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T H E D A I LY T A RG U M 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
FRIDAY MARCH 30, 2012
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Today: Partly Cloudy
RIDING THE HOT BAT
High: 58 • Low: 41
The Rutgers baseball team resumes Big East play today, when it travels to Georgetown on the heels of senior third baseman Pat Kivlehan’s momentum at the plate.
LGBTQ community opens Gaypril with drag show BY LISA BERKMAN CORRESPONDENT
Students gathered in support to kick off the start of Gaypril, a month devoted to the celebration of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning community with a drag show. Two drag queens performed to an audience of eighty students yesterday as members of the Queer Student Alliance and the Center for Social Justice Education and LGBT Communities hosted tables with information about their groups and the month-long celebration. This year’s Gaypril focus is expanding from gender variance to include transgender and transsexual students, said Rebecca Pero, QSA secretary. “There isn’t necessarily enough of a need
for those type of programs, but we felt this year it really suited our body to have more programs in that area,” said Pero, a School of Arts and Sciences junior. Though June is Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month, the annual celebration was moved to April, so students could enjoy the festivities, she said. Kyle Hartmann, Center for Social Justice Education office manager, said the ceremony reflects the importance of having the LGBTQ community at the University. “It’s good for the University to show that there’s a bunch of events going on throughout the month and that we do have a large student presence of LGBTQ identified students,” said Hartmann, a School of Arts and Sciences junior.
SEE SHOW ON PAGE 3 KEITH FREEMAN / SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Campus Dean of Students Tim Grimm speaks about the role of the University’s April 2012 task force yesterday during a Rutgers University Student Assembly meeting.
RUSA addresses security on campus, Rutgersfest concerns BY ADAM UZIALKO CORRESPONDENT
NELSON MORALES / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Lady Marisa, Miss Den 2012, performs for a crowd of 80 during the opening ceremony of Gaypril last night at Trayes Hall in the Douglass Campus Center.
Female alumni reflect on career accomplishments
All outdoor on-campus events scheduled for Friday, April 20 are canceled because of concerns that students may emulate Rutgersfest through parties and makeshift festivals. Campus Dean of Students Tim Grimm said at the Rutgers University Student Assembly meeting yesterday that a University task force is taking preventative measures against Rutgersfest replacements, such as “Ragefest.” “After last year’s Rutgersfest there’s been great concern, especially since students intended to hold it anyway,” Grimm said at the Student Activities Center River Lounge on the College Avenue campus. Grimm said he realizes much of the problems the University faced last year — particularly the multiple shootings that occurred on
the College Avenue campus — were not because of University students. “We understand that most of the problems weren’t related to Rutgersfest,” he said. “It was mostly high school students who heard Rutgers was party city on that day.” Grimm said the task force wants to keep students safe, not restrict them. “Our concern is not with the students and how they celebrate,” Grimm said. “Our intent is not to control off-campus students. Our intent is to stop the kinds of behavior that cause the most significant problems.” Everyone wants to do whatever is possible to create a safe campus but it is a little superstitious to preemptively cancel all events to prevent crime, said RUSA vice president John Connelly. “They made the month of April a taboo,”
SEE RUSA ON PAGE 3
SHAKE THAT
BY AMY ROWE FEATURES EDITOR
In celebration of Women’s History Month, three female University alumni have shared the stories of their careers and maintain that they had to follow their passions and have confidence to get where they are. R U TH A N N B U R N S Ruth Ann Burns, a Douglass College alumna, was the youngest female correspondent to report on the Vietnam War in 1966 in between her junior and senior year. “I was a journalism major, and that was the biggest story of the day, and I wanted to get over there to cover the war,” Burns said. “I looked much younger than I was at the time, and no dependents were allowed in the country, but I got [press con-
SEE ALUMNI ON PAGE 2
ENRICO CABREDO / ASSOCIATE PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Hip-hop performer Big Sean performs for hundreds of students yesterday at the College Avenue Gym. Rutgers University Programming hosted the concert. For more photos, see PAGE 3.
