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We write Stevens history VOLUME CXX No. 22
HOBOKEN, NJ | APRIL 14, 2023
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
Techfest Performers Announced! Peach Tree Rascals, Sofie Lopez, Butane, and Dale BY KAYDEN CANNILLA, OUTREACH CHAIR
PHOTO COURTESY OF JEFF VOCK
STEVENS DRAMATIC SOCIETY’S
THE PROM
BY NICOLE GIARDINO, LAYOUT EDITOR Last week, the Stevens Dramatic Society (SDS) presented their highly anticipated 2023 Spring Musical, The Prom, with performances held at the DeBaun Auditorium from March 30 to April 1. Despite unforeseeable external obstacles that nearly made the show impossible to put on, the cast and crew pushed through
to make their show’s run an overwhelming success. The sudden illness of Carly Teitelbaum (Dee Dee Allen) and Luke Magette (Nick) a week before the show led to the entire show being reblocked with understudies as a precaution in case the two did not recover in time for opening night. Fortunately, the two recovered in time, and they were able to perform in their respective roles as planned. With the recent water main break
SAVE hosts What’s Earth Day Stevensevent Connect? BY EVAN PAPAGEORGE, OPINION EDITOR
ADVAIT DANTULURI, STAFF WRITER
Every year, the world comes together to celebrate something important to everyone: the world itself! Earth Day, which is on April 22 of each year, is a day that celebrates the Earth and advocates for awareness of climate change and other environmental causes. Here at Stevens, there are many ways to be more involved in protecting the Earth. One upcoming way for students to help the environment is through an event run by the Sustainability, Activism, Volunteering, & Engineering Club (SAVE). The event is scheduled to take place on Palmer Lawn from 1 to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, April 19. It will be filled with many fun activities including food, lawn games, music and record painting, slime-making, tote-bag painting, and houseplant potting. Additionally, there will be raffles available for students to make small donations to have a chance at many prizes. All proceeds will go to the Nature Conservancy Earth Day Match Fund, an international non-profit, environmental protection organization
What is StevensConnect, the software recently launched by Stevens? According to an email sent out by the service’s new address, StevensConnect is a resource that allows Stevens students to interface with experienced alumni, join all kinds of groups, and learn about the different career paths a student can take. It is a reliable way for students to form all kinds of connections and make decisions on possible future career paths, in a manner very similar to websites like LinkedIn and the Handshake app. StevensConnect stands out from those, however, by allowing students to connect better with people that have experience studying at Stevens and know the ups and downs of navigating the workforce. When students log in, they will be asked a series of questions that can help StevensConnect determine the right alumni and resources for each user. At the Home page, students are given the option to explore career paths, connect with people that are able to help with others, and watch videos from
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SEE CONNECT PAGE 2
NEWS (2-3)
SCIENCE (6)
SDS’s The Prom, Techfest Performers, and more Read about the new mobile duckcards and The Stute’s investigation into Beta Theta Pi’s Probation status. FEATURE (4-5)
LGBTQ+ Community and Admitted Students Weekend! Find out how Stevens celebrates it’s current and incoming students.
Learn more about the psychology behind the phrase “I bet you can’t...” and when lying can actually be beneficial. PULSE (12)
Read answers from the Stevens community to our weekly Roving Reporter, plus solve our weekly puzzle and sudoku.
disrupting a week of rehearsals, alongside an additional week off for spring break, the cast and crew had to work overtime to get everything show-ready in time for opening night. The Prom revolves around a high school senior from Indiana, Emma Nolan played by Kiera Kennedy, a teenage lesbian who wishes to attend her school’s senior prom with her girlfriend, Alyssa Greene, played by Anusha Qaisar, as her plus
one. Out of their homophobic rhetoric, their town quickly riots against the couple, ultimately leading to the entire prom being canceled. Four washed-up, narcissistic Broadway stars stumble upon this story on Twitter, and decide to take on this project for an “act of service” in an attempt to regain their lost humility and restore their reputation. The four, Dee Dee Allen,
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Governor Phil Murphy announced as commencement speaker BY EVAN PAPAGEORGE, OPINION EDITOR As part of any graduation-day ceremonies, the commencement is always a highly anticipated part of the proceedings. Part of that, the commencement speaker stands a key part of the ceremony. This year, as nearly 2,800 students’ degrees are conferred, the largest pool in Stevens history, the commencement speaker will be none other than the Governor of New Jersey, Phil Murphy. Governor Phil Murphy, born in 1957, was elected Governor of New Jersey in 2018 following a career of excellence across disciplines. After working for over 20 years with Goldman Sachs, he became the American Ambassador to Germany under President Obama. This year, he also holds the position of chair of the National Governors Association. His policies range from mental health awareness to the protection of communities, like immigrants and LGBQTIA+. In his time as governor, he has led New Jersey to have more green energy and to be more environmentally friendly, while at the same time introducing many new companies to diversify the economy of New Jersey. In an article from Stevens, President Farvardin offers in-
sight into the selection and honor of selecting Governor Murphy as the commencement speaker. He explains, “At Stevens, we are in lockstep with the governor’s efforts to expand the innovation economy in New Jersey, to reverse the ‘brain drain’ that exports talented students out of state for college and careers and to improve mental health and wellness, especially among young populations. It is a distinct honor that our graduates, poised to begin a new chapter in their lives, will hear a keynote address from a leader who has distinguished himself in the state, national and international arena. I look forward to celebrating the achievements of our students, faculty and staff with Gov. Murphy.” As 71% of the Stevens students graduating this semester will be employed in or around the New Jersey area, the successes and work of Governor Murphy will directly affect many of the students conferring their degrees. As Stevens welcomes their next generation of graduates, Governor Murphy will also be conferred an honorary doctor of business administration degree. On what will surely be a celebratory day, Governor Murphy will give a welcoming commencement address as the Stevens graduates begin their lives.
