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RUTGERS UNIVERSITY—NEW BRUNSWICK
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2016
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Rutgers announces Steve Pikiell as new basketball coach
Steve Pikiell, the new Rutgers head men’s basketball coach, will replace Eddie Jordan at the helm. He formerly coached the Stony Brook University Seawolves, taking them to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. DIMITRI RODRIGUEZ / PHOTO EDITOR
GARRETT STEPIEN CORRESPONDENT
For the first time in a decade, Piscataway had a buzz. And it all correlated back to center court of the Rutgers Athletic Center. But contrary to the ordinary expectancies of two-hand slams and game-winning shots, the reason for it was the man standing at the
podium on the stage that sat on top of the block “R” logo at the RAC. Standing there was Steve Pikiell, 48, who officially became the next Rutgers head men’s basketball coach on Tuesday afternoon. “I don’t think I’ve slept in four days. This has been quite a whirlwind for me,” Pikiell said. “But this has always been a dream job for me. I drove up and down the New Jersey
Turnpike for years recruiting ... I would drive by that sign and I would say, ‘That’s the job I want.’ I’m humbled and very appreciative, and I’m very thankful for this opportunity.” Days after reports initially broke on Saturday morning citing that the 11-year Stony Brook University head coach had been tabbed as the successor to former three-year Rutgers head coach Eddie Jordan, it all
finally became real for Pikiell at his introductory press conference. The Board of Governors approved Pikiell’s Memorandum of Agreement earlier on Tuesday morning. Pikiell will make an annual base salary of $550,000, with an additional guaranteed compensation of $850,000 for his first year. That additional guaranteed compensation increases by $100,000 in each
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NOA HALFF ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR
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Community discusses dangers of jaywalking
Students organize annual conference for engineers at U. Students in or interested in the industrial engineering field from across the Northeast United States were invited to learn skills and network at an annual conference that hosted at Rutgers this year. The Rutgers University chapter of the Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE) hosted their annual IIE Northeast Regional Conference from March 18 to March 20, according to the group’s website. Members of IIE from across the Northeast were invited to listen to speakers from various industries, partake in networking events and meet other members in social activities, said Anvita Tiwari, a School of Engineering junior and conference organizer. The main goals of the conference were to promote leadership, communication and professional skills, to provide a forum for the presentation of student papers and to inform students about industrial engineering, Tiwari said.
year of his contract, which runs from March 21, 2016, to March 31, 2021. University President Robert L. Barchi said he gave Athletic Director Patrick Hobbs the platform to make the right decision in the hiring process. “In the last three months, we’ve really pretty much taken a new look at sports here at Rutgers, with hiring Pat Hobbs as our AD, hiring a new head football coach and finishing the trifecta today with a new basketball coach,” Barchi said. “... I have to say that the hiring of the basketball coach is 100 percent the job of the AD. It’s his expertise that made this happen and his hard work in the several past weeks that have gotten us to this point. All I did was to lay down a few requirements.” Hobbs, who took over in late November and hired Chris Ash as the head football coach in December, said he knew he had the right fit in his second major coaching hire as soon as he met Pikiell. “In every search, you want that moment. You want that moment where you know you are sitting across the table from that person,” Hobbs said. “They’re talking and you have that feeling that starts to well up when you say, ‘This is the person, this is the right fit, this is the person who I want to lead our student-athletes’ ... Three
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital hopes to add 100,000 square feet over the next two years. They are in the process of developing exact plans. GRAPHIC BY RIDDHI JAIN AND SUSMITA PARUCHURI
University hospital reveals facility expansion plans NICK HUBER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital has made plans for a major construction project set to begin during the summer of this year. The hospital is planning for the construction of a 100,000-squarefoot expansion project set to start late summer, said Peter Haigney, a spokesman for Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. The expansion includes a 42,000-square-foot expansion along
French Street, an 8,000-square-foot expansion on Little Albany Street and a renovation project within the hospital that will encompass 50,000 square feet, Haigney said. The expansion is part of a Master Facilities Project funded though the New Jersey Healthcare Finance Authority, Haigney said. “In the Master Facility Plan of this scope and magnitude, there are literally hundreds of areas and services affected,” he said. “The larger portions SEE EXPANSION ON PAGE 4
University students seem to be braver than they should be when it comes to dodging cars on busy streets. At a Rutgers University Student Assembly (RUSA) meeting on March 3, University President Robert L. Barchi expressed concerns regarding pedestrian safety. “You can’t see (pedestrians), especially at dusk and in the dark, and (accidents are) gonna happen. Jaywalking is against the law, not to mention the fact that it’s dumb,” Barchi said. In 2013, 4,735 pedestrians were killed in motor vehicle crashes, averaging more than 12 people per day, according to the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center. These concerns were raised because of a Feb. 15 accident near Cabaret Theater on Douglass campus that sent two students to the hospital. Barchi said installing more crosswalks might not be a functional solution, citing the relatively new crosswalk in front of the Student Activities Center on the College Avenue campus.
The walkway is now outfitted with a pedestrian-operated stoplight. While the change may seem small, Barchi said it took three months to determine “how long the lights should be on” and other logistical nuances. George Street is not the only location for these new signs and signals. Last semester two new signs with flashing lights were installed at the intersection of Biel Road and Dudley Road on Cook campus. Barchi is willing to add more crosswalks and signs, but he suggested the assembly create an educational program about pedestrian safety and using crosswalks. RUSA is not currently creating such a program, said assembly members Mohamed Asker, a School of Arts and Sciences sophomore, and Rachana Kelshikar, a School of Arts and Sciences junior. School of Arts and Sciences sophomore Pete Samper said such a program may lack merit. He said it is unlikely he would attend a pedestrian safety meeting. Lauren Iacobucci, a School of Engineering junior, agreed with the
VOLUME 148, ISSUE 32 • UNIVERSITY ... 3 • FOOD & DRINK ... 5 • OPINIONS ... 6 • CLASSIFIEDS ... 7 • DIVERSIONS ... 9 • SPORTS ... BACK
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