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MARCH 30, 2012
ALUMNI: Women share professional experiences continued from front tacts].” The climate for women starting careers after college was in transition at this time, the peak of the feminist movement, Burns said. “Going to a women’s college, it gave you a sense of confidence that you could do anything or that you could be anything,” she said. “That was a shared value and feeling that a lot of Douglass women had at the time.” Burns, now 67, said her reporting in Vietnam came from a perspective different from the other reporters covering the war. “I was the age of the soldiers fighting the war, and I saw it from different eyes,” she said. “It was a life-changing experience because you go from a college classroom where you’re guarded, [and] then you go to a war zone where you face life and death on a daily basis.” After a few years in print journalism, the East Brunswick native went on to become a television producer at WNET in New York, she said, where she ended up as a senior vice president in charge of the metropolitan division. “That was a terrific experience, I stayed there for 18 years. I got to create the first website,” she said. “Even throughout those years, there were women in positions, but there weren’t a lot of women in positions of power.” Burns said today, there still are not many women in leadership roles in television, government or corporate America. What motivated Burns was the idea that she could achieve anything. “I had some mentors in public television who were male and who were minority male,” she said. “They were very, very supportive and pushed me along, even when I didn’t think I was ready for it.” Burns went on to work as the vice president of Marketing and External Affairs at Georgian Court University, and now has her own consulting firm for marketing communications and government relations, she said. TA MA R A R E ME D I O S Tamara Remedios, a first-generation Indian-American who studied marketing at Rutgers College in the 1990s, began a career for herself by publishing “Get Out Today” on the New Brunswick campus, a guide that provided students information from places to eat to the best hair salons. The information she published included answers to questions she received often as a resident assistant on the College Avenue campus. The magazine was the first she published through her self-started firm, Xplore Communications. Remedios, from Old Bridge, N.J., is in the minority of entrepreneurs as a female who started her business when she was 23 years old. She said the number of female entrepreneurs is growing. “I think as a whole, there are more men [entrepreneurs]. I work with independent restaurants and cities … 90 percent of my clients are men,” she said via email correspondence. “But I … interact with more female entrepreneurs now than when I started my business in 1999.” To become an entrepreneur,
Remedios suggested students follow their passions and be fearless. “When I started my business, I think I had less fear than I do now, and I just tried it,” she said via email. “I strongly believe when someone has passion for what they do and truly love it, it works out in some form or fashion.” Now 36 years old and living in Newark, Remedios works for herself and enjoys the freedom of entrepreneurship, where she works from home and can take off time for vacations every year, she said. Remedios said it was hard to convince her parents, who were born and raised in India, of entrepreneurship. “Their thought process was: Get good grades, get a degree, get a good job for life,” she said. “Those aren’t the times anymore. Seeing my parents embrace my projects over the last 13 years makes me smile — though they still wonder when I’m going to get a ‘real job.’” J EN NI FE R S NE ED Jennifer Sneed, a 2003 University alumna, encountered a diverse student body that enhanced her undergraduate experience at the start of the 21st century. “I really cannot imagine having gotten my education from anywhere else. Rutgers was the perfect fit for me,” said the 30year-old Toms River, N.J. native, via email correspondence. “There were many women enrolled and many of whom had different ethnic backgrounds.” The University’s climate during Sneed’s undergraduate career helped her launch her career in government, which she began while interning for Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., she said. After graduation, she was hired to open Lautenberg’s South Jersey office in Camden, she said. Now, living in Newark and working as the director of constituent ser vices and South Jersey projects for Lautenberg’s office, Sneed handles inquiries including those that regard social security, student loans, veteran affairs and immigration. She also meets with constituents on behalf of Lautenberg and helps prepare materials while briefing the senator. “I am proud to stand up for others and try to assist them in resolving a problem or celebrating an accomplishment,” she said via email. “I really enjoy what I do. It is tremendously rewarding to play a role in making a positive difference in the lives of others.” Sneed recognizes that government is predominantly maledriven, but said women are continuing to make their way into the field. “In my particular office, the representation of females to males is pretty equal, which is very positive,” she said via email. “I am extremely proud that Sen. Lautenberg has been a big advocate for women throughout his career.” For female students looking for careers in government or a position in office, Sneed said confidence is an important asset. “Women need to speak up and fight for what they stand for,” she said via email. “Instilling encouragement to do anything that one puts their mind to at an early age … is key to … more women in the future running for and getting elected to public office.”
U NIVERSITY
T H E DA I LY TA R G U M
WILLY MELLOT
Eric LeGrand, a School of Arts and Sciences junior, left, and Dr. Wise Young, Legrand’s physical therapist and mentor, reflects on life difficulties with spinal cord injury on Wednesday at the Busch Campus Center.
LeGrand expresses hope in research BY ADAM UZIALKO CORRESPONDENT
Eric LeGrand took the stage Wednesday in front of an audience of 70 people at the Busch Campus Center to present his outlook for the future, reflecting the event’s theme of “Don’t Stop Believing.” Dr. Wise Young, his physical therapist and mentor, held the microphone for LeGrand as he recalled his injury during the Oct. 16, 2010 Scarlet Knights football game against Army’s Black Knights in the Meadowlands Stadium. “When I first got hurt, I was laying on that field, and I felt like I knocked the wind out of myself,” LeGrand said. “Coach [Greg] Schiano came running up to me and said ‘you just got to keep praying, you just got to fight.’” LeGrand said he saw his mother before he was taken off the field and assured her that he would be “all right.” After seeing his mother, LeGrand said he “blacked out” and was unable to remember anything that happened until the following Wednesday, four days after his injury. “The first year, you face things you’ve never faced in your whole life,” LeGrand said. Young, director of the Unversity’s W.M. Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience said he first met LeGrand about six weeks after his injury. Young said he told LeGrand that he was working on therapies for chronic spinal cord injuries and that he wanted LeGrand to feel that he was not alone.
