THE DAILY TARGUM
Volume 141, Number 101
S E R V I N G
T H E
R U T G E R S
C O M M U N I T Y
S I N C E
MONDAY MARCH 8, 2010
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Today: Sunny
OMAHA BOUND
High: 58 • Low: 33
D.J. Russo, Joe Langel and Daryl Cocozzo punched their tickets to the National Championships with strong showings at this weekend’s EIWAs.
Poll shows uncertainty in upcoming election DEVIN SIKORSKI
“We’re talking eight months before the elections in November, so it’s not surprising that many people don’t know who they are going to vote for,” Redlawsk said. “Most people just don’t think about politics.” In the five congressional districts held by Republicans, voters plan to vote for a Republican by a 25 to 40 percent margin. Meanwhile, in the eight congressional districts held by Democrats, voters intend to vote for Democrats by a 22 to 41 percent margin. “This suggests that unless a strong anti-incumbent campaign develops, independents may be mostly drawn to the party of their
BY CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Incumbent state Congress members currently face no fear of losing their seats this coming November, but there are still many independent voters who remain undecided, according to a poll by the University’s Eagleton Institute of Politics. The poll reported that New Jersey voters gave incumbents a 25 to 32 percent lead statewide when asked about voting for either their current Congress member or a challenger. David Redlawsk, a University political science professor and poll director, said at this point, it is not out of the ordinary for people to not know who they are going to vote for.
JODIE FRANCIS
Students shred to win the largest air guitar title ensemble Friday at the Louis Brown Athletic Center on Livingston campus. Though they did not break the record, proceeds will help music and art programs in New Brunswick.
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U. rocks out despite world record loss BY GLEN GABRIEL CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Boasting their red mohawks, concert T-shirts and studded belts and bracelets, University students, as well as several area residents, came to the Louis Brown Athletic Center on Livingston campus Friday prepared to put their air guitar skills to the test. While they had high hopes of breaking a world record for the largest air guitar ensemble, there were not enough people — even with a strong turnout — to break the existing Guinness World Record set at Brock University in Canada where more than 1,436
people gathered last September for an air guitar performance. Rutgers University Programming Association members were the principal organizers of the event. Other groups like Dance Marathon, Rutgers Athletics, Rutgers Dining, Rutgers Summer Session, the RU Sure? Campaign and the New Brunswick Campus Deans Office also helped. RUPA Vice President of Spirit and Special Events Alexandria Intravatola remains optimistic in light of the unsuccessful attempt. “Will I say this is a failure? Absolutely not,” Intravatola, a School of Arts and Sciences junior,
said. “This event was still successful for many people.” Senior Student Programs Coordinator Matthew Ferguson said the most important thing was that everyone had a good time. “All of you should be proud,” he told the crowd. “Everyone who came out had a great time and a fun night.” Even though the record went unbroken, there was a silver lining. Ever y attendee was asked to donate at least $5 to the cause — more than $4,000 will go toward music and arts programs for the New Brunswick School District.
SEE LOSS ON PAGE 4
INDEX UNIVERSITY Six dance groups battle head-to-head to win the top prize while fundraising for children with AIDS.
50
Too slowly — 52%
40 30 20
About right — 31%
Too quickly — 13%
Don’t know — 5%
10 0
Source: Eagleton Institute of Politics poll
* out of 869 polled
GRAPHIC BY TAYLERE PETERSON/ DESIGN EDITOR
A poll by the Eagleton Institute of Politics indicates that 57 percent of the president’s voters plan to vote Democratic in future elections.
BY JUSTINE D’SOUZA CONTRIBUTING WRITER
OPINIONS The firing of faculty at a Rhode Island high school sparks debate over quality of education. UNIVERSITY . . . . . . . 3 OPINIONS . . . . . . . . 8 DIVERSIONS . . . . . . 10 CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . 12 SPORTS . . . . . . BACK
DAILYTARGUM.COM
Based on Obama’s campaign slogan “change we can believe in,” N.J. registered voters were asked how fast things are changing. *
Community splashes into Passion Puddle clean-up
AWARENESS BASH
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SEE POLL ON PAGE 4
ISIAH STEWART
Students line up for dinner and dancing at “Live. Love. Be. HIV/AIDS Awarness Ball” Saturday at the College Avenue Gym.
With the official start of spring about a week away, more than 100 University students sprung into action Saturday morning to clean up Passion Puddle on the Cook campus, as part of New Jersey Public Interest Research Group Student Chapters’ Water Watch. Although the cleanup began at the man-made lake, it extended to the rest of the Cook/Douglass campus and to Route 18. A lot of trash accumulates in and around Passion Puddle because of runoff during the winter, said Eric Struble, event coordinator for New Jersey Community Water Watch. The cleanup helps get the area clean for the upcoming season. “We decided that this is the way to star t spring with a cleaner campus,” he said. Because Passion Puddle flows into the Raritan River, keeping it clean helps eliminate pollution in the Raritan itself, which is the 13th-most polluted river in the country, Struble said. “We are out here cleaning not only to beautify the Rutgers campus but also because we want to do our part to clean the Raritan River,” he said. “We could stop
the [pollution] problem before it even gets to the Raritan River.” School of Arts and Sciences firstyear student Edwin Olivas heard about the cleanup on Facebook and decided to attend to improve the cleanliness of the campus. “The cleaner [the campus] is, the better it is for us,” Lopez said. Others, like Sigma Kappa member Alexandra Menillo, participated as part of different University organizations. “One of our [sorority] sisters is involved with NJPIRG, and she was helping organize the cleanup, so we decided to support her,” said Menillo, a School of Arts and Sciences sophomore. “We live on this campus, so it’s convenient.” She said the Cook/Douglass campus is naturally beautiful and should be kept trash-free. “It’s a really pretty campus. There shouldn’t be trash,” Menillo said. Many clean-up workers also stressed the importance of maintaining Passion Puddle to help keep the campus trash-free. “I think Passion Puddle is an important part of Douglass and therefore needs to be taken care of,” said
SEE PUDDLE ON PAGE 4
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MARCH 8, 2010
DIRECTORY
T H E DA I LY TA R G U M
WEATHER OUTLOOK Courtesy of the Weather Channel TUESDAY HIGH 56 LOW 35
WEDNESDAY HIGH 54 LOW 39
THURSDAY HIGH 51 LOW 44
TODAY Sunny, with a high of 58° TONIGHT Mostly clear, with a low of 33°
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T H E D A I LY TA R G U M
UNIVERSITY
MARCH 8, 2010
PA G E 3
Dancers battle for bucks, AIDS awareness BY JESSICA URI CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Chaos stormed the dance floor Friday night as six groups popped, locked, dipped and twirled to compete for a $250 prize and the “Rutgers’ Best Dance Crew” title. Judges awarded first place to the 12-person, hip-hop style group Chaos Theory. Their performance — themed “Chaos Asylum” — literally leapt off the stage as some of the dancers ran into the audience during the dance. The Children’s AIDS Network, a student organization that works with the Robert Wood Johnson AIDS program, hosted the dance competition in the Rutgers Student Center on the College Avenue campus as part of its three-day AIDS awareness campaign. Inspired by the MTV show “America’s Best Dance Crew,” Justine Kim, president of the Children’s AIDS Network, said the group wanted to piggyback on the popularity of the show to gain publicity for the organization. “Dance is really popular, especially with the whole America’s Best Dance [Crew], and there are a lot of great dance groups at Rutgers,” Children’s AIDS Network co-Events Coordinator Ariel Lefkovith said. “We’ve done a talent show before where we’ve had a lot of great dance groups and we’ve seen the talent, so we thought we’d unify it into one theme.” The six groups danced to a variety of styles, including hiphop, jazz and belly dancing.
