The Daily Targum 2010-03-09

THE DAILY TARGUM

Volume 141, Number 102

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

TUESDAY MARCH 9, 2010

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Today: Partly cloudy

GARDEN STATE OF MIND

High: 56 • Low: 34

The Rutgers men’s basketball team takes on highly touted freshman Lance Stephenson and the Cincinnati Bearcats tonight at Madison Square Garden.

New facility links protein studies to U.

Students swipe in $10K to aid youth overseas

BY GREG FLYNN

BY NEIL P. KYPERS

CORRESPONDENT

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The Palestine Children’s Relief Fund’s fundraising initiative closed after raking in $10,418 — a total of 3,157 meals signed away — despite the controversy last semester about granting meal swipes to a program with Palestinian ties.

Although the PCRF’s meal swipe program was slotted for the fall 2009 semester, due to some delays and debates about the organization, students began swiping at the beginning of the spring semester, along with another organization’s sign away for Elijah’s Promise Soup Kitchen.

“When we were competing to be the meal signaway, they told us the max people usually get [donated] are $10,000, and they doubted we had the manpower to raise [that],” said Dialla Hamzeh, treasurer of the University PCRF chapter. “By the second week, we had $7,826 dollars.”

The group was tabling in support of the meal sign away on all campuses and encountered very little resistance from the University community, she said.

“People were pretty accepting to it,” said Hamzeh, a School of Arts and Sciences junior. “Some people asked questions, and we just told them who we are and what we do. We didn’t have any problems.”

The meal sign away programs continue to be a success with the student body, said Gregory S. Blimling, vice president for Student Affairs.

“The amount of money they raised really had to do with the effort on the part of the members that supported this,” Blimling said. “They spent a lot of time recruiting people for meal swipes … they worked very hard to do this.”

SEE YOUTH ON PAGE 4

JEN KONG

Researcher Maruthi Krishna Poluri works in the Biomedical Engineering Building on Busch campus. The University is building a new four-story protein research facility.

Through a large renovation project, the Center for Integrative Proteomics Technologies is aspiring to unify and strengthen separate strands of protein research currently isolated within University departments.

Construction to the $47 million center began in November 2009, and the project will finish in October 2011, according to a concept plan.

The site of the four-story building, about 70,000 square feet in area, is located between the Waksman complex of buildings and the Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine on Busch campus to the south of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, according to the plan.

SEE PROTEIN ON PAGE 6

MILITARY IMPOSTER ROAMS COLLEGE AVENUE, SWINDLES STUDENTS Officials said students on the College Avenue campus should watch out for a military impersonator, who has been fooling people into providing him money.

“We have an individual — a suspect — who has been going around asking students for money advising he is from the militar y and that he needs money to get back to base,” Rutgers University Police Depar tment Lt. Richard Dinan said.

The suspect is a black male, near 40 years of age, he said. He has been around the College Avenue campus providing military credentials and saying he needs to get back to military base at Fort Dix or in Pennsylvania.

“He may be saying he is working with ROTC on campus and he lost his wallet and needs to borrow some money and he will pay them back when he gets back to base,” Dinan said. “None of that comes to fruition. He may provide you with a cell phone number, but it’s not true — it is a scam.”

The police have a suspect but no arrests have been made.

Two instances, on March 2 and 5, have been reported to the police.

Students are advised to call the detective bureau at (732)-9328025 with any major information regarding the case.

— Neil P. Kypers

RECALLING THE DAY

INDEX PENDULUM Students share their opinion on Obama’s time in office and the decisions he has made so far.

OPINIONS White sorority wins a traditionally black step competition and sparks a racial controversy.

JOVELLE ABBEY TAMAYO/ PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR/ FILE PHOTO

A University student gives blood at the “Every Drop Counts” blood drive last month. Sen. Frank Lautenberg is working to help lift the gay blood donors ban.

Group draws in senator to reverse gay donor ban

UNIVERSITY . . . . . . . 3 PENDULUM . . . . . . . . 7 METRO . . . . . . . . . . 8

BY RINAL SHAH CORRESPONDENT

OPINIONS . . . . . . . 10 DIVERSIONS . . . . . . 12 CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . 14 SPORTS . . . . . . BACK

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MARIELLE BALISALISA

Sept. 11 survivor Victor Guarnera discusses his experiences Saturday at the “September 11: How we Remember” exhibtion in the New Brunswick Free Public Library. See PAGE 8 for the full story.

Eighteen senators signed a letter last Thursday in support of lifting the ban preventing men who have sex with men and have been sexually active since 1977 from donating blood.

One of the signers is Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., who, with the help of the organization Ever y Drop Counts, is seeking to remove the legislation of this ban.

“A big part of this movement was because Gay Men’s Health Crisis

released a report on how unnecessar y the blood ban on gay men is and how it is not based on fact,” said Ben West, a member of Ever y Drop Counts and a Rutgers College senior.

West, the former University Affairs Committee chairman for the Rutgers University Student Assembly, said the ban was proven to not be based on facts. Not only do other students agree, but Lautenberg and fellow Sen. Rober t Menendez, D-N.J., do as well.

SEE BAN ON PAGE 4

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MARCH 9, 2010

DIRECTORY

T H E DA I LY TA R G U M

WEATHER OUTLOOK Courtesy of the Weather Channel THURSDAY HIGH 51 LOW 44

WEDNESDAY HIGH 57 LOW 40

FRIDAY HIGH 53 LOW 47

TODAY Partly cloudy, with a high of 56° TONIGHT Mostly clear, with a low of 34°

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T H E D A I LY TA R G U M

UNIVERSITY

MARCH 9, 2010

PA G E 3

Club team set to bat at national tournament

BY REENA DIAMANTE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

As Major League Baseball teams head down to sunny Florida for spring training, the University Cricket Club follows, taking their bats to the American College Cricket Spring Break Championship in Lauderhill.

The cricket team will compete March 17 to 21 against 19 other clubs from all over North America for the right to bring home the Shivnarine Chanderpaul Trophy.

This year, the team thinks they can bring the trophy to the Banks.

“This is a national tournament, and this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for many players,” said Hardik Jogani, club president. “Even though there is no monetary reward for winning

the tournament, each player is determined to give their best because we know that this means a lot to us and for cricket.”

Yet Jogani, a School of Engineering sophomore, said the team is not just playing for a victor y. They also want to bring some recognition to the game at the University and around the nation.

Although the first international cricket match was played between the United States and Canada, Jogani said cricket has declined in popularity with the rise of other sports like baseball, basketball and football.

But he thinks this will change soon.

“Now, with a new format, which is three hours long instead of the traditional five days, and with the influx of

people of South Asian and West Indian descent, cricket is picking up,” Jogani said. “So we hope to win the tournament but also get cricket into the mainstream media.”

While the club faces many elite teams from across the nation during the tournament, team captain Arjan Patel said they are not worried.

“NCAA programs are impressive, but not intimidating,” said Patel, a School of Environmental and Biological Sciences senior. “Our plan will be to stick to the basics and rely on our strength rather than on our opponent’s weakness.”

What sets the University team apart from the others is its passion for the spor t, Jogani said.

The team plays and practices in all sor ts of weather conditions and even stays up late at night to watch games featuring their favorite countries and teams, he said.

“It is only because of these efforts that today we have built a strong team, and it is for the first time ever in histor y of our University … going to a national championship for cricket,” Patel said. “It simply doesn’t get bigger than this.”

The team has come a long way since its founding two years ago, when it had to fight just to become an official club, said Ankit Pandya, co-founder of the club.

“[We] initiated the process [of becoming an official club] in fall 2006, but we did not get it approved until fall 2007,” Pandya said. “So after a year of hard work, we were able to get our club approved by Rutgers.”

At first a recreational group playing for fun, Patel said the team has since transformed into a more professional cricket team.

The team sports a talented squad, with six players who competed at an international level before they were 19, he said.

“I have seen ever y one of the players grow in front of me in the last few years,” Patel said. “After running the club for one and a half years, I believe a lot has been achieved in a short time.”

U. LAW PROFESSOR LITIGATES AT NATION’S HIGHEST COURT Rutgers-Camden law professor Beth Stephens sat as a litigant before the U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday in the case Samantar v. Yousuf, which involves a claim of torture and other human rights abuses against the former defense minister of Somalia, according to a Rutgers-Camden press release.

Stephens, whose research examines issues related to human rights litigation in U.S. courts on behalf of human rights abuses victims in other countries, will

assist lead counsel, from the Supreme Court practice of the Washington, D.C., firm of Akin and Gump.

“It was my first time as council, [but] I have been in the audience before,” she said in the release. “Being so close to the justices and following every detail of the arguments was a very different experience.”

Stephens has been practicing law since 1980 and has experience in lower courts, but she said the Supreme Court is very different.

Litigating in front of the Supreme Court — the highest court in the nation — is to litigate at a level that affects the whole country, she said.

“I think [the argument] went well. Successful is impossible to determine, [but] we made our arguments and could tell they were listening and understood,” Stephens said.

— Neil P. Kypers

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U NIVERSITY

MARCH 9, 2010

YOUTH: RUSA to approve new sign-away group Thursday continued from front The meal sign away program has been around for a number of years. It was initiated so students could have a way to use their meal swipes for charitable donations, he said.

In order to select the organization receiving the meal sign away donations, groups come before the Rutgers University Student Assembly’s Council of Presidents and present reasons why their organization deserves it. The council then narrows it down to two, RUSA Chair Werner Born said.

BAN: Organization plans to continue working to change law continued from front The organization sent more than 100 signed letters to congressmen urging to lift the ban, West said. The letters further proved that the issue was a prominent one.

“These signed letters showed Lautenberg that New Jersey really cares about this issue, and it gave him the ability to do something that would allow legislation to lift the ban against gay men,” he said.

The letters were affirmation statements signed by blood donors on Jan. 27 when Every Drop Counts sponsored a blood drive at the Busch Campus Center.

“I am glad that the meal sign away [committee] as a whole took the responsibility to sift through all the information that was brought [from] both groups and stand by their decision,” said Born, a School of Engineering senior. “I think it worked out well in the end.”

