By Gregory Hyatt
Staff Writer

           A fire caused the cancelation of classes at the Rutgers Business School (RBS) at 1 Washington Park this evening.  Classes will resume on schedule tomorrow morning at RBS.  The Newark Fire Department has contained the fire and there are no reported injuries from the incident.    

According to Kemel Dawkins, Executive Vice Chancellor for Administration at Rutgers Newark, the fire was triggered by a garbage dumpster, just outside the back portion of the building near the loading docks.  

The fire lead to the RBS alarm system being triggered to notify building occupants to evacuate.  Students in the building at the time of the fire describe the scene as “chaotic” when smoke started billowing throughout the hallways.

“I was in the Bistro (RBS cafeteria) and all I saw was a thick, dark grey cloud start to fill the room,” said sophomore Finance student Michael Bierman.  “At that point everyone made their way for the exit as quickly as possible,” said Bierman.

              Some students were studying in one of the building’s lounges during the fire.  When the fire triggered the alarm system, the students initially thought it was a drill until they realized the smoke started to fill the area.

              “I was studying for a test I was about to take and then I heard the fire system ringing loudly,” said Cassius Ross, a Supply Chain Management major.  “Once the smoke became noticeable the area became chaotic as people tried to get out as fast as possible.  I feel fortunate that I was able to get out of the building safely,” said Ross.

 As a result of the fire, damage has been sustained to the sprinkler system on the first floor of RBS. 

Check out next Monday’s issue for an exclusive.

Pamela Cassell

Friday night the Rutgers Newark Men’s Volleyball team hosted ninth- seeded Penn State at home in the Golden Dome for a showdown of David versus Goliath. Unlike the story though, Goliath won this time as the Nittany Lions defeated the Scarlet Raiders 13-25, 20-25, 19-25.

While Penn State left with the 3-0 victory, the Scarlet Raiders fought strong throughout the match. Facing a team who they have only beaten twice in the last ten years is a hard fight for any team, especially a young Raiders team with five starting freshman and one sophomore.

As Penn State entered the Golden Dome it was hard to overlook the teams size and talent as well as the no nonsense attitude that accompanied them. Each player looked as if he were there to take care of business.  The domineering Nittany Lions warmed up with big serves sending a message to the raiders from the very start.  

While it was not evident by their appearance, freshman right side Christopher Kopacz who led the Raiders with 8 kills said “I was very nervous going up against a team that is ranked #9 in the nation and much bigger in size, but once we got a spark we tried to keep the momentum going.”

While there was some internal consternation, The Raiders showcased no signs of intimidation or fear.

“I told my team no one expects you to win so go out there and give it everything you’ve got,” Coach Trevino said..

During the first game, Penn State quickly took the lead and kept it. Preseason All-American selection Aaron Russell and Nick Goodell lead the way for Penn State with strong serves and kills. In addition, such big Nittany Lions blocking at the net made it difficult for the Raiders. As a team collectively, Penn State had double the blocks of the Scarlet Raiders.

Outside hitter, Colin Ferguson who led the Scarlet Raiders with 9 kills, 6 digs and a block, said that “Penn State is so big so it changed the game, we had to change several things such as defense and being more disciplined, we also substituted a couple of better defensive players such as Nick Collins and Adrian Lopez to assist with defense.”

Although there were many factors that contributed to the Raiders losing to Penn State, the heart and feistiness of the young Scarlet Raiders wasn’t one. The team fought all the way through and refused to ever give up until the very end.

“I’m really proud of our guys,” head coach Trevino said.  “We have a really young team so going up against a team that is ranked number nine in the nation is no easy task.”

Iqra Baig

Effective July 1, 2013, Rutgers University and all units of University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), except for the University Hospital in Newark and the School of Osteopathic Medicine in Stratford, will be integrating into one great institution. As a Pre-Medicine student, I am excited at the educational opportunities and increased recruitment of students into the medical school, this strategic move will bring. Not only will the collaboration provide students with greater academic opportunities, it will also give Rutgers University prestige and will attract more revenue through grants and partnerships from the government.  