MARIELLE BALISALISA
Student dancers from all the participating groups bust a move at “Rutgers’ Best Dance Crew,” hosted by The Children’s AIDS Network to raise awareness for the disease. After each performance, the dancers received criticism from a four-judge panel on their originality, creativity, presentation, synchrony and overall impression. “I think you guys are fearless,” said judge Lauren Gibbs of the group’s performance, joking about the group’s off-stage antics. “You really went all the way there — all the way there, all the way here, all the way over there.” The piece was a compilation of old and new, said Chaos Theory dancer Stephanie Whitfield, a School of Arts and Sciences junior.
CALENDAR MARCH
10
Expand your horizons! Take a trip to the East with this celebration of Asian cultures and traditions at 7:30 p.m. in the Livingston Student Center. Spend your evening with exciting performances and cuisine from the University’s own student groups and local vendors representing Japan, China, the Philippines, India and other Asian countries. Supplies limited.
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School is out until March 21 for spring break! Enjoy the vacation!
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Students considering living in off-campus housing can learn their rights as a tenant at “Tenants’ Rights in New Jersey,” scheduled to be held from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in Room 410 of the Rutgers Student Center on the College Avenue campus. A guest speaker from the Housing Coalition of Central NJ will discuss topics regarding tenants, landlords, leases, security deposits and other issues regarding living off-campus. Visit ruoffcampus.rutgers.edu for more information.
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The exhibit, “Perspectives Through the Lens: Soviet Art Photography in the 1970s-80s,” ends today in the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum on the College Avenue campus. This collection presents a selection of more than 60 photographs from the Norton and Nancy Dodge Collection of Soviet Nonconformist Art by Francisco Infante, Vladimir Kupriyanov, Boris Mikhailov and Aleksandr Slyusarev, four major Soviet artists working with photography in 1970s and 1980s.
To have your event featured on www.dailytargum.com, send University calendar items to university@dailytargum.com.
Team leader Keenya Logan, a School of Arts and Sciences junior, said they put the dance together specifically for the competition, learning the entire dance in about two weeks. Logan said the group was extremely happy with its performance at the competition. “It felt great. We did great [and] we had a lot of fun,” she said. The other competitors included Verse One, the Rutgers Middle Eastern Belly Dance Troupe and RAPS Dance Troupe, a jazz-style trio.
Judge Jacque Burgering said she was impressed with the choreography of second-place team Team Technique. “There were so many different ... level changes,” Burgering said. “It was really interesting for me to watch — there was always something going on, and everybody was engaged all the time.” Even though they did not win, Verse One dancer Jessica Chan, a Rutgers College senior, said she enjoyed the opportunity to be judged because it will help the group’s future performances.
“Every single time we perform, all we hear is applause. We never really get critiqued, so it’s really awesome to get critiques so we know what we have to fix,” she said. “It’s another way for us to get better.” School of Arts and Sciences first-year student Erika Reyes could not decide which dance was her favorite. “It’s hard to compare, because there’s the traditional belly dancing and the more hip-hop dancing and the whole jazzy theater dancing,” she said. “It’s kind of hard to pick because they’re all so different.” All proceeds from the competition will go directly to children with AIDS to help defray the cost of necessities like groceries, rent and bills, Kim said. “When you have a child with HIV/AIDS, there’s a lot of emotional burden, financial burden, physical burden, social burden,” she said. “What the [Children’s AIDS Network] does is address those needs any way they can, whether through programs or events or even through financial means.” The organization also hosts benefit concerts, a Christmas party for the kids and their families, and a Halloween party, Kim said. Roseanne Marone, program coordinator for the Robert Wood Johnson AIDS program, said her organization is extremely grateful for the efforts of the Children’s AIDS Network in assisting children affected by the virus. “We cannot express the amount of appreciation we have for CAN,” Marone said.
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MARCH 8, 2010
U NIVERSITY
T H E DA I LY TA R G U M
PUDDLE: More than 100 show up to support intiative continued from front Lizethe Martinez, a School of Arts and Science first-year student. School of Arts and Sciences sophomore Nisha Patwardhan said animals living on campus would benefit as well, as they will not be surrounded by trash and can live a healthier lifestyle. Struble said the event was both successful and helped to gain
LOSS: U. will attempt to break more records in future continued from front The real point of the night was not necessarily to break a record, but to raise money for a good cause and help some needy children, said Youna Cho, a Rutgers Business School sophomore. “It’s all for the kids,” said Cho, a Dance Marathon member. “We do all of this for them. [RUDM is] all about helping the kids.” When the doors of the RAC opened at 7 p.m., participants flooded into the arena, while a Guinness adjudicator stationed at the entrance took a head count and stamped attendees’ hands.
awareness for NJPIRG’s Water Watch program and its initiatives. “We try to bring attention to the pollution that affects our waterways,” he said. Despite some minor problems, Str uble said students seemed to enjoy spending time making the campus a little cleaner. “The biggest success is that 115 people came out on a Saturday morning to show that they cared about their environment and their campus,” he said. “I’m thrilled about it.” The N Result played a mixture of original and cover songs. The band’s cover of Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer” prompted the crowd to scream out the lyrics. Lance “The Shred” Kasten also made an appearance to show participants the air guitar moves they needed to perform, as attendees in the RAC followed his cues and mimicked playing the guitar. After the attempt, Guinness representatives announced the record still belonged to Canada, which was followed by a unified chant of “U.S.A.!” along with stomping feet. Free commemorative T-shirts, glow bracelets and necklaces were available to all those who attended. The University may attempt to break another record next year, Intravatola said.
