Declan Intindola & Thomas Boniello
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May 13, 2018
GRADUATION SCHEDULE 2018 UNIVERSITY COMMENCEMENT
RUTGERS SCHOOL OF DENTAL MEDICINE
Sunday: May 13, 2018 Time: 10-11:30 a.m. Location: High Point Solutions Stadium, Busch campus, Piscataway
Monday: May 14, 2018 Time: 4-6 p.m. Location: New Jersey Performing Arts Center, 1 Center Street, Newark
SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
Sunday: May 13, 2018 Time: 12:30-2:30 p.m. Location: High Point Solutions Stadium, Busch campus
Monday: May 14, 2018 Time: 4:30-5:30 p.m. Location College Avenue Gymnasium, College Avenue campus
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING
ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON MEDICAL SCHOOL
Sunday: May 13, 2018 Time: 1:30-3:30 p.m. Location: Louis Brown Athletic Center (RAC), Livingston campus
Monday: May 14, 2018 Time: 7-9 p.m. Location: State Theatre, 15 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick
SCHOOL OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
ERNEST MARIO SCHOOL OF PHARMACY
Monday: May 14, 2018 Time: 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Location: Passion Puddle, George H. Cook campus Rain Location: Louis Brown Athletic Center (RAC), Livingston campus
NEW JERSEY MEDICAL SCHOOL
Tuesday: May 15, 2018 Time: 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Location: College Avenue Gymnasium, College Avenue Campus
SCHOOL OF NURSING
Monday: May 14, 2018 Time: 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Location: New Jersey Performing Arts Center, 1 Center Street, Newark
Wednesday: May 16, 2018 Time: 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Location: New Jersey Performing Arts Center, 1 Center Street, Newark
SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK
SCHOOL OF HEALTH PROFESSIONS
Monday: May 14, 2018 Time: 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Location: Louis Brown Athletic Center (RAC), Livingston campus
Wednesday: May 16, 2018 Time: 4-6 p.m. Location: New Jersey Performing Arts Center, 1 Center Street, Newark
May 13, 2018
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Letter: Robert L. Barchi To the Rutgers University Class of 2018: Congratulations! Your hard work and determination have paid off — you are about to graduate from one of the nation’s finest public universities. Now it is time to celebrate along with your families and friends. A degree from Rutgers is the immediate reward for your diligent efforts to master your course of study, under the guidance of our outstanding faculty. More importantly, your work here has prepared you for successful careers and lives of meaning and purpose. It is my hope that you will develop a lifelong habit of learning and growing, and that you will always
remember your time on the Banks with fondness and a sense of accomplishment. We are glad that you chose Rutgers, we take pride in your achievements and we are grateful for your contributions to the University through your scholarship and service. As you join the ranks of our more than 500,000 alumni, I encourage you to stay connected with your alma mater in the years to come. Know that you are forever part of our community, and you have our warmest wishes for an exciting and rewarding future. Sincerely, Bob Barchi Robert L. Barchi is the Rutgers University president.
University President Robert L. Barchi congratulates the Class of 2018 on their achievements and encourages that students stay connected with their alma mater along with the network of more than 500,000 Rutgers alumni. DECLAN INTINDOLA / PHOTO EDITOR
Letter: Jacquelyn Litt Dear Class of 2018:
Former Rutgers University Student Assembly President Evan Covello wishes the Class of 2018 great success and reflects on the memories that made Rutgers an unforgettable experience for him and many other students. COURTESY OF EVAN COVELLO
Letter: Evan Covello My fellow graduates of the Class of 2018, It is with great energy and excitement that I say congratulations on graduating! Ever y single one of us paved a unique path to Rutgers, and we will all continue to pave that path for years to come. But on the path that each one of us will take, with us we will carr y a degree from Rutgers University. Together, we graduate from one of the world’s greatest institutions of higher education. This is a tremendous occasion, and we should all be ver y proud of what we have achieved. This past semester, I visited the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, D.C., created in memory of the 32nd president of the United States. Throughout the memorial on many of the walls were quotes, and one of which was, “No coun-
try, however rich, can afford the waste of its human resources.” Initially, being that one of my majors is human resource management, I was drawn to this quote. Yet, I now see it as a call to action to our phenomenal class. Graduation is only the beginning of what we will achieve. The Class of 2018 will provide our global community with world class performers and entertainers, engineers and teachers, business people, scientists and policy-makers. We cannot afford to waste our talent after we graduate. We should share our skills and abilities with the world. Rutgers has given us some of the greatest friends and memories that we will ever have. We will always remember the clubs we were a par t of, the dinners we had in the dining halls or getting takeout, riding on the dreaded buses and the spor ting events we attended. I
Congratulations! You have achieved an incredible distinction — earning a degree from Rutgers University. Through your talent, hard work and determination, you are joining a long and proud legacy. Take a moment in the midst of all the excitement and reflect on your achievement. You have reached a major life milestone and are now poised to have unprecedented influence on the course of world affairs. The world will need your leadership and ingenuity to provide innovative solutions to the complex economic, technological, environmental and social justice challenges. Applying your education to these critical issues is essential to securing a future of peace, prosperity and well-being for all. I am confident you will succeed. This year’s graduation has the added resonance of taking place during the 100th anniversar y year of Douglass. On Sept. 18, 1918, the doors of College Hall opened and 54 brave young
women entered, ready to chart the course of histor y. In the ensuing years, students, alumnae, faculty and staff have expanded what it means to be a part of Douglass, shaping and creating the vibrant community we share today. I look forward to seeing what you accomplish as you launch into the next step of your life’s journey. I wish you success and happiness with your future endeavors, and I hope you come back to Douglass and Rutgers often. Remember, you will always have a home here, no matter where your path leads you. On behalf of Douglass Residential College, our staff and fellow students, it gives me great pleasure to congratulate you on this incredible achievement. Warmly, Jacquelyn Litt, Ph.D. Jacquelyn Litt is the dean of Douglass Residential College and a professor in the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies.
