THE DAILY TARGUM
Volume 141, Number 28
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
FRIDAY OCTOBER 9, 2009
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Today: Showers
DON’T MESS WITH TEXAS (SOUTHERN)
High: 70 • Low: 60
The Rutgers football team heads into Homecoming weekend with a 3-1 record. The expected return of true freshman quarterback Tom Savage highlights the Scarlet Knights’ matchup with Texas Southern.
Lt. governor candidates talk taxes, tummies BY MARY DIDUCH ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR
by Verbal Mayhem and an improvisational comedy group. After 5 p.m., the bands will begin appearing, including The N Result, who won the Battle of the Bands last year, and Yoon’s own band Shakedown, Inc. “The goal of the event is to attract people and have them enjoy performances by various artists, and while they are there, if
The state’s budget, high taxes and Republican gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie’s weight were all on the table during last night’s first and only debate among New Jersey’s top three candidates for lieutenant governor. Speaking at Monmouth University, all three candidates did not expect the moderator’s question referencing a New York Times article analyzing the unattractive images of Christie used by the Corzine campaign in television ads. The question — for Democratic candidate State Sen. Loretta Weinberg, D-Bergen — was whether she thinks Christie is overweight. “I don’t think that there are too many of us in this race who could make it into ‘The Bachelor’ or ‘The Bachelorette’ programs on television,” Weinberg said. While she said weight is not an issue in the election, she did not refer to the advertisement. Republican candidate Kim Guadagno, Monmouth County sheriff, said the television ads are a complete distraction from the real issues at hand — the state’s budget and economy. “In terms of Christie’s weight, I think the cat’s out of the bag,” Guadagno said. “He’s been in public service for seven years.”
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BRYAN ANGELES/ SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Rock the Vote member Jean Rodriguez, right, registers School of Pharmacy student Quinnetta Williams at Quad I on Livingston campus yesterday during the organization’s “dormstorming” to encourage all students to register for the Nov. 3 elections.
Group ‘rocks’ to register student voters BY CAGRI OZUTURK ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR
For those about to rock the vote, organizations across campus salute you. University student groups are working to register voters as the Tuesday deadline to register to vote for the gubernatorial race looms. Organizers of Rock the Vote are holding a 10-hour event at the steps of Brower Commons on the College Avenue
INDEX UNIVERSITY The executive publisher of Science magazine speaks to the University on discrepencies between scientific and public belief in theories such as evolution.
OPINIONS Check out this week’s laurels and darts. A woman had a pet bear that attacked her. Did we dart the woman or laurel the bear?
UNIVERSITY . . . . . . . 3
campus Monday that includes live bands, free food, a comic group and tables to register to vote. “The upcoming gubernatorial will directly affect this student population more than the presidential election,” head organizer Jack Donggu Yoon said. “It doesn’t matter who you vote for but that you do vote.” The event, which will begin at 12 p.m. and run until 10 p.m., will feature poetr y
Festival, fireworks, food to kick off Homecoming ’09 BY ARIEL NAGI CORRESPONDENT
Excitement is stirring around campus as the University community prepares for this year’s Homecoming festivities. This weekend, Homecoming will take over the University with several events sponsored by the Rutgers University Alumni Association, said the RUAA’s Director of Reunions and Homecomings, Michael Rutkowski. Rutkowski said he hopes there will be a large tur nout for the kickof f festival. “I hope [students] and all of their friends come out,” Rutkowski said.
BY CAGRI OZUTURK ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR
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As a response to criticism about the $20,000 allotted retreat, the Rutgers University Student Assembly passed a series of resolutions last night, including implementing the expired code of ethics, adding a mechanism to approve expenditures and advocating community service. “These bills address something we needed,” Assembly Chair Werner Born said. “They weren’t there to make up for anything, but I think they did show that as a body,
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BRYAN ANGELES/ SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
The Glee Club performs above at Homecoming 2008. This year will feature the football game, fireworks, screening of the Disney Pixar’s “Up” and a comedy show featuring Joel McHale of E!’s “The Soup.”
RUSA passes code of ethics, supports wards
OPINIONS . . . . . . . . 6
CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . 10
“Everything is going to be free but the food — it will be a good time.” The “Kickoff Festival and Pep Rally,” beginning at 3 p.m. at Bucceleuch Park, will feature an appearance from the football team, game booths run by Greek Life, fireworks at 7 p.m. and an outdoor screening of Disney and Pixar’s “Up,” said Director of Student Centers and Programs Anthony Doody. “Up” was chosen for its cross-generational appeal. Students can also take their Homecoming spirit to an after party at the “There’s No Place Like Homecoming” dance party at 9 p.m. in the Multipurpose
we can be progressive and continue to move for ward.” Both University Affairs Chair Ben West and Born authored all resolutions. At the assembly meeting, held at the Student Activities Center last night on the College Avenue campus, the first resolution passed was the code of ethics, which expires every semester. Every newly-elected assembly body must adopt their own code of conduct, according to the resolution language. “For me, it was a direct response to the concerns student raised toward the retreat,” said West, a Rutgers College
senior. “Students raised a lot of valid concerns about the way in which this retreat was approved, the way the retreat was not directly serving the Rutgers community, and within RUSA, there was concern about the way in which this was being discussed.” He said they cannot take back what happened with the retreat. “I’m hoping that a similar situation won’t happen in the future through the measures we enacted,” West said. “Students should still make sure that we are held accountable for these issues. Students should ask the right questions; we should hold our leaders accountable.”
The second resolution that passed was an amendment to the standing rules of the assembly, for the assembly treasurer to create a budget for any funding allocated by the campus or professional school councils. In order for use by the assembly, one or more councils must be approved by the assembly before any money is used. “The standing rules amendment was to address a lacking, to address something we didn’t have,” said Born, a School of Engineering senior. “The policy we had in place didn’t cover this
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