damaging rhetoric Racist flyers contradict Rutgers’ accepting values
see opinions, page 6
Multiple Sclerosis Research team studies
women’s basketball Rutgers scores
association of gut bacteria to degenerative disease see SCIENCE, page 8
season-high 101 points in win over FDU
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Chikindas will no longer teach required courses at Rutgers Christian Zapata Correspondent
In a letter sent to Rutgers faculty Friday morning, University President Robert L. Barchi and Chancellor Debasish Dutta disclosed that students would not have to fulfill any necessary course requirements taught under Michael Chikindas, a professor in the Department of Food Science. Chikindas is subject to an investigation conducted by the University after anti-Semitic content was posted to his Facebook earlier this year. Outlined throughout the letter were actions taken by the University in response to Chikindas’s actions. Barchi and Dutta began by recapitulating the fundamental expectation of a university — to provide an environment where students can learn, discover their passions and conduct research free of discrimination, harassment or disruption. These expectations extend beyond students and include the faculty and staff at the University who expect a professional environment free from discrimination, the letter said. Chikindas was first found to have posted anti-Semitic content on his social media page earlier this
semester. The Daily Targum reported on the incident, citing the 3,200 students who signed a petition calling for Chikindas’s suspension from the University. According to New Jersey 101.5, Chikindas made Facebook posts of cartoons criticizing Israeli policies and the U.S.’s relationship with Israel. In one of the screenshots taken, Chikindas says the “Jewish mother****** do not control me,” among other things, New Jersey 101.5 reported. Chikindas said that his page had been hacked and that his personal information was exposed in an email with New Jersey 101.5. His Facebook account was later deleted. “Should I knew (sic) that sharing these freely available pictures questioning Zionism on possible racist actions can be seen as anti-Semitic, I would never do it,” Chikindas said to NJ 101.5. “I strictly separate anti-Semitism from intolerance to Zionism.” During this time, the University condemned Chikindas in a statement, stating that his actions opposed the principles and values of respect embodied at Rutgers, and that such comments do not represent the position of the University, according to their press release.
In wake of an investigation into anti-Semitic social media posts, the University removed Professor Michael Chikindas from his role as director of the Center for Digestive Health. FACEBOOK Barchi and Dutta echoed these sentiments in their letter. “This material perpetuated toxic stereotypes and was deeply upsetting to Jewish students, faculty and staff across our community. The fears and concerns they have expressed to us and many university leaders are both justified and understandable,” the letter said. The letter said that upon learning about this initial incident, the
University launched its own investigation into Chikindas’s conduct within their own context and policies. Certain disciplinary processes are confidential and were omitted from the letter. What followed was a comprehensive list of the actions taken by the University in response to Chikindas as of Friday. Chikindas will be removed from teaching required courses so no
Rutgers students will be required to take courses he teaches, and he has been removed from his leadership position as director of the Center for Digestive Health at the New Jersey Institute for Food, Nutrition, and Health, the letter said. No Rutgers employees will be required to work in an administrative unit that he heads. Chikindas will be required to participate in a cultural sensitivity training program, and will be subject to ongoing monitoring if and when he returns to the classroom. The University is seeking further disciplinary action through procedures under the collective bargaining agreement with its faculty union and Chikindas has been notified of this, the letter said. “This has been a sad and deeply troubling situation for our students and our staff and for our faculty, who stand for much nobler values than those expressed by this particular professor,” the letter said. “While the University is and should always be a place that challenges students to grapple with complex and even controversial ideas, this situation has threatened the trust between professors and students that is a prerequisite to learning.”
Labor rights association hosts 8th annual gala fundraiser on campus Andrew Petryna Staff Writer
During her TED Talk, Victoria Pratt, a professor in Rutgers Law School, referenced a Newark program she piloted that offers non-violent criminal offenders the resources necessary to succeed. RUTGERS.EDU
U. professor uses TED Talk to explore prison reform Abner Bonilla Staff Writer
Rutgers Law School professor and Newark Chief Municipal Judge Victoria Pratt appeared at TEDNYC last month and discussed how empathetic values could reshape the criminal justice system. Her TED Talk, “How judges can show respect,” is an open-diary of her tenure at the Newark Municipal Courthouse and explains how when authoritative figures treat people with respect, these people
are more likely to trust the law enforcement system. When first sworn in, Pratt dealt with offenders in ways that changed the culture of the Newark courtroom. Using principles backed by research from Tom Tyler, a professor from Yale University, Pratt changed the “revolving door justice” culture in Newark and made sure offenders understood their charges and were treated with dignity. See reform on Page 4
On Saturday, more than 100 people joined the alternative worker organization New Labor for its eighth-annual gala fundraiser at Rutgers. The gala, “¡Ya es hora!” — which focused on raising money for the organization’s 2018 goals — honored a handful of activists that have helped New Labor create change in the community. New Labor focuses on combining new and old strategies to improve working conditions for immigrant workers throughout New Jersey, according to the website. The organization advocates for human immigration reform and has held meetings with members of Congress. Carmen Martino, co-founder of the organization and an assistant professor in the School of Management and Labor Relations, said the gala was started eight years ago in celebration of the organization’s 10year anniversary and to honor its contributors and workers. New Labor has two locations and more than 2,000 members who pay dues. As an
organization, it has helped workers win thousands of dollars in wage disputes and back pay. “New labor was started as an alternative model of union organization. We wanted to be a new kind of union. And along the way, what we were doing, came to be defined in fact by Janice Fine ... as a ‘worker’s center.’ We are a new kind of union,” Martino said. Many of New Labor’s workers are domestic, low wage and foreign workers. It has helped thousands of people file working condition complaints and has organized many events that push for better policies. Trays of food, refreshments and a large customized cake, were enjoyed by guests who listened to speakers describe their experiences helping workers. The speakers also discussed how the organization has grown and impacted the community. Entertainment for the evening included a children’s dance troupe who performed the famous “Jarabe Tapatio” dance and the Solidarity Singers, a progressive musical group devoted to promoting the rights of workers through singing
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and dancing. The event lasted from 6 to 9:30 p.m. Solidarity Singers has attended the gala every year since its inception to serenade guests with pro-labor renditions of songs like “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” The two-dozen-strong group is affiliated with the New Jersey State Industrial Union Council (NJIUC), a New Jersey federation of unions that try to promote workers’ rights and pass pro-labor legislation. This year, New Labor honored Janice Fine, an associate professor of Labor Studies and Employment Relations at the Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations. She has been working closely with the organization since 2005, and this is the first time she has been honored by them. “New Labor is often the first stop for immigrants who are new to this country who arrive here to work and live in this community,” Fine said. “New Labor helps them learn about their rights (and) improve their English, but also it’s a community. It’s like a clubhouse — a place for people to not feel so alone and See campus on Page 4