The student newspaper of Stevens Institute of Technology, and creator of Attila the Duck. www.thestute.com TikTok @thestute Instagram @thestute facebook.com/stevensthestute
It’s March already???
We write Stevens history VOLUME CXXI No. 19
HOBOKEN, NJ | MARCH 1, 2024
NEW STUTE EVERY FRIDAY • EST. 1904
What’s all the buzz around DuckLink’s messaging system?
Recent issues in the RA program BEN KNOBLOCH, NEWS EDITOR
made of steel and contain LED lights. There are a total of ten dandelions on display throughout the pier. The lights will be off during the day, but will transform into a colorful spectacle of light at night. A goal of the Hoboken Business Alliance in curating this art piece was to “activate the Hoboken waterfront and Sinatra Drive, as well as the area around Hoboken’s key Ninth Street/ Congress Street Light Rail Station.” An additional motive, according to the Hoboken Business Alliance, was to foster a greater shared
The Resident Assistant (RA) program, which has employed students for years to provide community support and safety services to on-campus residents, has been experiencing turbulence in recent weeks. Returning RAs have had to face long waits to learn of their renewal statuses, while new applicants have experienced a series of issues and mistakes as they attempt to enter the program. RAs staff each floor of first-campus housing and the UCC towers and, in exchange for their services, are provided housing and dining plans for no extra charge. Every year, returning RAs must reapply before the selection of new RAs is chosen. The process is very selective and involves multiple rounds of info sessions, applications, and interviews, with applicants expected to demonstrate strong social skills and academic qualifications to make the cut. This year, the process stretched unusually late relative to the upperclassman housing application. The mandatory information session for interested students took place more than three months ago, on November 15, and applications were
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SEE RA PAGE 2
MADISON HELLER, CONTRIBUTING REPORTER “According to all known laws of aviation, there is no way a bee should be able to fly....” These recognizable lines are, as many know, the opening lines to 2007’s The Bee Movie. These same words were what greeted the entire undergraduate body on February 13 at 4:33 p.m., courtesy of first-year mathematics major William Lee. Lee proceeded to send the script of the aforementioned movie, line by line, in dozens of messages that finally concluded at 4:48 p.m. The 13,767-word script was spread through the chat feature available to any on-campus group on the new DuckLink site — specifically, through the Undergraduate Student Life group all 4,821 students are automatically subscribed to. Though the entire exchange has now been scrubbed from the group, and thus the ability to send campus-wide messages re-
SEE BUZZ PAGE 2
ABBY JACOBS FOR THE STUTE
Electric dandelions come to Hoboken BY TANYA AVADIA, BUSINESS MANAGER The traveling art installation Electric Dandelions has officially arrived in Hoboken and was unveiled this past Friday, February 23, at the Hoboken waterfront. The Electric Dandelions project was an initiative by the Hoboken Business Alliance as part of their commitment to “creating a vibrant and dynamic atmosphere for residents and visitors of the city to enjoy.” The art installations, depicting large dandelions of multicolored light, can be enjoyed by all of the city’s
residents and visitors until Friday, May 24. To see the art installations, it is best to take a stroll across the Hoboken waterfront, specifically Pier A Park and the Monroe Center Plaza, at night time. The LED lights shining from the Electric Dandelions against the backdrop of the New York City skyline make for some amazing pictures and a mesmerizing experience. These Electric Dandelions aren’t the first artistic venture undertaken by the Hoboken Business Alliance. The organization was also responsible for a collection of small stained art houses
that popped up around the city. Those stained glass houses were created via a collaboration between the Hoboken Business Alliance and Tom Fruin, a Brooklyn-based artist. The Hoboken-based organization wanted to continue this tradition of outdoor artwork and opted for a mesmerizing display of large light structures lining the waterfront. The giant sculptures that make up the art display are the work of artist Abram Santa Cruz and Liquid PXL, a Los Angeles-based art collective. The dandelion structures are 28 feet tall and are
Kevin Grunder Ep. to help keep people warm SEAN ANDERSON, If you were walking through the rest of win- leaving STAFF WRITER through the UCC Plaza on ter. Anthony Frisolone, the To continue their practice February 16, you may have Vice President of Learning Assistant of community engagement noticed a group of students Community for Sig Ep and and involvement, Sigma Phi set up at a table at the top of an organizer for this event, Director Epsilon New Jersey Alpha the stairs. In a joint effort by reported the results: In toLC Chapter has taken part in Sig Ep and APO, a clothing tal, seven garbage bags full for FSL hosting philanthropy events drive was set up between of clothes were collected Sig Ep charity events: clothing drive, open show, and more
on campus throughout this semester. Philanthropy is an integral part of this fraternity as it is a prerequisite for being a balanced man, a quality emphasized by Sig
11 a.m. and 4 p.m., during which members of the Stevens community could come to donate clothes, including pants, shirts, coats, and hats, and any other attire
leading it to be a major success. Afterward, the clothing was distributed to those in need, including some going
question how many and how often menstrual product dispensers are stocked. While all-gender restrooms align with inclusivity, they represent “quick fixes” to a historic record of gender imbalance and lingering disparity 50 years after Stevens admitted the first 19 women out of 387 students in the class of 1971. Among the women’s and all-gender single-serve restrooms on campus, the buildings Morton, Burchard, Edwin A. Stevens, and the UCC were stocked with products in at least one restroom.
