CAPs New initiatives promote a greater incentive to seek mental health assistance
see OPINIONS, page 6
tourette Syndrome Researchers discover
FOOTBALL Rutgers wins its first game of season in
novel genes linked to the disorder
Science, page 8
65-0 blowout
SEE sports, BACK
WEATHER Cloudy with late showers High: 75 Low: 65
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MOndAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2017
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RUSA allocates $4K for ‘Into the Light’ event Christina Gaudino Staff Writer
During the general meeting on Thursday, the Rutgers University Student Assembly (RUSA) hosted guest speakers from the Rutgers Office of Disability Ser vices and passed two pieces of legislation — one allocated $4,000 toward an upcoming mental health awareness 5k event, and the other approved the Fall 2017 Election Guidelines, kicking off the RUSA fall election season. “Over the past year and a half, one of the big goals for RUSA has been inclusivity, going off the lead of the University as well as what we’ve been hearing from students. Part of that is being inclusive toward students with disabilities,” said Jessica Tuazon, RUSA secretar y and a School of Engineering junior. Kathy Loder-Murphy, the Office of Disability Services assistant director, and Coordinator Debbie Huisman attended the RUSA meeting to speak to the body about how student leaders and organizations can be more inclusive toward those with disabilities. Loder-Murphy, who coordinates services for students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), brain injuries and learning disabilities, began by emphasizing that not all disabilities are visible. “One of the number one disability categories that we have for students here (at Rutgers) is mental illness,” she said. This category of disability includes depression, anxiety disorder, bipolar and learning disorders and ADHD, she said. The one thing that is different about these disabilities, Loder-Murphy said, is that they are invisible.
“One out of 5 people in America have a disability — in this room, there are people who have a disability that we can’t see, and that really has an impact on how we speak of folks with disabilities,” she said. When planning on-campus events, Loder-Murphy urged the audience to be aware of possible accommodations, which students might need in order to attend or participate. The best way to be inclusive when planning an event, she said, is to include the simple sentence “if you need accommodations for this event, please call,” in event materials. “Disability is like any other category, it is the same as religion or gender or sexual orientation, it is how someone identifies themselves, but it is not their true and only identity,” Loder-Murphy said. “Everybody has multiple identities, so when we look at disabilities, we look at it as part of the person, but we also want to be as inclusive as possible about how our community operates around a student with a disability.” RUSA voted to pass a bill to co-sponsor the “Into the Light: A 5K for Mental Health Awareness,” an upcoming event hosted by two sisters attending Rutgers who recently lost their father to suicide. The event will be held on Saturday, Sept. 23 from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Cook Campus Center. Kate Brandt, Caroline Ross and RUSA Vice President Christie Schweighardt authored the legislation and presented it to the body on Thursday evening. The speakers addressed RUSA’s recent collaboration with the Rutgers Counseling, Alcohol and Other See event on Page 5
University President Robert L. Barchi announced that Rutgers will be participating in a Big Ten competition to encourage University students to get to the polls. The school with the highest turnout for this year’s midterm elections will win the challenge. DIMITRI RODRIGUEZ / PHOTO EDITOR
U. joins Big Ten Voting Challenge to bolster civic engagement on campus KIRA HERZOG News Editor
Yesterday, as part of a united effort to turn out the vote, Rutgers announced its participation in the Big Ten Voting Challenge — an initiative that aims to boost civic engagement in a demographic with historically low voter turnout. University President Robert L. Barchi announced Rutgers’ participation in the competition through an email that was signed by the leaders of all 14 Big Ten schools. “Our shared goal is activating full participation in our democracy and supporting habits of robust civic engagement,” Barchi said in the email. This year, out of the nearly 5.8 million registered voters in New Jersey, only 13 percent went to
the polls to vote in the gubernatorial primaries. Now, with the race underfoot, there is a great deal of speculation regarding how many people will take part in deciding the general race, according to NJ Advance Media. New Jersey has never seen a turnout of more than 40 percent. Following the 2018 elections, the Big Ten school with the highest eligible voter turnout and the one with the most improved turnout will both be awarded trophies. At Rutgers, the competition will be accompanied by efforts by campus organizations to register eligible voters and educate them on the issues. NJPIRG’s leading campaign this year is called the New Voters Project. Its primary goal is to engage younger voters and change the climate that surrounds local politics,
said NJPIRG campus organizer John Bacchus. “With a history of deplorably low voter turnout amongst youth voters, we’re aiming to break the cycle of a disengaged young constituency, and disinterested politicians, by registering 2,000 Rutgers students to vote and providing them with information and support to get to the polls on Nov. 7,” Bacchus said in an email. “Rutgers is the largest body of college students in New Jersey, so we have the opportunity to have a large impact on this upcoming election through voter mobilization.” The Eagleton Institute of Politics is working towards a similar goal through its ongoing Youth Political Participation Program. Last year, Eagleton’s efforts prompted 1,100 See voting on Page 5
Rutgers decorates hundreds of shirts to give voice to domestic violence survivors Christina Gaudino Staff Writer
Over 500 brightly colored, uniquely-designed shirts streamed across Voorhees Mall on the College Avenue campus for the Rutgers University Office for Violence Prevention and Victim Assistance’s (VPVA) annual Clothesline Project. The event took place Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. “Over 100 new shirts have been created today,” said Loren Linscott, the director of the VPVA.
Linscott said his office believes about 1,000 students viewed the exhibit over the course of the day. The t-shirts, which have been created by Rutgers students during the Clothesline event over the past 20 years, are meant to bear witness to acts of interpersonal violence experienced by members of the community. The shirts were created by survivors and other caring individuals to symbolize those who have suffered from domestic violence, sexual assault, physical assault or death,
according to a flyer distributed at the event. “The line here at Rutgers started in the late 90s (by VPVA),” said Laura Luciano, the assistant director for VPVA. “And since then, we’ve been giving survivors and their loved ones the opportunity to create shirts.” Walking through the exhibit, one saw scrawled onto the shirts tributes to mothers, sisters, cousins and friends, expressions of support, declarations of self-love, and of anger toward perpetrators. See survivors on Page 5
The Clothesline Project included hundreds of shirts with messages by and for survivors of interpersonal violence. FACEBOOK
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