Volume 2 | Issue 2 | January/February 2021
Staff Spotlights
Sangeeta Rao & Peter Methot
Program Spotlight
Rutgers Advanced Institute for the Study of Entrepreneurship and Development (RAISED) • • • •
Black History Month Livingston Parking Deck COVID Test Kit Vending Machines Tech Tip: Window Activation
• • • •
Twinning & Tripling RBS Strong! Caravan of Hope Winter Wonderland Gratitude Wall
RBS Staff Newsletter Table of Contents
03
03
A Message from Dean Lei
Remembering Distinguished Professor Dr. Jerome Williams
Newsletter Committee Updates
04
Staff Spotlights Sangeeta Rao Peter Methot
05 Program Spotlight RAISED 06 - 08 Did You Know? Livingston Parking Deck Hearing Impaired Mask Symbol Tech Tip: Windows Activitation
05
10
06
Human Resources RU-N Staff E-ppreciation Month Recent Hires and Separations Job Opportunities & Staff Promotions
11 Professional Development & Committee Updates Coffee & Conversations Professional Development Committee Updates
14
12
Finance-Procurement Weekly Forums Continue on Zoom University Procurement News
13
Facilities Weekly COVID Testing Kits COVID Test Kit Vending Machines
14-15 Staff News & Acknowledgments Twinning and Tripling Winter Wonderland RBS Strong! Caravan of Hope 16-18
Black History Month
Staff Recipes
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RBS Word Search
Your Opinion Matters
Volume 2 | Issue 2 | JAN/FEB 2021
A Message from Dean Lei The RBS Staff Newsletter has been a welcome way for us to keep up with each other and continue to share our experiences. It’s a nice reminder that together we stand strong as we continue to serve our school and our university. I look forward to the time when we can safely be back to campus again. In the meantime, I enjoy reading about your endeavors in the staff newsletter. Stay safe, Lei
Remembering Distinguished Professor, Dr. Jerome D. Williams On Friday, February 12th, over 80 friends and colleagues of Dr. Jerome D. Williams joined together virtually to honor this brilliant, kind, funny, gentleman who died peacefully on January 29, 2021. Dean Lei, Dr. Williams’ son, Derek, and many others spoke fondly of a loving husband, father and grandfather, a devoted teacher and mentor to many RBS Ph.D. students, a human rights leader committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, a respected researcher and author, and the first Prudential Chair in Business. Dr. Williams’ unexpected death is a tremendous loss. For those who had the good fortune to work with Jerome, and even those who did not know Dr. Williams personally, it was a beautiful memorial. The photos and videos of Dr. Williams, at work and at play, conveyed his true spirit and zest for life. And just as his family had hoped, the memories brought joy and smiles to the faces of all. Thank you to Derek and the entire Williams family for sharing in our ceremony. You are all, forever, a part of the RBS Family, and you have our heartfelt condolences. For those wishing to making a contribution in his honor can be made online to the RBS Memorial Fund. On the Gift Details webpage, please scroll down to In Honor / Memory of. For “tribute type,” please select memory of. Please add Jerome Williams for “tribute’s first name” and “tribute’s last name.” You can keep “relationship to” and “occasion” blank. To read more on the life and legacy of Dr. Jerome D. Williams or make a contribution to organizations that he held dear, please visit here. To learn more about Dr. Williams’ many contributions to RBS, and far beyond, please visit here.
Newsletter Committee Updates The Newsletter Committee is seeking your suggestions for Program Spotlight and Staff Spotlight features. If you would like to nominate a department or individuals for the next Program or Staff Spotlight, submit your suggestions to: RBSStaffNews@business.rutgers.edu. This issue’s contributors: Brenda Anderson, Jennifer Diaz, Dana Greene Harris, Nancy Kiley, Melissa Rivera, Vibu Udayaraj and special guest Technology Tip writer, Joe Bassano, Associate Director, Office of Technology and Instructional Services.
