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Head coach Mike Rice and the Rutgers men’s basketball team takes on Jamie Dixon, Rice’s former mentor, and the No. 2 Pitt Panthers on Saturday at the Louis Brown Athletic Center.
Study finds lack in college educations
BY MAXWELL BARNA
BY COLLEEN ROACHE
CORRESPONDENT
In a party-line vote that could affect many University commuters, Democrats on the Senate Transportation Committee approved a bill last week that will require the New Jersey Turnpike Authority to roll back, or ef fectively repeal, a 90-cent toll increase scheduled for 2012. Sen. Nick Sacco, D-Nor th Bergen, said the toll money should not be used without public consent. The money was meant to raise $1.25 billion for Access to the Region’s Core (ARC) project, an initiative planned over the last two decades to build a trans-Hudson River tunnel, canceled last October by Gov. Chris Christie. “What we’re saying is that the part of the tolls that were to be used for the ARC tunnel, since there is no more ARC tunnel project … should not be passed off as part of the toll increases,” said Sacco, Transportation Committee chairman. Only a portion of the 90-cent increase was intended to go toward the amount and so the bill does not completely eliminate the hike, said Sacco, who sponsored the bill. “[The bill] would not completely roll back the tolls, it would only roll back a percentage,” he said. Transportation Committee President Sen. Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, who co-sponsored the bill, said via email correspondence that the bill would both alleviate an unnecessar y burden on New Jersey drivers and eliminate an unneeded toll increase. “Christie should be up front with the tax and toll payers of New Jersey and
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ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR
SCOTT TSAI / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
A new book, “Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses,” suggests a lack of vigorous coursework and focus is hurting college students academically.
BY AMY ROWE CORRESPONDENT
Despite leaving the University 11 years ago, Michael Esper still carries the acting skills he learned in the classroom and the experience of growing up in New Jersey with him to the Broadway stage. Esper, who was a Mason Gross School of the Arts student in 2000, now has a role in the Broadway musical “American Idiot.” The musical, based on the punk-rock band Green Day’s album of the same name, concentrates on the struggle of three friends to get out of suburbia and find more meaning in life, Esper said.
Esper plays the character Will, the stoner friend of the main character Johnny, who deals with his pregnant girlfriend while sitting on a couch. “I know what it feels like to be trapped in a suburban environment,” said Esper, who grew up in Montclair, N.J. “Montclair was nice, but I just felt completely dead-ended there. It just felt like a prison [with] no way to thrive except to get out.” The 34-year-old actor draws inspiration from his personal experiences while performing in the musical. “I wasn’t a big stoner in high school,” Esper said. “I smoked a
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GETTY IMAGES
Former student Michael Esper, second from left, rocks out with his cast in the Broadway musical, “American Idiot.”
BY MAXWELL BARNA CORRESPONDENT
OPINIONS Google institutes “soft censorship” in order to combat online privacy.
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On-campus disputes mark RUSA meeting
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Three students create a new drink after witnessing the health complications of heart disease.
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The mere mention of college may evoke images of fraternity parties, football games and new friends, but according to a recent study, an essential element of the university experience — education — is falling to the wayside. According to the study of 2,300 undergraduate students at 24 universities across the countr y, 45 percent of students exhibit no major improvements in skills such as critical thinking, reasoning and writing during the first two years of their college careers. More than one-third showed no significant improvement in these areas over the course of four years.
Former student performs in Broadway show
UNIVERSITY
SPORTS . . . . . . BACK
JANUARY 28, 2011
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Today: Snow
Legislature pushes toll hike repeal
FRIDAY
GABY YIM
The Google Student Ambassador Program hosted a panel of Google interns which discussed both product demos and networking opportunities last night inside the Multipurpose Room of the Livingston Student Center.
The Rutgers University Student Assembly’s first meeting of the semester ran later than expected last night in the Student Activities Center on the College Avenue campus because of internal disputes. School of Arts and Sciences senior Eric Kaplan stood up to express his concern and dissatisfaction with anti-Semitic rhetoric on campus. “This idea that Israel is an apartheid state is false,” Kaplan said. “This idea that’s proliferating around campus that Israel is an ethnic cleansing state is really troubling.” Kaplan’s statements were met with opposition from some of the other meeting attendees, who felt he was using an inappropriate forum for his concerns. “If there’s any discriminatory rhetoric on campus I think you should take it up with the
administration,” said Internal Affairs Chair John Aspray. Kaplan said ignoring Israel’s right to exist, in and of itself, is anti-Semitic. “Opposing Israel’s right to exist is anti-Semitism,” Kaplan said. “When you’re criticizing Zionism, you’re criticizing Jews.” School of Arts and Sciences senior Nicole Buffington said there is a difference between being antiSemitic and not supporting the state of Israel. Other than the debate over rhetoric, the meeting also dealt with several assembly issues, including a review of the standing rules of the assembly and the election of both the Student Fee Advisor y Committee and Academic Affairs committees. A bill came to vote that would provide RUSA with a student from the Graduate School of Education
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D IRECTORY
T H E DA I LY TA R G U M
WEATHER OUTLOOK Source: The Weather Channel SATURDAY HIGH 35 LOW 18
SUNDAY HIGH 32 LOW 17
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TODAY Snow, with a high of 35° TONIGHT Snow, with a low of 22°
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T H E D A I LY TA R G U M
J A N UA RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 1
UNIVERSITY
PA G E 3
Students concoct heart-healthy beverage BY ANDREA GOYMA CORRESPONDENT
While some students at the University look to their professors for advice and inspiration, CEO of Heart Juice Ray Li used his instructor’s life story as a muse for a new product. Li, a School of Arts and Sciences senior, got the idea for Heart Juice — the first all-natural beverage to specifically target heart health with natural ingredients and antioxidants — after he learned about his science professor’s recent heart attack. He told the story about his professor to his friends, President of Heart Juice John Vitug and friend Warren Chen, whose fathers both suffer from cardiovascular complications. It was then they decided to develop a natural drink formulated for heart health. “We noticed there were no beverages out there that target the heart. Except red wine, people don’t really equate drinking with anything to your health,” Li said. “Thousands of foods and beverages claim indirectly to having ‘heart healthy’ components but we feel the best way to
market to consumers is by directly targeting the issue.” After months of brainstorming and research, the founders expect that the drink of seven all-natural ingredients, including the Hawthorn Berry — an herb with a long history of promoting cardiovascular health — and resveratrol, an antioxidant found in the skin of red grapes, will hit the market in April, said CFO Shaun Bratton. Throughout the initial stages of the company’s establishment, beverage industr y insiders repeatedly told Li and Vitug to turn around and forget it. “Starting a beverage company takes a lot of time and money,” Li said. “When we just started researching the market, it was extremely hard because it is such a secretive, closed, monopolistic market.” When many people failed to take the co-founders seriously, they found their own ways to prove their dedication to the task at hand, Li said. “We went to tradeshows disguised as buyers, talked to chemists, sat with contract manufacturers and even met with potential distributors,” he said. “We finally found a company in
Kentucky willing to work with us, although we had to drive there a few times to let them know we were serious.” Vitug, a Kean University graduate student, said they scrutinized every detail, from the flavor to the bottle design. “We tasted 200 flavors to come up with the one we like. We went through about a couple dozen logos and bottle designs and even went through around eight to 10 different bottles going back and forth between glass or PET [plastic],” he said. Heart Juice contains one gram of pure cane sugar per eight ounces, more than 90 percent less than that of VitaminWater, which has 13 grams of sugar per serving, Li said. “We hate food and beverage companies that advertise as being healthy but really give consumers garbage,” he said. Vitug and Li fund Genso LLC, Heart Juice’s parent company, and a few of Li’s friends and family are also investors. Li and Vitug are also part of the Rutgers Business Plan Competition, an annual competition that gives entrepreneurs the opportunity to pitch their
business plans to industry veterans and professionals. “We feel [the competition] will give us the experience necessary to pitch to venture capitalists [and] give us the momentum we’re looking for to gain exposure in launching Heart Juice, and it seemed like a totally awesome thing to do just for fun,” Vitug said. “After all, if it’s not fun, it’s just work.” It was also during this time that Bratton, an MBA candidate at the Rutgers Business School, came on board to help Li and Vitug with finances. Launching a beverage company takes a lot of time and money, but Vitug said its benefit is in having the opportunity to create a work environment in one’s own vision. “I’ve had and have many jobs and when I’m working I tell myself, ‘I would do this differently, I would do that differently,’” he said. “If you own your own company, it’s not about talking about what you’d do differently but actually putting those words into action.” The economic recession necessitates more innovators and entrepreneurs to bring new ideas to the table, Li said.
