ideas, symbols or practices. Dawkins suggested that memes may follow the same pressure that genes face during evolution, that is, their replication relies on exposure to humans, who may refine or combine them and thus create new ones over time. The modern usage of the word “meme” refers to a humorous piece of media that is copied with slightly different variations and spread rapidly by internet users. The longevity of a meme requires that the meme have the flexibility for creative re-imaginings in order for it to evolve and stay fresh. That is why memes that convey a similar message are often collaged together to create a new joke, or old jokes are suddenly popular again because a new twist was added to them. What ultimately causes the death of these memes is when they go mainstream, which is where politicians come in. There is an unspoken rule that once a meme is explained or it leaves the niche realm of the internet, it is no longer funny. Especially when they are analyzed with an all-too critical lens, memes are no longer an art form but a shallow political tool that can be abused. Conversely, when the media or politicians condemn an edgy meme, it spikes in popularity. Both of these effects are the result of the lack of knowledge on the account of politicians and journalists. Having a
CONSERVATIVE ACROSS THE AISLE
“Memes, at least the good and lasting ones, are indicative of the American spirit because they poke fun at the flaws in our society and are a means to rebel against them. It is a way for the younger generation, Left or Right, communicate to a system that has failed them. ” meme co-opted and popularized ruins the secrecy of it, and having it condemned shows an ignorant understanding of internet culture and its proliferation purely due to spite. Most memes are operating in the post-ironic era, in which memes curated contain multiple layers of irony that require an extensive knowledge of previous memes and trends in order to understand. Frequent internet users have been finding more difficult ways to make meme literacy exclusive to the internet in order to keep its cultural currency from deflating in value. Yet, there is a mischievousness among those fully immersed in meme culture to have their impact on society, often through various hoaxes that the media eats up. If memes have become exclusive to those on the internet, then why is there a desire — beyond the mere chaos of it — for them to be publicized? Memes, at least the good and lasting ones, are indicative of the American spirit because they poke fun at the flaws in our society and are a means to rebel against them. It is a way for the younger generation, Left or Right, communicate to a system that has failed them. The lack of understanding from higher institutions, as seen poignantly with the resurgence of Pepe the Frog, suggests a distance between the government and its citizens. Dismissive attempts to censor them in the name of hate speech just aggravates that divide. Memes are complex relics of culture that require context to understand and should be taken seriously. Giana Castelli is a School of Arts and Sciences junior majoring in political science. Her column, “Conservative Across the Aisle,” runs on alternate Fridays.
UNIVERSAL UCLICK
EDITORIAL
We must confront control of information Oligopolistic academic industries constrain freedom to access knowledge
A
ccess to information and knowledge is the liberating force that enlightens and fuels the democratic energies of society. As Thomas Jefferson said, “An educated citizenr y is a vital requisite for our sur vival as a free people.” But for democracy to breathe, the current stranglehold on academic information must be dismantled. The Rutgers University Student Assembly (RUSA) has been working on an initiative to increase the amount of open textbooks in the classrooms. RUSA members have been pushing for a legislative bill that would require all public universities in New Jersey to submit a plan to the Secretary of Higher Education explaining how they would transition their most popular course offerings to providing open textbooks. This reactionary initiative is in response to the irreprehensible reality that information is controlled by an oligopolistic market that functions as a cartel. The cost of college textbooks increased by 812 percent from 1978 to 2013. The textbook industry has been valued at $7 to $10 billion, with five textbook publishers controlling 80 percent of the market. While there is a growing revolt over the access to college course material, we should be wary about where this revolution takes us. One alternative put forward is inclusive-access programs between textbook publishing companies and educational institutions. Pearson has accumulated inclusive-access agreements with approximately 400 colleges and universities, as 270 institutions have also signed to work with McGraw-Hill Education. But this model does not shift the power structure in the market, which has allowed for the exploitation of students. In critique of this model, Nicole Allen, director of open education at the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPRAC), said: “It’s exactly the same model where publishers are in control and students are a captive market, but the difference now is publishers have direct access to students’ wallets. What could go wrong with that?” Shifts made under the guise of inclusive access divert down a path of costly access codes. Approximately “60 percent of students at community colleges and four-year institutions used an access code
during the 2016-2017 academic year,” according to the National Association of College Stores. “Traditional publishers are taking advantage of students because they must buy what materials are assigned, so the rules of supply and demand really don’t apply here,” said Kaitlyn Vitez, a higher-education advocate at the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, according to The Washington Post. Information exploitation does not start or end at the textbook industry. Access to information and knowledge is also the victim of an oligopolistic academic publishing market whose unbridled and relentless pursuit of profits has been at the expense of academic libraries, students, faculty, researchers and the general public. Controlling more than 50 percent of all papers published, the powerful stakeholders in the market include Reed-Elsevier, Wiley-Blackwell, Springer, Taylor & Francis and Sage Publications. Just as the textbook industry experienced, these top publishers have witnessed profit margins stretching above 30 percent. Years of price increases, coercive “big deal bundling” and restrictive author agreements have served to galvanize scholars and academics who began to see open access as a means of progress and a response to technological advancements with the potential to liberate knowledge from the shackles of predatory capitalism. Democratic values are threatened when control of access to information is held by a few corporate entities solely motivated by maximization of profits. A two-pronged effort must be made to confront the problems of marketized information. There must be an intervention that deconstructs the concentration of market power and instills democratic access in the academic publishing industry through which new information is meant to be divulged to the benefit of populace and to further academic progress. The liberation of new information must also be coupled with the opening of access to textbooks. We must not continue our engagement in the bolstering of unsustainable, predatory business models that subdue academic freedom and exploit the students and future of this nation. We are held hostage by uncompetitive markets and the privatization of information. We must reclaim our values of intellectual freedom in a market place of ideas.