Holodak said the congressional elections in November are important for students. students indifferent to politics especially “If you look at the protests happening in California over colcontinued from front lege tuition hikes, students need to know that it was Congress incumbent congressman, but who made such a thing possithere are risks for Democrats in ble,” he said. the current environment,” Like Holodak, Rutgers according to the poll. College senior Holden also The danger lies in the fact that believes more students need to only 57 percent of those who become aware of politics. voted for President Barack Obama “No matter what side of the plan to vote for a Democrat, while spectrum you come from, these 75 percent of those who voted for issues will affect our lives,” Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., intend Holden said. “I think they don’t to vote Republican. attribute the election with any Of the amount of registered significance. However, students voters that approve of the presishould know what’s going to hapdent’s job performance, 51 perpen with their future.” cent said they will vote Holden also admits that poliDemocratic in the 2010 congrestics might be put sional elections. on the back burnUltimately, 20 percent of the 953 “People think they er for many students because for adults polled said are wasting their some, it is not the they were unsure of how they will time with politics, most important part of their life. vote and 10 percent but that’s just not “I think that do not plan to vote because the at all. the case.” burdens of This air of uncerbeing a college tainty and apathy is RON HOLDEN student are so not just present in Rutgers University College great, it is a litNew Jersey adults, Republicans President tle challenging but in college stufor students to dents as well. keep up on politics,” he said. Redlawsk said students should “Most of the people my age just be more aware because the conseem not to care.” gressional decisions affect not Holodak expressed the same just adults, but everybody. opinion. He said University stu“Ultimately, the U.S. dents do not get involved Congress makes many policies, because it is not a good use of like student loans,” he said. their time. “Whoever gets elected to “People think they are wastCongress has a huge effect on ing their time with politics, but what happens in this country.” that’s just not the case,” he Increasing political awaresaid. “There is a need for stuness at the University is a comdents to be more vocal about mon goal for both Rutgers their ideals.” Democrats President Alex Despite the par tisanship Holodak and Rutgers University happening in Washington D.C., College Republicans President Holodak and Holden are teamRon Holden. ing up to make politics a bigHolodak, a School of Arts and ger issue. Sciences senior, said politics can Holodak said acting solely be a painful process, but students in a partisan manner just does should pay attention. not work. “I think it is a lot to grasp, and “We’ll do loop-meetings with there are a lot of issues out there,” Ron and try to come together on he said. “However, it is the job of topics,” Holodak said. “We’ll fight our politicians and officials about certain issues, but then statewide to make this information we’ll hang out afterwards.” as clear and articulate as possible.”
POLL: Survey indicates
T H E DA I LY TA R G U M
Alumnus inspires first-ever HIV ball BY YASMEEN FAHMY CONTRIBUTING WRITER
In an effort to make more people aware about children and families coping with HIV/AIDS, hundreds of students came to the College Avenue Gym to dine and dance Saturday at the first annual “Live. Love. Be. HIV/AIDS Awareness Ball.” More than $1,000 in donations will go to the AIDS Resource Foundation for Children in Newark, an organization founded in 1985 to provide cost-effective and familycentered ser vices to children and families affected by HIV/AIDS. The organization of fers a variety of programs through their Web site. Event Coordinator Corey Bates was thrilled to see the event come to fruition. Seeking to fulfill a friend’s wish, Bates said it was important for him to do ever ything to make the event possible. “I think it’ll definitely make people more aware,” said Bates, a Rutgers College senior. The ball, inspired by Akirah Massenburg, a University alumnus and friend of Bates, drew in a diverse crowd ranging from first-year students to seniors. To keep the awareness spreading outside the ballroom doors, the planning committee arranged takehome bags filled with informational packets and resources pertaining to HIV/AIDS. The turnout exceeded the planning committee’s expectations and sparked conversation about what Bates felt is generally a taboo subject. “We’re tr ying to find a way as a whole to better the future of our society,” said Doug Park, the event’s sales and revenue coordinator. Annie Chen, director of development at the AIDS Resource Foundation for Children, noted the importance of not only being aware, but also sharing information on protecting oneself and others. School of Arts and Sciences junior Marianne DePadua said she was glad to support a good cause. “There’s a bigger world out there, and there [are] so many things that we as people should know about and care about,” she said. Mark Inverso, a Rutgers Business School sophomore, said the event was promoted well and the dance and dinner aspects of the event were great ways to draw in students. “It sounded like a good cause, so I decided to just come out and have a good time,” he said. Bates hopes to pass the legacy of this awareness ball down to his younger committee colleagues and plans to attend next year. The committee hopes to start planning for the next ball as soon as possible.
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MARCH 8, 2010
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T H E DA I LY TA R G U M
MARCH 8, 2010
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Need for speed
MARIELLE BALISALISA
NICHOLAS BRASOWSKI
The Rutgers University Cycling Team hosted the spring season’s first race this weekend in the Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference. More than 600 registered riders from the New England region participated in three different events throughout the weekend. About 20 members of the University’s cycling team participated in the event.
NICHOLAS BRASOWSKI
MARIELLE BALISALISA
NICHOLAS BRASOWSKI
NICHOLAS BRASOWSKI
T H E D A I LY TA R G U M
OPINIONS
PA G E 8
MARCH 8, 2010
EDITORIALS
Firing faculty necessary
P
resident Barack Obama’s harsh educational reforms have come under fire as of late and while some may say firing faculty at public institutions is an unproven method of helping education, we believe reform is needed in order to truly increase school value. In the case of one underperforming Rhode Island school, the board of education decided to fire all of the teachers due to poor test results in prior years. The decision to fire the 93 teachers has come under great critique as the $3.5 billion federal school aid program gets started, according to The New York Times. Teaching has slowly but surely been turning into just another profession or job until a real career comes through. The sad truth is that many public school teachers do not put in the same effort as they did decades ago. The situation is even grimmer when it comes to underprivileged schools and the children who attend them. If those kids who grow up in the inner slums of cities are not given proper educational opportunities from the start, the likelihood to succeed decreases with age, and the lack of dedicated instructors will only deepen their hardships. While trying not to get too into the political aspect of the problem, former President George W. Bush’s No Child Left Behind debacle only attempted to get students, suited for grade promotion or not, through the system and on to high school graduation. Obama’s plan, however, is an example of quality education reform, rather than the supposedly fair-for-all temporary solution of letting underperforming children and excelling students graduate at an arm’s length of each other. And with the addition of a federal school turnaround of $3.5 billion, Obama’s support for nixing poor faculty only serves to eliminate those who do not qualify for funding. The Central Falls, R.I., school that has become one of several locations of debate saw a mere 7 percent of kids passing their 11th grade state math exams. Therefore, the decision to fire those 93 teachers is valid, as the district, state or federal administration had to put its foot down on educational reform. After all, even in poor school districts, teachers are some of the highest paid figures and if the ultimate goal is to receive a paycheck, then the reason for teaching and the system itself has only reversed from times when education was a priority. Underperformance is the instructor’s fault, and if a passion for teaching is not his or her top priority, then funding from the federal government should be in no way a method of escape for schools.
