THE DAILY TARGUM
Volume 141, Number 41
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
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 28, 2009
1 8 6 9
Today: Rain
CRUNCH TIME
High: 55 • Low: 46
The Rutgers men’s soccer team controls its own destiny going into the final weekend of the season. A win tonight and a Cincinnati loss clinches a Big East Tournament spot for RU.
NJ Books relocates after 8-month delay BY ARIEL NAGI ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR
After months of tearing down and revising moving date signs, New Jersey Books employees are piling up with cardboard boxes to move into their new store within the next few days, said NJ Books Store Manager Bob Theil. The closing for the Gateway/Transit Village project took place on Friday, which included the completion of final agreements to move NJ Books from 108 Somerset St. to its new location at 39 Easton Ave., according to a statement released by the University.
Theil said he is glad to finally move into the new store he invested more than half a million dollars in. “I’m thrilled. It’s a fantastic oppor tunity,” he said. “This store is much, much bigger than the current store, and it was just awful the way we had to squeeze ever ything in there.” NJ Books Owner Ed Mueller said the store should have moved a long time ago. It was set to move several times in the spring beginning in March, then got moved to September, then was delayed again.
SEE DELAY ON PAGE 6
RAMON DOMPOR/ ASSOCIATE PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
New Brunswick Mayor Jim Cahill defends the City Council’s five at-large member system last night during the Rutgers University Democrats meeting in Hardenbergh Hall on the College Avenue campus. Many students voiced their opinions on the benefits of a ward system.
Mayor speaks against wards BY MARY DIDUCH ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR
New Brunswick City Council’s composition hangs in the balance in the face of the upcoming election, and last night, New Brunswick Mayor Jim Cahill defended the council’s five member at-large representation. Cahill discussed the potential creation of a student advisory board to increase communication with University students
at Rutgers University Democrats’ weekly meeting in Hardenbergh Hall on the College Avenue campus, but several students said a representative chosen from wards would provide a better voice for the students. Michael Shanahan, a member of Empower Our Neighborhoods, the grassroots group in favor of wards, said wards would allow students to directly elect their representative to the council.
This election, voters can choose to change the council representation to six members elected by wards and three at-large, an initiative pushed by EON. He said in the current system, students’ voices get drowned out. “I don’t know in what areas the city government is not responsive to students,” Cahill said.
SEE MAYOR ON PAGE 4
U. reduces carbon footprint with $10M solar panel farm BY MATT REED STAFF WRITER
ALBERT LAM
NJ Books employee Vincent Cricco moves boxes to be transported from 108 Somerset St. to the new, larger location at 39 Easton Ave.
ADMINISTRATION CONTINUES TO NEGOTIATE WITH URA-AFT University administrators reached an agreement with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, though they are yet to come to an agreement with the Union of Rutgers Administrators – American Federation of Teachers bargaining unit. “We settled with AFSCME and they overwhelmingly ratified the agreement,” Vice President of Academic Affairs Philip J. Furmanski said. He said he cannot comment on URA-AFT ongoing negotiations with the University. “We had a meeting with them and we have another meeting at the end of this week,” URA-AFT President Lucye Millerand said. “We talked about how much money they want to take back from us and what they want to do to trade for deferrals.” She said they exchanged a proposal to realize that trade-off, but they have yet to come to an agreement. In memorandum of agreements of other unions around the state, she said she saw other bargaining units enter into agreements where they agreed to hold off raises that have been negotiated, and in exchange management agrees to not lay off members for a set period of time, usually 18 months. “But we are not there yet and they are not offering us job security parallel with other bargaining units around the state, and they want more money back than the rest of the state has agreed to,” Millerand said. The AFSCME could not be reached as of press time. — Cagri Ozuturk
The University, in cooperation with the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony yesterday to mark the construction of a new 1.4-megawatt solar panel facility. Located on seven acres of Livingston campus, the solar farm will reduce the University’s carbon emissions by 1,200 tons per year and
save $200,000 in electrical bills during its first year of operation. “I hope this is the first of many such projects,” University President Richard L. McCormick said. Vice President of Facilities and Capital Planning Antonio Calcado opened his speech with remarks on the $10 million solar project, half of which he said was paid for by NJBPU.
SEE SOLAR ON PAGE 4
INDEX IN FOCUS Sandwiched between two major metro areas, New Jersey is stuck in an baseball battle between the reigning World Series champs Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees.
OPINIONS The University may be handicap accessible, but not necessarily handicap friendly. Helping the students who need more services should be made a priority. UNIVERSITY . . . . . . . 3 IN FOCUS. . . . . . . . . 7 OPINIONS . . . . . . . . 8 DIVERSIONS . . . . . . 10 CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . 12 SPORTS . . . . . . BACK
NICHOLAS BRASOWSKI/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
NJ Boards of Public Utilities Commissioner Joseph L. Fiodaliso and President Jeanne M. Fox, University President Richard L. McCormick and Senior Vice President of Finance and Administration Bruce Fehn cut the ribbon at yesterday’s ceremony for the construction of a 1.4-megawatt solar farm on Livingston campus.
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