“Another thing is that the younger you are, the more risk you can take,” he said. Those interested in entrepreneurship must conquer their fears of failure head-on, Vitug said. “Are you afraid you won’t get the funding or no one will like your product? I think the biggest thing that separates entrepreneurs is they don’t talk themselves out of something,” he said. Bratton said the company has about six years of its future planned and looks for ward to growing steadily. “As cash flow increases, we anticipate adding a sales staff and new products such as concentrated Heart Juice, single serving shots or packets and possibly heart-healthy bars,” Bratton said. Vitug said that by starting this venture he has learned to appreciate the value of working hard. “[Li] and I have put in at least 12 to 14-hour days solely on Heart Juice since we came up with this idea. That’s on top of going to school full-time and holding a fulltime job,” he said. “You can have the drive to pursue a business venture but you need passion to sustain it.”
PROFESSOR TO PRESENT RESEARCH ON PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL TURNOVERS Chester Spell, an associate professor of management at the Rutgers School of Business–Camden, explored employee tur nover in Major League Baseball in his paper, “Here Today, Gone Tomorrow: Baseball Players, Shocks to the System and the Unfolding Model of Faultlines and Employee Turnover.” He will present his paper at the 2011 Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology Conference this April in Chicago, according to a University press release. The conference examines new trends in the workplace.
“Baseball is a business,” Spell said in the release. “There’s a 40 percent turnover rate in baseball. We wanted not only to know who is turning over, but why they’re turning over, to see why players come and go.” The reason for employee turnover in companies is because of interest to managers and researchers, but little is known about professional baseball, he said. Positive and negative “shocks” that may be related to baseball is what predicts turnovers, Spell said in the release. Chances to win a championship or earn a higher salar y are considered positive shocks.
“People want to move on to a job where they have a chance to make more money or be part of something big,” he said. “That’s not much different than a player who leaves one team for another.” Negative shocks occur when a player does not perform well, has a poor reputation or fails a drug test, according to the press release. These shocks can also lead to termination. Spell will present his findings with co-authors Yekaterina Bezrukova, a professor at Santa Clara University, and Michelle Campion, a graduate student at San Jose State University. — Reena Diamante
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MAN FINDS CLOWN CAREER AFTER DEATH OF SON When Julius Carallo of Springfield, N.J., gets a call that a circus is understaffed, he drives to the show in his “Mobile Clown Theatre” Toyota minivan. The 60-year-old then transforms into his alter ego, Clown Chips. Carallo planned to inherit his parent’s printing company and never dreamed about becoming a clown, according to an nj.com article. His destiny changed when a hate group in Sacramento, Calif. killed his eldest son, Paul. “The clown that I am is who I am,” Carallo said in the article. “Was I destined to be a clown? No, I think I was chosen.” Carallo’s son protested against a neo-Nazi group in 1990 that was recruiting members on his college campus. A member of the group stabbed Paul Carallo to death outside of a nightclub. After months of grieving, Carallo knew he needed to take back control of his life, according to the article. He shared his collection of Humpty-Dumpty figures at the Roselle Public Library and was approached by local schools to incorporate them in demonstrations about wearing bicycle helmets. “I knew the pain of losing a human life,” Carallo said in the article. “I was trying to prevent other adults from experiencing the same thing.” After winning several awards for his campaign, Carallo wanted to expand, and his Humpty-Dumpty clown figurine inspired him to enroll in clown school at Mecca Magic in Bloomfield, where his good sense of humor and compassion made him stand out. “He listens and jokes,” Mecca Magic teacher Fred Collins said in the article. “If you can’t make fun of yourself and what’s happening in the world, then you don’t enjoy life as much. Julius is one of those guys that can do that.” — Reena Diamante
SHOW: Esper reflects on
University for four years, never graduated because he did not have enough credits. The actor has lessons while at University taken part in theater productions since leaving the University. continued from front “I left in 2000 because after four load of pot my first year in college, years, I was ready to start showcasnot as much as Will though. I diding and trying to book jobs,” he said. n’t research for the role by getting As an acting major, Esper said drunk and high. I explored things his time at the University was from my past, like reading comic stressful, especially since his father, books and listening to punk rock.” William Esper, was the chair of the Esper revisited Green Day’s acting program at the time. discography for inspiration for “There was a lot for me to sort the role. through in terms of that situation “I always thought Green Day — pressures and expectations,” he was great, but I have a whole said. “But there was a lot that was new level of respect and admirawonderful about that. [My father] tion for them now,” he said. “I directed me in plays. Working with definitely learned so much him was an incredibly important about how to perform the show experience in my life.” by watching them live.” For ever y acting job he Once in a while, Green Day’s attempts, Esper said he often frontman Billie Joe Armstrong perfinds himself thinking back to the forms in the musical as the characlessons he learned as a student ter of St. Jimmy, who is also the suban the University. ject of a Green Day song, “Every time I go to Esper said. work, I depend on my “He’s like the punkRutgers experience,” he rock Paul McCartney,” said. “It was an amazing he said. “He’s unbelievtime. The work I did and ably magnetic when he’s the techniques that on stage, and he knows were taught to me are how to own an audience.” things I continue to go Because the musical back to and refine.” was based on an album Aside from theater and not a book, Esper acting, Esper has has more creative free- MICHAEL ESPER appeared in several teldom over his costume evision shows and and his character’s look. films, including “A Beautiful “When we started working on Mind.” the show, the characters were very Playwright Nicky Silver said open to interpretation,” he said. “It Esper impressed him when he was cool to explore and develop and came to audition for his play “The put my own personal stamp on who Agony and The Agony.” I thought this person was. I drew a “When Michael Esper walked lot of inspiration from punk music, in, I had no idea I would find a comic books and skateboarding.” friend nor did I know that I had Esper, who is used to perstumbled upon, really, the best forming in dramatic offactor of his age in New York today,” Broadway productions, said perSilver said. “When he’s on stage, forming in a musical was a differyou hear not just the words, but the ent experience for him. human heart beating under them.” “I’ve never done anything like After “American Idiot”, Esper it before,” he said. “I’ve done will play a supporting role in shows where music was Tony Kushner’s “The Intelligent involved, but they were very difHomosexual’s Guide to ferent stylistically. The music of Capitalism and Socialism” at the the show is so invigorating, it’s Public Theater in New York. thrilling to live inside that stuff.” Although Esper is not always “American Idiot” always part of the main action on stage, attracts a diverse group of people Esper’s sister Shannon Esper in its audience, Esper said. said her brother is still exciting “Some audiences, especially and moving to watch. when Billie Joe is on stage, act as “Michael has worked if they’re at a rock show, they’re tremendously hard to get to more vocal,” he said. “A lot of the where he is,” she said. “His peraudience is made up of younger formances always cost him kids and teens, so it’s exciting for something, and as an audience me because most of the time you member, you always feel like don’t get that in theater.” you’ve been given something Esper, who attended the and let in to someone.”
U NIVERSITY
T H E DA I LY TA R G U M
Senate report shows flaws with Sakai BY DEVIN SIKORSKI ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR
A University Senate report from 2005, conducted by the Committee on Instruction, Curricula and Advising, indicates Sakai quickly advanced from a prototype to its current colloquial standing at the University. But the repor t, complete with details on both the benefits and downfalls of the three course management systems (CMS) used at the time — WebCT, eCollege and Blackboard — also shows the University was unsure about the newly developed Sakai. “While Sakai has the potential for becoming a focal point for faculty instr uctional research, its development as a course management system is still relatively primitive and requires significant institutional commitment,” according to the report. The University decided to make this commitment for three years, which allowed faculty and students to experiment with the developing Sakai program, said Chief Technical Officer Charles Hedrick. “To be perfectly honest, in terms of features some [CMS] are better at some things,” he said. “But we can do things [with Sakai] that might not be as easy to do with other systems.” With a University-r un suppor t staf f, Hedrick, also University director of Instr uctional and Research Technology, said the use of Sakai is common throughout the New Brunswick campus, allowing faculty to complement their course load with online course material. The Senate repor t also detailed the University’s desire to implement an official CMS instead of multiple platforms. Although the University still uses both Blackboard and eCollege, Vice President of Information Technology Donald Smith said a single CMS remains an important goal. “When you go with a single CMS, all of your support structures stay the same. All of your
students’ experiences stay the same,” he said. “People feel comfortable and they know how to use it. So it is familiarity.” Other academic institutions also strive to use a single CMS but usually end up with two, which Smith said is a possibility for the University. “It would be foolish for us to say you have to use this system for everything you want to do,” he said. “But being able to just use one is a much more convenient experience for everybody.” Shortly following the Senate report, Sakai replaced WebCT as the major CMS at the University, deemed as inferior to both Blackboard and eCollege in the report, Smith said. One deciding factor was the ability to work with an open source format, which allows the University to create a Sakai support staff for faculty and students within its academic borders, he said. The Senate repor t also showed the availability of training in the CMS was an important factor for faculty in the transition. “In general, faculty are more concerned with ease and logistics of use of CMS than specific content of individual systems,” according to the report. Sakai Foundation Executive Director Ian Dolphin said allowing the academic community at a University develop Sakai is a major characteristic of the CMS. “Sakai’s great strength lies in its flexibility, which provides the ability to adapt the software to meet local needs,” he said via e-mail correspondence. “Sakai is ver y much a community effort.” By having a CMS with an open source format, Smith said the University could solve many concerns among faculty. “What open source means is that you have to dedicate some resources — development staff, support staff — to make sure this works,” he said. “You can control your own destiny rather than paying for a commercial product and dealing with licensing issues.”
