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VOLUME 151, ISSUE 34 • UNIVERSITY ... 3 • OPINIONS ... 6 • INSIDE BEAT... 8• DIVERSIONS ... 9• SPORTS ... BACK
Faculty union tweets that strike preparations are now underway
Rutgers has adopted new minors policy
Student set to be 1st female, Asian RUSA president
Crypto trading causes more gambling problems
A tweet by Marian Thorpe, a graduate student in the Department of Anthropology and previous teaching assistant, stated that she was “ready to strike.” TWITTER
BRENDAN BRIGHTMANNEWS EDITOR
“Are we ready to strike? Heck yes,” read one of the recent tweets put out by the official twitter account of Rutgers’ American Association of University Professors and American Federation of Teachers (AAUP-AFT). The tweet seems to
be referring to the AAUP-AFT’s members strike authorization, which The Daily Targum reported on earlier this week.
The whole tweet, posted on Wednesday by Marian Thorpe, a graduate student in the Department of Anthropology, said, “Just wrapped up a strike planning meeting in Anthropology. Like many SEE PREPARATIONS ON PAGE 4
departments, we rely on non-tenured & grad labor. Barchi’s refusal to negotiate on grad & adjunct contracts is disgraceful.” Another tweet directly from the AAUP-AFT account that same day said, “We have been bargaining to bring this lofty plan down to earth and to make it real
Jhanvi Virani, a School of Arts and Sciences junior, said she was interested in running for president to make change for the Rutgers University Student Assembly. COURTESY OF JHANVI VIRANI
CATHERINE NGUYENNEWS EDITOR
Rutgers has recently adopted a Protection of Minors Policy, according to an email sent out by Antonio Calcado, executive vice president for Strategic Planning and Operations and chief operating officer at the University.
He said minors are regularly on campus as either prospective students, members of University-sponsored programs or camps, volunteers in laboratories or participants in other types of outreach and enrichment activities.
“Rutgers University welcomes minors on campus for a variety of reasons that range from child-care SEE POLICY ON PAGE 4
and behavioral health services to a host of other academic and athletic programs during the summer and the academic year,” he said.
In the policy are details of requirements of administrators, faculty, staf f, students, volunteers and others working with minors. These requirements are meant to ensure that these minors are protected and given optimal care, and that the University fulfills its obligations as mandated by law. Youth-serving activities that are University-owned or occur on campus also must comply with these policies.
Previous theories suggested that individuals gamble in activities such as card games for the adrenaline rush. No matter the outcome, these individuals continue to gamble. WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
RYAN HALSTATERCONTRIBUTING WRITER
A recent study from the Center for Gambling Studies (CGS) revealed a strong link between crypto trading and gambling problems.
The study was published by Elsevier in January and was authored by Devin Mills, a postdoctoral research associate at the CGS, and Lia Nower, director of the CGS.
Cryptocurrency is an anonymous digital currency, with Bitcoin being the most widely known example, Mills said. The study was conducted to determine if gamblers would find trading cryptocurrency appealing, as some find high-risk stocks.
“Nower and I felt it was an important area to explore due to the parallels between trading cryptocurrencies and high-risk stocks,” Mills said. SEE PROBLEMS ON PAGE 5
Though Nower said the team does not know why particular gamblers or types of gamblers use cryptocurrency, one benefit of it is its untraceability, making it easier to hide gambling expenditures.
Gambling with cryptocurrency can hide gambling-related activities transactions that would normally have appeared on documents such as credit card statements. Cryptocurrency for gamblers is especially concerning for those who are not managing or acknowledging their addiction, Nower said. Gamblers who are more impulsive and sensation-seeking tend to have other problems such as abusing substances and engaging in risky intercourse.
“If crypto trading is an additional risk-taking behavior for some gamblers, then it is important that
NICOLE WOOTTON-CANECONTRIBUTING WRITER
As voting opens in the Rutgers University Student Assembly (RUSA) elections for this spring, Jhanvi Virani, a School of Arts and Sciences junior, is set to become the student governing body’s next president. Majoring in computer science and mathematics, Virani is running unopposed for the position as part of the “Our Rutgers” ticket.
Her platform is based around improving the student experience at Rutgers, with priorities in advocating for mental health services on campus, alleviating the rising costs of college and addressing sexual assault culture on campus. She told The Daily Targum that her interest in running came from the “great things” she has seen come out of the student assembly over her last two years participating in it.
“When we see a major issue that the student body wants to address, we actually have the power and influence to change that,” she said. “The reason why I’m running for president is because as amazing as I think RUSA is, I think that there’s a lot of room for change, and I think that I have a lot of really good ideas and a great team that is helping me address those issues.”
As part of her campaign for president, Virani spoke to students across Rutgers to try and understand their concerns. One area where she identified a need for change was mental health services at the University.
“I’ve been speaking to students and seeing what issues they see in the University, and one issue that kept coming up was mental health,” she said. “Students either didn’t know about their services that are
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FRIDAY 3/29 Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation presents “Visiting Filmmaker Series: RBG” at 10 a.m. at Rutgers Cinema on Livingston campus. This event is free and open to the public.
Department of Entomology presents “Plant-Mediated Insect-Pathogen Interactions: A Case of Phytoplasma in Cranberries” from 11 a.m. to noon at Thompson Hall on Cook campus. This event is free and open to the public.
SATURDAY 3/30 Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers presents “Exhibition Opens — Irina Nakhova: Museum on the Edge” at noon at Zimmerli Art Museum on the College Avenue campus. This event is free and open to the public.
Mason Gross School of the Arts presents “Rutgers University Glee Club” at 7:30 p.m. at Nicholas Music Center on Douglass campus. This event is $5 for students.
SUNDAY 3/31 J-FAS, the President’s Initiative on Diversity and Inclusion and the Hann Foundation, Harriet and George
Blank and the Jewish Federation in the Heart of New Jersey present “Confronting Discrimination, Promoting Dialogue: A Practical Workshop” from 1 to 4 p.m. at the College Avenue Student Center on the College Avenue campus. This event is free and open to the public.
Zimmerli Art Museum and New Brunswick Chamber Orchestra present “Reframing Classical Music: Salon Series” from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at Zimmerli Art Museum on the College Avenue campus. This event is free, but reservations are required.
MONDAY 4/1 Department of Genetics and Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey present “Genetics Seminar with Speaker Abhyudai Singh, Ph.D.” from noon to 1 p.m. at Life Sciences Building on Busch campus. This event is free and open to the public.
Animal Sciences presents “Immune — Reproduction Nexus — Factors affecting pregnancy success in farm animals” from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at Foran Hall on Cook campus. This event is free and open to the public.
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UNIVERSITYMarch 29, 2019 Page 3
Study finds link between smoking, vision declineCHRISTIAN BALBUENA
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
A new Rutgers study found that there was a correlation between smoking cigarettes and the deterioration of vision.
In the study, Dr. Steven Silverstein, director of research at Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care (UBHC), worked to describe the effect that toxic chemicals in cigarettes have in the brain. He said while it was no secret that cigarette smoke contains harmful chemicals that lead to negative consequences, the bulk of these studies concentrate on the respiratory system.
The study concentrated on the lesser-known effects of smoking on vision and the perception of color. Silverstein said the precedent for looking at vision derived from “several other prior studies (suggesting) that aspects of visual functioning were worse in smokers compared to non-smokers, including sensitivity to shading, the time it takes to recognize a stimulus and color vision.”