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RBS Staff Newsletter
Staff Spotlights Sangeeta Rao Assistant Dean Department: Mentoring Programs Years of Service: 8 years at RBS What would you do (for a career) if you weren’t doing this? I would probably be in a Public Service career shaping Public Policy. What are the three words that best describe you: Determined, Thoughtful, Easy-going. If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would do? Travel the world to evaluate social impact projects, and fund them through my new Foundation!
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Volume 2 | Issue 2 | JAN/FEB 2021
Peter Methot Associate Dean
Department: Executive Education Years of Service: 10 years at Rutgers What would you do (for a dream career) if you weren’t doing this? To answer this question, you should know that I have been skiing since I was three years old, and have had a love for the sport ever since. A few years ago, my brother and I had the opportunity to go helicopter skiing in British Columbia – we flew in a helicopter to the top of a mountain in the middle of nowhere, and a trained guide led us down completely untouched snow on the most incredible backcountry ski experience. When I realized that being a heli-skiing guide was an actual career path, I admitted that, in an alternate life, it would be my dream job because it brings two of my passions together: teaching and skiing. What are the three words that best describe you? Husband – I have been with my wife, Jessica, since we met in undergrad at the University of Florida (Go Gators!). She is my best friend, cheerleader and travel partner extraordinaire – we share a love for food, so whenever we travel, we also eat, a lot! Dad – Blessed to be dad of two amazing boys (Brenton and Mercer) that bring so much joy into my life. Fortunately, I have instilled the love of sport and food into them at a young age, so we are often skiing or eating. Entrepreneur – I have always been driven to build creatively. Whether it was one of my many business ventures, from entertainment to restaurants to growing executive education, I have always been passionate about making the organizations I have been involved with better than how I found them. What would you name the autobiography of your life? Pies and Pints – I bought and managed my first pizza restaurant when I was 20 years old and it was a career-trajectory altering experience. I learned so much about who I was and what I was capable of doing – a true business education by fire. It also taught me about service and customer relations, skills that I still use every day. Since then, I have loved the art of pizza making, a tradition I’ve continued at home with my family and friends almost weekly. So much joy emanates from the experience of sharing stories and smiles around a hot, fresh pizza pie. And what better to pair pizza with, but great craft beer? My wife, Jessica, and I have traveled all over the world in the pursuit of the perfect pint; we’d recommend practically any IPA or saison from Hill Farmstead in Vermont, and a traditional gueuze from Drie Fonteinen in Belgium. Cheers!
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RBS Staff Newsletter
Pictures: Above: Informal township outside Cape Town, South Africa Right: First Cohort to graduate from RU-Flourishing Other page: Render of Modular Furnishing at HLCC
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Volume 2 | Issue 2 | JAN/FEB 2021
Program Spotlight: R u t g er s Ad vanced In s t it u t e f or t he St ud y of E n t rep reneur s hip and Develop men t
The Rutgers Advanced Institute for the Study of Entrepreneurship and Development (RAISED) combines research, teaching, and community engagement, within and across our entrepreneurship projects. RAISED is distinctively different their views of what “counts” as entrepreneurship by focusing on “everyday entrepreneurs.” These include all sorts of people who organize many different types of ventures in pursuit of their goals and the changes they want to see in the world. Venture Capitalist Guy Kawasaki famously noted that great ventures must increase peoples’ quality of life, or right a wrong, or prevent the end of something good. RAISED embraces the vision of “prosocial entrepreneurship,” and what we study, teach and promote. RAISED considers entrepreneurship as not just a key business skill, but as a “New Liberal Art” – a competence that is central to being able to participate fully in and contribute productively to contemporary society. We think it is something that all students should learn to do. RAISED has been selected as one of the 12 Big Ideas selected across the Rutgers system to be promoted by the Rutgers University Foundation. RAISED projects also span a broad range of topics and geographies. Jeffrey Robinson is leading a major government-funded multi-year project to figure out how to get more women and underrepresented minorities into technology entrepreneurship. Jasmine Cordero-West and Ted Baker created RU-Flourishing, a 10-year engaged research program to train and support previously incarcerated people build businesses, and to create a model for such programs that others can adopt. Ted, Jasmine and Sadee Brathwaite are building the Urban Solutions Lab (located in the new HLLC building) that will connect our students and faculty to business, government and civil society leaders to work on building prosocial ventures that respond to local versions of grand social challenges. In South Africa, we are supervising students engaged in multiple studies seeking to understand how entrepreneurs living in informal townships and facing a legacy of deep structural inequality and racial discrimination nevertheless sometimes manage to build great businesses. For more information on RAISED, contact Sadee Brathwaite, sbrathwaite@business.rutgers.edu, Jasmine Codero-West, jcordero@business.rutgers.edu, or visit their website here.