“I want to make sure that Eric understands that we are here working for him,” Young said. “He’s my hero. He always was poised. He always had this confidence that he was able to do this.” LeGrand said he began therapy with a lot of stretching and soon progressed to therapies, such as what he called “the standing frame” where LeGrand would be able to stand with assistance from a mechanical frame. “I would get dizzy a lot and start feeling like I was going to pass out,” LeGrand said about his early attempts to stand. LeGrand said he was able to fight through the pain, using his supporters as inspiration for his continued therapy. “How can you give up?” LeGrand said. “I take it as a responsibility every day to get through therapy.” LeGrand said his efforts paid off when he released a picture of himself standing on July 13, 2011 along with a tweet that read: “Standing tall, we can’t fall. Standing upright again #bELieve52 #TeamUSA.” “The therapists can’t tell you what it is. I can’t tell you what it is. It’s just a blessing to me,” LeGrand said. As for the future, LeGrand said he plans to be a broadcaster for ESPN. “After I get my degree, I want to go into broadcasting,” LeGrand said. “I’m hoping to work with ESPN in the next two years.” Dr. Young said he applauds LeGrand’s efforts both physically and in the classroom. “Eric was taking classes again in January through Skype and doing his physical therapy at the
same time,” Young said. The event, sponsored by Student Society for Stem Cell Research, also featured musical performances by the student a cappella group Deep Treble, the University yo-yo club, and rapper ProfessirX, a victim of a spinal cord injury himself. ProfessirX, also known as Richard Thomas, became paralyzed after he was shot in the neck and now devotes his time to rapping about the need for a cure. The title of the first song he performed, “I Believe,” promoted the idea of not only using stem cell research for spinal cord injuries, but also other conditions that could benefit from stem cells. “Everybody has got to believe there’s a chance for me to get out of this chair,” Thomas said in the song. “And if it ain’t me, it’s the kids of the future.” LeGrand said with the help of some of his teammates, classes via Skype were just like being in attendance physically. “My teammates would put the laptop right up front so once I put my headphones on, it was just like being there,” LeGrand said. Since Young first arrived at the University 15 years ago, he has seen a rise in spinal cord injury research. LeGrand said he is confident in Young and his staff, claiming that a cure is on its way. “I know that this man right here will find a cure for all of us,” he said. “And then we’re going to party.” All proceeds from the event’s admission went to the Central Jersey Spinal Cord Injur y Association Inc., which is affiliated with LeGrand.
POLL REVEALS NEW JERSEYANS SUPPORT NYPD SURVEILLANCE OF MUSLIM STUDENT GROUPS A Rutgers-Eagleton poll released today shows most New Jersey residents support the New York City Police Department’s strategy of secretly monitoring Muslim groups, according to a Rutgers-Eagleton press release. Of those who were polled, 47 percent said the monitoring was necessary to protect the country. On the other hand, 32 percent said the strategy was a violation of civil rights, while 12 percent said it was both necessary and a violation of civil rights, according to the press release. While only 24 percent of those polled said the approach is “very effective” in protecting the country from terrorist threats, three-quarters of New Jerseyans claim it is “somewhat effective,” according to the press release. Just 18 percent said the monitoring produces little effect. David Redlawsk, director of the Rutgers-Eagleton poll, said the poll showed New Jersey residents hold a similar attitude to their New York counterparts con-
cerning the issue, according to the press release. “Another recent poll told us that New Yorkers strongly supported the NYPD,” said Redlawsk, a professor in the Department of Political Science, in the release. “But New Jerseyans also seem to have few problems with the NYPD’s actions, which is more surprising since we’re talking about an out-of-state police force operating in secret here.” The poll also showed differences in opinion between the state’s regions. Among urban residents, half said monitoring is at least somewhat effective — a sentiment shared by 80 percent of residents from the Jersey Shore counties, according to the release. “Not surprisingly, those closest to the surveillance operations are the most likely to be concerned for civil liberties violations,” he said in the release. The poll surveyed 601 adults throughout the state using landline and cellphones, according to the release.
U NIVERSITY
T H E DA I LY TA R G U M
MARCH 30, 2012
3
HANDS UP IN THE AIR
Big Sean, above, performs his hip-hop rountine for a crowd of students at a Rutgers University Programming Association concert last night in the College Avenue Gym. R&B singer Miguel, top right, opened the concert. PHOTOS BY ENRICO CABREDO / ASSOCIATE PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
SHOW: Monthlong events include a Queer Ball, campaign continued from front Alex Proulx, a Schools of Arts and Sciences senior, said these events help give students a sense of belonging. “Kids are coming from their hometowns, and they don’t realize what they have here,” Proulx said. “Not only are there people that are in the same boat as you, but there are a lot of them.” Hartmann said the scope and influence of Gaypril is to increase opportunities. “I feel like it is growing somewhat,” he said. The University, our office specifically, is offering new things that haven’t been happening in the past.” Attendees were given a Gaypril calendar with a list of events for the month. Plans include discussions, movie nights, a Demarest Hall drag show and a Queer Ball. Events are being introduced to the campus, like the greek “Being Queer” celebration and the national NOH8 (No Hate) Campaign. Paul DeStefano, a member of the campaign, said a photographic protest against inequality will be staged on April 4 to raise awareness. The protest features subjects with duct tape over their mouths, to symbolize the LGBTQ members that are silenced by bias. “Any time you have the opportunity to bring the attention of issues related to equality and social justice to a campus community, it’s beneficial,” DeStefano said. “It opens a dialogue among the students and everybody affiliated with the University about the issues going on.”