Stevens’ largest event for the Spring semester is on Saturday, April 29th on Palmer Lawn, from 5 to 9 p.m. There will be giveaways, raffles, food, and activities. Student entrepreneurs. artists, designers, and writers will have their goods on display at the Duck Market during the first half of the event, along with a variety of activities. These include inflatables, games, souvenirs, a photobooth, and other fun surprises. Student performers Sofie Lopez, Butane, and Dale will take to the stage throughout the night, starting shortly after 5 p.m. Closing out the night will be our headliner Peach Tree Rascals, best known for their breakout 2019 hit “Mariposa.” The Stute will continue to collaborate with the Entertainment Committee (EC) and the student performers in the lead up to Techfest, and a brief introduction to some of the performers is as follows. Sofie Lopez (she/they) is a Music and Technology (M&T) major who sings and plays piano, guitar, and ukulele. They describe music as an integral part of their life, “I started piano lessons when I was 9 and began vocal lessons a year after that. It was the only extracur-
ricular I ever gravitated to, and I loved the expressiveness and creativity of it.” Lopez is influenced by artists like dodie, Billie Eilish, and The Drums, and describes her sound as similar to Phoebe Bridgers and Clairo. Butane was formed in Fall 2022 and has been playing gigs in the NYC area for the past several months. The group is made up of five Stevens students: founder Jack McDermott (CPE 4/4) on guitar, Alec Pagano (M&T 4/4) on rhythm guitar, Michael Hoovler (M&T 3/4) on lead vocals, Mark Huggins (M&T 3/4) on keyboard, Sam Sherwood (M&T 3/4) on bass, and Jack Piccirillo (M&T 3/4) on drums. Their influences include The Backseat Lovers, Hozier, John Mayer, Ween, and Led Zeppelin. They describe themselves as “a proto neo soul occult blue collar emo indie boy band from Hoboken, NJ” and have just released their first song “Credit,” available everywhere. Peach Tree Rascals formed in 2018, composed of five Bay Area Californians, singer-rappers Isaac Pech, Tarrek Abdel-Khaliq, Joseph Barros, producer Dominic Pizano and creative director Jorge Olazaba. Their music is characterized by beachy melodies, introspective rap-singing, and a blend of pop, R&B, and indie rock.
How do Mobile DuckCards really work? BY BENJAMIN KNOBLOCH, NEWS EDITOR Stevens has announced that the DuckCard system will be transitioning to a mobile model, allowing students to use their smartphone’s ecard functionality around campus instead of carrying physical plastic cards. However, the initial release from the Department of Information Technology and DuckCard Office left a number of questions unanswered. Just what are the intricacies of the new system, what kinds of changes are being made around campus to accommodate it, and what do Stevens students think about it all? Many students have already set up their Mobile DuckCards through the Transact eAccounts App, and Stevens has told The Stute that all readers around campus should now be tap-enabled. However, according to students who spoke with The Stute, the DuckCard Office policies surrounding this transition are unclear. Although Mobile DuckCards currently operate in conjunction with the existing plastic cards, Stevens has told The Stute that this is only a transitory protocol until May 31. “During the
rollout of Mobile DuckCard, Plastic DuckCards were kept enabled to serve as a backup option in case anyone encountered issues with their Mobile DuckCard, device, or card readers,” said Tej Patel, Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer for the university. “However, soon, plastic DuckCards will be disabled for individuals who have an active Mobile DuckCard. The upcoming update to the Transact software will introduce a tool that will automatically disable plastic cards when a Mobile DuckCard is created.” To even use the new system, however, requires that a student have a modern smartphone with near field communication (NFC) capabilities, which is what allows contactless mobile payment services like Apple Pay to work. iPhones predating the iPhone 6, as well as many more modern non-Apple devices, lack the hardware necessary for contactless payment. If you don’t know if your smartphone is NFC-enabled, reference this list to find out. According to Mr. Patel and Oscar Hernandez, Operations Coordinator for the DuckCard Office, Stevens will work with such stu-
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