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What do you call a small pepper in the fall? A little chili! Enjoy the 3-day weekend!
We write Stevens history HOBOKEN, NJ |OCTOBER 11, 2024
VOLUME CXXI No. 6
NEW STUTE EVERY FRIDAY • EST. 1904
DuckCard Office requires choice between mobile and physical cards BY ARTHUR SERRA, MANAGING EDITOR At Stevens, student IDs, referred to as “DuckCards” have evolved over time. In Spring 2023, mobile DuckCards were introduced, and students, faculty, and staff who received physical DuckCards had the option to register a mobile phone DuckCard. This changed with the incoming Class of 2027, who were not issued physical cards as the mobile version was phased in as the default option. Until recently, mobile cards and physical cards could be used simultaneously for those who have both. The administration terminated the ability to use both physical and mobile cards on October 1. Students, faculty, and staff needed to choose between using a physical card or a mobile card going forward. For many years now, universities across the country have been using new technology, such as RFID scanners, to digitize cards. Using RFID scanners to allow entrance into buildings, subtract meal swipes, and a host of other uses has streamlined many processes on the back end of administering a large school. With the proliferation of smartphones and the continued digitization of life, institutions like Stevens have been able to offer
mobile IDs that are part of a student’s digital wallet. When asked why students must now choose between a physical and mobile card, the DuckCard Office cited several reasons. Firstly, having both physical and mobile DuckCards in use makes it “difficult to integrate both types of cards seamlessly.” Secondly, there are security issues with each student having two pieces of identification. “Physical cards can be lost, stolen, or shared with others, while mobile cards may be vulnerable to hacking if not adequately protected.” Finally, everyone using the same system will streamline “production, maintenance, and support” as well as promote “a unified approach with enhanced features and security.” Although not specifically mentioned by the office, there are a few well-known—among students—issues with the physical cards and having access to both. During the 2023-24 school year, after mobile DuckCards were introduced, those living in the UCC Residential Towers would commonly give their physical cards to friends who did not live in the towers to avoid checking them in and wasting time. This
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SGA fills Senate, achieving President’s goal BY ARTHUR SERRA, MANAGING EDITOR
RAFAEL LEE LI FOR THE STUTE
The 2024 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report shows more awareness and violations BY EVAN PAPAGEORGE, HEAD COPY EDITOR The Stevens Police Department recently released its 2024 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report, which offers critical insights into the university’s ongoing commitment to maintaining a safe campus environment. The report covers crime statistics for 2021-2023 and also outlines comprehensive safety protocols, crime prevention
initiatives, and fire safety measures. The report emphasizes Stevens’ dedication to transparency by presenting detailed statistics on various crimes occurring within the campus’s Clery geography, including crimes such as burglary, motor vehicle theft, and instances of sexual misconduct. The report reflects a slight increase in reported incidents, particularly in cases related to sexual assault, with a spike from zero to four stalking
incidents, a trend observed across many university campuses nationwide, according to one article. Additionally, there was an exponential increase in alcohol violations, jumping from 16 to 115 in just one year. Stevens Campus Police, staffed with 23 armed officers certified by the New Jersey Police Training Commission, provides 24/7 security across the campus. They work closely with lo-
For the first time in years, the Student Government Association (SGA) has a full Senate, with all seats filled across all schools. Since COVID, the Senate has generally been filled to roughly two-thirds capacity. Facing similar continuity problems to many other student organizations in the wake of the pandemic, fewer students were interested in serving, while the size of the Senate was in constant flux. One of SGA President Nicholas Smith’s main goals for his administration was to bring the SGA to its full capacity and make its races more competitive. To do so, he created an Assistant Vice President of Recruiting (AVPR) position, which was filled by Riyana Phadke. Although efforts were made in the Spring 2024 semester, such as by sending SGA officials to visit first-year CAL 105 classes to drum up interest, the true payoff didn’t come until this semester, when enough students ran for Senate to
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Stevens opens a new ‘GO Blue’ Center NATIONAL NEWS Major updates for for marine energy devlopment Vance and Walz face off in Workday only Vice Presidential debate Financials vember 5 election. MADISON HELLER, OPINION COLUMNIST
JOSEPHINE CHOONG, STAFF WRITER