The Daily Targum’s editorials represent the views of the majority of the 151st editorial board. Columns, cartoons and letters do not necessarily reflect the views of the Targum Publishing Company or its staff.
February 22, 2019
Opinions Page 7
Flawed media coverage delegitimizes, undervalues Sanders THE PROGRESSIVE’S HOT TAKE ANJALI SHAH
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he most overwhelming sentiment regarding the 2020 Democratic primary is simple: Anyone who can beat President Donald J. Trump. Electability has largely been the metric with which we have been judging the growing number of presidential candidates. In the past two days since Bernie Sanders announced his 2020 presidential bid, people have been quick to delegitimize him. Almost every news outlet, even those who lean Left, has released some sort of article or editorial in which the progressive candidate that gave an established Democratic National Committee (DNC) favorite a run for her money in 2016 is written off as a “one-hit wonder.” Oftentimes seen as the perfect foil for Trump in the 2016 presidential election, why is Sanders’s new bid dismissed as quickly as it was the first time around? Sanders raised $6 million with an average contribution of $27 from all 50 states, leveraging his strong base and reminding us that there are still people out there who deeply suppor t and stand behind his platform. And yet, Sanders remains the perpetual underdog while simultaneously becoming the arguable
Democratic frontrunner in less than a week. It is a strange dichotomy, but one that speaks volumes to how quickly we underestimate radical ideas and how popular such ideas are in the face of a growingly desolate and hopeless political world. Discounting Sanders is simply a mistake we cannot afford or make again. The Democratic Party has never had a president who has taken office like Trump, and it has only hurt Democrats as a whole. Generally speaking, the Democratic Party tends to show support for political elites who work slowly and moderately within the establishment despite touting a party message of moral clarity, justice for all and progressivism. In a society where populism elected Trump, our political landscape is ripe for a liberal populist who has been consistent in his policy and agenda ever since getting elected more than 30 years ago for the first time. In fact, Sanders’s platform has largely shaped the platforms of his competitors and has set the norm within the party, even while being seen as the outsider in the last primary election. Ideas such as Medicare for All, a $15 minimum wage and free college tuition have become commonplace in this election due to Sanders’s revolutionary approach to radicalism in the last one.
It has gotten to the point where candidates who divert from these progressive ideals can be ostracized for doing so as the Democratic Party has been pulled further and further to the Left with a rise of young voters who are not waiting for gradual change anymore. His greatest strength is simple. As a candidate, Sanders is perceived as authentic in a way his colleagues have never been able to emulate. Because of his consistently held beliefs and identification as an Independent, Sanders has never shied away from a fight, even as he is written off as unrealistic for many of his boldly idealistic policies. If anything is clear from the 2016 presidential election, passionate rhetoric, even if impractical, is what wins an election, not a weakly moderate, noncontroversial platform that changes with the tide. And of course, there are issues. The Democratic field has widened exponentially since last year whereas much of Sanders’s support in 2016 was derived from those who would vote for any Democrat except Hillary Clinton. His agenda is considered radically Left by most, and while his rhetoric is compelling, his ability to govern such an agenda through a polarized political sphere is doubtful. He has historically struggled to capture the Black vote. Still, what people saw in Sanders in 2016 is not going away anytime soon. Progressivism mixed with populism is the newfound norm.
Personally, I am not sure if I support Sanders or his policies yet. Technically speaking, it is far too early to start thinking about the election at all, especially as the candidate list just continues to grow. But I am sure that the definitions of “radical” and “revolution” are constantly changing and that people want change, and they want it drastically and now. Writing off Sanders once again feels like a repetition of histor y — the same histor y that got Trump elected in the first place. While $6 million in 24 hours is not all it takes to win an election, this monumental show of support demonstrates momentum that is bound to lead somewhere, even if it is not the presidency. Nobody, especially not other presidential contenders, can afford to cast Sanders aside as nothing more than a has-been. People believe in him in a way they have not any other Democratic primary candidate yet. They trust him. The 2016 presidential election proved to us that anything can happen. Of all the candidates in the race right now, Sanders is no exception that rule. Anjali Shah is a Rutgers Business School sophomore, contemplating her primary major but minoring in political science and philosophy. Her column, “The Progressive’s Hot Take,” runs on alternate Fridays.