Sarah Stern, a School of Arts and Sciences first-year student, said Gaypril can help promote the gay rights movement. “Rutgers is so diverse — not just in skin tone, but in sexual orientation, as well,” Stern said. “A lot of people don’t understand what LGBTQ is all about, so the more awareness, the more we educated other, the more people will accept it.” Pero said the opening event had no political agenda and was just an opportunity to bring the LGBTQ community closer together. “A lot of the times with recent events, we focus so much on
inequalities and injustices and everything else,” Pero said. “But this is really a nice way to come together and celebrate together who we are as individuals [and] as a community and just show that off.” But Gaypril is not only for the LGBTQ community. Pero said ally participation has increased over the years, and she hopes more people will join in. “I think it’s a really great opportunity to experience something different and be a part of a community that they may have not have thought of joining beforehand,” Pero said.
NELSON MORALES / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Alexis Milian, Miss Den 2012, performs her drag routine during the Gaypril opening ceremony yesterday at the Douglass Campus Center.
RUSA: U. parking lot signs to be redone for fall semester continued from front Connelly, a School of Arts and Sciences junior. Connelly said he wished the task force consulted with the student body and had gotten more student feedback before coming up with this decision. Grimm said the task force has collaborated with local law enforcement and landlords in order to ensure that those significant problems are prevented. Grimm said students should keep parties in control, emphasizing that it would help the goals of the task force greatly. “If you’re having a house party, please keep it confined to you and your friends,” he said. “I don’t think any of us want people coming here to trash our campus, fire off guns and possibly hurt someone and cause damage that ultimately you have to pay for,” Grimm said. Connelly said he thinks people will still have house parties but a solution suggested during the meeting was having the University host a non-alcoholic campus event for students. Grimm said no outdoor events can be held April 20 because it is one of the dates identified as most likely for widespread parties. “General rules apply,” Grimm said, referring to students may throw parties off campus. “We are working to have extra police throughout the evening and day to ensure things don’t get out of control.” Grimm said the task force does not intend to punish University students for the actions of others after
the final Rutgersfest. “I’m looking for safety of students on a day that’s been getting worse and worse and last year, hit a tipping point,” he said. “I can’t turn Rutgers into a police state, nor do I want to.” Acting Lt. Michael Rein said safety is the main goal for the Rutgers University Police Department. “The University police department is community oriented, and there is no community without you,” Rein said. “The University police exist to support the University.” General campus parking was another issue brought to attention at the meeting. Jack Molenaar, director of the Department of Transportation Services, said the department is not looking to penalize students who may get tickets — rather it is done to open up parking spaces. “Enforcement is done to make sure people follow all of these policies,” he said. “If you don’t make it hurt a little bit, people start to calculate how many times they can do it before they get hurt.” Molenaar said the enforcement system is not money-driven, though the money collected from parking violations stays within the transportation department. “If we wanted to make money off of you, I’d put meters on every campus and then make you drive everywhere and charge whatever I wanted,” he said. “The rules and enforcement ensure that you have a spot.” Molenaar said the signs in parking lots around campus would be redone during the summer to reduce student confusion.
T H E D A I LY TA R G U M
OPINIONS
PA G E 4
MARCH 30, 2012
EDITORIALS
Week in review: laurels and darts Reporters recently discovered a link between the founder of the company responsible for the production the “pink slime” that has had everyone up in arms over the past few weeks and GOP candidate Mitt Romney. Apparently, Eldon Roth, the founder of Beef Products, is a major donor to the Republican frontrunner and his campaign. At a Sioux Falls fundraiser, Roth donated $190,000 to the Romney campaign. Clearly, this sort of publicity is not good for Romney’s campaign. The “pink slime” produced by Roth’s company has been denounced by public health advocates and has already been removed from many school districts as a result. Not surprisingly, Romney has failed to comment on the link. We dart Romney, along with Roth and his “pink slime” — Romney for failing to explain himself, and Roth for producing something that’s considered by many to be a health risk to those who consume it.
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University researches recently turned on what is considered by many to be one of the most powerful computers in the Northeast. “Exacaliber” — which now resides in the basement of the Busch campus’s Hill Center — is a $3.3 million IBM Blue Gene/P supercomputer that researchers hope to use to solve some of the most complicated data analysis facing the state’s pharmaceutical and financial industries today. The computer, we hear, contains the computational power of 8,000 desktop computers. We laurel IBM as well as the University’s Discover y Informatics Institute, who helped acquired the computational giant, for bringing top-of-the-line technology like this to the University.