will always remember what an honor it was to ser ve as your student body president. These are all memories that we have experienced together. Those are the meaningful moments we should always hold close to our hear ts. In our lifetime, we have seen barriers broken, we have seen and experienced many challenges the world faces. We have even learned about some of those challenges during our time at Rutgers. Now, facing those challenges is up to us. We can do it. In Scarlet Pride, Evan Covello Outgoing RUSA president Class of 2018 Evan Covello is an Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy senior, Class of 2018 graduate and outgoing RUSA president.
Douglass Residential College Dean Jacquelyn Litt emphasized the importance for graduating students to find solutions for challenges of the 21st century. YOUTUBE.COM
May 13, 2018
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Jorge Schement offers advice to Class of 2018 RYAN STIESI ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR
Jorge Schement has been the vice chancellor of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at Rutgers for the last five years, and announced this semester that he will be stepping down and returning to teaching in the School of Communication and Information next semester. He shared some words about the Class of 2018, a class he has worked alongside during his tenure as vice chancellor. “Rutgers students, it doesn’t matter what assignment you give them, they’re going to do it,” he said. “And whatever deadline you give them they’re going to get it in on time.” He described Rutgers students and the Class of 2018 as assertive, hardworking, intelligent and as
students who act on their values. For example, he said he recently went to an event hosted by the Rutgers Collaborative Center for Community-Based Research and Service, where students presented projects on food insecurity in Middlesex County. “… And the creativity they showed and the difficulty of some of the projects they took on was also quite remarkable,” he said. “I’m really quite taken by kids who put their values up front and decide to do something about it. And what it tells me is that they’re going to be that way the rest of their lives.” As Schement steps down from his role as vice chancellor, he said he is excited to go back to teaching large lecture halls in the School of Communication and Information — something he made a career of earlier.
Jorge Schement will be stepping down as the vice chancellor of Diversity and Inclusion after five years of service. He will return to teaching next semester. KICKSTARTER As he steps forward into another phase of his career, Schement offered advice to graduates who will be stepping across the stage at High Point Solutions Stadium today and into a new part of their
lives, and reflected on the opportunities Rutgers offers them. New Jersey is a big place where people have to be competitive, and Rutgers is also a big place where students have to learn to
be competitive too, he said. He explained that the University provides good training for later in life, as students learn to deal with big systems and a variety of people. “I think they’re going to be facing challenges of replacement by technology, and they’re going to be facing challenges of entrepreneurship — how do you create new places, new markets, new professional niches and an economy that’s going to revolve around professions and technology,” Schement said about real-world challenges today’s graduates have to consider. He said Rutgers students should invest in their education, and make education a lifelong passion. He explained that the better Rutgers gets the more it can continue to benefit students down the line, whether it is through future children attending the University, Rutgers economic benefits to the state of New Jersey or through an engaging and supportive alumni network. “So don’t see yourself as walking away from it, see yourself as having a lifelong relationship,” Schement said.
Bed Races to Broadway: student plans future in event production RYAN STEISI ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR
In his four years of ser vice with the Rutgers University Programming Association (RUPA), Anthony Mollica has worked to bring stories, moments and events to the Rutgers community through his various roles. The School of Arts and Sciences senior is graduating in May and leaving a community that he
got involved with earlier on, following the suggestion of his firstyear roommate. “The first (RUPA) event I volunteered at was Bed Races,” Mollica said. “I just thought it was like ‘why are we shutting down the street to race beds down the street,’ and I thought that was the coolest thing.” He said his roommate suggested RUPA to him and he got involved as a general member during his first year at Rutgers.
He soon fell in love with the production aspect of the organization. The next year, Mollica worked as an assistant director in the Department of Arts and Culture, where he helped plan lectures, masquerade balls and other events like a trip to Broadway. Mollica did not stop there. As a junior, he moved up to director in the Department of Arts and Culture, where he was in charge of a team and facilitated art-based events.
