Homophobia in college athletics has been gaining more attention and prevention, but more still needs to be done, according to several University affiliates who addressed the issue. In the Cook Campus Center, a panel of media specialists, coaches and athletes answered important questions last night on how to make gay athletes feel comfortable and the struggles they face after a screening of the movie “Training Rules.” In the documentary, several female Penn State University basketball players shared their stories playing under head coach Rene Portland’s 30-year tenure and her three training rules: no alcohol, no drugs and no lesbians. Portland make it clear to her recruits that being a lesbian and associating with lesbians was not allowed, according to the film. If a player was discovered to be gay, they would be discriminated against and — as in the 2005 case of star player Jennifer Harris — dismissed.
Juniors and seniors at the University may be the main students worrying about the low number of jobs available after graduation. But job growth in New Jersey is not expected to reach its pre-recession peak until 2016, well after most underclassmen are expected to graduate, according to an economic conference held last month. Though comparatively shallower than the national recession, New Jersey’s economic slump is predicted to last longer than the national average, said Center for Urban Policy Research Economist Nancy Mantell at the Oct. 29 R/ECON Semiannual Subscriber Conference.
The economy and the new state governor will play a crucial role in addressing students’ concerns in transportation, study spaces and dining services, University President Richard L. McCormick said last night at the Rutgers University Student Assembly meeting.
“The tough economy has constrained resources available for everything,” McCormick said. “[The new governor] confronts a very difficult budget situation. … Sadly, higher education will once again be liable to cuts in the year ahead.” He said he needs students’ help advocating for the budget in the upcoming year. “We want your help in Trenton to be the best we can do for higher education,” McCormick said. “Sometimes a more proactive approach was successful, sometimes a more quiet stance is suitable, [and] we would welcome the chance to work with students in regards to state support.”