The sign away was delayed because of controversy surrounding the group and where the donated money would go.

“My biggest issue in this entire process is why are we looking at a charity [that focuses on people across the globe] … when there are homeless people in New Br unswick,” said Avi Scher, a representative to RUSA from the College Avenue Council.

Vice RUSA Chair Yousef Saleh said extending help internationally is a positive way to give back to a community.

“Rutgers needs to put its name on stuff that goes international — we can’t be just domestically involved,” said Saleh, a School of Arts and Sciences junior. “It is only befitting … to extend as far as possible.”

Scher, a School of Arts and Sciences sophomore, said going outside the community caused controversy that distracted from the actual motivation behind the meal sign away program.

“The heated passions that arose with this entire ordeal show that it was a divisive issue,” he said. “The student body shouldn’t be fighting over who we are donating to.”

West had a large part in organizing the blood drive.

“The purpose of this blood drive was to build awareness about blood banks and to show that all people should be able to donate blood if they choose to do so,” said Shawnna James, co-president of LLEGO, the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer Questioning People Union of Color at Rutgers University.

The blood drive provided people with the opportunity to donate blood and not be discriminated against, said James, a School of Arts and Sciences junior.

Like West, James also believed the letters played a crucial role in jumpstarting the discussion with U.S. Congress.

“The affirmation statement was really the most important part of the drive because we needed to have people sign statements that said they were

not in support of discrimination,” she said.

Usually, blood drives at the University attract around 30 donors, but this year the number increased to double that amount, West said.

“The blood drive was a great success, and these centers believe that the risks presented are testable and fully support the idea to lift the ban,” said Tom Bruestle, RUSA recording secretar y and a School of Engineering senior.

Bruestle and West worked actively together to organize this blood drive allowing the issue to be brought to the University students’ attention.

“It was a great initial start on the conversation about blood donors, but we still have a long way to go with this movement, and we have to continue with it to see what happens,” James said.

T H E DA I LY TA R G U M The purpose of this program is to bring the student body together to confront an issue, he said.

“The program should be something that unites the student body,” Scher said. “It shouldn’t have to be a conflict in and of itself. It’s charity.”

With the new meal sign away approaching, Scher hopes that people address issues in a timely fashion.

“The questions that were raised came after they had won the meal sign away by two and a half to three weeks,” Saleh said.

When an organization is awarded the meal sign away, the decision is final, Saleh said.

“This was the only time where there was an effort to repeal a decisions,” he said.

Regardless of the issues, PCRF was able sustain and handle itself well through the controversy, Saleh said. A lot of people in student government had a lot of faith in them.

“In the future, I would like to see a more careful vetting process so issues [that are raised] come out in committee meetings,” Scher said.

RUSA will choose between Engineers Without Borders and Foundation for International Medical Relief of Children to receive the meal sign away donations for the spring semester. The decision will be made this Thursday at the RUSA town hall meeting in the Student Activity Center on the College Avenue campus.

JOVELLE ABBEY TAMAYO/ PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR/ FILE PHOTO

Sen. Frank Lautenberg with 17 other senators signed a letter to change a blood donor ban against men who have sex with men.

CALENDAR MARCH 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.

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.

PRE-TAN FOR SPRING BREAK!

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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.

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T H E DA I LY TA R G U M

Gay minister urges tolerance in church

BY DENNIS COMELLA

but rather a lack of education, and the church needs to apologize.

“My hope and prayer is that Guy Hammond is an evangel- many in the gay community have ist minister from Halifax, Nova not given up on the church,” Scotia, who appears to live a nor- he said. mal life with his wife, four chilHammond, who has been a dren and dog. minister for 14 years, acknowlBut unlike most men in his sit- edged the fact that his views on uation, he is also gay. the subject may not be widely Hammond gave a talk Friday accepted, and that others may on Christianity and homosexual- have differing viewpoints. ity at the Busch Campus Center, “I might be wrong, but I doubt where he described his life as a there is a more controversial same-sex attracted man and issue than homosexuality and what he as a Christian has done Christianity,” he said. to accept his sexuality.

After the lecture, audience “I don’t believe that being a members raised questions and certain sexual orientation is a critiques about his views. prerequisite for going to heaven,” Lara Arp, a Baptist minister he said. from Dallas, disagreed with Hammond said following Jesus Hammond’s view that gays are is what matters in a person’s life. required to suppress their In the first part of his lecture, natural feelings. called “Rethinking the Christian’s “I respect his position, but I View of Homosexuality,” Hammond disagree strongly,” she said. “I addressed the lack of understand- don’t think it’s this one little ing and compassion of the Christian slice, but a huge part of life. … world regarding homosexuality.

You’re denying an expression Although Christianity does of God.” not approve of gay practices, he Arp said the church should said condemning someone solely embrace gays and allow them to based on homosexuality goes express themselves as they wish. against the loving message of “I think it would be sad to God, especially if one neglects have to choose between being a other aspects of a person’s life.

Christian and being a lesbian,” “The Bible mentions homo- said Arp, who is straight. sexuality five times,” he said. “Denying that aspect of your life “But it mentions pride and arro- is denying a huge portion of gance 900 times.” your life.”

At the age of 24, Hammond Christopher Antoniello, a decided to begin School of Arts and reading the Bible Sciences first-year “I don’t believe and comparing it student, shared a to his own life. that being a certain similar viewpoint He star ted to feel as Arp. sexual orientation he was living a “I disagree sinful life as a with the whole is a prerequisite for gay man. ideal that you have After he going to heaven.” to change youraccepted homoself,” he said. “I GUY HAMMOND sexuality as a sin, don’t have a probEvangelist Minister Hammond prayed lem at all with for a change in [homosexuality]. his sexual orientation, but it Everyone should be loved.” never came.

Even though people disagreed “At this stage in my life, and at with parts of his lecture, this point in my journey, I don’t Hammond thought he accomreally care anymore,” he said. plished his mission of creating a Hammond said he has come dialogue between the two groups. to accept his feelings while “I respect that they disagree, maintaining a straight lifestyle but are willing to have an open diafor 23 years, which he believes logue,” Hammond said. “I found is consistent with what the everyone respectful and everyone Bible teaches. He tries to had very thoughtful comments.” navigate through his struggles Others, including Shawnna using faith.

James, co-president of LLEGO, the Hammond’s message was that LGBT Queer, Questioning, Christianity should accept gays Intersex and Allies People of Color for whom they are, even if it does Organization at Rutgers University, not approve of how they live. said what matters is that people Gays should also be able to live love and support each other. by the teachings of the Bible.

“It was good to get a different Being same-sex attracted and perspective I haven’t heard about Christian are not mutually exclu- Christianity,” said James, a School sive, he said. of Arts and Sciences senior. “I think “I’ve never had an attraction to it was great that a lot of people from the opposite sex,” said Hammond, the LGBT community came.” who has been married for 19 years.

Campus Advance, a nonThe second part of the lec- denominational Christian group ture, called “Bridging the Gap,” at the University, organized discussed practical ways to the event. build ties and fuel a mutually “We made sure that anything respectful relationship between that was going to be said was the Christian world and the les- going to be positive,” said Eric bian, gay, bisexual, transgen- Otto, vice president of Campus der community.

Advance and a School of Hammond said the problem Environmental and Biological with Christians who are opposed Sciences senior. “I think it did a lot to homosexuality is not bigotry, to bridge the gap.”

STAFF WRITER

U NIVERSITY

MARCH 9, 2010

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MARCH 9, 2010

U NIVERSITY

T H E DA I LY TA R G U M

SKYLA POJEDNIC

Biomedical engineering student Krina Doshi creates protein sensors at the Biomedical Engineering Building on Busch campus.

repositor y for biological macromolecular structure data in the — has outgrown its existmerge three other departments world ing space at the University and will be housed in this new buildcontinued from front ing, Breslauer said.

In proteomics, scientists charCIPT will also explore acterize the physical and biologinuclear magnetic resonance, xcal properties of the large numray, cr yo-electron microscopy ber of proteins found within and computational studies of organisms, Dean of Life Sciences biomolecules, their structure and Vice President for Life and and dynamics in both functional Health Science Partnerships and disease states, he said.

Kenneth Breslauer said via At CIPT, bioinformatics will e-mail correspondence. be used as a tool to understand In integrative proteomics, biological networks, how they scientists seek to understand control the behavior of cells and how individual proteins, and the structural basis for their associated properties, are able operation, Breslauer said. to coordinate activities and to The University originally participate in highly orchestratintended to borrow $17 million ed and integrated actions. for the College Avenue These actions yield biological Greening Project and another networks required for an organ$47 million for the CIPT for a ism to function at the molecular, total of $64 million for both cellular and system-wide levels, projects, said Senior Vice Breslauer said.

President for Finance and To be successful in the Administration Bruce Fehn via emerging field of integrative e-mail correspondence. proteomics, the University “The $17 million College requires a comA v e n u e mon physical site G r e e n i n g that brings togethis being “It’s not just what Project er researchers of postponed as a all types, he said. it does for the cost savings The new center measure in light students but ... brings together the of the distressed BioMaPS Institute for the community economy and for Quantitative reductions in at large.”

Biology, the state suppor t,” Protein Data Bank Fehn said.

WINNIE MIRORO and branches of By postponing School of Arts and Sciences the National the greening first-year student Institute of Health’s project, the Protein Structure University Initiative structural genomics reduced the total amount of project, said Board of Governors money that needed to be borProfessor of Chemistry rowed from $64 million to $47 Helen Berman. million, he said.

“Such a physical consolida“Also, we had yet to start contion also will allow students to struction on CAGP, but constructrain in unique laborator y envition on proteomics is already well ronments that will prepare under way,” Fehn said. them for employment in this Livingston College senior rapidly expanding field,” Monica Washington said she Breslauer said. “In addition, believes the University has high-tech core facilities will be spent money on questionable located in the proteomics buildprojects, but CIPT does not ing, thereby providing faculty seem to be one of them. and students with access to “It kind of sticks with state-of-the-art instrumentation Rutgers’ mission as a research critical for modern research university,” Washington said. and training.”