One memorable experience from his sophomore year was when RUPA brought Brandon Stanton from Humans of New York to the University, he said. That was early in his planning experience and brought challenges, such as rushing to accommodate everybody and changing venues due to large turnout. “Seeing that all go down in real time and tr ying to accommodate all these people that were so excited to see him was amazing,” Mollica said. “And then finally being there that night and being with the committee and talking to Brandon that night, just being there was definitely memorable.” This year he switched departments and became the assistant director of the Concerts Committee. He said that he was the lead coordinator for the Khalid concert at Rutgers and served as hospitality coordinator for the Metro Boomin show. Mollica said he wants to go into event production after graduation, and that working at RUPA will help him in his future endeavors. “I don’t know it’s like not really anything you can describe, it’s
more of a feeling than it is like a tangible thing — and that’s what I love about it,” he said about putting on events and seeing everybody have a good time. He said that one of his goals since he was a child is to be a part of the opening ceremony for the Olympics Games — something that he hopes to accomplish sometime down the road. In the meantime, Mollica will be studying abroad in Italy this summer, he said. Before he leaves Rutgers he offered some advice to the incoming students and new leadership at RUPA. “Don’t resist the process and have fun, be creative, ask a lot of questions and just have fun — because RUPA will help you grow,” he said. Mollica added that taking advice from his advisors at RUPA was something that helped him grow as a person at Rutgers. Going forward, he wants to continue pursuing his passions like he did while at Rutgers, he said. “I definitely want to continue creating experiences for people, and create stories and moments,” Mollica said.
Anthony Mollica first got involved with the Rutgers University Programming Association during in his first year, and has since helped coordinate various student events. RUTGERS.EDU
May 13, 2018
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Letter: Joseph Mancuso Hey Class of 2018, It appears that you and I are both embarking on new adventures this year, albeit I may be a little older than you. Okay, a lot older. My time here at Rutgers has provided me the privilege of meeting tens of thousands of you as we explored how the arts could bring a greater focus and purpose to our lives. It has indeed been an honor. I have lectured here for countless hours since the Fall Semester of 1987, but today instead I am going to share with you someone else’s words — words that continue to inspire me. They are from a brief essay by Richard Bach from his book entitled “A Gift of Wings.” It is about perspective.
“I used to wonder ... about railroad tracks. I’d stand between them, watch them go out into the world, and the two rails narrowed, they came together, they touched each other just five miles west, on the horizon. Monster locomotives would go hiss-thundering west through town, and since a locomotive is the kind of giant that needs its rails set just so, I knew there had to be a great pile of steaming wreckage just beyond the place where the tracks came together. I knew that the engineers had to be fiercely brave men (and women), blurring past the Main Street crossing with a grin and a wave, facing certain death on the horizon. Eventually, I found that the railroad tracks didn’t really meet beyond our town, but I didn’t get over my
Joseph Mancuso started his journey at Rutgers in the Fall of 1987 when he was offered a position teaching Theater Appreciation. He retired this semester after 30 years. TWITTER awe ... till the day I met my first airplane. Since then, I’ve followed track all over the country and haven’t yet seen a set of rails come together. Ever. Anywhere ... I’ve
seen this and more, flying, and it falls under one label. Perspective ... It is getting above the railroad track that shows we needn’t fear for the safety of locomotives ...
It is perspective that shows us the barriers between men to be imaginary things, made real only by our own believing that barriers exist, by our own bowing and cringing and constant fear of their power to limit us.” So it is during your time here at Rutgers that I hope you have learned to fly. Certainly, we sure will find out soon enough as we take that leap together, you and I! Who knows? Maybe someday we will meet again in some far-off food court and share stories of the perspective we have found staying above the ground. It is with great love and admiration that I wish for you all the best. Joe Mancuso, Theater Appreciation Instructor. Joe Mancuso was a professor in the Department of Theater Studies and taught Theater Appreciation for 30 years.
Cambridge scholarship opens doors for student RYAN STIESI ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR
When Michael Antosiewicz received the email notifying him that he won the Gates Cambridge Scholarship, it was in the early hours of a February morning, asleep and slumped over his computer. The scholarship decision makers live in England, the School of Arts and Sciences senior said, meaning winners from the United States heard the announcement extremely early. Antosiewicz said he fell asleep around 2:30 a.m. that morning and woke up with his laptop on his stomach. Initially, he did not notice the message in his inbox but after refreshing the page he realized he had won. “The third line was ‘you have been awarded the Gates Scholarship,’” he said. His victory marks the 10th Gates Scholarship winner to come from Rutgers in 11 years, a feat he was not always bent on achieving, he said. He explained that advice and efforts from Arthur Casciato, the director of Rutgers Office of Distinguished Fellowships, convinced him to apply for a Gates Cambridge scholarship.
