BY CHRIS ZAWISTOWSKI STAFF WRITER Students tempted by the allure of a free Fat Cat sandwich or T-shirt along with signing up for a credit card won’t be for much longer, as credit card reform will soon come to the Banks and col- lege campuses across the country. Beginning in February 2011, credit card com- panies will be prohibited from enticing students with “freebie” offers to sign up for plastic on or near college campuses, as part of new provisions laid out in the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009. “It is all part of the effort to try to stop the cir- cus atmosphere when it comes to credit,” said Credit.com co-founder and CEO Adam Levin. In addition to the campus marketing reforms, the law will require credit card purchasers under the age of 21 to prove their ability to independ- ently pay their credit card bills or have a parent THE D AILY T ARGUM Volume 141, Number 3 S E R V I N G T H E R U T G E R S C O M M U N I T Y S I N C E 1 8 6 9 THUSDAY SEPTEMBER 3, 2009 INDEX The Rutgers men’s soccer team aims to build on its season opening win over Towson. Its next game is against Stanford Friday at Yurcak Field. A new bill is a step in the right direction to making students responsible with their credit. HOW TO SURVIVE COLLEGE Today: Sunny High: 78 • Low: 60 After the long summer months, it takes some time to get back into the swing of things and find out what works for you. IB puts together some helpful tips to make the transition in seasons smoother. ONLINE @ DAILYTARGUM.COM SPORTS OPINIONS OPINIONS ........ 6 DIVERSIONS ....... 8 CLASSIFIEDS ...... 12 SPORTS ...... BACK UNIVERSITY ....... 3 The N Result performs yesterday at the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum’s weekly “First Wednesdays: Art After Hours.” There is a $3 charge for the public and free for U. affiliates. BRYAN ANGELES/ SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER ‘RESULT’ AFTER HOURS New Brunswick City Clerk Dan Torrisi certified the signatures of Unite New Brunswick’s petition to add a question to the Nov. 3 election ballot after the group filed it 10 days ago. The petition’s question would ask to enlarge the current City Council from five to seven members, all elected at-large. UNB petitioner Kyle Kirkpatrick said this was a big step for the new group. “We remained confident that we had the required signatures,” he said. The City Council must still approve the petition — requiring approximately 300 out of its 1,000 sig- natures to be valid for certification — at a public hearing to be held Sept. 16 in City Hall, he said. At this second hearing, if the council approves the petition, the group’s question will be placed on November’s ballot. But if the council denies it, then UNB’s Committee of Petitioners has 10 days to decide to withdraw their petition — taking their ques- tion off the ballot — or leave their question to remain. If it passes, it would be the second question placed on November’s ballot asking the public to change the form of the City Council. Grassroots organization Empower Our Neighborhoods has already petitioned and fought extensive legal battles to get their question for wards on the ballot. EON spokesperson Charlie Kratovil said the group opposes UNB’s petition validation. “It’s the understanding of our legal team that what the clerk did today was illegal and out of line with what the legislators actually wanted,” he said. — Mary Diduch UNITE NEW BRUNSWICK PETITION SET FOR NOVEMBER, PENDING APPROVAL AT PUBLIC HEARING New act to prohibit credit card companies on campus While a new 2009 act proposes to keep credit card companies from soliciting to students on campus with added incentives, applicants must prove their ability to pay bills before signing up for a credit card. ANDREW HOWARD/ PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR Bookstores team with RAH to fight hunger BY ARIEL NAGI CORRESPONDENT Rutgers Against Hunger, a pro- gram launched to battle hunger in New Jersey, is in full swing, raising thousands of pounds of food this summer and teaming up with the six University bookstores to raise money for food banks and pantries this fall. The program is operated by Barnes & Noble College Booksellers on a two-week dona- tion drive, said Director of Public Relations at University Media Relations Sandra Lanman. Students have the option to donate $1 to RAH when they check out. “We’re always looking for a way to work with our community [and] to help a serious problem in our state as well as our country,” Lanman said. Despite rankings, students confident in University BY CAGRI OZUTURK ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR Students are divided on whether they agree with the rankings, but studies show the University teeters between quality and mediocrity. The University was listed 66th on the U.S. News and World Report ranking and 437th on Forbes maga- zine for their 2009-2010 lists. “That’s really sad [that we’re low ranking.] Rutgers has a histo- ry of being a great institution in every field. We were offered Ivy League status in the past, but our focus has wavered,” said President of The Roosevelt Institute Lonnie Affrime, a School of Arts and Sciences junior. “Today, we would- n’t be offered that status if we ever wanted it.” The University moved down from 59th on U.S. News and World Report in 2007 but moved up from 469th on Forbes’ list in 2008. “It’s disappointing to see that happen,” said Rutgers University Student Assembly Chair Werner Born, a School of Engineering sen- ior. “I can’t help but think how we would be if our funding from the State was in place. There is defi- nitely excellence within our univer- sity but we do not have the funding to bolster all our departments.” The University rank has also fall- en from 38th to 54th, according to the Academic Ranking of World Universities categorized by Shanghai Jiao Tong University. “I’m not that interested in rankings of Rutgers,” he said. “Being an international student, I’m worried about what I see in the department.” U.S. News and World Report studies factors including peer review, student retention, faculty resources, student selectivity, grad- uation giving rate and alumni giving rate, according to their Web site. SEE CREDIT ON PAGE 4 SEE RANKINGS ON PAGE 4 SEE HUNGER ON PAGE 5 or responsible person agree to co-sign for a card, Levin said. The Credit CARD Act of 2009 will also require the disclosure of the relationships between banks and colleges on things like compensation for the right to market credit to alumni, said Connie Prater, a Creditcards.com senior writer. For years, universities would provide compa- nies with the names and contact information of graduates in sometimes multi-million dollar compensation deals, Prater said. Companies would then in turn use the infor- mation to solicit college graduates into buying an alumni credit card, she said. Elizabeth Diamond, a graduate student who makes use of her credit card weekly, suggests that people just be more careful about spending with credit. “I’m taking science classes. I’m a biology major and they’re chal- lenging us quite a bit,” School of Arts and Sciences senior Huseyin Celik said. “In our departments, the culture seems to be ‘don’t take any prisoners,’ but to reflect on the decreasing ranking, it seems to me that the focus shifted from academia to sports, so maybe that’s the reason.” The funds will be donated to the New Jersey Federation of Food Banks, which includes a number of food pantries throughout the state, Lanman said. Their main recipient is the Community FoodBank of New Jersey — one of the largest food banks in the state — who will then dis- tribute it to various local food banks. “It’s a great way for the book- store to give back to the communi- ty,” said John Cusick, general man- ager of the bookstores, in a press release. “We came on board last November to operate the book- stores and we want to show that we’re part of the community, not just a place to buy books. This is just a first step in our relationship with Rutgers Against Hunger.” School of Arts and Sciences jun- ior Jazmine Gray said she plans to
Transcript
BY CHRIS ZAWISTOWSKISTAFF WRITER
Students tempted by the allure of a free FatCat sandwich or T-shirt along with signing up fora credit card won’t be for much longer, as creditcard reform will soon come to the Banks and col-lege campuses across the country.
Beginning in February 2011, credit card com-panies will be prohibited from enticing studentswith “freebie” offers to sign up for plastic on ornear college campuses, as part of new provisionslaid out in the Credit Card Accountability,Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009.
“It is all part of the effort to try to stop the cir-cus atmosphere when it comes to credit,” saidCredit.com co-founder and CEO Adam Levin.
