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RUTGERS UNIVERSITY—NEW BRUNSWICK
TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2016
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Graduate group hosts research symposium NIKHILESH DE NEWS EDITOR
The first annual Rutgers Society of Women Engineers (SWE) Graduate Research Symposium took three months to plan and execute, said Ashley Pennington, an engineering student in the Graduate School— New Brunswick. Founded in September 2015, the graduate student version of SWE hopes to help both undergraduate and graduate students prepare for their careers in engineering. “We need more graduate students in engineering, we need more engineers in general,” she said. “We need more people excited about research (and) doing research.” The group boasts 14 members at present, she said. Of them, only six or seven can regularly attend meetings due to how busy the life of a graduate student is. Like the undergraduate SWE, the graduate group has a mentoring program for undergraduate students in
the School of Engineering. Unlike the undergraduate group, the latter focuses on helping prepare students for life after college. “It’s graduate students mentoring undergrads who may or may not be considering graduate school, and graduate students from industry helping others,” she said. “The idea behind the mentors is not to find someone in your field, it’s to show students what life might be like after Rutgers.” Mentors meet with their mentees every month, allowing the undergraduates to discuss whatever topics they need advice on. “It’s helpful whether you’re going into academia or industry. In industry, you’re going in at a higher level, so you’re probably going to be management. In academia, you’re going to have students,” she said. Beyond the mentorship program, running the symposium was the other main goal for the group this SEE SYMPOSIUM ON PAGE 4
Purple chairs represent victims of domestic violence, and will be placed at the campus centers through Thursday as part of the Empty Chair campaign, which aims to inform more students about the issues surrounding domestic violence. SAMANTHA CASIMIR / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Empty Chair campaign shines light on domestic violence at U. NIKITA BIRYUKOV ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR
Sometimes, an empty chair in a classroom suggests something far more grave than the an absent student having a common cold. Since 2003, the Office of Violence Prevention and Victim Assistance (VPVA) has held the Empty Chair campaign. Aimed at increasing awareness
surrounding instances of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking, the campaign creates a visual representation of the effects victims of violence experience, said Lisa Smith, coordinator for domestic violence services at VPVA. Empty purple chairs, each representing a student forced away from campus, will be set up in student and recreation centers around campus through Thursday, Smith said.
Attached to each chair are fictional accounts of violence based on real student experiences. “It’s important for all of us to be aware and informed about domestic violence because it’s happening here at Rutgers. I don’t think that’s a big news flash. It is something that is impacting our students, either because of relationships that SEE VIOLENCE ON PAGE 5
Runners hope for speedy recovery for children at first Wishes 5k race JONATHAN XIONG Six Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets were chosen to attend undergraduate training programs. These cadets will attend flight schools after graduation. COURTESY AFROTC DETACHMENT 485
ROTC cadets to attend flight training classes SUSMITA PARUCHURI DESIGN EDITOR
After being evaluated on their knowledge, experience and aptitude, six Rutgers students were chosen for the Air Force’s Undergraduate Flying Program. Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps Detachment 485 cadet leaders Graham Ritchie, Nicholas Pollio and Mark Kwietniak were selected for pilot training, cadet Paul
Oh was selected for remotely piloted aircraft training, cadet William McCauley for combat systems officer training and cadet William Glaser for air battle manager training. ROTC is a four-year program at 144 different colleges and universities across the nation in which students take military courses while they study for their bachelor’s or master’s degree, said Lt. Col. SEE CLASSES ON PAGE 4
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
“Wishes 5k,” a 5-kilometer run at Rutgers, was named after the wish lists of several different hospitals in the New Brunswick area created for children in need. On Sunday, March 6, Rutgers hosted its first annual “Wishes 5k” run from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. The event was conducted by the Project Sunshine: Rutgers Chapter, the Undergraduate Social Work Organization, the National Association of Social Workers— New Jersey Chapter and Brother Jimmy’s Barbeque. The proceeds will be donated to Bristol-Meyers Squibb’s Children Hospital, Children’s Specialized Hospital,the Children’s Hospital at Saint Peter’s and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Hospital. The three hospitals in the area gave the event organizers lists of items needed, said Michelle Mikhno,
a School of Arts and Sciences senior and the Children’s Specialized Hospital chair of Project Sunshine. The two main organizers of the event were the Undergraduate Social Work Organization and Project Sunshine: Rutgers Chapter. Valeriya Gershteyn, a School of Arts and Sciences senior and leader of the Rutgers chapter of Project Sunshine, and Anthony Gallo, a School of Arts and Sciences senior and president of the Undergraduate Social Workers Organization, helped run the event. “We had about 10 board members organize it (from both boards), and about 15 volunteers to actually make race day happen,” Gallo said. The event consisted of a 5-kilometer run around Buccleuch Park near the College Avenue campus. The runners were divided into two groups — runners and walkers. The runners completed two circuits of 1.5 miles each while
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the walkers walked a single 1-mile loop, Gallo said. Tickets were sold at $15 per runner, and $10 per group or walker. There were 96 runners preregistered for the event and four registered the day of, Gallo said. The attendees were a mixture of newcomers and regular participants from Rutgers and other schools, as well as members of the public. Participants had various reasons for participating. Karla Gary, a School of Arts and Sciences senior, along with her friends Tara Bisson, from New York University, and Anneth Drew, a School of Arts and Sciences senior, were among the newcomers. “We’re very passionate about the children. I support the kids. That’s why I’m here,” Gary said. All three said donating to a children’s hospital was a main deciding SEE RACE ON PAGE 5