THE DAILY TARGUM
Volume 141, Number 46
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 NOVEMBER 4, 2009
1 8 6 9
Today: Mostly sunny
PUT UP OR SHUT UP
High: 53 • Low: 39
The Rutgers men’s soccer team travels to Morgantown, W.Va., for a crucial clash with the Mountaineers in the opening round of the Big East Tournament.
U. affiliates to address athlete homophobia BY MARY DIDUCH ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR
When Sean Smith, a former University swimmer and coach, came out as gay in 2005 during his senior year, he struggled for guidance at the school despite the support of his teammates. “I always felt like there was a magnifying glass on me, so I was ver y destructive to myself because I didn’t know where I could go to get help,” Smith said. While he said his experience with homophobia in college athletics was better than most, he also saw its ugly side, making him an advocate for the rarely-discussed issue. The University hosts an event Thursday raising awareness for the typically taboo subject. “We R All One Team: Homophobia in Intercollegiate Sports” features a screening of the movie “Training Rules” from 7 to 8 p.m. in the Multipurpose Room of the Cook Campus Center, followed by a panel discussion. Smith, scheduled to be a panelist, said everyone’s experience is different. Andrew Germek, of the club crew team, said he came out his sophomore year of college. He worried the relationships with his teammates would change, but they did not.
Instead, he said his team was very accepting. “Nothing changed; the experience was fine,” said Germek, a Rutgers College senior. Senior Dean of Students Mark Schuster, an openly gay administrator who teaches a course on sexuality and gender in athletics, said there was resistance in the past dealing openly with the issue. “We’ve come a very long way, certainly in terms of the University and the athletic department,” said Schuster, who added that the University is one of the top in the nation for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender acceptance. Support is important for closeted athletes to feel comfortable coming out, because homophobia can be prevalent in an athletic environment, Smith said. “I think it’s a nationwide phenomena that homophobia is still so accepted in the sports world,” Smith said. Schuster said this is important to address, as this is a group six to eight times more likely to commit suicide. Germek said during his first year, he heard slurs such as “that’s so gay” in the locker room but it stopped when he came out.
SEE ATHLETE ON PAGE 4
JODIE FRANCIS/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
The Livingston Theatre Company’s student cast of “Rent” rehearses last week for the musical performance, set to premiere Thursday through Sunday at the Crossroads Theatre in downtown New Brunswick.
Famous show sees ‘another day’ in city BY MARY DIDUCH ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR
Daylights, sunsets, midnights and cups of coffee — that is how the Livingston Theatre Company measures its production of the famed musical “Rent” this season. With only days left for final runthroughs and set adjustments before the show premiers Nov. 5 at the Crossroads Theatre at 7 Livingston Ave. in New Brunswick,
the students in the LTC are prepping the stage — and the University — for their own interpretation of the popular Broadway show and movie. “This needed to be the Livingston Theatre Company’s production of “Rent,” not the “Rent” that ever yone knows,” said Production Manager Chelsea Holman. When the show — about eight poor, young New Yorkers strug-
gling to pay rent — closed in 2009 after 13 years on Broadway, the rights became available for other theaters to perform the musical, making LTC’s production one of the first in the state. “It’s very difficult for us as a company, because there can’t be more than one production going on at the same time in a specific radius of area and … for a Central New
SEE RENT ON PAGE 4
Campus Identity
Busch attracts football fanatics, science students BY ARIEL NAGI ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR
JOHN PENA/ SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Although science and math students call Busch campus home, the expanded Rutgers Stadium is a staple of the quiet, suburban campus.
Home of the Rutgers Stadium, tailgate parties, math and science life and more, Busch campus houses many different groups and diverse aspects of the University. Campus Dean Thomas Papathomas said the campus is ver y unique and ver y diverse. “Every campus has its strength, and Busch campus is different because it has most of the sciences … and most of the sports are located on Busch campus,” said Papathomas, a University professor. “It has a feeling of openness.” the campus is attractive to students because it is the main athletic campus, with the football and soccer stadiums, he said.
“The presence of the sports facilities provides a ver y rich set of activities for Rutgers Student Life,” Papathomas said. The campus is home to at least three professional schools, which include the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, the School of Engineering and the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, he said. From this diverse setting stems three main student governing councils: the Pharmacy Governing Council, Engineering Governing Council and the Busch Campus Council, Papathomas said. “Other campuses have similar governing bodies, but these add diversity because volunteers are diverse,”
SEE BUSCH ON PAGE 6
CAR CRASHES INTO FOUR VEHICLES ON COLLEGE AVENUE CAMPUS A five-car collision occurred near the intersection of College Avenue and Hamilton Street yesterday at 11:22 a.m., police of ficials said. An ambulance ar rived on scene but no one was injured. The impact clipped off the front bumper of a parked convertible and rear-ended a parked blue Saturn Ion, which in turn hit both a mid-size car and a Jeep parked in front of it. Owners of the parked vehicles did not witness the accident.
Lauren DeCerbo, the owner of the Saturn, said this was her third accident in three years of living off-campus. “This is my third car that I totaled in three years, all of which were on the Rutgers campus, and none of [the accidents] were my fault,” said DeCerbo, a Rutgers College senior. DeCerbo, who lives on Louis Street, was walking to her car coming out of class when she saw the damage. Police closed off the intersections of Hamilton Street and College Avenue and Hamilton Street
and George Street until most of the vehicles were towed around noon. Heather Demeo, a business manager at the School of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Office across the street from the accident site, said many students rushed to the scene from the Scott Hall bus stop after hearing the crash. “I just heard three pops, that’s it,” Demeo said. Police officials could not be reached for further comment at press time. — Jessica Parrotta
INDEX UNIVERSITY University alumni work together to create a late-night delivery service that offers convenience store products.
PENDULUM As the Phillies and the Yankees are headed back to New York for game six tonight, students ring in on who derserves to win the 105th World Series.
UNIVERSITY . . . . . . . 3 OPINIONS . . . . . . . . 8 DIVERSIONS . . . . . . 10 CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . 12 SPORTS . . . . . . BACK
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