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Page 8
February 22, 2019
iPhone film cottage industry expands with 'High Flying Bird' HAOLUN XU CONTRIBUTING WRITER
There are plenty of variables to consider when trying to craft a compelling cinematic experience. There are multiple different film camera types as well as editing processes, not to mention the difference between digital and film, Technicolor or Super 8 format. “High Flying Bird” is a sports drama flick that was released in the United States two weeks ago on Feb. 8 on Netflix. The story renders the upward climb toward better aspirations and higher glory for Ray Burke, a more socialized rendition of Tom Cruise's Jerry Maguire, from the movie of the same name. Ray is played by Andre Holland, who is known for acting as the long-lost love interest in the critically lauded “Moonlight,” which took home many top accolades in 2017. Excellent actors aside, the way the film itself was shot may be more impressive. The film was shot using the new iPhone 8, which can be detected in distinct color tones and angles throughout the film. The director, Steven Soderbergh, is known for directing movies such as the “Magic Mike” series and the 2000 biopic “Erin Brockovich.” This is not Soderbergh's first film shot using the iPhone, as
“Unsane” came out last year Soderbergh's usage of a smartin February 2018. It was first phone comes with particular screened as part of the 2018 Ber- equipment to help structure the lin International Film Festival, shots. Devices such as the DJI stawhere he was bilizer allowed enthusiastical“The film is shot using the camera to ly received for stay completely the new iPhone 8, combining the stable, but the iPhone's distincwhich can be detected trick to consider tive optics with Soderberin distinct color tones isghthat the psychologimade these cally tense story and angles throughout i P h o n e - b a s e d at hand. films using three the film.” In “High Flying rotating cameras Bird,” the visual to capture differtonality of the smartphone camera ent angles. Soderbergh's reputakeeps the characters close at hand. tion as a forward-thinking filmOftentimes it feels like they're in on maker can be considered optically a secret that the audience is peering innovative, and his interview with into as well. Not unlike a sports-es- “The Hollywood Reporter” noted que huddle, the effect creates an that his goal was to find "the best intimate atmosphere, as two men way to maximize eyeballs." consider their options and current “High Flying Bird” is one out of trajectories in the world of profes- a multitude of new films using insional basketball. novative new styles that utilize soThe angles are often shot from cial media and smartphone techthe range of the actor's naval, niques. The laptop camera angle, which force the audience to view Skype-structured film “Searchthem from below, creating a more ing,” directed by John Cho, used domineering or overeager energy. different vantage points in the The dialogue fits refreshingly well form of video chat-inspired storyhere, as the conversations often telling. This brings hope to many revolve around the high stakes rising filmmakers, especially involved. The angle and spacing those with student budgets. Many making it very different than “Un- films require huge payrolls to supsane,” where the camera often ply an army of cinematographic creates a dizzying, claustrophobic equipment, manpower and spefish-eye lens perspective. cialized skills.
New formats are telling signs of a growing, daring community of ar tists, with the relationship between technology and creativity providing endless new streams of productivity. They promise more variety and strength in stor ytelling due to ending conventional limitations. Soderbergh's film is
not without a strong narrative. Its plot and substance are engaging and filled with high pressure situations. “High Flying Bird” provides a framework for how future ar tists can deploy their craft with the freedom of a budget that can fit in the size of what's already in their pockets.
Steven Soderbergh, pictured above, using an iPhone 8 to film a scene from "High Flying Bird." Apple's trademark product is increasingly being used for feature-length films. TWITTER
Memes continue to push mental illness into full focus BREANA OMANA CORRESPONDENT
If you’re scrolling through Instagram or Twitter it’s almost impossible to not stumble upon a meme or two. But the memes found on Instagram today are nowhere near the wholesome, or at least less serious, memes that dominated our feeds back in 2012. Memes seem to only get darker and more sardonic as time goes on,
with the abundance of Instagram pages devoted strictly to dark humor acting as proof that their millions of followers find something relatable and intriguing about that dark humor. It seems that although cute cartoons with captions embedded in them were once just entertainment, today they have taken on a whole new repertoire. Today, memes, alongside entertainment, are used almost as a coping mechanism for our generation.
Memes have gone from being lighthearted and playful to commenting on more taboo topics. The days of "Bad Luck Brian" and "Overly Attached Girlfriend" are long gone. TWITTER
It’s not just memes — humor in general has always given people a space and a place to talk about serious issues in a way that isn’t as stigmatized and heavy as the issue at hand. From poverty to death to mental health, humor is the common denominator that has helped many people cope with these subjects. Every generation has had its fair share of laughs and its preferred mediums to laugh at. In the 90s it was Saturday Night Live (SNL), sketch comedy and standup. But this generation laughs and copes with concerning dark memes that aren’t really jokes, but truthful. When they’re analyzed, memes reveal that they aren’t really jokes at all. They’re entirely truthful, dark honesty, where the joke lies in the transparency of anguish. Furthermore, writer Konrad Krawczyk believes that memes are just as therapeutic as they are dark. “Internet meme culture has contributed to opening up an honest conversation around mental health. This can potentially lead to a better awareness and network of support — one that the preceding generations could not afford to create,” he said. Krawczyk said that memes are dark because “in order to be funny, your content needs to be surprising.” He said that the need for a shock factor leads to
content “bordering on risky and others behind the safety of a inappropriate.” Comedy is not a screen. Knowing someone else positive, happy-go-lucky place — has the same experience as us it’s dark and “thrives on negativi- helps us cope.” ty, pain and self-deprecation.” He’s right. Our generation has Memes that revolve around self turned to the internet to cope, it’s deprecation and what we have mental illness “From poverty to death been doing our are not only rewhole lives. to mental health – latable, but also Younger generalooked upon fahumor is the common tions were raised vorably by a genon technology denominator that has and the intereration of people that is facing a net, so there’s helped many “mental health no surprise that people cope ...” epidemic.” Menit’s where we go tal health has for all of our life always been stigquestions and ismatized, and still is, regardless of sues. It’s second nature. how many shows and documentaIt’s no secret that humor is ries that are made about it. a way for one to smile and get Talking about mental health, through tough times. It’s cliché, or the struggles one faces, is but true: Laughter is the best hard and uncomfortable. On medicine. It seems that no matter top of this, going to therapy is how far from a joke a cynical, dark almost an impossibility for many meme may seem, the sheer fact people due to its high prices. that it’s true and relatable is funny. For many people, memes are the The millions of likes these memes perfect alternative. They’re sim- get make people feel like they ple, available and give people a aren’t alone in struggling with a sense of solidarity. mental illness in life in general. Manny Ramirez, a School of In addition, it allows people to Arts and Sciences senior, said tackle issues prevalent in their lives that dark memes fit his humor to in a safe and comfortable place. a tee. “I would say some memes Memes have started a conversation are therapeutic for some people” about — and ripped the Band-Aid off he said. “Sad boy memes and of — a topic that is still very much sad girl memes are relatable to stigmatized today. While memes a lot of guys and girls. I think it can’t replace therapy, it’s a comfort helps us share our feelings with and starting point for a lot of people.
