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We write Stevens history HOBOKEN, NJ | NOVEMBER 8, 2024
VOLUME CXXI No. 10
The student newspaper of Stevens Institute of Technology, and creator of Attila the Duck. www.thestute.com TikTok @thestute Instagram @thestute facebook.com/stevensthestute NEW STUTE EVERY FRIDAY • EST. 1904
SGA to hold first contested election in five years
Dr. Klein on required disclaimer and nondiscrimination statements
BY ISABELLA ZIV, EDITOR IN CHIEF
BY BEN KNOBLOCH, NEWS EDITOR Early this semester, the Office of Undergraduate Student Life (OSL) made several changes to student organization policy. Two additions added requirements for disclaimers to be included on all student organization fliers and promotional material. To learn more about the reasons for these changes, The Stute spoke with Vice President for Student Affairs, Dr. Sara Klein. As announced on September 19 in an email to all undergraduate students, the university now requires that all organizations include the following disclaimer on all fliers, social media advertising, and websites, including DuckLink websites: “The views and opinions expressed on this channel are solely those of [insert student organization name] and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Stevens Institute of Technology.” In addition, affinity-based organizations, which are generally formed to celebrate identity or cultural groups on campus, must include a sep-
SEE ORG PAGE 2
easily defeated Republican Curtis Bashaw for the Senate seat held by scandal-ridden Bob Menendez. Kim, who will be the first Korean-American in the Senate, ran in the Democratic primary on a platform of restoring integrity to the office after Menendez, also a Democrat, was found guilty on all counts in a high-profile corruption trial. A proposed amendment to Hoboken’s Rent Control
The race for the Student Government Association (SGA) presidency has officially begun with nominations for the 2025-2026 SGA Presidential Election opening on Wednesday, November 6 and set to close on Tuesday, November 12. It’s important to note that nominations are not the same as votes; rather, they allow candidates to continue to the election period and secure a spot on the ballot. Currently nominations are being collected in person on paper, where students are asked to provide their full name, CWID, Stevens email, and signature. Candidates are required to get signatures from at least 5% of the undergraduate student body. With an estimated student population of 4,200, this means each candidate needs roughly 210 signatures to officially run. In SGA presidential elections, candidates run as pairs, consisting of a presidential candidate and a Vice President of Operations (VPO) candidate. The winning pair will appoint a full cabinet which includes the
SEE U.S. PAGE 2
SEE SGA PAGE 2
STUDENTS VOTING EARLY AT HOBOKEN CITY HALL, COURTESY OF @STEVENSSTUDENTS ON INSTAGRAM
U.S. Election: Trump triumphs again; Andy Kim wins NJ Senate seat; Local rent proposal rejected BY BEN KNOBLOCH, NEWS EDITOR Election results were rolling in on the morning of Wednesday, November 6 from across the country as American voters cast their ballots for a vast array of offices at all levels of government. In Hoboken, residents weighed in on everything from the presidential race to a local referendum on rent control. Capping a dramatic and tumultuous race, Donald
Trump defeated Kamala Harris to be elected 47th President of the United States, sweeping the nation’s swing states and achieving an unexpectedly comfortable margin of victory. This makes Trump the first person since Grover Cleveland in 1892 to be elected to a nonconsecutive presidential term, and marks an unprecedented comeback for the businessman and celebrity-turned politician. Also on the ticket is JD Vance, who will become the 50th
Vice President of the United States and, at 40 years old, one of its youngest ever. Although Vice President Harris had not conceded the race as of Wednesday morning, Trump was projected to win both the Electoral College and the national popular vote by the Associated Press and other major news organizations. Harris won the New Jersey vote by a margin of 51.2% to Trump’s 46.9%. In New Jersey, Democratic nominee Andy Kim
Clery Act notice reveals sexual assault outside Castle Point Hall BY MADISON HELLER, STAFF WRITER Campus was shaken a couple of weeks ago by an email that was sent out by Stevens Campus Police regarding a crime that had occurred on campus. On October 27, a female student was sexually assaulted by an unknown man while walking on campus at around 2:20 a.m. She was walking at 9th Street and Castle Point Terrace when he approached the student on an electric bike and groped her. The man then followed the student up 9th street and down Wittpenn Walk, where he continued to pursue her until she entered her Harries Tower residence building. According to the police who reviewed the security footage, the man had been lurking and hiding on campus prior to his assault on the student. The same footage revealed an earlier encounter that night, which was suspicious but did not escalate to an assault. The three other female students had joined as a group and moved quickly to get away from the man. This is not the first time incidents like this have happened in Hoboken. Over the summer, there was an incident in which a man, also on an electric bike, sexually NEWS (2-3)
Elections Learn about the results of the 2024 Presidential elections, the newest changes in Senate and rejected proposed Hoboken amendments. FEATURE (4-5)
Stevens Serves and Charity Quests Discover the best ways to volunteer Hoboken
SSB hosts CRAFT Advisory New Jersey wildfires surge amid worsening Board showing FinTech investment in education drought conditions assaulted multiple women in different places around Hoboken. These incidents happened in late July and involved at least three different women being groped by this individual in the span of one hour, though in this instance, in broad daylight rather than at night. While it remains unclear whether the man responsible for these incidents was apprehended, it is known to be a different actor than the man responsible for the incident on campus on October 27. The student body was alerted to the assault in accordance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, commonly known as the Clery Act, as required by federal law. The act takes its name in memory of Jeanne Clery, a student at Lehigh University, who was raped and murdered in 1986. The law, enacted in 1990, mandates that any criminal activity on or near campus be reported directly to students. Its intention is to disclose information and warn the campus community when there is a risk to public safety, allowing students to respond accordingly to keep themselves and others safe.