Licensing issues are common to a CMS-like Blackboard and was also a factor in the decision to move from WebCT to Sakai, Hedrick said. “We have guest users, web researchers who want to collaborate with people on another campus,” he said. “If I had a commercial system, I’d have to worr y whether the people at the other campus are covered by our license.” Over time, the number of required licenses tends to increase, Hedrick said. “For example, they say this is the end of this product and we’ll design a new product,” he said. “With open source software, you just have a lot more control of what’s happening.” With WebCT also planning to release their upgraded, but costly, program Vista, Hedrick said the University decided to fully commit to Sakai and abandon WebCT. “The time when you typically consider making major changes is at the time where you are forced to change anyway,” he said. “That’s when we moved from WebCT to Sakai.” When the University Senate composed the 2005 CMS review, Smith said there was a clear distinction between webenhanced, meaning par tially online and web-delivered, which is fully online. With the use of Sakai, this distinction is disappearing. “We have now sort of bridged the gap. Hybrid courses are becoming popular where a substantial portion is given online,” Smith said. “For example, giving an exam online but still meeting face to face.” Although the University is preparing its ser vers for the upcoming Sakai 3 upgrade as students continue to use eCollege, Smith is still hopeful of having an official CMS for the New Brunswick campus. “We have to look at this as a whole and decide what the institution wants to do,” he said. “My strong sense is that possibly in three to five years, we are going end up with one CMS. But that is something the future will tell us.”
BASEMENT BEATS
GABY YIM
School of Arts and Sciences first-year student Chris Yacone performs last night in the RutgersZone of the Livingston Student Center during the Rutgers University Programming Association’s first basement, a free open mic night, show of the semester.
T H E DA I LY TA R G U M
U NIVERSITY STUDY: Researchers collect data through CLA test continued from front
RAMON DOMPOR / ASSOCIATE PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
University Affairs Committee Chair Kristen Clarke is, as of last night, also chair of the Student Fee Advisory Committee.
MEETING: Cordeiro
administrative advisor. “It prepares students who are interadvocates graduate assistance ested in a career in higher education. It requires them to be in an internship and want to work continued from front with students.” School of Arts and Sciences who would assist in the day-tojunior Jill Weiss was elected day goings-on of the assembly. Academic Af fairs chair and RUSA Vice President Matt University Af fairs Committee Cordeiro, who proposed the Chair Kristen Clarke was named bill, explained that the graduchair of the new Student Fee ate student assistant would be Advisory Committee. a great benefit to the assembly After the final issues to as a whole. be addressed were tabled for “We get someone to do the next meeting, Engineering a lot of the work that, to Governing Council be honest, a lot representative Ross of us don’t have Kleiman expressed the time to do,” “It prepares his dismay at said Cordeiro, students who are his fellow assembly a School of members. Ar ts and interested in “We are here Sciences junior. a career in to represent the Student Fee student A d v i s o r y higher education.” entire body, and we Committee repare here to resentative Joel KERRI WILSON make legitimate Salvino, a School RUSA Administrative Advisor changes,” said of Arts and Kleiman, a School Sciences sophoof Engineering junior. “If you more, questioned the parameters cannot honor what you commitby which the assistant would be ted to the students of the selected, asking why the position University, then maybe you was open only to those students shouldn’t be here.” from the Graduate School RUSA President Yousef of Education. Saleh, a School of Ar ts “There is a college student and Sciences senior, concluded affairs program within student the meeting touching lightly on af fairs, which is the larger the opening debate with department that I’ve worked Kaplan, saying RUSA should no for, which is what student govlonger tolerate that type of reliernment works under,” said gious demagoguer y. Kerri Wilson, RUSA
Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa, sociology professors at New York University and the University of Virginia, respectively, outlined study results in a new book entitled “Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses.” In the book, Arum and Roksa suggest it is a lack of vigorous coursework and a lack of focus that detract from student progress. “[The fact that students are] drifting through college without a clear sense of purpose is readily apparent,” according to the book. In order to obtain data for the book, authors used results from students who completed the Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA), a test developed by the Council for Aid to Education that presents undergraduates with realistic problems that require an ability to analyze complex materials, according to the CLA website. Evaluators then compare responses from students in their first years to their responses in later years to determine students’ growth in critical thinking, analytical reasoning, problem-solving and communication skills. Although an increasing number of students have the opportunity to attend college, the coauthors are concerned that their degrees may not reflect a preparedness to compete in the global job market. “It’s not the case that giving out more credentials is going to make the United States more economically competitive,” Arum told The Associated Press. “It requires academic rigor ... you can’t just get it through osmosis at these institutions.”
J A N UA RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 1 Some underclassmen at the University, like School of Arts and Sciences sophomore Billy Gural, said they saw some validity in the study results but did not discredit the University’s curriculum. “I was a terrible writer at first,” Gural said. “Between [“Expository Writing” and “Basic Composition”], I’m definitely better.” Others, like School of Arts and Sciences senior Esther Cha, said experiences they had during the first two years of college pale in comparison to the rigor of their high school courses. “The high school I went to was a pretty good high school, and I feel I learned more in my
“I think students arrive at Rutgers with a lot of information and a lot of intelligence.” BARRY V. QUALLS Vice President for Undergraduate Education
last two years of high school than my first two years of college, especially in the writing courses,” she said. But Cha said she felt she learned more in the second half of college where she took more courses related to her major. “Once you start figuring out what you actually want to study and you become more interested in course material, you’re definitely going to get more out of it,” she said. Florence Hamrick, a professor at the Graduate School of Education, said regardless of the study’s outcome, research in the area of higher learning is beneficial to improving the quality of education for students. “Calls for [institutions] to offer high-quality educational
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experiences across the curriculum and co-curriculum … are not going to diminish,” she said via e-mail correspondence. “The emergence of more studies that employ varieties of methodologies, definitions and measures sustain the research and policy focus on student learning. Collectively [they] will help identify more promising approaches for identifying and assessing learning outcomes.” But Barr y V. Qualls, University vice president for Undergraduate Education, said there is much more to research on what students learn than can be measured by a set of questions on a test. “My feeling is that what the first two years of college ought to do is make you very aware of how little you know and also how much you can get from Rutgers if you aggressively invest in your education,” he said. Over the course of the last two years, the University has been developing assessment tools for all courses to determine what students learn in their courses, including surveys on how well students feel the University is helping them move toward achieving academic and career goals, he said. “I think students arrive at Rutgers with a lot of information and a lot of intelligence, and what I like to think is that universities are a place where, if you have any intellectual curiosity, you will be constantly challenged,” Qualls said. Ultimately, it is up to students to decide what they will make of their years in college, he said. “I know so many students who work night and day here,” Qualls said. “Certainly if someone cares enough about his or her education to get good advising and to follow a rigorous course of study, [they] will not be academically adrift.”
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J A N UA RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 1
U NIVERSITY
T H E DA I LY TA R G U M
CALENDAR JANUARY
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Rutgers Geology Museum will host its annual Open House with a mineral sale, lectures on geology and kids activities including identifying minerals and volcano exhibits. Lecturers will include Dr. Elisabeth Sikes, Dr. Brain Stump, Ph.D student Jason Schein and Ph.D candidate Morgan Schaller. Admission to the event is free. Visit geologymuseum.rutgers.edu for more information.
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The C. S. Lewis Society of the University will discuss chapters one to two of “The Problem of Pain” from 5 to 7 p.m. at Canterbury House located on 5 Mine St., New Brunswick, N.J. A light supper will be served. To request a copy of the discussion book contact Chaplain Gregor y Bezilla at bezilla@rci.rutgers.edu.