DIVERSIONS
February 22, 2019
Mark Tatulli Horoscopes
Lio
Page 9 Eugenia Last
Happy Birthday: Search for opportunities. Put energy and enthusiasm into whatever you do. Turn this into an eventful year because of the actions you take. If something is worth going after, do so wholeheartedly. Don’t end up having regrets because you didn’t follow through. Life is for living, not sitting back and letting it pass you by. Look, see and do. Your numbers are 9, 15, 22, 27, 30, 34, 42. ARIES (March 21-April 19): A change may be your desire, but don’t leap before you look. Get the lowdown, find out the facts and ward off making a mistake that will take a long time to reverse. Trust in yourself and what you know, not hearsay. 3 stars
Over The Hedge
T. Lewis and M. Fry
Non Sequitur
Wiley
Pearls Before Swine
Stephan Pastis
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Take on a challenge. Your energy and capacity to finish what you start will be hard to beat. Change can be achieved that will make a difference to you and those you help. Romance will improve your personal life. 3 stars GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Keep moving forward, and concentrate on what you can achieve. Refuse to let someone distract you or lead you astray. An emotional situation handled with care will help you avoid a costly mistake. Act with love and compassion, regardless of what others do. 5 stars
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): An emotional change will surface. Don’t let anyone interfere with what you feel is the best move you can make. Protect what’s yours, and take care of personal documents before it’s too late. Focus on health, happiness and peace of mind. 3 stars SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Go places that will inspire you. Collaborate with people you find creative and forward-thinking. Expand your mind, take care of your body and follow your intuition when dealing with money matters. Romance will improve your personal life. 3 stars SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Listen carefully, then make up your own mind. A problem with someone close should not be left up to you to straighten out. Offer suggestions, but don’t offer to pay for someone else’s mistake. Evaluate some of your connections. 4 stars
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Visit someone you don’t get to see very often, or reconnect with someone you miss. Share your thoughts and plans to see who is up for an adventure. It’s time to try something new and to revive your dreams. 2 stars
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Think about what you do. Refuse to let emotions override what you know in your heart is the right thing to do. Focus on making positive lifestyle changes that will ease stress and put an end to unfavorable situations. 2 stars
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): You may feel you need a change, but before you begin, set a budget. Now is not the time to be excessive or to let others take advantage of your generosity. Don’t buy into someone’s fast-cash scheme. 4 stars
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Someone you least expect will make an innocent comment that will spark your interest and prompt you to make a personal change. An opportunity is good only if you take advantage of it. Step up and do your own thing. 5 stars
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Don’t let a partner cost you. Surround yourself with people who can pay their own way and contribute to what you are trying to make happen. Put more energy into accomplishing your goals and bringing about positive change. 3 stars
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Keep the personal changes you want to make a secret. If you are too open regarding your plans, you will face interference. Emotional matters will surface if you don’t stick to the truth or you share personal information. 2 stars
©2018 By Eugenia Last distributed by Universal Uclick
Universal Crossword ACROSS
71 Provides aid
1 Source of the “package” that
72 Unadorned
traverses the grid via the starred answers
73 Destination of the package from 1-Across
5 Quite often 9 Board, in “room and board”
DOWN
14 Soon, poetically
1 Break into a system
15 Interstate rig
2 Studio warning sign
16 Give permission
3 Carnivorous eel
17 *Touching tenderly
4 Kansas City-to-Chicago dir.
19 Nick in “Cape Fear”
5 NBA division?: Abbr.
20 Hyundai alternative
6 Luau garlands
21 Deep perception
7 Westin alternative
23 Consumed
8 Striped Pooh friend
24 Baseball great Nolan
9 Meditative chants
26 Hearing range
10 “Strange Magic” grp.
28 *Work event?
11 Mullah’s deity
32 Most expensive
12 State fundraiser
35 Sense scents
13 ___ potato fries
39 Crazy, in Veracruz
18 Mideast peninsula
40 Lacking color
22 Consumed
43 Spoken
25 Peace treaties
44 “Tag, ___ it!”