“I was really interested in (a) Fulbright (scholarship), and so I met with him at the end of my junior year … and on each occasion, he was like ‘why don’t you apply to Gates?’” Antosiewicz said. When he first came to Rutgers, he planned on studying histor y and philosophy but had to take a language requirement that led to enrolling in Latin. He said the language blew him away and steered him toward becoming a classics and histor y double major. Antosiewicz said that during his junior year he began focusing on and engaging with classical reception, which made him think that the Gates Cambridge program might be a good fit for him as it gives him time to really experiment and to look at classical reception literature in a more creative light. With Gates Cambridge around the corner as he prepares to graduate from Rutgers, Antosiewicz said that he does not know yet what he wants to do further down the road. For now, he explained that he is excited to explore the different doors that the scholarship opens and all that the program has to offer.
Michael Antosiewicz is the 10th Rutgers student to receive the Cambridge Gates Scholarship in the last 11 years. He is excited about the opportunities the scholarship holds. RUTGERS.EDU
Jasmine Dennis is a Rutgers graduate and will graduate with her mother, Terri Holness, this year. Holness will graduate from William Patterson University after initially leaving school in 1995 and deciding to return part-time in 2010. INSTAGRAM
Mother-daughter duo will graduate at same time from different schools ERICA D’COSTA ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR
“It wasn’t planned. I did not intend to graduate with my daughter,” Terri Holness, mother of Rutgers graduate, Jasmine Dennis said. Holness, who will graduate from William Paterson University, said that the journey to her diploma has been a long one — almost eight years. After dropping out of college in 1995 because she felt she was not smart enough, Holness vowed to never return. But, in 2010 she returned to pursue her degree. It was ver y different going back as a non-traditional student, she said. She recalled a moment she felt the difference as an older student when a professor asked the class if ever yone knew the website “Blackboard,” but she remained confused. The following years completing her education were rocky, she said. “Attending college part-time, being a single parent, working
full-time, volunteering, making it to almost every one of my daughters extracurricular activities and award ceremonies, and taking care of other responsibilities was definitely crazy at times, but I had to do it,” she said. Dennis said that going through college with her mother was an experience like no other. It was neat, she said, to help her mother edit work and in turn, have her mother overlook her own homework. Holness added that they both took challenging classes and when they did not understand the assignments, they did not hesitate to utilize the tutoring services available on campus together. “We were able to push each other along the way,” Dennis said. The Rutgers senior kept herself busy in college as the president of the Black Student Union (BSU) on campus. She credits BSU with her overall growth as a women, saying that her leadership role challenged her to face obstacles she now sees as miniscule.
Dennis added that she never missed a BSU meeting because she always felt so at home and through the organization, she gained life long friends. “Rutgers taught me how to get involved,” Dennis said. “The plethora of resources that this institution has of fered me is unbelievable.” Her advice to the incoming Scarlet Knights is “don’t just ‘go’ to school … Join organizations, par ty, make mistakes, make the same mistakes and learn from them again.” Lastly, she urged them enjoy their time and embrace the ups and downs that college will bring inevitably bring. “Embrace and challenge the RU Screw. The four years go fast. Don’t lose yourself in the mix,” she said. “Enjoy ever y moment, ever y sleepless night and even that rush you feel from completing that last minute paper you turned in at 11:58 p.m. when it was due at 11:59 p.m. Those are the moments that make this Rutgers experience worthwhile.”
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Congratulations to graduating past editors of The Daily Targum! To our graduating Targum alumni: We know that because you have dealt with last-minute breaking news, 4 a.m. nights and frustratingly inconsistent software, you are ready for anything the world throws at you. By being part of The Daily Targum, you have created yet another layer of this paper and left behind a legacy of excellence that will trickle down into every board after you. Thank you for all of the sleep-deprived laughter, excessive deliveries of pizza and ridiculously outrageous wall-quotes. Most importantly, thank you for being part of the Targum family. Congratulations! We’ll see you in a few years when you’re rich and famous for an exclusive interview! With love, The 150th Editorial Board
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Congratulations and have a great summer! From everyone at The Daily Targum
May 13, 2018
OPINIONS
May 13, 2018
TARGUM PUBLISHING CO. “Serving the Rutgers community since 1869”
150th EDITORIAL BOARD 204 Neilson Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901 Phone: (732) 932-7051
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
MANAGING EDITOR
KHAULA SAAD EIC@DAILYTARGUM.COM (732) 932-7051 SAIGE FRANCIS MANAGED@DAILYTARGUM.COM (732) 932-7051
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Congratulations to graduating past editors of The Daily Targum! To our graduating Targum alumni: We know that because you have dealt with last-minute breaking news, 4 a.m. nights and frustratingly inconsistent software, you are ready for anything the world throws at you. By being part of The Daily Targum, you have created yet another layer of this paper and left behind a legacy of excellence that will trickle down into every board after you. Thank you for all of the sleep-deprived laughter, excessive deliveries of pizza and ridiculously outrageous wall-quotes. Most importantly, thank you for being part of the Targum family. Congratulations! We’ll see you in a few years when you’re rich and famous for an exclusive interview! With love, The 150th Editorial Board
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May 13, 2018
BASEBALL FOLINUSZ BIDS FAREWELL TO HIS SCARLET KNIGHT FAMILY
Letter: Chris Folinusz Half A Decade Later … Thank you Rutgers Nation! This has been an unbelievable journey. I couldn’t have asked for a better place to have spent my college career. Playing baseball at Rutgers has given me a second family, a core group of people I can depend on forever. These last five years have been life changing on and off the field. Growing up in Jersey you always dream of representing your hometown at the next level, and there’s no better place to do that than here. Playing in the Big Ten
not only allows you to compete at the highest level of athletics but it also gives you one of the best educations one can ask for. The culture is constantly changing, demanding more from every athlete to shine on the national stage. We constantly got after it on the field, in the weight room, in the Fred Hill facility and in the classroom — driving everyone on the team to get better and never be content. There was always that competitive edge that demanded my teammates and I be the best. We’re hard-nose, blue-collar Jersey boys. And at the end of
the day, we would do anything for each other. My teammates, coaches and advisors have gone above and beyond to make this an experience of a lifetime. This isn’t just a school, it’s a family and I have felt that way from my first day on campus. I’ll proudly represent the block R until the day I die! Protect The Banks. Scarlet Forever! fReaks Chris Folinusz is a graduating senior and the former first baseman on the Rutgers baseball team.