GETTY IMAGES
Sen. Nick Sacco, D-North Bergen, is advocating for a bill that would repeal the 90-cent toll increase for the now defunct Access to the Region’s Core tunnel project.
REPEAL: Democrats ask for public say in toll hike
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“Strategic Human Resource Management: Business Strategy” is the first in a series of workshops in the Strategic Human Resource Management Cer tificate Program. This workshop will consider decisions regarding strategic expansion, the introduction of new products or services as well as the diversification into complimentary industries. The course is scheduled to run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Janice H. Levin Building on Livingston campus. Each workshop, sponsored by the Rutgers Center for Management Development, costs $475. Visit cmd.rutgers.edu/humanresoruces-advanced.html for more information. Apply to be a staff member for Rutgers Model Congress 2011. The conference will be held from April 14 to 17 in the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Designed for high school students, Rutgers Model Congress is a conference that simulates the workings of Congress. Help teach approximately 500 high school students from around the countr y the value of civic engagement and political involvement in domestic and international politics. A general interest meeting will be held at 9 p.m. in A6 in Frelinghuysen Hall on the College Avenue campus.
To have your event featured on www.dailytargum.com, send University calendar items to university@dailytargum.com.
continued from front make the case himself if increased tolls are needed to fund his [Transportation Trust Fund Authority] plan,” he said. Sacco also said this is not only an issue of taxpayer money, but also one of legislative transparency. “[For the two-tiered toll increase plan in 2008], there were hearings by the Turnpike Authority that people attended. There was public input and that’s where the toll increases for the ARC tunnel was discussed,” he said. The bill will ensure that if Christie wants to use this money, the public will ultimately have a say in it, Sacco said. “If the governor wants to use that money, he should have to go through the same public process used by [former Gov.] Jon S. Corzine’s [office],” he said. “It’s completely
disingenuous for them to take that money and use it somewhere else when the public believed it was being used for the ARC project.” Amr Aly, a School of Environmental and Biological Sciences first-year student, said in such a bad economy, tolls are expensive enough. “I feel that people have to pay tolls already, so making them more expensive will add more stress to their commute and only make things worse,” he said. Sacco said people have the right to know exactly where their toll payments are going. “If you tell the public in public hearings we’re going to put that money in a project and that project ceases to exist, then the public has ever y right to help decide where that money is going to go,” he said. Rameen Chaudhr y, a School of Arts and Sciences junior and daily commuter, said he does not like the idea of paying money for something he does not know about. “If they told me where the money was going, I might
be cool with [the toll increase],” he said. “I just don’t like paying money if I don’t know where it’s going.” Democrats faced opposition from Republicans because they have not been able to offer alternatives to the $1.25 billion amount that has already been promised to other projects and sold in the form of bonds, according to a northjersey.com article. But Sacco said there is plenty of money in the Transpor tation Trust Fund already and other alternatives have not been explored. “You already have $5.6 billion for the Transportation Trust Fund if the governor’s plan is to go through without the $1.25 billion from the ARC tunnel,” he said. “There’s a matching amount of money from the federal government they use to match against capital projects for the toll roads. There’s money no one’s talking about.” Christie’s office and Sen. Andrew Ciesla, ROcean/Monmouth, were unavailable for comment at press time.
T H E D A I LY TA R G U M
OPINIONS
PA G E 8
J A N UA RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 1
EDITORIALS
Week in review: laurels and darts
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n reaction to Venezuela’s current housing crisis, President Hugo Chavez has offered an interesting solution — he is suggesting the homeless solve their problem by squatting in wealthy parts of Caracas. It is hard to even pretend that Chavez’s urgings can be considered a solution to Venezuela’s issues. What kind of politician forgoes drawing up a real plan in favor of such an atrociously hands-off approach to the people’s woes? Chavez said, “The fundamental goal of socialism is to satisfy human needs … the needs of all, equally, without privilege.” It seems to us that Chavez’s brand of socialism is failing at that “fundamental goal.” Supporting squatting is not “satisfying human needs.” If anything, it completely ignores human needs. Chavez receives a dart for failing the citizens of Venezuela. *
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How often does one hear of a professional athlete whose salary is higher than anything most people will ever hope to make in their lifetime? Now, how often does one hear of a professional athlete who turns that absurdly high salary down because he does not feel that he deserves it? Gil Meche of the Kansas City Royals may just be the first manifestation of that latter case. Meche has decided to retire from baseball — thereby giving up $12 million — because he feels his performance is not adequate enough to garner him such a salary. We commend Meche’s great show of integrity. Most people, regardless of whether they judged their abilities deserving of so much money, would take that $12 million without a second thought. Meche is a rare example of somebody with dignity, somebody who only believes he should be rewarded for a job well done — not just a job merely done. For being a great role model for sports fans and non-fans alike, Meche receives a laurel. *
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At this point, most of us know that, yes, President Barack Obama was born in America — despite what some conspiracy theorists may claim. But that has not stopped Rep. Judy Burges, R-Ariz., from pushing the “birther bill.” If passed, the bill would require political candidates to publicly produce “an original long-form birth certificate that includes the date and place of birth, the names of the hospital and the attending physician and signatures of the witnesses in attendance.” The claim that Obama is not a native citizen of the United States is not only absurd, but one of the more childish criticisms levied at him. Burges’ “birther bill” is little more than an instance of a politician grasping at straws. For supporting this ridiculous legislature, Burges receives a dart. *
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While President Barack Obama’s State of the Union speech failed to mention any reforms regarding gun control, that does not mean the president is not planning something. White House adviser David Plouffe told NBC News that Obama is, in fact, planning to push for tougher gun laws in the upcoming months. The gun laws in this nation have needed reform for a long time, and it is comforting to know that Obama plans on tackling that issue — especially in the wake of the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz. For mounting a plan to address these salient national concerns, Obama receives a laurel. We hope the coming plan is a comprehensive one, and we hope Obama’s attempts are successful. *
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Censorship is never the appropriate solution to any problem — even when it is Google’s newly instated “soft censorship.” In an effort to combat Internet piracy, Google changed the search engine so certain words related to piracy will no longer be automatically completed when a user begins typing them in the search bar, nor will those words activate Google’s automatic search function. The laughable part of this move is that a user can still complete these words, and the user can still manually conduct a search the old-fashioned way — by hitting enter. Regardless of how ineffectual Google’s new censorship is, it is still a step in the wrong direction. The Internet is wonderful because of all the access it affords users to vast quantities of information. Even if that information is connected to illegal activity, it should not be censored. For introducing censorship to its search engine, Google receives a dart.
QUOTE OF THE DAY “My feeling is that what the first two years of college ought to do is make you very aware of how little you know and also how much you can get from Rutgers if you aggressively invest in your education.” Barry V. Qualls, University vice president for Undergraduate Education, on the first two years of college STORY ON FRONT
MCT CAMPUS
Revision damages literature When Mark Twain’s constantly enforces the “The Adventures of moral tenet of the raft — Huckleber r y Finn” was the essential childlike published, it met immeditr uth that each should ate controversy. People treat others as they themcalled Twain cr ude. He selves would want to be was uncultured. He did treated. Yes, Jim is stereoPATRICK DANNER not belong in the elite littypically naïve, uneducaterar y class. And though ed and gullible. He the debate a centur y ago was arguably dif ferent, believes superstitions involving snake skins, by and large the debate has been over Twain’s typical of his race during his time. But it is this use of the word “n——-.” By the mid-20th centu- complicated persona coupled with his tenuous r y the debate was so awkward that CBS aired a position as an escaped slave heading to the Deep television-movie adaptation of the novel that did South on the Mississippi that makes him the not mention slaver y and had a white actor great character that he is. This is how the novel play Jim. needs to be taught — in a way that does not Presumably these writers never read the novel or ignore his race or how he is seen but rather sees were just really stoked about making a 10-minute Jim as the total sum of his actions, his words and version of the story. his beliefs. Today, though, there’s a new bastardization If we allow Jim to be defined by one word, that of the novel prepped for release is not Twain’s fault. Rather, it is as professor Alan Gribben of our fault and the fault of our Auburn University has rewritten “Finn seems to have teachers. Jim is much more than the novel free of the racial slur. “N—— Jim” or even “Slave Jim.” taken a beating ... “N——- Jim” will now be “Slave How steeped in cultural meaning Jim.” According to Gribben, the moniker is does not and and it is doing “After a number of talks, I was should not change what he is on our kids sought out by local teachers, and those pages. to a person they said, we would It is up to our teachers to allow a disservice.” love to teach this novel, and their students to see that. “Huckleberr y Finn,” but we feel Fur thermore, it is up to the we can’t do it anymore. In the school system to allow the teachnew classroom, it’s really not acceptable.” ers to allow the students to see that — and I do I understand the history of the novel in high not think that is asking much. The point of literschool curricula. Many schools have banned it ature at the high school level is to comprehend solely because of the approximate 215 uses of the the totality of a stor y. That does not include any word. I assume others ban it for the depiction of sor t of new-post-Mar xist-proto-colonial theor y. nude theater or the potentially homoerotic rela- Simply, all that is required is for a 17-year-old to tionship between Jim and Huck — just kidding, look past one word, to understand that Twain is that definitely is not there. To date, Huck stands as saying “this is wrong.” To understand that the fourth-most banned book in the United States. Twain has taken back the n-word in a way Ice Also on that list are “The Anarchist’s Cookbook,” Cube and Eazy-E could only dream of. That is “Naked Lunch,” “The New Joy of Gay Sex” and the not a big leap. entire Harry Potter series. So I do not think we can civilize Huck. People The reason for banning and censoring books have tried. But, more importantly, I do not think we varies. If it is not racism, it is bomb-making, wiz- should. Huckleberry Finn remains the single iconic ardry, masturbation or strange intravenous drug American novel, and Twain remains our single iconintake. And while I cannot justify making an argu- ic author. On his deathbed he knew he had ideas, ment for teaching many of the books I have named works we would not be ready for in a century. above — and by that I mean “Naked Lunch” — Clearly he underestimated himself. Huckleberry Finn seems to have taken a beating beyond what Pap has done himself, and it is doing Patrick Danner is a School of Arts and Sciences our kids a disservice. senior majoring in English with a minor in Italian In the novel, Jim represents the only stead- studies. His column, “Stoop Musings,” runs on fast and sound morality. He is the only one who alternate Fridays.