In addition to the campus marketing reforms,the law will require credit card purchasers underthe age of 21 to prove their ability to independ-ently pay their credit card bills or have a parent
THE DAILY TARGUMV o l u m e 1 4 1 , N u m b e r 3
S E R V I N G T H E R U T G E R S C O M M U N I T Y S I N C E 1 8 6 9
THUSDAYSEPTEMBER 3, 2009
INDEX
The Rutgers men’ssoccer team aims tobuild on its seasonopening win overTowson. Its nextgame is againstStanford Friday atYurcak Field.
A new bill is a stepin the right direction to makingstudents responsible withtheir credit.
HOW TO SURVIVE COLLEGEToday: Sunny
High: 78 • Low: 60After the long summer months, it takes some time to get back into the swing of things and find out
what works for you. IB puts together some helpful tips to make the transition in seasons smoother.
ONLINE @DAILYTARGUM.COM
SPORTS
OPINIONS
OPINIONS . . . . . . . . 6
DIVERSIONS . . . . . . . 8
CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . 12
SPORTS . . . . . . BACK
UNIVERSITY . . . . . . . 3
The N Result performs yesterday at the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum’s weekly “First
Wednesdays: Art After Hours.” There is a $3 charge for the public and free for U. affiliates.
BRYAN ANGELES/ SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
‘RESULT’ AFTER HOURS
New Brunswick City Clerk Dan Torrisi certifiedthe signatures of Unite New Brunswick’s petition toadd a question to the Nov. 3 election ballot after thegroup filed it 10 days ago.
The petition’s question would ask to enlarge thecurrent City Council from five to seven members,all elected at-large.
UNB petitioner Kyle Kirkpatrick said this was abig step for the new group.
“We remained confident that we had therequired signatures,” he said.
The City Council must still approve the petition
— requiring approximately 300 out of its 1,000 sig-natures to be valid for certification — at a publichearing to be held Sept. 16 in City Hall, he said.
At this second hearing, if the council approves thepetition, the group’s question will be placed onNovember’s ballot. But if the council denies it, thenUNB’s Committee of Petitioners has 10 days todecide to withdraw their petition — taking their ques-tion off the ballot — or leave their question to remain.
If it passes, it would be the second questionplaced on November’s ballot asking the public tochange the form of the City Council.
Grassroots organization Empower OurNeighborhoods has already petitioned and foughtextensive legal battles to get their question forwards on the ballot.
EON spokesperson Charlie Kratovil said thegroup opposes UNB’s petition validation.
“It’s the understanding of our legal team thatwhat the clerk did today was illegal and out ofline with what the legislators actually wanted,”he said.
— Mary Diduch
UNITE NEW BRUNSWICK PETITION SET FOR NOVEMBER, PENDING APPROVAL AT PUBLIC HEARING
New act to prohibit creditcard companies on campus
While a new 2009 act proposes to keep credit card companies from soliciting to students on campus
with added incentives, applicants must prove their ability to pay bills before signing up for a credit card.
ANDREW HOWARD/ PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Bookstores team withRAH to fight hunger
BY ARIEL NAGI CORRESPONDENT
Rutgers Against Hunger, a pro-gram launched to battle hunger inNew Jersey, is in full swing, raisingthousands of pounds of food thissummer and teaming up with thesix University bookstores to raisemoney for food banks and pantriesthis fall.
The program is operated byBarnes & Noble CollegeBooksellers on a two-week dona-tion drive, said Director of PublicRelations at University MediaRelations Sandra Lanman. Studentshave the option to donate $1 toRAH when they check out.
“We’re always looking for a wayto work with our community [and]to help a serious problem in ourstate as well as our country,”Lanman said.
Despite rankings, students confident in UniversityBY CAGRI OZUTURKASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR
Students are divided on whetherthey agree with the rankings, butstudies show the University teetersbetween quality and mediocrity.
The University was listed 66thon the U.S. News and World Reportranking and 437th on Forbes maga-zine for their 2009-2010 lists.
“That’s really sad [that we’relow ranking.] Rutgers has a histo-
ry of being a great institution inevery field. We were offered IvyLeague status in the past, but ourfocus has wavered,” said Presidentof The Roosevelt Institute LonnieAffrime, a School of Arts andSciences junior. “Today, we would-n’t be offered that status if we everwanted it.”
The University moved downfrom 59th on U.S. News and WorldReport in 2007 but moved up from469th on Forbes’ list in 2008.
“It’s disappointing to see thathappen,” said Rutgers UniversityStudent Assembly Chair WernerBorn, a School of Engineering sen-ior. “I can’t help but think how wewould be if our funding from theState was in place. There is defi-nitely excellence within our univer-sity but we do not have the fundingto bolster all our departments.”
The University rank has also fall-en from 38th to 54th, according tothe Academic Ranking of World
“I’m not that interested inrankings of Rutgers,” he said.“Being an international student,I’m worried about what I see inthe department.”
U.S. News and World Reportstudies factors including peerreview, student retention, facultyresources, student selectivity, grad-uation giving rate and alumni givingrate, according to their Web site.
SEE CREDIT ON PAGE 4
SEE RANKINGS ON PAGE 4
SEE HUNGER ON PAGE 5
or responsible person agree to co-sign for a card,Levin said.
The Credit CARD Act of 2009 will alsorequire the disclosure of the relationshipsbetween banks and colleges on things likecompensation for the right to market credit toalumni, said Connie Prater, a Creditcards.comsenior writer.
For years, universities would provide compa-nies with the names and contact information ofgraduates in sometimes multi-million dollarcompensation deals, Prater said.
Companies would then in turn use the infor-mation to solicit college graduates into buyingan alumni credit card, she said.
Elizabeth Diamond, a graduate student whomakes use of her credit card weekly, suggeststhat people just be more careful about spendingwith credit.
“I’m taking science classes. I’ma biology major and they’re chal-lenging us quite a bit,” School ofArts and Sciences senior HuseyinCelik said. “In our departments,the culture seems to be ‘don’t takeany prisoners,’ but to reflect onthe decreasing ranking, it seemsto me that the focus shifted fromacademia to sports, so maybethat’s the reason.”
The funds will be donated to theNew Jersey Federation of FoodBanks, which includes a number offood pantries throughout the state,Lanman said. Their main recipient isthe Community FoodBank of NewJersey — one of the largest foodbanks in the state — who will then dis-tribute it to various local food banks.
“It’s a great way for the book-store to give back to the communi-ty,” said John Cusick, general man-ager of the bookstores, in a pressrelease. “We came on board lastNovember to operate the book-stores and we want to show thatwe’re part of the community, notjust a place to buy books. This isjust a first step in our relationshipwith Rutgers Against Hunger.”
School of Arts and Sciences jun-ior Jazmine Gray said she plans to
T H E D A I L Y T A R G U MS E P T E M B E R 3 , 2 0 0 9 DIRECTORY2
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EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS — Matt Ackley, Bill Domke, Katherine O’Connor, Nancy Santucci, Mike Shanahan, Lynell VeltenSENIOR EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS — Steven WilliamsonSENIOR WRITERS — Steven WilliamsonCORRESPONDENTS — Bill Domke, Greg Flynn, Deirdre S. Hopton, Steve Miller, Chris Melchiorre, Ariel Nagi SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER — Brendan McInerney, John PenaSTAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS — Bryan Angeles, Angelica Bonus, Nicholas Brasowski, Ramon Dompor, Aimee Fiscella, JenniferLugris, Mike Shanahan, Isiah Stewart
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UNIVERSITYT H E D A I L Y T A R G U M
P A G E 3 S E P T E M B E R 3 , 2 0 0 9
Hillel to break ground on new ‘Foundation’ BY AMIT JANI
STAFF WRITER
Imagine a building that canaccommodate more than 1,000people with its own dining hall, amultipurpose room, library andseveral lounges on the CollegeAvenue campus.
