NOTES The University should encourage professors to
FIGHT BREAKOUTS Foods that might be making your acne, eczema and other skin conditions worse
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BASEBALL Rutgers salvages rubber game against La Salle, improves to 17-11
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Author, Rutgers alumnus discloses history of sexual abuse ERICA D’COSTA ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR
Rutgers graduate and Pulitzer Prize winner, Junot Diaz, recently revealed a secret he hid from the world all his life — his experience as a victim of sexual abuse. In the piece titled, “The Silence: The Legacy of Childhood Trauma,” published by The New Yorker, he details the experience of being raped at the age of 8. “My rape defined me,” he said in his essay for the New Yorker. Diaz explained that his rape completely and irrevocably changed his way of life, ceasing any opportunity to live normally. “(The rape was) by a grownup that I truly trusted. His essay revealed that the adult said he had to return the next day or else. He was then raped again. The author described how suppressing the truth as a public figure silenced and traumatized him, leading to a spiralling depression that was never treated. “I never got any kind of help, any kind of therapy, I never told anyone,” he wrote. Diaz, who grew up in Middlesex County, said that he attempted suicide his senior year of high school. “By 14, I was holding one of my father’s pistols to my head,” he said. His suicide attempts continued. He later downed three bottles of pills that were leftover from his brother’s prescription as a cancer patient.
Diaz said he would have continued his suicide attempts, but something stopped him — an acceptance letter to Rutgers University. “At Rutgers I buried not only the rape but the boy who had been raped — and threw into the pit my family, my suffering, my depression, my suicide attempt for good measure,” Diaz said. The alum, now a Creative Writing professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology explained how his abuse was detrimental to all aspects of his life, from his relationships to his writing. He said that once during a book signing, a fan asked if he was a victim of sexual abuse, since the subject is so prevalent in his literature. “You caught me completely by surprise,” he said in the essay, speaking directly to that fan. “I wish I had told you the truth then, but I was too scared in those days to say anything. Too scared, too committed to my mask. I responded with some evasive bulls---. And that was it.” The alum said he still struggles with depression, but now goes to therapy twice a week and is more open about his hidden past. This year, sexual assault has been a widely discussed topic. People from all different backgrounds have come forward and spoken their truth, using the #MeToo. In Februar y, the founder of the #MeToo movement Tarana Burke came to Rutgers and
Junot Diaz, author and Rutgers alumnus, speaks out about the sexual abuse he experienced as a child and its impact on his adult life to The New Yorker. Diaz said that his admission into Rutgers University saved his life. WIKIMEDIA COMMONS spoke about the real meaning behind the campaign. “One of the big misconceptions is that this is a movement about taking down powerful men, that it’s a witch hunt. I’ve never had a person come to me and say, ‘I want to take down this person.’ They come and say ‘I need help,’” Burke said.
In October, former Vice President and sponsor of the “It’s On Us” movement, Joe Biden, visited Rutgers to praise the University for its commitment to preventing sexual assault on campus. Both, Burke and Biden commented on the effect sexual assault has on women.
Underground music scene persists at U. SARAH HOLICK CONTRIBUTING WRITER
As a result of popular venues, an underground scene and a constant influx of new students — New Brunswick’s music scene continues to find a home at Rutgers and the surrounding community. Brianna Bornstein, School of Arts and Sciences sophomore and member of Rutgers Radio, explained just how important the music scene can be to the University’s students. “There is always something to see here that has to do with music, now I can’t imagine my college experience without shows,” she said. There is a real sense of passion that comes along with those who attend basement shows, bar shows and other live performances in New Brunswick, Bornstein said. Finding new music or listening to old tunes is easy with today’s
technology, and sometimes people dismiss going out and finding a live performance to enjoy. She said that live performances can be a fun and different weekend activity. “There are so many student’s here that love music and they are looking for a way to express themselves that isn’t partying every weekend,” she said. “They are looking for an alternative way to have fun where the focus isn’t around drugs or alcohol.” Mica Finehar t, a junior in the School of Ar ts and Sciences and member of Rutgers Radio, said the music scene in New Brunswick is unique compared to other universities. Bands comprised of Rutgers students, as well as those from surrounding towns and cities, come to New Brunswick to play. SEE SCENE ON PAGE 4
Diaz brought a unique angle on the issue as a male victim and discussed how growing up as a male rape victim made him feel less of a man. “‘Real’ Dominican men, after all, aren’t raped. And if I wasn’t a “real” Dominican man I wasn’t anything. The rape excluded me from manhood,” he wrote in the essay.
Career fairs instill professional social skills in students KHOA NGUYEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
New Brunswick’s underground music scene houses a multitude of students looking to experience weekend entertainment outside of the 21-and-over restriction bars enforce. BRIANNA BORNSTEIN
VOLUME 150, ISSUE 45 • UNIVERSITY ... 3 • OPINIONS ... 6 • INSIDE BEAT... 8 • DIVERSIONS ... 9 • SPORTS ... BACK
Every year there are dozens of career fairs that the University hosts through Rutgers Career Services. Up to 300 different employers await prospective students that may someday join their companies. Krystyn Kitto, the assistant director of Career Services and Alumni Relations in the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, said that for the Rutgers’ Mega Career Fair, there are at least 2,500 participants per day. The event runs over two days, holding approximately 300 employers and companies. For the upcoming New Jersey Statewide Career and Internship SEE STUDENTS ON PAGE 4