27 Thesaurus word
46 Former tiny music player
29 Stephen of “V for Vendetta”
48 *”The Price Is Right” host
30 Soviet capital?
51 Sicilian wine
31 Moral standard
54 “Famous” cookie guy
32 Layer
57 Lemon suffix
33 Hopping Pooh friend
58 Four squared
34 “Grey’s Anatomy”
62 Crafty laugh syllable
setting, briefly
64 “If I Were a Rich Man” singer
36 A Gershwin
66 *Horror film shocker
37 Portable cooler
68 Cloudless
38 Progressive pitcher
69 NYC theater award
41 Gov. pollution watchdog
70 Fife’s partner
42 Neither partner
45 Whiteboard cleaners 47 College VIPs 49 Giant Manning
Yesterday’s Solution
50 Day spa service 51 Go together 52 “25” vocalist 53 Take pleasure (in) 55 Fictional Scarlett 56 Syringe contents 59 Trombone’s neighbor 60 Mideast bigwig 61 Olympics blade 63 Rope fiber 65 Go on and on 67 Gov. health agency
Yesterday’s Solution
Page 10
February 22, 2019 WRESLTING LIPARI HOPES TO MAKE POSTSEASON CASE IN BIG TENS
Lipari to represent Rutgers in postseason MATTHEW HOWE CORRESPONDENT
Junior 141-pounder Peter Lipari has a 9-10 record this season. VIVEK VIDYARTHI / FEBRUARY 2019
For any Rutgers wrestling team fan, Super Bowl Sunday this year was a memorable day. Instate rival No. 20 Princeton was at the Rutgers Athletic Center (RAC) to take on the No. 18 Scarlet Knights (11-6, 4-4) The match came down to the last bout of the night at heavyweight, with Rutgers trailing by 3 points. Junior heavyweight Christian Colucci came up big for the Knights, earning a 12-2 major decision over the Tigers’ Kendall Elfstrum to secure 4 team points for a 19-18 win. Fans were whipped into a frenzy when then-No. 2 graduate student 149-pounder Anthony Ashnault won a major decision against Princeton’s then-No. 1 Matthew Kolodzik. But one wrestler watched from the bench. Junior 141-pounder Peter Lipari did not wrestle against the Tigers. Instead, sophomore 141-pounder Michael Van Brill wrestled and
OPPONENT Knights have only won 1 game against Greyhounds in all-time series CONTINUED FROM BACK “(Loyola’s) Pat Spencer is a great lacrosse player, but it’s not necessarily worrying about matchups — it’s about playing our game,” Edelmann said. “We need to focus on the little things. Clearing the ball, making our stops as well as pushing transition.” The Achilles heel for Rutgers against the Black Knights, defensively, was maintaining possession. The Knights had 20 turnovers and a minus-9 turnover differential last week. This interfered with their ability to get quality scoring opportunities. Head coach Brian Brecht emphasized that a lack of ball security will make it tough for Rutgers to get into a rhythm. “We can’t be turning the ball over twice as much as our opponent against any team,” Brecht said.
Another area in which the Knights struggled was in the clearing game, with four failed clears against the Army. The Greyhounds pounced on failed clears against the Blue Jays, who only went 8 for 15 on clears. As a result, Loyola was able to generate extra opportunities and dominate the flow of the game. Offensively, Rutgers will look to get its main weapons on the board early and often to keep pace with the Greyhounds. The attack has been bolstered by attackmen junior Kieran Mullins and sophomore Adam Charalambides, who has returned to the lineup for the first time in two seasons. The two have formed a dynamic duo, combining to score 23 goals in three games. Due to turnovers and a stringent Black Knight defense, the duo couldn’t really get into a rhythm, at one point going 10 minutes without scoring a goal.
HOME In last game, Rutgers led by 7 points in 1st half vs. Michigan State, lost by 11 CONTINUED FROM BACK their defensive assignments of Rutgers’ two best players in Baker (only 4 points in the second half) and junior forward Eugene Omoruyi (finished with 9 points and eight rebounds — which is somewhat of a low for him). Overall, Michigan State crushed the Knights on the boards, outrebounding them 45-31 for the game. In just one sequence alone, the Spartans got four straight offensive rebounds after missed shots, and the final one turned into a 3-pointer to tie the game.
True freshman forward Ron Harper Jr. joined Baker as the only other player in double figures with 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting, but that wasn’t enough, as Rutgers fell for the fifth time in February. Omoruyi (13.6 points) has taken over Baker (13.2 points) as the team’s leading scorer per game — though he has played in three fewer games — while also leading the team in rebounds per game with 7.6. True freshman guard Montez Mathis and Harper Jr. follow suit, averaging 8.6 points and 7 points per game respectively.