Stoop Musings
Due to space limitations, submissions cannot exceed 750 words. If a commentary exceeds 750 words, it will not be considered for publication. All authors must include name, phone number, class year and college affiliation or department to be considered for publication. Anonymous letters will not be considered. All submissions are subject to editing for length and clarity. A submission does not guarantee publication. Please submit via e-mail to oped@dailytargum.com by 4 p.m. to be considered for the following day’s publication. Please do not send submissions from Yahoo or Hotmail accounts. The editorials written above represent the majority opinion of The Daily Targum Editorial Board. All other opinions expressed on the Opinions page, and those held by advertisers, columnists and cartoonists, are not necessarily those of The Daily Targum.
O PINIONS
T H E DA I LY TA R G U M
J A N UA RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 1
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BAKA must apologize for misleading students Letter AKIVA DOVID WEISS
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n alleged “human rights” group that is no stranger to radicalism and controversy perpetrated their latest outrage Jan. 20 on our University campus. BAKA: Students United for Middle Eastern Justice — the student activist group that purports to stand for justice in the Middle East — partnered with several other student groups to bring to campus what may be the single most offensive event ever held at the University. Standing on the steps of Brower Commons on the College Ave campus, they held a vigil for “the 1,400 lives” lost during the war in Gaza more than two years ago, The Daily Targum reported. Yet students — and staff reporters — who came for the ambiance of a peaceful vigil that night may not have known that they were involved in a vigil which mourned
the deaths of terrorists. Included in the number of “victims” being mourned were a whopping 600 to 700 Hamas terrorist operatives that were also killed in the Gaza War. Student groups paying homage to known terrorists fuels fear, hatred and resentment and divides our campus community. This kind of activity is much more common on more hostile and radically-charged campuses and this may be the first time that University students were exposed to paying tribute to fallen terrorists under the guise of “innocent civilians.” BAKA has either willingly or unknowingly held a massive vigil where at least many of those mourned were absolutely terrorist combatants. According to Hamas Interior Minister Fathi Hamad, wholly 50 percent were. BAKA should have known better. But what makes the display particularly disturbing was its use of children. Students on campus attended a vigil that they thought paid tribute to hundreds of innocent children
killed in the Gaza War. Yet while many of the names shown on the screen were certainly innocent victims of that war, that list is notoriously suspected to also include names of children whose death is wholly
“When students are not informed, it behooves the student body and the faculty ... to take action.” unassociated with the war. Some have been confirmed to be actual teenage combatants working directly for Hamas. Students in attendance were not made aware of this. Someone should have been overseeing this program to make sure BAKA did not leave in those who were verified as combatants.
But with their track record so far, it looks like BAKA may not have any oversight. BAKA has routinely intimidated students who they feel may be “spying” on them. Two students, School of Arts and Sciences junior Aaron Marcus and sophomore Raffi Mark, were cast out of an open public meeting that they held on campus. They also keep their Facebook group under lock and key — which is not a crime, of course — but with their secrecy around their planning and implementation of programming on campus and their lack of transparency, one has to ask: What exactly do they wish to hide from the student body? Perhaps it is where they donated the controversial funds that they raised last semester at a fundraiser paid for with student monies and that the University forbade them to donate to their target organization. To date, there has been no follow-up, and no one knows where BAKA ultimately deposited those funds. Perhaps it
is their upcoming anti-Zionist event that outrageously claims Israel is engaged in the systematic genocide of the Palestinian people. University students deserve better and are entitled to honest and transparent programming when it comes to their student organizations — especially those that are student-funded. When students are not informed, it behooves the student body and the faculty — and the University newspaper that carried the story — to take action to reprimand and correct the injustices that were perpetrated. BAKA needs to issue an apology immediately for misleading students, intentionally or not, and students and faculty should demand as such. Without an apology, this group and their cohorts, must be protested loud and clear for the entire student body to see. Rabbi Akiva Dovid Weiss is the OU-appointed Orthodox rabbi at the University and affiliate chaplain on campus.
Understand RUSA Allocations Board’s processes Letter RUSA ALLOCATIONS BOARD
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e, the Rutgers University Student Assembly Allocations Board, would like to explain who we are, what we do and a new program we are launching. By doing so, we hope to clear up any misconceptions or worries regarding our mission. We are a panel of University students who are not elected so we do not represent any specific constituency in the student body, although the RUSA treasurer — who is democratically elected — oversees and examines our decisions to ensure student funds are allocated appropriately. Anyone from the general student body is allowed to apply to become a board member, and there are various different positions held on our board. We follow the conventional club hierarchy. We have a chair, vice chair, treasurer, a public relations
team responsible for fostering our relationship with other clubs, a secretary and so on. Our goal is to fairly distribute money generated from student fees to student organizations that need it to be able to hold events that are open to all students regardless of race, gender, grade point average, background, political preference, etc. and that enhance the University community academically, philanthropically and culturally. RUSA Allocations funds events that meet the mission statement of the student groups that ask for funding regardless of whether other students or faculty members have a politically-charged objection to the nature of the event. When allocating funds, we follow strict guidelines which are set forth in our bylaws to ensure equity and impartiality. We are not allowed to have political biases for or against any group for any reason. We are not allowed to use student-fee money to join national organizations because it
is against our bylaws. We pride ourselves on fairness and distribute student-fee money according to these standards. Our board reviews ever y groups’ proposed budgets each semester and holds meetings every Thursday night at 8 p.m. At these weekly meetings, represen-
“We are always looking for ways to make things easier on our fellow students.” tatives from student groups are welcome to come and appeal for more funding, a change in funding or an appeal for capital equipment funding, etc. We speak to the representatives, let them know if we absolutely cannot fund something they are asking for, review their appeal and get back to them on the Sunday of that
week. We are as direct and open with representatives from student organizations as possible, and we try our best to be as efficient as possible when communicating allocations decisions to them. Anyone can reach the Allocations board through our website. The Allocations board’s website is rusa.rutgers.edu. Feel free to ask us questions or discuss any concerns you may have. RUSA Allocations would like to thank all of the students who help put together fun, educational and effective programs for all students to enjoy. We would like to encourage you to keep doing what you are doing, as it is making the University a better place. The Allocations board — as well as the rest of the student body — greatly appreciates it. We are always looking for ways to make things easier on our fellow students and make ourselves more accessible. We are proud to announce that RUSA Allocations will be going Google. We will be using Gmail
and Google Docs to simplify communication between student organizations and the board as well as communication within the board. By using Gmail, we will be able to accurately log emails so all information about a topic can be viewed at once. By using Google Docs, student organizations will be able to view and co-edit their information while collaborating with other members/advisers. We, on the Allocations board, are working on building relationships with other clubs, making ourselves more accessible and allocating student-fee money fairly and efficiently. We hope this has cleared up any misconceptions that might have been formed about our organization. If anyone still has any questions, problems or concerns, please feel free to contact us, and we will be more than happy to assist you. The Rutgers University Student Assembly Allocations Board.