Senior first baseman Chris Folinusz hopes to be a firefighter now that his time on the Banks has come to an end. DANIEL MORREALE / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER / APRIL 2018
May 13, 2018
Cap & Gown Page 9 BASEBALL O’REILLY 9TH ON ALL TIME STRIKEOUT LIST
5 seniors set tone for excellence among fellow Knights JORDAN FARBOWITZ CORRESPONDENT
As the college baseball season winds down, it is a sad but important time for the Rutgers baseball team’s seniors, who will be playing their final games of their collegiate careers, and some of them took the time to reflect on their careers and what they’ll remember most from their time as a Scarlet Knight. Rutgers has five seniors on its roster: Milo Freeman, AJ Gallagher, Chris Folinusz, John O’Reilly and Kyle Walker. All will be graduating on May 13, and all have made significant impacts to the program during their time here. “When these guys came in as freshmen, they were typical freshmen, but to see them turn into men is special,” said head coach Joe Litterio. “When you come in as a freshman, you’re looking around to see who the leader is, and these guys did a nice job of being those leaders for the young kids and being an example of how to go about every day on the baseball field.” O’Reilly has been one of the top pitchers in program history. He’s fifth in innings pitched (287.2) and ninth in strikeouts (165). He’s also excelled in the classroom, having been named to the Big Ten All-Academic team twice. Folinusz has been one of the leaders of the offense for most of his career. He was Third Team All-Big Ten last year and was on an All-Academic team three times, twice in the Big Ten and once in the American Athletic Conference. He missed 2016 with an injury, but he didn’t let it stop him produce once he came back. “Chris and John are both tough kids, they both compete very well and they both care about the program,” Litterio said. “Those two guys have become leaders.” As for the other seniors, Walker had reached base in 24 consecutive games this season and was named a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar in 2016 and 2017, while Freeman was named to two Academic All-Big Ten teams and was named Co-Freshman of the Week
in March 2015. Gallagher was named to the Academic All-Big Ten team last year. While Freeman and Gallagher played less time than the other three seniors, Litterio stressed that their contributions were still as valuable to the team. “They might not have all the playing time they want, but they’ve accepted it, they know the main goal is the team and they’ve been doing a great job,” he said. “AJ’s a workhorse. He shows up ever yday, catches thousands of bullpen sessions, gets batting practice in and doesn’t complain. He’s just an overall college baseball player and guy that a coach can’t say enough about.” The seniors are from different backgrounds, but many came to the Banks for similar reasons. For O’Reilly, it was because it was close to home so his family could watch him, plus he knew Freeman and they thought it would be cool to play baseball together. For Walker, it was because he lives in Piscataway and has loved the Knights ever since he moved there during third grade. For Folinusz, it was to stay in New Jersey and to allow his father to come see him. All three took both proximity and family into account when choosing to play for Rutgers. The Knights are a tight-knit group both on and off the field, and players have plans to keep in touch even after they leave the program. Walker hinted at a gathering down at the Jersey Shore, and O’Reilly said his days of coming to the diamond aren’t over yet. “The amount of guys I’ve met in and out of Rutgers is definitely my best experience here,” O’Reilly said. “All the bus rides, all the plane trips, it’s a lot of time and commitment for each and every guy, so it’s really cool getting to know everyone … I’ll be back next year for sure to watch these guys.” Of course, there is a question that all the seniors have to answer now that they’re graduating — what will they be doing once they’re no longer at Rutgers? Unsurprisingly, the answers varied.
Senior pitcher John O’Reilly will try playing the sport he loves at a higher level after graduation. DANIEL MORREALE / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER / APRIL 2018
O’Reilly might try to play baseball at a higher level, Walker’s starting a job at Bloomberg in October, and Folinusz? He wants to be a fireman. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” he said. “Other people in my family have done it, my dad’s friends have been doing it and I’ve always thought it’s really interesting. You’re helping people ever yday, you always have an adrenaline rush and it’s not
sitting behind a desk and doing anything boring.” The ending of a collegiate career is always bittersweet, and each player talked about what they loved about being a Knight and what they will miss most. From Bainton Field on a sunny day to being part of a team and a community, there’s a lot that they appreciate about their time here, and will take with them even years after they’ve left.