She said when the Berman said training impacts University is spending money a number of students in the bioit should focus on education logical, chemical, physical and and not landscaping or other computational programs. aesthetic avenues.

The “Since that is the direction University should spend more that molecular science is movmoney on classrooms to ing, Rutgers should move in reduce congestion. that direction as well,” she School of Arts and Sciences said. “There are relatively few first-year student Winnie centers like this one in the Miroro said she thinks there is nation, so our center will boost great value in research. the research and academic “Rutgers is known for its oppor tunities available on research programs,” Miroro campus for faculty and stusaid. “It’s not just what it does dents alike.” for the students, but what it The Protein Data Bank — does for the community the single most impor tant at large.”

PROTEIN: Building to

T H E DA I LY TA R G U M

PENDULUM 7

MARCH 9, 2010

Q:

After one year in office, is President Barack Obama living up to your expectations?

NATHANAEL UGARTE SAS FIRST-YEAR STUDENT “I expected a little bit less from him, because I felt like he made too many promises and expected to do them quickly. Honestly, yes, because I see he’s more hardworking than I thought, but unfortunately there are still people trying to go against him.”

QUOTABLE

“Personally I think [Obama]’s doing an okay job. He’s doing the best with what he has. He’s facing a lot of opposition from Congress. So it’s hard to get things accomplished that he wants to. It’s not what I expected, but it’s the best for his situation.”

VIDA SHIRAZI SAS SOPHOMORE “I think he is. I mean so far what he’s done with the health care plan [has] been successful. Everything takes time. We’re in a recession.”

SONYA JAITLY — SAS JUNIOR ALI SAIFUDDIN SAS FIRST-YEAR STUDENT “When he entered office, the economy was in poor condition. As of right now, it has gotten a little better due to the stimulus packages …

I don’t know why he won the Nobel [Peace Prize].

He’s become more of a celebrity than a president.”

BY THE NUMBERS Source: Rasmussen Reports

22

53

The percentage of American voters who strongly approve of Obama in office

The percentage of American voters against Obama’s health care plan

CAMPUS TALK

WHICH WAY DOES RU SWAY?

The percentage of American voters who strongly disapprove of Obama in office

BY KRISTINE ROSETTE ENERIO

41

HAMMAD KHAN SAS FIRST-YEAR STUDENT “He’s doing better than [President George W.] Bush for sure. I didn’t really expect him to get much done in a year.”

YIMIN XU ERNES ERNEST MARIO SCHOOL OF PHARMACY SOPHOMORE “I think he promised too much, so I do believe he’s doing the best he could.

Honestly, he’s doing more than I thought he’d be able to accomplish.”

ONLINE RESPONSE I did not vote for him but think he is fine.

— 4% I am glad I voted I am for him. disappointed — 38% I voted for him.

— 17% I did not vote for him and am not happy.

— 35%

I am glad I voted for him.

He is the president he said he would be.

38%

I am disappointed I voted for him.

He is not living up to his campaign promises.

17%

I did not vote for him but think he is moving in the right direction.

4%

I did not vote for him and am not happy with his term so far.

No opinion.

— 6%

35%

No opinion.

THIS WEEK’ S QUESTION What efforts — if any — do you take to green your life?

Cast your votes online and watch Multimedia footage at: www.dailytargum.com

6%

METRO

PA G E 8

MARCH 9, 2010

Library exhibit remembers Sept. 11 tragedy Queensboro-Davies County were set up.

Words of motivation and encouragement like “God In honor of those lost during Bless America” were written on the World Trade Center the quilts. attacks, the New Br unswick Children at the event were Free Public Librar y kicked off given an opportunity to create a the commencement of its commemorative quilt, which will “September 11: How We be presented Mar. 27 at the Remember” exhibit Saturday exhibit’s closing ceremony. with an opening ceremony.

Aside from quilts, two flags of The exhibit features various honor contained the names of items on loan from the advocacy civilians and group VOICES of emergency ser vSeptember 11, “I will do anything ice personnel who and will be open died as a result of for viewing for my brother to the attack. throughout the remember him, and The ceremony month of March featured a collecduring the regular he is always with us.” tion of speakers operating hours of who were affected the library.

JESSICA CRUZ

by Sept. 11.

One such disFairleigh Dickinson University F a r l e i g h play, “The Path of student D i c k i n s o n Destruction,” feaUniversity student tures a collection Jessica Cruz shared the experiof photos, magazine cutouts and ence of losing her brother Danny maps presenting the three crash Correa that day. sites, the Pentagon, the World “I will do anything for my Trade Center and Shanksville, brother to remember him, and he Penn., where planes landed. is always with us,” Cruz said.

Two books dedicated to the Correa’s birthday was just a families and friends of victims of day before the exhibition’s openSept. 11 — “The American Spirit” ing, and when asked how she by former President George W. celebrated his birthday, Cruz Bush and “I am You, You are Me” said she cut a cupcake in front of

by Kathleen Cullen Harwood — his picture. were placed on display as well.

Her brother was 25 years A number of quilts created by old when the attack happened children and members of the

BY PARITA SHAH

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

JING YOU

Visitors explore various works commemorating victims of the Sept. 11 attacks during the exhibition, “September 11: How We Remember,” Saturday at the New Brunswick Free Public Library. and his body was never found, she said.

Sur vivor Victor Guarnera, the former chief technical adviser for security systems to the World Trade Center, also spoke at the event.

Guarnera said he experienced many physical problems after being in the dark smoke.

“A lot has been done to help America, but it also involved a lot of money,” he said.

After the tragedy, Guaranera wrote a first-account stor y of

every minute of the attack and his experience on his Web site, makehistory.national911memorial.org.

Monica Rosado and Tina Reilly, members of VOICES, explained the mission of their organization and offered advice on how to deal with tragedy and how individuals can make the United States a better place.

“The mission of VOICES of September 11th is to build a sense of community, pay tribute, memorialize loved ones and advocate for change,” Reilly said.

Although Reilly did not lose any loved ones in the tragedy, she felt affected for months.

Some members of the New Brunswick community were also present to give tribute to their loved ones at the public library.

Vince Santalucia, a retired worker for Continental Airlines, attended the event to remember his friend who died that day.

“We haven’t recovered from the tragedy till today,” Santalucia said.

ALUMNUS LEADS MEDICAL BOARD AT LOCAL HOSPITAL Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick named a University alumnus, Dr. Joshua Bershad, senior vice president, medical affairs and chief medical officer.

The East Brunswick resident was serving in an interim capacity since 2008 and will now continue to lead the hospital’s medical board, according to a RWJUH press release.

Stephen Jones, RWJUH president and chief executive officer, said the hospital is pleased to have Bershard in the new position.

“Dr. Bershad has worked tirelessly on numerous initiatives that have made a significant impact on improving the overall quality of care for our patients,” Jones said in the release. “He possesses a unique combination of clinical and administrative leadership skills that will benefit all of our patients, as well as our entire staff.”

Bershad, who is board-certified in internal medicine, received his Bachelor of Science degree in biology/geology from the State University of New York at Binghamton, his medical degree from UMDNJNew Jersey Medical School and his Master’s in Business Administration from the University’s Business School.

Bershad continues to practice as an attending physician at RWJUH and hold an appointment as an adjunct clinical professor of pharmacy practice and administration at the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy.

— Mary Diduch

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M ETRO

T H E DA I LY TA R G U M

COURTESY OF CAROL RUTGERS

Volunteers from the University community team up Thursday to help city residents receive free testing for diabetes and blood pressure at Elijah’s Promise Soup Kitchen in New Brunswick.

Students shape up to aid city community we each do while we’re still all students. This way, after we all graduate, we’ll be much more willing to collaborate amongst For future doctors, nurses, each other.” pharmacists and other students Before they start their compursuing health-related careers, munity service, health care proserving others will be a part of fessionals assist the students in everyday life. Members of the SHAPES to ensure their inforUniversity community are getmation is accurate and profesting a head start by helping sional, said Laurie Karmel, a those in the city of New professor in the Rutgers College Brunswick now. of Nursing.

The Student Healthcare “We’re all together in the Alliance Promoting Education same general type of profession and Support initiative is a com— it’s all health care,” she said. munity outreach service recently “So I think for the students to founded by the Ernest Mario meet each other and ask them School of Pharmacy that also about each others’ use in their includes students in the Robert programs and what they’re learnWood Johnson Physician ing is great. ... We used to have Assistants program, Rutgers parties to do this. Now they have College of Nursing and the selfless acts.”

UMDNJ-Rober t During the sesWood Johnson “We’re all together sion, students School of tried to promote Medicine. in the same interaction with “Different stugeneral type the patients and dent councils actively educate came together, of profession — them rather than and we created this as a way to it’s all health care.” wait for the patients to promote collaboLAURIE KARMEL approach them as ration among the Rutgers College of Nursing they did in the different profesProfessor first session, sions and also to Wang said. give back to our “Last time, we wore our white local community,” said Bo Wang, coats,” he said. “If you need a organizer of the SHAPES initiahigh barrier, that was it. People tive and a School of Pharmacy see that and they’re like, ‘That’s fifth-year student. where I don’t want to be.’ Now The students’ latest project we’re wearing business casual.” was a health care and educationStudents go up to patients and al services event held Thursday tell them that their goal is to for about 150 New Brunswick make sure that they benefit from residents at Elijah’s Promise the service and learn more about soup kitchen. it, Wang said.

The event, which was the secThey might not have access to ond session in a series of three to this information from other be held this semester at Elijah’s health care professionals, said Promise, focused on testing for Stanley Moy, a School of diabetes and blood pressure, and Pharmacy fifth-year student. the distribution of informational “It’s very good, very helpful,” pamphlets and toiletries. he said.

“I think it’s a great idea that Michael Szczesny, a New they take time out to come and Brunswick resident and frequent help people in need,” said Elaine Elijah’s Promise visitor, appreciWolf, kitchen coordinator at ated the students’ help.