“Smoking also interferes with functioning of the retina, which is the layer of neurons in the eye that generates the initial responses to light prior to these signals being sent to the brain,” Silverstein said in regard to the clear physical effects some studies have shown. Although these types of studies of vision and smoking are not new, this particular Rutgers study
is notable because it was the largest of its category.
While smoking seems like a dying trend, this study is still quite pertinent. Fourteen percent of adults in the United States smoke, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). To be considered a smoker by the CDC, one has to have reported smoking every day and at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime.
Silverstein said the study entailed 63 people with a tobacco use disorder and 71 healthy control subjects matched on age and sex, with subjects on average being in their mid-30s. Tobacco use disorder was defined as smoking more than 20 cigarettes a day by researchers.
The participants perception was examined though the Cambridge Color Test, Silverstein said. He described the test as being similar to a color blindness test: “You have to read the number, which gets harder and harder to do on each card because the coloring of the number becomes more like the coloring of the background. In this case, the saturation of the color of the ‘C’ was varied from weak to strong,” he said.
In a weak saturation setting, the surrounding dots would look the most similar and the C-shape would be the hardest to make out. These tests allow researchers to measure a person’s representation of a specific colors.
The study found that smoking interferes with how the retina, the part that generates the initial responses to light before the signals are sent to the brain, functions. Prior studies have suggested that smokers were also less sensitive to shading when it comes to vision. WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
People with more distinct representations are said to have better color perception, whereas people with more overlap have poorer color perception. Another test used by Rutgers researchers was one that utilized black and white stimuli to measure the changes that participants could perceive in light and dark settings. Silverstein said this test also concluded that people who smoked often were less able to perceive changes in stimuli.
The one large implication of this test, Silverstein said, is that heavy tobacco use causes a clear and apparent change in one’s vision. These symptoms of smoking, while non-life threatening, could have an overall negative effect on people’s quality of life through their ability to perform everyday tasks such as reading, driving, enjoying art and watching movies, among others.
Despite the evidence that this Rutgers study adds to the list of reasons to not smoke tobacco,
Silverstein said he is unconvinced that this study will have much of an effect on the rates of smoking.
“Given all of the evidence that smoking is bad for health, which has been available for over 50 years, and the still high rate of smoking, I doubt that this single study will change smoking rates,” he said. “Recommendations could be made that people who are already at risk of visual changes due to other conditions should strongly be encouraged to significantly reduce or stop smoking.”
The Rutgers study found there were 63 participants who had a tobacco use disorder and 71 healthy control subjects, which is higher than the national average. WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Page 4 March 29, 2019
PREPARATIONSTeaching assistants earn $26 K per year, have not seen salary raise since 2013
CONTINUED FROM FRONT
and we have not made sufficient progress at the bargaining table.”
Representatives from the AAUP-AFT have not responded
to the Targum’s questions regarding when the strike will happen, if it does. But Deepa Kumar, president of the AAUP-AFT and associate professor in the Department of Journalism
and Media Studies, said to the Targum earlier this month that a strike would aim to shut down all classes and disrupt the normal functioning of the University.
“We are fighting to increase the full-time faculty to student ratio to defend quality public education,” Kumar said. “We are fighting for equal pay for equal work for female faculty. And we are fighting to raise the salaries of our lowest paid
members, teaching assistants who have not seen a raise since
2013 and who earn $26,000 a year.”
Dory Devlin, senior director of University News and Media Relations, said earlier this month that agreements have been made between five of Rutgers’ labor unions, which have generally given 3-percent raises to members comprising 25 percent of the University’s unionized workforce.
“We are continuing to negotiate in good faith and on a regular basis with the remaining unions,” Devlin said.
“We are fighting for equal pay for equal work for
female faculty.”
DEEPA KUMARPresident of AAUP-AFT
POLICYStaff training includes 30-minute online training courses every year
CONTINUED FROM FRONT
There are four provisions of the policy that program directors must comply with: program registration, training, background checks and reporting. Each program must be registered every year through the new Protection of Minors Database at the University.
Regarding training, all staff, students, volunteers and service providers must complete a 30-minute online training course every year if they are to work with minors. Every three years, there will also be criminal background checks and annual sex offender registry checks for these workers.
If any abuse or neglect of a minor is suspected, it is required to be reported.
Calcado said in the email that these requirements must be met at least three weeks before the planned program is set to begin so that it can be coordinated in the protection of minors database.
“Please be sure to designate only one person per program to coordinate compliance with the policy requirements to prevent duplication of registrations and to avoid dual fees associated with initiating multiple background checks for the same person,” he added.
There are certain events that do not need to comply with these new policies though, except for the provision of reporting, such as events on campus that are open to the public, or private events where minors attend with parental or guardian supervision.
“Each member of our community has a responsibility to support the protection of minors. Understanding your role and adhering to the policy requirements mentioned above is paramount toward providing the best possible experiences for children at Rutgers University,” he said.
Previously, the faculty union at the University has picketed to demand an increased full-time faculty-to-student ratio, equal pay for female faculty and a salary raise for teaching assistants. They plan to continue fighting for these demands through a planned strike. TWITTER
Any activities that involve minors in the University must comply with the new Protection of Minors Policy. These requirements must be met three weeks before any planned programs are set to begin. MICA FINEHART / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
March 29, 2019 Page 5
counselors, school officials, family members and others educate themselves about cryptocurrency and learn to identify crypto trading along with gambling problems in clients and loved ones,” Nower said.
Individuals prone to risk-taking likely gamble for the “high” generated by the action regardless if they are winning or not, she said. Such individuals are theoretically more likely to trade high-risk stocks as well as cryptocurrency.
Trading with cryptocurrency is inherently risky, especially with the uncertainty surrounding the cryptocurrency markets, Mills said. The study found that there was a strong link between crypto trading and gambling addiction with symptoms of depression and anxiety.
The data in the study suggested that individuals reporting elevated depressive or anxiety symptoms are trading cryptocurrency more frequently, Mills said. It cannot be inferred that trading cryptocurrency caused this elevation or vice versa due to the cross-sectional study design.
“Finally, when we included other variables, the relation cryptocurrency trading had with depressive and anxiety symptoms was no longer significant, suggesting these associations are likely explained by something else,” Mills said.
PROBLEMSData suggests that individuals reporting elevated depression, anxiety are trading cryptocurrency
CONTINUED FROM FRONT The survey data was gathered online through Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) from participants over the age of 18 who were U.S. residents gambling at least once a month, Mills said. MTurk is described on its website as a crowdsourcing
marketplace to enable a variety of tasks to be completed.
The study only looked at the behavior of gamblers, not at the motivation behind the behavior. There are theories that suggest that individuals gamble for the adrenaline rush, and such action patterns often lead to serious problems with gambling, Nower said.
Preliminary findings suggest that crypto trading may appeal to those who gamble at least once a month as a new, largely
unregulated risk-taking activity that offers a rush similar to other types of gambling activities, according to the study.
There are also conceptual similarities between high-risk stocks and trading cryptocurrency stemming from instability that discourages investors with low-risk tolerances, according to the study.
These findings together with future study results relating crypto trading to sensation-seeking or impulsivity could
inform treatment protocol development. This could aid gamblers who frequently trade high-risk stocks or cryptocurrency by replacing sensation-seeking activities and helping them make less impulsive decisions, according to the study.
“Only time will tell whether a relationship exists between the medium of gambling, the currency used, the gambling activity and problem gambling,” Nower said.
