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Happy Spring Break!
We write Stevens history VOLUME CXXI No. 20
HOBOKEN, NJ | MARCH 8, 2024
NEW STUTE EVERY FRIDAY • EST. 1904
Breaking down the upcoming Student Activity Fee increase EVAN PAPAGEORGE, OPINION EDITOR While education is the priority of attending a university, many students spend much of their time with student organizations, club sports, and other on-campus events. The funding for this part of the university experience comes from a small fraction of tuition and fees called the Student Activity Fee (SAF). Per an announcement from the Student Government Association (SGA) and the Office of Student Affairs, the SAF will begin to increase starting in Fall 2024. The process of increasing the SAF started in December 2023 when the SGA cabinet drafted a formal proposal. In order to pass this bill, two senate meetings must be held to allow SGA senators to read and vote on the proposal. In order to get the proposal approved in time for the Board of Trustees meeting on February 13, an emergency senate meeting was held on January 9 to read the proposal and it was then approved at a regularly scheduled senate meeting on January 21. Once voted on by the senate, the proposal was sent to the Office of Student Life and Division of Student Affairs who reviewed and forwarded it to the Division of Finance for approval. It was lastly vot-
ed on and approved by the 40 members of the Board of Trustees. The last change to the SAF was in the 2015-2016 academic year when it decreased from $245 to $230. The new increase will raise the SAF to $325 and will happen gradually over the next two years to help ease the upfront cost to students. Effective Fall 2024, the SAF will be $275 per semester and then fully increased to $325 in Fall 2025. Each student’s SAF contributes to the SGA’s Student Activity Fund, managed by their budget committee. The current fund is modeled on $230 per student times 4000 students, resulting in an estimated $920,000. While maintaining the same amount of students for the purpose of this model, the total increase will result in an estimated $1,300,000 in the fund. The total $95 increase is broken down into three segments to explain the benefits to the student body. The first $67.50 “onetime inflationary increase” will match the SAF to current inflation levels, taking reference from the United States Department of Labor and the cost of Founder's Day Ball tickets. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ CPI Inflation
SEE SAF PAGE 2
New multipurpose building to replace Davis by 2032 MADISON HELLER, CONTRIBUTING REPORTER
setlist and it’s hanging up in my room at home,” she commented. “More than anything, I’m happy that my band’s performance and my songs connected with people.” The Techfest opening slot is highly coveted among Stevens performers, and last year there was turmoil over the winners of the competition. The bands that received the most votes in 2023 were Sofie Lopez, Water Damage, Butane, and Dale. Water Damage received the second most votes, but “due to unfore-
Davis Hall's days are numbered. In the most recent report on the university's 10-year strategic plan, there is a line item on page 74 about Davis Hall, the first-year dormitory building across from Morton Hall, and its imminent replacement. Rumors about Davis' future have been circulating for weeks prior to the announcement following hesitance on the initial placement of RAs in Davis. Though Residential and Dining Services initially rebuked the claim, an upcoming renovation seems possible in the next few years. This has been leaving many students concerned over the implications of this decision and wondering what will take the beloved dorm's place. Davis is currently planned to be replaced by another new tower, described officially as a "multipurpose building" and which is currently in the design phase. This one appears to be best described as a hybrid between the current residential towers
SEE BOTB PAGE 2
SEE DAVIS PAGE 2
PHOTOS COURTESY OF RAFAEL LEE LI
Battle of the Bands 2024 BY KAYDEN CANNILLA, OUTREACH CHAIR Battle of the Bands 2024 is taking place on Sunday, March 24 at 7 p.m. in the Bissinger Room. This event is a showcase of student bands and the winners have the opportunity to open for Techfest 2024, the biggest Entertainment Committee campus event of the year. The audience at Battle of the Bands votes on their favorite student acts and the top three winners become Techfest openers. The winner of Battle of the Bands 2023, Sofie Lopez, described their
experience as “so fun and fulfilling,” and one of their favorite performances as a band together. The band members consist of sister and brother Sofia and Brandon Lopez, and Stevens students Diego Ramirez, Brandt Ryan, Kiera Kennedy. Techfest was the first time Sofia had performed her original songs for a large and engaged audience like Techfest. It was a rewarding and memorable experience, and long hours were put into rehearsing, publicizing the show, and making matching shirts for the band's members. “We all signed a copy of our
Advisory School rankings: PATH has new TAPP system boards give Why your voice matters The first rounds of tester button. Before TAPP, the MEGHANA ing for the TAPP system PATH only accepted MetMAMADAPUR, ties do not allow their stuJEREMIAH rocards or the Smartlink started at the PATH station students STAFF WRITER dents’ input to factor into card. Metrocards cost one on 33rd Street, with the CHINWENDU, their ranking, only using After many years of dollar per purchase, plus other in Journal Square. a voice CONTRIBUTOR statistics about outcomes, EVAN PAPAGEORGE, OPINION EDITOR