“I’ll miss going to the locker room ever y day, hanging out with the guys, going to practice, getting after it in the weight room and on the field … just ever ything, ever ything about it,” Folinusz said. And their coach wishes nothing but the best for them in their lives and all their future endeavors. “It’s good to see them all graduating and being able to have a nice life with a career,” Litterio said.
SOFTBALL HALL RANKED IN TOP 10 IN 7 STAT CATEGORIES
Hall leaves lasting legacy at RU MATTHEW HOWE STAFF WRITER
Meet Rebecca Hall. A graduating senior first baseman on the verge of setting various program records for the Rutgers softball team, Hall has known what she’s wanted to do for a very long time. “Ever since I was little I knew I wanted to play Division I softball,” Hall said. And play she has, and at an elite level. Growing up in Virginia, Hall was recruited by the Scarlet Knights early on and fell in love after her first visit. “I came on a visit, and it’s a really great school academically and athletically, and I was super excited about them joining the Big Ten Conference,” she said. “I meshed really well with the coaching staff and the girls on the team were so nice to me, I just felt it was the perfect fit for me.” In her first season on the Banks, she started in 48 games, batting .321 with 12 doubles, 6 home runs and 29 RBI’s. She also received Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors. To put Hall’s career into perspective, she ranks in the top 10 all-time in Rutgers softball history in seven different hitting categories. She is second in hits (220), second in doubles (48), sixth in triples (9), third in home runs (30), second in RBI’s (141), third in at-bats (653) and ninth in batting average (.337). As far as single-season records go, Hall ranks fifth in program histor y in hits in a season with 63 this year. With her 46 RBI’s in the 2017 season, Hall sits third all time in RBI’s in a season. She had 13 doubles this season, putting her in sixth all time. Her six triples this season are good enough for sixth all time in a season in Knights history. “These are all great accomplishments to have,” Hall said. “But on top of that, my teammates have been really helpful, and I’m really happy that I’ve been able to give back to the program and help my team. Those are all great accomplishments, but it’s really about the team.” This season, the team has had its fair share of struggles. After a solid preseason and an average start, Rutgers lost 15 games in a row, struggled mightily within conference play, posting just a 4-16 record. “The Big Ten Conference is a really tough conference for softball and we’re playing great teams, we’re coming really close in the games so I think we’re competing well with them,” Hall said. “I think it’s just a
Senior first baseman Rebecca Hall ends her Scarlet Knight career second in hits and doubles, and third in home runs and at-bats. CASEY AMBROSIO / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER / APRIL 2018
matter of us growing as a team in the years to come, which I’m sure this program will continue to do, and I think in the years to come we’ll be a top competitor in the Big Ten.” When asked about her favorite memory in a Knights uniform, Hall said being able to travel to Mexico this spring to play in the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge in Mexico was probably it. During that road trip to Mexico, Hall was named to the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge All-Tournament Team alongside two of her teammates, sophomore designated player Nicole Bowman and sophomore pitcher Cambria Keefer. “It was my first time out of the country and it was awesome to play the sport I love in another country,” Hall said. In the final game of that tournament, Hall hit a go ahead 2-run home run in the top of eighth inning to secure the win for Rutgers over Houston, 4-3. With her impressive softball career with the Knights nearly
behind her, Hall plans on moving back to Virginia and attending graduate school for special education. She has applied to George Mason and James Madison and hopes to be accepted to either one. “Softball is a failure sport,” Hall said. “You fail 7 times out of 10, so dealing with that adversity and learning to believe in yourself and relying on the support of your teammates to get you through the tough times has taught me a lot in life.” Hall will graduate as one of the best softball players to ever suit up for Rutgers, and has credited the program to not only making her a better athlete, but a better person as well. “Softball taught me to be tough and to look at the bigger picture,” Hall said. “In the moment you can think a strikeout is the end of the world, but at the end of the day you’re still going to have an opportunity to better yourself whether it’s the next at-bat or if you make a great defensive play.”
