November 6, 2018
NJ incumbents face midterm challengers Menendez, Hugin vie for Senate seat while Pallone faces Pezzullo in House CATHERINE NGUYEN STAFF WRITER
This year’s midterm elections for the New Jersey Senate and 6th congressional district of the House of Representatives are said to be one of the most heated yet. Running for the Senate is Democratic incumbent Bob Menendez. Challenging him is Republican Bob Hugin. In the House, current Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D.) and Republican perennial candidate Richard Pezzullo are set to face off in the ballot box. Here are their stances on some of the most contested issues this midterm:
GUN CONTROL: SENATE
Menendez supports pro-gun control legislation. In 1994, he voted for an assault weapons ban. In 2016, he participated in the Senate Democratic filibuster supporting a vote banning gun sales to people on the terrorist watch list, according to NJ Advance Media. Hugin believes in maintaining Second Amendment rights but opposes President Donald J. Trump’s proposal to arm teachers. He supports universal background checks, treatment of men-
tal health and increased funding for school safety, according to NJ Advance Media.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Pallone has co-sponsored measures to increase spending for a national criminal background system, establish a committee on gun violence protection and ban the sale of large capacity ammunition devices, according to his campaign website. Pezzullo supports the Second Amendment and is against new federal gun control laws, according to his campaign website. He has also earned the highest rating possible for a candidate not holding public office from the National Rifle Association (NRA).
HEALTH CARE: SENATE
Menendez helped draft the original Affordable Care Act, and fought against Republicans who attempted to repeal it, according to NJ Advance Media. He voted against the Republican tax overhaul bill ending the requirement that Americans have health insurance or pay a penalty. Hugin wants to keep what he considers the “good” things about the Affordable Care Act, such as
Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.) faces Republican candidate Richard Pezzullo at the polls today. Pallone supports universal health care while Pezzullo plans to fight against the Affordable Care Act. WIKIMEDIA COMMONS (LEFT) TWITTER (RIGHT)
guaranteeing affordable coverage for pre-existing conditions and allowing people to remain under their parents’ insurance until age 26, according to NJ Advance Media.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Pallone believes all Americans should have access to healthcare and that the Affordable Care Act makes significant investments in the nation’s health while controlling costs, according to his campaign website. Pezzullo vowed to fight against the Affordable Care Act, supporting its repeal. According to his campaign website, he plans to use his power to block the funding of the act.
IMMIGRATION: SENATE
Menendez was part of a bipartisan group of senators that created legislation to strengthen border security but also to offer a path to citizenship for unauthorized persons, according to NJ Advance Media. He said the country needs comprehensive immigration reform, and opposed Trump’s methods “to create fear in people.” Hugin opposed Trump’s call to end birthright citizenship, and also believes that comprehensive immigration reform is necessary, according to NJ Advance Media. He has supported a path to citizenship for immigrants who he believes are living “productive”
lives in the country.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Pallone also supports legislation that provides citizenship for those who pay their taxes and have not gotten in trouble with the law, according to his campaign website. He also supports the DREAM Act, and has spoken out against the harassment of immigrants in New Jersey. Pezzullo opposes any proposals to give citizenship and amnesty to illegal immigrants in the country, according to his campaign website. He believes that the border should be secured and wants a system where immigrants are sponsored.
Residents to vote on $500 M. in funding What this year’s public question means for NJ public school bonds, colleges BRENDAN BRIGHTMAN STAFF WRITER
This year’s midterm election ballot will feature a public question to be voted on, asking whether the state should buy an additional $500 million in bonds to provide funding to schools and colleges across the state.
PUBLIC QUESTION TO BE VOTED UPON
Do you approve the Securing Our Children’s Future Bond Act? This act authorizes the state to issue bonds in the aggregate principal amount of $500 million. The money from the sale of the bonds would be used to provide grants to schools, school districts, county vocational school districts and county colleges. The grants would be used to build, equip and expand facilities to increase career and technical education program capacity. Money would also be used for school security upgrades and school district water infrastructure improvement projects.
INTERPRETIVE STATEMENT ON THE BALLOT
The money would also be used to provide grants for school se-
curity projects at kindergarten through grade-12 schools. The money would also be used to provide grants for school district water infrastructure improvement projects. Three-hundred-fifty million dollars would support county vocational school district projects and school security projects. Fifty million dollars would support county college projects. One-hundred million dollars would support school district water infrastructure improvement projects.
