rutgers business school Dress code for annual career fair is cause of concern
BODY POSITIVITY Pretty Big Movement performed and moved others toward self-love
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Thursday, february 16, 2017
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Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas speaks at student center Kira Herzog news editor
School of Arts and Sciences Senate Leader Christopher Markosian is working toward making Rutgers the first Big Ten school to recognize Election Day as a University holiday. FLICKR
Three years after earning the Pulitzer Prize for journalism, Jose Antonio Vargas publicly identified himself as an undocumented immigrant. Vargas first shared his story in a New York Times Magazine essay entitled “My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant” in 2011. In the piece, he spoke about coming to terms with his identity after learning, at 16-years-old, that his green card had been fabricated. Now, at 34, Vargas is a high-profile advocate and champion for both undocumented and LGBTQIA communities. “I’ve come out of the closet twice,” he said in front of the crowd in the
College Avenue Student Center on Wednesday afternoon. But despite possessing one of the most prestigious honors in journalism, Vargas remains at risk of being detained or deported due to his undocumented status. He recently moved out of his Los Angeles apartment to keep the permanent records from revealing his address, he said. He told The Daily Targum it is absolutely crucial for students to learn about immigration and take the issue into their own hands — particularly in the current political climate. “When I was arrested in Texas three years ago, I was detained for eight hours. Eight hours and then they released me. Now, I mean it might take weeks,” he said. “I’m prepared for that I’m just scared for
my family. My grandmother, who’s 78, she’s a U.S. citizen and she keeps telling me that maybe I’ve done enough and it’s time for me to go back to the Philippines.” Vargas said it has been 23 years since he last saw his mother. “I never planned on becoming a journalist,” Vargas said. “The only reason I became a journalist was because — you know how when you write a stor y you get a byline that says ‘by Jose Antonio Vargas’ — I thought that maybe, if I can’t be here legally because I don’t have papers, what if my name is on the paper?” Vargas’s appearance on Wednesday was part of the University’s fourth annual “Access Week” and See journalist on Page 5
Student aims to cancel classes on election day Chloe Dopico Associate News Editor
About 59 percent of eligible voters between the ages of 18 and 24 voted in the 2016 national election, according to Statistic Brain. One School of Arts and Sciences junior hopes to change this statistic by implementing a University holiday for national election day. Christopher Markosian, a School of Arts and Sciences Senate leader at-large, said he believes there are many reasons individuals between 18 and 24 did not vote in this past election, including time constraints, voting in inconvenient polling places and being out of town.
“All of these reasons apply to University students who, at the time of election, most likely do not reside at their permanent home addresses,” he said. In order to fix this issue, Markosian and School of Arts and Sciences sophomore and Senate Leader Julie Serrano proposed an amendment to the University academic calendar to designate any election day as a University holiday, with no classes held that day, Markosian said. He said the cancellation of classes would encourage students to vote and emphasize the importance of election day. See election on Page 5
Jose Antonio Vargas gave a keynote speech in the College Avenue Student Center as part of Access Week, an annual speaker series organized by Student Affairs. Vargas is an award-winning journalist, social activist and undocumented immigrant. KIRA HERZOG
Business School issues apology for barring students from career fair Nikhilesh De correspondent
Rutgers Business School Dean Lei Lei sent a statement to The Daily Targum apologizing for the dismissal of almost 40 students at the career fair last Friday for not meeting the dress code. Julian Perez
Rutgers Business School (RBS) Dean Lei Lei apologized on behalf of the school’s administration on Wednesday for turning away students at their career fair last Friday. The Office of Career Management will help students contact recruiters if they were unable to meet with them last week, she said in a statement to The Daily Targum. “We regret that the actions at last week’s career fair adversely affected some of our students and cast a
shadow over the success we have achieved in helping our students secure more meaningful internships and jobs,” she said. Rutgers Business School Director of Communications and Marketing Daniel Stoll said the school’s administrators will be revising the dress code guidelines, and that they would likely take in student input during this process. A change.org petition asked Business School Director Eugene Gentile to apologize to students, as well as for the school to revise its dress code.
VOLUME 149, ISSUE 8 • University ... 3 • opinions ... 6 • CULTURE ... 8 • Diversions ... 9 • SPORTS ... BACK
“Navy is the most popular color on Wall Street for suits. It is ver y unfortunate that students were turned away from the career fair for committing the crime of being fashionable,” according to the petition. “... RBS needs to recognize navy as appropriate business attire because the whole world already does.” Read the full statement below: The administration at Rutgers Business School apologizes to the students who were turned away See fair on Page 4