Rutgers University will now have access to medical education which means that students will not only be engaged in biological research, they will also be able to translate their work into clinical applications. UMDNJ, while it receives accolade for it’s cutting-edge research, lacked revenue. Therefore, this move has the benefits of both institutions in consideration; students will be able to be more “hands-on” in their approach, there will be increased revenue, and most importantly, medical research will flourish and there will be a positive effect on healthcare in New Jersey.

Rutgers University is a highly regarded brand name for it offers outstanding education with great faculty minds at an affordable cost for students. We are not only known for our Division I football team, but also for our intellectual capital in scientific research. By combining UMDNJ with Rutgers University, we will have a comprehensive university that entails undergraduate and graduate level experience, thus placing us on the same playing field as other prestigious state universities as Michigan, Virginia, and North Carolina to name a few.

For those living in New Jersey, this move will have the effect of greater job opportunities since biotech and pharmaceutical businesses and jobs will have more of an initiative to stay in state and jobs from elsewhere may also choose to relocate here due to expansion of research.

While there are substantial benefits to this historic merge, the union is not cheap by any means especially since Rutgers is taking on about half a billion dollars in expenses and debt; $45-$75 million are being spent on consultants, financial experts, and attorneys needed to bring the two schools together. In addition, Rutgers will also be assuming approximately $456 million of UMDNJ’s debt, making it more expensive for the university to borrow money. However, I agree with Rutgers President Robert Barchi that while this merge is a “substantial expense” for this university, it is well worth the potential opportunities. It should also be mentioned that tuition would not go up for Rutgers University students. As with every business transaction, there is interplay between profit and loss and in this case, I believe the profit is intangible for it is not initially money-based, but rather intellectual. The decision also accommodates the large population of scientifically and medically inclined Rutgers students, such as myself.

Shiza Sajid

With midterm exams around the corner it is incredibly important that you give yourself some downtime to relax and process all the information you are trying to cram in such a short period of time. Listed below are a few tips to help you find some inner peace during these stressful times.

Spa day
If you’ve been buried in your books chances are you are in dire need of some TLC. Splurge a little and treat yourself to a hot stone massage at Blush Spa on 31 Halsey Street. Guaranteed you’ll leave this delightful establishment feeling light on your feet and in a state of bliss.

Short sitcoms
If you are in need of a short and sweet break in between studying consider watching an episode of Community or Modern Family. Each episode runs for about 20 minutes and will allow you to temporarily forget about your worries and just have a good laugh.

Going out for lunch with a friend
Midterm time doesn’t mean you need to turn completely antisocial. There’s some comfort in going out and getting some fresh air and lunch with a good friend who is most likely suffering from the same stress and anxiety you are going through.

Hit the gym.
Take a break from studying and head over to the Golden Dome gym to boost some of those endorphins. Commonly referred to as your body’s “happy drug”, practically any form of exercise whether it is zumba or running on a treadmill can result in the production of this hormone.

Get enough sleep
Sleep. Sleep. Sleep. Take our word for it you need a minimum of 6 – 7 hours. Any less and you’ll have a hard time retaining any of the information you’re trying so hard to remember.

 Paoling Lopez

News Editor

The New Jersey Public Interest Research Group (NJPIRG), is running a national campaign throughout the spring semester that focuses on making text books more affordable for students.  

NJPIRG’s purpose with this campaign is to collect as many petitions as possible, and to give these petitions to professors, administrators and people in the academic publishing industries in hopes to convince them to lower textbook prices.

“The problem is that textbooks are extremely overpriced”, said Cat Irbarne, Campus Organizer for NJPIRG. “It’s not because they’re worth that much money, but because publishing companies like to keep them expensive so that they could make a profit.”

With this campaign, NJPIRG also wants to push professors and administrators to switch to open textbooks as an alternative to the publishing companies’ brand new academic textbooks, which Irbarne says costs the average student about $900 a year.

