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Campus groups encourage student voter registration
THURSDAY OCTOBER 20, 2011
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US trade adviser explains benefits of foreign exchange BY ALEKSI TZATZEV ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR
BY AMY ROWE ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR
Topics of African development and United States foreign trade took center stage yesterday during U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk’s visit to the University. President Barack Obama’s chief trade adviser and negotiator pointed to last week’s passage of bilateral trade agreements between the United States and South Korea, Colombia and Panama as opportunities for job creation and faster economic recovery. “It’s a reality now that 95 percent of consumers live outside of the United States,” Kirk said. “We’ve got to go compete for all of these new customers whether they are in China, India, Asia or Africa.” Congress passed the three free trade agreements Wednesday, countering a highly protectionist attitude taken by the government since 2007. Kirk said the agreements mostly leveled the playing field as the United States had lower tariffs for imports compared to Panama, Colombia and Korea.
With a state House of Representatives election approaching in November, some University students are taking the initiative to vote. About 500 students submitted voter registration forms on the New Brunswick campus by the Tuesday deadline, but this does not account for those who mailed their forms or registered at home, said Elizabeth Matto, director of the Youth Political Participation Program, which handles RU Voting. “We’re certainly hopeful that it’s more than 500. One of our jobs is to get as much information out there as possible to make it a little easier to get registered,” said Matto, an assistant research professor at the University’s Eagleton Institute of Politics. Harini Kidambi, student coordinator of RU Voting, NELSON MORALES / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER said the organization aims to educate students about why they should vote. Starting at the Involvement U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk discusses African development Fair, RU Voting tabled on each campus, providing stuand U.S. foreign trade yesterday on Douglass campus. dents with registration forms. Kidambi, a School of Arts and Sciences senior, said the lack of media attention for November’s election could explain a small voter registration turnout. “A lot of students don’t vote because they don’t Rutgers-Newark Chancellor Steven and the Division of Global Affairs, said know it’s going on — it’s not publicized as much as Diner announced yesterday that he will McCormick in his statement. federal elections,” she said. “It’s important for stube stepping down from his position at Under Diner, the campus constructdents to vote. We’re the millennial generation, the the end of the semester, and upon the ed its first residence hall in 16 years, most diverse and technologically advanced.” Board of Governors’ approval, will while Rutgers-Newark experienced a Matto said students have the power to influence return as a professor. growth in enrollment by about 2,000 stuAmerican democracy in the future. “It has been a great privilege for me dents, McCormick said. “The millennial generation is on track to be the to lead this extraordinary urban univer“Chancellor Diner has ser ved with largest generation in American histor y,” she said. “By sity,” he said in a statement. “I look for- dedication and distinction in his 2015, a third of the electorate will be millennial. For ward now to returning to my first love nearly 10 years as the head of the many reasons, if they were to make the most of their — teaching and research.” Newark campus, and the Rutgers political power, they really could exert a great deal of In two separate statements, neither community is stronger for his leaderinfluence.” Diner nor University President ship,” he said. But informing students about midterm elections is Richard L. McCormick stated a reason Diner said the campus continues hard, she said. for the resignation. to rank as No. 1 in the nation “It’s interesting because students want to know During his nine-and-half years as chan- for undergraduate student diversity, about the participants and know what they’re talking cellor, Rutgers-Newark established the and the faculty has also become School of Public Affairs and Administration more diverse.
SEE TRADE ON PAGE 4
HEAD OF RUTGERS-NEWARK TO RESIGN
SEE VOTER ON PAGE 4
“We are now using our students’ cultural diversity to provide a unique education for them in our ever more global world,” he said in the statement. McCormick will soon announce the selection of an interim chancellor for Rutgers-Newark, who will assume the position in the spring 2012 semester. He said he would not appoint a permanent chancellor of the 12,000-student campus and instead leave the job for the next University president. “Rutgers-Newark is now recognized nationally as a leading urban university,” Diner said. “Together we have made enormous progress and I am confident that we will continue to do so in the future.” — Kristine Rosette Enerio
RUSA addresses concerns at town hall forum BY ANASTASIA MILLICKER ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR
The Rutgers University Student Assembly turned the NJC Lounge of the Douglass Campus Center into a town hall forum last night to discuss combating the city’s garbage ordinance and additional gender-safe spaces. “RUSA is basically the voice of the student body here at New Brunswick,” said John Connelly, RUSA vice president. “With this, we wanted to find out what the pulse of the Rutgers student body is by speaking to Rutgers students and getting your feedback.” The town hall is about students’ concerns and to get things going for the future, said Christine Honey, RUSA University Affairs chair. “We exist to represent you and otherwise we are useless,” said Connelly, a School of Arts and Sciences junior. One student asked for updates on the trash moratorium, which if passed would fine any city resident that leaves out bulk trash between May 10 and June 10. The New Brunswick City Student Advisory Committee, which consists of RUSA representatives, students and city officials, recently met to discuss the
garbage moratorium. It has been an ongoing debate between off-campus students and the city for the past few months, said Honey, a School of Arts and Sciences junior. “There is a very long history of the city and the student body locking horns … [students] weren’t considered to the fullest extent,” Connelly said. The trash ordinance would prevent students from leaving their bulk trash out on the street during the move-out period, Honey said. Sanitation workers take up to one hour to move down a street to pick up the bulk trash. “Their whole message is that it does take up a lot of the workers’ time, and it’s not just targeting students,” she said. The current city requirement for bulk pick-up of trash is that the tenant should call the city sanitation department and request for a bulk pick-up of an item the night before trash collection, Honey said. “If we had to make consequences [for not abiding the bulk trash moratorium], we expressed that we don’t want them to do anything that would target students and make money off of us,” she said. The city wanted to raise the current
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INDEX METRO A pharmaceutical company spends an afternoon stuffing toys.
OPINIONS President Barack Obama is using taxpayer money to fund a bus trip through North Carolina and Virginia.
UNIVERSITY . . . . . . . 3 METRO . . . . . . . . . . 7 STATE . . . . . . . . . . . 9 OPINIONS . . . . . . . . 8 DIVERSIONS . . . . . . 10 CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . 12 JOVELLE ABBEY TAMAYO / SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
RUSA members John Connelly and Christine Honey listen to issues like the city’s garbage moratorium last night in the Douglass Campus Center.
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