LAURELS AND DARTS We dart the recent displays of anti-Semitism on campus
see opinions, page 6
tiffany haddish ”Girls Trip” star graces the stage at Rutgers with her comedic insight
FOOTBALL Rutgers makes trip to Bloomington to
see arts & entertainment, page 8
earn fourth Big Ten win of season
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Swimming coach resigns amid alleged mental, verbal abuse Griffin Whitmer Associate Sports Editor
Head swimming and diving coach Petra Martin has resigned amid allegations of psychological abuse, according to a report by NJ Advance Media. The departure of Martin occurred in the same timeframe as NJ Advance Media reported about its own investigation into the swimming program. In a statement to NJ Advance Media, Director of Athletics Pat Hobbs declined to address the allegations of abuse that were reported. “Earlier (Thursday), we both agreed that it was in the best interests of the program for Petra to step away,” Hobbs said. In its investigation, NJ Advance Media spoke to an anonymous swimmer, who “alleged that Martin created a culture of psychological abuse. Athletes were ‘guilted and scolded’ if they didn’t complete nutrition logs that served as ‘pressure to eat less and to diet.’” Martin is the second head coach of a varsity sport to be removed from their respective position this year. In May, The Daily Targum reported that head rowing coach Max Borghard and three of his assistants would be stepping down from their positions. Martin was in her third season at the helm of the program and was coming off of the team’s most successful season as a member of the Big Ten, as Rutgers recorded its highest finish at the conference championship meet since joining the league in 2014.
Amid allegations of verbal and mental abuse, Petra Martin, head coach of the Rutgers swimming and diving team, resigned yesterday. Former team members came forward to share their firsthand experiences. The Athletics Department has not addressed these allegations. DIMITRI RODRIGUEZ / PHOTO EDITOR A former swimmer, Barbra Brottman, spoke to NJ Advance Media of Martin’s treatment of the athletes. She said that swimmers were on the verge of blacking out due to drills that forced them to hold their breath under water as long as possible and that she “... lost the love of (the) sport within a month of having (Martin) as a coach.”
Brottman’s father also spoke to NJ Advance Media and said that Martin was “verbally and mentally” abusive and body shamed athletes on the team. The University issued the following statement to The Daily Targum: “Earlier this week, concerns were raised with respect to the women’s swimming program.
Over the last 48 hours, the Director of Athletics reviewed these concerns with both the team and the coach. (Yesterday), the coach and the Director of Athletics mutually agreed that it was in the best interest of the program for the coach to resign. Previous allegations related to the coach’s conduct were raised by two
members of the swim team, were referred to appropriate University personnel including President Barchi, and were investigated by the University. These investigations included interviews, independent observations of practices and analyses of the student athlete environment. These investigations did not reveal any violation of University policy. A separate review of the dismissal of a swim team member for repeated violations of the team rules was found to be appropriate. That investigation was related entirely to the swimmer’s behavior in and out of the pool and was completely unrelated to any other investigation.” The report by NJ Advance Media also included details on the dismissal of former swimmer Morgan Perrotti, a School of Arts and Sciences senior, who had her scholarship revoked. Perrotti’s father, Michael Perrotti, told NJ Advance Media that Martin used “‘Mike Rice tactics’ to verbally and mentally abuse athletes on the team.” Rice was the former head men’s basketball coach who was fired after a 30-minute video was released showing him “using a homophobic slur during practice, throwing basketballs at players and using physical force at point-blank range.” Hobbs told NJ Advance Media he met with the team on Wednesday night for more than two hours before meeting with Martin on Thursday. Martin was hired by former Director of Athletics Julie Hermann, who was fired in December of 2015. Head diving coach Fred Woodruff has been named interim head coach, according to the University statement.
Barchi reinforces U. policies concerning free speech despite recent controversy Christina Gaudino Correspondent
During last night’s full body meeting of the Rutgers University Student Assembly (RUSA), the Student Activities Center was packed with undergraduate, graduate students and administrators, as University President Robert L. Barchi held his first Town Hall meeting of the year. Some of the main focal points of the Town Hall included Barchi speaking for the first time publicly regarding an incident which took place in late October, concerning a swastika that was spray painted on the exterior wall of Stonier Hall on the College Avenue campus. He also addressed the University’s disruption policy, which has received backlash since its inception over the summer.
“I keep hearing about the ‘dampening effect’ the new disruption policy is having on demonstrations … there is no new disruption policy,” he said. He urged students to read the policy — which he said has been the same since 1976 — for themselves. “One thing we have done is to put in front of the new policy a statement that says we encourage free speech, we encourage demonstrations and nothing in this policy is going to change our position on that,” Barchi said, dismissing concerns about fewer demonstrations possibly as a result of the change in policy. Barchi is enforcing the policy the same way that he has for the past five years, he said, and considers today’s policy to be the same. “If you want to demonstrate, as long as you work with Felicia
(McGinty) and (Kenneth) Cop and everyone else, we will make it possible for you to do that,” he said. He also addressed three faculty members who have been in the media for issues concerning First Amendment rights and freedom of speech. “We are a public institution, and we are required to act as a government entity,” he said. Barchi said this entails providing First Amendment protection to anyone who wants to speak on the University, he said. This includes action as well as speech. He prefaced his next statement by saying that the audience might find it a little controversial, but that it is nonetheless true. “... If an individual walks on campus and sets up a soapbox in the middle of Voorhees Mall, and that
University President Robert L. Barchi spoke at a RUSA Town Hall for the first time this year, where he addressed the new disruption policy and recent events on campus. HENRY FOWLER individual is either far right, far left, talking about a white supremacy … and you don’t like what he’s saying, you have every right to get up in his face and yell as loud as you want your opposing view. That is your right. That is his right to say it, and it is your right to say it,” Barchi said.
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But he also said that if someone is invited to the University to speak, that person becomes a privileged individual under the law. Under these circumstances, students do not have the right to interrupt See controversy on Page 4