Scientology saps logic
W
ars are led over conflicting beliefs and new religions are invented and subjected to criticism seemingly every other day. In the case of the Church of Scientology, millions of dollars and other methods of support from celebrities have gone to a religion that is almost solely based on a 1954 science fiction novel by L. Ron Hubbard. Now, in The New York Times, a story was published of two members of the organization running the Church of Scientology who quit after working for the company for 13 years. And while we are unable to trace the origins of any major religion to its absolute founding cores, the 1950s are close enough to see the flaws of Scientology. This begs the question: What is the difference between this organization and an investment-based cult? Former members Christie King Collbran and her husband Chris, were required to sign a billion-year-long contract committing them to work based on their belief of immortality. Sea Organization, the company behind the Church of Scientology, worked them seven days a week, while paying the couple sporadic sums of $50 a week. Why then do people continue to expand this relatively new belief? Perhaps it is the mystery and innovation of the religion that drags celebrities such as John Travolta and Tom Cruise in. The Sea Org. was accused of putting pressure on members to have abortions and even beat some during planned meetings. The majority of members of course remain ignorant of the issues behind the curtains, but with the spreading resignations of members, even the majority sees the faults within this controversial religion. Morals and values appear to have escaped the massively funded corporation that is pulling the strings of the Church of Scientology. Overworking and underpaying its employees, while a case in many other areas of society, cannot be a core aspect of one of the most successful churches as of late. Headquarters around the world, from Rome to Dallas, are also proof of members’ misguided donations to something that has no clear purpose or benefit to society. And while perhaps the founding values of this church were not identical to today’s display of wealth and cult-like rituals, there is something fundamentally wrong with founding a religion after a 1950s science fiction publication. Christianity and Islam, while they both have oppositions and supporters, were founded in times of world civilizations’ development and were ways of protecting oneself against faulty government. The Sea Org. though is simply a corporation that depends on the wealth of the individual members and a book published by a man who has long been dead. The religion is simply based on book sales and celebrity endorsements. Pushing the sales of “Dianetics,” Hubbard’s book, is just another core value of a religion unneeded by modern people.
QUOTE OF THE DAY “I think you guys are fearless ... You really went all the way there — all the way there, all the way here, all the way over there.” Lauren Gibbs, Rutgers’ Best Dance Crew judge, on Chaos Theory’s first-place finish STORY IN UNIVERSITY
MCT CAMPUS
FairTax lacks practicality
T
because unlike the progressive he tea party patriots’ income tax, the FairTax affects movement claims to all individuals at the same rate be united by core for their consumption, regardvalues expressed in the less of their income. Whether nation’s founding docuthey would see it as practical ments, such as the Federalist though is debatable. In Papers. T.E.A. is an acronym “Federalist No.31,” Alexander that stands for taxed enough BEN WEST Hamilton explains: “A governalready. Many tea party patriment ought to contain in itself ots have called for fundamenevery power requisite to the full accomplishment of the tal tax reform, demanding that the nation’s progresobjects committed to its care ... the federal government sive federal income tax be replaced with the must of necessity be invested with an unqualified power “FairTax,” which is a federal retail sales tax. Taxing of taxation in the ordinary modes.” consumption, assert many members of the tea party, In “Federalist No.12,” Hamilton stated that duties is more fair and practical than a progressive income collected on foreign goods would provide the federtax that unfairly burdens more than it burdens others. al government with enough revenue to fulfill the But are these calls for reform truly in line with what duties assigned to it by Constitution and by legislathe founding fathers wanted? Would the founders tion. This may have been true during the late 1700’s, lampoon a progressive, federal income tax, and would but it is unlikely that such a revenue stream would they believe that the FairTax is a fairer and a more be sufficient to fund the activities of the federal govpractical solution? ernment today. From its extensive court system to The Federalist Papers elucidate what some of the its sophisticated military equipment, and from tax founding fathers may have had to say about the tea incentives for home owners to the funding of the party’s movement against a progressive, federal nation’s present-day criminal justice income tax. In “The Federalist No.10,” system, the modern American state James Madison makes it quite clear “The FairTax affects simply requires much more funding that he believes those who lack propthan it did in 1787, when the erty or who have relatively little propall individuals at Constitution was adopted. erty are a powerful faction that will outReplacing a progressive, federal number, and may seek to oppress, the same rate for income tax with the FairTax would be those who have acquired more propertheir consumption, likely to result in a drastic loss of revty as a result of their superior faculties. enue that the federal government He claims the most powerful faction regardless of depends upon to meet its obligations. will prevail in a dispute, resulting in the their income.” The FairTax seeks to ensure that no oppression of the more propertied: American pays federal taxes on “The apportionment of taxes on varispending up to the poverty level and ous descriptions of property, is an act then only pays taxes for consumption of retail goods which seems to require the most exact impartiality; after that point. According to economist Paul yet there is, perhaps, no legislative act in which Anthony Samuelson, the reality is that spending on greater opportunity and temptation are given to a preconsumption goods sees a significant increase dominant party, to trample on the rules of justice. upward until family income is between $40,000 and Every shilling with which they overburden the inferi$60,000. Families with incomes below this point tend or number, is a shilling saved to their own pockets.” to spend all of their income on the consumption of Madison ultimately believes that this danger will be these goods, but those with incomes above this point averted under the American form of government tend to devote a greater percentage of their income to because of the many interests that compose it, its sysconsumption of luxury goods and saving, which tem of checks and balances and its separation of powers. begins to rise as income continues to rise. This statement strongly suggests though, that he would Thus, the FairTax may effectively reduce the look at a progressive income tax as tyranny by the amount of taxes that are collected from the very majority. Madison was not opposed by taxes levied by wealthy as they save their incomes and pass on their the federal government; in the U.S. Constitution and the wealth, which would go relatively untouched by the Federalist Papers No. 12, 31 and 32, he and the other FairTax plan, which also eliminates gift, estate and capfounding fathers make it quite clear that the government ital gains taxes. This may be especially dangerous concould levy taxes directly and indirectly. However, sidering the extent to which wealth is concentrated in “Federalist No.10” suggests that Madison and the other this nation. According to sociologist G.William Founding Fathers were opposed to taxes that differenDomhoff, as of 2007, the top 1 percent of households tially impacted those who owned the most property. The founders would perhaps be likely to agree with SEE WEST ON PAGE 9 those in the tea party’s claim that the FairTax is fairer