Bitcoin is the most commonly known example of cryptocurrency, a form of electronic cash that is not issued by any central point of authority, such as a government. Those prone to gambling problems were observed to be trading cryptocurrency more often than the old school ways of gambling. WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
PRESIDENTVoting for RUSA elections begins March 29 at midnight, ends March 31
CONTINUED FROM FRONT
available to them or, if they did know and they’d tried them, they weren’t fully satisfied with them.”
She also said that RUSA can do a better job in communicating information on what is available through the counseling service at Rutgers, known as Center for Counseling, Alcohol and Other Drug Assistance Program and Psychiatric Services (CAPS), as well as other services available in the area for students whose concerns are not addressed through CAPS.
She voiced a similar solution to addressing sexual assault on campus, highlighting services that are already available both at the University and within RUSA.
Another priority of Virani’s is addressing the rising cost of college. While she acknowledged that there are some areas, such as tuition, that RUSA cannot change, she saw potential in addressing smaller student costs.
“We are currently working on creating an iClicker bank through the University library system, where we as student government buy a bunch of iClickers and give them to the library, where students would be able to check them out for free,” she said.
She also discussed implementing an open textbook program for classes where there
are large numbers of students, which would allow students to access textbooks through Sakai or Canvas, rather than purchasing them individually.
If elected, Virani would become the first female Asian American RUSA president. In speaking about diversity in student government, she told the Targum, “As a woman of color, I think it is very important that we reach out to minority groups and get them more involved in student government.”
In the past, one of the hurdles of RUSA was its lack of diversity. Though Virani said diversity has improved over the last few years, she believes there is still a long way to go in reaching out to minority groups and ensuring that their voices are at heart.
“If we don’t have a diverse student assembly, we don’t address the diverse student voice that is at this University,” she said.
What is unusual about this year’s campaign is that Virani is running unopposed. She said that this was not due to a lack of qualified candidates available or lack of interest, and that she wished there actually was more competition.
“I would’ve hoped that there would be more competition because that gives students the ability to actually make a conscious choice,” she said.
She also highlighted that not everybody on the “Our Rutgers”
ticket is unopposed, with independents challenging several senator positions.
“I’m really happy that some people chose to run independently, because it shows that they are passionate about student government,” she said.
Virani also addressed RUSA’s historically low voter turnout, with last year’s attendance of 21.5 percent, the highest ever recorded. In order to promote the elections, she said social media accounts, as well as students in RUSA, were sharing links to try to encourage people to vote.
“Individuals within RUSA do a lot to try and get as many people
to vote as possible, because at the end of the day it’s beneficial for students to have a say in who their representatives are, and for representatives to gain legitimacy,” she said.
She voiced concern over the idea that her lack of opposition would discourage turnout, with many students potentially feeling demotivated to vote with only one option on the ballot, and highlighted the importance of high voter turnout.
At its worst, she said student government would not impact lives, but at its best it could influence how much a student pays for college,
their accessibility to mental health services, how sustainable their environment is, their rights as a protestor, administrative policy and the way classes are run.
“Yes, I am unopposed ... but at the end of the day, if you don’t mind to take 2 seconds out of your day to help us amplify the student voice on a much larger scale and help us advocate for what you want from this University, I think it’s a very small price to pay for a very large, significant scope for change,” Virani said.
Voting opens on Friday, March 29 at midnight, and closes on Sunday, March 31 at noon.
As part of her ticket, Virani believes that RUSA should work to better facilitate information about counseling services to students, including the Center for Couseling, Alcohol and Other Drug Assistance Program and Psychiatric Services. THE DAILY TARGUM
OPINIONS Page 6
Kylie maintains her false self-made title
speaking with Interview, Jenner said: “There’s really no other word to use other than self-made because that is the truth.”
So, I suppose — one more time for the people in the back, an audience that seems to include Jenner herself — she cannot, and absolutely should not, be considered self-made.
Described as “unassuming,” Jenner is painted as the more casual and down-to-earth of her sisters, despite out-earning all of them with her company, Kylie Cosmetics. Her brand has become equivalent to industry giants in such a short amount of time, even in the face of copious reports that claim that her products are simple markups of the famously inexpensive ColourPop Cosmetics, which sells the same lipsticks Jenner sells at $30 for a mere $6, and that workers at Spatz Laboratories are treated poorly.
In reality, it is entirely fair to attribute the success of her company to her last name and family brand, though I am sure Jenner’s business acumen and grind did help in whatever way it could. Without the Kardashians’ monopoly on much of our pop culture, it is hard to see how Jenner’s cosmetic company — a near carbon copy of many other makeup lines — could find the success that it did.
To be fair, Jenner does not deny any of this. In her profile in PAPER, she said, “I had such a huge platform, I had so many followers already and I had so many people watching me.” The issue is, she does not stop there. “Still, she’s eager to assert that ‘the self-made thing is true,’” according to the interview. In order to back up the “self-made thing,” she cited that her parents cut her off at 15 years old, which apparently does not include her housing, car, medical expenses or vacations.
Correct me if I am wrong, but starting your own business when your backup plan is your über-wealthy, billionaire family is maybe a little less anxiety-inducing than other entrepreneurs who risk just about everything to get their startups off the ground. Praising Jenner’s business aptitude and ignoring her privilege is not only wrong, but also serves as an insult to every American who has had to work hard to afford the same privileges that she was born with.
The truth is, things like racial privilege can be incredibly hard to see, and oftentimes they unintentionally are not acknowledged. But these monetary privileges are so blatantly obvious, and yet we seem to be letting Jenner off the hook for constantly failing to check those privileges when discussing her successful entrepreneurship venture. If we find it difficult to acknowledge overt privileges such as these, how are we expected to create a more equitable environment for majorly disenfranchised groups across the country and world?
“(Jenner) doesn’t feel guilty about exposing her young followers to a filtered vision of beauty that apparently requires millions, close to billions, of dollars to achieve, isn’t losing sleep over the occasional piece of diet pill sponcon,” according to the PAPER interview. So, while Jenner understands that her platform allowed her to become the “youngest self-made billionaire,” she fails to recognize her complicity in the dangerous and ridiculous standards that the beauty industry profits from.
Not only does Jenner lack an understanding of what a life without luxury looks like, but also she does not understand what attributing her appearance to natural causes does to the young women who follow her every move.
I do respect Jenner’s handling of her wealth and the mobilization of her platform to create a successful and brilliant business venture. Yet, the Kardashians’ inability to accept their inherent privileges is purely insulting. Even after the much-discussed controversy of calling Jenner “self-made,” the family defended the title and Kim Kardashian even came back at critics and said, “I really didn’t get it, because she is ‘self-made’ — we are all ‘self-made.’ What, because we came from a family that has had success? To me, that doesn’t really make sense.”
So, it is not just Jenner. Her entire family and celebrities of similar stature are not being held properly accountable for their impact and have no true grounding in the real world issues everyday people face. And even when they are held accountable by the public, the family still consistently denies the lethal detriments associated with the diet pills, waist trainers and other harmful beauty products they endorse and continue to immorally profit off of impressionable young girls. They still deny their blatant privilege.
There is nothing wrong with taking advantage of your circumstances, and it is natural to feel under attack when people attribute your success largely to external factors. But making excuses for your advantages only further perpetuates the American myth that claims that anyone can find success by working hard and ignoring the systemic issues that serve as insurmountable obstacles for those who come from a low socioeconomic status. Shielding these systemic issues by conflating the success of penniless immigrants and reality television moguls stops us from dissecting the root causes of such issues.