Rutgers Hillel, the Foundationfor Jewish Campus Life, is trans-forming this dream into a realityby saying goodbye to its currenthome on 93 College Ave. Thebrand new state-of-the-art HillelStudent Center will be located on2 Bishop Pl., the location of the old Phi Gamma Delta FIJI fraternity home.
At the present time, the Hillelbuilding is leased from theTheological Seminary andbecause the Hillel does not ownthe building, there isn’t muchimprovement that can be done toit, he said.
“Our current home is welllocated and very warm, but it isinadequate for the activities andprograms that the Hillel runs,”Rutgers Hillel Director AndrewGetraer said. “At times, we canget over 300 students a week,who we can’t accommodate inour building. So we sometimeshave to use the faculty room inBrower Commons or theMultipurpose Room in theRutgers Student Center.”
The new Hillel StudentCenter will be completely pri-vately funded, Getraer said.The overall cost is placed at $15million, which includes costs forland, designing and construct-ing as well as maintenance ofthe building.
As the late home to Phi Gamma Delta, the above building will be torn down at the end of this month to make way
for the new Rutgers Hillel. Projected at $15 million dollars, the new center is modeled after other Hillels.
DAN BRACAGLIA/ ASSOCIATE PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
A team of students, staff, alum-ni and architects designed thenew facility, Getraer said. Thecontract to build the new Hillelwas given to Kann Partners ofBaltimore, Md., an architect firmthat also designed the Hillel atJohns Hopkins University.
The process of constructingthe new Hillel center will begin bydemolishing the Fiji house nearthe end of September, Getraersaid. The planned constructionsite offers a 25,000 square-feet lotto build upon.
“We spent a number of yearssearching for property that fitsour needs, that is well located andoffers easy access for students,”Getraer said. “This is a substan-tial building, which will be a mag-nificent contribution to theRutgers community.”
But not all students are excit-ed about the move.
“I’m mixed on the issue. Inone sense, the larger building willaccommodate more students andfoster a larger Jewish communityon the campus,” School of
Engineering sophomore RossKleiman said. “However, I feelthat the new location is not in acentral location on CollageAvenue, making the Jewish pres-ence less obvious.”
The new Hillel Student Centerwill include four floors and a din-ing hall overlooking the RaritanRiver that can accommodateabout 400 people. There will alsobe a two-story atrium with a caféserving kosher food that is opento all students, including bothindoor and outdoor seating.
“We’ve talked to the Hillels in Pennsylvania, BostonUniversity, University ofMaryland and University ofWisconsin,” Getraer said. “Wereally learned from their experi-ence and used it in the design ofour new building.”
Other building featuresinclude a library of feringEnglish and Hebrew texts, smallkitchens, office space for stu-dents and Hillel staff as well as alarge multipurpose room, whichcan be used for dances, movies,holiday services and alumniweddings, Getraer said. Themultipurpose room will be avail-able to other parts of theUniversity when not in use.
“It would be great to have aJudaic library in the new Hillelequipped with Internet accessand a Beit Midrash, or studyhall,” said Ryan Richstein, aSchool of Arts and Sciencessophomore. “Larger, morecomfor table lounges wouldencourage more interactionbetween individuals, and meet-ing rooms would better organ-ize the various programsof fered by Hillel and wouldsupport the meetings held bystaf f and student leaders.”
The University Jewish com-munity currently includes about5,000 members and is the fourthlargest Jewish campus popula-tion in the country, according tothe Hillel’s Web site.
“We do expect more studentswill come to the new HillelStudent Center,” Getraer said.“Other Hillels that have built newfacilities have seen a 30 percentincrease in the population.”
T H E D A I L Y T A R G U MS E P T E M B E R 4 , 2 0 0 9 U NIVERSIT Y4
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Drummer John Bigolski, bass player Marc Valembois, and singer/guitarist and University student Tim Firth, members of Stratazoid, perform along with four other local bands at yesterday’s poster sale on the College Avenue campus. Numerous students stopped by between 11a.m. and 7 p.m. The sale was sponsored by the Rutgers University Programming Association and the Musicians Guild.
JODIE FRANCIS
POSTER BANDS
“If someone is responsible,[the act] isn’t necessary,” she said.
Now under 2009 act, collegesmust file reports with the federalgovernment detailing the infor-mation they are giving and thecompensation they are receivingfrom the companies.
“It will really shine a lot oflight on what has been going onbehind the scenes for years oncampuses,” Prater said.
The college credit card provi-sions stem from lawmakers’attempts to keep young peoplefrom being saddled with debtearly in their lives, Prater said.
Several studies showed thedifficult time students were hav-ing managing their credit andhow susceptible students were tothe enticements of “freebies” likepizza and hats that companieswere using to lure young peopleinto signing up for credit cards,she said.
“A lot of times the only thingthey had in their minds was thefree food or the giveaway andnot the potential pitfalls a creditcard would have on their lives,”Prater said.
A 2009 Sallie Mae study foundthat 84 percent of undergraduates
CREDIT: Act attempts to
keep young people from debt
continued from front
The NCAA recognized theUniversity’s football team as rankingin the top 10 percent in their AnnualAcademic Progress Report. TheUniversity was the only state univer-sity to make the top 10 percent.
The Center for CollegeAffordability and ProductivityStaff wrote about the methodolo-gy of Forbes’ best college list; thestaff claims their rankings are notopen to manipulation by universi-ties themselves, unlike other lists.
“While our rankings last yearon the whole were favorablyreceived, they were also severelycriticized by some, most notablyschools ranking below what theybelieved they deserved,” accord-ing to the CCAP’s Web site.
The list is based partially onstudent satisfaction reported onsites like RateMyProfessors.com,post-graduate employment suc-cess after they graduate andother factors such as the likeli-hood of graduation from collegein four years and the estimatedfour-year debt of students.
“I don’t feel that I’m challengedenough. I haven’t been challengedat all in my time majoring in thepolitical science department,”Affrime said. “The culture of thisschool has changed from excel-lence in academia to settling withmediocrity. We may have been toofocused on sports.”
The U.S. News and WorldReport study is made up of 15quantitative categories that U.S.News experts consider relevantacademic quality. Each category isweighed differently based on U.S.News’ own rating of importance,according to an article written byRobert Morse and Sam Flanigan.
“I’m sure the number 437 isnot accurate,” School of Arts andScience junior Aakruti Vakhariasaid. “It’s the students that makeup the school that matter. It’s thestudents who don’t care versusthose who do.”
Executive Vice President forAcademic Affairs Philip J.Furmanski could not be reachedat press time.
RANKINGS: Students
criticize U. results in study
continued from front
had at least one credit card andthat, on average, half of collegestudents had four or more cards.
Only 17 percent of respondentssaid they regularly paid off all cardseach month, with the remaining 82percent admitting they carried bal-ances and thus incurred financecharges each month.
The study also found that theaverage student credit card debt,beyond loans, is somewhere justsouth of $3,000 and in many casesa lot more, Levin said.
“A lot of students have gotteninto debt over the years becausethey have been handed a creditcard that can either be a wonder-ful enabler or an instrument offinancial destruction,” he said.
Lawmakers began to receivecomplaints from credit counsel-ing companies and parents, andeventually the act came intofruition, Prater said.
“The University has a policyon charitable and commercialsolicitation on campus that pro-hibits credit card solicitation,”said Vice President for StudentAffairs Gregory S. Blimling in ane-mail correspondence.
