To celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Italian Studies Program and its Italian Hours lecture program, students and faculty alike were able to hear Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, Samuel A. Alito Jr., speak about his experiences on being an Italian-American.
The event, "Reflections on Growing Up as an Italian-American in New Jersey," took place yesterday at the Rutgers Student Center on the College Avenue campus.
"We need to put aside the distortion of popular [Italian] culture and the distortion of the stereotypical mentality and see the truth about a profound American experience that has important things to teach us about ourselves, about our country and about our future as a nation of immigrants," Alito said.
He spoke mainly about his father, who came to the United States when he was only a toddler from Naples, Italy. He also spoke of common stereotypes Italian-Americans faced in the past and issues they currently are confronted with.
For Alito, Italian stereotypes commonly seen in shows like "The Sopranos" contort the true image of Italians in America, alongside things that stereotype other immigrants as well.
The Italian Studies Program was started at the University in September 2002 by the New Jersey State Legislature in the hopes of promoting cultural and educational programs. Because of this, students at the University now have the option of majoring or minoring in Italian studies.
An Italian Hours lecture was also created, where students can attend the lectures, exhibitions, recitals and film screenings pertaining to Italian culture, according to the Italian studies Web site.
University President Richard L. McCormick, who also spoke briefly at the event, said having Alito mark the fifth anniversary of the Italian Studies Program was an excellent way to show how Italian-Americans have contributed to American society.
"He was invited because he is a truly distinguished American and a distinguished individual from New Jersey of Italian ancestry and therefore a very appropriate person to help us celebrate this anniversary," McCormick said. "I think Justice Alito [gave] an excellent talk because it was very smart, moving, and he drew upon his family's experiences as well as his own. But he also showed great knowledge of the 20th century world and the experience of immigrants then and now."
Alito, who was born in Trenton but raised in Hamilton Township, was educated at both Princeton University and Yale University. He is the 110th justice and only the second Italian-American to serve on the Supreme Court - the only other Italian-American being Associate Justice Antonin Scalia, who is also currently a part of the Supreme Court.
Rutgers College sophomore Michael Pepe said being able to see Alito speak is a once in a lifetime opportunity.
"I saw the advertisement for this event in The Daily Targum, and it struck me because you so rarely get the opportunity to see a Supreme Court justice talk," Pepe said. "I did not know what to expect but the lecture was very good."
Associate Professor Corey Brennan, the chair for the Department of Classics and the director of the program, said Alito was an ideal candidate to speak at in celebration of the anniversary.
"I think that in many ways, he is the single-most appropriate person as far as distinction is concerned," Brennan said. "Because he was born in Trenton and spent much of his professional life here, to me it seemed a natural choice and his talk today shows that my instincts were right."