“They -publishing companies- do things like publishing new editions of textbooks for subjects that haven’t changed significantly in 1,000 years, like calculus for example”, said Iribarne. “Open textbooks are free and they’re available online, and they’re extremely similar to textbooks that professors assign. Sometimes not even knowing what the prices are because publishers would screen them.”

NJPIRG will be running this campaign all semester long; hosting events like book swaps, and giving out tips on how to save money on books with options like renting or trading.

“All these initiatives are in hopes of raising awareness and save students money”, Iribarne said.

“It’s a great idea”, said senior Patricia Rodriguez. “Since nobody is doing anything about textbook prices, I feel like every semester they get higher and higher.”

So far, NJPIRG has collected about 500 petitions on the Rutgers Newark campus, and hope to reach their goal of 2,000 by March.

“We are running this campaign because it’s something that students really care about,” said Iribarne.

Everet Rummel

Contributor

On Wednesday, Jan 30, Chancellor Philip Yeagle delivered his annual progress report for the Rutgers-Newark community at the Paul Robeson Campus Center in the Newark Campus. 

Foremost on the list of changes to the campus addressed included updates on RU-N’s two newest construction projects. 15 Washington Street, the name for an approved $71 million renovation of an historic 1920s high-rise apartment building into a home for an estimated 350 graduate students, is set to be completed in Fall 2015, according to a Star-Ledger report.

Yeagle also announced that RU-N has obtained “the first level of approval for a major new building”, Life Sciences Center II, which is to “establish a Rutgers presence in University Heights Science Park… based on new faculty in Life Sciences II with an interest in developing startup companies,” according to Yeagle. Construction costs for both projects will amount to $130 million. More comprehensive capital improvements were also announced.

“We have initiated a program of renewal to bring all teaching facilities into the 21st century,” Yeagle said after acknowledging the dated environments in which many popular classes have been taking place.

Specific projects mentioned include the remodeling of “the large lecture hall in Ackerson”, referring to  Ackerson 123, and a “major classroom overhaul in Hill Hall”.

According to Yeagle, a new biology teaching laboratory will be constructed this summer, as well. Updates were also provided on several major organizational changes to Rutgers-Newark.

“Our campus is not merging directly with UMDNJ here in Newark”, said Yeagle, but would later maintained that the integration process is well underway when asked how the issue of student cross-registration would be addressed.

Yeagle also announced a mandate by state law requiring Rutgers-Newark to “ask the legislature for state funding directly rather than have the University as a whole ask on our behalf”, which will imbibe greater autonomy and responsibility upon the Newark campus administration.

After honoring several exemplary members of the Rutgers-Newark community, Yeagle accepted questions from the audience. Many of the questions posited by members of the community involved campus safety, with concerns ranging from a lack of police visibility at night to anemic lighting conditions on the campus’ side streets, with the street in front of the Golden Dome being specifically mentioned, and crime alerts seeming to appear in student inboxes every other day.

Yeagle echoed reforms proposed in an email sent to the RU-N community earlier this week, stressing that the number of officers patrolling at night will soon double to 14, and inviting several public safety administrators to comment and take note of specific suggestions.

Additionally, two new patrol routes have been established on MLK Jr. Blvd and Washington Street that “will supplement the existing patrols on University Avenue,” the email states.

Elyon Obamedo

Contributor

Newark’s family-owned organic stores have been getting a lot of attention. Located in downtown Newark, on 392 Broad St, “?uestion Mart” offers a variety of organic, local, and vegan selections at competitive city prices.

“?uestion Mart” has caught the interest of both Newark residents and government officials alike, because of its role in providing Newark with the alternative of healthy food.

Last Saturday, store owners Kay Lewis and Alex Estrada held their grand reopening, to which Newark’s councilman Darrin Sharif was in attendance. The event had a large turnout from local residents, government officials, press coverage, and support from organizations such as Brick City Development Corporation and La Casa de Don Pedro.