Everyone’s struggles are relative, but celebrities with the name, household recognition and brand as the Kardashians have no right to ask for pity from the masses when their struggles are simple privileges many of us cannot even begin to afford, such as making excuses about the wealth we were born with.
Anjali Shah is a Rutgers Business School sophomore, contemplating her primary major but minoring in political science and philosophy. Her column, “The Progressive’s Hot Take,” runs on alternate Fridays.
March 29, 2019
UNIVERSAL UCLICK
Time at Rutgers teaches fashion lessons
THE PROGRESSIVE’S HOT TAKE
ANJALI SHAH
CONSERVATIVE ACROSS THE AISLE
GIANA CASTELLI
T his past July, Forbes called Kylie Jenner “self-made.” And despite
even Dictionary.com mocking that claim, Jenner still cannot seem to let that title go. Just last week, when
MARLEY ARZONICO
COMMENTARY
I grew up in a town of “haves” and “have-nots.” Those with the “haves” were simply placed higher up on the trivial social ladder than the
“have-nots.” Even beginning in the early days of ele-mentary school, this distinction was clear.
In the first grade it was the candy-covered mes-senger bags to hold our folders and notebooks for school. JanSport backpacks were out, so that sum-mer I begged my mom every day to let me fit in with the rest. Fourth grade was the time for bright-ly colored Butter sweatshirts that looked like they were designed by an actual fourth grader. Showing up to school in one of these basically said: “My parents love me more than you.” These seemingly unimportant trends decided who was cool and who was not, much like Kooky Pens and Webkinz. What you had and how many you had of it were what made you cool.
As I got older, though, the trends became more frequent and more expensive. By the time I reached my senior year, it was natural to walk into to school every morning holding a mortgage payment: Louis Vuitton key ring ($300), Golden Goose sneakers ($500), Canada Goose jacket ($900+) and Cartier bracelet that resembled a hair tie ($500). What should be considered nice things that are hard-earned had become mere sta-tus symbols.
Most of these things I did not have, simply because they were so expensive and my parents were smart enough to refuse to buy me a pair of sneakers that looked like they had already been worn. I spent my free time looking for knockoffs and items that resembled what everyone seemed to have. I thought it was more important to con-form to the culture of my school by wasting both mine and my parents’ money than present my own personal style.
But my time at Rutgers has taught me that these “status symbols” mean so much less than I once val-ued them as. Like many people, Rutgers was not my first-choice college. I had approximately half a dozen private, city schools lined up before the University. I thought that they were more my speed, as their $70,000 price tags made them seem more exclusive and therefore undoubtedly better. I felt it was “so me” to go to a school where my peers literally had money
oozing out of their ears. These schools were looked up to and were basically everything that Rutgers was not.
I came to the University in August, thinking that the more stuff I had, the more people would respect me: — much like how it was in high school. Packages from Urban Outfitters, Nordstrom and ASOS showed up in my mailbox almost daily, and I spent money like it was water. I was trying to find my own style identity with-out being in the shadows of how other people thought I should dress.
Admittedly, I now own some of these “status sym-bol” items. I proudly wear my Canada Goose jacket and I have a Hermès bracelet I love, but these are things that I genuinely love and would buy again in a heartbeat. Rutgers taught me to distinguish what is expensive and what is valuable, what is worth it and what is worth it right now. I recently got a neon tie-dye Astroworld sweatshirt. Expensive? Yes. Valuable? Not really, but everyone likes to be a little bougie.
I love high fashion, and my personal style includes staple investment pieces mixed with trendy, fast-fash-ion items I know I will only get a season or two out of. It is neither necessary nor realistic for most people to have everything be designer, but I have learned to appreciate the craft of high-quality designs and the cheap tops I can get at Forever 21 equally. I know that my love and knowledge for fashion is much greater than many people, so while I could talk about Karl Lagerfeld’s final Chanel show and why old CELINE is better than new CELINE for hours, most people sim-ply do not care.
This knowledge has translated into my college style because while I would (at one time) choose a more ex-pensive piece from a designer I love, but most people would not know, it is more worthwhile to save my mon-ey and find a cooler piece from a less expensive brand. People are much more impressed by a top you got on sale from Tobi than the one you spent way too much money on just because it was from the new Current/Elliot collection at Bloomingdale’s.
I have always been able to use my fashion choices to distinguish periods of my life. Sparkly rayon t-shirts from Justice commemorate my second to fourth grade “cute” years. Black jeans and band shirts signify that weird emo stage everyone went through in middle school. College is easily the happiest me I have ever known, and my style embodies that very well. I know that in my next three years here, Rutgers will continue to teach me about both my style and myself.
Marley Arzonico is a Rutgers Business School first-year planning to major in marketing.
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March 29, 2019 OpiniOns page 7
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Mueller report creates unsettling precedent for US politics
O n March 22, Special Counsel Rob-ert Mueller submitted the find-ings of his investigation of possi-
ble collusion between the President Donald J. Trump campaign and the Russian govern-ment during the 2016 presidential election to Attorney General Bill Barr. Mueller said that, while there were efforts by Russian agents such as the Internet Research Agen-cy (IRA) and the Russian government itself, “the investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian govern-ment in its election interference activities.”
The nearly two-year investigation came to an anticlimactic end, at least for now. While Mueller did not find any collusion with members within the Russian campaign, he reached “no conclusion” on whether Trump obstructed justice. This bold claim has Democrats demanding that the full report be released, pointing out that Mueller had found evidence for and against obstruction. Trump was more than happy to release the full report, but ultimately left it up to Barr. The investigation cost approximately $25 million.
This bombshell, or perhaps lack thereof, will most likely result in more political and
legal fighting among the two parties. But Republicans should not be popping the champagne bottles, nor should liberals take the pitchforks out just yet. Until the full report is released, people should approach this with a certain degree of caution. While Mueller concluded that there was no collusion, the inconclusive part does raise some eyebrows. What concerns me is the startling precedent this sets for future presidents, regardless of party affiliation.
What is unprecedented about the Mueller investigation is the extent. Democrats and the media demanded that a special counsel with unlimited authority to find any and
all possible collusion with Russia that the Trump administration may have engaged in. People were convicted, yes, but mostly for bank fraud and lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). One that comes to mind is Michael Cohen, who paid off two women who claimed they had affairs with Trump that showed intention of influencing the election.
Make no mistake, we need to hold our elected officials up to the highest standards regardless of what position they were elected as, and our judicial system as well as congressional oversight is crucial to
making sure no legal misdeed gets swept under the rug. But should an investigation dive into every crevice of a president’s personal life, even if it does not have anything to do with the investigation?
Of course, if extraneous crimes happen to crop up during the course of an investigation, the prosecutor can and should report them. An “overly expansive investigation by Mueller would still be within the authority of the DOJ (U.S. Department of Justice), and therefore not unconstitutional,” according to The American Prospect.
The Mueller investigation sought to find collusion between Russia and Trump, yes, but
also to find anything that would definitively paint Trump as someone of immoral character. Should a DOJ investigation look into the private lives of politicians, or strictly stick to the legal issues present? This is not meant to be a simple problem, nor a simple solution, and is something that political leaders and their electorate should ponder. But this sort of situation is not unprecedented.
In The Starr Report, former Democratic president Bill Clinton and his infidelity was thoroughly investigated, leading to his impeachment. He was not found guilty of
high crimes and misdemeanors. His lawyers argued that while his character is morally reprehensible, they do not hold legal ground since they did not meet the constitutional standard to remove him from office.