SEE CLERY PAGE 3 SCIENCE (6)
Trees going extinct? Ecoli in McDonalds? Implantable sensors? See what’s going on in the world of science. PULSE (10)
Read answers from the Stevens community to our weekly Roving Reporter, plus solve our weekly puzzle and sudoku.
BY EVAN PAPAGEORGE, HEAD COPY EDITOR
On October 22 and 23, the School of Business recently hosted the 7th Industry Advisory Board Meeting for the Center for Research Toward Advancing Financial Technologies (CRAFT). This unique platform unites leaders from academia and industry. This collaboration is instrumental in advancing financial technology innovation, as demonstrated by this two-day event. It underscored CRAFT’s commitment to merging academic rigor with real-world industry insights to tackle some
of the fintech sector’s most pressing challenges. The meeting’s attendees included notable figures from the University of Cambridge, BNY Mellon, and innovation powerhouse Plug and Play. The agenda offered a mix of keynote addresses, presentations, and interactive panel discussions highlighting the center’s latest research and the dynamic collaboration between academia and industry. Topics ranged from cutting-edge fintech applications to the vital interplay between financial technology and climate sustainability. An area
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BY JEREMIAH CHINWENDU, MANAGING EDITOR
The New Jersey Forest Fire Service estimates that an average of 1,500 wildfires occur in the state of NJ every year, destroying 7,000 acres of forest. These wildfires not only damage the ecosystem but also impact the lives of those who own homes in regions where these fires are the most prevalent. The trend continued this year during the month of October, in which several hundred wildfires were reported across the Garden State. The weather has been a major factor in the prevalence of
wildfires, as most of the state has reported no rain for several weeks. First responders and other personnel work to mitigate the fires and help those affected. In recent weeks, the National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for the weather conditions across the state. This warning is issued when “the combination of dry fuels and weather conditions support extreme fire danger.” This warning is meant to let land and fire managers know of an increased risk of a wildfire in a certain area. The drought that has
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Another water main break disrupts campus operations BY MADISON HELLER, STAFF WRITER On October 29 at 8:12 a.m., the Stevens community was notified by the Rave Alert mass notification system, and later by the Office of the Registrar, of a water main break in Hoboken that had caused service disruption on lower campus, affecting all buildings south of the Schaefer Center. As a result, all daytime classes that began at 10 a.m. or later were moved online for the day, and the restroom facil-
ities in all affected buildings and dorms were deemed non-functional until further notice. By 10:38 a.m. the water pressure was returned to normal. On-campus evening classes resumed at 6:30 p.m., and facilities were restored in all affected buildings. Over the past few years, Stevens has frequently experienced issues with water main breaks on both the upper and lower sections of campus. In one February 2023 incident, Stevens urged all students who were
able to leave Hoboken to do so as soon as possible due to a prolonged water main break affecting campus. Water mains are large underground pipes that supply water to a region and are typically buried under streets to protect them from damage. They are connected to smaller distribution lines and maintain pressure to provide a continuous supply of water. Water main breaks often occur in areas with older infrastructure and occur when water pressure in pipes becomes too strong
due to various reasons, causing a rupture or leakage that leads to water loss and low water pressure. Responsibility for maintaining the water mains lies with the city of Hoboken rather than with Stevens. Within Hoboken’s Drinking Water Infrastructure System alone, there are over 41 miles of water main pipes, many over 100 years old. In 2018, the city launched a Water Main Replacement Program as a proactive project to replace
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