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RBS Staff Newsletter
Did You Know?
Picture Source: Google.com
Livingston Parking Deck The new Livingston Parking Deck at the RWJBarnabas Health Athletic Performance Center, right next to the Rutgers Business School, has 535 spaces. For anyone interested in parking in the new garage: • Contractually, all Rutgers employees (including PTLs) are required to have a parking permit to park anywhere on campus. In addition, the RWJBarnabas Health Athletic Performance Center Garage charges $3 per hour for parking. • The $3 per hour rate can either be paid on a mobile app (Passport Parking) or at a kiosk in the first level lobby by the elevator. • All parking areas and all buildings at Rutgers University are patrolled by RUPD and Security units 24/7. • Parking regulations are being enforced during COVID/telecommuting and violators are being fined. Check out https://ipo.rutgers.edu/new-brunswick-campus for the latest changes to transportation and parking around the New Brunswick campus.
Hearing Impaired Mask Symbol The logo shown on the face mask in this photo indicates that the person wearing the mask is deaf or wearing a hearing aid. Many deaf and hard of hearing people read lips to communicate, but with COVID-19 and face mask mandates in most environments, it is impossible for the hearing impaired to read lips. The pandemic has brought special challenges to many, so the next time you see this symbol, please assist however you can.
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Volume 2 | Issue 2 | JAN/FEB 2021
Tech Tip: Windows Activation Since so many of us are not on the Rutgers network or the VPN (which acts as if it’s a Rutgers network) that the license file on our work devices are outdated and eventually yield a notification error every quarter. The easiest work around while still at home is to download an updated product key for an RU License and install it manually. Doing so, will avoid updates every 3 months to install a permanent product key. If you trouble with any of the following steps, contact the OTIS Help Desk. Instructions: Obtain the Product Key: 1. Go to http://software.rutgers.edu and log on with your NETID and password. 2. At the top right corner type “Windows” then click search OR in the left column under “Operating System” click “Windows” 3. Select the following result:
4. Scroll down to the Item section, where you see “Single user license (University Equipment only)” and click “add to cart”
5. On the next screen, under Delivery Method choose “Download”, then click “check out”, verify your email address is correct (if not change it), click “NEXT”, then “Next/Submit” on the next screen 6. Now that you ‘purchased’ the license, click “MY SOFTWARE” at the very top of the screen. 7. Under “Microsoft Windows 10 Enterprise Upgrade 32/64bit” click “License Details” 8. Next to “License info: Please use” Copy the 25-character code (highlighting it then press Ctrl and “C” at the same time to copy it) Applying your Product Key: 9. On your desktop click the Window Icon in the bottom left corner, then type “Activation Settings” and you should see “Activation settings” appear at the top of the list – CLICK on it to open the settings window 10. Click on “Change Product Key”. A Blue Box should pop up with 25X’s. 11. Click in that box to paste to the 25 character code you’ve previously copied (right click and choose “Paste” or you can press Ctrl and V at the same time). Click Next, then Activate. 12. In a few seconds to a minute you should see “Windows is Activated” appear on the screen. 13. Click close – you are done and will never have to worry about Windows activation until you receive a new device, or need yours wiped clean.