Cap & Gown Page 10
May 13, 2018 MEN’S TRACK AND FIELD ASTROPHYSICS, OLYMPICS HIGHLIGHT COLLEGE EXPERIENCE FOR KNIGHTS
Diverse group of seniors leaving Rutgers for new start ALEX FABUGAIS-INABA STAFF WRITER
Since four or five years ago until today, the graduating seniors on the Rutgers men’s track and field team carry fond memories and heavy hearts reminiscing on their time at the University. Injuries, red shirts, academics and the struggles of everyday life have taught these Scarlet Knights the value of support in the Rutgers community. Graduate student Matthew Krezmer is a javelin thrower for the Knights and is currently completing a master’s degree in labor and employee relations with the hopes of becoming an athletic director at a high school. Krezmer hopes to find a job close to Rutgers, so he can help out the team if needed. Even though Krezmer is planning on staying close to the school, he will miss the away competitions where the team would really get to know each other and have fun together. “Just all the trips to all the cool meets that we go to and just spend time with the team,” Krezmer said on his favorite memories at Rutgers. “We always have a really good time together and we all are really close, so anytime we go on a trip down to Florida, to any meet really, is always a good time.” Krezmer believes in trusting the process and patience for when it is your time to shine. A recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award this year, senior Alex Livernois understands the importance of healthy competition within the
a goal to compete at the Olympics. Seven years later, that Olympic dream became reality as the Hamilton, New Jersey native competed in the 400-meter and 4x400-meter relays at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Both of Griffith’s parents are from Guyana, a South American country that borders North of Brazil, which allowed Griffith the opportunity to represent his parents’ country at the Olympics. Griffith plans to keep running after graduation to try and qualify for the next summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. “I’m going to pursue a professional career for a little bit and try and go after and make it to the next Olympics, and then whether or not I make it or not, I’m going to pursue a career somewhere in criminal justice afterwards,” Griffith said. As prestigious as the Olympics are, Griffith has also garnered a lot of success in the NCAA. Qualifying and competing at the NCAA Championships his sophomore and junior year are some of his favorite memories from his career, so far. “Favorite memor y, definitely the first time I made it to nationals as a sophomore because it was ver y unexpected,” Grif fith said. “That was the first time I dipped under the 46 (second) mark … and I think the following year, making it with my relay team because it’s not Somerset, New Jersey native and graduating senior Trent Brinkofski has competed for the Scarlet as fun when you go to nationals Knights for the past four years. THOMAS BONIELLO / ASSOCIATE PHOTO EDITOR / APRIL 2018 by yourself.” In relation to being one of team and against other confer- your normal day-to-day thing you do well,” Livernois said. and to represent Rutgers at a ence opponents. Livernois is a double major in thousands of other seniors at “It’s a way of competition, high level in the Big Ten is just astrophysics and mathematics Rutgers, there is one thing Grifdoing something outside of just really fun and rewarding when with a minor in computer sci- fith will miss that can resonate ence. After graduation, Livernois with many other students once is heading to Big Ten rival Indi- they graduate. The Rutgers dining halls ana University to pursue a Ph.D. have been one of the highlights in astronomy. With the huge academic load for Grif fith over the years, with he carries on his back, Liver- the buf fet style being a perk nois knows the hardships that for ever yone. “Just being around all the difcome with either academics or ferent kinds athletics and of people and advises others just being surto take it slow. “Just stay “... to represent Rutgers rounded by all the different strong,” Livat a high level in the Big cultures and ernois said. “I didn’t come Ten is just really fun and being able to talk to and in that fast, so rewarding when you meet anyone,” I just needed he said. to take things do well.” one step at a From the time and not close bonds ALEX LIVERNOIS force myself to that the seSenior Distance Runner go too hard too niors have early. But other formed with than that, just all of the other hang in there athletes on the and pretty much take it one step team, the seniors can all agree at a time.” that the team will be hard to With a new school record on leave behind, but the memories the board in the 4x400-meter re- will last forever. lay set at the Penn Relays, gradAt Rutgers, there are plenty uate student Jermaine Griffith is of opportunities to step out of humbled to have so much Jersey your comfort zone and make love from Rutgers alumni. new connections with other “When we went to Penn Re- people. On his overall experilays this weekend, everywhere we ence at college, Livernois is apwent we ran into Rutgers alum, so preciative of all the things Rutjust knowing that being a part of gers has to offer in preparing such a big family like that means a him for the future. lot,” Griffith said. “Just that feeling “It’s been ver y good,” he that you have support wherever said. “I’ve been able to pretty you go in Jersey is a great feeling. much do ever ything I’ve wantI’m happy I chose to be a part of ed to do, at least tr y ever ything the Rutgers family, and I’m looking I’ve wanted to do and it’s preforward to what the future holds.” pared me well (for life) after Back in his freshman year college. It’s just been a ver y of high school, Griffith had set good time.”