dropped an 8-5 decision to Prince- weight class, including a respectton’s Marshall Keller in a critical able 7-8 Big Ten record. But this season he is just 4-5 on the year, toss-up match. Lipari had wrestled the pre- and has not wrestled in a Big Ten vious six Big Ten matches, go- dual meet. Goodale said he understands ing 1-5 in the stretch. Of the five losses, four came against ranked that Lipari wrestled some tough opponents opponents, and and pushed two were by through them. major decision. “He’s done more He startVan Brill was getting his first wrestling this year than ed Van Brill he start in a dual in the three years past so because believed he meet since Rutwas ready to gers defeated he’s in a good spot.” go, but the Rider on Dec. 16 141-pound “For me, it SCOTT GOODALE weight class was a gut feelWrestling Head Coach might not be ing for Princefor him. ton,” said head This season, coach Scott Goodale. “(Van Brill) has won a Lipari is 9-10 with a 4-6 Big Ten lot of big matches for us in years record. He has wrestled ranked past. We were hoping that we opponents, but hasn’t been able to would find a little bit of that magic break through with a ranked win and that it would be a really good just yet. Over the weekend, Lipari lost outing for him. It didn’t work out in tie-breaker overtime fashion that way.” Last season, Van Brill was 15- against Michigan’s No. 6 Kanen 14 as a starter in the 141-pound Storr. Lipari was on the verge of
upset, but couldn’t quite finish the job. “(Lipari) will represent Rutgers at the Big Ten Tournament. He deserves that, he has wrestled himself into that role,” Goodale said. “(Lipari) is excited right now, he has done more wrestling this year than in the three years past, so he’s in a good spot.” Lipari will need a strong showing in the Big Ten Tournament to earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament, which is just two weeks after the conference championships. He has put ranked wrestlers on “upset alert” before, but has never won yet. Look for Lipari to challenge the 141-pound class in the Big Ten Tournament and push for that ticket to Cleveland. “He’s starting to come on now, he’s starting to get a couple wins,” Goodale said. “He’s starting to be dangerous.”
There is still no word on a timetable for return from the team at press time, and it remains unknown if he will play on Saturday. Last week’s game was the first bump in the road after a very promising start to the season. But Rutgers seems confident that it can put the loss to Army behind and take control at home against
the consensus No. 1 lacrosse team in the country. “We need to take care of ourselves,” Brecht said. “We are in control when we have the ball. We are in control when we are at home.”
For updates on the Rutgers wrestling team, follow @TargumSports on Twitter.
One area where the Knights will look to have an advantage is in the ground ball matchup. Rutgers currently leads the Big Ten with 38.7 ground balls per game, and senior defenseman Garrett Michaeli has been a critical contributor in that regard. Michaeli currently leads the team with 13 ground balls on the year, which is the most per game in the Big Ten for a non-face-off specialist. As for the face-off matchup, the Knights may have to rely on freshman face-off specialist Michael Ott and fifth-year senior Alex Schoen to win the ball at the HighPoint. com Stadium against Loyola, depending on the status of fifth-year senior face-off specialist Connor Harryman. Schoen was 11 of 14 and Ott was 1 of 6 against Army last week. Harr yman was out for the game against the Black Knights after suffering an injur y early against St. John’s two weeks ago. Harr yman was named Big Ten Specialist of the Week for his performance in the home opener against Lafayette, in which he won 88 percent of his face-offs.
Senior defenseman Garrett Michaeli totaled five ground balls in Rutgers’ 1-point loss to Army last weekend. Michaeli has 5 points on the seaosn. THE DAILY TARGUM / MARCH 2018
Michigan State is enjoying its seat at the top of the Big Ten standings at the moment and hope to keep it, whereas the Knights are still in a dogfight for the chance to receive a first-round bye in the conference tournament that begins next month. Rutgers has played some good basketball this month at points, but still finds itself 1-5 over the last six games, due to both strength of schedule and an inability to have complete games from start to finish. Head coach Steve Pikiell continues to implement the “1-0” mantra to the team, as most coaches would, but the team’s record still stands where it is. The Knights still have a hold on the No. 10 seed in the Big Ten, good enough for a first round bye if the season was over today, but
instead the team still has four games left on its schedule. The first of those four games will be this Sunday against Minnesota in the second-to-last game at the Rutgers Athletic Center (RAC) this season. The Golden Gophers (17-10, 7-9) enter that game after a 69-60 loss over No. 7 Michigan last night at the Williams Arena in Minneapolis. The month of February hasn’t been kind to Minnesota either, as it lost four straight games — all in conference — before ending its skid last weekend with a win over Indiana. The Gophers are currently the No. 8 seed in the conference, but have an identical overall record as Ohio State, which sits right above it at No. 7. Though they are both 7-8 right now, those records will fluctuate one way or another, so Rutgers
For updates on the Rutgers men’s lacrosse team, follow @TargumSports on Twitter.
will likely need to grab at least two of the final four games this season if it hopes to get that highly coveted first round. All four games seem winnable, with the Knights getting to host Minnesota and Penn State — they can be scary at the RAC — and facing the Hawkeyes (who they most recently almost defeated) and the Hoosiers (who they did defeat earlier this year). Crunch time has officially arrived for Rutgers in one of its most competitive seasons in recent years. After seeing the Knights make it all the way to the third round as a No. 14 seed — and nearly win again — last season, this year’s tournament is set to be another wild ride. For updates on the Rutgers men’s basketball team, follow @TargumSports on Twitter.
