MARNA’S PALS U. alumnus David Pal starts a scholarship fund for students affected by cancer after losing his mother to the disease as a first-year student. UNIVERSITY, PAGE 3
SWIMMING UPSTREAM Columnist Joe Amditis remembers Rachel Corrie, a student who died protesting. / OPINIONS, PAGE 10
SEPTEMBER TECH BUZZ
Smartphone companies have been busy unveiling all sorts of shiny new devices with impressive specs. INSIDE BEAT
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Symposium attracts top stem cell researchers BY LISA BERKMAN CORRESPONDENT
BRIDGEWATER — Scientists from all over the country gathered for the sixth annual New Jersey Stem Cell Research Symposium on Wednesday at the Bridgewater Marriott hotel. Researchers presented discoveries to an audience of about 250 people, with the University contributing 42 displays on findings in fields ranging from leukemia to addiction. The symposium was designed to help different personnel in the field meet to boost productivity, said Kathryn Drzewiecki, a University graduate student in biomedical engineering. “It’s good to have research and industry together to help each other,” said Drzewiecki, who studied devices meant to culture stem cells. “We can tell them what they need and they can get those products to be developed.” The University’s Center for Stem Cell Research co-sponsored the symposium. Ron Hart, professor of cell biology and neuroscience at the University, said the University is on the forefront of stem cell research and has the largest collection of human blood cells in the world. Half a million samples are stored in the Cell and DNA Repository and are now being used to generate stem cells for research, he said. “We turn them into neurons and begin to study mechanisms of disorders,” Hart said. SEE
Marios Athanasiou, a member of the Rutgers Student Voter Coalition, outlines upcoming efforts for the group to register students to vote in the Rutgers Student Center on the College Avenue campus. LIANNE NG, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Coalition aims to up voter turnout BY BRIANNA PROVENZANO STAFF WRITER
The Rutgers Student Voter Coalition will participate in a grassroots effort to get students to register to vote over the coming weeks. Leading up to Election Day on Nov. 6, the coalition, which is part of a statewide campaign run by New Jersey United Students, will join together with dozens of other organizations at the University to promote awareness about registering. Marios Athanasiou, a member of RSVC, said organizations participating in the coalition include the Women’s Center Coalition, Rutgers University Student Assembly, 90.3 The Core, Rutgers Student Union, and New Jersey Public Interest Research Group among others.
RESEARCHERS ON PAGE 4
“It’s a completely non-par tisan ef for t, not pushing for either par ty but just attempting to get students registered and involved in their democratic process,” said Athanasiou, a School of Ar ts and Sciences sophomore. Athanasiou said in addition to tabling, the coalition has planned many other efforts to encourage student voter registration for the coming weeks. “We have tabling, we’re also working with the campus centers to do mass registrations and scheduling those events,” he said. “We are also doing dorm registrations, so after floor meetings, taking students who want to register to vote and aiding them in that process.” In addition to tabling, Athanasiou said the coalition would also participate in class wraps
and organizational wraps, which involve passing out registration forms to entire classes and organizations, respectively. One of the coalition’s largest efforts will take place on Sept. 25, which is National Voter Registration Day, he said. Members will participate in tabling efforts on all five campuses for the better part of the day in an effort to spread awareness. He said he was particularly invested in the project because of the low voter turnout among college-aged students. “Youth turnout is appalling. It’s a very low percentage and it’s a shame. I think that percentage is so low because we’ve been alienated. We’ve been told that our vote doesn’t matter,” Athanasiou said. SEE
TURNOUT ON PAGE 4
Students remember Sikh temple shooting victims BY HANNAH SCHROER STAFF WRITER
More than 60 people huddled together with candles in hand on the steps of Brower Commons last night for an interfaith vigil in memory of the seven Sikhs who died Aug. 5 after a shooting at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wis. The vigil was held to bring awareness and understanding about the hate crime that occurred, said Rashmeen Kaur, president of the Sikh Student Association at the University. Sikhism is a monotheistic religion based on prayer, earning an honest living and serving the community around its followers, said Gurpal Sran, public relations officer for the Sikh Student Association. With more than 20 million practicing Sikhs, it is the fifth-largest
organized religion in the world, he said. Kaur, a School of Environmental and Biological Sciences senior, was upset a crime against Sikhs could happen now, when many have learned to accept the differences of others. “Even though it wasn’t my mother or my uncle, it still affected us deep in our heart,” Kaur said. Sran said he was in Michigan on a cross-country road trip with his father when the shooting happened. “We were shocked. We were appalled. We didn’t think that something like that could happen in this country,” said Sran, a School of Arts and Sciences sophomore. Sran said they took a detour to visit Oak Creek the next day and attended a vigil at a sister temple. SEE
VICTIMS ON PAGE 5
About 60 students gathered on the steps of Brower Commons on the College Avenue campus to honor those who died during the Oak Creek, Wis., Sikh temple shooting. MARIELLE SUMERGIDO
VOLUME 144, ISSUE 13 • UNIVERSITY ... 3 • METRO ... 7 • ON THE WIRE ... 8 • OPINIONS ... 10 • DIVERSIONS ... 12 • CLASSIFIEDS ... 14 • SPOR TS ... BACK