During the summer, the statelegislature passed a law restrictingcredit card solicitation on collegecampuses and there was a recentfederal law that also restricts cred-it card solicitation of college stu-dents, Blimling said. The Dean ofStudents Offices, Student
Involvement and the student cen-ters primarily enforce the policy.
Supporters of the law think themeasures will protect students bycausing pause and thought, andwill slow down a process that hasgotten out of control, Levin said.
But there is also strong oppo-sition to the law.
Prater said those in oppositionthink many students who are 20years old, financially independentand live independently are beingtreated like children when theyare actually responsible adults.
Other opponents point out thatnot every student has a parent thatcould co-sign, as many studentshave parents with bad credit or otherfamily situations that prohibit themfrom signing for a card, she said.
Some stand opposed to the ideaof making it more difficult for stu-dents to obtain credit, with goodcredit serving as a backbone to get-ting everything from a car to a job.
Even the notion of “near cam-pus” soliciting has sparked adebate about the strength of thelaw. With “near” campus notclearly defined, Levin fears that inplaces like New Brunswick,where town and gown are inter-twined, credit card companiescould be waiting just off-campus.
“Even if the credit card com-panies didn’t show up on campus,it certainly wouldn’t preventthem from having a phalanx oflocusts standing at the gates on
George Street or EastonAvenue,” Levin said.
Some University students arevery passionate about the law andcredit cards in general.
School of Arts and Sciences sen-ior Sean Boyle said on-campuscredit card marketing is similar tothat of cigarette companies sellingads during children’s programs.But he thinks students need to lookpast the freebie and make sure theyknow what they are getting into.
“College students shouldn’t begetting credit cards,” Boyle said.“It will only get them into debt.”
Michelle Rofrano, who is acardholder, said her parents helpin paying bills but understandshow difficult it would be to paywithout their help.
“Credit cards are an easy wayto end up in debt … It’s easier tospend,” said Rofrano, a MasonGross School of the Arts first-year student.
Levin blames much of thecredit card problem on a lack ofcredit literacy among parents andstudents in the country.
“There seems to be greaterdesire for people to have an in-depth understanding of trigonom-etry and Shakespeare than anyunderstanding of how to respon-sibly use credit cards and howpervasive and critical credit canbe in people’s lives,” Levin said.
At the University and manyother colleges nationwide, there
are no required life financial plan-ning classes, he said.
“For a nation as literate as weare, it is shocking how financiallyilliterate we are,” he said.
University economics profes-sor Roberto Chang said creditcards are often a source of toomuch temptation for young peopleand recommends that they makepurchases through other meanssuch as cash, debit or checks.
“My advice is, generally, don’t[use credit] … That’s a good prac-tice until you feel you are in con-trol of your finances,” Chang said.
Prater suggests that studentswho wish to sign up for a creditcard need to make sure they under-stand all the terms, consequencesand interest rates involved with thecard and that a credit card is notfree money, but a loan.
He advises students to lookinto secured credit cards thatwork like prepaid cards, yetallow for students to show a his-tory of taking and paying backthat is necessary for showinggood credit.
An option that allows a studentto sign on to a parent’s accountand have the benefits of their par-ent’s credit history reflected ontheirs may also appeal to somestudents, Prater said.
“Don’t spend more than youtake in each month,” she said.
— Colleen Roache contributedto this article
College Avenue Housing andUniversity Residence Life organ-ized a 5K walk in May for RAHand raised $600, Sylvester said.Old Queens College also collect-ed and donated two tons of foodto the Greater BrunswickCharter School pantry.
The Department of AlumniRelations plans to hold a 5K runcalled “Run for RAH” duringhomecoming weekend, Sylvestersaid. All proceeds will be donatedto RAH.
“Hunger affects one in eightAmericans,” she said. “And it’sgood for the Rutgers communityof 50,000 people … to be involved.”
The Of fice of InformationTechnology held a “Hot Dogs
for Hunger” fundraiser in Juneand raised 1,100 pounds of foodand $345, which were donated
to Elijah’s Promise, Sylvestersaid. They also partnered withVerizon on a food drive at 11 of
their top New York and NewJersey locations, where theycollected 2,080 pounds of food.It was donated to food pantriesin Newark, New York City andHackettstown, according to asummer 2009 RAH summary.
Students attending June’s ori-entation were asked to bring incanned foods, according to thesummary. More than 800 canswere collected.
The New BrunswickCommunity Farmers Market,located on 178 Jones Ave., openedin July. The market has seen anaverage of 200-300 customers onTuesdays and 500 customers onFridays, Sylvester said.
The University donated sixused computers to the Mercer
Street Friends Food Bank to beused by their agencies to helptrack food needs and to commu-nicate more efficiently, accord-ing to the summary.
RAH was an exhibitor at theCommunity FoodBank of NewJersey health fair in August. andthe Mercer County Food Fairheld a food drive for RAH andfilled a wagon with food, accord-ing to the summary.
RAH will continue to holdmore fundraising events thissemester, Lanman said. To getinvolved, visit the RAH Web siteat rah.rutgers.edu.
“We launched this knowingwe didn’t have much of a plan,”Sylvester said. “We just plan aswe go.”
donate to RAH when she pur-chases her books this week.
“I think it’s a great way togive back to the community,”she said. “I feel good knowingmy money is not just going to books but to help the needyas well.”
RAH also worked this sum-mer to raise money and food forthe needy, said ProgramCoordinator Julie Sylvester.
“We went from zero to raisingover 40,000 pounds of food andover $94,000,” she said.
HUNGER: RAH summer
events collect food, raise $94K
continued from front
T H E D A I L Y T A R G U M S E P T E M B E R 3 , 2 0 0 9 5U NIVERSIT Y
4 Come out to the Gardens every Friday between May 1 andOctober 30 from 1 to 6 p.m. and shop at the Farmers Marketon Ryders Lane near Cook campus. The market provides avariety of products grown and produced locally, such as buf-falo meat, cheese, vegetables, poultry and baked goods fromaround New Jersey. For more information check outwww.rutgersgardens.rutgers.edu/farmmarket.htm.
The objectives of Responsible Drinking Happy Hour in theCook Café at 59 Biel Rd. on Cook campus are to build andstrengthen the faculty, staff and student relationship outsidethe classroom, to build a foundation for a learning commu-nity and to increase student involvement in an innovativeactivity in a comfortable and familiar atmosphere. The eventbegins at 4 and goes until 7 p.m. For more information callJoan Bankole-Jones at (732) 932-8990.
SEPTEMBER
CALENDAR
Students gathered and followed black-robed figures down College Avenue Monday night before congregating at
Voorhees Mall. After Residence Life representatives spoke about the history of the University, attendees were given
an orange ribbon to burn, representing the past, and a red ribbon to keep, representing the future.
“I feel good knowing my moneyis not just going tobooks but to helpthe needy as well.”
JAZMINE GRAYSchool of Arts and Sciences
junior
5 The Rutgers Historical walking tour, which takes about anhour, explores the origins of Rutgers, its traditions and archi-tectural points of interests. The area includes some of theUniversity’s oldest buildings. There is no charge for individ-uals for the regularly scheduled tours and a nominal fee forgroups of 10 or more. Historical tours are offered by appoint-ment every Friday and Saturday at 11:30 a.m. during the falland spring semesters. Reservations should be made by 10a.m. on the Thursday prior to the tour you wish to attend.For more information, call Campus Information Services at(732) 932-9342 x2619. For general Rutgers Information,please call (732) 932-info (4636).
9 Daniel Kurtzer will hold the S. Daniel Abraham Chair inMiddle East Policy Studies at Princeton University’sWoodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairsfrom 8:00 to 9:30 p.m. in the Multipurpose Room of theRutgers Student Center on the College Avenue campus.Ambassador Kurtzer served as the US Ambassador to Israel(2001-2005) and as the US Ambassador to Egypt (1997-2001).