Kevin Grunder Jr. joined Stevens in December of 2021 and his final day was February 23. As Assistant Director for Fraternity and Sorority Life in the Office of Student Life, Grunder served as an advisor to 22 Greek-lettered social organizations, three governing councils, and two programmatic councils. Here he led efforts in risk management, social events, and hazing prevention, along with spearheading Primary Recruitment for the three governing councils of these organizations. Grunder earned his bachelor’s degree in public relations and theater studies from Rider University, where he was part of Sigma Phi Epsilon and served on Rider’s Greek Council. During this time, he received the Frank J. Ruck Leadership Award through this fraternity. He then went on to earn a Master of Arts
SEE PERIOD PAGE 3
SEE FSL PAGE 2
SEE SIGEP PAGE 2
“That time of the month”: student-led initiative combats period poverty and stigma surrounding menstruation The average menstruating person spends about $20 on period products per cycle, totaling about $18,000 over their lifetime. Period poverty is a term used to describe when people cannot afford the menstrual products they need for their cycle in which insecurity is structurally rooted within systems of inequity and oppression. Period poverty is compounded by the pink tax, which categorizes tampons, pads, and diva cups as luxury items subject to tax and excludes
them from purchasing with welfare benefits such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Cultural taboos and stigma frame menstruation as an unsanitary narrative that works to remove menstrual equity from the perception of general wellness, reflected in the symbolic on-campus menstrual product dispensers that are mounted yet remain empty. On campus, the disproportionate ratio of men’s to women’s restrooms on campus doesn’t go unnoticed by the 30% of Stevens’ female-identifying student body and calls into
NEWS (2-3)
SCIENCE (6)
TIANNA SPITZ, OPINION COLUMNIST
New Hoboken art installation The Electric Dandelions were lit up on February 23rd and will be a bright and colorful short-term feature of Pier A and the Monroe Center Plaza. FEATURE (4)
Adulting 101 Learn about credit cards, off-campus housing options, how to cook, and student discounts.
Autoimmune diseases? Hot weather and locusts? Satellite hitting earth? Read about 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 crossword puzzle and sudoku.
ARIANNA GEHAN, CONTRIBUTOR
Chief Griffin praises campus police’s new wheels BEN KNOBLOCH, NEWS EDITOR The Stevens Campus Police Department has begun its familiar patrols around Castle Point in new style: four brand-new Dodge Durangos have partially replaced the existing fleet of squad cars, and are intended to improve the preparedness and efficiency of the department. Evan Papageorge from The Stute spoke with Chief of Police Timothy Griffin to learn more. Ordered in April 2023
with an expected shipping date of October or November of the same year, the new cars didn’t arrive until this month. They were worth the wait, however, according to Chief Griffin: the vehicles boast new features that will improve the ability of department members to operate reliably and effectively across campus. A camera viewing system allows officers to remotely view campus camera feeds, and office work infrastructure allows them to com-
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Snow and cold postpone Palmer project EVAN PAPAGEORGE, OPINION EDITOR Construction scrims now enclose the east side of Palmer Hall as the building’s new plaza takes shape, promising to revitalize the area and enhance the campus experience for students, faculty, and the public who enjoy the greenery and views of campus. This endeavor, part of a broader campus beautification initiative, aims to breathe new life into the surroundings of the first-year dormitory. Scheduled for comple-
tion in late March, the project has encountered its fair share of challenges, primarily dictated by the unpredictable whims of weather. Kurt Wagner, Senior Project Manager of Campus Infrastructure and Engineering, shed light on the intricacies of the endeavor. He explained that the concrete work for the fountain foundation and decorative masonry work necessitates sustained above-freezing temperatures, thus rendering the construction time-
SEE PALMER PAGE 2