TEXAS State’s appeal for revoking benefits for samesex couples’ employee benefits is unfair
Guerrilla GIRLS Two former members reminisce about art, posters and activism
SEE opinions, page 6
WRESTLING Rutgers will send seven seeded wrestlers to Indiana for Big Ten Championships
see culture, page 8
WEATHER Windy and sunny High: 49 Low: 27
SEE sports, back
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Transfer process for Mason Gross prioritizes skill level over credits Christian Zapata contributing writer
Students looking to transfer into the Mason Gross School of the Arts may experience more difficulty graduating on time than students applying to other schools at Rutgers. Mason Gross serves as the hub for the visual, theater and music departments at Rutgers with roughly 785 undergraduate students participating in different programs of study, ranging from jazz to painting, according to Petersons. With an acceptance rate of 21 percent, Mason Gross is consistently one of the most selective schools at Rutgers. Embodying less than 1 percent of the population here, it has become a highly sought out field of study, according to the school’s website. It is not more difficult transferring into the second year, said Kara Golden, director of Admissions for Mason Gross. What is difficult is transferring into the second year and starting as a second-year student.
There is an even playing field for students who transfer in, but the difference is that they still have to complete four years of study. This seems to be the deterrent for students as the real difficulty lies in transferring course work without adding additional time, Golden said. Mason Gross customizes its student’s schedules from day one, meaning that any student transferring in is required to make up that work, Golden said. Students in a program that involves ballet practice five days a week, for example, are expected to maintain a level of athleticism that a transfer student would struggle with. “That’s not to say that someone in a dance program at another conservatory is out of the question. If they have completed a year of study at a different university then they will most likely be accepted as a second-year student. It is the students who are taking liberal arts courses or only dancing twice a week that often lack the rigor we look for,” she said.
The decision process is not solely based on credits and weighs more heavily on how the applicant showcases their skill. A student who auditions at a sophomore level will be offered a spot in the sophomore class, and the same applies to all other majors, Golden said. There are two different populations here — transfer students within the Rutgers community and transfer students outside of it, Golden said. Often a student inside the community finds it harder to transfer into Mason Gross as opposed to a student that may have had exposure to these rigors elsewhere. “Many times we have students who want to transfer into Mason Gross and knew it from the beginning but lacked parental support. A lot of parents are scared to let their child pursue their passion of the arts, coupled with the wrong idea that they won’t make a career of it,” she said. Administrators often see students changing their career paths in order to please their parents, and then later realize that they made a mistake. It
As one of the most selective schools at Rutgers, the Mason Gross School of the Arts has unique stipulations for students transferring both internally and externally. ANA COUTO divides the student population into those who have support back home and those who do not, Golden said. In admissions, Golden said they do their best and explain to concerned parents the variety of different options post-graduate students have with an arts degree. More and more corporate companies are looking for creative people that do not have a degree in business.
Employees say uses of libraries have evolved Anushtha Mittal contributing writer
Rutgers libraries have become primary places for students to hang out with friends and indulge in group studies, whereas their original function — as places to check out and read books — has moved to online databases. Erin Fitzgerald, a Rutgers Business School junior and a lab consultant at Kilmer Library, said some people still use library books because they ask for help with research on circulation desks or scanning pages of books for projects. Graduate students and those who study certain subjects like law absolutely require books, so they often use library resources. But undergraduate students do not use books as much because everything can be found online, she said. “It is easier to get everything online so the Rutgers libraries have the online database system. No one wants to come to the library and spend all that time to find a book. If you can Google search something, you are going to do that over asking the librarian for help, looking through the stacks,” she said. Numerous resources like journals and articles are accessible
online on the libraries online database and it is very helpful for research. They have made hundreds of online resources available to students, paid for them so that they are accessible to all, she said. “But (the online system) can be tricky sometimes. Even classes go the library and have one of the librarians school you (on) how to search for stuff online. It just depends on what you are looking for if you know how to navigate around the searches. It depends on your technical skills,” she said. Libraries at Rutgers provides more than just books, as they are places where people can come together in between classes with a group of friends to study, work on projects, print or just relax after class, Fitzgerald said. “People are constantly printing. Everyone is here, studying and doing last minute work. Libraries are busiest in the middle of the day from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. There is a good crowd around 7 to 9 p.m. too. Usually, the night owls who like to study and do work at night. We, consultants, are on until midnight,” she said. Kasey Shneiderovsky, a School of Engineering sophomore and work-study employee at the circulation desk at Kilmer Library, said
Undergraduates have increasingly occupied library spaces for studying and socializing, while turning to online databases for reading materials. ANA COUTO students tend to get as many as 10 books, sometimes more, every time they are doing an in-depth research paper. Ph.D. students and graduate students visit libraries to get books often. Students also check out the recreational reading section offered by KiImer library frequently.
“We also have a reference desk. So a lot of kids use the internet for research but when they get stuck and they cannot access an article, they come into the library to talk to someone about how to use the database to get the resources they need. So internet does not bring down the
VOLUME 149, ISSUE 19 • University ... 3 • opinions ... 6 • culture... 8 • Diversions ... 9 • SPORTS ... BACK
The school had three recent graduates working for Yelp! and two for IBM who were hired because of their creativity, she said. “Students are taking a risk in some ways but I often tell them that they’re taking more of a risk in not pursuing it. What you risk in not pursuing your passion is a lifetime of unSee credits on Page 4
amount of students because they still come in for help,” she said. Online tools are convenient as long as students know how to use them. Students can find articles or books, order them from another library and then have them sent to Rutgers libraries. Computers in the library are also equipped with student software, Shneiderovsky said. “Recently I have been going (to the library) every day until two in the morning when they close. I don’t really use the books. I just go there for the quiet environment and to meet up my friends there. They have areas where you are able to collaborate,” said Camila Mejia, a School of Arts and Sciences sophomore. Libraries have a lot of computers which allow students to print for classes. There are rooms for group study where one could go with friends. Libraries are open until late in the night, which gives students enough time to finish off their work, she said. The libraries have a couple of laptops they lend out to students, but if they had more such rental services, it would be a lot more useful. Swiping a book out like in a vending machine instead of going to the front desk every time you need a book would make it more convenient, he said. “I usually come here to relax, sometimes use the computer. For Livingston, it is normally to use the leisure books. They have computers, they have leisure books. That’s pretty much everything you want,” said Jonathan Xiong, a School of Arts and Sciences junior.