Elijah’s Promise.

“I’m glad that they came Teamwork among the differtonight, because I take blood ent professions is key, Wang said. pressure medicine and I need to Misunderstanding about what make sure my blood pressure the other professions do can lead stays down,” he said. to a lack of cooperation.

Wang hopes the initiative “Because of that, there’s a lot expands to areas outside of of stereotyping,” he said.

Elijah’s Promise and happens “Through SHAPES, we’re proevery semester. moting understanding of what

BY JEFF PRENTKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

MARCH 9, 2010

9

T H E D A I LY TA R G U M

OPINIONS

PA G E 1 0

MARCH 9, 2010

EDITORIALS

Financial aid-based admissions still useful

I

n a time of cash-strapped students and not much more fortunate parents, colleges have been favoring applicants who do not require financial aid. According to The New York Times, Hamilton College in upstate New York and Ivy League universities, have pledged to consider an applicant despite his or her inability to pay for school. The problem is that in this day and age of tuition increase and financial aid decrease, this might not be a decision that favors all.

With this disregard for financial standing, as inconsiderate as it sounds, colleges would do poorly to accept those who are unable to pay and will ultimately be stuck with a number of students that require financial aid beyond the ability of a school.

As an addition to today’s ever-rising tuitions, the number of students who need financial aid could possibly drive university costs even higher. Colleges would simply be unable to pay for those students admitted due to a policy that said financial need does not concern a university. It would be a dangerous practice to eliminate a college admission process that for years has looked at the profit-standpoint of the institution rather than the applicant’s qualifications. And while it would seem that fair opportunity for those able or unable to pay for school is a good idea, the chances of this crippling a school’s economy are high.

Also, the ability to see the financial standpoint of college applicants helps a university retain the quality of an educational institution rather than increasing tuition for all — something that may be necessary in today’s financial bubble. This need-blind effort, according to Monica Inzer, Hamilton College’s dean of admissions and financial aid, would require the school to raise $40 million as a permanent endowment. In addition to these massive figures, the tuition is already at nearly $50,000 and the average financial aid package is about $32,500. The decision to make admissions financially blind would only decrease the financial aid available to students who are enrolled currently or will enroll in the future.

While it sounds like an immoral decision to enroll students partly due to their ability to pay for school, at the present time, we must resolute to sticking with the old ways. The rising tuitions in California are only examples of what could occur if a financially disregarding admissions process takes place. And while we all want to be judge purely on merit, schools cannot afford to take the humane approach of providing everyone with a cheap and quality education, at this time.

Step competition brings worst in people

R

ace is often a disputed aspect of many competitions, debates or other subjectively judged events. It seemed a fitting place then for a racism scandal to occur in the national step dancing competition — a traditionally black fraternity and sorority-dominated event. In this year’s Sprite Step Off, however, a group of white college girls from Arkansas stepped into a first-place victory over a number of black performers. That is when the question of racism surfaced.

According to The Washington Post, the all-white Zeta Tau Alpha from the University of Arkansas were cheered on and applauded during their 10-minute routine. However, after the judges’ decision to crown the ZTAs champions, the crowd erupted into a disapproving array of boos. The judges were then called racists due to the fact that the only all-white group had won the award.

Who ends up being the racist? A group of white students winning a traditionally black dance-off does not present a case of innate racism on part of the judges or the group that won the competition. In fact, the reaction of the crowd and supporters of the second-places Alpha Kappa Alphas from Indiana University should be deemed racist. In addition to the round of boos, five days after the competition, Sprite decided to reverse its decision and come out with a statement saying that the votes were miscounted and that both the first-placed ZTAs and the second place AKAs were to share the podium. It seems like a more obviously scared response from Sprite could not have occurred, as they were quick to succumb to the pressure from the audience.

We are taught to be colorblind when it comes to race, but the inevitable happened once again. The fault, therefore, lies in the organizers’ decision to change their ruling as the pressure built on them. It should, after all, be a cultural matter rather than a racial debate. This is simply an example of an atypical group performing better in the warranted black-dominated dance-off. Learning a dance is no different from learning a language and this perfecting of a dance only proves ZTAs dedication to the dance. And the fact that the audience was cheering during the white group’s performance and booing only when they won the trophy proves the unfounded argument for racism on part of the judges.

The debate of racism in our society might not end for years to come, but in this case, perfection of a dance does in no way warrant being called racist. We are supposed to disregard color, but sometimes it simply slips. In this case, however, the organizers are at fault for falling under the pressure coming from a racist audience.

QUOTE OF THE DAY “I have seen every one of the players grow in front of me in the last few years.”

Arjan Patel, cricket club president, on the state of players part of the squad STORY IN UNIVERSITY

MCT CAMPUS

President abandons promise

P

ation, which could be one of resident Barack his most hypocritical moves Obama has been yet. The health care bill reppreaching about biparresents a tremendous transtisanship since early 2009 on formation of our government his campaign trail, saying “I and might be an omen for our know [Vice President Joe economy. This type of legislaBiden] will be able to help me tion should not be slipped turn the page on the ugly parJAMES WINTERS through an obscure Senate tisanship in Washington so we finance loophole. There is no can bring Democrats and pressing urgency for health care reform, and as such, Republicans together to pass an agenda that works for Congress should ensure it offers reasonable solutions the American people.” He also recently hosted a biparthat do not drown the American people in a mountain tisan health care summit to allow for both parties’ input of debt. This inconceivable amount of debt will end up on his domestic priority. The importance of bipartisanbeing our generation’s burden. ship in Congress is not to be underestimated, and I love this country because it has the most unadulObama has his heart in the right place. Washington terated freedoms, including the freedom of choice. has become so entrenched on opposite sides of the Our economy employs a free market system that fence it is no wonder nothing gets accomplished. breeds competition, and that competition benefits the However, as good as his intentions may be, and even most people and does so more efficiently than any though he has taken steps to promote compromising, nanny state ever could. From Adam Smith, “It is not they just aren’t enough. from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer or the Cooperation is a two-way street. Obama needs to baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard realize that the problems in Washington do not lie solely to their own interest.” The great majority of Americans in the Republicans’ stubbornness. He wrote an economdo not want to be forced into a government health ic stimulus bill, a health care overhaul bill and asked conplan. They like keeping the money for servatives to meet him halfway, but what they work hard. I personally he expects is for Republicans to meet “Obama has little which don’t even like abandoning the 6.2 perhim on the other side of the aisle — to to show for his cent of my paycheck to Social Security, simply change their ideologies and be I know I don’t need the govsatisfied with his proposals. Of course, campaign promises because ernment to keep a less-than-mediocre Republicans cannot and will not do that, retirement budget for me. Most people so they became the party of “No.” of closing the are responsible enough to plan and After his health care summit, gap between the save for their own retirements. This Obama claimed to have incorporated particular government program was certain suggestions from the right and left ...” developed in response to the Great Republican party, yet the essence of the Depression and has lingered on far plan is still the same: extend health care longer than it should have. It is nothing more than a to millions of uninsured Americans and subsidize it with drain on this country’s, and its people’s, wealth. a tax on high-income citizens. There exists not a shred Back to the focus of this column: Obama has little to of free-market based regulation, yet Obama insists his show for his campaign promises of closing the gap plan is middle-of-the-road. Speaker of the House Nancy between the right and left, and the trenches are just as Pelosi, however, knows how liberal the bill is. She is calldeep as they were in January 2009, if not deeper. ing for members of Congress to forfeit any chances of Congress certainly is not off the hook here, either. reelection in order to pass the bill. “We’re not here just Clearly our representatives are doing their constituents to self-perpetuate our service in Congress,” she said. an enormous disservice by bickering with each other.

“We’re here to do the job for the American people.” Wait A Feb. 24 Rasmussen poll shows 71 percent of voters a minute — according to a March 1 Rasmussen poll, think Congress is doing a poor job, and it’s no wonder only 44 percent of voters support the proposal. And if why. The national debt has exploded to $12.5 trillion, Americans wanted this bill, why would the congressthey can’t reach an agreement on a health bill — or men and congresswomen who pass it have to sacrifice even decide whether there should be one — and for their jobs? Surely they would be reelected if they did a the most part, they are all voting along party lines withgreat service to Americans. Obama has said he is okay out any respect to their constituents’ views. I may with being a one-term president, as long as he helped sound like a broken record, but I remind readers again people. It almost sounds like he expects people not to be that there is one way to fix our government — start very happy with him. anew. Vote every single member of Congress out Obama recently asked Congress to vote on his regardless of party affiliation. Only then can we hope to health bill in the near future, holding that all arguhave a government for the people and by the people. ments have been exhausted and it is now time to give Americans a final up-or-down vote. However, Obama James Winters is a School of Engineering has also suggested he will be willing to pass his health sophomore majoring in biomedical engineering. care overhaul through a shady tactic called reconcili-

From the Desk of ...

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OPINIONS

T H E DA I LY TA R G U M

MARCH 9, 2010 11

Expensive pills hard to swallow

I

hate the exorbitant prices of prescription medications just as much as the next person, and have done my fair share of grumbling when I witness commonly used drugs ring up at hundreds or thousands of dollars per month for patients at the local pharmacy. When I read about the current health care reform efforts, I feel nothing but the deepest sympathy for those who report having to choose between paying for their medications and putting food on the table.

However, I do believe that there is solid justification for the high cost of drugs in our country, and for why Big Pharma should not be seen as the major culprit in the exponential rise in health care costs in recent years. I should also add before I begin that I have no plans to pursue a career in the pharmaceutical industry.

One of the root causes of the high price of medications is the enormous cost of research and development that is absorbed by the pharmaceutical companies in their efforts to come out with the next medical breakthrough. For the purposes of illustration, let’s take the example of Targum Pharmaceuticals, a fictitious establishment in the pharmaceutical sector that is focused on producing drugs for diabetes, a disease of high blood sugar caused by a problem with the body’s production or utilization of insulin.

