THE DAILY TARGUM
Volume 142, Number 4
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 SEPTEMBER 7, 2010
1 8 6 9
Today: Mostly sunny
BACK ON TRACK
High: 88 • Low: 66
The Rutgers women’s soccer team rebounded this weekend from a tough loss to Monmouth by shutting out Princeton and Bucknell.
New LXc bus route frustrates students BY COLLEEN ROACHE ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR
Some students who used the L bus to travel through Highland Park feel like the L is for “left behind.” Though the Department of Transportation eliminated the L because it was not used as much as other buses, some students, especially those who live off campus, are not happy the route no longer exists. “There are a lot of people who are af fected,” said Hadi Halim, president of the Graduate Student Association. “We understand that it’s a budgeting situation, but what we think is not
right is the short notice. A lot of people already made their housing [arrangements] in May.” About 600 students have signed an online petition — available at savethelbus.wordpress.com — to bring back the route, Halim said. He hopes University officials will reconsider. Three students who signed the petition — School of Engineering graduate students Bhavya Shah, Flavian Patrao and Aditya Namjoshi — live on Cedar Lane in Highland Park and agreed the route is necessary. Patrao is not happy with the LXc, which he said does not come
SEE ROUTE ON PAGE 4
NICHOLAS BRASOWSKI / SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Some Highland Park residents are upset about the elimination of the L bus, which used to stop at several residential areas in the town. About 600 students are hoping their petition could bring the route back.
CREATING AWARENESS
Grease truck offers healthy options BY MIKE DAVIS CONTRIBUTING WRITER
JOVELLE ABBEY TAMAYO / PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
A University and NYU graduate are moving forward with their own T-shirt brand, IDTees, which includes T-shirts that communicate positive messages with simple designs. To read the full story, see PAGE 7.
The Golden Rail in New Brunswick reopens after a fire ruined the interior in December.
Bill to grant U. right to approve charter schools
OPINIONS
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
INDEX METRO
Two businessmen are looking to bring their grease-less grease truck to the University in an effort to provide a fast and healthy food option for students. Nic Kubian and Dominick Rodriguez created the SouperVan to provide University students with a fully mobile truck offering sandwiches, soups, salads and snacks, while using fresh ingredients from as many local outlets as possible. But Kubian said that’s not the van’s main calling card: The SouperVan would donate 100 percent of the profits to charity. They looked at social enterprise — a business whose bottom line measures community impact in addition to profit — as a realistic way to enact change, Rodriguez said. “Wouldn’t it be cool if young, bright people like
Rutgers students had the oppor tunity to look at how social enterprise could integrate into whatever direction they see themselves fulfilling in this world?” said Kubian, a Rutgers College Class of 2005 graduate. Kubian and Rodriguez developed the SouperVan concept through years in the restaurant business and in the 108th Air Refueling Wing of the New Jersey National Guard. They explored problems that had plagued the countr y and questioned why something as simple as hunger was still a concern. “If we can’t solve this in the second-richest state in the most powerful nation the world has ever seen, when is humanity going to solve the issue?” Kubian said. As the economy faltered, food insecurity struck more and more people, he said.
People could now find themselves in a situation of food insecurity after illness, loss of health insurance or dire financial straits, Kubian said. “The face of hunger is changing in this country,” he said. The Trenton-based food bank Mercer Street Friends repor ted a 29 percent increase in demand for 2009, Kubian said. He wonders how the SouperVan will be able to help others if they cannot stay open. “We don’t believe the right solution is just to ask the government for more money,” he said. “What if we could find a solution within capitalism?” The SouperVan is one of many projects in the running for a $50,000 grant from the Pepsi Refresh project, where the top10 ideas will get the money, Kubian said.
SEE TRUCK ON PAGE 4
BY JESSICA URIE The Gateway Project provides room for city growth. UNIVERSITY . . . . . . . 3 METRO . . . . . . . . . . 9 IN FOCUS . . . . . . . . 7 WORLD . . . . . . . . . 11 OPINIONS . . . . . . . 12 DIVERSIONS . . . . . . 14 CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . 16 SPORTS . . . . . . BACK
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A bill has been introduced to the New Jersey state Legislature that would allow the University to authorize charter schools under the Center for Effective School Practices, a part of the University’s Graduate School of Education. Assemblywoman Mila Jasey, D-Essex, one of the bill’s sponsors, said while some states already use independent authorizers, New Jersey has thus far not used this model. She said this bill might extend this authorization authority to the University. “The reason for additional authorizers is to increase the capacity within the state to open quality charter schools,” Jasey said. “We recognize that the Department of Education currently has only three people who do this [so] quite honestly, resources are shrinking and we need to find ways to maintain quality while we increase capacity.” Jasey said she could not think of a case where there were more applicants than there were available spaces at a charter school. But the schools are limited to 500 students so that it maintains a personal atmosphere.
SEE BILL ON PAGE 4
JENNIFER KONG
Two entrepreneurs are working on bringing their healthy options grease truck, the SouperVan, to the University. Proceeds will go to a charity to help fight hunger.