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This is embarrassing. As if Paul DelVecchio — better known as DJ Pauly D from “Jersey Shore” — hasn’t made a big enough fool of himself already, the reality TV pop star is now looking to tackle the DJ world in a new MTV premiere called “The Pauly D Project.” The show will follow Pauly D’s around the world, chronicling him as a celebrity DJ. His setlist will include “Rihanna, Calvin Harris, Swedish House Mafia and anything by Nicki Minaj.” Big surprise there. We dart Pauly D for overstaying his welcome — or, more importantly, showing up at all — on the television screens of Americans around the country. Our message to Pauly D: Come on man, enough is enough.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I know that this man right here will find a cure for all of us. And then we’re going to party.” Eric LeGrand, former defensive tackle for the Scarlet Knights football team, on finding a cure for spinal cord injuries STORY IN UNIVERSITY
Mutilation a double standard culture, it is disgusting, but As a writer I try to stray male genital mutilation gets from response column — a pass because of Genesis normally it feels like selling 17:10-14 and Leviticus 12:3? out to journalism, that If your first defense is to rather than come up with a claim that our government point on my own doing, I maintains a separation of would take someone else’s church and state, consider argument and counter it. CODY GORMAN some other archaic, silly The column in question laws in Leviticus — not letcame from an issue of The Daily Targum last week — not the Tuesday column, ting cattle graze with other kinds of cattle (19:19), as rebutting that would be the intellectual equal of not wearing clothes of mixed fabrics (19:19), not my 6-foot-4 self playing basketball with toddlers — having sex with a menstruating woman on penalty of too easy #dunkcity — on Friday, March 23, social isolation (20:18), the death of any person who “Denounce Genital Mutilation.” My problem lies not curses their parents (20:9), the banning from altars with the theme of the column. I, like most people of of people who are “blind or lame,” or people with flat sound minds, find the genital mutilation of baby noses (21:17-18), the banning of shaving or cutting girls — particularly in Africa and Southeast Asia — certain parts of someone’s hair (19:27). The list of despicable and disgusting. My problem is that the barbaric or inane laws we ignore that are found in the Old Testament can go on for pages and pages, argument doesn’t go far enough. The removal of certain portions of a baby girl’s but I have a 1200-word limit and an even smaller genitals — especially in Africa, where it is rarely, if amount of patience. Yet the practice of genitally ever, done cleanly — is a heartbreaking, disgusting mutilating babies — the most defenseless subjects practice that is practiced quite commonly. However, one can imagine — is not only constitutionally proI found issue with the relative ease that the author tected, but culturally accepted? When was the last shrugged off male genital mutilation, a practice we time we threw a party for someone who had killed commonly call circumcision. Why the author chose their wife for not being a virgin on their wedding to be so selectively outraged is beyond my under- night (Deuteronomy 22:20-21)? Dale and Shannon standing. The fact that the genital mutilation of Hickman in Oregon are currently facing secondfemales was enough to warrant commentary but the degree manslaughter charges for following the concept of male circumcision gets an implicit nod is word of a holy book and attempting “faith healing” rather than taking their baby to a hospital. Are we as beyond me. The author points out that FGM has “no cultural, a people so morally bankrupt and insensibly lacking no traditional and no religious aspect.” The practice in self-awareness that we’ll hold the hangers-on to was started in Africa before the Common Era, or remnants of archaic code accountable for some “Before Christ,” and has spread through many coun- harm instilled from mindless adherence, but not tries in Africa. Baby girls are taken, have their geni- others? Let the record show that I am not attempting to tals mutilated, and are returned to their family. Considering that most of this is in impoverished, “one-up” the practice of FGM, nor am I dismissing it sub-Saharan Africa — the author points out that it is as an undeniable, categorical evil in the world. countries such as Somalia where this is most wide- Simply put, I am fed up with double standards in our spread — we can assume that the procedure is not culture. I find it hard to believe that reasonable people, who can be so moved by a woman’s account of done in any manner of safety or cleanliness. With or without clean facilities and instruments, FGM in Africa, are dismissive of the act performed the horror of the practice is inherent in the name — on those girls’ brothers, fathers and cousins simply genital mutilation. What piqued my interest was the because a stipulation in a millennia-old book written implicit assent to male genital mutilation on the by mostly illiterate Bronze-Age nomads told them to. To paraphrase Nobel Prize-winning physicist basis of religious or cultural tradition. In the act of circumcision, a baby boy’s foreskin Steven Weinberg, regardless of religion, good peois removed from his genitals, in some cases — par- ple will do good and evil people will do evil. But for ticularly in Orthodox Jewish communities, where an entire culture, for literally millions of people to one mohel spreads herpes to babies through the shrug off the genital mutilation of some children “tradition” or removing the foreskin with the mouth while taking an affront to others, for good people to — in unsanitar y conditions. A report by the do an ultimate evil — deny a problem with the geniAmerican Academy of Pediatrics in 1999 also report- tal mutilation of babies — that takes religion. ed that the babies do feel a significant amount of physical pain and psychological stress during the Cody Gorman is a School of Arts and Sciences senprocedure, yet the practice continues. Where is the ior majoring in political science and Middle Eastern outrage? Since the horrible practice of female geni- studies with a minor in history. tal mutilation is practiced with no link to religion or
The Tuning Fork
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.