The development of a new diabetes drug all begins with the careful selection of an internal target whose alteration produces a reduction in blood sugar. From there, a large series of original compounds aimed at the target is designed through a long chain of chemical reactions. Before these compounds move on to the next stage of research, they are first submitted for patent approval and granted a patent life of 20 years. One of these compounds — let’s call it Targumtrol — demonstrates positive results in the ensuing seven years of petri dish and animal experiments and is subsequently granted approval

by the institutional do not outweigh the review board to prorelief that this drug ceed to human triprovides to the vast als. Throughout the majority of individunext six years, als who take it. Who Targumtrol repeatdo you think ends edly demonstrates up paying the tab for advantageous data this vigilance?

BO WANG compared to a placeWhile some bo and currently point to the fact that available diabetes medications. So after 13 many of the recently approved drugs are years and more than $1.3 billion spent on the simply variations of what is already on the development of this one compound alone, market as an indication that drug companies Targum Pharmaceuticals finally submits a have been skimping out on research and New Drug Application to the Food and Drug development investments, a look at the numAdministration for the sale and marketing of bers shows that an ever-increasing amount Targumtrol and gets the nod of approval after has been allocated to this area, with a record a two-year review process. $65.2 billion being invested in 2008 alone.

This simplified timeline and cost descrip- Simply put, it is becoming increasingly diffition is representative of a typcult to come up with the next ical pharmaceutical drug breakthrough using the from its conception in the “The next big cure established “small molecule” chemical laboratory to its drug approach, and compamay come, but approval for sale to the genernies are increasingly shifting al public. And for every $1.3 their focus to “large moleunfortunately it billion that is spent on the cule” biologics as the answer won’t come cheap. ” to many of the unmet probsuccessful development of a drug like Targumtrol, a good lems in disease therapy. amount more is spent on the Imagine an elderly patient 5,000 or so compounds that hit a dead end at with Alzheimer’s disease has a hard time various stages of this long process. And if you remembering to take her osteoporosis pill haven’t noticed yet, only five years remain every day — a variation of the same drug from that original 20-year patent, which that allows the patient to take the pill once a means that Targum Pharmaceuticals only month instead would provide more ease in has five years now to recuperate all of the allowing her to take the medication regularly. investment that it made on Targumtrol and True, research and development does the thousands of failed compounds before not account for the entire budget of phargeneric drug companies can compete by maceutical companies, and a significant introducing their own copies. Also, even chunk of money is indeed spent on sales though thousands of patients were evaluated and marketing. While I am strongly for safety and efficacy in clinical trials, there opposed to many of the unscrupulous pracare almost always side effects that are not tices that were and are still prevalent detected either because they are extremely among sales representatives in their interrare or because it takes many years for them actions with physicians, such as the infato manifest. Case in point: Motrin can actual- mous “dine and dash” and “pump and go” ly cause severe skin rash, ulcers, and double routines — where physicians get treated to vision, but they occur very infrequently and fancy meals and free gasoline, respectively,

Doctor’s Orders

in exchange for prescribing certain medications — it should be noted that the industry is moving in the right direction with the explicit prohibition of such unethical practices in the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America’s new Code of Interaction with Healthcare Professionals that went into effect in January 2009. That means no more fancy meals, no more free gas, no more drug pens even. In an era where patients are increasingly encouraged to take an active role in their own health, it makes sense that they be provided balanced information of the new medications on the market that can help treat their disease. It is ultimately the responsibility of the physician and pharmacist to make the professional judgment as to whether the specific drug that the patient inquires about is appropriate for his or her needs.

Finally, Big Pharma has been heavily blamed during the recent health care reform efforts for being the key contributor to the ever-rising health care costs in our country — which reached $2.5 trillion last year and is expected to top $4.3 trillion by 2018. However, a look at the data shows that prescription drugs account for 10 percent of overall health care expenditures, while physician and hospital costs account for more than 50 percent. So even though $150 per month for a cholesterol drug is certainly a lot, compare this to the $15,000 hospital bill for each heart attack that may result from not controlling your cholesterol, not to mention the immeasurable emotional costs and impact on quality of life.

So as much as I hate the high prices of medications in our country, it’s hard for me to hop on the big bad Pharma bandwagon.

The next big cure may come, but unfortunately it won’t come cheap.

Bo Wang is an Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy fifth-year student and president of the Pharmacy Governing Council.

T H E D A I LY TA R G U M

DIVERSIONS

PA G E 1 2

Horoscopes / LINDA C. BLACK

Pearls Before Swine

MARCH 9, 2010

STEPHAN PASTIS

Today's birthday (3/9/10). Develop new structures in your life this year to accommodate your urge to bring logic and reason to even the most imaginative schemes. You can double your ability to set goals and achieve them when you visualize each success.

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 — Romance is definitely in the picture. Probably best to keep that out of the workplace, though. Deal with problems early so you can relax together later.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) — Today is an 8 — Either you travel, or out-of-town company arrives. Work may take a back seat to social activities. Conversation reveals your next move.

Gemini (May 21-June 21) — Today is a 7 — Everyone's willing to talk now. This is good, because you make more progress in far less time. Take a vote early.

Cancer (June 22-July 22) — Today is a 6 — Earlier you did what your partner told you to do. Now it's your turn to apply elbow grease for the creative results you desire.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) — Today is an 8 — A female brings new information to the table. Your group wants to take the most practical approach possible, as time is a huge factor.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — Today is a 7 — At least everyone's clear about what you want.

They may not want to go along, but they know what you said.

You know what they want, too.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) — Today is an 8 — With lots of household issues to care for, you may lose focus on all else.

Keep in touch with co-workers to stay in the loop.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) — Today is a 7 — If talk were as cheap as some say, you'd come out a winner in every department. Dress up a practical message with stirring content.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) 2 — Today is a 7 — Work out some financial details now to save yourself problems later.

Search through your desk at home to find all the appropriate documents.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — Today is a 5 — You need to contain your overly demanding behavior. No one doubts your love of the project. Ease up for greater success.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) — Today is a 7 — Do your work in private if possible. Sharing now only confuses the issue.

Firm up your ideas for presentation later.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Today is a 6 — Maintain a cash reserve for unexpected expenditures. Someone springs a surprise with a price tag. Take it in stride if you can.

Dilbert

Doonesberry

Happy Hour

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SCOTT ADAMS

GARY TRUDEAU

JIM AND PHIL

T H E DA I LY TA R G U M

Last-Ditch Ef fort

Get Fuzzy

D IVERSIONS JOHN KROES

MARCH 9, 2010

Pop Culture Shock Therapy

13

DOUG BRATTON

DARBY CONLEY

Non Sequitur

WILEY

Jumble

H. ARNOLD & M. ARGIRION THAT SCRAMBLED WORD GAME

Unscramble these four Jumbles, one letter to each square, to form four ordinary words.

Peanuts

CHARLES SCHULTZ

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VILEN

CEADDE

Ph.D

J ORGE C HAM

NEW BIBLE Jumble Books Go To: http://www.tyndale.com/jumble/

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ENFRYZ Now arrange the circled letters to form the surprise answer, as suggested by the above cartoon.

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“

Yesterday’s

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” (Answers tomorrow) Jumbles: LIMIT DITTO BAFFLE WISELY Answer: What her aging husband faced when he decided to diet — A “WAIST” OF TIME

T H E DA I LY TA R G U M

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S P O RT S

T H E DA I LY TA R G U M

Knights finish ECACs with top-5 credentials

BY ANTHONY HERNANDEZ STAFF WRITER

Consider the bar officially raised.

The Rutgers women’s track and field team ended the 2010 WOMEN’S TRACK i n d o o r season on a higher note than anyone on the team anticipated. The Scarlet Knights stormed past much of the competition over the weekend, finishing four th at the 2010 Easter n College Athletic Conference Indoor Championships.

The team’s 33 points and astounding finish not only marks a 23-spot jump from last year’s championships, it also catapults RU onto the Big East and ECAC radar after the team originally shot to finish within the top-15 of the 65-plus schools in attendance.

“The coaching staff is ver y happy,” said head coach James Robinson of his team’s eyeopening per formance. “You know, this is what I told them, ‘You’ve got to come to end the indoor season on a high [note] to set yourself up for a strong outdoor season,’ and there was really a great effort today.”

Aside from the Knights’ stellar performance, there were no other surprises rounding out the top five.

Connecticut scored 84.5 points to win the event, while Seton Hall finished behind them with 65 points. George Mason’s 45 points captured third place and Cor nell fin-

ished just behind RU with 31 of their own.

The 2010 indoor season is now in the books, and the last chapter could not have been written any better for the Knights. Many key contributors performed at their best heading down the home stretch of the season and they only look to improve moving for ward.

Juniors Nwamaka Okobi and Latoshia Bost grabbed a significant amount of points for the team this weekend, as Okobi finished sixth in the triple jump with a jump of 12.15 meters. Okobi also finished third in the long jump with a leap of 5.84 meters.

Bost finished third in the 500meter race with a time of 1:13.26, an event in which she saw success all season.

Senior captains Michelle Gomes and Natalie Clickett also wrapped up the indoor season strong, as Gomes placed third in the 200-meter with a time of 24.08 seconds — the second straight meet in which she broke the school record in that event.

But that was not enough for the senior.

Gomes later stood on the podium as runner-up in the 60-meter dash, matching another personalbest time of 7.56 seconds.

“To have that much competition, it felt really good to be on the podium and one of the top contenders,” the sprinter said. “It made me realize my own potential. It really boosted my confidence a lot.”

Grady misses NCAA action by small margin

BY TYLER BARTO STAFF WRITER

For Kyle Grady, the flight to Fayetteville, Ark., was supposed to be a lonely one.

The senior 60-meter hurdler was slated to be MEN’S TRACK the only member of the Rutgers men’s track and field team to qualify for the NCAA Championships next weekend at the University of Arkansas.

That was until Grady was informed he missed a trip to Razorback country by the slightest of margins.