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RBS Staff Newsletter
HR News RU-N Staff E-ppreciation Month Staff E-ppreciation Month 2021 events begin Monday, March 15th. This year’s theme: RUN to Reconnect, Apart Yet Together includes a series of Tech Talks, courses on money management, meditation sessions, games and over 40 prizes! Since RBS is one school, staff members based on the New Brunswick campus are eligible to attend. Stay tuned for upcoming emails UHR Newark and RU-N Staff Council.
Welcome Our New RBS Family Members: Name Belle, Tekoa
Title Administrative Assistant
Department RN-SBDC
Wells, Matthew
Regional Director
SBDC-Northwest
Good luck and farewell to the following: Name Knupp, Richard
Title Associate Dean for Advancement
Department Development
McKenzie, Sam
Director
Development
McTigue, Briana
Graduate Admissions Officer
Graduate Admissions
Staff Changes • Stephan Kolodiy - Student Counselor -Undergraduate-Newark • Luke Greeley - Assistant Professor - Supply Chain Management
Current RBS Job Opportunities
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Senior Program Coordinator - RBS - Dean’s Office https://jobs.rutgers.edu/postings/126150
Volume 2 | Issue 2 | JAN/FEB 2021
Professional Development & Committee Updates Coffee & Conversations Continue On Friday morning, February 5th, over 25 RBS staff members took a break from their busy schedules and gathered via Zoom to discuss current events, COVID vaccine developments, recipes, homeschooling challenges, popular television series, and Super Bowl LV. The crowd was pretty much split between cheering for Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers versus Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. Working parents shared some of the frustrations they and their children are feeling over the frequent disruptions to their academic schedules, but they are hopeful that in-person teaching will resume soon… for the youngsters and for the Rutgers community. Tips for keeping salmon moist, cooking juicy Oklahoma sliders indoors, and the pros and cons of air fryers and Instapots kept everyone engaged. Coffee & Conversation sessions are held on the first Friday of every month at 9AM. To join the March 5th session click here.
Professional Development Committee Thank you to those staff members who participated in the recent Professional Development survey. The Professional Development Committee has reviewed the responses and taken your thoughtful requests into consideration as they develop program offerings for 2021. The Professional Development Committee is putting the finishing touches on its popular 2021 Mini-MBA program, offering a comprehensive Career Development Program to all RBS staff members. Based on valuable input from staff members, the Professional Development Committee will once again be offering Excel training, beginner, intermediate and advanced instruction. These workshops, too, will be recorded and housed in the RBS Professional Development repository, which is now under construction. Please watch your inbox for more updates!
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RBS Staff Newsletter
Finance-Pro Weekly Forums Continue on Zoom Finance-Procurement Information Sessions created and led by Nicole McCray, is a forum held every Thursday at 11:30AM via Zoom where staff and faculty have the opportunity to ask and learn the professionals questions regarding finance and procurement. All sessions are recorded and any materials or information referenced in the session(s) will be posted in the Microsoft Teams RBS FIN-Pro folder. If you have any subjects you would like the FIN-PRO Team to discuss, please put it in the Teams folder prior to the meeting. Please note all topics posted in teams will only be addressed in the upcoming session if time permits.
University Procurement News In case you missed it, University Procurement’s January 2021 news update included a special highlight on Business Manager, Nicole McCray. Her response to ‘How RU Saving?’:
“We gained staff and faculty support by creating a culture of collective responsibility where everyone agrees they have an important role to play.”
RBS COIVD-19 Support As snow and bitter cold spread across a large part of the U.S., our concern for the RBS community who are currently affected by the harsh conditions is especially heightened. The RBS Family stands ready to support our students, faculty, staff, alumni, friends and family who might be affected by natural disasters and the ongoing challenges posed by COVID-19. Please visit business.rutgers.edu/covid-19-resources to find personal, social, and educational support.
