U.C. BERKELEY Violent protests at university are
counter-productive
MEN’S BASKETBALL Rutgers makes history with
HYPERTENSION Organization raises awareness
first ever Big Ten road win
for chronic diseases
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WEATHER Sunny with rain at night High: 45 Low: 34
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monday, february 6, 2017
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The Daily Targum votes in 149th editorial board Nikhilesh De correspondent
The Daily Targum officially entered its 149th year on Friday, caucusing its new editorial board after 10 hours of discussion. Its 148th editorial board covered the controversy surrounding Milo Yiannopoulos’s visit, kept students informed during the Cook/Douglass power outages, tracked changes of Rutgers’ bus stops, the 2016 presidential elections and subsequent #SanctuaryCampus protests and became the first college newspaper to interview a sitting U.S. president after Editor-in-Chief Daniel Corey asked Barack Obama for an interview at the White House’s College Reporter Day. Incoming Editor-in-Chief Alexandra DeMatos said she looks forward to the challenge of building on the previous board’s successes while also fixing the mistakes of the previous board. The School of Arts and Sciences junior first
Board 149 was caucused in on Friday and will be led by Editor-in-Chief Alexandra DeMatos. The new board plans to innovate and transition the paper into an increasingly digital age. Brayden Donnelly joined the paper in the fall of 2015 when she began training for the copy editor position. “Being the editor-in-chief allows me to really get involved with everyone and to not only teach others what I know, but let others teach me,” she said. “I also love the Targum because when I (first) transferred to Rutgers it was really where I found my place at the University.”
The Targum is unique compared to other news organizations around the Rutgers and New Brunswick areas because while it is entirely student-run, it still holds itself to the same standards as more prominent papers, said News Editor Kira Herzog. The School of Arts and Sciences sophomore hopes to help her fellow students understand
the complexities behind how the University operates better, as well as inform them of the events and situations that occur on Rutgers’ campuses. Herzog joined the paper in 2016, and briefly became a correspondent before taking on the mantle of news editor. “As news editor, I have the opportunity to work on the front lines
while also helping shape the trajectory of the paper as a whole,” Herzog said. “News is an incredibly dynamic and quick-paced desk, which means coming into work every day is anything but mundane. I am constantly learning and growing both as a journalist and as a member of the larger Rutgers community. I don’t think I could ask for much more out of a job.” New Opinions Editor Khaula Saad believes the Targum’s advantage comes from its being entirely tailored toward other students. As a former columnist, she has already experienced the challenges facing contributors to the opinions desk. The fact that more and more people are keeping up with current events and are willing to share their thoughts on everything happening in the world right now helps her see different views first-hand, the School of Arts and Sciences sophomore said. “I want to motivate more students to share their thoughts and feelings,” she said. “I want to make the opinions section feel more inclusive (and) I want to make (the desk) as dynamic as it can be.” Her goal is to include and showcase a greater range of ideas within the section, she said. Part of the See board on Page 4
Rutgers to celebrate diversity with ‘America Converges Here’ initiative Kira Herzog News editor
In his 2016 commencement speech, former President Barack Obama described Rutgers University as a unique reflection of the country’s diversity and unity. “America converges here,” Obama said. “And in so many ways, the history of Rutgers mirrors the evolution of America — the course by which we became bigger, stronger and richer and more dynamic, and a more inclusive nation.”
Now, less than one year later, the Office of the Chancellor is launching an initiative entitled “America Converges Here,” based on the words of the former president. University Chancellor Richard L. Edwards released an email to the community on Friday, which included a video teaser and outlined the inspiration behind the new initiative and previewed the events and larger themes that it would address. “Each month through this year’s commencement, we will present you with stories of convergence and
Chancellor Richard L. Edwards created “America Converges Here” after former President Barack Obama’s commencement speech. The event includes a series of speeches and events. The DAILY TARGUM
invite you to events and programs designed to bring our project to life throughout the Rutgers—New Brunswick campus,” Edwards said in the email. February will celebrate the “convergence of people,” while the subsequent months will focus on the convergence of “big ideas” and “place,” he said. A full schedule of events will be announced at the star t of each month, said Zach Hosseini, a spokesperson for the Of fice of the Chancellor. They will be available on the “America Converges Here” website and on the campus calendar. This month’s event speakers include Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Antonio Vargas, former Press Secretary Symone Sanders, Marc Lamont Hill and Ruth Mandel, the director of the Eagleton Institute of Politics, according to the “America Converges Here” website. “The initiative is two parts. First, we want to explore those three themes through some storytelling. Every month through the semester we will release a video that will look at stories of convergence built around our themes,” Hosseini said. See initiative on Page 4
Rutgers United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS) led a march down College Avenue as part of the fight to raise minimum wage to $15 an hour. MANUEL SILVA-PAULUS / CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Protesters hold ‘eulogy’ at U. for workers’ rights Manuel Silva-Paulus contributing writer
On Friday, Rutgers United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS) marched down College Avenue to deliver a “eulogy” for workers’ rights. The march was part of the “Fight for $15” campaign, a movement that is advocating for the minimum wage in New Jersey to be raised to $15 an hour. The “Fight for $15” campaign is carried out throughout more than 300 cities in the U.S. and 60 countries throughout the world on six
VOLUME 149, ISSUE 1 • University ... 3 • opinions ... 6 • science ... 8 • Diversions ... 9 • SPORTS ... BACK
different continents, according to its website. The protesters carried a coffin down the main drag of the College Avenue campus and played instruments to draw attention from bystanders. They also handed out flyers to passersby. A mock funeral procession was held to symbolize workers’ rights being dead at Rutgers, said Justin Valeroso, a School of Arts and Sciences junior. “We were just coming up with action ideas in our meetings and See rights on Page 4