Page 11
February 22, 2019 GYMNASTICS BIG FIVE MEET
Knights to compete against 4 Big Ten teams ALEX FABUGAIS-INABA CORRESPONDENT
The Rutgers gymnastics team will travel to Toledo, Ohio for the Big Five Meet against No. 8 Michigan, No. 14 Minnesota, No. 22 host Ohio State and Illinois. The competition, also known as the Elevate the Stage meet, will begin at 7 p.m. on Saturday. The Scarlet Knights will compete in a condensed preview of what’s to come at their Big Ten Championships toward the end of the season. Instead of a dual meet in which Rutgers will alternate one-by-one alongside its opponents, all five teams will rotate between events at the same time. Additionally, the Knights will have to compete well during Saturday’s session in the hopes of qualifying for the night session at the Big Ten Championships on March 23. The top six Big Ten teams compete in the night session for podium spots, while the other four teams compete in an earlier session. “It’s a different format than what we are used to doing, but we actually prefer the quad meet trial because it’s constant action,” said head coach Umme Salim-Beasley. “You’re not really having to stand around and wait for another routine to be done for another team. When the judges are ready, you go. It’s a much quicker pace meet and the excitement level tends to be a little bit higher.” In its last recent dual meet, Rutgers posted a 194.100 against
Michigan State, but was unable to defeat the Spartans’ 195.425. The Wolverines, the Golden Gophers and the Buckeyes have all averaged above the 195 mark, but the Fighting Illini haven’t been as consistent. Competing against the Big Ten, they have scored as low as a 193.500 to a season high of 195.650, which was claimed last weekend with a win against Iowa. Illinois has yet to hit the 196 mark. “One thing that we’re really looking to improve on heading into Big Five this weekend is just hitting all our routines, each girl in the lineup and hopefully just making the night session for Big Ten Championships,” said senior Michelle Amoresano. “We’re improving each week and I think we’re still trying to find our set lineup, but we’ll get there pretty soon.” The Knights’ lineup was shaken up after freshman Mia Betancourt sustained a concussion last week in practice and was unable to compete at Michigan State. She won’t be competing this weekend either, so it’s still up for question when she can return to competition. Since joining Rutgers, Betancourt has been a key runner in vault, beam and floor lineups. The Knights took a huge hit when they had to switch up the lineups at their last competition against the Spartans, but still managed to put together a solid performance despite Betancourt’s absence.
Freshman Mia Betancourt suffered a concussion in practice last week and did not compete against Michigan State. MICA FINEHART / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER / FEBRUARY 2019 Rutgers is going to have to nail all of its routines against three nationally-ranked teams. This season, Michigan and Minnesota sit atop the conference neck-andneck, without a loss to a Big Ten opponent. Ohio State is tied for third in the conference with Nebraska, and the Illini are not far behind at No. 5. “Competing on podium is so much fun,” said senior Jenna Rizkalla. “We all love it. We competed on podium here two years ago
for Big Tens and last year for Big Tens. It’s a lot more competitive between the teams, so we’re really looking forward to it.” Although the Knights face tough competition, they aren’t worried about the rankings at all, and it hasn’t let them perform any less. Last time Rutgers faced a nationally-ranked team, it captured its first Big Ten win and second-highest team score in program history against then-No. 22 Penn State.
“Staying in our bubble just means focusing on ourselves and not getting distracted to what the other teams do. It’s us that matters,” Amoresano said. “(Salim-Beasley) says we are capable of competing against any team in the nation, which we’ve proved against Penn State. Knowing that we have that confidence will help us going into Big Five.” For updates on the Rutgers gymnastics team, follow @TargumSports on Twitter.
TENNIS RUTGERS-SETON HALL, SUNDAY, 7 P.M.
RU prepares to face 2nd straight in-state rival ALEX FABUGAIS-INABA CORRESPONDENT
After falling to its first midweek match against Princeton, the Rutgers tennis team is going at it again on Sunday against Seton Hall. The two losses for the Scarlet Knights (3-2) come only when they have competed in an away match, but they are looking to turn that around over the weekend.
“It’s a little bit of a weird week for us,” said junior Kat Muzik. “We’re super excited to start to play in more matches. We’re doing a lot of match play, but mentally, we’re all prepared to get out there and fight for the win.” On Wednesday, Muzik claimed her fourth consecutive singles victory and the only win for Rutgers against the Tigers’ (6-3) Clare McKee, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3. Muzik now stands at a perfect 4-0 singles record.