May 13, 2018
Cap & Gown Page 11 FOOTBALL RIVERA HOPES TO MAKE LONG AWAITED DEBUT ON FIELD NEXT SEASON
Rivera completes dream of making Rutgers roster NATHANIEL LOUIS-CAPOIS
Rick Mantz, which said, “You can’t try out today, Joseph. You are deficient in your GPA.” Rivera recalls it as a shock to When you fail over and over again at something, it’s usually his core. He was told he needed a sign to give it up or try some- a 2.75 to be eligible to tryout for thing else. For Joseph Rivera? It the team. This would be just the beginwas simply a sign to go harder. “I was devastated (when I ning of a three-year journey tryfound out I couldn’t try out), ing to get onto the Rutgers footbut it continued to fuel my fire. ball team and he would not give It hurt working so hard to get up until he did so. “I had to learn how to become ready for these moments and to be so prepared and then to be a student first and it wasn’t easy told ‘no,’ but I remained ready,” because I had always been an Rivera said. “I really wanted it as athlete and that was my main focus,” Rivera said. “So now bad as I wanted to breathe.” A native from Bloomfield, this was a new challenge where New Jersey, the 6-foot-2-inch, I had to be like ‘okay, I need to 290-pound defensive lineman learn how to succeed on a higher played all four years in varsi- learning level so I can get to my ty football at Bloomfield High other goal’ and from there it was School as a captain under head just like a constant battle to get coach Michael Carter Sr. (father my grades up.” Fast forward a year later of of Rutgers baseball alumnus Mi“ups and downs” when Rivera chael Carter Jr.). He was a stellar athlete and said he was doing everything a well-recruited player com- wrong, like not attending class ing out of high school, but his and missing exams. After seeking grades held him from reaching out a tutor and doing whatever he could to pass his full poclasses and tential, forc“Being a kid growing up his raise his GPA, ing Rivera to settle for a in New Jersey, I’ve always the following Spring of 2016 junior college dreamed of going to he attempt(JUCO) called Monroe ColRutgers University and ed to walk on again. lege in Bronx, putting on that Scarlet But once New York again he was in the Fall Knights jersey ...” denied, having of 2013. only raised Suffering a JOSEPH RIVERA his GPA up season-ending Fifth-Year Senior Defensive Lineman to a 1.875. injury in his Then again he first year of eligibility, Rivera took his redshirt reached out in hopes of getting and transferred to another JUCO some leniency to try out in the in Fall 2014 called Globe Insti- Summer of 2016 after finishing tute of Technology in hopes of with a GPA of 2.200 — after all he had raised his GPA up by a continuing playing football. What he received when he point and a half within a year in got there though was not exactly his mind, but he was once again denied. what he thought it was. Another year went by of Rive“To be honest, it was a false recruitment and they fed me a ra working hard to bring his GPA bunch of things that weren’t nec- up. In that same breath, Rivera essarily true about their football had been working twice as hard to program and the school itself,” maintain his athleticism and keeping his body in top shape, workRivera said. Losing another year of eligibil- ing out with up to three different ity while fighting to continue his trainers, seven days a week. Finally his time came almost a playing career, he excelled in the classroom so he could transfer full year and a half later in the Fall of 2017, as his GPA had reached out of there as soon as possible. In the Spring of 2015 he finally the 2.75 threshold and he got a different kind of message this got his wish. “Being a kid growing up in time around — a text (a more New Jersey, I’ve always dreamed personal transmission of the mesof going to Rutgers Universi- sage this time) from Mantz said, ty and putting on that Scarlet “You’re good to go. 6 a.m. tomorKnights jersey and playing the row at the bubble.” “The tryout was at 6 a.m. I got game I love,” Rivera said. “I got my grades where they needed there at 5 a.m. and it was pitch to be and outright transferred black out, and I was the first one to Rutgers University as an ac- there ready to go. I wanted to ademic student with the goal of make sure every coach, adminwalking on to the football team istrator, whoever worked in that building saw my face at the Hale in mind.” While transferring that Spring that morning as they walked (in) of 2015, Rivera had gained a pre- because they were going to referred walk on after submitting member me. I went in there and I footage and highlights of himself killed it,” Rivera said. And killed it he did, as Rivera to the coaching staff. He finally thought he would was 1 of 2 players out of approxget his chance at the end of that imately 30 try outs (Izaia Bullock spring, but he had misjudged being the other) to make the team the rigors of what it was to not as a walk-on ahead the new-look only be a Division I athlete but Knights team under head coach also a student at a top-tier presti- Chris Ash and right alongside his gious university. He finished his best friend, senior safety Kiy Hesfirst semester at Rutgers with a ter in the 2017 campaign. Since then, Rivera has been 0.833 GPA. He received an email from training with the team and was a then Director of Player Relations practice player for the entire 2017 CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Fifth-year senior defensive lineman Joseph Rivera (right) took a long journey to capture his dream of making the Rutgers football team. COURTESY OF NATHANIEL LOUIS-CAPOIS season, impressing many coaches along the way, but he did not see playing time due to eligibility issues in the amount of times he’s transferred yet to be resolved. Now he’s currently graduating with an undergraduate degree in labor studies, while playing the waiting game as Rutgers personnel looks to resolve his
eligibility issue with the NCAA so he can play his final season. If not, he will transfer to a Division II school and play out his final season there so he can have film for the draft. But nonetheless, Rivera got one of his dreams come true. He made the Knights football team after three years.
“I remember being afraid to tell people I wanted to go to the NFL because you get that reaction you know and its like one of my favorite artists, J Cole, said, ‘If they don’t know your dreams, then they can’t shoot em down.’ But now I can say it with full confidence that this is my dream and that I won’t stop until I get there,” Rivera said.
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s you join the ranks of our more than 500,000 alumni, I encourage you to stay connected with your alma mater in the years to come. Know that you are forever part of our community, and you have our warmest wishes for an exciting and rewarding future.�
- Robert L. Barchi, University President