T H E D A I LY TA R G U M
SPORTS
PA G E 5
MARCH 30, 2012
Knights take on Hoyas in home opener BY JOEY GREGORY ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR
KEITH FREEMAN / SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Senior third baseman Pat Kivlehan leads the lineup in several offensive categories in his first year with the Knights. Kivlehan played in the football team’s secondary for four years before suiting up for head coach Fred Hill this season.
Former safety leads Rutgers offense BY JOSH BAKAN ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR
Pat Kivlehan is not completely sure how Rutgers head baseball coach Fred Hill feels about him. The senior third BASEBALL baseman thinks Hill might be grateRUTGERS AT ful to get him in a GEORGETOWN, baseball uniform. TODAY, 3 P.M. But considering Kivlehan’s production, Hill might be frustrated Kivlehan did not choose baseball in the first place. “We haven’t really talked about it,” Kivlehan said before pausing, “yet.” Hill knows his football. He coached the
sport at Montclair State from 1976-1982. Hill also watched Kivlehan play defensive back for the Scarlet Knights for three years. In a month with his new team, Kivlehan leads the team in almost every batting statistic. But as another person with experience in football and baseball, Hill knows what it is like to not have both in his life. “Everything is so specialized now. From my standpoint, it’s a mistake,” Hill said. “This kid is enjoying this, I’m sure. Not to be able to play more than one sport for me is a mistake, but that’s the way the coaches operate nowadays.” Like Hill, Kivlehan is more likely to be remembered for his baseball accolades. The West Nyack, N.Y., native now hits cleanup, bats .429, has a .493 on-base per-
centage, slugs .656 and has hit three home runs and stolen nine bases. All at least tie for the team lead. After one month of baseball, Kivlehan has no regrets about switching teams. “I’m done with football,” he said. “If baseball works out, it works out.” Kivlehan had never heard the story of Wally Pipp. The former New York Yankees first baseman sat out of a game June 2, 1925. Lou Gehrig replaced Pipp off the bench. Gehrig went on to play 2,130 consecutive games in his Hall of Fame career. But Kivlehan may have never had the chance to be successful had it not been for senior third baseman Russ Hopkins.
SEE SAFETY ON PAGE 6
Friars present challenge despite record BY VINNIE MANCUSO CORRESPONDENT
Two games into the Rutgers men’s lacrosse team’s four-game Big East stretch, the Scarlet Knights have seen their first two chances at a conferMEN’S LACROSSE ence win slip through their finRUTGERS AT gers. PROVIDENCE, St. John’s comTOMORROW, 7 P.M. pleted a comeback two weeks ago to steal a win from the Knights in the last two seconds of the game. The Knights failed to finish a comeback of their own a week later against No. 6 Notre Dame, which got off to a five-goal lead in the first five minutes of the contest. Providence (1-6, 0-2), at the bottom of the conference, presents the Knights’ best chance tomorrow at notching their first Big East win of the year — on paper. But head coach Brian Brecht, who faced Providence while serving as head coach at Siena, knows what it says on paper does not guarantee a win. “I’m expecting Providence to be a much
better team than their record shows,” Brecht said. “I have played Providence the last two years in a row [at Siena]. I know they are well coached, and I know they have talented players. Their record is a bit misleading.” Records aside, the Providence matchup is pivotal for the Knights on the road to the Big East Championships at the conclusion of the season. With only four more Big East games left in their season, the Knights (4-5, 0-2) need to win three to qualify for the postseason. Brecht has instilled into the minds of his players how important the Providence matchup is, no matter what the Friars’ record is. “This game against Providence is huge,” said freshman midfielder Brian Goss. “Coach [Brecht] was telling us all week during practice that we absolutely need to win these conference games.” For Goss, the difference between their last two conference matchups and the upcoming one weekend has to be capitalizing on missed opportunities. When a team is 0-2 in the Big East because of two games decided by three goals or less, those opportunities are key, he said.
“Our biggest problem is execution. We don’t execute well enough when we need to,” Goss said. “Just looking back on these last two games, we are not taking advantage of all the opportunities we are given.” But the Knights have more than enough victories and experience under their belts to have confidence going into the matchup against last-place Providence. Rutgers began its schedule against No. 2 Duke and owns one-goal victories against both Marist and Army. In both of their losses in the Big East, the Knights had their opponents on their heels. The problem for the Knights is all of the victories came out of conference, and all of the valuable experiences within it. To complete his goal of making it to the Big East Championships in his first year on the Banks, Brecht knows the wins have to start coming, beginning at Providence. “I think if we go into it prepared the same way we have been prepared against teams like Duke, … Notre Dame and St. John’s, then I think we have a great opportunity for 60 minutes to see who the better team is going to be on a Saturday night,” Brecht said.