“I’m not going to [the] NCAAs,” said Grady, who met his NCAA provisional qualifying time at the New Balance Invitationals in early February. “I’m pretty sure I missed it by one spot.”

The Scarlet Knights produced a ninth-place finish, good for 25 points and an end to the 2010 indoor season in their final opportunity to solidify representation at Nationals during last weekend’s IC4A Championships in Boston.

Besides serving as a last-ditch effort to compete at Arkansas’ Randal Tyson Track Center, the meet was designed as a final tune up for RU before the outdoor season begins in two weeks.

“We only took a certain number of people,” said Aaron Younger, who qualified for the NCAAs in the 400-meter but was too low of an entry to warrant the trip. “We went out to see where we are now and where we need to be in two weeks when outdoor starts.”

Sophomore Adam Bergo, the Scarlet Knights’ sole entry at last year’s NCAAs in College Station, Texas, failed to repeat the feat Sunday, effectively ending his pursuit of RU frequent flyer miles. Bergo finished in a tie for second in the high jump, clearing a height of 2.04 meters.

Senior 200-meter sprinter NiiAmon Robertson took third in the event with a time of 21.25 seconds, while also capturing points in the 400-meter dash.

Younger did not experience the same level of success, qualifying for the 400-meter before injuring his knee in the finals.

Younger, the world’s fastest in the 500-meter, endured a lengthy injur y histor y but will be ready for the start of the outdoor season.

Grady, who qualified for Nationals earlier in the indoor campaign, ran the 55-meter hurdles in a time of 7.42 seconds, capturing third place. “[Grady] has always been a leader on the team for the last three years I’ve been here,” Younger said. “This year he showed that he put in the hard work and got something out of it.”

The Knights’ 4x800-m relay, featuring sophomore Monroe Kearns, rounded out the scoring with a time of 7:32:40, good for sixth in a competitive field.

Grady, despite taking third at the Big East Championships in late February, was unbeaten in meet action this season.

MARCH 9, 2010

15

16

S P O RT S

MARCH 9, 2010

PLAY: Leading scorer Ray struggles in Big East Tourney continued from back coach C. Vivian Stringer. “She has been of fensively ef ficient.

Can you imagine how much better she can be when she learns where’s she’s supposed to go? Because right now she doesn’t. I’m extremely proud of her.”

Oliver’s offensive success led to a 17-9 advantage in bench points for RU.

B UT

WHERE

O LIVER

succeeded for the third straight game, senior guard Brittany Ray struggled in her second consecutive game.

“I thought that they played as aggressive as they always do,” Stringer said. “It’s an outstanding team. I thought that we were just a little too tight. I think that we all wanted to do better, especially Brittany and April.”

Ray scored five points in 29 minutes on 2-of-8 shooting yesterday after fouling out with three points in 25 minutes Sunday against Georgetown.

T H E DA I LY TA R G U M

“I thought we did a great job on Brittany Ray,” said WVU head coach Mike Carey. “I thought we were aware of where she was all night.”

SENIOR

CENTER

RASHIDAT

Junaid did not even take off her warm-ups during the 50-minute marathon against Georgetown, but played 13 key minutes off the bench last night for the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers began its first half comeback, eventually tying the game at the half, when Junaid first stepped on the floor.

She finished with two points, but made three blocks.

SOPHOMORE

POINT GUARD

Nikki Speed drew her team-leading 23rd charge of the season in the final minute of the game.

After a pair of dramatic threepointers last night, Speed committed five turnovers and finished with four points on 1-of-4 shooting and three assists.

S INCE

ENTERING

THE

Big East Tournament, Rutgers saw its strength of schedule boost up to No. 3 in the country and its RPI rating up to No. 24 on Collegerpi.com.

ANDREW HOWARD/ SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Freshman forward Monique Oliver, center, blocks her only shot during last night’s 56-49 loss to WVU. Oliver added 11 points and grabbed six rebounds in the Knights’ final Big East Tournament game.

KNIGHTS: West Virginia breaks halftime tie for victory continued from back the game for the Knights the evening before, RU struggled from beyond the arc, finishing 1-of-9 from three-point range.

“We had a couple breakdowns and just like last night [against Georgetown] we pressed, just as we pressed last night,” Rushdan said. “We made the runs … they were up by 10 and we came back. I think we did a good job of fighting.”

West Virginia guard Sarah Miles did most of the damage, scoring 18 points, 13 of which came in the second half.

RU saw consistent success on offense when freshman forward Monique Oliver was on the court.

Oliver’s size disrupted the Mountaineers’ interior defense, leading to 11 points and six rebounds for the freshman.

“I’m just going out there trying to do the best I can to help the team,” Oliver said. “I’m trying to keep a cool head.”

Head coach C. Vivian Stringer praised the efforts of her freshman, who played 22 minutes against the Mountaineers.

“Mo is efficient and has been offensively efficient ... She rebounds hard and she’s the best passer on the team,” Stringer said.

“I’m really high on her and her enthusiasm. … She and Chelsey are the future of our Scarlet Knight team.”

With the conference tournament over, the Knights await their NCAA fate, which will be decided Monday.

The two wins RU earned in Hartford — including one over the No. 12 Hoyas — should be enough to lock up a spot in the NCAA Tournament. With the loss to the Mountaineers, RU sits at 1914 overall.

And though the Knights did not pull off their second upset in a row, the experience gained over the past three games is invaluable, Stringer said.

“It’s worth its weight in gold to me,” Stringer said. “Erica [Wheeler] is going to remember this and Mo [Oliver] is going to remember this in four years. The next time this happens they’re going to say to [the freshmen] ‘This is what it means to be a Scarlet Knight.’”

S P O RT S

T H E DA I LY TA R G U M

MARCH 9, 2010

17

Season-high score encourages Knights

BY JOSH GLATT STAFF WRITER

ISIAH STEWART

Senior Katherine Arlak won her first set 7-6, but struggled after injuring her back and lost 6-10 in a third-set tiebreaker.

Dramatic match sets tone for RU victory

BY TYLER DONOHUE STAFF WRITER

It took the Rutgers tennis team over five hours to complete Sunday’s home match. The end result TENNIS w a s 2 worth ARMY the wait.

5 RUTGERS I n the first Red Alert contest in program history, the Scarlet Knights defeated visiting Army 5-2 to remain unbeaten at the Rutgers Tennis Complex this spring. The crowd on hand was at least triple the size of the group of spectators that ordinarily shows up for RU’s matches.

Head coach Ben Bucca said the opportunity to play in front of a larger than usual audience was a motivating factor for the Knights from the get-go.

“It makes it fun for the girls to get the chance to showcase their talents,” Bucca said. “They work so hard and they tend to work anonymously, so it’s a great opportunity for them to be in the spotlight and have their athletic abilities appreciated by fans.”

Those who came to support the team were treated to a thrilling match. Sunday’s contest was filled with intrigue — there were injuries, lengthy volleys and an assortment of clutch performances. Junior Amy Zhang’s singles match set the stage for what would become an afternoon of dramatic play.

Following a 6-4 win in the first set, Zhang found herself in trouble after dropping the second set to Army’s Annie Haughton. Zhang’s body language conveyed frustration, but her game never wavered.

Haughton was outmatched in talent but battled Zhang with mistake-free play and forced a third set tiebreaker, in which both players showed impressive poise and stamina. They went back and forth, sprinting sideline to sideline while exchanging precise shots until Zhang eventually outlasted her opponent to win 10-8 in the deciding set. RU’s ace let out a sigh of relief, while Haughton was reduced to tears following the marathon match.

“You definitely learn from these tough matches. It’s a good experience,” Zhang said. “You have to be mentally tough and be willing to stay out on the court longer than your opponent. I think we showed our mental toughness today.”

Sophomore Jen Holzberg, the team’s No. 2 singles player, continued her consistent play with a 7-6, 6-4 win that put the Scarlet Knights ahead of Army 2-0.

Senior captain Katherine Arlak seemed to be on the right track after winning a hard-fought 7-6 decision in the first set of her match against Kristen Beeler, but the match quickly deteriorated. Down 3-0 in the second frame, Arlak’s lower back bothered her to the point where she needed a timeout to stretch with a medical trainer.

She was back on the court minutes later, but never regained her rhythm. A visibly frustrated Arlak eventually dropped the second set 3-6 before losing 6-10 in a third-set tiebreaker.

“I sort of lost my concentration in that tiebreaker,” Arlak said. “I wasn’t moving as well as before my back started hurting and it made me lose my focus. I definitely could have played better and more consistently.”

A well-balanced team performance picked up the slack for an injured Arlak. RU swept through doubles play and held a 3-1 advantage over Army when freshman Michelle Green and sophomores Mar yana Milchutskey and Leonora Slatnick took to the court for their singles matches.

Slatnick picked up the team’s fourth point and ensured that the Knights would improve to 3-0 at home on the year. Milchutskey added to RU’s total with a 6-2, 6-2 win, while Green fell 3-6, 0-6.

The Knights’ (5-3) gritty victory hinged on its players executing at pivotal moments.

According to Bucca, the team thrives when faced with pressure.

“It was extremely competitive and close. In these types of matches our players have just had a knack of hitting big shots in the right spots to win,” Bucca said. “That’s certainly been one of our strengths and it showed through today.”

The Rutgers gymnastics team finished second to host Cornell on Saturday despite a season-high score of 190.950. Unfortunately for the GYMNASTICS Scarlet RUTGERS 190.950 Knights, Cor nell SECOND PLACE delive r e d score of 192.675 — a season-best as well. RU defeated Brockport who finished third with a score of 188.250.

Despite finishing second to Cornell, head coach Chr ystal Chollet-Norton is pleased that her team is getting better as the season goes on.

“It’s great. We were really happy with the girls,” CholletNorton said. “We had a few falls but we didn’t need to count them.”

The fact that Cornell is the defending champion of the USA Nationals makes her team’s ability to rise to the occasion and deliver their best meet of the season all the more impressive for Chollet-Norton.

“Cornell is the reigning USA National Champion. They want to defend their title,” CholletNorton said. “We are on the upswing and even though they are a great club, we are showing what we can do this year.”