We can judge and condemn our leader’s actions, but can and should we be able to constitutionally impeach them? Is the constitution a moral document, one where its citizens are able to make judgements based upon the character of their leaders and subsequently other citizens, or is it a political document meant to organize a government, founded upon moral grounds but does not necessarily espouse moral judgements?
Presidential candidates, especially Democrats, should heed the sirens that this invasive investigation sets off, because it gives Republicans more of a reason to investigate into every crevice when the next Democrat is sworn into office. Republicans would be the ones to morally criticize the president and have the power to impeach him or her on murky grounds which they justify as high crimes and misdemeanors.
The precedent of this investigation harms both Republicans and Democrats. If Democrats want to continue to push the envelope on this investigation to its farthest reaches, they do so at their own risk.
Giana Castelli is a School of Arts and Sciences junior majoring in political science. Her column, “Conservative Across the Aisle,” runs on alternate Fridays.
“If Democrats want to continue to push the envelope of this investigation to its farthest reaches, they do so at their own risk.”
CONSERVATIVE ACROSS THE AISLE
GIANA CASTELLI
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March 29, 2019Page 8
Woodstock returns, but will it stand out among its progeny?EAMONN O'NEILL
CORRESPONDENT
In 2018, Lana Del Rey sang: “I was at Coachella/Leaning on your shoulder/Watching your husband swing in time/I guess I was in it/‘Cause baby, for a minute/It was Woodstock in my mind.” A year later, those at Woodstock's 50th anniversary concert may think the inverse of her pop senti-ment. The founders of Woodstock 50 announced the lineup and lo-cation — not in Woodstock, New York — for their summer festival to both fanfare and bewilderment.
The music festival circuit has completely changed in the 50 years since Woodstock, and even in the 20 years following the unmitigated disaster that was Woodstock 1999. Festivals have become more expensive to attend — the lineups increasingly similar — and there are just more of them in general.
Venues offer $15 beers, indoor DJ sets and gourmet food options. This is a far cry from mudslides, tents and fields of hippies of the original Woodstock. Rather than lean into Woodstock’s history, the promoters seem to want to be more like Coachella.
First off, the original Wood-stock touted free admission. The
festival existed to promote free-dom, love and peace through the music. Tickets for competing fes-tivals like Firefly, Coachella and Bonnaroo typically sell for at least $300, and Woodstock seems likely to follow that path.
Festivals hire similar artists rather than form atypical lineups. While this may be because artists want to collect the check and use the circuit as an excuse to tour, it makes for a boring summer. Lineups, rather than excite an audience, now just serve as an-nouncements of new music from reclusive, internet-shy artists.
Woodstock 50 has an interest-ing challenge. The festival has to cater to young audiences, but also be faithful to its history. The original Woodstock is remem-bered as a magical weekend with top-tier musical talent. In fact, several of the top acts of the day — The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones and Paul Simon — turned the show down. This led to fewer big acts, but monumen-tal moments in American history through artists like Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin. The question posed 50 years later is, “Who is Woodstock for?”
The lineup indicates a blend of two different categories of enter-tainment. The first category is Old
Woodstock. This includes Dead & Company, Robert Plant, Santana, David Crosby, The Zombies and Greta Van Fleet. Yes, Greta Van Fleet is a modern band, but it pil-fers heavily from Led Zeppelin. Sec-ond category is “rock dude” 2000s
nostalgia, including acts like The Black Keys, The Killers, Portugal. The Man — who someone de-scribed to me as “the best live act ever” — and Cage The Elephant.
The festival has made a con-certed effort to appeal to hip-hop
Fifty years ago, the original Woodstock laid the template for the modern music festival. Now, in a vastly different industry, the festival may not hold the same stock that it used to. UNSPLASH
RUPA hosts photogenic pop-up museum experienceCLARISSA GORDON
CORRESPONDENT
When it comes to personal brands, it used to be about who you know. And social circles still matter, but for the social media generation, the places you’ve been are a reflection of your im-age just as much. Trendy con-cept stores and pop-up museums in major cities are booming in
popularity because of the experi-ences they offer.
Take the Color Factory in New York, for example. The interac-tive art exhibit draws crowds for its vivid, room-sized installations that are ideal for that picture-per-fect Instagram shot. To appeal to the “pictures or it didn’t happen” demographic, Rutgers University Programming Association (RUPA) unveiled its pop-up museum on
Wednesday, where it transformed the old Rutgers Club on 199 Col-lege Ave into a studio of aestheti-cally-pleasing backdrops.
Shreya Sethi, a School of Arts and Sciences junior and RUPA’s di-rector of Traditions and Communi-ty, said the association was inspired by visual concept spaces like the Color Factory and the Rose Man-sion, and figured out a way to bring the big-city attraction to Rutgers. Many young people want these experiences but can’t always take the trip to New York and spend the hefty entrance fee for the sake of a cool Instagram post, so designing a pop-up free and open to the pub-lic right on campus was a perfect solution, Sethi said.
RUPA encouraged registration prior to the event to avoid long lines, but walk-ins were welcome. Once settled in, groups of four were guided into five different rooms and allotted 5 minutes in each.
Each room was designed to be picturesque. The first room eased you in and hyped you up, with a color-changing light-up dance floor that flashed as music bumped from the DJ’s speakers. Vibes in each room ranged from silly to ro-mantic to serene, as strawberries hung from the ceiling and string lights illuminated the walls.
One room gave a secret garden feel, as it was decorated in walls of ivy and roses with Victorian-era furniture and statues to pose with. Full of balloons and fluorescent
Inspired by NYC-based spaces like the Color Factory and the Rose Mansion, RUPA set up aesthetically appealing rooms in a pop-up museum called Scarlet Mansion. CLARISSA GORDON
lights, Room Two was arguably the biggest hit, as groups could live out their childhood memories in a blow-up ball pit. RUPA repre-sentatives were present in each room to socialize with attendees as well as to act as photographers and directors for friend photo-shoots. And while the museum wasn’t professional, it still offered a unique experience and bonding moments for groups.
The concept for such a museum on campus is an innovative way to draw student crowds and increase University morale and pride, a feat RUPA seems to be nailing these days. As the hype surrounding Instagram-friendly pop-up spaces doesn’t seem to be dying down any-time soon, it’s safe to assume that we’ll be seeing bigger and better visual-oriented pop-ups and muse-ums on campus in the near future.
Amanda Middleton, a School of Arts and Sciences junior, utilized the pop-up museum to take top-notch flicks. RUPA members were on hand to help students get the perfect pic. PARAMA DAS
and hipster-heavy audiences. The hip-hop portion of the lineup features Jay-Z (still in his prime), Chance the Rapper, Earl Sweat-shirt, Vince Staples, Common and Run the Jewels. The hipster heads will be salved with per-formances by Soccer Mommy, Courtney Barnett, boygenius and Cherry Glazerr.
The lineup for Woodstock 50 is idiosyncratic to a potential fault. Woodstock 50 needs to figure out who it's for. Does it want to be like Coachella and become a yearly event? Is it making a nos-talgia play for the old hippies? Or is it a benefit for peace and love? Its lineup wants to be everything to everyone, but could become nothing for no one.
Festivals are about partying in the sun and seeing some music while you’re there. The free ben-efit will be remembered forever, not only because of Baby Boom-er nostalgia, but also because of the inclusivity of all people.
