THE DAILY TARGUM
Volume 141, Number 27
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
THURSDAY OCTOBER 8, 2009
1 8 6 9
Today: Mostly sunny
LOST AND FOUND
High: 68 • Low: 43
Dan Brown's latest thriller takes readers to Washington, D.C. to explore the secrets hidden in America's past. Inside Beat reviews the book and looks at the new sites and art used.
Candidates clash on NJ education success, policies BY CAGRI OZUTURK ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR
ISIAH STEWART/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
TAU KAPPA EPSILON FRATERNITY CLINCHES WIN AT ANNUAL HOMECOMING BED RACES The University community crowded in front of Brower Commons last night to watch as 36 organizations raced decorated beds down College Avenue during the Annual Homecoming Bed Race. The first place overall winner was Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity, winning $750 and a trophy. “Burning Rubber” — or fastest bed — was awarded to the fraternity. Rutgers University Programming Association organized the event to collect umbrellas for the students of New Brunswick Public schools, a non-busing district, said Ali Intravatola, RUPA’s vice president of spirit.
“The students have to walk to class so when the weather is not good, they get wet, they get cold and they’re not happy in class — so this will help them stay dr y,” said Intravatola, a School of Arts and Sciences junior. The announcer said 800 umbrellas were collected for the cause. Consolation prizes and trophies were awarded to teams with the best individual speed, bed design, costumes and number of umbrellas donated. “Sleep Tight, Dressed Right” — or best costume — was awarded to the University’s women’s track and field team.
“Rolling in Style” — or best-designed bed — was awarded to Sigma Chi fraternity. “Charitable Chairpot” — or most umbrellas donated — was awarded to the Student Life Leadership team, who collected a total of 140 umbrellas. “Fairy Tale Ending” — or most spirited — was awarded to Phi Sigma Pi fraternity. The second-place overall winner, the Rutgers Student Leadership Team, was awarded a trophy and $500 to the organization. The third-place overall winner, the Rutgers Women Ultimate Frisbee team, was awarded a trophy and $250 to the organization. — Ariel Nagi
New Jersey’s kindergarten through 12th grade students’ reading and math skills have improved since 2002, according to a national study by the Center for Education Policy. But the election campaigns on both sides disagree on what needs to be done to maintain this success. Students showed improvement at all levels except for elementary students’ reading levels at the advanced range, according to the study. “The governor has made education a top priority since taking of fice,” Governor’s Of fice Spokesman Rober t Corrales said. “Gov. [Jon S.] Corzine broke a 40-year impasse on school funding with a formula that is rooted in our children’s needs, rather than in zip codes.” But Republican gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie’s campaign sees the problem in the urban centers of New Jersey rather than at-large. “With 50 percent of graduating seniors in Newark not passing the standardized graduation exam and thousands of children on charter school waiting lists around the state, it cannot be denied that Jon Corzine has failed our children in urban centers,” Christie campaign Spokeswoman Brittany Bramell said. The achievement gaps for black, Latino and lowincome students narrowed on both elementar y and
SEE EDUCATION ON PAGE 7
INDEX METRO A new initiative hopes to bring the community together to raise awareness about the potential dangers of the Raritan River.
SPORTS In its return to the College Avenue Gym, the Rutgers volleyball team took down non-conference foe Hofstra in four sets to improve to 8-10 on the season after winning two games last season.
UNIVERSITY . . . . . . . 3 METRO . . . . . . . . . . 8 OPINIONS . . . . . . . 10 DIVERSIONS . . . . . . 12 CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . 14 SPORTS . . . . . . BACK
ONLINE @ DAILYTARGUM.COM
RU Dems endorse Corzine, register student voters BY MAGGIE BLAHA CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The Rutgers University Democrats have been trying to balance out their two major goals of the semester: registering voters for the upcoming gubernatorial election and convincing voters to support Democrats.
Although health care has been a major topic of discussion, the upcoming election is the main focus of the group, as it has been working to increase student voter registration and running phone banks to try and convince voters to support the Democrats in the election, said Alexander Holodack, the president of RU Dems.
College Republicans support Christie, set up phone banks
Holodack predicts that Gov. Jon S. Corzine will win by a marginal three to four percent of the vote. He said although Corzine has made unpopular decisions, he put New Jersey’s stimulus plan into effect while simultaneously reducing last year’s budget. The Obama administration even contacted Corzine for his assis-
tance in devising the economic stimulus package, said Holodack, a School of Arts and Sciences senior. RU Dems Vice President Naomi Michaelis thinks Corzine found himself in a difficult situation from his first day in office.
SEE VOTERS ON PAGE 4
SWEET SONNETS
BY MAGGIE BLAHA CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The University College Republicans has two main goals this semester: supporting Republican gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie in the upcoming election and remaining politically and socially active on campus. The College Republicans actively work to get Republican and conservative political candidates elected throughout New Jersey, said College Republicans Vice President Noah Glyn. For the campaign, members have been phone banking to build public support for Christie, making about 1000 phone calls per week. Christie represents the Republican Party in the state well, said Glyn, a School of Arts and Sciences sophomore. “As far as personality goes, I think he’s the right person to lead the Republican Party in New Jersey out of the wilderness,” Glyn said. While Christie has received a lot of criticism for not having any specific policies for certain issues, he said
SEE BANKS ON PAGE 6
JODIE FRANCIS/ STAFF FRANCIS
Jason Bodrington recites a love poem at last night’s Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum weekly “Art After Hours” that included a tour of the galleries, open mic and solo guitarist performance.