“It’s nice to not only have gotten support from the community, but also from the government officials and organizations,” says William Lee, manager of ?uestion Mart. “In particular, the fact that the councilman took time to promote us is amazing, because it shows us that the government is really concerned about providing Newark with healthier foods.”

In an urban city like Newark, where fast food restaurants are most commonly found, ?uestion Mart aims to combat unhealthy eating by providing Newark residents with healthy options at reasonable prices.

?uestion Mart offers healthy tips and recipes to customers, and constantly modify their inventory to expose customers to a wider range of healthy food choices. Additionally, they are looking to offer free taste tests and monthly nutritional seminars, aiming to inform the community about exercise, proper diet and nutrition.

“Our slogan is ‘Answering Your Healthy Needs’”, said Lewis. “I always try to look for something that tastes good while still being healthy, because I know that will resonate well with our customers. Also, we hope our nutritionist seminars can have a major impact on Newark as a whole”

Besides the efforts of Lewis and Estrada, the city’s government has also been working towards improving the state of health in Newark.  In particular, the Living Cities Integration Initiative, which began in 2010, was a collaboration of 22 of the world’s largest foundations and financial institutions launched by the Integration Initiative that year, according to the Star Ledger.

As a part of the Initiative, Newark was eligible for up to $15 million in grants to improve health options  through systems transformations as well as coordinated investments in housing, education, healthcare and healthy food options.

“It’s really convenient to come to a store nearby and pick up fruits and vegetables”, said Nakia White, a resident of Newark and alumni of the Rutgers Newark Business school. “Especially, when they’re organic.”

Senior Kyle Goodridge says, “I’ve only found out about this store recently, but I’ll definitely be coming here often.”

Armed Robbery

A complainant said that his property, valued at $300.00, was taken by six black males wearing red shirts, tan pants and black jackets. One of them held a handgun and was approximately 5’8” in height and chubby. The incident occurred on Warren St and Washington St, at 5:20 pm, on January 29, 2013.

Theft

A complainant said that her property, valued at $4.88, was taken by a black male, 18-20 years old, 5’6” in height, wearing dark clothing and a black winter cap with a white and green stripe, and a black book bag. The incident occurred on 185 University Ave, at 6:11 p.m., on January 29, 2013.

Harassment

Complainant said that a black male, approximately 6’2” in height, wearing a beige jacket harassed her on 101 Warren Street, (Smith Hall), at 11:33 pm, on January 30, 2013.

Theft

A complainant stated that her property valued at $420.00 was taken by a black male, 5’10 to 5’11 in height, 16-17 years old, wearing a black zippered bubble vest, light gray sweater with a hood, and a black scarf over his face. The incident occurred on 73 Warren Street (Olson Hall) at 2:10pm.  

Kathleen Jironza

Multimedia Editor

As of January 27, New Jersey now gives retailers the option to charge customers up to a four percent surcharge on credit card usage, which is equivalent to an interchange fee that a store pays each time there is a credit card checkout, according to Time.

 Depending on the retailer, this fee could now be passed on the customers if they use Visa or Mastercard, but stores surrounding the Rutgers-Newark campus have decided not to charge this fee.

The fee comes as a result of a lawsuit between major retailers and Mastercard, Visa and other banks and credit institutions. The surcharge is supposed to equal the cost of processing a credit card transaction, according to the Daily News.

Stores and food chains around campus, such as Subway, Starbucks, the two Rutgers-Newark bookstores, E-Z mart, Raider Mart, the cafeteria, Danny’s and Sbarro so far have decided not to charge students and customers the surcharge.

“Customers will get pissed off,” said Metro Cafe’s Issy Pcslis.

“We’re already struggling and if stores are going to charge a fee for using a credit card they are going to lose customers,” said junior Theresa Huynh. “I’ll either pay cash or go somewhere else.”

NJ Transit will not be charging this additional fee, which will be a relief to many RN students due to RN’s commuting campus.

“Whatever the regular price is, is what we’re going to charge our customers,” said a customer service agent at NJ Transit. “There is not going to be an extra charge unless your credit card charges you the fee.”

