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WEDNesdAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2017
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Douglass celebrates 100 years of empowering women Christian Zapata Correspondent
The chimes that once sounded curfew now ring in the voices of Douglass College alumni, echoing progressive thinking and educational reform for women over a century later. The celebration kickoff is but one of many events over the next year dedicated to enriching the Rutgers community with activities and the history surrounding Douglass College, said Maria DePina, the senior department administrator for Douglass Residential College. Event coordination is organized by a planning committee that later divides into subcommittees tasked with different responsibilities, DePina said. Committees like hers are responsible for the general oversight of the kickoff ceremony. “We wanted to start out by allowing Rutgers administration, students, staff and alumnae to come on campus and see how vibrant Douglass is, how alive we are and how our students are participating in a lot of different activities on campus,” she said. Programs such as STEM were emphasized throughout the presentation for students interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, DePina said. Alumni were able to interact with students and see the different
Douglass College celebrated the beginning of its 100th anniversary with a chance for alumni, students and faculty to come together and enjoy food, giveaways and more. TATIANA MCNEIL programs they take part in along with course schedules and overall community engagement. “Alumni can engage with the students with regards to how it’s like to live on campus today because a lot of the alumni experienced different activities and things when they were here. So they can hear some of the differences and appreciate the growth of Douglass College,” she said.
Edie Prescod, the program coordinator of Douglass Residential College, said since assimilating to the rest of the University, Douglass has built a reputation inclusive of the different organizations within the school. “I think we’ve always been unified, back then Rutgers students could take classes here and vice versa,” she said. “What’s special about our college is that yes, it is
a women’s college, but we are part of this University, you get a little bit of everything.” Guest speakers of the night included Rutgers alumni, current undergraduates and a few words from University President Robert L. Barchi and Jacquelyn Litt, the dean of Douglass Residential College. “Douglass has students, alumnae and a president (who) are deeply connected and we wanted to have representation from the advisory board. We wanted the president to speak as he’s been a great supporter of Douglass since he’s arrived, and also a student to talk about our programs, we wanted a really good mix,” Litt said. The many changes the school has undergone over time make it necessar y to showcase dif ferent perspectives from dif ferent speakers, Litt said. The event was enthusiastic and showed that Rutgers and Douglass are a great fit together. Douglass looks to continue its focus on STEM with work on the global complex, where students live in small houses with specialized learning goals and community outreach programs, Litt said. Upon student requests, professional development programs look to help students with resume building and instilling the mentality required of women in the workplace.
Rutgers team wins Hult Prize, takes home $1M Stephen Weiss Associate News Editor
Four forward-thinking Rutgers students won the $1 million Hult Prize award on Saturday for their idea to restore and improve quality of life for millions of refugees. The team, comprised of Rutgers Business School senior Najeeha Farooqi and three University alumni — Moneeb Mian, Hasan Usmani and Hanaa Lakhani — worked and planned for 11 months to become the first team from Rutgers to become a finalist in the competition. According to the website the 2017 Hult Prize challenge was to develop a business capable of restoring the dignity of 1 million refugees by 2022. Roshni Rides, the name of the winning business, is a transportation network solution that provides accessible, affordable and reliable public transportation for urbanized refugees living in informal settlements in South Asia, according to the Roshni Rides website.
According to the website, there are 200 million urbanized refugees in South Asia who do not have reasonable access to resources like markets, schools, hospitals and places of employment due to a lack of public transportation options. This result is limited opportunity and self-sufficiency for refugees. “At Roshni Rides, we believe that when you take away a refugee’s ability to be self-sufficient, you take away their dignity. Every refugee deserves to travel with dignity. That’s why we’re here to create brighter lives, one ride at a time,” the team said in a statement on their website. Alok Baveja, a professor in the Rutgers Business School, advised the team. “True to their name, these young Rutgers entrepreneurs are bringing the light of new hope and optimism to millions of displaced refugees globally through an accessible, affordable and reliable rickshaw transportation system,” Baveja said to Rutgers Today.
Arlene Feskanich, a Douglass College Class of 1972 graduate, said she first attended the University in 1968 far from her home in Livingston, New Jersey. In her first year she saw may discussions over whether Douglass should retain its status as a women’s college or make the vision to go co-ed. Eventually, the University made the switch, but it did not pass easily through the many reluctant female students wear y of giving up their space at such a large school, Feskanich said. Much of the concern resided in whether the decision would prevent the furthering of women’s education constantly overshadowed by their male counterparts. “Douglass gave them a space that they could shine all by themselves they didn’t have to worry about competing with men,” she said. 1969 issues of The Daily Targum show the debates that ensued over the directions the University should take by educators at the time, Feskanich said. The decision was as we have come to know Douglass now and did so for better financial reasons. “Personally I felt like maybe it would’ve benefited me because I liked math and sciences but ended up earning my degree in American Studies,” she said. “Maybe if they would’ve had a STEM program I would’ve followed that path.”
U. recognizes World Water Monitoring Day for 1st time Justin Merced Contributing Writer
A team of four current and former Rutgers students were awarded the Hult Prize for a project called Roshni Rides, which would provide accessible transportation for refugees. RUTGERS.EDU Before moving on to the finals in New York City, the team triumphed at the regional competition in Boston. Following their win in Boston, Farooqi told reporters that this is a very personal issue that the team, as children of Pakistani immigrants and refugees, is passionate about addressing. The team’s zeal to succeed with their project helped with their journey from regionals to finals.
In that time, they ran a crowdfunding campaign to raise $30,000, produced a six-week pilot of their transportation business in Pakistan and spent eight weeks participating in a startup accelerator run by Hult. “We were building a company from scratch,” Farooqi said. “It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done, and we all learned our potential is limitless.”
VOLUME 149, ISSUE 72 • University ... 3 • opinions ... 6 • FOOD & Drink ... 8 • Diversions ... 9 • SPORTS ... BACK
Last week, both Rutgers University and the City of New Brunswick joined the global community to contribute to the good health and sustainability of the Raritan River in observance of World Water Monitoring Day. On Monday, local- and school-age volunteers gathered to collaborate on a water monitoring expedition of the Raritan River. World Water Monitoring Day is an annual, global initiative urging communities around the world to test the quality of their waterways and encourage water protection. The event was organized by local nonprofit Lower Raritan Watershed Partnership (LRWP), along with Rutgers University’s Raritan Scholars and Rutgers’ Cooperative Extension Water Resources Program members. See water on Page 4