I’d love to spend a day in a field and listen to John Mayer do guitar licks for Dead & Com-pany then walk over to watch Jay-Z rap about being an old head and maybe even see boy-genius sing a few sad songs. But I don’t have $400 to drop on a weekend.
Happy Birthday: Live and learn. Use experience to help define what your best options are this year. Look at the big picture, but use tunnel vision when it comes to executing your plans. Detail and precision will ensure that you don’t overspend on items or implement plans that are unnecessary and likely to limit your performance or lower your returns. Your numbers are 9, 17, 22, 24, 35, 43, 49.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Stay focused on what you have to com-plete. If you let emotional matters interfere, you will find it difficult to get back on track. Put your energy where it counts most, and refrain from showing weakness or sharing personal information. 2 stars
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Give your all, and you will receive inter-esting prospects, praise and personal satisfaction. Spend time with people who share your quest and are will-ing to pitch in and help. Romance is featured, and personal improvements can be made. 5 stars
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Don’t believe everything you hear. Someone will exaggerate in order to grab your attention and perhaps your hard-earned cash or personal information. Be careful what you say and how you handle situations that can affect your reputation. 3 stars
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Just do it. If you take too much time pro-crastinating, you will miss out on something phenomenal. Seize the moment, and make the most of what you’ve got and are given. Person-al change will lead to less stress and greater happiness. 3 stars
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Think big, but when it comes to getting things done, be prepared to size down and live within your means, and make sure you are capable of living up to your promises. Know your boundaries and pursue your goals. 3 stars
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Spread your wings and fly. Take on tasks that challenge you; you’ll be proud of your accomplishments. Make time for peo-ple and things you enjoy, and you’ll gain peace of mind and keep your stress level to a minimum. 5 stars
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Put your heart and soul into home improve-ments, getting along with others and taking care of your responsibilities. Learn from those with more experi-ence to discover the best way to han-dle adversity. If change is required, make it happen. 2 stars
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Jump into situations that allow you to en-gage in events or activities that ex-cite you. Explore new possibilities, and don’t be afraid to do things dif-ferently. Your uniqueness will lead to success. 4 stars
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): You will do better working alone. Don’t let anyone persuade you to take part in something that really isn’t your thing. Trust your instincts, not what others tell you. Focus on home, family and personal improvements. Avoid indulgent people. 3 stars
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Point in a direction and take flight. It’s up to you to follow your heart and your dreams and to reach your des-tination on your own steam. Change begins within, and happiness is the prerequisite of doing what’s best for yourself. 3 stars
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Trust in what you know. Don’t be a follow-er or be tempted by someone who likes to take risks. Do your own thing, and manage your life using common sense. Your aim should be to stabi-lize, not disrupt your life. 3 stars
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Get involved and share your skills and experience. Doing what you can to improve the world around you will stimulate your mind as well as bring you in touch with people who can be an asset moving forward. Romance is featured. 4 stars
Horoscopes Eugenia Last
DIVERSIONS Page 9March 29, 2019
©2018 By Eugenia Last distributed by Universal Uclick
Pearls Before Swine Stephan Pastis
Non Sequitur Wiley
Lio Mark Tatulli
Over The Hedge T. Lewis and M. Fry
Yesterday’s
Solution
ACROSS
1 Sis or bro
4 FBI’s division
7 A grasshopper may go on one
13 Sean Lennon’s mom
14 Angsty genre
15 Seoul-based airline
16 Sgt., for one
17 Painter Chagall
19 Raccoon relatives
20 1968 Rolling Stones hit
23 Crossing the Atlantic, say
24 Santa ___ winds
25 One past due?
26 German industrial region
29 Pipe-clearing brand
32 Flowering shrub
34 Actress Petty or Singer
35 Upside-down mammal
38 Encouragements for a
nursery rhyme character
found twice in this puzzle
41 “Hulk” director Lee
42 Is under the weather
43 ___ Wild (cable channel)
44 Continue until
45 Somewhat
46 Small ammo
48 Soccer star Hamm
50 Mafia chief
53 “Hit” man, perhaps?
58 “We’re on the same page!”
59 Ukrainian capital
60 St. Bernard collar accessory
61 Difficult conditions
62 Sometimes-wooden golf item
63 LGA posting
64 Deadpan humor
65 Some have jingles
66 Did laps
DOWN
1 Skating legend Henie
2 Ear’s “anvil”
3 One making a comeback?
4 Half, in Le Havre
5 Country east of Yemen
6 Fox of “CSI”
7 Massage site
8 On or after
9 Venetian commercial center
10 Mongolian invader
11 Ouzo flavoring
12 Party with lots of beer
18 Hurdle for the nursery
rhyme character
21 St. ___ Girl beer
22 Chocolate substitute
27 Macho superhero
28 Like a dangerous 35-Across
30 Stadium
31 Muslim face veil
32 Esquires’ grp.
33S andy garden type
35 Braggart
36 Top pilot
37 Brief ring call
39 Peruvian pack animal
40 City in New York’s
Mohawk Valley
44 Real estate account
46 British P.M. Tony
47 Like cargo pants
49 Japanese spitz breed
51 Katniss’ “Hunger
Games” partner
52 Large intestine, e.g.
53 Nest builder
54 Bath oil brand
55 “Surely you ___!”
56 Baltic Avenue or
Boardwalk
57 Holiday precursors
Yesterday’s Solution
Universal Crossword
Page 10 March 29, 2019
Knights conclude season of turbulenceWOMEN’S BASKETBALL WHAT’S NEXT FOR STRINGER, TEAM PAST THIS YEAR?
Acting head coach Tim Eatman and Rutgers saw their season end in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to No. 10-seeded Buffalo. DUSTIN NILES / PHOTO EDITOR / FEBRUARY 2019
DELANEY ZUBRICKSTAFF WRITER
After a season of highs and lows, the Rutgers women’s basketball team’s 2018-2019 season has come to an end. Whether it was a change in roster, a switch in coaching or even what seemed to be an impos-sible win by the Scarlet Knights (22-10, 13-5), they were able to pull through despite adversities.
Rutgers started off the season with a successful first four games, while one stood out in particular. Head coach C. Vivian Stringer was able to win her 1,000th game against Central Connecticut State. Stringer became the sixth women's head coach in NCAA history to join the elite 1,000-career-victory club, and is the first Black woman to join the list of legendary coaches.
While Stringer had to direct her head coaching job onto assis-tant and acting head coach Tim Eatman for the final portion of the season, she was able to leave the team in a prime position with the takeover by Eatman.
Then, only a month after her momentous accomplishment, Stringer coached the Knights to defeat then-No. 4 Maryland, when Rutgers was unranked.
This became the Knights’ first win over a top-10 ranked team in nearly 10 years, when Rutgers de-feated No. 8 Auburn in 2009.
Over the span of two months, the Knights went on to defeat 10 teams in a row. Some highlights include the Maryland game, as well as No. 17 Michigan State.
Rutgers was able to defeat two higher-ranked teams to become No. 14 in the country, its highest rank of the season.
This was one of the highest peaks in the Knights’ basketball season up until their next game against previously ranked No. 17 Iowa, where the streak ended.
The Hawkeyes went on to win the Big Ten Tournament, despite not being first in regular season
standings. Iowa defeated the high-er-ranked Terrapins, and are now the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tour-nament, with two wins in NCAAs.