The Red Lion
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OPINIONS
T H E DA I LY TA R G U M
Speed dating sparks interest journalism and media studies. Upon asking her what had originally brought her to the event, she told MICHAEL SCHWAB me earnestly that it just seemed s a University student, the like a fun idea. To the question of flyer for the “Speed Dating whether she was actively looking at Rutgers” event first for romance, she simply stated that caught my eye for its simplicity: A she was here to go with the flow, chance to undertake a diverse, and whatever connections she comprehensive dating journey for made she would pursue naturally the price of just one can of non-perlike any other. I realized then how ishable food. Put on last month by similar her philosophy concerning the student-run Rutgers University this whole idea was to mine. She Programming Association, the seemed excited to be making subspeed-dating event and others like it stantial interactions with new peohave been uniting unsuspecting ple in a school where that can be an lovers on campus for years now. intimidating goal. This is a complex romantic era Our two-minute chat session for college students everywhere. was over before we knew it, as I Young adults are exposed to a wide rotated to the next girl in the cirworld of quick, loose sexual culture cle. I repeated this process about and incentives to join it from mass 20 times that night and I generalacceptance and media plugs. In a ly found the same thing. The girls setting where students have the that I talked to were some of the opportunity, and are even encourmost genuine, brightest people aged, to get inebriated and engage I’ve met in passing during my two physically with each other, this datyears here at the University. ing event in context was so innocent My only complaints were ones and direct. shared by the rest Seeing the event of the group. The “... she simply stated music was a little flyer all over campus suggested a loud. The musithat she was here to too feeling of unanimity cal fare that night that isn’t always go with the flow ...” consisted of sugary apparent at the pop songs from the University. For a ’90s, which proschool that has just about every duced a somewhat nauseating nationality, we are not always in effect after two hours. tune with each other, and the diverIt seemed that much of RUPA’s sity can have as much of an isolatwork was geared toward making ing effect as a unifying one. The the participants feel less awkward. problem isn’t racism, but awkwardBut as I said, that was hardly a ness, inability to communicate, fear problem for us. As for me, and I or misunderstanding. It was assume for the rest of the crowd as refreshing to me, then, that stuwell, I would have preferred some dents were being encouraged to lounge piano and darker lighting. participate in an event that wasn’t All physical details aside, I tied to one particular group. think that this RUPA speed-dating Walking into the familiar event was a positive, productive Rutgers Student Center’s way to spend a Saturday night. It’s Multipurpose Room on the College refreshing to find people excited Avenue campus, the balloon-decoby meeting others with different rated dating set projected a noninterests and attitudes, not to threatening environment. At a little mention breaking boundaries before 8 p.m., anxious speed-daters incited by the cliquey dynamic of begin to take their places in two the school. Although my journalareas, each comprised of a circle istic intentions barred me from within a circle: Girls sat stationary, receiving any numbers for a facing a soon-to-be-rotating cast of Valentine’s Day date, I come from boys. It was somewhat awkward at the event knowing that if I really first, waiting for the game to start, need to get one for next year, I can but the crowd seemed excited to still do it the old-fashioned way. begin making connections. My first speed-dating partner Michael Schwab is a School of was Jade, a sophomore majoring in Arts and Sciences sophomore.
Letter
A
WEST continued from page 8 owned 34.6 percent of all privately held wealth, and the next 19 percent had 50.5 percent, which means that just 20 percent of the people owned a remarkable 85 percent of all wealth. This left only 15 percent of the wealth for the bottom 80 percent. In terms of income, the top 1 percent of income earners received 21.3 percent of all income in the year 2003, while the next 19 percent received 38.6 percent, and the bottom 80 percent received 38.6 percent. While the founding fathers would be likely to deride the progressive federal income tax as tyrannical it is unlikely that they would accept the FairTax as a viable alternative. Indeed, Hamilton, in “Federalist No.12,” claimed that: “A nation cannot long exist without revenue. Destitute of this essential support, it must resign its independence and sink into the degraded condition of a
province. This is an extremity to which no government will of choice accede. Revenue there must be had at all events.” As much as they were concerned with taxes that did not oppressively drain the rich of their resources, they were equally concerned with creating a strong and well-funded national government. These were their priorities as the founding fathers, and if they were given the opportunity to consider the costs of a modern government and the concentration of wealth in American society, they would perhaps ask the tea party activists to go back to the drawing board to conceive of a plan that would effectively supply the government with the revenues that it needs without differentially taxing the more propertied classes. Ben West is a Rutgers College senior majoring in political science. His column “The Red Lion” runs on alternate Mondays. He welcomes feedback at benwest@eden.rutgers.edu.
MARCH 8, 2010 9
T H E D A I LY TA R G U M
DIVERSIONS
PA G E 1 0
Horoscopes / LINDA C. BLACK
Pearls Before Swine
MARCH 8, 2010
STEPHAN PASTIS
Today's birthday (3/8/10). This year you feel driven to accomplish more with the opportunities you are given. Find time each day to dream in solitude. Then, carry those dreams into the world of partnership. Share your ideas. If necessary, draw them into your private space to share inspiration. To get the advantage, check the day's rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging. Aries (March 21-April 19) — Today is a 6 — Obsess early in the day. Get it out of your system. Then accept a challenge to change the way others view your work. They don't need to understand your motivation. Taurus (April 20-May 20) — Today is a 7 — Logic compels you to demand substance from your co-workers. They have little desire for anything but fantasy. Try not to demand compliance today. Gemini (May 21-June 21) — Today is a 6 — Social contacts obsess over tiny details. Create a different perspective in which minutiae blend into the bigger picture. Agreement will follow. Cancer (June 22-July 22) — Today is a 5 — Don't fuss when associates continue to brainstorm and you prefer action. You can't do it all today anyway. Plan it for tomorrow. Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) — Today is a 6 — You worry about the plan that was made long ago. Can everyone attend? Go ahead, even if someone calls in sick. You don't want to delay. Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — Today is a 6 — Your partner is out thinking up ways to spend the money. Hopefully you've established a budget beforehand.
Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) — Today is an 8 — Circumstances allow you to either fall in love, increase the power of a current relationship, or direct your passion into growing your beauty. Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) — Today is an 8 — Although you obsess about creative elements in the design, the overall project holds together nicely. Associates polish up the appearance. Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) 2 — Today is a 7 — You want it all: love, recognition and responsibility. Well, maybe not so much responsibility. Take every action necessary to move it forward. Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — Today is a 7 — It's a good thing that you enjoy your work, because today the pressure's on to get more done in less time. Relax in order to get into the flow. Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) — Today is an 8 — Although the ball's in your court, there's a lot of action on the other side. Take care of your responsibilities and leave others to theirs. Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Today is a 7 — If your feelings aren't already pinned to your sleeve, wear them proudly. You can't hide them anyway. Earlier efforts bear fruit.
Dilbert
Doonesberry
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MARCH 8, 2010
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WILEY
Jumble
H. ARNOLD & M. ARGIRION THAT SCRAMBLED WORD GAME
Unscramble these four Jumbles, one letter to each square, to form four ordinary words.
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Ans: A
“
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© PUZZLES BY PAPPOCOM
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”
OF
(Answerstomorrow) Monday) (Answers Jumbles: PARTY GOOSE EXHORT AERATE Jumbles: FOIST LUCID EMERGE REDUCE the team diner felt saidwhen whentheir the server sprinkled Answer: How the coach growled Answer: What cheese — THAT’S “GRATE” at themon all the daypasta — DOG-TIRED
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T H E DA I LY TA R G U M
OMAHA: Knights finish
reach the podium at the EIWA tournament. “They did a great job of bouncsixth in conference tourney ing back,” he said. “They gave themselves an opportunity to get continued from back an at-large bid. It really depends on what happens around the counthing is to get that spot into the try. If there are no major upsets national tournament.” elsewhere, they should be fine.” Langel’s impact on the RU Junior David Greenwald and lineup is something that caught sophomore Trevor Melde also the eye of his coach. reached the podium this week“Awesome,” said Goodale of end, making a total of eight Langel’s performance this season. Knights who placed in their own “It’s hard to do what he has done, weight-class — the most in and I knew that he was capable of school history since 2004. it. If you look at the final top-33 he As a team, the is going to have Knights finished seven or eight wins over guys in the “I’m definitely both sixth with 87 points. Cornell tournament. He’s nervous and excited came in first with pretty special and 160.5 points. he is going to get a now. Hopefully ... “I don’t pay too whole lot better.” it’ll work out ... much attention to With a handful team score of at-large bids still and I can punch my the here,” Goodale available, three said. “There are Knights still hold ticket to Omaha.” teams here that we onto hope to join DAN RINALDI have beaten in the their teammates in Redshirt Freshman regular season, but the Midwest. they just have Senior Lamar great individuals Brown, sophomore who will be All-Americans and Greg Zannetti and redshirt freshnationals champs.” man Dan Rinaldi are all next on the Junior Billy Ashnault had a list in their respective weight-classtough weekend in his first EIWA es should they be granted an extra tournament. The Lock Haven transbid to the tournament. fer entered as the third seed, but The wild card bids are to be was eliminated on Saturday when drawn today. he dropped his first two matches. “I’m definitely both nervous “It just comes down to who is and excited right now,” Rinaldi the better wrestler these two said. “Hopefully in the end it’ll days. It shows here. Some people work out in my favor and I can have good days, and some have punch my ticket to Omaha.” bad days. It happens to everyWhether their tickets to the one,” Langel said. “He’s upset, Big Dance are punched, Goodale but in these types of tournais happy at the way these ments, anyone can beat anyone.” wrestlers overcame adversity to
S PORTS
MARCH 8, 2010
13
14
S PORTS
MARCH 8, 2010
EFFORT: Pitt dominates on glass in resounding victory continued from back lead. The game was effectively over after that. Rutgers didn’t help itself, shooting a dreadful 6-of-22 in the first half. At intermission, the Knights trailed 40-16 — a season-low scoring total for a half. The final 29-point margin was the largest ever against Pitt, surpassing a January 1972 defeat by 26 digits. “I’ve been afraid of this because we’ve played guys a ton of minutes the second half of the season,” Hill said. “We had a quick turnaround coming off the Seton Hall game with one game to prepare and this was
my worst nightmare come true. We just have to let it go and move on.” The Panthers followed the formula beating the Knights by pounding them on the glass. Pitt won the rebounding battle 41-24, including 17 offensive rebounds that led to 17 second-chance points. Freshman forward Dante Taylor had six of the offensive boards — the same number as the entire RU team. The Knights fell to 1-9 on road and 1-8 in Big East games away from the Louis Brown Athletic Center. “Teams that are terrific win on the road,” Hill said. “When you look at the bottom of the league, the reason those teams are in the bottom of the league is they don’t win on the road. I don’t think it’s anything with us. As we continue to
T H E DA I LY TA R G U M
grow, get better players and build the program, you learn to win on the road.” Sophomore guard Mike Rosario finished with a team-high 14 points. Freshman forward Dane Miller, whom Hill endorsed for the league’s Rookie of the Year struggled mightily, and Hill benched him for a long stretch of the second half. Frustration boiled over during a second half timeout when junior guard Mike Coburn, who dropped 10 points, yelled at his teammates. “It is extremely disappointing,” said N’Diaye, who moved within two blocked shots of tying Roy Hinson’s school-record 355. “I expected better, especially at this point in the season. We didn’t play as a team at all and that’s something I would expect at the beginning of the season.”
The Department of Economics presents a lecture by
Jeffrey Miron Senior Lecturer and Director of Undergraduate Studies Department of Economics Harvard University
“The Economics of Drug Legalization” Monday, March 8 7:30 p.m. Multipurpose Room Busch Campus Center This lecture is presented with the support of The Class of 1970
NICHOLAS BRASOWSKI
Freshman forward Austin Johnson played 17 minutes and scored 12 points, one shy of his career-high, in the Knights’ loss at Pitt.