After struggling on beam at its last home quad meet, CholletNorton went to extra lengths to make sure her team was prepared.

The Knights showed substantial improvement, led by a 9.750 from senior Laura Sevarino and a 9.700 from junior Leigh Heinbaugh.

Overall, RU had four athletes finish in the top-five in beam.

“I am so proud of them,” Chollet-Norton said. “Cornell’s gym is small, so their beam is

JEN KONG/ FILE PHOTO

Senior Laura Sevarino led the Knights with a 9.750 on the beam, an event that had four RU athletes finish in the top five. right next to the wall. I put a mat up right next to our beam to see how close it would be to the wall.”

On vault, Sevarino continued her impressive meet, tying for third overall with fellow senior Alyssa Lewandowski with scores of 9.675.

Senior Kiah Banfield also performed well with a score of 9.550.

Banfield extended her stretch of phenomenal performances on floor exercises. After achieving a 9.900 last Saturday night, she scored a 9.850 to place second overall in the event. Lewandowski was able to finish sixth overall with a 9.675.

“I think Kiah’s tumbling is getting better and her dance is great,” Chollet-Norton said. “I was so impressed to see her get a 9.850 on the road.”

Jenna Zito, Nicole Romano and Emma-Rose Trentacosti continued to be some of the strongest performers on the team. Zito paced the team on bars with a 9.425 and finished fifth in the all-around competition with a score of 37.100.

Romano posted an all-around score of 37.850 to finish third.

Trentacosti celebrated her birthday in style, tying for fourth overall in beam with a 9.625.

“You wouldn’t have even known it was her [Trentacosti’s] birthday,” Chollet-Norton said.

“She knew she had a job to do and she did a great job.”

The Knights return to action on Saturday against Towson and Yale in their last home meet.

18

S P O RT S

MARCH 9, 2010

T H E DA I LY TA R G U M

Pitchers, team on point in Florida

BY SAM HELLMAN CORRESPONDENT

Heading into the USF Tournament, the Rutgers softball team’s top two pitchers from last season SOFTBALL had a c o m 5 RUTGERS bined 0-6 3 record, W. MICHIGAN giving up more earned runs than innings pitched.

But last season’s dynamic duo of Nicole Lindley and Holly Johnson returned to form this weekend, winning three key games for the Scarlet Knights and leading them to the team’s best tournament performance of the season.

RU finally put a brutal fiveloss, one-run Arizona State Tournament in the rearview mirror, quadrupling their season win total with four wins, including a 5-3 final Sunday over Western Michigan.

“I think a big dif ference is that our pitchers are used to pitching on dir t,” said Rutgers head coach Jay Nelson. “The first time on dir t after pitching on the gym floor is tough. You could see in this tournament that they were used to the dir t.”

A five-run third inning was all the Knights needed to take down the Broncos, courtesy of catcher Kaci Madden’s difference-making RBI walk.

Freshman pitcher Abby Houston started and threw two no-hit innings.

Lindley, the team’s senior ace, led the charge in a 7-0 shutout of TennesseeChattanooga, a team that squeaked by RU in extra innings last weekend. Lindley

walked four and gave up three hits, but still shut out UTC with two strikeouts in completegame fashion.

“I wasn’t ever worried about her, but I wanted to see her improve,” Nelson said of Lindley. “She threw really well this weekend.”

Deadlocked at zero going into the sixth inning against Chattanooga, the Knights broke out for four runs behind sophomore third baseman Brittney Lindley’s RBI triple.

They scored three more insurance runs behind a big single from first baseman Mandy Craig in the seventh inning.

“I wasn’t ever worried about [Nicole Lindley], but I wanted to see her improve. She threw really well.”

JAY NELSON Head Coach

The first day of the tournament in Clearwater, Fla., was all about Johnson. The sophomore pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings in relief to hold down a 5-4 win over Bradley.

Then the lights really came on.

Johnson got the nod in game two on the day facing Memphis, and responded with eight innings of one-run softball in a 2-1 victor y — her first win of the season.

“I think she just needed to get into pitching shape. She’s throwing fewer walks per inning and

she’s very tough to hit because her ball moves so much,” Nelson said of Johnson, who earned Big East Pitcher of the Week with her strong weekend.

Johnson also pitched well in relief in the win over WMU. She came in during the fifth inning and pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings to lock down a save.

“She had so much command of her pitches,” Nelson said. “That was the reason I went to her.”

Brittney Lindley belted the game-winning single in the eighth inning, plating sophomore outfielder Lindsey Curran.

Sophomore pitcher Noelle Sisco, whose health was a concern after catching a virus during the Frost Classic, gave up three earned runs in three innings in a 7-5 loss to Ball State.

Sophomore designated hitter Mikelyn Messina and freshman shor tstop Ashley Bragg went a combined 4-for-8 on the day, with Messina belting another home run and four RBI in the loss. “[Bragg] went into the lead off because she has a pretty good eye for the ball,” said Nelson on moving Bragg to lead of f and Messina to cleanup.

“She makes good contact and she drives the ball. I wanted to be able to move Mikelyn to the four spot because she’s been lifting the ball so well.

“They all compete [at the plate], but Mikelyn draws a lot of walks. She’s ver y patient and even when she gets two strikes, she fouls off pitches until the pitcher makes a mistake.”

RU (5-10) tied for the second-best record of all 27 teams in the tournament with a 4-1 per formance. Massachusetts was the only team to win all five of its games.

JENNIFER MIGUEL-HELLMAN/ FILE PHOTO

Junior midfielder Marlena Welsh scored her second consecutive game-winning goal for the Knights Saturday against Delaware.

Perfect record intact after high-scoring win

BY STEVEN WILLIAMSON SENIOR WRITER

After trading blows with the Delaware Blue Hens for 60 WOMEN’S LACROSSE straight minutes, 12 t h e RUTGERS Rutgers 11 women’s DELAWARE lacrosse team stepped out of the ring victorious — if only barely.

The Scarlet Knights scored a dozen goals against the Hens Saturday but needed ever y one of them to hold of f a furious Delaware rally in the final 10 minutes, ultimately winning 1211 in their second straight road contest.

While happy to escape with the win, head coach Laura BrandSias admitted a bit of luck was involved in the victory.

“I think we got lucky at the end that the time ran out,” Brand-Sias said. “They gave us a good run and we weren’t helping ourselves. I’m just relieved that we won.”

With the win over the Hens, Rutgers moves to a perfect 4-0 record — the first time in 20 years that the team has started the season with four wins.

Senior attack Brooke Cantwell led the charge for the Knights, scoring three goals along with two assists and a pair of draw controls.

Cantwell, a preseason AllConference selection, is tied for the team lead with eight goals, ranks second on the Knights roster with four assists and leads the team with 11 draw controls.

Though RU entered intermission with a 6-3 lead, the Blue Hens unleashed an eight-goal barrage in the second half that put the unbeaten team’s resolve to the test.

The Knights found themselves with an 11-7 advantage

— tying their largest lead of the game — with just over ten minutes remaining in the second half.

That’s when things got ugly.

Delaware’s of fense resurrected, scoring three straight goals to cut RU’s lead to one.

Junior midfielder Marlena Welsh tacked on the Knights’ 12th and final goal — ultimately the game winner — to push the advantage back to two. Welsh’s score marks the second time in as many games the junior posted the game-winning goal.

While Delaware (1-2) scored once more with 25 seconds remaining on the clock, there was not enough time remaining to cap off the rally.

“I think we lost our composure at a lot of key times,” Brand-Sias said. “We lost it on a lot of key possessions. That happened a lot more then we would have liked.”

Goals were not the only thing that ran high in the game, as the two teams combined for 10 yellow cards and 71 fouls.

Freshman goalkeeper Lily Kalata held her own in the cage for the four th straight game with 13 saves for an even 50 on her young career. Kalata stopped at least 12 shots in ever y game so far this year.

“She did a great job and she’s consistently been doing a great job for us,” Brand-Sias said. “We’re asking a lot of her as a freshman and she’s really stepping it up.”

With a two-game road trip behind them, the Knights return home to take on Saint Joseph’s, a team they edged out 7-6 last season in Philadelphia. The team’s bid for their fifth win would earn it a place in the program’s record books, as the Knights never won five straight games to star t a season.

S PORTS

T H E DA I LY TA R G U M

MARCH 9, 2010

19

Knights slice through zone D, avenge tough loss

BY TYLER BARTO STAFF WRITER

Following the Rutgers men’s lacrosse team’s contest Saturday against Saint Joseph’s, two things w e r e m a d e MEN’S LACROSSE abunST. JOSEPH’S 6 dantly RUTGERS 15 clear: St. J o e ’ s operated in a zone defense and the Scarlet Knights were just flat-out in the zone.

Junior attack Kory Kelly and senior midfielder Justin Pennington each tallied hat tricks as RU defeated the Hawks 15-6 in dominating fashion, avenging last year’s three-goal loss at St. Joe’s. “[St. Joseph’s] is a tough team, definitely,” said senior attack Tad Stanwick, who scored twice in the victory. “If you let them hang around, they can give you a lot of fits. This week we worked very hard to prepare for what they were going to do.”

A Hawks team that returned its three leading scorers from last season, including Sean Evans — the team’s 2009 Offensive Player of the Year — proved no match for a determined RU squad that came out of the gates on a mission.

The Knights fired on all cylinders early in the match against St. Joe’s matchup zone defense, converting a goal from sophomore attack Kevin Hover just one minute into the game.

Hover and senior midfielder Gerhard Buehning, last week’s Big East Player of the Week, each scored two goals in the onslaught.

RU outshot the Hawks 25-6 in the first half and won 8-of-12 face-

offs en route to a comfortable 102 halftime cushion. It forced St. Joe’s, whose patented zone defense collapsed, to tangle manto-man with head coach Jim Stagnitta’s squad.

“I think we did a nice job,” said Stagnitta, in his ninth season at the helm of RU. “I think St. Joe’s made a couple adjustments to what we were doing. It was important for us to score goals in other ways … I thought we did a good job of that, particularly in the first half.”