Take part in logical argumentation, criticism Letter AMANI AL-KHATAHTBEH
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ith the way the word “anti-Semitism” has been thrown around lately, it has become increasingly difficult for me to believe that individuals are aware of the word’s actual definition rather than the politicized connotation it has acquired for the sake of promoting a political agenda. A Semite is any person who is a member or descendent of a group of people originating from ancient Southwestern Asia. Moses, a Hebrew, was a Semite. Jesus, a Palestinian, was a Semite. On top of that, not all Jews are Semites. Ashkenazi Jews, for instance, originated from Germany before immigrating to other parts of the world.
The term “Semite” has a much broader definition than the one we have become familiar with. Unfor tunately, rather than accurately being used to denounce racist actions and sentiment, the term “anti-Semitism” has devolved into a political tool in our mainstream society. The fear of being called anti-Semitic has in fact silenced anyone in calling out the inhumane actions committed by the Israeli government, socially linking criticism of Israel as attacks on Jews rather than a corrupt government. It has become a way to once again diminish the grievances of Arabs and all humane people in the world that recognize the illegal actions of Israel, instead labeling them as “antiSemitic” and thus evaporating them into tasteless complaints unworthy of a response.
The Israeli government and its supporters hide behind this term to conceal their lack of justification and logical reasoning behind Israel’s actions. Clearly, their political strategy is succeeding, as it is becoming taboo
“We are only playing into the divisive tactics that impede on any progress.” in our culture to say anything negative about Israel lest we fall into the categor y of “antiSemitism” and automatically be labeled unworthy of contributing to political discourse. Denouncing any and all actions
of intolerance and oppression in the world demonstrates the utmost respect for the Holocaust and the plight of Jews throughout history. By declaring that the plight of Palestinians is not in dire need of attention and action, we are playing into the social inertia and societal ignorance the Nazis relied on to be able to fulfill their evil agenda. To me, anti-Semitism refers to the complete disregard of human life. It is the reckless endangerment and exploitation of a defenseless Semitic people, especially when women and children make up a majority of casualties in a military incursion. It is the treatment of a Semitic people as second-class citizens, or rather as being completely inferior, solely because of their race — forcing them to experience lower salaries, neglected living conditions and
pure discrimination in a country they are citizens of. Such has been the historical experience of Jews, and such is the present condition of Palestinians living in Gaza and Arabs living in Israel. This is the anti-Semitism that mainstream media seeks to conceal and individuals in our society hope to ignore. Resorting to using the term “anti-Semitic” in response to a criticism only demonstrates a lack of logical argument. If an action is as necessary and legitimate as one says it is, one should be able to defend it with facts and reason rather than flamboyant accusations. Otherwise, we are only playing into the divisive tactics that impede on any progress toward political development. Amani Al-Khatahtbeh is a School of Arts and Sciences firstyear student.
T H E D A I LY TA R G U M
PA G E 1 0
DIVERSIONS
Horoscopes / LINDA C. BLACK
Pearls Before Swine
J A N UA RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 1
STEPHAN PASTIS
Today's birthday (01/28/11). The squeaky wheel gets the grease, they say. You don't need to be obnoxious, but do make yourself heard. You're a contribution to your community, and to the planet. Speak up in service of others who maybe can't utter the words. They're grateful for this. Did you ever consider a career in public service? To get the advantage, check the day's rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging. Aries (March 21-April 19) — Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) — Today is a 6 — Take a vacation, Today is a 6 — Today's activities even if only for a few hours. Your weave together into a package friends will want to come along, full of love and optimism. Othlured by your optimism. Take ers understand your motives them and explore something new. clearly and support you. Enjoy Taurus (April 20-May 20) — the partnership. Today is a 7 — State your own Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) — position clearly and logically. Today is a 9 — It's time to Others are open to suggestions focus on the business at hand. and very willing to work with Ever ything gets done without you. Look at the project from much pressure. Reward yourall sides. self later with great food and Gemini (May 21-June 21) — a movie. Today is a 7 — Everything seems Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) to be flowing with great ease. — Today is a 7 — Creativity is Your previous structure provides the name of the game today. for intelligent action. Others Stay focused to accomplish participate with enthusiasm. your goals. Others provide Cancer (June 22-July 22) — total support and lend an Today is an 8 — Someone active hand. experiences high drama Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — around money and work. Stick Today is a 9 — Although today's to your ethics and values, and efforts feel personal, the results avoid all gossip. Then offer affect family and friends equally. creative support. Use your physical and emotional Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) — energy carefully. Today is a 9 — Creative ideas Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) — come together today, and you Today is a 9 — Gather everyone hold the key to a logical conclutogether early to sync plans. sion. Write up results carefully. Then everyone goes in separate This presentation makes a huge directions, and you gather up difference in the long run. later to compare notes. Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Today is a 6 — You'd love to get Today is a 7 — Follow your intua project finished today. Get ition to discover the magic witheveryone in the group busy in your group's potential. Get early. They need your help to yourself moving to discover make things work. Then it all something new about what comes together. makes you tick. © 2010, TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES INC.
Dilbert
Doonesberry
Happy Hour
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SCOTT ADAMS
GARY TRUDEAU
JIM AND PHIL
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Last-Ditch Ef fort
Get Fuzzy
D IVERSIONS JOHN KROES
J A N UA RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 1
Pop Culture Shock Therapy
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DOUG BRATTON
DARBY CONLEY
Non Sequitur
WILEY
Jumble
H. ARNOLD & M. ARGIRION THAT SCRAMBLED WORD GAME
Unscramble these four Jumbles, one letter to each square, to form four ordinary words.
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GUY & RODD
VEFER ©2011 Tribune Media Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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DAYMAL Now arrange the circled letters to form the surprise answer, as suggested by the above cartoon.
Answer here: Yesterday’s
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Solution Puzzle #25 1/27/10
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“
”
(Answers tomorrow) WAGER MEMOIR JANGLE Jumbles: ANISE Answer: What she wanted to get for her mother — A SON-IN-LAW
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PAIR: Unranked Rinaldi draws No. 11 Rebertus at 184 continued from back into the weekend ranked No. 16 at 157 pounds for the Knights. Rebertus only fell twice this year to an unranked wrestler, but it is unlikely he will ever face an unranked wrestler with as much talent as Rutgers’ Dan Rinaldi. While the sophomore may not be ranked, he owns a 17-5 record. Rutgers (18-1) won 14 straight matches, last falling on Nov. 21 to Penn State, which now holds the spot as No. 1 in the nation. The Knights’ dual against Navy marks the third-tolast conference matchup for head coach Scott Goodale and his squad. “We’ll get 10 days before American and 10 days before Lehigh,” Goodale said. “I want to make sure we are healthy and rested. I know that probably scares a lot of our alumni and a lot of our donors. What does that mean? Are we going to sit guys? I don’t know. But I think that’s important.” The team heads back to New Brunswick to host No. 19 American on Feb. 9 at the College Ave Gym. Rutgers closes out its home schedule on Feb. 17 at the Louis Brown Athletic Center against No. 12 Lehigh. The Mountain Hawks rebounded from their loss against Navy to upset then-No. 1 Cornell in Bethlehem, Pa. “There is no national duel championships, so are these matches important? Yes they are, but we have to be well-rested for the EIWA and national tournaments,” Goodale said. “That’s got to be our focus.” The EIWA Tour nament does not take place until March at Bucknell, but ever y conference matchup counts toward individual seeding for the tournament. “This is an important weekend from an individual standpoint because of the EIWA seeding,” Goodale said.
JEFFREY LAZARO / SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Junior forward April Sykes, the team’s leading scorer this season, eclipsed the 20-point mark in the Scarlet Knights’ 63-44 loss to No. 2 Connecticut on Wednesday at home. The Starkville, Miss., native averages 14.2 points per game this season.
MATCHUP: Rushdan looks to rebound from UConn continued from back Much of that success is in part due to the guard play of freshman Shoni Schimmel and the post play of junior forward Monique Reid. Schimmel and Reid are the only two Cardinals scoring in double figures this season,
averaging 16.2 and 16.3 points per game, respectively. But against the Huskies, only a pair of familiar scorers showed up for the Knights. Junior guard Khadijah Rushdan, the team’s second leading scorer, went 0-for-11 from the field the last time out and finished the game with two points — 11 shy of her season average. In the paint, the squad was forced to rely on sophomore
center Monique Oliver due to a rough outing by junior forward Chelsey Lee, who ended regulation with just three points and three boards. Mixing these stat lines with a date in Louisville could translate to two straight conference losses for the Knights. One of the few bright spots for Rutgers came from the play of junior forward April Sykes, who scored 20 points on a 6-for-12 shooting clip.