After that loss, Rutgers defeat-ed Penn State on Jan. 27, and won a tough game against Indiana on Jan. 31. With a 14-point deficit, the Knights were able to come back to win the game by 5 points.
After, former senior forward Caitlin Jenkins was suspended from
the team indefinitely for a violation of team policy prior to its game against Minnesota, and the Knights fell off a winning streak once again.
Later in the season, it became public knowledge that the charges against Jenkins were cleared and she walked free, but had to forfeit her time on the team, according to NJ Advance Media. Jenkins is looking to continue her basketball career in the WNBA.
Rutgers went on to play a couple of rocky games, with no clear winning or losing streak. The Knights went back and forth against ranked and unranked teams, to go on to lose their own national ranking. With a rematch against Maryland, Rutgers fell once again and wasn’t able to hold on to its advantage from a prior win.
Eatman became the acting head coach, while Stringer took a leave of absence for health rea-sons. While Eatman lost his first game at the helm, he went on to lead the Knights to a successful final quarter of the season. His record as acting head coach end-ed with four wins through seven total games.
Stringer made the tough de-cision of letting former junior guard Ciani Cryor, go from the team due to another violation of team policy. Although Eatman recognized Cryor's talent, he wished her luck on her search for another college team.
Eatman was able to rematch Ohio State and Minnesota, two teams that Rutgers had previous-ly lost to, and came out with wins from both. Eatman went on to coach in the Big Ten Tournament and came out third as a team.
While the Knights were able to make it to the NCAA Tournament seeded at No. 7, they fell to No. 10-seeded Buffalo in the first round.
For updates on the Rutgers women's basketball team, follow @TargumSports on Twitter.
KNIGHTNick Suriano defeated Daton Fix in final to claim 1st national title in RU history
CLASSMulcahy averaged triple-double stats at Gill St. Bernard’s
Despite this he returned by season’s end and made his debut in the NCAA Championships for Rutgers, and made it all the way to finals where he came within a match of claiming a national title, but his championship aspi-rations would have to wait one more year.
“I used to be worried about what others thought … but I had
faith in my life. Two years in a row I was at rock bottom, mentally and physically, but I don’t care how people judge me,” Suriano said at the Rutgers Wrestling Media Day in October.
Suriano’s second season on the Banks would go down in the Pantheon of Rutgers Athletics. Now ascended to the 133-pound weight class, an undefeated start to the season was snapped by none other than Fix when the
two met at the RAC in January. A controversial hands-to-the-face call in overtime awarded Fix a tainted win, and would be the first of back-to-back losses for Suriano, the first two-match skid of his career.
Suriano finished the season with only three losses, to Fix, Io-wa’s Austin DeSanto and Michi-gan’s Stevan Micic, but all three of them would pay for those victo-ries when it mattered most.
His revenge tour began in the final round of the Big Ten Cham-pionships in Minnesota. With his first career conference title on the line against DeSanto, Suriano wrestled through a match that saw him suffer a bloody wound to
the face, but claim victory and the last laugh over an opponent that offered a physical altercation at the end of the match.
Then, in the 2019 NCAA Cham-pionships in Pittsburgh, Suriano would go on a run that delivered history to Rutgers. He conquered the 133-pound bracket all the way to the semifinals where a rematch against Micic awaited. Suriano posted a 4-1 win to take down the in-conference rival and advance to the final round.
The opponent for that final round could not have been script-ed any better. A battle with Fix was now the only thing separat-ing Suriano from the national ti-tle, and of course it would go to
extra time. In overtime, trailing by 1 point with the final seconds waning, Suriano worked a 1-point escape to tie it, and then in second overtime delivered a takedown to claim sudden victory over Fix and the first national title in the histo-ry of Rutgers wrestling.
“I just got hit with a wave of bliss and energy and I kind of got put in a trance,” Suriano said. “I kind of just looked around the crowd. It was kind of blurry and then I looked to the right and I saw Coach Goodale and it was just over.”
For updates on the Rutgers wres-tling team, follow @TargumSports on Twitter.
MAORI DAVENPORTConsidered a five-star recruit
by ESPN.com, incoming forward Maori Davenport’s senior season at Alabama’s Charles Henderson High School in Troy was initially deemed ineligible to compete.
After she led the U.S. National Team to a gold medal while serv-ing as the team’s block (15) and rebound (seven per game) leader
in the FIBA Under-18 Women’s Americas Championships last summer, she was given a stipend that exceeded the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s limit of $250 for a payment.
Despite filing several failed ap-peals, Davenport was eventually granted eligibility to compete for the Trojans on Jan. 11.
Fast forward to March. Yester-day, it was announced that the her-alded 98-rating recruit, per ESPN,
was selected to play in the NCAA Next Generation for Women mini-camp. Participants are from select USA Junior National Teams and the NBA Academies program.
Along with Baylor transfer sophomore guard Alexis Mor-ris, head coach C. Vivian String-er is gaining another skilled guard in Davenport.
The 6-foot-4-inch Alabama native averaged 15.4 points per game, while totaled 13.2 rebounds per game and 181 blocks her soph-omore season at Charles Hender-son High School.
“It is evident, that by Maori be-ing selected to the 2018 FIBA U18 All-Tournament team that she is one of the post players next in line
to represent USA Basketball on the world stage,” Stringer said.
MADDIE BRANTThe Rutgers women’s soccer
team is getting a highly touted player of its own in defender Maddie Brant.
The Maidstone, England native has competed for Chelsea FC in the FA Development Cup and was even invited to the England Wom-en’s Under-17 National Team’s training camp in 2017. “From the moment I stepped onto campus I could feel how proud the players, staff and coaches were to be a part of Rutgers University,” Brant said. “To be given the opportunity to become part of the Rutgers family myself is a huge honor.”
JO JO ARAGONAIncoming freshman Jo Jo Arag-
ona from Pope John XXIII Region-al High School in Sparta, New Jer-sey, has been cited as a potential replacement for graduate student 149-pounder Anthony Ashnault.
As head coach Scott Goodale’s second commit of the 2019 class, Aragona was a three-time state medalist and is considered the No. 1 recruit at 141 pounds and No. 6 overall by FloWrestling.
Last season as a junior, he compiled a 41-2 record, posting a third-place finish at the NJSIAA Wrestling Championships.
Aragona boasts many accolades, notably three-time region and two-time district champion selections.
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March 29, 2019 Page 11
Legacy left by Stoppa, Koprivova
SWIMMING AND DIVING SENIORS BID FAREWELL TO ACQUATICS PROGRAM
ALEC SPECTORSTAFF WRITER
The Rutgers swimming and diving team has surpassed ex-pectations, a testament to how the Scarlet Knights have re-mained a strong force in the Big Ten.
Senior Vera Koprivova has done her best not only to make this team what it is today, but also help change the program from the inside. While on the Banks, she has crushed many records. Her story started a few years ago, the moment she stepped on the Rutgers campus for the first time.
“Freshman year was definite-ly was the most dif ficult for me,” she said. “A new language, new country, new environment, so it wasn’t only academically dif-ficult for me, but also the natu-ralization of myself that had to be done.”
While with the Knights, she has obtained memories along the way since her freshman year. She said one of her fondest memories from her four years at Rutgers was when the team had a banquet.
“We have so many memories, but one of my favorites is that we had a banquet at the swim house. Everybody brought food, and we all sat with each other, shared stories and danced, and it’s mem-ories like these that I will keep in mind,” Koprivova said.
With these memories in mind, her perception of the program has changed over time.