“When it comes to singles, I have the attitude of focusing on my cour t and suppor ting my teammates around me, but making sure that I’m locked in and focused during ever y point,” Muzik said. “Right before ever y point, I’ll zone back into my cour t.” Sophomore Maya Jacobs slipped from the No. 1 spot, as she lost to Princeton’s Stephanie Schrage in a defining 0-6,
Sophomore Maya Jacobs lost to the Tigers’ Stephanie Schrage in the singles draw. She now has a 4-1 record. MICA FINEHART / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER / JANUARY 2019
4-6 upset. Jacobs has four singles wins with a 4-1 record on the season. Junior Jaci Cochrane as well as freshmen Tess Fisher, Sydney Kaplan and Kristiana Zahare fought hard on the court, but ultimately fell in close sets. Fisher missed out on the No. 2 position to the Tigers’ Brianna Shvets 0-6, 6-7 (2-7), while Cochrane and Zahare both had similar sets of 2-6, 6-7. At the No. 4 spot, Kaplan’s match went to three sets against Princeton’s Grace Joyce, 4-6, 6-3, 2-6. In doubles, the duo of Fisher and Muzik secured a 6-2 win at the No. 1 spot, but the Tigers captured the No. 2 spot. Jacobs and Cochrane were edged out in the third doubles match, losing a close 7-6 (7-4) battle to just miss out on the doubles point. The Knights have definitely made improvements in doubles, but they still has a long way to go to be able to consistently capture the first point of any dual match. Fisher and Muzik have led the way in doubles play throughout the fall and spring season, while other pairs are still trying to establish their chemistry on the court. “We have a very important focus on doubles, getting that first doubles point and staying really aggressive,” Jacobs said. “It’s the first thing that we do when facing our opponent. If we can start off aggressive in doubles, it can definitely translate
to singles, taking the first strike and getting our opponents off guard.” Rutgers has the opportunity to eliminate its losses at away competitions. The team is keeping its attention on the court day-by-day, and isn’t looking ahead at future Big Ten dual matches. The Knights will have another shot at doubles play when it faces the Pirates (4-2) on Sunday. This season, Seton Hall has a patterned record of two wins and a loss. In the past three matches, the Pirates won against Drexel (52) and LIU Brooklyn (7-0) before losing to Fordham (2-5). Seton Hall was supposed to compete against UConn this past Sunday, but competition was postponed. The Pirates will have an away match against NJIT on Friday evening before returning home to host Rutgers. Last year, the Knights captured a 6-1 victory over Seton Hall in which Muzik, Cochrane, Jacobs and sophomore Isabelle Da Silva all contributed singles wins for Rutgers. “We’re really going to have to rely on each other because we’re all going to be there for every single match,” Jacobs said. “If we still rely on each other’s energy, cheering for the person next to you on either side and the home court being away shouldn’t be that big of a deal.” For updates on the Rutgers tennis team, follow @TargumSports on Twitter.
TWITTER: @TargumSports WEBSITE: DailyTargum.com/section/sports
RUTGERS UNIVERSITY—NEW BRUNSWICK
SPORTS
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“We are in control when we have the ball. We are in control when we are at home.” — Men’s lacrosse head coach Brian Brecht
ONLINE AT DAILYTARGUM.COM
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 22, 2019
MEN’S BASKETBALL RUTGERS-MINNESOTA, SUNDAY, 6:30 P.M.
Rutgers returns home against Minnesota COBY GREEN CORRESPONDENT
Despite being up by as many as 11 points in the second half, the Rutgers men’s basketball team was unable to keep the momentum on its side, as it eventually flailed out and let No. 10 Michigan State go on a 46-24 run all the way to the end of the game to come out victorious in East Lansing, Michigan. The Scarlet Knights (12-14, 5-11) looked hungr y and motivated in the first half after coming of f last weekend’s hear tbreaking loss to No. 21 Iowa that came down to the final possession. They ran out to a 7-point lead at the halftime break after the Spar tans (22-5, 13-3) turned the ball over eight times and sophomore guard Geo Baker led all scorers with 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting. Rutgers still held onto a lead of the same margin with 15 minutes remaining after junior forward Shaq Carter laid in 2 of his 4 points for the Knights. But, Michigan State responded in a big way. The Spartans’ Cassius Winston and Xavier Tillman combined for 34 points in the second half while holding down the fort on SEE HOME ON PAGE 10
Junior forward Shaq Carter is averaging more than four rebounds per game and has been a defensive presence in the paint. He has a 55.5 field goal percentage on the season. GARRETTT STEFFE / PHOTO EDITOR / JANUARY 2019
MEN’S LACROSSE NO. 19 RUTGERS-NO.1 LOYOLA, TOMORROW, 2 P.M.
Knights welcome top-ranked opponent CHRIS TSAKONAS STAFF WRITER
On Saturday, the Rutgers men’s lacrosse team will face its toughest test of the 2019 campaign as it gets set to host No. 1 Loyola. This marks the first top-10 opponent for the No. 19 Scarlet Knights (2-1) on the season. The Greyhounds (2-0) are coming off a decisive 18-12 victory against their in-state rival No. 15 Johns Hopkins last Saturday. Their offense was firing on all cylinders in that game, led by 4 goals apiece from Chase Scanlan and Kevin Lindley. Lindley was Loyola’s leading scorer in 2018, finishing the year with 37 goals. The team also got a hat trick from Pat Spencer, a three-time All-American who currently leads the Greyhounds with 8 goals and six assists on the season. Fortunately for Rutgers, it got its preseason All-Big Ten fifth-year senior goalie Max Edelmann back from injury last week, and he returned to the form that the Knights have come to expect from him. Edelmann posted 17 saves on 27 shots on goal against No. 13 Army. Maintaining a high level of play between the pipes would go a long way toward containing the Greyhounds’ attack. Ffith-year senior goalie Max Edelmann made his first start since last season in Rutgers’ loss to Army last Saturday. He picked up five ground balls and made 17 saves. THE DAILY TARGUM / APRIL 2018
KNIGHTS SCHEDULE
EXTRA POINT ONEISHA CLARKE, senior on the women’s track and field team, will compete in the Big Ten Indoor Championships for the Knights this weekend, hosted at Michigan. Last year, she placed fourth in the 60 meters with a 7.44 time.
SEE OPPONENT ON PAGE 10
NBA SCORES
SWIMMING AND DIVING
Big Ten Championships
Today, 11 a.m., East Lansing, Mich.
Boston Milwaukee
97 98
BASEBALL
vs. Butler
Today, 12 p.m., New Orleans, La.
Portland Brooklyn
113 99
SOFTBALL
vs. Monmouth
Today, 1:30 p.m, Miami, Fla.
Miami Philadelphia
102 106