Full-time students in America struggle to stay financially afloat. In 2025, the American Consumer Price Index for all items rose by 2.7%. By the end of 2025, New Jersey ranked among the 10 most expensive states to live in according to World Population Review. The average cost of living in the country is expected to keep rising, so it’s going to be important to stay ahead of the curve.

Nicholas Reale is a senior at Rutgers–Camden. He has a hard time earning a satisfactory income due to his decreased availability. He mentioned that most of his days are spent on campus, so his weekly hours at work have suffered. As much as he recognizes the importance of going to school, he knows the accompanying tribulations well. 

“On top of being a full time student, I still have bills to pay and I have to work”, said Reale. “I know going to school will help me make more money in the future but as of right now, things are tough.”

In spite of these hardships, Reale has managed to get by over the past few years. He found budgeting his spending to be especially useful. He recommended breaking down expenses over a three month period to come up with an average number. From there, he suggested using that as a guide to determine how much you can realistically spend in the future.

Reale also stressed the importance of FAFSA. He encouraged students to look into the program, noting that the NJ Pell Grant has lifted much of the burden from his tuition. He shared, “You need to get into FAFSA. It is the only reason why I am able to go to school.” He said that FAFSA could be more affordable than people think. He specifically proposed becoming an independent applicant to reduce costs.

Jennifer Gonzalez is a former student from Rutgers–Newark. She graduated with a double major and took five courses per semester. She often felt stretched thin between a multitude of responsibilities. Even with a steady source of income, it wasn’t easy for her to meet her goals. Her part time job had a negative impact on her academic performance. 

Gonzalez explained, “Financing through that was a little bit better but my time became so much worse. It really made it difficult to give my best effort in all of my courses.”

However, she was able to make ends meet through a handful of campus resources. She highlighted on-campus jobs as good opportunities for students because of their flexible scheduling. Paid internships allowed her to make money while also pursuing career goals. She also recommended resources such as the Student Food Pantry, which provides free meals to volunteers. The Food Pantry is available at all Rutgers locations.

When reflecting on her college experience, Gonzalez appreciated how it taught her to prioritize a balanced lifestyle. In order to get the most out of their investments, she urged students to be mindful of how they’re dividing their time.

“A failed class is essentially money you won’t get back”, she said. “Nobody wants to end up with more debt than necessary.” She believes that it’s important to only take on what you can handle, or else financial stress could become life stress.

Those at Rutgers are not alone in their financial struggles. With the proper skills, these challenges can at the very least be mitigated. By carefully budgeting one’s expenses and time, students can improve their spending habits and mental wellbeing. By engaging with campus resources, they can find the proper support while also staying on top of their classes. 

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Years of student activism have culminated in the opening of Rutgers-Camden’s first cultural student center, The Bridge, on March 4, 2026. The new student center, located downstairs in the Campus Center, has been revamped to serve as a symbol of identity, belonging, and academic support for historically marginalized students.

Planning for the student center began in October 2024 under the Division of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement (DICE). However, the initiative has been a long time coming, dating back to the 1990s when students advocated for the student center, but their requests were turned down by the administration.

“I believe in the ’90s, a group of students chained themselves to the steps of the library and protested for a space for our black and brown students on campus to feel seen, feel heard, feel welcome,” said Simone Owens, Senior Program Coordinator for DICE. “And at the time, those requests were rejected, and it’s been a student’s request since then.”

Owens, an alumna of Rutgers-Camden, described returning to campus to see the project through as a meaningful experience. “This was my home back in the day,” she said. “And so, this is my home again, just in a professional space, and that feels good to me.”

Kaseem Edwards, a recent graduate of the Rutgers-Camden business school, has been working with Owens to gather student feedback during the planning phase of the student center. He has been leading the charge by conducting focus groups to determine the direction that the student center will take.

Owens credited Edwards with helping her connect to the student body. “Kaseem is the reason I was able to first meet students, learn their rhythms, their patterns, their behaviors,” she said. “I owe much of that to Kaseem.”

The physical space features flexible seating, intimate group areas, a mini kitchen with complimentary coffee, and student artwork. A featured art piece titled “His Story” by McKayla Jones and the Arts Students League hangs prominently in the center. Jones, a junior studio art major and BFA candidate, explained the inspiration behind her work.

“The inspiration behind that piece was about pulling from different historical time periods and the different art styles that were trending during those times,” Jones said. “Sort of combining them again to represent the timelessness and the presence of Black Americans and how we can show up in those spaces and how we were present, even if we weren’t widely depicted in that sense.”

Jones said representation is a central theme in her work. “I think my inspiration comes from expressing myself and being able to give others a platform to also express themselves,” she said. “It’s more about representation.”

She recently taught a painting class at The Bridge entitled Paint with a Twist: an experience she described as unfamiliar territory. “It was fun. I was a bit nervous, but it was just fun to do something different, to branch out because it is something I have never done,” Jones said. “I’ve never taught a class on how to paint, but it was definitely interesting just to expose people to more.”