Allison Mitchell

Contributor

Due to the recent massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newton, Conn, and other major shootings last year, the gun control argument is all over newspapers, on television, and all over social media. Armed robberies have been occurring on this very campus. 30 Americans die from gun violence every day, reported ABC World News. 22, 871 people have been the victims of gun violence within the last two years.

After all of these tragedies, I think we all can agree on one thing. It needs to stop. That’s why I think gun control is extremely important. The government should have a psychology evaluation put in place before giving a customer their gun. There should be certain parameters set in place before you can just let someone buy a gun. The gun show loophole should be called into question as well. “Current federal law requires criminal background checks only for guns sold through licensed firearm dealers, which account for just 60% of all gun sales in the United States. A loophole in the law allows individuals not “engaged in the business” of selling firearms to sell guns without a license—and without processing any paperwork” reported CSGV.org. And I don’t know about anyone else, but that just doesn’t sit right with me.

There have been 62 mass shootings since 1982. Out of that 62, twenty-five of these mass shootings have occurred since 2006. There were seven mass shootings in 2012. “Of the 142 guns possessed by the killers, more than three quarters were obtained legally. The arsenal included dozens of assault weapons and semiautomatic handguns” A Guide to Mass Shootings in America reported. This is why there needs to be more parameters set in place for people who want to buy guns. I understand that not everyone will show signs of mental illness, but some people will.

On Jan. 29, 2013, a 15 year old girl named Hadiya Pendleton was shot in the back in Chicago. She performed with her high school band at the President’s inauguration last week. Pendleton was taking shelter from the rain under a canopy at the park with 12 other teenagers when a man jumped a fence and ran up to them. The man then opened fire.

Another teenage boy was shot in the leg and undergoing treatment at University of Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital. Hadiya is another child that will never have the chance to go to college, get her driver’s license, go to Senior Prom, or graduation. Just like the children of Sandy Hook Elementary, she had these opportunities taken away from her. She had the rest of her life taken away from her. And I understand that people around the world die every day but how they died is the issue.

The government can control guns. The government can do something about people receiving better mental health care. We need to do something about this gun control problem or it will only get worse before it can get better.

Allison Mitchell is also a member of the T.A.N.G.L.E.S., Encore Yearbook, RU pride, Social work student organizations

Last year, I was told by Rene Melara that he was starting a program at Rutgers called OUTfront through the LGBTQ Resource and Diversity Center. He explained that it was a peer mentorship program, and we would try to help the queer youth on campus have the best experience here that they possibly could.

I was intrigued and interested, so I signed up. After filling out an application and going through a really thorough training schedule, I was prepared.

Nothing happened immediately. That was at the end of last 2012’s spring’s semester. School was ending for the year. However, during the summer I got an email from Rene about a student that needed help coming out. “Yes,” I thought, “my first mentee.”

I communicated with this student through email, and the correspondence was slow at first and almost nonexistent. He was not out of the closet. He was incredibly shy. He needed someone to help him through the slow and trying process of coming out. There were a lot of obstacles to overcome and a lot of self-realizations and fantastic discoveries to be found, and he is still growing, like we are. However, without the help of this program, he would not be where he is today. He is a happy and healthy gay man, and it’s because of OUTfront.

At the beginning of the fall semester, OUTfront hosted a trip to Six Flags on its annual gay day; they close down the park and invited all LGBTQ organizations. Our groups mostly consisted of the mentors and freshmen.

It was an incredible experience. Here I was, with these young queer kids, and I actually see them, in a way, be comfortable with their sexuality and queerness. It is easy for heteronormative people to take for granted feeling normal and safe. They don’t have to be worried that people know their sexuality. For these kids, however, it was one of the first times they did not have to be worried about being seen as gay. They knew it was more than okay to be themselves, it was encouraged.

My experiences at OUTfront have been incredible. They have definitely made me evolve as a leader and a member of the LGBTQ community. It has been really rewarding seeing students that were once struggling with their sexual and gender identities to now have embraced it completely.

