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TUESDAY FEBRUARY 1, 2012
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Today: A.M. Showers
WAIT IS OVER
High: 63 • Low: 35
Kyle Flood became the 29th head football coach of Rutgers yesterday, when Athletic Director Tim Pernetti announced his hire at a press conference at the Hale Center.
Obama challenges institutions to make college affordable BY LISA BERKMAN STAFF WRITER
JULIAN CHOKKATTU
Representatives from the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths share beliefs on differences of God in their respective religions last night at the Rutgers Student Center Multipurpose Room on the College Avenue campus.
Interfaith panel discusses idea of God BY AMY ROWE ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR
A Christian, a Jew and a Muslim came together last night to discuss their faith’s dif ferent concepts of God. The Muslim Student Association sponsored the first of five panel discussions, led by a representative of each faith, to promote understanding among University students, said Aisha Faruqi, head of MSA’s education outreach. “We’re presenting all the information about each religion to students,” said Faruqi, a School of Engineering
junior. “We’re making partnerships to form a nice bond at Rutgers. It’s not a debate — it’s a dialogue.” The panelists at the event, co-sponsored by Ratio Christi and Rutgers Hillel, each had 20 minutes to present their understanding of their faith’s concept of God. “We all believe some of the same things about God,” said David Wood, panelist and Society of Christian Philosophers member. “He’s perfectly good, perfect in knowledge and holy.” The idea of God living on earth through Jesus Christ is the biggest point of departure from other religion’s concepts of God, Wood said.
“According to the Bible and the Quran … God is the final judge,” he said. “[But Christianity says] Jesus is the one who decides who goes to heaven and who faces judgment.” Wood said Jesus spoke of things in the New Testament that God would say, so Christians believe Jesus is God because he would not bring someone back from the dead who claimed to be God but is not. “God would not resurrect a blasphemer … so we believe Jesus is God,” he said.
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President Barack Obama is turning to colleges and universities to create affordable college options through the “College Scorecard” and student aid reform. In his Jan. 24 State of the Union address, Obama put forward a financial plan that is projected to ease college tuition costs though lowering interest rates on student loans, creating incentives for institutions that “hold down” their tuition rates and improving college choice data through a nationwide “College Scorecard.” “When kids do graduate, the most daunting challenge can be the cost of college,” Obama said in the State of the Union address. “At a time when Americans owe more in tuition debt than credit card debt, this Congress needs to stop the interest rates on student loans from doubling in July.” Jean McDonald-Rash, University director of Financial Aid, said student involvement could help Obama’s plan gain momentum at the University. “It’s always a positive thing when students get involved in what is happening in their lives, especially when it concerns their debt,” McDonald-Rash said. “Them staying involved and voicing their opinion on these issues is very important and will help steer the discussion.” Ethan Winnegrad, a School of Arts and Sciences junior, said higher education should be an affordable option for all. “Tuition across the board in every school in America is too high,” Winnegrad said. “I don’t think it should ever cost $30,000 to go to school. I think higher education should be something all families should be able to afford.” McDonald-Rash said the idea of receiving government assistance can sound beneficial, but people will question the distribution of money. “The struggle is always if you’re putting the money here, then it’s not going somewhere else,” she said. “That’s going to be, I think, the biggest conversation they’ll have on Capitol Hill.” Increasing student aid alone will not provide enough assistance to students, Obama said. State budgets need to make higher education a top priority. “Let me put colleges and universities on notice,” Obama said. “If you can’t stop tuition from going up, the funding you get from taxpayers will go down.” Elliott Krause, a University graduate student, said he believes the University should change its distribution methods of money if it wants to adapt to the policy. “There has to be stability for people who are facilitating the wages, but they also can’t increase tuition every semester,” Krause said.
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INDEX METRO Firefighters from around the state compete in a cook-off to raise money for the Saint Barnabas Burn Foundation.
OPINIONS Rutgers new head football coach Kyle Flood was the best candidate to replace Greg Schiano.
UNIVERSITY . . . . . . . 3 STATE . . . . . . . . . . . 9 OPINIONS . . . . . . . . 10 DIVERSIONS . . . . . . 12 CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . 14 SPORTS . . . . . . BACK
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Building Block Award honors U. NRHH chapter BY ANASTASIA MILLICKER ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR
The Central Atlantic Af filiate of College and University Residence Halls recognized growing volunteer ef for ts on campus this past weekend when it awarded the Scarlet Knights Chapter of the National Residence Hall Honorar y the regional Building Block Award. The NRHH Building Block Award is given to a chapter in the Central Atlantic region — which includes universities in Delaware, New Jersey, Mar yland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Washington, D.C. — that has improved and developed the most in one year, said Megan Schuster, Scarlet Knights Chapter president. The award is a 30-page document that displays recognition development, social and leadership projects, community ser vice, communication and suppor t improvement on local, regional, and national levels, and overall growth, she said. Although there was no monetary prize, Schuster said the real reward was recognizing
all the effort that went into building the University’s chapter. The Scarlet Knights chapter was founded in spring 2009 by members of the Residence Hall Association, with 66 members and 11 honorar y members who are not undergraduate members but suppor t the chapter, said Schuster, a School of Ar ts and Sciences senior. “Our chapter has gone from having three executive board members and a few active general members to a full executive board with many active members,” she said. “We have put on programs that promote all four of our pillars [that] have been involved on regional and national levels, and continue to grow.” NRHH deals with four pillars: leadership, scholarship, ser vice and recognition, said Josh Epstein, vice president of Recognition. “I am so proud of … how much we have accomplished in three shor t years. Whether it be recognizing the dining hall
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President Barack Obama announced his plans last week to make education affordable during his State of the Union address.