EXPLAINER
In a statement released by the League of Women Voters for New Jersey, a non-profit in Trenton, the organization listed some reasons why people should vote “yes” or “no” on the question. Below are some of the reasons it said residents should consider.
“YES” REASONS:
It is intended to increase capacity of county vocational school districts and county colleges to serve more students, equipping them with the skills necessary to take advantage of high-demand, highgrowth career opportunities. The bill aims to foster an educational environment that combines core academics with real-world
This year, New Jersey residents have the option of voting “yes” or “no” on whether the state should buy an additional $500 million in bonds to provide funding to schools and colleges. WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
experiences, help retain high-demand industries and attract new ones and improve infrastructure. The bill may help the state retain high-demand industries and attract new ones by assuring the availability of qualified employees.
“NO” REASONS:
It may foster a competitive en-
vironment between the county vocational schools and the district high schools within each county with career and technical programs. This competition may cause students to transfer from district high schools to vocational schools, which is harmful to the district schools that rely on the size of their student population to qualify for state aid.
The bill may also make it more difficult for special needs and socially disadvantaged students to access vocational-technical school pathways as they have an admissions screening process. The additional spending will increase the state’s bond debt, which is currently $41.8 billion, according to the latest state debt report.
Dance Marathon 2
April 8, 2019
RUDM breaks record with $1.12 M.
BRENDAN BRIGHTMAN NEWS EDITOR
The Rutgers University Dance Marathon (RUDM) broke a new record this year, raising $1,120,205.48 for the organization Embrace Kids Foundation. The two-day event, which had 199 volunteers and 1,873 dancers, has come a long way from its beginning 21 years ago, raising $45,000 with 99 dancers in 1999. “Dancers are the heart and soul of DM, your experiences here, the hours you spend with the families and the dollars you raise for the Embrace Kids Foundation, exemplifies the values of Dance Marathon,” said Katherine Budinsky, a School of Arts and Sciences senior and one of the volunteers who spoke at the closing ceremonies. There were also 327 students and alumni who participated in this year’s Dance Marathon who have participated in at least three past Dance Marathons, she said. Twenty-four members of the central planning committee’s staff have been involved in all four years of their college experience as well. The planning for the event began last May, with 26 members of the central planning committee,
86 team captains, who have been helping to plan Dance Marathon since last fall by working basketball concession stands, canning and hundreds of other tasks assigned to their teams. “I was a former cancer researcher myself, and this is such an important thing to be doing, to help the families of kids,” said Chancellor Christopher J. Molloy at the closing ceremonies. “This is something that a state university like Rutgers should be doing, and oh my goodness, you guys are doing it.” The closing ceremonies also announced the winners for individual categories. The Most Spirited Volunteer was Hetal Kumar, a School of Arts and Sciences senior from Phi Delta Epsilon. The Most Spirited Dancer was Jillian Mulhern, a Mason Gross School of the Arts junior from the fraternity Alpha Phi Omega. The Most Spirited Captain was Christina Skurka, a School of Nursing sophomore from the fraternity Omega Phi Alpha. The greek multicultural chapter with the most money raised was the Delta Epsilon Psi Fraternity Incorporated with $8,258.41, the top residence hall was the Honors College with
$20,541.33 and the student organization with the most was Rutgers University Student Assembly with $11,097.43. Additionally, the professional fraternity with the most money raised was Alpha Phi Omega with $50,551.63, the inter-fraternity council chapter with the most was Chi Psi with $64,750.02 and Phi Sigma Sigma was the sorority with the most at $65,218.26. The student who was the top overall fundraiser, raising $1,075 was Max Latner, a Rutgers Business School junior from Chi Psi, the top volunteer was Nicole Woodstock, a School of Arts and Sciences junior from Gamma Phi Beta who raised $8,050 and the top dancer, Daniel De Almeida, a School of Arts and Sciences sophomore from Chi Psi, raised $16,731. The ceremonies also made sure to thank all the organizations that helped them along the way, including athletics who allows them to use the Rutgers Athletic Center and has supported them with concession and athlete involvement. Dance Marathon’s sponsors and Rutgers Dining Services provided all the meals for the event, 100 percent of all meals were donated this year. Rutgers Emergency Medical Services and Rutgers University
Planners share insight into yearlong process, how they fundraised money CATHERINE NGUYEN NEWS EDITOR
Though the actual dance marathon is one of the most notable parts of Rutgers University Dance Marathon (RUDM), months of planning and fundraising went into the event beforehand. Karishma Patel, a School of Arts and Sciences senior, said the fundraising process began early in the Fall 2018 semester, when students who signed up to be dancers would be required to
reach a minimum amount of $350. If they did not reach this minimum, they would not be eligible to be a dancer at the event, but could still be a volunteer or guest. In order to incentivize people to donate and give opportunities for students to raise money, Patel said that during the year there would be canning events and punch cards on social media, which was recently created as a fundraising initiative. These punch cards would typically be found on Instagram stories or Facebook.