It may not come as asurprise to you that we,as a community, general-ly do not talk about men-tal illness with people
outside the family because of certain social con-ventions that unfortunately promote shame andguilt surrounding these topics. Once we get pastthe point of keeping things “under wraps” andactually approaching a health care provider, westill often have dif ficulty gaining access to appro-priate services due to linguistic, economic andeducational barriers. In some cases, once the aidof a provider has finally been sought, the target-ed problem may not be identified accuratelybecause of linguistic and cultural mismatchesagain, or because of the patient’s focus onsomatic (physical) symptoms, family shame orfear of reprisal.
The “fault” of receiving inade-quate mental health care is doesnot lie solely with our community.It is a known — and researched— fact that misdiagnosis oftenoccurs in cross-cultural situationsdue to the fact that assessmenttools developed in one culturalsetting may be found invalidwhen translated or applied else-where.
Other barriers to treatmentthat are present for society as a
whole include a lack of providers, incompetentmodels of care, inadequate reimbursement frominsurance companies and fragmented services.These barriers make it difficult to get mentalhealth services to those who need them, not tomention the additional weight of the factors perti-nent to us as a group.
As a result of this confluence of factors, the pat-tern that has emerged is one of Asian-Americans, ingeneral, tending not to seek services until they aretruly desperate. Consequently, they are thought tobecome more severely ill than CaucasianAmericans by the time they approach the sameservices for assistance.
Let us presume that the barriers have beenbroken and a mental health provider has evalu-ated the patient. Once an appropriate diagnosis
OPINIONST H E D A I L Y T A R G U M
P A G E 6 S E P T E M B E R 3 , 2 0 0 9
L et me start of f by say-ing that I am a childand adolescent psy-
chiatrist — yes, that makesme a physician. Prior tocompleting a fellowship and specializing inworking with kids, I completed training as anadult psychiatrist. These levels of training werepreceded immediately by four years of medicalschool and a double major during my under-graduate years. Sounds like a lot of fun to all ofyou, I’m sure.
Anyway, imagine the excitement on yourIndian parents’ face when you tell them thatyou’re planning on becoming a doctor or someother professional! Stereotypically — and mayberealistically — speaking, the sound of their ownvoices saying, “My son/daughter is a doctor”brings more smiles to their faces than a lifetimesupply of butter chicken,samosas and gol gappe! I’msure you could understand myparents’ excitement when Iannounced that I too was pur-suing a degree in medicine.
That lasted a good five min-utes and then the song-and-danceBollywood version of a positivereaction took a bit of a turn.Suffice to say, my chosen goal ofbeing a psychiatrist did not res-onate the same way — initially —as the more ideal notion of having a cardiologist orsurgeon for a son. I think the best illustration of thisis my mother’s first expression of her concern:“You’re going to be a doctor of crazy people?”
It took a little bit of time for my parents’ ‘Are youserious?’ dust to settle.
That was then, and this is now. All kiddingaside, my parents and family have been support-ive from that time forward. This is in no smallpart due to my insistence that the issue of mentalhealth is a very serious one, and that the vastmajority of those who suffer from mental healthissues are not remotely crazy in the truest senseof the word.
As we can see from this personal anecdote, thereis a certain amount of misinformation about thefield of psychiatry, as well as some stigma that ispervasive within the larger culture and, perhapseven more, in our subculture.
MCT CAMPUS
An introduction, some barriers
EDITORIALS
Due to space limitations, submissions cannot exceed 750 words. If a commentary exceeds 750 words, it will not beconsidered for publication. All authors must include name, phone number, class year and college affiliation ordepartment to be considered for publication. Anonymous letters will not be considered. All submissions are subjectto editing for length and clarity. A submission does not guarantee publication. Please submit via e-mail [email protected] by 4 p.m. to be considered for the following day’s publication.
The editorials written above represent the majority opinion of The Daily Targum Editorial Board. All other opinionsexpressed on the Opinions page, and those held by advertisers, columnists and cartoonists, are not necessarilythose of The Daily Targum.
CommentaryGAGANDEEP “RAJ” SINGH
“The concern that arisesis simply that people who
would benefit from mental health treatmentare falling through the
cracks every day.”
New bill makes studentsresponsible with credit
I n previous years, students walking past the Grease Trucks onthe College Avenue campus would be bombarded with tempt-ing offers of free sandwiches for filling out what a passer-by
would assume is some sort of survey. But in reality, you would findout that it was in fact an application for a credit card that studentswould have to fill out in order to obtain their free food. The pre-approval, promise of rewards and giveaways are all enticing to stu-dents who want to adopt the American way of charging purchases.Students who have a credit card can be led down a slippery slope ofspending money they do not have.
Starting in February 2011, filling out credit card applications inexchange for giveaways will be a thing of the past on all collegecampuses. The Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility andDisclosure Act of 2009 is aiming to change the amount of youngpeople who end up in debt by obtaining credit card while in theircollege years. The Credit CARD Act will prohibit companies fromenticing students with freebie offers on or near college campuses.It will also prohibit credit card companies from raising rates onexisting balances and inform cardholders how long they have topay off a balance if they only make minimum payments each month.People under the age of 21 must also have a parent or guardian co-sign with them for the credit card. Colleges must also file reportswith the federal government giving them information about com-pensation they are receiving from the credit card companies.
This act is a positive start to creating a change in the wayAmericans handle budget their money and credit. Some studentscome into college with no job or means of getting money, so a cred-it card seems like the most logical solution. There is also the ideathat you have to build good credit to get anywhere in America’s con-sumerist society. Just by watching television, Americans view a mul-titude of commercials for many different phone numbers to call orWeb sites to go to in order to see if you have good credit. Someeven have catchy songs that remind you how important it is tocheck your credit score, or else you’ll end up living in your parents’basement. The pressure to have credit may make naïve studentsthink they should sign up for one. They also can start off with theintention that it will only be used for emergencies, but then snow-balls into the purchase of a coffee here and a shopping spree there.This leaves the student with a large bill they were never preparedto pay. Students also need to realize that their student loans willhelp build their credit, and any outstanding debt obtained by pur-chasing items on a credit card will add to the debt they will be inafter they graduate.
This bill is also promoting positive change because by having par-ents co-sign for the card, it is making sure that parents are aware thattheir child has the power to spend, but also forces them to have a con-versation with their child about the consequences that could comewith having a credit card and the misuse of it. The idea that you canbuy without having to pay right away can seem appealing, and thepromise of rewards for spending a certain amount also makes a creditcard seem like the right way to go when deciding how you will dealwith the costs of living on your own at school.
The government is stepping in and deciding who is responsibleenough to have their own credit card. A person under the age of21 can be very responsible and financially independent, but stillneeds to have a parent co-sign for the card. Preventing mistakeswill not give American youth the experience of making mistakesin order to learn how to be more responsible. A young person canmess up his or her future by getting into a large amount of debtwhen in school, and mistakes can only be avoided if they are pre-vented, not reactionary.
In past years, credit cards allowed people to stretch theirexpenses before it came back to bite them. The recession now isforcing Americans to live more within their means. We live in asociety where people like to live champagne lives on a beer budg-et, just to prove they can have material possessions. These atti-tudes are being passed down from generation to generation, and itis time we put a stop to it. The Credit CARD Act is not a quick fixto the overspending problem Americans have, but it is a start inraising awareness and teaching responsibility to young people,who will hopefully pass it down to their children. Instant gratifica-tion by applying for a credit card and going to buy should bereplaced with a work ethic. If you need money while in school, geta job. If you’re too busy for a job, then where are you finding timeto spend copious amounts of money on a credit card? Once a moreresponsible attitude towards buying on credit is instilled, changewill come.