After 28 games on the road, the Rutgers softball team finally has a chance to display its growth in front of a home crowd. Even better for SOFTBALL the Scarlet Knights, they GEORGETOWN AT enter a three-game RUTGERS, series against TOMORROW, NOON Georgetown on the heels of a twogame sweep of Seton Hall. “We’re really excited. It’s nice to get home after being on the road all of this time,” said head coach Jay Nelson. “[The players] can sleep in their own beds. I think it’s a good switch for them.” Not only do the Knights have their first opportunity to play at home, but it is also a chance to confirm the success of Nelson’s scheduling strategy. He purposely schedules tough teams and pitchers so when conference play rolls around, the team is already used to a higher level of competition, he said. The last three games are proof the plan is paying off. In the final game against No. 16 South Florida, Rutgers (13-15, 2-3) battled the second-ranked Big East team in a 1-0 Knights loss that encouraged Nelson. The only problem with the Seton Hall series is the Knights did not give anything to work on in preparation for this weekend. “We didn’t really show any weaknesses [against Seton Hall],” Nelson said. “We’ll just take some live [batting practice] on the field and do some ground ball and fly ball work.” Since Rutgers looked on point in South Orange, N.J., Nelson tried to keep the team ready, rather than work on specifics. “We [did not] beat them up too much because we just played a double header,” he said. “We’re just going to stay sharp. By this time of the year … they should know what they’re doing.” Nelson is not the only one excited about the return home. The players are especially looking forward to having the crowd on their side — something they have not experienced in any of the 28 games this season. “Being at home, you have your home fans. When we were away, the teams had their fans,” said freshman outfielder Chandler Howard. “I’m excited to be able to perform and show people what we do best in front of the people that care about us.” Howard is one four rookies set to make their home debuts. Ashley Alden, Jackie Bates and Alyssa Landrith also play in their first game at Rutgers. “[We’re] extremely excited, especially the freshmen — this being our first real inseason home game,” Howard said. Based on records, the Hoyas (14-17) should not present any tougher of a challenge than Seton Hall did. In addition, thanks to a postponed series against Notre Dame, Georgetown has not played a Big East team and is not scheduled to face a ranked team until April 6 against DePaul. But that does not mean Rutgers is going to let up off the gas pedal. The team plans to keep its play consistent. “We know we have to come after it against Georgetown and just think about those wins [against Seton Hall],” Howard said. “We know what we need to do and we’re just going to keep doing it.”
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T H E DA I LY TA R G U M
MARCH 30, 2012
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SPRING PRACTICE NOTEBOOK
K NIGHTS BY JOSH BAKAN ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR
During last year’s spring practices, Rutgers football safety Duron Harmon was only a first-time starter in a secondary of uncertainty. But a lot changed in a year when the Scarlet Knights defense allowed only 18.3 points per game — eighth in the nation. Harmon started all 12 games as a strong safety last year, and now the senior is motivated for another year of change, when he moves to free safety. “I wouldn’t really say I solidified my role because at any time I can lose to anybody if I don’t play to my potential,” Harmon said. Harmon broke out for a team-leading five interceptions in his junior season, and the move to free safety should allow the Caesar Rodney High School (Del.) product to continue to capitalize on picks. But Harmon plays in a secondary with others who can do the same. Among them is junior cornerback Logan Ryan, who picked off three passes last season. Ryan played alongside thenjunior Brandon Jones, who ultimately solidified the other starting cornerback spot. Mason
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Robinson, now in his sixth season, missed most of 2011 because of knee surgery, and Ryan is happy to have him back. “Mason Robinson is probably one of the best leaders I’ve ever been around,” Ryan said. Harmon was one of the breakout players in last year’s secondary, and he said sophomore safety Lorenzo Waters could have similar impact. “He’s trying to be a big-time player,” Harmon said. “He’s very athletic, he’s fast, he’ll hit you, he plays the ball well, his range is outstanding. With him, it was just getting comfortable with the defensive scheme.”
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Flood was impressed yesterday with what he saw out of senior offensive tackle R.J. Dill. “He moves like a guy who started over 30 games at the Division I level,” Flood said. “He looks like a good player.” Dill started 33 games at Mar yland. While Flood expressed confidence in the Mechanicsburg, Pa., native, he is still part of the offensive line competition. Flood wants to narrow the depth on the offensive line to five to seven “solid” players. “They have to show me that they are those guys, and they have to perform consistently,”
BOASTS DEPTH
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Flood said. “I would love to have five. I’ve seen it work with seven. When you get beyond seven, you generally do that because you’re having issues.” Flood signed four offensive line commits in 2012, but the veterans have a chance to prove themselves in spring practice. There are at least two wideopen positions at the moment. “We have to find a center who is going to be our center going forward,” Flood said. “We have a competition at right tackle. We’re trying to put the pieces in the right place.”
