Serving the Rutgers community since 1869. Independent since 1980.
WEATHER Mix of sun and clouds High: 39 Low: 28
RUTGERS UNIVERSITY—NEW BRUNSWICK
THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2016
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Aikido group teaches students self-defense NICK HUBER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The Rutgers community receives crime alerts of attacks and burglaries that occur around the neighborhood on a regular basis, but with Kokikai Aikido, a Japanese martial arts club, students can learn to protect themselves. Kokikai Aikido teaches the self-defense techniques of Shuji Maruyama, who founded this form of martial art. The club centers around the concept of “do no harm” and teaches counter-attacks to immobilize an attacker without harming them. The student-run club meets twice a week on Tuesday and Wednesday in the wrestling room of the College Avenue campus gym, said Izzat Bahadirov, an instructor in the program. The club does not learn aggressive techniques like in karate or Tae Dwon Do, said Sohyun Lee, the club’s treasurer and a School of Arts and Science sophomore. Aikido tries to teach its students to use the attacker’s balance against them so defenders can pin them down without harming anyone, she said. Kokikai is very relaxed and is not overbearing like other sport activities, Lee said. “When we practice, we pair off in twos,” Lee said. One (person is) the attacker and the (other is)
receiver would be the one practicing the actual moves.” Kokikai is more about coordination than physical strength, and therefore being athletic and having experience in martial arts is not necessary to join the program, Bahadirov said. The most important lesson he tries to teach to students is to find a peaceful way for conflict resolution, he said. Bahadirov is a second-degree black belt, the dojo leader and has been part of Kokikai Aikido for 12 years. “If somebody is trying to hurt you theoretically you have a moral right to retaliate, but aikido puts you in a position where you can harm a person back, but you choose not to,” Bahadirov said. “Instead, you gently drop this person to the floor or immobilize them and take over the situation.” The purpose of this is to make the attacker think trying to harm you was a bad idea, while at the same time, not harming the attacker, he said. “I joined because it was a great way to stay fit, but it wasn’t overbearing like other sport activities,” Lee said. “It’s not for people who want to compete in martial arts.” Cynthia Zheng, the club’s president and a School of Arts and Sciences sophomore, said aikido tries to teach four principles — to relax progressively, develop SEE DEFENSE ON PAGE 4
Franchise to open ‘Jersey Mike’s Subs’ on campus ROMAN GERUS CONTRIBUTING WRITER
This July, Jersey Mike’s Subs is coming to Rutgers University on College Avenue and Hamilton Street. Headquartered in Manasquan, New Jersey, Jersey Mike’s Subs has been on the rise and opening new
franchises. According to the company’s website, jerseymikes.com, there are more than 1,000 locations either open or under construction after 50 years of existence. Despite their large national reach, Jersey Mike’s is still in touch SEE CAMPUS ON PAGE 4
Jersey Mike’s Subs, a nation-wide chain of restaurants, will open a store at the Yard on the College Avenue campus. The chain first opened in 1956. DIMITRI RODRIGUEZ / PHOTO EDITOR
Project Night Night, hosted by Off-Campus Living and Learning Community Partnerships in conjunction with Give Where You Live, created care packages for homeless children, including security blankets. SAMANTA CASIMIR / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Project Night Night volunteers make care packages for homeless children JESSICA HERRING STAFF WRITER
More than 2.5 million children in America are homeless, according to the American Institutes for Research. This problem affects Rutgers neighborhoods of New
Brunswick, but students had the opportunity to help with “Project Night Night”. To help children who suf fer from homelessness, the Rutgers Of f-Campus Living and Community Par tnerships hosted Project Night Night on Tuesday at
8 p.m., where students created care packages. The goal of the event was to create free packages for homeless children with essentials including a security blanket, an SEE CHILDREN ON PAGE 5
Grease truck proprietor, customers discuss history of fat sandwiches CHRISTOPHER BOHORQUEZ AND NIKITA BIRYUKOV STAFF WRITERS
A man once had a vision — two cheeseburger patties smothered by lettuce, tomato, onions and french fries. In 1979, the “Fat Cat,” first of the fat sandwiches, was crafted in a grease truck at Rutgers. Since then, the line has expanded and ingrained itself as an unshakable facet of the Rutgers culture. A lone student, named Darrell Butler, spurred the expansion. In 1997, nearly 20 years after the creation of the “Fat Cat,” Butler, then a Rutgers sophomore, wanted something more. Tired of the same-old sandwich, Butler wanted to create his own sandwich, according to the New York Times. He convinced the owner to make the now famous “Fat Darrell,” a hulking beast made of chicken fingers and mozzarella sticks, topped with french fries, lettuce, tomato and marinara sauce. The sandwich quickly gained popularity on and off the Rutgers campuses and was honored as the nation’s top sandwich by Maxim Magazine in 2004. After seeing Butler’s name stapled to the sandwich, other students wanted to make a sandwich of their own,
The first fat sandwich was born in 1979 and remained the only such sandwich for nearly two decades, but now grease trucks like RU Hungry serve several varieties. EDWIN GANO / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER so the owners decided to create a set of rules and regulations so they could do just that — this is was the birth of the “Fat Sandwich Challenge.” At first, the challenge only required participants to eat three fat sandwiches in less than an hour. Too many students proved gluttonous enough to succeed, and the challenge
changed — now one must eat five fat sandwiches in less than 45 minutes, a challenge that proved to be too much for “Man vs Food’s” Adam Richmond, according to The Daily Targum. Of the nearly 300 people that have attempted the challenge, less SEE SANDWICHES ON PAGE 4
VOLUME 148, ISSUE 24 • UNIVERSITY ... 3 • OPINIONS ... 6 • CLASSIFIEDS ... 7 • ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT ... 8 • DIVERSIONS ... 9 • SPORTS ... BACK