The Divisions of Finance and Information Technology released the latest updates on Workday Financials, is a project designed to modernize Stevens’ financial operations. With the successful completion of design sessions, it signals the end of the Architect & Configure stage. Workday Financials aims to integrate essential functions into a single Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. Connecting financial transactions directly to the same environments as Workday Human Capital Management (HCM) and Student modules improves efficiency and simplifies the financial process. The integration will enable better decision-making, streamline manual processes, and create a more user-friendly experience for the entire Stevens campus. Workday Financials is expected to go live in the summer of 2025 and marks the end of Stevens’ wider Workday inte-
EXISTING DAVIDSON LAB LED BY MUHAMMAD HAJJ, PHOTO COURTESY OF STEVENS.EDU
RIYANA PHADKE, SCIENCE EDITOR
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Stevens Institute of Technology, along with the University of Michigan and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, have been approved to be founding partners for a new Industry-University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC) by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The IUCRC aims to develop marine energy resources, working closely with industry partners to develop and patent innovations involving wind, wave, and tidal power. The overarching goal of this new initiative is to harness the power of a “blue” economy, which is often overlooked due to the technological, sociological, economic, and environmental barriers that hold back the growth of marine
NEWS (2-3)
SCIENCE (6)
FEATURE (4-5)
PULSE (10)
DuckCard Office requires choice between mobile and physical cards Mobile DuckCards introduced in Spring 2023 are here to stay. Cultural Organizations Learn about each of the organizations in the Ethnic Student Council and some of their upcoming events.
War and climate? Brain-computer implant? Betelgeuse has a new star? Read about what’s going on in the world of science. Read answers from the Stevens community to our weekly Roving Reporter, plus solve our weekly puzzle and sudoku.
energy. Blue energy, the main focus of the GO Blue Center, is the generation of renewable energy from marine and aquatic sources. It includes using power from ocean currents and offshore winds which are captured and converted to natural energy that can be used throughout the world. This new center offers a solution for meeting global energy needs while aiding the health of the planet. Due to the locations of each of the universities involved, the Center will have access to top technical development and premier locations. The University of Michigan, located in the Great Lakes region, possesses facilities and expertise in marine hydrodynamics, naval architecture, and maritime transportation. The
university offers the Marine Hydrodynamics Laboratory and 140 years of marine-related research. Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi is a minority-serving institution located on the Gulf Coast, which adds a new facet to coastal resilience and emerging technologies. Stevens, which will contribute to one of the largest and most respected ocean engineering research facilities in the United States, is located conveniently on the Atlantic coast. Davidson Laboratory director Muhammad Hajj, a lead investigator for Stevens in the effort and a wave-power innovator, noted that industry partners will have access to all three universities’ laboratories, testing facilities,
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In the current political landscape, where even the smallest percent of voters can make the difference in a Trump or Harris presidential win, every move matters. Last week, on Tuesday, October 1, the Vice Presidential Debate between Ohio Senator JD Vance and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was hosted by CBS. This is the first and only debate between the vice presidential candidates and the last debate before the No-
Initial reactions debate largely noted that compared to the presidential debate between Harris and Trump, the vice presidential debate exhibited more decorum and focused on issues rather than matters of personality and style. While most post-debate polls showed Harris edging out Trump in the presidential debate, viewer consensus in the wake of the vice presidential debate was more mixed: CBS reported that the num-
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In France, Marie Le Pen and party accused of embezzling EU parliament JEREMIAH CHINWENDU, STAFF WRITER
French parliamentary leader Marine Le Pen and members of her National Rally (RN) political party are currently on trial for embezzling funds from the European parliament. Le Pen, her father, and 27 other individuals are accused of using parliament aid money to fund fake jobs for
people as a way of illegally getting them to work for the RN party. If found guilty on these charges, the penalty will be a 10-year prison sentence, a 10-year bar from public office, and fines of up to one million euros levied on each person on trial. Despite the severity of these accusations and the fact that being found guilty could derail
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