The Stute The Student Newspaper of Stevens Institute of Technology since 1904
After four years of hard work, you’ve finally made it ... Friday, May 20, 2014
www.TheStute.com
Star-Ledger provided on campus compliments of The Stute.
... to a Duck Pond.
Volume CXI, Issue 29
CONGRATULATIONS,
Class of 2014! Laura Lemke named 2014 valedictorian by OLIVIA MARTINDALE
After four years as an undergraduate student attending Stevens Institute of Technology, Laura Lemke of Merrick, New York has been named the valedictorian of the Class of 2014. Lemke has graduated with both a bachelor's degree in civil engineering and a master's of degree in ocean engineering and has earned a GPA of 3.991 throughout her years at Stevens, while participating in athletics and the Stevens Scholars program. Clearly, Lemke has been extensively involved
in academics in Stevens during her time at Stevens. As a Scholars student, Lemke was involved in the Stevens' Summer Scholars Research Program at the Davidson Laboratory for two consecutive summers after her Freshman year. For her master's thesis, Lemke studied patterns in shoreline change along the Jersey Shore in Long Branch, the site of a beach nourishment program. In addition to research, Lemke worked as an intern at Langan for a semester. Lemke didn't originally plan on doing so much academically at Stevens.
"Honestly, from day one, my whole idea was to take one day at a time and one class at a time. I didn't really have any long-term goals so to speak, aside graduate." Lemke said. "In some ways, I actually did more than I expected. If you asked me as a freshman or even a sophomore if I was going to take extra classes for a Master's, I would have shook my head and said you were crazy. But somehow down the road, that became something to work towards." Another aspect of Stevens Lemke has been heavily involved in was
A moment to reflect
the Stevens Cross Country and Track & Field teams. Since her first semester, Lemke has competed as a distance runner every season; in addition to juggling academics, which is no easy feat. She has become the ideal studentathlete; from appearing consistently on the President's List, which honors varsity athletes who earn at least a 3.75 GPA while participating in a conference-sponsored sport. Part of the reason Lemke decided to attend Stevens was from an overnight athletic recruitment trip with the XC/T&F teams. The
See LEMKE, page 2
It’s all about the journey
by NICOLE FRANKS
by RALPH MOSCATO
It was your dream to come here since high school. You have lived here, loved here, argued here; studied, struggled, thought here. It has been your home for four years. It was not always easy. There were times you doubted your abilities and questioned your worth; times you wanted to be anywhere but here. But you also discovered on this little campus what friendship, at its best, can be. You remember countless conversations stretching from dinner to dawn that made you feel connected and understood, conversations that made you question things. You and your friends talked in dorm rooms, talked outside on the benches overlooking Castle Point, or on rooftops looking at the skyline. You will always remember the little details of these talks: the fruity flavor of the sangria you were sipping, or the way the breeze swept your friend’s hair over their face, or the angle of the sunlight streaming into your window at 6: 00 a.m. after staying up all night, just talking. But now it is ending. You are about to graduate. In a few weeks, you will no longer belong here. You will no longer be a student. You’ll be… an ordinary citizen? Just
Looking back on my five years at Stevens, I really don’t have many regrets. Sure, things weren’t perfect by any means. But I would still choose to do them all over again. By coming to Stevens, I had a pretty good idea of what the outcome would be: a degree and a good job. However, the means to reach that end couldn't have been more unpredictable. Along the way, I challenged myself and had opportunities I
What’s Inside
Courtesy of Laura Lemke
Lemke earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in civil engineering and ocean engineering respectively.
would never have imagined five years ago. When I first joined The Stute as a freshman, I spent my first day laying out the Sports page. I later became Layout Editor, Business Manager, and Editor-in-Chief. Now, here I am as a senior contributing to my very last issue. Working with the staff over the years has been a highlight of my college career. I learned so much from my peers and grew as a person from those interactions. It was great then, for me to have the opportunity to mentor our
current staff and pass my knowledge onto them. It was an honor and a thrill to record Stevens history each week, and I look forward to reading about the future of Stevens in the issues of The Stute to come. Throughout my time here, I chose to get involved in places where I could genuinely contribute my time and effort to the things I believed in. I was motivated by the feeling that I was part of something bigger than myself, something I See JOURNEY, page 2
Thanks for the memories Courtesy of Nicole Franks
Nicole Franks (bottom left) and her friends pose on their way to Medieval Times.
some young woman in her twenties? You don’t know yet. Your identity is up for grabs. You could be a career girl, a traveler, a mother. You could bounce around from city to city, lost. Eventually, you will find your place. That thought does not make the uncertainty you hate so much any less terrifying. You pause and reflect on these four years. What will you miss? The people, the discussions, the plethora of parties and friends, the books, Hobo-
ken, and maybe some classes. The sense of pride and belonging to your school. You think of the things you are so glad to leave behind. Calculus. Long hours buried in books in the library. The constant stress, that nagging anxiety at the back of your mind telling you to do this, or you’ll fail. You think of all the people you are leaving behind. Your dear friends, the ones you told ev-
Pages 2-3
Pages 4-5
Senior Opinion
Senior
See REFLECTION, page 3
From Fall 2009 to Spring 2014: September 17, 2009 - New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram files a lawsuit against Stevens President Harold J. Raveche, Chariman of the Board of Trustees Lawrence T. Babbio, and the Stevens Board of Trustees. October 3, 2009 - WCPR, Stevens’ campus radio station, celebrates its 50th anniversary. January 15, 2010 - Stevens President Harold J. Raveche announces he will step down on June 30, 2010 as part of a settlement of the Attorney General’s lawsuit. January 28, 2010 - The Stevens Technology Tower, nicknamed “Big John” by students, is dismantled.
Pages 6-7
February 11, 2010 - Steven’s 140th anniversary is celebrated with the first Founders’ Day Ball. Fall 2010 - Construction of the new Altorfer building begins. Fall 2010 - Idea Initiative comes to Stevens. August 30, 2010 - Four year students begin their first day of classes. September 3, 2010 - An exploding battery causes a fire in the SITTV storage room in the basement of Humphreys. November 3, 2010 - Kenneth W. DeBaun, Trustee Emeritus and generous benefactor of Stevens, passes away. March 2011 - Internet speeds across campus dip to an all-time low as the IT de-
partment begins changing their packet sensing hardware. January 17, 2011 - Dr. Nariman Farvardin is named the seventh president of Stevens. March 23, 2011 - Laura Barito becomes first Stevens NCAA national champion. August 26, 2011 - Stevens goes on lockdown as Hurricane Irene sweeps through the northeast. September 12, 2011 TIME Magazine releases data claiming that Stevens graduates have the 10th highest debt load in the nation. September 30, 2011 - Bill Nye the Science Guy visits campus as a part of Back to Techfest.
Page 8
Pages 9-11
Senior Names Senior & Awards Year in Review Shout-Outs
See MEMORIES, page 3
Senior Sports