“We found that a lot of other marathons were using different social media ways to get involved,” Patel said. As a result, the marketing team at RUDM helped to create these punch cards, which would include different dollar amounts that people could choose to donate so that their names would be put on the bingo board. Maxilia Desir, a School of Arts and Sciences junior, and Vivien Lin, a School of Arts and Sciences senior, are dancers that are part of
The greek multicultural club that raised the most money was Delta Epsilon Psi, and the student organization that raised the most was RUSA. GARRETT STEFFE / ASSOCIATE PHOTO EDITOR Police Department provided their services for the event as well. Dance Marathon’s Design Services produced all the designs and production for the event, along with Hurricane Productions, a group of alumni who worked on
the first Dance Marathon. “It is a huge job, and we appreciate all the work they do to make this event a success,” said Mason Plotts, a Mason Gross School of the Arts senior and one of the volunteer speakers.
the multicultural sorority Kappa Phi Lambda that used social media to help fundraise for the cause. “Facebook was really helpful,” Lin said. Desir also cited the importance of her sorority network, which included more than 3,000 members. “If you have a network, it’s not that hard to fundraise the money,” Desir said. “We tapped into the community and got a lot out of it.” As for canning, another fundraising initiative was asking dancers to go outside of storefronts such as the grocery stores Stop and Shop and QuickChek to ask for donations. Patel said that canning also raised a significant amount of money before the marathon, with the most recent one earning more than $18,000.
RUDM has also grown over the past few years. This year there were more than 1,800 dancers, which is 100 more than last year’s, Patel said. Danielle Raabe, a Rutgers alumna who has previously been director of dance relations for RUDM, said a major change that occurred was when the marathon moved from the College Avenue Gym to the Rutgers Athletic Center (RAC) in 2014. Two years later in 2016 was when the event shifted to two different sessions to accommodate for the increasing numbers of dancers. “This completely transformed our event by increasing student participation and motivation, and it really proved that it’s not how long you stand, it’s what you’re standing for,” Raabe said.
Rutgers University Dance Marathon has been growing steadily over the years. This year there were more than 1,800 dancers, the highest number in the history of the marathon. Each dancer was required to raise a minimum amount of $350. DUSTIN NILES / PHOTO EDITOR
April 8, 2019
Dance Marathonx 3
Students connect with Embrace Kids CATHERINE NGUYEN & JAIMIN GANDHI NEWS EDITOR & CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Every year, the Rutgers University Dance Marathon (RUDM) fundraises “for the kids” — specifically, for the Embrace Kids Foundation in New Brunswick. The foundation, which is located next to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, is a nonprofit organization that provides for the non-medical needs of kids with cancer, blood disorders or other serious diseases and long-term health conditions, said Becky Gilbert, a School of Arts and Sciences senior and director of Family Relations for RUDM. This means that the foundation provides services such as transportation to and from clinical appointments, tutoring for students and financial support such as mortgages and car payments. “You don’t automatically think of it when someone is diagnosed with a serious illness, but all these repercussions are so real and any way to lighten the burden for families (is helpful),” she said. Armaan Saxena, a Rutgers alumnus and manager of Programs and Family Relations at Embrace Kids, said he is committed to solving problems that families come into. The foundation was also very close to the medical team, donors and volunteers at RUDM. “The student leaders and participants make a big difference for families,” he said. Glenn Jenkins, the executive director of Embrace Kids, added that the foundation works with stu-