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Volume 2 | Issue 2 | JAN/FEB 2021
Facilities COVID Testing Drop Box Locations Per Rutgers University policy, and in accordance with state and federal guidelines, all faculty, staff, and students on-campus at least once a week during the Spring 2021 semester will be required to submit a Weekly COVID-19 Test Kit to the University. Self-administered saliva test kits must be submitted weekly, and weeks cannot be skipped. The test kit drop-box locations nearest to our RBS buildings: Newark Campus: • Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hall, 15 Washington Street, (Open 24 hours). Test Kits are collected from this location, Monday through Friday, at 9:30 am and 12 noon. Livingston Campus: • Busch/Livingston Health Center, 110 Hospital Road, Piscataway (Right around the corner from RBS-NB) • The Livingston Student Center, 84 Joyce Kilmer Ave, Piscataway (Accessible 24 hours with Rutgers ID Card) Test Kits are collected from Livingston locations daily before 3pm Monday through Thursdays, and Fridays before 1pm. Any RBS staff member who has physically been on campus, or inside any Rutgers building, and tested positive for COVID-19, must contact the Rutgers University Occupational Health Office directly to report the case and seek guidance. Rutgers University Occupational Health serving New Brunswick, Newark and Camden: 848-932-8254 The Occupational Health office will then evaluate these individuals and the risk of exposure to others in accordance with the NJ Department of Health and CDC Risk Assessment Guidelines. As appropriate, Occupational Health will speak to those who are deemed to be close contacts of the individual and potentially at risk. Those who are not contacted will have been deemed to not be at-risk. For more COVID-19 guidelines for positive cases, visit here. For general, Universitywide COVID-19 information, please check out https://coronavirus.rutgers.edu/.
COVID-19 Test Kit Vending Machines For a complete list of COVID-19 vending machine locations and the drop box sites on each campus, please visit https://coronavirus.rutgers.edu/on-campus-testing/. The site also contains lots of other useful information and helpful links regarding Rutgers Universitywide strategy to combat the pandemic, repopulate the campus safely, its testing strategy and how it is working closely with federal and state vaccination programs in the hope of implementing its own inoculation program as soon as possible.
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RBS Staff Newsletter
Staff News
Twinning and Tripling Our staff have shared their love of coordinated outfits for the new year. Geno Gentile, Director of Undergraduate Career Management, shares an updated photo of his twin grandsons. Zac and Beau, who were first featured in our May/June 2020 issue turn one next month. Mala Bhola, Program Coordinator, Accreditation and Assessment, shares a merry matching photo with her mom and sister.
Winter Wonderland The season has brought an abundance of snow to the tri-state area, which has brought our staff out to brave the cold. Kenneth Retino, Business Specialist, Dean’s Office -Finance, shares a photo of his two dogs, Cali and Benj, enjoying the patio without 22 inches of snow. Nancy Kiley, Administrative Assistant, Dean’s Office - Facilities, shares snapshots of her visit to the Mercer County Equestrian Center. For more information on the Equestrian center visit here. Dean Vera, Assistant Dean, MBA Career Management, shares a scenic picture of Madison Square Park.
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Volume 2 | Issue 2 | JAN/FEB 2021
Hannah Salto, Program Coordinator, Office of Mentoring Programs, shares a selfie and weather conditions from Minnesota, which recently experienced an arctic chill. Brenda Anderson, Program Coodinator, Dean’s Office shares a photo of her neices Zariah and Kaylen, enjoying the snowy slopes.
RBS Strong! Caravan of Hope On Sunday, January 24th, a group of about 25 Rutgers Business School employees, and a few of their family members, joined forces to drive by the home of our dear coworker, Dana Green Harris, to celebrate her remarkable recovery from COVID-19, wish her a belated happy birthday, and share our hope for a happy, healthy and prosperous new year. A caravan of cars, decorated with colorful balloons and homemade signs, paraded through the neighborhood with horns honking and drivers applauding Dana with loud cheers and friendly waves. Everyone was so happy that Dana’s husband, Brad, and son, Justin, were able to keep the RBS caravan visit a surprise. And we were absolutely thrilled to see Dana looking fantastic; outside, in front of her house, by the mailbox. RBS staff members, all masked up and being very cautious, hopped out of their vehicles for a brief, much-needed, joyful visit with Dana. We don’t know who was more uplifted by the little drive-by; Dana or the staff.