 We help people here, and hopefully, this semester, we will be able to reach out change the lives of even more people.

- Steven Albano

Steven Albano is an active member of OUTfront. For more info contact him at newpride@newark.rutgers.edu

By Zarna Patel

Executive Editor

This is my first official Valentine’s Day with my boyfriend and what to get him has been on my mind since we first met. My boyfriend is the kind of guy you need to research before you buy anything for him. Just a tie would never be enough. It must be completely tailored to his exact needs and preferences. So I came up with a few simple gift under $20 that would keep anyone happy.

Chocolate

Chocolate can be difficult if your sweetheart has a preference. But do some research and find out what kind of chocolate they want. This is the kind of treat that does not require crazy effort to find. You can find high-end brands like Godiva at your local supermarket.

Wine

Trader Joe’s has an amazing assortment of cheap wine. Like people buy it by the crate it is so cheap. They are also willing to help you choose the perfect wine for the occasion if you walk in and get overwhelmed.

Framed Picture

I know everyone now carries dozens of pictures on their phone, iPod, or hand held device, but waking up to a picture of you and your loved one together can be a sweet site.

Home Cooked Dinner

I would drop dead if my boyfriend slaved over a hot stove for me. I know for sure he’s a great cook but since we live far apart, we don’t really get the opportunity to cook each other anything. Cooking dinner and creating a romantic evening would be perfect.

Baked Goods

Brownies, cakes, cupcakes, and anything you put your heart into would make anyone happy! There is a lot of love in cooking.

Poetry

Maybe this is more of a personal preference because I do love reading poetry out loud for fun, but the thought of my cutie being inspired to  write a poem for makes me blush.

Aroma Therapy

Bath&Body has range of amazing aroma therapy lotions. A lot of other manufactures make things from oils to bath salts. I’ve never tried anything labeled “Sensual” but the “Stress” and “Sleep” ones are amazing so I’m sure they are all worth a try.

Dina Sayedahmed

Contributor

On Thursday morning, students arrived to school finding MLK Blvd closed off by police. Initially, no students were shocked. Perhaps a few were vexed with the traffic jams that delayed their arrival to class, but nobody perceived anything of unnerving irregularity. Thus remained the atmosphere until Fri Jan 25th, when three Rutgers buildings, two of which lost power, shook with underground explosions.

It was then that the Rutgers administration deemed it appropriate to inform the student body of the mishaps unfolding in the Rutgers NJIT area. A flooding occurred in a manhole by Weston Hall (NJIT Campus) which led to the power outage on MLK, rendering it closed.  Many Rutgers students regretted that they were not informed of the incident as early as the NJIT students were.

Two students, both of whom wished to remain anonymous, reported that they were angered by the fact that the Rutgers administration “belittled” them by not informing them of the unfortunate events ensuing on campus.

However, few students have peered into the other side of the equation—would knowing about the flooding and its potential harms have made a difference? Could the students have taken precautionary action against possible danger? Or would this have needlessly worried them and drifted their focus from their classes to their safety?

Whereas robberies, assaults, and hit-and-runs are dangerous events of which students should be informed so as to pay additional heed to their environment, antedated knowledge of events such as those which ensued last week is futile. Entrance into manholes is off-limits to students, as are the areas where the explosions occurred. In knowing that the buildings are dangerous

The NJIT Administration’s actions were suitable to their campus settings, as the flooding occurred near Weston Hall. The Rutgers’ Administration also took an appropriate approach, though many disagree. In the context of this particular event, what we don’t know won’t hurt us. Students would only grow apprehensive and worried had they known earlier about the flooding and power outage.

However, because the areas where the explosions occurred where off-limits to students to begin with, students did not need to be pre-informed of the contracting events.

Dina Sayedahmed is a member of Muslim Student Association, MSA. 