“Even if the credit card companies didn’t show up oncampus, it certainly wouldn’t prevent them from
having a phalanx of locusts standing at the gates onGeorge Street or Easton Avenue.”
Adam Levin, Credit.com co-founder and CEO, on the Credit Card Responsibility,Accountability and Discolsure Act of 2009
STORY ON FRONT
QUOTE OF THE DAY
SEE SINGH ON PAGE 7
trash in the road or on the side-walk while walking and driving— not to mention the placeswhere they live and all thetrash that piles on the proper-ties as well. It really looks like adepressed area. If the students
want to live like this, theyshould go to any blighted areain any city and live there. Iwould think that a young per-
son nowadays is well aware ofthe degradation of the environ-ment, especially in this over-developed state. Studentsshould be aware that ever yaction that they do against theenvironment they live in has aneffect, whether it be with theanimals or leaving trash aroundin the street or road, whichgets washed down the stormdrains in the streets and even-tually ends up in the oceanwhere you go to the beach inthe summer time. I would liketo tell the students stop trash-ing the city of New Brunswick!
Adele Francescino is a NewBrunswick resident.
T H E D A I L Y T A R G U M S E P T E M B E R 3 , 2 0 0 9 7OP I N I O N S
U. keeps basic classesto serve all students
W hile the piece“Welcome first-years,now get out” in yester-
day’s issue of The Daily Targummakes some good points con-cerning issues at the University— especially regarding infra-structure — the author’sgrandiose claims such as “thereis no reason for the mathematicsdepartment to offer 63 sectionsof algebra or the English depart-ment to have 70 sections of
PETER SORRELL
Letter
is uncovered and addressed,the next hurdle is the under-standing and implementationof recommended measures andtreatment. It has been foundthat if a Western treatment is atodds with the treatment tradi-tional in South Asian communi-ties, the family may ignore theprovider and stay with tradi-tion. This indirectly highlightsthe overwhelming influence ofthe social and practical value ofa family unit in our community,as opposed to a more individu-alistic approach to these topicsin a Western culture.
The concern that arises issimply that people who would
SINGHcontinued from page 6
Students must keep city clean
I am sending this letter toThe Daily Targum to makethe student community
aware of an environment haz-ard that is caused when theythrow their trash on theground or leave the trash lyingaround on the properties. I ama city resident who lives nearthe college, and I would like toadvise the college students thatlive in the area not to justthrow their trash on theground. While walking in thearea, I have seen too manyinstances of students throwing
ADELE FRANCESCINO
Letter
“If the students want tolive like this, they shouldgo to any blighted area inany city and live there.”
‘Basic Composition’” miscon-strue the role of a large state uni-versity. Rutgers, as a pub-lic university that relies onstate money, has a duty to serveall of its students, not just thosewho get a certain score on aplacement test or a high mark onan AP exam before coming tothe University.
Peter Sorrell is a coordinatorat Busch campus and the Businessand Technical Online Tutoringprogram. He is also an athleticliaison and a member of theRutgers Writing Program.
benefit from mental health treat-ment are falling through thecracks every day.
A University of Toronto studyrevealed that students fromSouth Asian and SouthEuropean ethnic backgroundsscored higher on a scale fordepression in the BeckDepression Inventory, and theywere also more likely to be clas-sifiable as mildly depressed thanthose from either East Europeanor Anglo-Celtic backgrounds.The authors proposed an expla-nation for this, which clearlyemphasized the role of societaldiscrimination in producing feel-ings of learned helplessness andsubsequent depression thatwere observed.
A somewhat surprising find-ing in a study done in the UnitedKingdom was that suicide rates
of young women immigrantsfrom the Indian subcontinentwere consistently higher thanthose of their male counterparts.Interestingly, this study foundthat family conflict appears to bea precipitating factor in many sui-cides, whereas mental illness israrely cited as a cause. However,depression, anxiety and domesticviolence may contribute to thehigh rates of suicide, and there isa growing concern that mood dis-orders may be under-diagnosedin the South Asian population.
This is just another illustrationof the aforementioned notion thatIndians, and South Asians in gen-eral, are often not getting themental health assistance that theymay desperately need.
There is much work to bedone in order to begin to combatthis problem. The first step in this
is just to raise awareness, which Ihope to have done here. The sec-ond — and more important step— is proper education aboutthese matters.
In all seriousness, if you arestruggling with depression, anxi-ety, other mood symptoms,ADHD, or just having a difficulttime with conflicts within yourselfor with others around you, gethelp as soon as you can.
If someone you know is strug-gling with something similar andis not speaking up for themselves,encourage them to do so. Betteryet, be a voice for them.Remember the story of AnneFrank — we do not always take astand when we think we are notdirectly impacted by something,but no one knows what the futureholds and whether we may beaffected ourselves one day.
Please get the help you oryour loved ones need, regardlessof whether you choose to avail myprofessional services, or those ofanother provider.
If you would be interested invisiting my Web site to learnabout these issues in more detailand to get some resources,please feel free to navigate tohttp://www.gsinghmd.com andbrowse the site.
I hope that you don’t knowanyone who needs this numberright now, but it is important tohave — Toll Free NationalSuicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-SUICIDE (784-2433).
Gagandeep “Raj” Singh, aUniversity alumnus, is a child,adolescent and adult psychiatristwith practices located in Monroeand Princeton.
DIVERSIONST H E D A I L Y T A R G U M
P A G E 8 S E P T E M B E R 3 , 2 0 0 9
Doonesberry GARY TRUDEAU
Horoscopes / LINDA C. BLACK Pearls Before Swine Stephan Pastis
Today’s Birthday (09/03/09) Stop fighting with a person who shouldbe on your side. You see things from different vantage points. This isgood. Don’t try to get the other person to change. It’s the differencesthat fascinate and lead to improvements. To get the advantage, checkthe day’s rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging.
Aries (March 21-April 19) —Today is a 6 — If you don’t havethe whole thing figured out,don’t worry. You’re about to getanother piece of the puzzle.Taurus (April 20-May 20) —Today is a 5 — Stay out of anargument that doesn’t concernyou. Resist the urge to fix it forthem. They have to learn ontheir own.Gemini (May 21-June 21) —Today is a 6 — An older per-son is in a generous mood. Ifyou can prove you’re worthit, you might talk your wayinto a raise.Cancer (June 22-July 22) —Today is a 6 — You’d like to gosomewhere fun and maybe alittle dangerous. Don’t get intoanything you can’t get out of.Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) — Todayis a 6 — Figure out how muchyou have, and how much thetoy you’ve been longing forwould cost.Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) —Today is a 5 — Your friendsare full of interesting sug-gestions. Run the numbersfirst. You may all be in for abig surprise.
Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) —Today is a 6 — Focus on yourwork. That won’t be difficult.In fact, it’ll be hard to findtime for lunch.Scorpio (Oct. 23—Nov. 21) —Today is a 5 — Everything seemsto be convincing you to sign upfor a luxury cruise. The deals arestupendous now. Check it out.Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) —Today is a 7 — They say the moreyou learn, the more you earn.Take on a special assignment andset yourself up for a raise.Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)— Today is an 8 — You’reinto new territory, so you’llmeet the unexpected. Dele-gate as much as you can soyou’re not swamped.Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)— Today is a 6 — A meetingtoday proves quite success-ful. You’ll clear up someimportant points and answera few questions.Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) —Today is an 8 — Followthrough on what you’vealready begun. The hard partis setting priorities. Just take itone step at a time.