Gratitude Wall We want to know what makes you grateful. Visit the link below to share! https://myrbs.business.rutgers.edu/gratitude-wall
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RBS Staff Newsletter Black History Month Black History Month is an annual observance originating in the United States in 1926 as Negro History Week. It has received official recognition from governments in the United States and Canada, and more recently has been observed in Ireland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. It began as a way of remembering important people and events in the history of the African diaspora. It is celebrated in February in the United States] and Canada, while in Ireland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom it is observed in October. Notable Americans of African decent including, Paul Robeson, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., President Barack H. Obama, Fannie Lou Hamer, Satchel Paige and many others. Let’s test our knowledge of notable African-Americans: Which African American engineer invented the Super Soaker toy? A. Peter Evans B. Michelle St. Patrick C. Lonnie George Johnson Which African American botanist did experiments on uses for the lesser used crops? A. George Washington Carver B. Peter Brandies C. Davina Smith Which African American athlete broke the color barrier in American baseball? A. Henry “Hank” Aaron B. Jackie Robinson C. Lou Campanella Who was the first Black student to graduate from Rutgers University? A. Samuel Smith B. James Dickson Carr C. Carrington Johnson Who was one of Rutgers University’s most famous graduates? A. Paul Robeson B. Django Freeman C. Peter Stevens Answers can be found on Page 18.
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Volume 2 | Issue 2 | JAN/FEB 2021
Staff Shared Recipes Beanie’s Potato Salad Shared by Jeremy Guenter, Admissions Coordinator, MITA Program This family recipe is over 70 years old through trial and error. It has since become the staple of many family picnics and church functions. You often hear people ask “Is this Beanie’s potato salad or someone else’s?” Ingredients: • 6 medium potatoes (2.5 lbs unpealed and uncooked / 2 lbs pealed and cooked) • 1/4 cup diced yellow onion • 1/4 cup diced celery • 2 hardboiled eggs either sliced or diced • 1/2 cup of sweet relish
• • • •
1/4 cup of mustard 1/2 cup of mayonnaise 1 teaspoon ground pepper smoked paprika or fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions 1. Cut potatoes into 1 to 1/2 inch pieces and boil until cooked. You can test this by poking the potato with a toothpick. If the toothpick goes easily all the way to the center, the potatoes are done. 2. Let potatoes cool for 15 minutes then add and gently mix the rest ingredients except of the paprika. Then garnish with a little smoke paprika and/or fresh parsley. This should make a little over 2 lbs of potato salad.
What’s Cooking Inside RBS If you have any favorite recipes that you would like to share with our community, please email RBSStaffNews@business.rutgers.edu or please continue post them under Food and Recipes Group in MS Teams. The recipes will be compiled into a nice recipe book and distributed seasonly. Early editions will be digital, with a possibility of hardcopies at a later date. Accompanying pictures are appreciated.
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RBS Staff Newsletter Winter Word Search Blizzard Boots Cocoa Cold Fireplace Flurries Freezing Frigid Frosty Earmuffs Gloves Hibernation Hockey Ice Skating Icicles Mittens Parka Plow Scarf Skiing Sledding Slippery Slushy
Sleet Snow Snowflake Snowman Windy Winter
Your Opinion Matters There are many special festivals, holidays, and celebrations taking place all throughout the year. Do you have any unique ways you honor these special occasions? Is there an observance that is important to you? We would love to hear about it! Please send any write-ups about any traditions, holidays, remembrances that you would like to be shared in the newsletter to: RBSStaffNews@business.rutgers.edu. Please also take our newsletter survey to help improve and expand our newsletter. We value feedback from all of our viewers.
Answers to Black History Month (Page 16): 1. (C) Lonnie George Johnson, 2. (A) George Washington Carver 3. (B) Jackie Robinson, 4. (B) James Dickson Carr, 5. (A) Paul Robeson
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