Katie Park

Contributor

For many, Sunday is a day of blessing. It is a day to give thanks, whether it is in bed, at work, in the library, or at the coffee shop. Earlier this week, on January 27th, 2013, Sunday was particularly bittersweet. It was the anniversary of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, where the remaining living victims of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in Warsaw, Poland, were liberated in 1945, and on that day, visitors huddled tightly together in front of the gates of Auschwitz to mourn. 

International Holocaust Remembrance Day, otherwise condensed as IHRD, was formally created by the United Nations in November 2005. It is meant for people around the world to come together and in the midst of their lives, to think about the 11 million people—approximately the combined populations of New Jersey and Connecticut— that were senselessly murdered by the German Nazi party from 1933 to 1945. It is a period of great tragedy, but also one of warning, and by association, reflection. It is the historical embodiment of the effects of hate carried from fear, and a lesson in tolerance and compassion that is carried well into the 21st century.This year, according to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, the theme of IHRD is “Rescue During the Holocaust: The Courage to Care.” The theme for 2013 resonates clearly with the people that suffered in the Holocaust, namely, the Jewish, Romani and Sinti—also regarded under the derogatory title of gypsies—and homosexuals, amongst others. The theme also reverberates among people today. Fear of caring for multiple reasons is not uncommon, especially throughout history. 

During the Holocaust, standing by in spite of the war being raged by anti-Semitists was attributed to the difficulty of speaking out against Nazi oppression. Extending a hand meant political persecution, social alienation, or even death, the evidence of which is written in the logs of time.

Obvious breaches against human life were observed during the Holocaust; today, fear is still a motivating factor for apathy, cruelty, or selfishness. To condemn the people of today by failing to display empathy or valuing our own needs and dreams is a disservice to the men, women, and children subjugated by the Nazis.

It is easy, especially as college students, to focus solely on ourselves and become blind-sided by our own self-interest. However, we should not forget that we live in a world dependent on interaction. Our lives are symbiotic: when we show kindness, we receive it. Unfortunately, we do not live in a perfect world. We will always have those who revel in hate.To wish that hate be eliminated entirely is a lofty desire, but to work in the pursuit that virtue prevail over corruption is a worthy ambition that deserves to be placed alongside our academic and career goals. We entered existence expected to be persons of good character; we must exit as such.

Katie Park is an intern for NJPIRG, Intern for Eastern Environmental Law Center.

Old Friend

By John Richey

Contributor

This bitch’s eyes ain’t got shit on the sun.

The way his mangled face begs through tattoos,

“Thug Life”, lost half its weight in state prison.

His mind cleaves in two while his body does.

War on a smaller scale, desperate for change

to pay for the PCP or cocaine

or what sunk his eyes so deep,

jaundiced glaze

like great big verdant leaves spoiled

black, rain-

filled.  Do not think I’ve forgotten the

lake

he painted.  Uncloaked when the rain

broke cloud,

he was awash with canvas and all. 

Take

his words to heart, forget his face out

loud.

This rib-peddler, this screaming mess

of man

and bone with no eye-shine, this

Ferdinand.  

Sanity

Scott Nisley

Contributor 

Iron caged

Without a key

Razor whispers

Bloody seas

Insect legs

On crawling skin

A rotting twisted

Scream within

Gnashing teeth

Clasp round the heart

Love’s hunger pangs

Dulled arrows dart

Wicked women

Ticklish dreams

Sweet like honey

Men obscene

Crooked alleys

Broken glass

Frozen smiles

Laughing gas

Alcohol like

Curtains drape

Roundabout

And no escape

Girl Across The Room

Scott Nisley

Contributor

There’s desperation in her face

A shrouded pain 

Tangled roses climb her garden walls

A lioness untamed

Late night passions in her eyes

Forever left unseen

Beneath the mask she loves to wear

In jaded restless dreams

Zilch Nada Nobody

 Scott Nisley 

Contributor

Zilch Nada Nobody’s

Walking the beat

Through the coal laden ebony

Of the week-old-shave streets

Frostbiting

Dreaming of an acorn brunette

Far-flung in the twilight

Of midnight regret