She mentioned that since she is a senior, she waned to leave a good impression. In her final race of her career at the NCAA Cham-pionships in Austin, Texas, she fell a fingernail shy of becoming an All-American — 0.01 seconds to be exact.
“You want to finish your last race, and leave a good impres-sion, have good memories, and it is essential to remember the fin-er details and finish the best that you can,” Koprivova said. “We worked hard this year ... That award does not make me who I am. To me, I am All-American. I was 0.01 short, and that is so small in the end.”
Along with Koprivova leav-ing the team after this year, senior Francesca Stoppa also
finished her career this season. Since arriving on the Banks in 2015, she has come a long way, responsibility-wise.
“Going into this season, I felt a dif ferent set of responsi-bilities in terms of leading this team and helping to develop the culture to help the team. It was dif ferent than I was used to pre-viously,” Stoppa said. “With a large freshman class, I felt that the seniors needed to help out and it was something that I was thinking about when starting the season.”
A Trento, Italy native, Stoppa came into Rutgers from a vastly different swimming background from other Knights who were born in the United States.
“I used to feel like I was swim-ming for myself, as a job, and when I came here, it felt like a job,” Stoppa said. “Through the years, I realized that I am a lot more than just here to swim and contribute to points for the Big Ten, but here for the team and coaches that are here for me and beyond the pool, and trust us all to help building this culture with the help of the coaches.”
Aside from helping out future generations of swimmers and look-ing toward the future, Stoppa re-membered the fun she had over the last four years. One of her favorite moments was a bonfire on the Pa-cific Coast in California, as part of a team trip. She also recalled how she improved her 100-meter butter-fly times throughout this season.
“One of the greatest experi-ences that I have had, that will stay forever, was especially when I worked on the front end of my waist and improved a lot in the 100 butterfly,” Stoppa said. “And when I pushed, it showed and when you need to perform in (what is) not your main event, it shows how good you are through-out the season.”
Prior to Rutgers, Stoppa didn’t know if she would have a future in swimming. She said she couldn’t see herself doing anything other than swimming. The University made her realize that she had the skill sets needed to succeed in the world.
For head coach Jon Maccoll, without the seniors on his squad, it will be like losing family mem-bers. Even with their parting, Maccoll mentioned that even
though they are leaving, his ex-pectations do not change for the future of the sports program.
“My expectations have not changed from a performance standpoint because we don’t fo-cus on the outcome,” he said. “We focus on the process, the team culture.”
Maccoll expressed optimism to-ward the abilities of the incoming class of swimmers, but was still sad to part ways with the seniors.
“This freshman class coming is good, and that will bring pres-sure to do well right away. They should focus on that, but look on how to improve their talent and the races will come next,” Macco-ll said. “We love our seniors. They are our family. We don’t want to see anybody go.”
With all these stories, it is easy to see that the swim team is not just an amusement, but a collection of talented individ-uals with stories to share and spread through their fantastic athletic abilities.
For updates on the Rutgers swimming and diving team, follow @TargumSports on Twitter.
Senior Francesa Stoppa was named Big Ten Swimmer of the Week, back on Jan. 16 and holds the Rutgers Acquatics Center pool record in the 200 butterfly. Stoppa claimed a first-place finish at the Frank Elm Rutgers Invitational, last December. THE DAILY TARGUM / NOVEMBER 2017
Senior Vera Koprivova won the 200-yard backstroke against Princeton on senior day in January. Last season, she captured titles in the 100 and 200-yard backstroke events at the ECAC Championships. THE DAILY TARGUM / NOVEMBER 2017
TWITTER: @TargumSports
WEBSITE: DailyTargum.com/section/sports
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I’m in awe of what Anthony has accomplished. He’s one of the greatest to ever don the Scarlet
Knights uniform.”
— Athletic Director Pat HobbsSPORTSFRIDAY MARCH 29, 2019 ONLINE AT DAILYTARGUM.COMRUTGERS UNIVERSITY—NEW BRUNSWICK
JOE LITTERIO,head coach of the baseball team, and the Knights start their Big Ten slate when they host Ohio State for a three-game home series. Rutgers comes into this game having snapped Stony Brook’s eight-game winning streak.
MEN’S TRACK AND FIELD
TENNIS
BASEBALL
Florida Relays
at No. 36 Illinois
vs. Ohio State
Today, All Day, Gainesville, Fla.
Today, 12 p.m., Champaign, Ill.
Today, 2 p.m., Bainton Field
EXTRA POINT KNIGHTS SCHEDULE NBA SCORES
OrlandoDetroit
BrooklynPhiladelphia
DallasMiami
98115
110123
99105
ATHLETICS NEXT GENERATION OF KNIGHTS
Jo Jo Aragona (top left), Maori Davenport (right) and Paul Mulcahy (bottom left) are three highly touted recruits for the wrestling, women’s basketball and men’s basketball teams. They will arrive on the Banks next semester. FACEBOOK / TWITTER
NOW IN FOR RUTGERSMeet top recruits of incoming freshman class of Knights
JAKE SCHMIEDASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR
For the majority of incoming college stu-dent athletes, practice starting in July amid the heat of summer is a given when commit-ting to compete at a university. For transfers and early enrollees, the upcoming season starts now, in the spring.
Rutgers Athletics’ ability to recruit quality student athletes both inside and outside the state of New Jersey has been an imperative quality in developing prom-ising players.
As the spring semester begins to wind down within the next six weeks, the Scar-let Knights will welcome recruits from both in and out of the Garden State to the Banks.
Here are four noteworthy recruits that
hope to make an impact on their respective teams as they transition from high school to Rutgers, bringing their arsenal of skills to the State University of New Jersey.
PAUL MULCAHYThis past season, the Rutgers basketball
team reached a program-record seven wins in the Big Ten, one of the nation’s most prestigious and challenging college basket-ball conferences.
And things are looking up for the most improved Power 6 conference, according to the kenpom.com ratings, who averaged 1.05 years of experience.
Incoming guard Paul Mulcahy is one of New Jersey’s most highly touted recruits. Coming out of the elite basketball program of Gill St. Bernard’s, he has taken the local high school hoops world by storm, averag-
ing a triple double — 18.1 points per game, 10.2 rebounds per game and 10.1 assists per game — the first high school player to do so in more than 20 years.
He chose Rutgers over Florida, Mar-quette, Northwestern and in-state rival Seton Hall, among others.
“He’s a very talented kid,” said Gill St. Bernard’s head coach Mergin Sina on the 6-foot-6-inch Mulcahy. “He has a very high basketball IQ, one of the best, if not the best, of anyone I’ve ever coached. He’s simply a winner, he’s all about wins for the team.”
Mulcahy has practically carried a top-five program to four consecutive Somerset County Tournament titles. In this year’s county tournament, he scored 20 points in Gill St. Bernard’s’ 20-point win over Watchung Hills.
Despite losing to Roselle Catholic in the NJSIAA Non-Public North B title game in his new home of the Rutgers Athletic Center (RAC), a game where he was held to just 7 points, Mulcahy brings to campus a budding high-profile player skill set.
A versatile guard, Mulcahy will share the backcourt with the likes of guards sopho-more Geo Baker and true freshman Montez Mathis and a new face — junior Jacob Young, who redshirted this season after transferring from Texas.
“He’s a 6-6 pass-first point guard. I think he is one of the best passers in the coun-try,” Pikiell said. “He’s a winner, from a win-ning program. He plays the game the right way. People are going to love his tenacity and his toughness.”
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