Dilbert SCOTT ADAMS
T H E D A I L Y T A R G U M S E P T E M B E R 3 , 2 0 0 9 9D IVERSIONS
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T H E D A I L Y T A R G U M S PORTS S E P T E M B E R 3 , 2 0 0 9 1 1
BY BILL DOMKECORRESPONDENT
Now entering its second sea-son under head coach CJWerneke, the Rutgers volleyballteam is taking a selfless approach
to theseason,c o n -cerningt h e m -s e l v e sm o r e
with winning games rather thanpadding personal stats.
Ask team co-captain Jamie Godfrey.
The senior libero and defen-sive specialist cited higher teamgoals, setting personal perform-ance goals aside.
“[My goal is to] play well tohelp our team goals,” Godfrey said.
According to Werneke, thegoals set in the team’s meetingwere made to be as realistic as possible.
These goals are mainly simpleguidelines to be kept in mind dur-ing game play — ideas like notmissing two serves in a row.
“We’re not perfect,” said teamco-captain Caitlin Saxton. “We’regoing to make mistakes. We satdown and talked about team goalsand I think our number one goal isto have less unforced errors andnot make three mistakes in a row.”
Unforced errors were theScarlet Knights’ undoing lastweekend, when the teamdropped its first three games ofthe season to Wyoming, IdahoState and South Dakota State.
According to Werneke the 0-3start is misinforming.
“Last year we hit negative as ateam,” Werneke said. “This yearwe’re hitting positive in our firstthree matches.”
The positive hitting is some-thing the team looks to take intothis weekend’s tournament,where they will travel toDelaware to take on Army,Princeton and host Delaware.
But for a team looking tobreak the .500 win mark, it willhave to do more than just hit pos-itively in order to start fixing thisseason before it starts to get dan-gerously close to looking like lastyear’s debacle of a season.
Still, the team has high hopesin the early season. Army, thefirst match of the weekend, willbe the next test for Werneke’steam. Straying away from a sea-son “hitting and hoping,” theKnights look at themselves as abrand new team.
“Things have gone a lot bettersince my freshman year,”Godfrey said. “This year we’regetting to the point where we cancome together and take gamesfrom people that we couldn’thave in the past.”
All that is left for the team is toprove itself this weekend at theDelaware Invitational.
“There was a calamity of things[wrong] with last year,” Wernekesaid. “Last year was a lot of things.All of our players for the most parthave been playing together in thesystem for a year. Now we’re try-ing to figure out not only how tocompete, but how to win.”
Volleyballstrives forfirst winat UDel
Record-breaking season not enoughBY MELISSA FALICA
STAFF WRITER
After coming off of one of thebest years in the history of theprogram, senior Katherine Arlak
and theR u t g e r s
women’s tennis team look tocontinue its strong run into thefall season.
The Scarlet Knights finishedlast season with an overall recordof 16-5 and an 8-2 mark in BigEast matches, which Arlakbelieves has encouraged theteam to work harder and raisethe bar for expectations.
“We know we can do betterthan last year, and as we continueto do better, our expectations arehigher for ourselves,” she said.
Not only did the Knightsimpress many with their athlet-ic talent, but they also blewpeople away with their out-standing academics.
Arlak, along with six of hereight teammates, were namedInternational Tennis AssociationScholar-Athletes and 2009Division I All-Academic Team bythe ITA.
But those honors did notcome easy.
“It’s a lot of work,” Arlak said.“To balance academics, tennis andpractice is tough, but you have torealize that academics are equallyas important as tennis, if not more.”
Not only must Arlak concen-trate on tennis and school, butshe must also focus on her roleas a leader and role model to heryounger teammates.
TENNIS
Junior defender andMaryland transfer YannickSalmon is one the experienceddefenders that the Knights boast.
“I think the inexperienceshowed a little bit,” Salmon saidin reference to the first halfagainst Towson. “I also think thatgame showed we’ve learned a lotbecause we were able to comeback, and I don’t think that’ssomething we could have donelast year.”
Despite leaving Towson a win-ner, the Knights are well awarethey won’t win many games con-ceding three goals.
“We do things in practice towork on marking, but it’s reallynot something you can train,it’s something you have tohave,” junior defender PaulieCalafiore said. “It has to be amentality — I have to mark myman and he’s not going to getaway from me.”
It’s also something theyneed to solidify with a fresh-
Since Gordonov did not takean easy route to a 4.0 GPA — he’sa biomedical engineering major— and has had to fit in his prac-tices between classes and labs.On top of that, he has a 40-minutedrive as a commuter.
The grueling schedule does-n’t concern Gordonov. He is stillone of the top finishers for RU ineach race and never seems tomiss a beat.
“If we’re leaving early for atrip or whatever, he has to get uptwice as early as everybody else[to commute] to get there ontime, and he’s never late andnever misses anything,”Mulqueen said.
Gordonov admits that being aDivision I athlete, along withmaintaining a perfect GPA, is noeasy task.
“It’s tough, I’m not goingdeny that,” he said. “It’s reallydif ficult but I manage my timepretty well and I try to stay ontop of things and have a good
GORDONOV: Senior
first to win prestigious award
continued from back
EXCUSE: Despite youth,Rutgers looking for fast start
continued from back
DAN BRACAGLIA/ ASSOCIATE PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Senior Katherine Arlak will be counted on as a leader for the tennisteam as they hope to repeat the success of last season.
DELAWARE INVITATIONAL, FRIDAY, 11 A.M.
VOLLEYBALL
“The seniors influence the spir-it and culture of the team themost, and it’s something I impressupon all the seniors,” head coachBen Bucca said. “I know thatKatherine, in particular, is morethan capable to fill those roles.”
Arlak enjoys her role as one ofthe leaders on the team but wasunaware of how large of a roleshe would actually play as a sen-ior until this year.
The key to her success as aleader and role model is portray-
ing her best in work ethics andsetting standards for the way thatthings should be done.
Coming from a town wheretennis is not the biggest attrac-tion, Arlak took up the sport afterwatching her sister, Alex, anassistant coach on the team.
“I don’t know how my sistergot involved, but once she did Istarted playing and taking les-sons and then eventually Istarted to play competitively,”she said.
Competiveness is exactly whatArlak and the team will bring intothis fall season as they prepare tobeat last year’s record and takeon Big East rivals, includingSyracuse and Marquette.
Despite the fact that they vir-tually have the same team as lastyear — with the exception ofPolina Zaretser, who graduated— RU knows that there is stillroom for improvement.
“With the Big East there’smore in it, but we don’t take anyteam lightly, whether we’re play-ing a Big East or Ivy Leagueschool,” Arlak said.
Arlak’s strong determinationto win and her work ethic do notgo unnoticed by her teammatesand coach.
“She has the type of personali-ty where the players get alongwith her and she competes andwants to win, and everyone on theteam, I know, really admires herfor her desire to win,” Bucca said.
Being that this is her finalyear at Rutgers, Arlak’s desire towin is even greater since her ten-nis career is winding down.
But winning is not everythingto Arlak, as she also hopes thatthe team continues on the suc-cessful academic path it has beenon for the past few years.
“I know everyone will workhard so I don’t think it will be aproblem to accomplish the goalsthat we want to,” she said.
Arlak and the Knightsspring into action Sept. 16 in ascrimmage against LongIsland University at the RUTennis Complex.
man in goal. Freshman JakeGrinkevich earned the start inthe season opener and afterallowing three goals in the first25 minutes he settled in, shut-ting out Towson the rest of theway, including some key savesto preserve a one-goal lead inthe final 20 minutes.
