THE DAILY TARGUM
Volume 141, Number 13
S E R V I N G
T H E
R U T G E R S
C O M M U N I T Y
S I N C E
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 18, 2009
1 8 6 9
Today: Sunny
GAMETIME FLAMETIME
High: 76 • Low: 52
Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano faces off against former student Mario Cristobal and the FIU Panthers as the Scarlet Knights attempt to build on last week’s 45-7 win over Howard.
Bedbugs bite students more ways than one
BLAME IT ON THE ALCOHOL
BY CHRIS ZAWISTOWSKI CORRESPONDENT
donations, but you can only be in operation if you follow the guidelines of the FDA,” Assistant Director of Hurtado Health Center Dr. Dorothy Kozlowski said.
Good night, sleep tight. Don’t let the bedbugs bite. Maybe easier said then done for at least one Plum Street resident. The resident, who wishes to remain anonymous, has been battling bedbugs for nearly two months now, and it seems he is not alone. “After we got it, we realized it was not just our house,” the resident said. “I began to see that sporadically during garbage pickup, at least three or four houses on my street had mattresses and couches out.” Soon the resident realized the problem was spreading, as furniture quickly began to be removed on neighboring Har vey and High Streets. “Almost systematically near every garbage pickup, they will also have furniture out,” the resident said. Dave Padlo, a School of Arts and Sciences sophomore living on Plum Street, said he has heard of at least one house in the area affected by bedbugs. “Thank God it wasn’t us,” Padlo said. Incidents of bedbugs have been on the rise steadily for the last few years, said Jennifer Erdogan, manager of the bedbug division at Parsippany-based Bell Environmental Ser vices. “They are prolific bugs,” she said. “They multiply quickly and are really good hiders, can conceal
SEE DONATION ON PAGE 4
SEE BEDBUGS ON PAGE 4
ANDREW HOWARD/ PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Piscataway tightens underage drinking laws with the creation of a new ordinance imposing fines of $250 on first offense and $350 for subsequent offenses. Underage drinking offenders may also face driving license suspension. See METRO on page 5.
FDA hinders U. blood donation policy BY CAGRI OZUTURK ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR
The Rutgers University Senate is exploring ways to avoid violating its own non-discrimination policy for blood donations, due to a Food and Drug
INDEX UNIVERSITY Plans have been developed for multi-roommate residence halls on Livingston and Busch campuses.
OPINIONS A new study shows that the highest teen birth rates are in the states with the most religious residents.
UNIVERSITY . . . . . . . 3 METRO . . . . . . . . . . 5 OPINIONS . . . . . . . . 7 DIVERSIONS . . . . . . . 8 CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . 10 SPORTS . . . . . . BACK
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Administration policy of denying donations from males who have had sex with other males. “We have worked diligently for the FDA to review this policy, explaining what we believe to be a fair policy and why it would be safe to allow them
Program helps ‘scholars’ advance in classroom BY ARIEL NAGI CORRESPONDENT
Without opportunity, there is no hope. At least that is the standard Aramis Gutierrez thinks is true as the Rutgers Future Scholars Program Director. The program provides the opportunity of a college education at any three of the University’s campuses for first-generation, low-income and academically promising middle school students mostly from the University’s four communities: New Brunswick, Piscataway, Newark and Camden. “We are nearly 400 scholars strong across our four neighboring communities,” Gutierrez said. “Scholars are determined, but what RFS provides is the guidance and support necessary in taking their hope and offering an opportunity.” University President Richard L. McCormick said the goal of the
program is to increase the number of students who complete high school and pursue higher education, especially those students who come from urban areas. “The reason we started this is because it’s the right thing to do, but also because, although our student body is extremely diverse, most of that diversity comes from suburban New Jersey, not urban New Jersey, and especially not from the older, industrial cities like the ones that our University is located in — New Brunswick, Newark and Camden,” he said. The program — which began last summer — is seeing significant progress, he said. Students completed writing, mathematics, humanities and writing courses taught by University professors, and they performed exceptionally well. EE
SCHOLARS ON PAGE 4
THE DAILY TARGUM
Rutgers Future Scholars Program pushes middle-school students to excel in academics and offers a myraid of services and events. Above, the scholars cheer on the women’s basketball team last winter.
RUPA TREATS STUDENTS TO ‘KNIGHT’ OF HOT DOGS, CARNIVAL, CONCERT Stemming from a University tradition, tonight’s Hot Dog Knight event on the College Avenue campus is for those interested in smashing cars with sledgehammers, eating beefy franks, racing around in giant tricycles and enjoying live R&B music. “Legend has it that eight or nine years ago, the dining hall had a surplus of hot dogs that they had to get rid of,” carnival organizer Ali Intravatola said. “A group of crafty-minded students planned a giant festival in honor of ever yone’s favorite barbecue fare, and it was such a success that future generations decided that a festival honoring the hot dog would occur at least once a year on campus.”
Intravatola said if past years are any indication, anywhere from 2,000 to 6,000 students and guests are expected to show up for Hot Dog Knight. The Rutgers University Programming Association, who is hosting the event, has 4,000 hot dogs on order and, for those who don’t eat animals, 100 vegan hot dogs will be on supply, she said. In addition to free hot dogs, the event will have two components: a street carnival featuring food, games, races and prizes and a concert featuring Bobby V and Rotimi, both R&B artists, she said. Hot Dog Knight’s carnival will run from 5 to 10 p.m. on Morrell Street, with additional activities in the park-
ing lot next to Stonier Hall, Intravatola said. The concert will begin at 8 p.m. in the Multipurpose Room of the Rutgers Student Center on the College Avenue campus. While concert admission is $10 for students and $15 for guests, the carnival is free, Intravatola said. Concert organizer Roselyn Jose said tickets will be available star ting at 4 p.m. tonight at the Atrium entrance and will stay the same price throughout the night.
—Matt Reed