Weekend games set date with Cincy at Garden BY STEVEN MILLER SPORTS EDITOR
PITTSBURGH — The Rutgers men’s basketball team has a second chance at beating Cincinnati tomorrow night in KNIGHT the openNOTEBOOK ing round of the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden. The Bearcats topped the Knights by seven in their conference opener which kick-started an eight-game losing streak to open Big East play. “Going into the tournament, I think everyone is reenergized,” said head coach Fred Hill Jr. “It’s the greatest conference tournament in the countr y, greatest venue in the country. To play in Madison Square Garden, I think everyone kind of digs deeper.” After starting the season 6-0, including an impressive showing in the Maui Invitational, the Bearcats earned a top-25 ranking but dropped out and lost seven of their last nine games. Following the Knights’ 83-54 loss to Pittsburgh Saturday, their postseason opponent depended on the outcome of Seton Hall’s matchup with Providence. A third contest with the Hall in as many weeks was a possibility, but the Pirates won and the 14th-seeded RU drew No. 11-seed Cincinnati. The Panthers clinched the No. 2 seed in the Big East Tournament after West Virginia beat Villanova earlier in the day.
said. “If you want to look at the bright spot, you have to look at Austin Johnson. He got to play at his more natural position in the post, and he responded extremely well, which is a good sign.” Noticeably absent for much of the second half was classmate Dane Miller. The forward played 13 minutes in the first half, but just seven in the second. The Big East Rookie of the Year contender — an award that will be announced Monday — scored three points with three rebounds in the contest. He averaged 31.5 minutes, 12.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per conference game entering the matchup with Pitt. “You talk about Dane as a freshman, he never really hit the proverbial freshman wall either mentally or physically,” Hill said, before attributing struggles to the quick turnaround from Thursday’s Seton Hall game.
PITT
IMPROVED UPON ITS
AUSTIN
impressive record at the Petersen Events Center with the Senior Day victory. The Panthers are now 132-11 at the almost eight-year-old facility, which featured a sold-out crowd of 12,508. The Knights delivered one of those 11 losses in a 2007 upset. As the game wound down, the Pitt student section, more affectionately known as the Oakland Zoo, chanted for walk-on senior Tim Frye, who played one minute in the Big East. Both teams cleared their benches, as Frye and the Knights sophomore walk-ons Mike Kuhn and Tomasz Kokozinski each played at least four minutes.
Johnson had his most productive game of the season — a result of playing at his natural power forward position rather than center, where he receives minutes just to spell senior center Hamady N’Diaye. The 6-foot-8, 230-pounder scored 12 points, one shy of his career-high 13 against NJIT, and grabbed two rebounds in 17 minutes against Pittsburgh. “I played a lot of different guys in combinations I wouldn’t,” Hill
FORMER KNIGHTS’ offensive lineman and current Pittsburgh Steeler Darnell Stapleton was in attendance for the game. “It’s tough to watch your alma mater take it like this, but I’m a Rutgers guy through and through and I’m going to be for the rest of my life,” the Union native said. “It hurts to see it, but I know they’ve had better days.”
FRESHMAN
FORWARD
S PORTS
T H E DA I LY TA R G U M
MARCH 8, 2010
15
Mountaineers await in semifinals BY SAM HELLMAN CORRESPONDENT
ANDREW HOWARD/ SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Sophomore forward Chelsey Lee (34) finished last night’s victory over No. 12 Georgetown with 17 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks.
TOURNEY: Knights overcome first-half struggles continued from back As explosive as they were against Cincinnati in the second round of the tournament, the Knights (21-13, 11-7) came out completely flat, missing their first seven shots — exactly as they did in Januar y vs. Georgetown (25-7, 13-4). RU looked out of sor ts, turning the ball over, never settling into an of fensive rhythm,
T
he Rutgers baseball team suffered a sweep this weekend at the hands of No. 4 Georgia Tech.
T HE
R UTGERS
MEN ’ S
lacrosse team beat St. Joseph’s 15-6 Saturday, avenging last year’s three-goal loss to the Hawks.
THE
RUTGERS
gymnastics team finished second in a tri-meet at Cornell, posting a season-high score of 190.950.
THE RUTGERS
WOMEN’S
lacrosse team beat Delaware 12-11 Saturday to improve its record to 4-0.
THE RUTGERS
SOFTBALL
finished the USF Under Armour Invitational with a 4-1 record. For full coverage of all events, see tomorrow’s edition.
doomed by poor passing and turnovers. Twelve minutes into the first half, the Knights had more fouls than they did points, with five and four, respectively, but ultimately cut the deficit to 2319 by intermission. “That was a gutsy win,” Stringer said. “We had two guards with four fouls and yet we continued to press and it takes a great deal out of you, and plus [you] run the risk of a foul. … We as a coaching staff couldn’t be more proud — it was a gutsy, gritty game.”
HARTFORD, Conn. — As the Rutgers women’s basketball team w e n t through i t s KNIGHT pregame in the NOTEBOOK bowels of the XL Center, No. 7 West Virginia outslugged DePaul to advance to the Big East Tournament semifinals. The game mirrored many of the Scarlet Knights’ games this season, with a defensive struggle keeping the score low. But WVU pulled away in the final minutes of a tie game, winning 47-41, behind 16 points from junior guard Liz Repella. “We were just able to score enough,” said WVU head coach Mike Carey. “If we hit our foul shots at the end then it wouldn’t be as close as it was, but we didn’t. We like to make things interesting.” The Mountaineers take on the Knights at 8 p.m. tonight after the conclusion of the Connecticut and Notre Dame contest. Last time out, the Mountaineers defeated RU, 5551 on their home court. RU had two chances to tie in the final minute, but WVU blocked a shot and forced a turnover to end the game. “It’s tournament time so they’re going to bring whatever they’ve got,” Repella said on playing the winner of RU and Georgetown. “No matter who we play, we’re going to have to be focused and ready to play tomorrow.”
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quar ter final battle with the Hoyas, the Knights routed the 14th-seeded Cincinnati Bearcats, 70-44, Saturday night at the XL Center. RU matched its season-high with a 51.9 percent mark from the floor and senior guard Brittany Ray received substantial
ANDREW HOWARD/ SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Freshman forward Monique Oliver (44) shoots in the opening round game against Cincinnati. Oliver shot 4-of-4 for nine points. help on offense for the third straight game. Sophomores Khadijah Rushdan and April Sykes combined to make 10-of-15 shots and 27 points, but Ray led all scorers with 21 — sinking five from beyond the arc. “It was good to see the improvement of ever yone,” said head coach C. Vivian Stringer. “I thought that the team played well together and seemed to be free. We communicated, and most importantly, were taking care of the rebounds and not turning the ball over as we have been.”
