THE DAILY TARGUM Vo l u m e 1 4 2 , N u m b e r 1 1 7
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
TUESDAY APRIL 5, 2011
1 8 6 9
Today: Rain
COUNTRY ROADS
High: 61 • Low: 32
In the midst of a road trip, the Rutgers tennis team played a pair of matches in Morgantown, W.Va., and took down Big East rivals Pittsburgh and West Virginia.
RFR team constructs racecar for competition BY JACK MURTHA STAFF WRITER
Grease-ridden clothes and nights spent sleeping in the back seat of a racecar are testaments to the Rutgers Formula Racing (RFR) team’s dedication to succeed, both on and off the track. But before RFR will enter its formula-type car this year in two annual Formula Society of Automotive Engineers (FSAE) competitions, a long process of brainstorming, design and building takes place, RFR President Umur Selek said. “After a few months into the school year, the actual production of the race car starts and then the students are introduced to the real engineering world,” he said. The team constructs a new car every year, but members first construct a 3D model in a computeraided design (CAD) software program, Selek said. Most design work is completed in the summer, but meticulous reviews of the vehicle’s systems continue throughout the year, said Paul Gettings, leader of controls and manufacturing. The process involves several subteams, including divisions that focus on the drivetrain, engine, electronics, suspension and other attributes of the racecar, Selek said. New members work under the guidance of their chosen sub-teams’ leaders to become familiar with the inner-workings of that specific system, Gettings said. But to complete the car, University students must also machine parts, weld, lay carbon fiber and fiberglass, make molds and write code, said David Gumpert, the electronics team leader for the 2011 season. He said the team must be precise in its work because of FSAE regulations. “Our designs have to adhere to a very strict set of rules — 130 pages — that limit things like engine displacement [to] 600 cubic centimeters, place restrictions in the intake [to] 20 millimeters or roughly three-quarters of an inch, and set safety standards for the driver,” Gumpert said. “The events are highly structured.” RFR will compete against universities from across the globe in Michigan in May and in California in June, Selek said. Cars are judged in a variety of categories, including cover cost and manufacturing, presentation, design, acceleration and fuel economy, among others, Gumpert said. RFR receives most of its funding from the Rutgers School of Engineering student fees and private sponsors, but the money is not a large
JOSEPHINE BATHAN
Students are required to pay $7 when requesting transcripts online or picking them up in the Administrative Services Building on Busch campus. University Registrar Kenneth Iuso said the policy would not deter all students from requesting a transcript.
Students oppose charges for transcripts BY ANKITA PANDA METRO EDITOR
Following a series of Gov. Chris Christie’s budget cuts, University of ficials last November placed a $7 fee on students requesting transcripts. Now, students and organizations like the Rutgers University Student Assembly (RUSA) are speaking out against the policy. The policy requires that students request transcripts, either online or in person, to the University Office of the Registrar on Busch campus and pay $7, University Registrar Kenneth Iuso said. “Because of the many budget cuts the University has had, there’s a need to find
some income stream, so we could replace some of the budget cuts that were made in the offices,” he said. Transcript fees are not uncommon and many other New Jersey state universities charge students more than $10, Iuso said. “We checked with the other schools, most of them were $10 or more, so we thought that a fair amount might be $7 — less than the $10 or $12 most schools are charging,” he said. Iuso, who said he could not give his personal opinion on the issue, realizes the transcript fee means students will request fewer transcripts but said the policy would not deter all students from requesting. “If you’re applying to a graduate school, you need a transcript. If you are applying for
a job, some companies require a transcript,” he said. “It’s not discouraging students from asking for a transcript, [but] it may be discouraging them from asking for many copies of a transcript.” Since the policy enactment, students are forced to become more efficient and waste less paper, Iuso said. “We used to get requests for 100 copies of an official transcript just in case that student needed to send that transcript to some place at a given time. We’re not seeing people order 100 transcripts,” he said. The ultimate decision to charge a transcript fee came down to Courtney McAnuff,
SEE CHARGES ON PAGE 7
SAMOSA OVERLOAD
INDEX METRO City council will hold a public hearing where residents can ask questions about the one-acrelong Buccleuch sewage project.
OPINIONS McDonald’s is looking to hire 50,000 people in the span of one day.
UNIVERSITY . . . . . . . 3 METRO . . . . . . . . . . 9 WORLD . . . . . . . . . 10 PENDULUM . . . . . . 12 OPINIONS . . . . . . . 14 NICK BRASOWSKI / SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Participants scarf down mouthfuls at last night’s samosa eating contest in the Livingston Student Center. The event featured prizes throughout the contest as well as free food provided by Chand Palace.
SEE TEAM ON PAGE 4
Students with 75 or more degree credits can register for classes from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.
DIVERSIONS . . . . . . 16 CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . 18 SPORTS . . . . . . BACK
ONLINE @
DAILYTARGUM.COM