RU scored six goals to the Hawks’ one in the first period, proving to be its most complete session of lacrosse in the game.

The possession disparity was on display early and often, as the Knights handled the ball almost entirely for the first eight minutes of play.

The second period featured a flurry of three RU goals in 21 seconds, increasing the lead to 9-2.

The Knights took advantage of inconsistent and sloppy defensive play by SJU, who committed untimely penalties and experienced difficulty transitioning to a man-to-man defense.

The win helped ease the pain of last week’s 6-5 loss to No. 19 UMBC, as well as last year’s unexpected defeat at St. Joe’s.

“Leading up to this game, all week coach reminded us what it felt like leaving that game, how much it hurt, and how much it destroyed our confidence last year,” said Kelly, who now has eight points (6 goals, 2 assists) on the young season. “We didn’t want that to happen again.”

St. Joe’s senior attack Sean Evans, who was the only consistent link between this and last year’s result against RU, tallied a hat trick for the Hawks. But other than Evans, St. Joe’s (0-5) could

F ORMER

T

he Connecticut women’s basketball team broke its own NCAA record for consecutive wins, reaching 71 straight last night when it defeated Notre Dame 59-44 in the Big East Tournament’s semifinals.

The Huskies set the original mark from 2001 to 2003, when WNBA All-Star Sue Bird played under head coach Geno Auriemma.

“I said it all along, I don’t care about the streak. It’s going to end. I just want it to end the right way,” Auriemma said. “I want to have our best guys out on the floor, the last three minutes, and somebody beats us, and I’ll be the first to shake their hand.”

N EW

THE

KANSAS

WOMEN’S

soccer team defeated the Philadelphia Independence of the Women’s Professional Soccer league Saturday by a score of 2-1.

Rising juniors Kelsey Dumont and Karla Schacher tallied the Scarlet Knights’ goals in the victory. RU continues its spring schedule March 27 when the team takes on WPS champion Sky Blue FC.

MEN ’ S

basketball team regained the Associated Press Top-25 No. 1 rank after a dominating performance this weekend against rival Missouri.

Syracuse, last week’s No. 1ranked team, suffered a secondstraight loss to Louisville Saturday at Freedom Hall, propelling the Jayhawks to the top spot in the AP poll.

The Orange’s loss drops the team to No. 3, while Kentucky leapfrogged SU to capture the No. 2 rank in the country.

MILLEDGEVILLE, THE RUTGERS

Y ORK

Giants defensive tackle Fred Robbins signed with the St. Louis Rams yesterday, ending his time in the Big Apple.

Robbins joins former Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, now the Rams’ head coach. The tackle could gain up to $12 million over three years, a league source said.

The Giants also lost backup quarterback David Carr, who signed with the San Francisco 49ers yesterday, during the free agency period.

GA.,

police plan to inter view Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger regarding his possible involvement in the sexual assault last Friday of a Georgia woman.

The lawyer of the Miami (OH) product has been in contact with the local authorities recently and believes his client will be cleared of any wrongdoing.

NICHOLAS BRASOWSKI/ FILE PHOTO

Junior attack Kory Kelly tallied a hat trick and one assist Saturday against St. Joseph’s in the Knights’ 15-6 victory. He has eight points on the season — six goals and two assists. not muster a consistent assault against the Knights’ defense, which stood tall and kept freshman goalie Rudy Butler and senior net-minder Bill Olin unfazed throughout the game.

Butler recorded only one save in the first half.

“The defense has been solid all year,” Stagnitta said. “They do a great job as a unit … In the first half they did a great job.

They were all over [St. Joseph’s]. They were all over the things they were doing.”

An impressive first half performance allotted the Knights’ an opportunity to use a larger portion of their roster, which led to some lapses in concentration after halftime. Olin, on the other hand, proved a valuable commodity as a veteran goalie, making timely stops in the second half.

“We maybe got a little complacent at times in the second half, which is to be expected with a score like that,” Stagnitta said.

“Certainly it gives you the ability and opportunity to make mistakes when your defense plays that well.”

The Knights (2-1) return to action next Saturday when they take on a formidable Penn State team at the RU Turf Field.

T H E D A I LY TA R G U M

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MARCH 9, 2010

RUTGERS WEST VIRGINIA

1 25 25

2 24 31

Final 49 56

Oliver’s play impresses in Hartford

WVU tops Knights in semifinals

BY SAM HELLMAN

BY STEVEN WILLIAMSON

CORRESPONDENT

SENIOR WRITER

HARTFORD, Conn. — At the start of the Big East Tournament, Rutgers freshman forward KNIGHT Monique NOTEBOOK O l i v e r became a different player.

For the third consecutive game, the Las Vegas native provided a consistent offensive performance that helped the RU women’s basketball team keep it close against No. 7 West Virginia.

Oliver finished one point behind sophomore guard Khadijah Rushdan for the team’s scoring lead, putting up 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting, and pulled down six boards.

“I’m just going out there trying to do the best I can to help the team,” Oliver said. “I’m trying to keep a cool head and help the team.”

In the two games prior to last night’s loss, Oliver scored nine points against both No. 11 Georgetown and Cincinnati on a combined 6-of-7 shooting. Her .609 field goal percentage entering the game is good for fifth place on RU’s all-time single-season list.

During the regular season, Oliver averaged 5.4 points per game in 12.4 minutes.

“Mo is ef ficient,” said head

HARTFORD, Conn. — Down in the second half for the second straight game, the Rutgers women’s basketball WOMEN’S BASKETBALL team hoped it could pull off the same type of rally it used the night before to knock off Georgetown.

But lightning did not strike twice for the Scarlet Knights, who could not overcome a late double-digit deficit, falling to No. 7 West Virginia 56-49 in the semifinal round of the Big East Tournament.

Despite the loss, the Knights won key games in Hartford to help shore up their NCAA Tournament hopes.

“A lot of people thought we would be out of [the Tournament] after our first game,” said sophomore guard Chelsey Lee, who finished with seven points and seven rebounds. “I just hope we get promised another 40 minutes. If we are, it will be in our hands, in our control, to make sure we get another 40 minutes.”

Sophomore guard Khadijah Rushdan led the Knights with 12 points, but Rutgers’ offense moved in fits and starts.

The Knights’ old ghosts came back to haunt them against the Mountaineers. RU turned the ball over 18 times, leading to 14 points for West Virginia.

While three-point heroics won

SEE PLAY ON PAGE 16

ANDREW HOWARD/ SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Sophomore guard Nikki Speed played 33 minutes and scored four points, but Mountaineers’ junior forward Korrine Campbell (21) blocked her shot in the 56-49 loss that eliminated RU from the Big East Tournament.

SEE KNIGHTS ON PAGE 16

ROY frontrunners to duel in Tourney

BY KYLE FRANKO CORRESPONDENT

ANDREW HOWARD/ SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Cincinnati’s Lance Stephenson and Rutgers’ Dane Miller, right, are the leading contenders for Big East Rookie of the Year.

It is not often that Hamady N’Diaye is speechless.

But when asked for his reaction to winning the MEN’S BASKETBALL Big East D e f e n s ive RUTGERS VS. Player of the CINCINNATI, Year award TONIGHT, 9 P.M., ESPNU y e s t e r d a y , the Rutgers men’s basketball team’s senior center was at a loss for words.

“I was [speechless] because I’ve been thinking about this for a long time,” said N’Diaye who sits two blocks shy of tying Roy Hinson’s school-record of 355. “I’ve always wanted this since freshman year and I’m really proud of us.”

N’Diaye rejected 140 shots this season — a number that tops the conference and ranks him third in the nation with 4.52 blocks per game — leaving him four shy of equaling Hinson’s mark for blocks in a season set during the 1982-83 season.

“It’s a great testament to his work ethic and his desire to work through a course of four years,” said head coach Fred Hill Jr. “I think when you really look at where he’s come from, people recognize that.”

THE SCARLET KNIGHTS ARE also hoping freshman forward Dane Miller joins N’Diaye on the awards podium.

Miller is one of the leading contenders for Big East Rookie of the Year. Both he and Cincinnati’s Lance Stephenson were unanimous selections earlier this week to the AllRookie Team.

“I think that says consistency,” Hill said regarding Miller’s unanimous selection. “The way most people vote is ‘how did that guy play against you.’ And what unanimous says is that he’s played well against every other coach. The consistency of what he’s been able to do is what’s impressed each and every coach.”

Miller averaged 11.9 points and 6.3 rebounds in conference play. He won the Big East Rookie of the Week award three consecutive times, from Feb. 8-22.

Stephenson’s 12.1 points per game are tops for conference freshman. He also won the Big East Rookie of the Week award three times, including the most recent one.

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square off tonight when the Big East Tournament opens for RU and Cincinnati at Madison Square Garden.

The Knights (15-16, 5-13) come in as the No. 14 seed while the Bearcats (16-14, 7-11) are seeded 11th.

Cincinnati started the season 6-1 with victories over Maryland and Vanderbilt in the Maui Invitational en route to a top25 ranking but slid backward since the middle of conference play. The Bearcats come into the game tonight losers of seven of their last nine. The Knights lost four of their last five.

In their only meeting back on Jan. 2., Cincinnati came away from the Louis Brown Athletic Center with a 65-58 victory.

HILL

ALSO SPOKE ABOUT HIS

job status yesterday after practice.

The fourth-year head coach said he has not spoken to athletic director Tim Pernetti about his future and that they will “go over the program goals and needs” at the end of the season.

N’Diaye said the team addressed Hill’s status after rumors started swirling following the team’s 0-8 start in Big East play. “[The message] was we just have to keep playing,” N’Diaye said. “There were no step backs, we weren’t listening to rumors and we weren’t listening to anybody else at that point. A lot of people gave up on us and said we wouldn’t win one game at that point.

“Now we’ve won five games in the Big East and anything can happen. I’ve said that all year and all we have to do is keep fighting, and that’s exactly what’s going to happen.”