But by mirroring the defensive effort against Connecticut — at least from the first half of play — the squad could work toward alleviating the hostility of the Cardinals crowd and work toward earning its first victor y in Louisville. If not, the two-game slide the Knights faced following their loss to UConn last season could be the repeating trend.
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T H E DA I LY TA R G U M
NY trip offers warmup for championship meets BY LIZ SWERN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The Rutgers men’s track and field team gears up for more intense MEN’S TRACK competiRUTGERS AT tion this METROPOLITAN CHAMPS, w e e k end as it SATURDAY, 10 A.M. heads to the Metropolitan Championships in New York City. The meet is the first of three scoring championship meets, with the last two being the Big East Championship in Akron, Ohio, and IC4A Championships in Boston, Mass. “Big East’s and IC4A’s are more important, but the
[Metropolitan Championships] is still very good competition,” said junior sprinter Aaron Younger. As the name implies, the meet is comprised of teams from the New York metropolitan area, including programs from Southern Connecticut and Northeast Pennsylvania. As the Scarlet Knights get closer and closer to significant meets like the Big East and IC4A Championships, they continue to use the bigger competition as more training. “I’d really like to see the team come together for our first championship meet and give it everything we have,” Younger said. Younger will compete Saturday in his signature event: the 500-meter.
“I want to tr y to bring my 500 time down,” Younger said. “Each week I run, I tr y to lower my times.”
AARON YOUNGER Freshman teammate Corey Caidenhead shares similar goals for this weekend’s meet,
as he is also competing in the 500-meter with Younger. “I plan on aiming for a 62second 500,” Caidenhead said. “I love the Armor y track — I always run fast times on it. So I hope by the grace of God I can run 62-seconds.” Also on the track, junior sprinter Steve Werner looks to lower his times in the 60- and 200-meter dash. “Winning the Metropolitan Championship in the 200 would be nice,” Werner said. “But my main goal for this week is to r un a faster time than last week.” At Navy last weekend, Werner placed second overall in the 200meter with a time of 22.19 and
third overall in the 60-meter clocking a time of 7.07. Of f the track, freshman Devin Jones is still just a few feet shy of the school record in the triple jump. Jones marked a leap of 15.21 meters, just short of 50 feet, two weeks ago at the New Balance Track and Field Center. The school indoor record in the triple jump is 50-feet-7-inches. “I’m ready for this weekend,” Jones said. “Last meet, I kind of messed up. I didn’t jump well.” At the Naval Academy last weekend, Jones placed third with a jump of 14.22 meters, 47-feet-7inches, but continues to keep his eyes on setting a new school record in the event.
Knights target qualifying times at Metro Champs BY ADHAAR SHARMA CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The Rutgers women’s track and field team faces tough competition this weekend when it travels WOMEN’S TRACK to the RUTGERS AT Bronx, METROPOLITAN CHAMPS, N.Y., to compete SATURDAY, 3 P.M. in the Metropolitan Championships. The championships, hosted by Fordham, provide a great oppor tunity to post Big East qualifying times and stand out against rival programs. The Scarlet Knights fared well in the competition in the past, claiming a first-place finish in the 2010 indoor season. But with an extremely young squad and two captains missing,
MENTOR: Pitt’s strength in post poses problems for RU continued from back Still, Rice is encouraged by what he sees from the Scarlet Knights. “We’re playing with more of an urgency and more of a consistent urgency,” Rice said. “And that’s encouraging because I thought we were so inconsistent with the energy and urgency and intensity that you need in this league. So that’s positive.” The Knights (12-8, 3-5) will not have a problem coming out with enough urgency against the No. 2 Panthers (19-2, 7-1), with whom Wanamaker and McGhee now play integral roles. But the key for Rutgers will be maintaining its urgency over the course of 40 minutes against Pitt, which challenges its opponents in a variety of ways. The Panthers routinely go four deep among their big men — led by McGhee — and lay claim as the only Big East team in the top three in both scoring offense and defense.
a victory will not come easy for the Knights. “We have a ver y young team with mostly freshmen and sophomores,” said head coach James Robinson. “The players must be patient and get stronger progressively by learning from their mistakes and training even harder.” The loss of the squad’s captains –– junior Kelly Flannigan and senior Nwamaka Okobi –– will surely slight the Knights’ scoring. Flannigan placed third in the mile run at the 2010 Metropolitan Championships, while Okobi took home the long jump in last year’s competition. Other players will need to step up their game and fill in the holes in the distance squad and jumps left by the two captains.
The distance team lacks a star performer this season, with no athlete showing stepping up for a squad that –– with the
exception of Flannigan –– has all underclassmen. The Knights str uggled in the mile and 3,000-meter run early on in 2011, as the team failed to place in the top three so far this season.
Sophomores Asha Ruth and Ekene Ugboaja have been excellent this season in jumps for the Knights. Ugboaja placed within the top three of the long and triple jump in both the Princeton Quad Meet and the Princeton Relays. The Knights also have freshman Emily Vargas as a cornerstone for high jump. The trio of jumpers looks to build upon its dominance this weekend and help the Knights reach victory. And despite the departure of Michelle Gomes to graduation last year, the sprinters have done well this season. Junior Brittni Rodriguez will attempt to replicate her success from last weekend’s meet, when she placed first in the 60meter dash.
“We just have to attack the same way we’ve been attacking all year,” said senior guard Mike Coburn, who had as many points as turnovers Wednesday against Cincinnati. “We don’t change anything really, just slight things. Obviously to counteract [Pitt’s]
of others to the glass, where the Panthers earned national distinction under Dixon. Pittsburgh ranks first nationally in rebounding margin, averaging 13.8 more boards per game than its opponents. But Rutgers’ post defense has been the team’s calling card throughout the conference season, Rice said. “We’ve been somewhat successful in defending the paint,” Rice said. “And I think that’s been our first point of emphasis when we went into the Big East — where maybe our weaknesses are and where we have to improve as a team. I think defending the paint has been a positive for us so far.” Rice may not have been able to take his vaunted 2006-07 recruiting class at Pitt with him to Piscataway, but the head coach has managed to instill a Pitt-like attention to detail in his first year. And that — maybe more than an upset of the Panthers at the RAC — may prove most valuable to Rice as he wades through the rest of his inaugural Big East campaign.
Pittsburgh head coach Jamie Dixon employed both Mike Rice and Rutgers associate head coach David Cox on his staff.
“We’re playing with more of an urgency and more of a consistent urgency. ... So that’s a positive.” MIKE RICE Head Coach
size, we’ll do other things. But we take it as the same game, the same approach.” Rutgers contained South Florida’s Augustus Gilchrist and Jarrid Famous in its last matchup with a conference opponent that boasted a skilled frontline. But Pitt regularly throws the 6foot-10, 250-pound McGhee, senior wing Gilbert Brown and a host
BRITTNI RODRIGUEZ
Joining her are freshmen Tylia Gillon and Rachel Leeke, both of whom placed second and third, respectively, in the Princeton Invitational in the 300meter dash. Gillon also placed second in the 60-meter dash in the Princeton Quad Meet, one place ahead of Rodriguez. In the throwing events, senior captain Natalie Clickett plans continue her strong play and support the Knights with her scores. The Union City, Pa., native had success in the competition in the past, with a win in the shotput last season and a third-place finish in the discus in 2007. After the Metropolitan Championships, the Knights only have two more meets before the Big East, ECAC and NCAA Championships.
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Rutgers in running for All-American Jersey City running back Huggins set to announce college decision today, considering Rutgers, UNC, ND BY STEVEN MILLER SPORTS EDITOR
I
owa promised to investigate what caused 13 members of its football team to be hospitalized with a rare muscle disorder. The university has 90 days to investigate the events leading up to the hospitalization and report its findings to the board of regents. The players complained of symptoms following of fseason workouts and are said to have rhabdomyolysis, a disorder characterized by release of muscle fiber into the bloodstream.
T HE
AGENT OF FORMER
New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress claims he is confident Burress will play in the 2011 season. Burress was sentenced to two years in prison in 2009 on gun charges following an incident in a nightclub in which the receiver accidentally shot himself in the thigh. He has a scheduled release of June 6 barring good behavior. The receiver turns 34 next season and has not played since the 2008 season.