F RESHMAN
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Monique Oliver scored nine points on 4-of-4 shooting against Cincy and currently sits sixth on RU’s all-time single
season list with a .607 field goal percentage going into yesterday’s game. She is the first player to shoot above 60 percent since Tammy Sutton-Brown did so in the 199899 season.
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Cincinnati, Ray received her plaque for making the All-Big East Second Team. Ray was the only Knight to receive a post-season honor from the conference. With her five three-pointers Saturday, Ray moved into second place in RU history with 184 field goals from long range. She sunk the most three-pointers in a Big East game in her career and the most for RU since former guard Matee Ajavon in 2007 against DePaul.
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MARCH 8, 2010
Speed’s OT threes give RU new Tourney life BY STEVEN WILLIAMSON SENIOR WRITER
HAR TFORD, Conn. — The Rutgers women’s basWOMEN’S BASKETBALL k e t ball RUTGERS 63 t e a m GEORGETOWN 56 m a n aged only one three-point basket against No. 12 Georgetown last night through regulation. The shot came from senior guard Brittany Ray — the only one she made all game — before she was firmly planted on the bench after fouling out in regulation. But it was Nikki Speed’s game-tying three with two seconds left in the first overtime that breathed just a little more life into the Scarlet Knights. And it was Speed’s banked three in the second over time that ultimately won the game, 63-56, and propelled the Knights into the semifinals of the Big East Tournament. “I’ll say it’s the biggest [shot I’ve ever made],” the sophomore guard said. “I wasn’t even really thinking about it. All of us kept saying we’re not going home, and I remember B-Ray said last year we lost in double-overtime [in the quarterfinal game].” Sophomore for ward Chelsey Lee led the team with 17 points and 13 rebounds and sophomore guard Khadijah Rushdan added 14 points. The Knights made only 16 shots from the field in a defensive struggle, but went 28-of-36 from the charity stripe to help push them past the Hoyas. Take the venue and the crowd out of the equation and the game itself looked similar
to the time the two teams met earlier this season. But with the victory, a huge question was answered for head coach C. Vivian Stringer — a question of heart. “I’ve questioned it all year — their heart, their will and their desire to play,” Stringer said. “Today I saw that they remembered. Sometimes maybe I think they don’t remember, don’t remember if they lose they’re going to go home. … You think they’ll forget that we lost to Louisville in double overtime [last year]. “But just because they don’t say it doesn’t mean they’ve forgotten. I’m happy they’ve remembered what it is to be a fighting Scarlet Knight — even if we had lost I would have been extremely proud.” The Hoyas rendered Ray inef fective, as the senior found herself in foul trouble in the second half. Ray picked up her four th foul with just over 14 minutes to play, and though she returned to the game with five minutes remaining, she fouled out two minutes later with a look of disbelief while walking to the bench. “It was hard, and we all know that Brittany is our goto and she makes good shots,” Rushdan said. “You’ve got to credit the people that were out there though. You have to make the best of what you’ve got. We stuck it out and we played with that mentality that Coach Stringer always sees.” Georgetown freshman Sugar Rodgers hur t the Knights for the second time this season, finishing with 20 points and 12 rebounds.
SEE TOURNEY ON PAGE 15
ANDREW HOWARD/ SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Sophomore guard Nikki Speed (11) celebrates after the Rutgers women’s basketball team’s 63-56 double-overtime victory over No. 12 Georgetown. Speed hit a three-pointer with 2 seconds left to send the game into its second extra period.
Effort lacking in blowout at Pittsburgh
Three qualify for Omaha at EIWA Championships BY ALEX JANKOWSKI ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR
BY KYLE FRANKO CORRESPONDENT
PITTSBURGH — Before answering questions in each postgame press conference, Rutgers head men’s basketball coach Fred Hill Jr. sits and studMEN’S BASKETBALL ies his box score. But after Saturday RUTGERS 54 afternoon’s 83-54 loss PITTSBURGH 83 at Pittsburgh, the biggest problem was not found on a white sheet of paper. The Scarlet Knights’ performance lacked effort and the embarrassing score was indicative of what they deserved. “I said it at halftime, faces started changing,” said senior center Hamady N’Diaye. “You could tell that the team was falling apart. I said it — all I ask for was to give out the effort. During this entire year, I thought everybody had the same mentality and that wasn’t the case today.” Pitt got off to a great start, using a 15-0 run early in the first half to open up a 13-point
SEE EFFORT ON PAGE 14
NICHOLAS BRASOWSKI
Sophomore guard Mike Coburn scored 10 points and was heated in the Rutgers huddle during a timeout in the 83-54 loss.
BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Three members of the Rutgers wrestling team punched their tickets to the N C A A WRESTLING Tournament in an action-packed second day of the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association Championships. Headlining the group of Scarlet Knights headed to Omaha in two weeks is junior D.J. Russo, who finished second in the heavyweight bracket. Junior Dar yl Cocozzo and redshirt freshman Joe Langel also earned automatic bids for finishing fourth in their respective weight classes. “As you get into this tournament, the competition gets a lot harder,” said head coach Scott Goodale. “We’ve got three guys going to the national tournament for the time being, and that’s a good number to have.” It was a bittersweet end to the tournament for Russo, who placed a team-high second. He fell in the finals to Lehigh rival Zach Rey.
Like the other two bouts this year, the contest between the heavyweights went down to the wire. In the end, Russo was unable to escape in the final 30 seconds of overtime, dropping a 2-1 decision at the Stabler Arena. “I did everything that I needed to do,” Russo said. “I just got caught at the end and I got stuck. He’s All-American quality and now I know I have to be that much better to be an All-American.” Cocozzo heads back to the NCAA tournament for the second time in his career and first as a Knight. The Edinboro transfer defeated Brantley Hooks of Bucknell 5-2 in the semifinals of the consolation bracket to ensure his spot in Omaha. After redshirting last season, Langel’s dynamic first year continues in two weeks after he won four bouts this weekend to earn an automatic bid. “I didn’t really expect it this early,” the Howell native said. “Yeah, you want to place high and do well [at EIWAs], but the main
SEE OMAHA ON PAGE 13