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A school’s reputation can be impacted by many factors, including the happiness and performance of its students and return on investment. Ranking systems like the ones seen in the College Pulse Survey and Wall Street Journal (WSJ) exist to give the public an idea of how well universities compare to each other either in terms of experience and the quality and rigor of the programs offered. Where a school ranks in systems like these has a major impact on the lives of those attending, as well as those willing to attend or invest in the school moving forward. Kristen Daily of the Division of University Relations spoke to The Stute on the importance of school rankings and why they should be taken seriously. Stevens is encouraging current students and recent alumni to participate in the College Pulse survey and give their perspectives on their experiences. This is highly encouraged because, “the survey results, along with publicly available data on student outcomes, determine the WSJ/College Pulse ranking, due to be published in September.” Other well-known universi-
NEWS (2-3)
SCIENCE (6)
Within the four schools at Stevens, each offers a unique opportunity for students to participate actively in their education: a student advisory board. An advisory board is a group of students who work with the school to offer insight and feedback and act as a line of communication between the academic administration and the student body. While some differences exist between the schools and their boards, all boards work together to ensure a better academic experience for all students. The Stute spoke with Dean’s advisory members from the schools of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (HASS) and Engineering and Science (SES) to learn about these boards. One of the significant differences between the advisory boards, specifically the SES one, is that SES has an advisory board for each department that then sends a representative to the board for the entire school. For example, the Civil, Environmental,
The SAF is being raised Here's all the current information about why this change is occuring and, the process of initiating this increase, and what the future will look like. FEATURE (4)
Disability Awareness Month Learn about wheelchair accessibility on campus, in Hoboken, and NYC and universal design.
Odysseys Lunar Landing? Women spreading words? Long-lasting allergies? 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 puzzle and sudoku.
standardized test scores, and existing reputation to determine their ranking. By allowing the experiences and opinions of students and alumni to factor into the ranking, Stevens’ survey enables the voice of the community to directly impact its ranking among other institutions. Since these surveys play such a large role in the ranking of the school, “it is important to have a wide variety of students and alumni participate. The more students and alumni participate, the greater student experience will factor into Stevens’ rank in the WSJ/College Pulse rankings.” These rankings impact how people view and interact with the school, which has the potential to have a major impact on the lives of prospective students. There are many direct and indirect impacts that the ranking of the university will impact both the students and those affiliated. “Rankings play a crucial role in shaping a university's visibility, perceived quality, and competitive advantage, influencing factors like recruitment,
SEE RANK PAGE 3
purchasing physical cards, PATH riders can now use TAPP to access trains. TAPP is a contactless payment form, allowing for tickets to be purchased through Apple Pay or a card with just a tap of a phone. TAPP stands for “Total Access PATH Payment,” and is similar to MTA’s OMNY system. Customers can pay the PATH fare through the digital wallets on their phones, which can be conveniently accessed by double-clicking on the pow-
$2.75 per ride. Balance can be added to the card in person at a Metrocard machine until the expiration date. On the other hand, Smartlink cards can be ordered online and refilled online. The card has to be bought at $50 minimum with prepaid trips, whereas the Metrocard can be purchased as low as $3.75. In the long run, the Smartlink is cheaper per ride and does not expire, making it the preferred choice for frequent commuters.
This was implemented in December 2023 with hopes of increasing customer convenience. The system appears to be going well so far, meaning more TAPP systems should appear in all PATH stations. Smartlink and Metrocards can still be used shortly afterward to help ease the transition. The entire process is being done by Cubic, the same firm that created Smartlink, Metrocard, and OMNY. In 2021,
SEE TAPP PAGE 3
Report marks first year of "Stevens 2032" BEN KNOBLOCH, NEWS EDITOR Students, staff, and faculty have received an 81page update on Stevens 2032: Inspired by Humanity, Powered by Technology, the university's second 10year agenda to improve the reputation and academic output of Castle Point. Announced to the student body by President Farvardin, the Strategic Plan Progress Report highlights changing metrics in a number of areas important to the administration over the period of July 2022 to June 2023.
The full report covers different aspects of the university, such as student experience, research programs, diversity efforts, and cultural and student life initiatives. The last 10year plan, which concluded last year, achieved or exceeded many of Stevens' official goals in these areas and rose significantly in prominent national college rankings. It remains to be seen whether Stevens can maintain its momentum in building research and student success and accruing reputational heft. The report points to the development of a new sig-
nature core curriculum, among other recent projects, in the section examining the undergraduate student experience in the past year. Called "Essential Skills for Success," the new course series is intended to include academic courses, entrepreneurial courses, and a "first-year experience" course mandatory for students across all majors. Additionally, there are now eight living-learning communities operating across on-campus housing. Applications increased to 14,170 from 12,500, and
SEE REPORT PAGE 3