dent leaders from RUDM all year round. Other than the actual dance marathon, the foundation also hosts events such as walks, where participants raise money by walking a certain distance, and dinner events, where people register to get sponsorship opportunities. Jenkins said Embrace Kids also has corporate sponsors, from large businesses such as ShopRite to local businesses such as Hansel ‘n Griddle. The history of Embrace Kids dates back to 1991, when Robert Wood Johnson, along with a nurse, doctor, parent of a child being treated, local restaurant owner and local businessperson came together to start a bake sale in the hospital. Jenkins said that first fundraiser garnered a couple of hundred dollars, and started to grow over the years through word of mouth as people began inviting their friends and families. In his 15 years of experience as director, Jenkins said he has been able to see the organization grow, as well as RUDM, which has been a dynamic and life-changing experience for him. He has also seen infants who have received aid from the foundation grow and graduate high school. Gilbert said compared to other dance marathons across the country, RUDM was unique because the charity they were supporting was located right in New Brunswick, so volunteers could see firsthand the effects of their fundraising. As part of RUDM, Embrace Kids has an RU4Kids program that pairs up organizations such as clubs, fraternities and sorori-
Armaan Saxena (left), manager of Programs and Family Relations, and Glenn Jenkins (right), executive director of Embrace Kids Foundation, have both been committed to helping the families that require assistance, whether emotional or financial. JAIMIN GANDHI / CONTRIBUTING WRITER ties with a patient being assisted by the foundation. “It’s like a big brother-little brother, big sister-little sister program,” she said. For instance, according to a “stall story” located in the bath-
rooms of the Rutgers Athletic Center, one of the kids being sponsored is named Noely, who has been partnered with the sorority Phi Sigma Sigma. “Through her battle with sickle cell, the Phi Sig sisters have
consistently visited her during treatment, planned fun events for her and attended Embrace Kids parties with her to ensure that she feels the full love of the Embrace Kids and RUDM family,” the pamphlet said.
Dance Marathon has many notable events CATHERINE NGUYEN NEWS EDITOR
As part of Rutgers University Dance Marathon (RUDM), events are held approximately every hour for students to participate in. For the Friday session, one of the notable parts of the night was the athletic pep rally at 8 p.m., which was a dance-off between different sports teams. This year, the track and field team, women’s rowing, men’s basketball and football team danced in front of the stage to choreography that they created themselves in order to compete for the prize, as well as bragging rights. After all four teams danced, students in the audience were asked to vote via text for which team performance was their favorite. In fourth place and third place were men’s basketball and women’s rowing, respectively. To determine who won the overall rally, the track and field team and football team were required to compete in an additional minute-long dance-off in which they danced separately to the same song, as well as a 30-second “free-for-all” dance-off together. Though the football team had won the dance-off from
last year’s dance marathon, the track and field team, who were competing in the event for the first time, ended up winning the trophy this year. Several bands also performed at the Friday Saturday sessions, such as Nine Deeez Nite, which played throwback songs from the 1990’s, and Audio Riot, a local band that played covers of popular indie and pop songs. Captains at RUDM also taught the audience a line dance for 15 minutes every hour, which was a mashup of older classic songs, such as “Dancing Queen” by ABBA and modern hip-hop songs such as “SICKO MODE” by Travis Scott. Dylan Gonzalez, a School of Management and Labor Relations junior, and Charlotte Nordeen, a School of Arts and Sciences junior, were both involved in choreographing and teaching the dance at RUDM. “We’ve probably practiced about 40 hours worth in the past two or three days,” Gonzalez said. Nordeen added that planning the dance started several months before, during the Fall 2018 semester. The purpose of the dance was not only to get students to be active, but also encourage friendships to be made during the event.
At every hour, members from the Dance Marathon committee would get on stage to teach the audience the choreography to a line dance, which includes a variety of songs from different time periods and genres. GARRETT STEFFE / ASSOCIATE PHOTO EDITOR Another part of RUDM was the silent disco on Saturday morning, which allowed students to choose between differ-
ent channels to listen to on their headphones while dancing in the Rutgers Athletic Center (RAC). Both sessions of RUDM ended
with closing ceremonies, with the Saturday ceremony revealing the total amount fundraised throughout the entire year.