mental illness Linking discriminatory behaviors to psychological disorders is wrong
recipes from rome Artichokes will soon be in season — savor this Italian-inspired recipe SEE food & drink, page 8
SEE opinions, page 6
MEN’S BASKETBALL Rutgers hosts Michigan in hopes of spoiling the Wolverines’ season
WEATHER Mostly cloudy and foggy at night High: 61 Low: 44
SEE sports, back
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Rutgers spends $750K to play at Yankee Stadium Marissa Scognamiglio contributing writer
The Rutgers University football and wrestling programs are solidifying their spots in the Big Ten Conference by kicking off the 2017 season competing at Yankee Stadium. This doubleheader of a wrestling match, followed by a football game against the University of Maryland that will take place on Saturday, Nov. 4, will cost Rutgers approximately $750,000 to rent the venue, said Pat Hobbs, Director of Athletics, in an email. Hobbs said that the agreement for the matchup to be played at Yankee Stadium was previously negotiated by the University’s former athletic administration, and so the current administration had decided to honor the agreement. Originally the match-up deemed “Battle in the Bronx,” was only to feature a football game, as the Scarlet Knights have played there three times since 2011. But Hobbs decided to take this historic event one step further for Rutgers this year by including a Big Ten Wrestling competition, the
first doubleheader of its kind to be held at Yankee Stadium, Hobbs said. Currently, for Rutgers students, 2017 season ticket packages will include six games to be played at High Point Solution Stadium, plus the Yankee Stadium game. “As the only FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) football program in the New York metropolitan area, and New York’s Big Ten team, this gives us an opportunity to partner with the Yankees, the greatest franchise in sports. The Yankees will promote this event throughout the summer and into the fall. That’s great for all of us at Rutgers,” Hobbs said. There has been much controversy over the decision to play at Yankee Stadium, with some season tickets holders preferring the game not be played in the Bronx, or including the game as part of the season ticket package, Hobbs said. “What I tell everyone is that we need you there. We need your unwavering support for Rutgers Football and our season ticket holders are our greatest supporters. Our most vocal support has come from
On Nov. 4, Rutgers’ football and wrestling teams are scheduled to compete at Yankee Stadium against the University of Maryland. The cost of renting out the venue is expected to amount to approximately $750,000. JEFFREY GOMEZ / PHOTO EDITOR folks who are both football and wrestling season ticket holders,” Hobbs said. “Last year’s NCAA Wrestling Tournament at MSG (Madison Square Garden) showed that there are thousands of wrestling fans in NYC. So we’ll get to show off one
of the best programs in the country and a fast improving football team.” The money for this event will come primarily from ticket and sponsorship revenues. Rutgers will be working closely with IMG to bring support to the event, Hobbs said.
U. refuses to raise postdoctoral wage to $47.5K Stephen Weiss associate news editor
In November, Rutgers administrators agreed to raise the minimum salary for postdoctoral employees, but they have since reneged on the deal. Enacted in May 2016, a change to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) raised the minimum
salar y for university postdoctoral employees across the countr y from $42,000 to approximately $47,500 a year. A Texas court subsequently issued a nationwide injunction on the ruling late in November, making the raise optional for universities. The Rutgers administration chose not to initiate the raise,
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) increased the national minimum salary for postdoctoral employees to $47,500, but Rutgers has chosen not to implement the raise. GRAPHIC BY WAYLEN GLASS / DESIGN EDITOR
which would have gone into effect on Dec. 1. The FLSA is a federal law containing provisions entitling all U.S. workers to overtime pay unless they are exempted because they are paid on fixed salaries, are engaged in executive, administrative or professional duties and get paid at least $23,660 a year, according to The New York Times. “With professionals, you assume they are working lots and lots of hours, you assume they are working more than 40 hours a week, so you want to make sure that they have (a) decent salary. And postdoctoral (employees) work enormous hours,” said David Hughes, president of Rutgers’ American Association of University Professors— American Federation of Teachers (AAUP-AFT). Around 40 percent of the schools af fected decided to honor the salar y raise immediately, but 40 percent decided to do so with a delay and about 8 to 10 percent reneged on the promise completely, he said. Rutgers is par t of that minority. Hughes said since Rutgers is paying its postdoctoral employees lower wages than other schools, it could potentially result in the University becoming less competitive in hiring them.
As for the football program, head coach Chris Ash and the Rutgers University football team are anxiously awaiting the historic event, as well as head wrestling coach Scott See stadium on Page 4
Board of Trustees plans to vote in new student member
“The best (postdoctoral employees), the most qualified ones, who have a choice of employers, will go to other places,” he said. Considering the sizable surplus from last year’s operating budget of about $800 million in unrestricted reserves, Hughes said there is no reason the administration should not be implementing this raise. “There’s a lot of money lying around this place and the cost of these raises, plus the overhead on the raises, is not more than $2 million,” he said. Given the cost of living in New Jersey and the fact that many of the University’s postdoctoral employees are raising families, the current minimum salary of $42,000 is not enough by a long stretch, Hughes said. “Students now majoring in chemistry, say, may find themselves as postdoctoral (employees) in as little as five years,” he said. “And then, students work with postdoctoral (employees), and postdoctoral (employees) often teach classes, so undergraduates have an interest in Rutgers’ ability to hire the best postdoctoral teachers and postdoctoral researchers and such.” In an email to Rutgers faculty from Vivian Fernandez, the senior
The Rutgers University Board of Trustees is looking for a new student charter member to ser ve a six-year term advising the school and helping to oversee some of its assets. The Board of Trustees advises the University and oversees assets that were built or acquired before 1956, said Kimberlee Pastva, secretary of the University, in an email. The board will accept nominations for students interested in the position until Friday, Feb. 24. Student Charter Trustees will have a range of responsibilities related to the board, she said. “This is a six-year term and Student Charter Trustees are expected to participate on the Board of Trustees even after graduation,” she said. “In addition, Student Charter Trustees should have a University-wide perspective to broadly represent all students rather than just one-degree program or school, shall serve as an ambassador for all of Rutgers, shall adequately prepare for and
See wage on Page 4
See member on Page 4
VOLUME 149, ISSUE 13 • University ... 3 • opinions ... 6 • food & drink ... 8 • Diversions ... 9 • SPORTS ... BACK
Nikhilesh De correspondent