“The goalkeeper battle is veryclose,” Reasso said of the compe-tition between Grinkevich andsophomore Adam Klink. “Wewanted to start Jake and see howhe handled starting, and he han-dled it very well. He was verycomposed and handled crossesvery well.”
If Rutgers can solidify thedefensive issues that plaguedthem against Towson, they havea chance to make some noise in aBig East conference where theywere picked to finish fifth in theRed Division.
“I’m really not bothered thatmuch by polls,” Reasso saidafter it was released in mid-August. “I think it’s all going tocome down to the play on thefield, and we’ll be playing soon.It’s time to start winning gamesand not worrying about whereyou rank in the polls.”
schedule. Really stay focusedon the task at hand and what’simportant for me career-wise.The main things for me are research, academics and athletics.”
Gordonov also looks up toRandal Pinkett, winner ofDonald Trump’s “TheApprentice.” Pinkett went toHightstown High School beforeattending RU as a track andfield athlete and becoming arhodes scholar.
“It’s like I’m following his foot-steps in a way,” Gordonov said.
Although he does not knowPinkett personally, he did seehim speak at his high schoolwhen he was a senior.
“He really motivated me,”Gordonov said. “It was inspirational.”
And that inspiration hasgone a long way for Gordonov,who will continue to stay moti-vated. He plans to take a yearoff to conduct more researchunder a fellowship before head-ing off to medical school, as hecontinues on the track of doingclinical research.
“It’s a long road and it’s goingto be a challenge,” he said. “ButI’m looking forward to it.”
BY SAM HELLMANASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR
The offensive line, returning allfive starters from last year’s bowlgame, is the closest the Rutgersfootball team has to a sure thinggoing into Cincinnati, but that does-n’t mean there isn’t room to tinker.
Although sophomore Caleb Ruchstarted at left guard to close last sea-son, junior Howard Barbieri saw hisfair share of action and that playingtime for both has carried over to alate-competition for the starting spot.
Head coach Greg Schiano hassaid that both will see playing timeagainst the Bearcats but neither hasbeen confirmed as the starter withjust four days to go until kickoff.
“It hasn’t changed things,” Barbierisaid on opening up competition withRuch. “I’ve still gotten to know all of thepositions so it’s just about getting bet-ter wherever I’m needed.”
Barbieri, considered to be the“Mr. Versatility” on the line, hasexperience at almost every positionand said that experience, combinedwith the competitiveness of the leftguard position, has helped himimprove his game.
FOOTBALL PRACTICE NOTEBOOK BARBIERI READY TO FILL IN WHEN NEEDED
SPORTSP A G E 1 2 S E P T E M B E R 3 , 2 0 0 9
T H E D A I L Y T A R G U M
Inexperience no excuseYoung Scarlet Knights push for continued success after comeback thriller at Towson
RAMON DOMPOR/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
The Scarlet Knights will count on freshman Jake Grinkevich at goalkeeper. Grinkevich sits at the top ofhead coach Bob Reasso’s depth chart after winning a hotly contested preseason battle.
BY KYLE FRANKOASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR
If this season is going to be any-thing like the Rutgers men’s soccerteam’s 4-3 victory over Towson on
Wednesdaya f t e r n o o n ,it’s time to
buckle up and hold on.The Scarlet Knights dug them-
selves a 3-1 hole only to score threeunanswered goals in seven-goalthriller that is an early candidatefor Game of the Year.
Rutgers is young this season,star ting only one senior inGuilherme Dantas, the Brazilianwinger. Englishman Charlie Coxis the only other senior on the roster.
That means the Knights aregoing to have to grow up quicklywith a tough schedule ahead ofthem. The team faces StanfordFriday and follows that with aWest Coast trip against UC-SantaBarbara after facing St. Peters.
“We are young, and some-times you lack that leadershipand fighting spirit, but havingsaid that, a lot of these guys havebeen in big games,” head coachBob Reasso said. “Most of theseguys are the ones that beatLouisville and Santa Barbara lastyear, and now they are a yearolder and a year better.”
The first step of that growing upprocess came in the second halfagainst Towson when the Knightsoutshot the Tigers, 16-4, andgrabbed three unanswered goals.
“One thing that this team estab-lished on their own without me isthat they weren’t going to use inex-perience as an excuse,” Reassosaid. “That’s all fine and good, butit’s time to step up and not let itaffect you, and the challenge is forthe players not to use that as a per-sonal excuse. Everybody has to getlocked in and everybody has to dotheir job.”
SEE EXCUSE ON PAGE 11
MEN’S SOCCER
BY MATT SUGAMSTAFF WRITER
Maintaining a perfect gradepoint average is a difficult task inits own right, let alone doing it
while train-ing to run a
perfect five miles.Yet that’s exactly what senior
Simon Gordonov has done duringhis time on the Banks, and over thesummer, the Hightstown nativewas recognized for his hard workwhen he received the Barry M.Goldwater Scholarship — a nation-ally esteemed scholarship in honorof Sen. Goldwater.
Despite his success academical-ly, Gordonov didn’t see the awardcoming and was pleased that hishard work was acknowledged.
“I was really surprised and real-ly happy,” Gordonov said. “I workedreally hard the past couple yearsand [for that hard work] to be rec-ognized, I’m really honored. It’s agreat achievement, not only for mepersonally, but for the University.”
Gordonov spearheaded anachievement for the entire Rutgersteam, as they were named to the All-Academic Track and Field Team —an honor he was pleased with morethan the Goldwater scholarship.
“It’s absolutely amazing. I’m soproud of all the guys,” Gordonovsaid. “Personally, the Goldwater isgreat, but to know that the wholeteam is doing really well academi-cally — that’s even more rewardingfor me to be a part of.”
While Gordonov is team oriented,he can’t always practice with the teambecause of his busy class schedule,and sometimes practices at nightwith just one or two other teammates.
“There were some times where itwas just Simon and one other guy outin the dark doing his workouts” saidRutgers head coach Mike Mulqueen.
JOHN PENA/ SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Junior guard Howard Barbieri, middle, saw playing time last seasonand has challenged incumbent Caleb Ruch for the starting spot.
Gordonovpaces packwith 4.0
SEE GORDONOV ON PAGE 11
MENS XC
“I’m going to go anywhere I canto help the team,” Barbieri said. “IfCoach thinks that I’ll be most help-ful at a certain position, then that’swhere I want to play.
“We’ve always worked welltogether and helped each otherout, even last year when it wasn’treally a competition. We’re all likethat though. We all play togetherso we try to watch each other andhelp everyone out.”
THE MEMBERS OF THE footballteam, like the rest of the studentbody, began classes Tuesday, chang-ing the players’ practice schedules.
“It adds another thing to theplate,” junior defensive tackleCharlie Noonan said. “Academicsare just as important here as foot-ball. We attack it like we attack thefootball field.
“It may sound kind of weird,but when we do well [in class], itdefinitely correlates on the field.… Like we say around here, you
have to attack the academics likeyou attack the field.”
SENIORS BLAIR BINES ANDGeorge Johnson returned to prac-tice yesterday after suffering sepa-rate injuries during the grind oftraining camp.
Bines, a defensive tackle fight-ing for a starting spot with redshirtfreshman Scott Vallone, is recover-ing from an ankle injury sufferedduring the team’s first scrimmage.
Johnson, the starting right end,is recovering from a shoulder injury.
“From what I saw, they lookedOK,” Schiano said. “I didn’t focuson them primarily, but I thinkthey’ll be OK.”
Junior running back KordellYoung participated in minimaldrills at practice yesterday as wellafter suffering complications fromknee surgery.
Schiano has said that he mayuse Young in an emergency roleagainst the Bearcats.