C HICAGO
B ULLS
starting point guard and NBA MVP contender Derrick Rose was diagnosed with two stomach ulcers. Rose missed practice on Wednesday for a procedure to diagnose his chest pain and sat out on Thursday as well. He is hopeful to be good for Chicago’s game tonight against the Orlando Magic. “I thought I was having a heart attack, and that’s when I called [athletic trainer] Fred [Tedeschi],” Rose said.
N EW
Y ORK
J ETS
cornerback Antonio Cromartie responded yesterday to remarks made by Seattle Seahawks quar terback Matt Hasselbeck on his Twitter account. Cromar tie said he will “smash [Hasselbeck’s] face in” after Hasselbeck was critical of Cromartie’s comments regarding the NFL’s negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement. Hasselbeck later apologized for his initial comments over Twitter.
A
THREE - GAME
SERIES
between the Florida Marlins and Seattle Mariners will be moved from Miami to Seattle because of a concert by the band U2 at Sun Life Stadium. The band requires three days to set up for the concert, forcing the Mariners to vacate the stadium.
T HE
T ENNESSEE
Titans announced yesterday that they will sever ties with head coach Jeff Fisher. Fisher, who coached the team during its move from Houston to Tennessee, was the longest tenured coach in the NFL, having coached 16 seasons.
After a week that saw the Rutgers football team gain two verbal comFOOTBALL m i t ments FOR IMMEDIATE NEWS and lose ON ANNOUNCEMENT, one, it FOLLOW @STEVMILLER has the opportunity today to check off its top target. Under Armour All-American running back Savon Huggins will announce his college decision at 5 p.m. at St. Peter’s Prep, and Rutgers is very much an option. The Jersey City native is the seventh-ranked tailback in the country and 58th best prospect overall, according to Rivals.com. He is also New Jersey’s top prospect, and in an offseason when head coach Greg Schiano was able to close on many of his targets and has a few more opportunities in the next week, Huggins would be his biggest catch. The 6-foot, 190-pounder took his of ficial visits to Auburn, Michigan State, North Carolina and Notre Dame in addition to Rutgers, but the latter three are believed to be the most serious contenders. Woodbridge defensive end Max Issaka is also considering Rutgers and North Carolina, and his announcement was postponed yesterday due to his school closing for the weather. Paramus Catholic defensive tackle Marquise Wright is deciding between Rutgers and Michigan State. Working in Rutgers’ favor with all three prospects is their connection to players already verbally committed to play their college football in Piscataway. Huggins’ St. Peter’s teammate Keith Lumpkin is one of them, and he will be on hand at the Jersey City school for the announcement. The offensive tackle committed to Rutgers in September and
JEFFREY LAZARO / SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Rutgers head football coach Greg Schiano and his coaching staff could receive a major boost today when St. Peter’s Prep four-star running back Savon Huggins announces his college decision.
spent last weekend in Piscataway on his official visit along with Huggins, Shuler and Rutgers commits Gar y Nova and Charles Davis. By all accounts, the weekend was a hit with the prospects. “Of course I was hanging out with Savon and Gar y Nova, but we were also with Miles Shuler and Charles Davis,” Lumpkin
said. “We just all have that bond and friendship.” Most recent commitment Lafayette Pitts echoed that sentiment while discussing Issaka and Wright. All three, along with Nova, committed to Pittsburgh prior to Dave Wannstedt’s resignation. After Pitts decided to make the switch to Rutgers, he believes Issaka and Wright could follow.
“They’re very big on Rutgers. There’s a ver y good chance they’ll be playing here too, so we’ll see what happens,” he said. “I’m definitely going to be in their ear a little bit.” While commitments from Issaka and Wright would bolster an already strong class, Huggins’ decision today could make that class.
T H E D A I LY TA R G U M
SPORTS
PA G E 1 6
RU must solve Louisville in road matchup
J A N UA RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 1
Rice’s one-time mentor leads Pitt to RAC
BY ANTHONY HERNANDEZ
BY TYLER BARTO
CORRESPONDENT
ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR
The last time Rutgers head women’s basketball coach C. Vivian Stringer matched wits with Louisville head coach Jeff Walz, the Scarlet Knights WOMEN’S BASKETBALL cruised to a 20point victory. RUTGERS AT That win came in LOUISVILLE, Piscataway, where SATURDAY, 6 P.M. the Knights own a perfect 3-0 record against their Big East rivals. But put Rutgers (12-7, 5-1) against the Cardinals in any gym other than the Louis Brown Athletic Center, and the losses begin to pile up –– a trend the team cannot afford to continue following a loss to No. 2 Connecticut. “I think I would be much more disappointed if we went down to Louisville and not understand the real story,” Stringer said following the 63-44 loss Wednesday against UConn. “I would be much more upset because I know this one hurts because it does for me.” The only other times the Knights lost consecutive games this season was in their first two games against California and No. 4 Stanford and in late December, when the squad dropped two in a row to No. 5 Texas A&M then No. 6 Tennessee. But these are different circumstances and Stringer knows it. With a win, the Cardinals (13-8, 4-3) could begin to work their way into the conference discussion, and with a loss, the Knights could start inching their way out. A letdown is something Rutgers cannot afford with the heart of its Big East schedule looming, but given the history between the two squads, it could be difficult to avoid. Stringer and Co. are 0-2 when battling Louisville on neutral grounds and own the same record when taking on the Cardinals in their home gym. To make matters worse, Louisville is shooting 45.6 percent from the field this season.
Rutgers head men’s basketball coach Mike Rice will find yet another familiar face on the opposing sideline Saturday, when Pittsburgh and MEN’S BASKETBALL head coach Jamie Dixon pay a visit to PITTSBURGH AT the Louis Brown RUTGERS, Athletic Center. SATURDAY, 8 P.M. A Pittsburgh native, Rice already faced former employer Phil Martelli at St. Joseph’s earlier in the year. But if Martelli gave Rice the opportunity to resurrect his coaching career, Dixon afforded Rice the chance to become a household name. “[Dixon and I] used to talk once every week,” said Rice, who took over Robert Morris after his brief tenure under Dixon. “We talked early on in non-conference [play], but I haven’t talked to him in about three weeks.” Rice served as an assistant and primary recruiter under Dixon in 2006-07, when Rice was largely responsible for the Panthers’ assemblage of one of the top recruiting classes in the nation. Chief among the heralded class was nowSan Antonio Spur DeJuan Blair, as well as seniors Brad Wanamaker and Gary McGhee. Former commit Darnell Dodson was also a part of Rice’s group before transferring to Kentucky and being unceremoniously dismissed from Lexington. Dixon and Rice — albeit over the short term — thrived at the Petersen Events Center with players who were not the most highly recruited coming out of high school. Rice continues to do more with less at Rutgers, where only senior forward Jonathan Mitchell and sophomore wing Dane Miller can lay claim as former four-star recruits, according to Rivals.com. Mitchell committed and played two seasons at Florida before transferring to Rutgers.
SEE MATCHUP ON PAGE 13
JEFFREY LAZARO / SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Head coach Mike Rice spent a year under Jamie Dixon at Pittsburgh before taking the reins in the same city at Robert Morris, where Rice spent the past three seasons.
SEE MENTOR ON PAGE 14
Pair of ranked Midshipmen pose challenges for Rutgers BY A.J. JANKOWSKI ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR
The Rutgers wrestling team canceled its Friday dual with Virginia due to the inclement weathWRESTLING er. The No. 9 Scarlet Knights RUTGERS AT will still be put to NAVY, the test this weekSATURDAY, 7 P.M. end as the team still plans to travel Saturday to Annapolis, Md., to face Navy. The conference matchup marks the sixth EIWA opponent thus far for the Knights and the Midshipmen pose perhaps the biggest threat before Rutgers faces Lehigh. It was only on Jan. 15 that Navy hosted Lehigh and upset the Mountain Hawks, 19-15. “If we are able to take care of Navy, who just beat Lehigh, then I think that there is no question how good we are,” said sophomore Joe Langel. Navy (3-2) boasts two wrestlers ranked in their respective weight classes in senior 157pounder Bryce Saddoris and 184-pound junior Luke Rebertus. Saddoris ranks sixth in the nation, leads the EIWA in wins with 26 and will likely face fellow senior Daryl Cocozzo. Cocozzo heads
SEE PAIR ON PAGE 13
ANDREW HOWARD / SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Senior 157-pounder Daryl Cocozzo has a golden opportunity to improve on his EIWA seeding this weekend, when he faces off against No. 6 Bryce Saddoris of Navy. Cocozzo sat out when the two teams faced one another last season at the College Avenue Gym.