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in four years, the Knights have a blank slate at kicker. San San Te kicked for four years, and the need for a new starting kicker opens the competition right away. Te made 20-of-31 field goals last season. He missed at least two field goals in three games. Flood has attempted to avoid future inconsistency in tense situations by trying to replicating them in practice. “What I’m trying to do … without having that one true starter is put them under pressure situations as much as you can do that in spring,” Flood said. “It’s hard to do that without an opposing crowd or a home crowd.”
KEITH FREEMAN / SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Senior Duron Harmon moves to free safety after a breakout year at strong safety when he recorded five interceptions.
Freshmen take notes in sprints
SAFETY: Third baseman’s injury opens up chance to start continued from back After former Knights Michael Lang and D.J. Anderson graduated, Hopkins was one of the few certainties entering this year’s Rutgers lineup. Hopkins injured his knee, and that left the Knights (12-10, 2-1) without their starting third baseman. Now the spot is Kivlehan’s, and that might lead him to a professional career. “He can run, and he’s got some pop in his bat,” Hill said. “He might have a chance [at the pros] at the end of the year, especially if he keeps hitting them out of the park.” Hill knew the quickness and instincts required for the Knights secondary would translate to the diamond. But one skill is curious Hill. “I’m a little bit surprised by his power at this stage,” he said. Kivlehan hit his first home run March 21 against Rider. He hit two more in one week. But resuming this weekend against Georgetown (11-14, 0-3), Kivlehan will never be satisfied. “You never get used to hitting home runs,” he said. “You can always hit one more.” Kivlehan has until the end of next year to establish himself professionally. For every home run, multi-hit game and diving catch that keep appearing more often, Kivlehan helps his case. But he is not worried about it. He succeeded so quickly even he is uncertain about the future. Perhaps it comes from working as a number in a roster close to 100 on the gridiron, but Kivlehan does not let the hype get to his head. “I understand it’s a long season,” he said. “There are going to be hot streaks and cold streaks. Now I’m hot, maybe someone else will be hot.”
BY BEN CAIN STAFF WRITER
NOAH WHITTENBURG / PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Sophomore midfielder Lauren Sbrilli scored the game-winning goal last Saturday at Fairfield, where the Rutgers offense stalled early on before earning a double-overtime victory.
RU strives for quicker start BY BRADLY DERECHAILO CORRESPONDENT
The Rutgers women’s lacrosse team takes the RU Turf Field today with four straight wins and a Big East Honor Roll selecWOMEN’S LACROSSE tion at its disNOTRE DAME AT posal. RUTGERS, That TODAY, 4 P.M. s t i l l might not be enough for the Scarlet Knights to win their Big East opener, as the they host Notre Dame at 4 p.m. in the Fighting Irish’s first-ever visit to Piscataway. Notre Dame (7-0) enters the matchup with one Big East victory already under its belt from
when the team beat Louisville last Saturday, 13-11. In that contest, attack Maggie Tamasitis led the Irish with a two-goal, fourassist performance. For her performance, Tamasitis earned Big East Honor Roll recognition — the second time she earned such honors. But Rutgers (5-3) has a player of its own that made the league honor roll in junior Stephanie Anderson, who led the Knights with four goals in their overtime victory last Saturday at Fairfield. Anderson picked the right time to hit her stride with Notre Dame serving as Rutgers’ conference home-opening opponent. The No. 6 Irish average more than 15 goals a game. And compared with the Knights’ eight goals per contest, it will be up to
Anderson and the rest of the attack to jump-start the offense. But their match against the Stags showed the Knights are capable of succeeding with their young roster. While Anderson led the team in goals, it was sophomore Lauren Sbrilli who found the back of the net in the second overtime to secure Rutgers’ fourth straight victory. “We do have some youth and some inexperience on the field,” Brand-Sias said. “So with every game, they’re getting more and more experience and getting better.” With only 16 spots available in the NCAA Tournament, each Big East game is important for the position Rutgers wants to end up in at the end of the regular season.
Freshmen Kadeem Douse, D’Andre Jordan and Kevin Condal know they have their work cut out for them. Their senMEN’S TRACK ior counterpar ts on the Rutgers men’s track and field team constantly remind them about the rich tradition of Scarlet Knights sprinting and the expectations. Sprinters coach Lou Tomlinson — a sprinter himself for the Knights from 1980-1984 — reminds them as he shouts out split times and instructions to them every practice. They know that when decorated seniors Kevin Brown, Steve Werner and Aaron Younger graduate this spring, it will be up to them to carry on the tradition of sprinting success at Rutgers. “We came in highly recruited, all three of us,” Condal said. “We had a lot of colleges after us. … We have a lot of potential with our sprints, and that’s why they brought all of us here, because Rutgers has a tradition of being a good sprint school.” All three freshmen qualified for the Big East Championships in February but had disappointing results. Jordan and Condal failed to make it out of the preliminary heats in their respective events, and Douse had to sit out with a hamstring injury. But the group is fortunate to have the guidance of the veterans, who have been more than willing to get the freshmen settled.