The Daily Targum 2010-01-19

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THE DAILY TARGUM

Volume 141, Number 69

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

TUESDAY JANUARY 19, 2010

1 8 6 9

Today: Rain

FOUR STRAIGHT

High: 44 • Low: 31

The Rutgers football team won its fourth consecutive bowl game 45-24 over Central Florida Dec. 19 in the St. Petersburg Bowl presented by Beef ‘O’ Brady’s.

Students stand up to support Haiti victims BY COLLEEN ROACHE CORRESPONDENT

GETTY IMAGES

An earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale hit Haiti last week, not only affecting Hatians, but people around the world. Student groups at the University are discussing ways to help aid those affected.

For seven days, images of the rubble and distress in Haiti from last Tuesday’s earthquake are visible nonstop in newspapers, on television screens and online. In the midst of the tragedy, the nation and University students alike have been compelled to act. The earthquake, measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale, devastated the small Caribbean nation. The latest death toll estimate from the Haitian government is at 140,000, according to Time.com, while most of those who have survived are now homeless. The natural disaster comes at a time when political

unrest in the country had just started to settle. More than 1,000 miles separate students in New Brunswick from those suffering in Port-au-Prince and the area surrounding the nation’s capital, but various University organizations, including the Haitian Association of Rutgers University, the Black Student Union, the Douglass Black Students’ Congress, the Pre-Law Society, the Latin American Student Organization and a number of fraternities and sororities are working to organize events to help. HARU Treasurer Dominick Ambroise said he first found out

SEE HAITI ON PAGE 7

Corzine highlights NJ achievements during farewell speech BY ARIEL NAGI ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR

As outgoing Gov. Jon S. Corzine prepares to hand his seat over to Gov. Chris Christie, he closed his term noting both positive and negative aspects of his time spent in office, during his last annual State of the State address on Jan. 12 at the Trenton Statehouse.

INDEX UNIVERSITY Federal funding allows University researchers to improve bridge repair techniques, which will increase public safety.

OPINIONS Send a text message to 90999 to contribute to the Haiti relief effort. Check out the editorial for issues confronting the recovery movement.

UNIVERSITY . . . . . . . 4 OPINIONS . . . . . . . 10 DIVERSIONS . . . . . . 12 CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . 14 SPORTS . . . . . . BACK

ONLINE @ DAILYTARGUM.COM

Although Corzine did not get reelected for a second term, he is not leaving office in complete regret. “I had hoped today would mark the midpoint, rather than the endpoint of my tenure as governor,” Corzine said. “Those years have been fulfilling beyond my wildest imagination. Even though this is a bittersweet moment, I am filled with pride and fulfillment.”

He highlighted the accomplishments of his administration, from revitalizing schools in urban communities such as Newark, providing health care for all qualified children in the state and pioneering new criminal justice strategies. But Corzine said it was impossible to shy away from some of the larger issues af fecting New Jersey.

“Now as much good as there is to focus on, I know, and we all know, that the state of our state — like the state of our nation and the state of just about every country — is being tested by the pain of the Great Recession,” he said. One of the biggest issues is the nation’s unemployment rate, which stands at 10 percent. Due to these issues, his administration had to

make choices it never would have made in better times, Corzine said. “For example, really what kind of politician would cut property tax rebates in their reelection year?” he said. In addition to cutting property tax rebates, this year’s revised budget is millions of dollars less than the budg-

SEE SPEECH ON PAGE 9

Co-op bookstore reopens under new management BY COLLEEN ROACHE CORRESPONDENT

For 70 years, the Student Cooperative Store on the Douglass campus was a nearby source for textbooks, general school supplies and University-inspired gifts. When the store opened for business Friday, all of those remained, but one thing had changed: the management. Due to a lack of financial sustainability, the bookstore has turned operations over to Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, said Co-op Board of Directors Treasurer Marjorie Munson. Members of the Co-op Board of Directors, which includes students and faculty, voted last month and made the decision to relinquish ownership Jan. 1 to avoid possible bankruptcy. “Unfortunately, for not just the Cook/Douglass Co-op, but for many businesses on college campuses and in other locations, the nature of the busi-

ness has changed in recent years,” said Munson, the Assistant Dean of the Douglass Residential College. “Students buy many, many more books online. … That’s had a very big impact on the Co-op.” Although the Co-op generated sales from other items, such as University apparel, most of the store’s revenue came from textbook sales, she said. With more students looking to textbook retailers on the Internet for their books, the Co-op began to find it hard to compete. The global recession didn’t make circumstances any better. “This year, with the economy being so tough … sales fell really badly — much more than we thought they were going to — and as a result, we knew we were going to have to close,” Munson said. “[The Co-op] was just too small, and

SEE CO-OP ON PAGE 9

RAMON DOMPOR/ ASSOCIATE PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

The Co-op bookstore was the student and faculty owned store on campus. Calling Douglass campus its home for 70 years, the store is now under new ownernship by Barnes & Noble College Booksellers due to problems with financial stability.

U. ATHLETICS PROPOSES POSSIBLE UPGRADE TO RAC The expansion of Rutgers Stadium took its fair share of criticisms, but the increased attendance numbers and revenue headed toward the University and the Athletic Department placed added incentive for Athletic Director Tim Pernetti to move for ward with a new expansion. Citing years of hindrance on athletic practices and offices and the general need for an upgrade, Pernetti told The Star-Ledger that a development for the 31-year-old Louis Brown Athletic Center on Livingston campus is in the works. Pernetti could not be reached for comment at the time of publication, but he told The StarLedger in early Januar y that “preliminar y con-

cepts, ideas and designs” are already in place, and the next step is finding the funds necessar y for an overhaul that he said would impact 19 of the 24 school sports. “It’s very ambitious,” Pernetti said. “I’m bullish on it because it affects so many sports in one shot, and it gives us the ability to spread the fundraising umbrella a little wider.” Among the proposed upgrades: locker room changes, a new basketball playing court, adding premium and club seats and creating an atrium to include a Hall of Fame and shops. Pernetti’s initial estimates did not outline a cost, though he expects two years worth of work

to complete the project. The RAC would remain fully operational. University President Richard L. McCormick signed off on the job under one major condition — the private funding and facility-earned revenue outweigh the total cost. “Right now we’re looking for some people to lead the way on the project to get the ball rolling,” Pernetti told The Star-Ledger. “But until we have commitments from a couple of people, we’re going to spend time behind the scenes tr ying to fine-tune the plan and work on designs.” — Matthew Stein


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