First-year music major Athen/Ari Smith visited The Bridge for the first time during its inaugural week. They attended the center’s first watch party, where students viewed an episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race.

“It was all very cozy with all the awesome furniture and the little broken up spaces,” Smith said. “I like the little mini kitchen, all the coffee stuff. It almost feels like being in a living room, which is just a very conducive environment to unwind after a long and stressful day.”

The programming of activities, luncheons, speaking engagements, and more at the student center is determined by the monthly LeaderLink meetings with student organizations, giving students a voice in the activities that will take place at the student center. 

Jose Pagán, Program Coordinator for Social Engagement for DICE, said the first week of programming exceeded expectations.

“If the first week is any indication, a lot of students have been craving the space,” Pagán said. “I feel like we’re beginning to fulfill that need. The more that we’re out there, the more that we’re doing things, the more that the students who need us are going to find us.”

The Bridge operates on a “wraparound” model, drawing from social work practices to connect students to culturally responsive resources. Owens said she intentionally designed the space to evolve with student needs. “We decorated it nice, but everything can come off these walls,” Owens said. “The furniture can be moved around. People can bring in new art. We wanted it to be a space that was designed to evolve and withstand changes as they come. The students make it their own.”

This student center has been a long time coming, especially at a time when the country is experiencing a climate where many universities are cutting their diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. The student center has been named The Bridge, a name that captures its essence: to create a bridge between students and resources, between commuter students and the university, between academic support and student support, and between the university and the community.

In the near future, the student center will partner with organizations such as Lucy Outreach and the Camden Recreation Centers to bring the community’s youth into the student center.

The student center’s inaugural schedule for the upcoming semester will feature a variety of activities, including cultural heritage, interfaith, LGBTQ+IA, and a watch party series. During the summer, the student center will look to strengthen community relationships, targeting commuter students by offering classes at the student center, known as The Bridge.

For Edwards, witnessing the project’s completion after being involved from the preliminary stages has been significant. “A lot of times, you see offices created, but you never really get to see the behind-the-scenes decisions (the administrative stuff, the finances, all that kind of stuff),” Edwards said.

Owens reflected on the journey from concept to reality. “This is the first time that I was able to build something from the ground up like this,” she said. “We’ve been doing this for a year and a half. The team has been my day one since then. Just to take all of our ideas and see it manifested in real time is beautiful.”

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Residential students who live on campus say they are frustrated by the limited dining hall food selection and the changing weekend hours. Amid rising meal plan prices, students report that weekend dining hall services do not cater to those who rely on the dining hall most. This growing campus issue affects students who live on campus and are required to stay on weekends due to limited transportation and living too far from campus. 

Over the past year, Rutgers Camden has seen an increase in its enrollment, which was significantly lower three years ago. Along with this increase, Rutgers has raised its meal plan prices by approximately 800 dollars in the last year, from 1,800 dollars to 2,500 dollars in just less than a year.  The students are complaining that they are paying more despite the poor dining hall experience during the weekend. “My meal plan on tuition has increased from 1,800 to 2500 dollars since my freshman year,” said Destin, a residential student living on campus. 

On weekdays, the dining hall is open earlier, from 7:30 am to 9:30 pm, and offers a wider variety of food. On weekends, the dining hall opens at 10 am and stops letting students in at 7:45. Students are noticing a difference in food variety, with fewer options. The limited options are making students question whether weekend operations are equal to the commuter and staff schedules during the rest of the week.

Destin continued, “As someone who has to have a meal plan because I live on campus, it can be quite frustrating that hours and food options are limited to the students who pay the most money.”

“After a night out with my friends on the weekend, sometimes having a meal plan comes in handy when the conversation is about saving money in your wallet,” said Destin. “However, when the dining halls’ hours are cut short at 8, and they don’t let students in anymore or make any more food after 7:30, situations can get pricey.” 

Students who are active on the weekends in the morning or stay out late are forced to pricey alternatives, such as buying food from off-campus restaurants. Freshman dorms aren’t provided with a kitchen inside their suite, making them rely on the dining hall even more during their first year on campus. “During the weekend, I do end up buying dinner or breakfast usually because of the shortened hours,” says Destin  

Students note significant differences in dining hall options on weekends compared to weekdays, when most commuters are on campus. “During the weekend, I usually can only choose from the grill section or whatever the chief is making that day. Grubhub, Sandwich bar, Fruit bar, smoothie section, and desserts aren’t offered to students on campus during the weekend,” said Destin.  

Commuters on campus during the week have access to more dining hall benefits than residents. “The times I do pay to come inside, I use the salad bar, smoothie section, deli section, the special meals they serve each day, I also really look forward to the fruit provided in the fruit section during the weekdays I’m here,” said Liana, a commuter student here at Rutgers Camden. 

Commuter students also have the privilege of bringing their own lunch on some days and buying food in the dining hall, making it more cost-effective than purchasing a meal plan for the week. “As a commuter, I have the privilege of bringing my own lunch some days, or paying to get in the dining hall some days; I don’t rely on it as much as a resident,” shared Liana. 

Residential students say they hope the university will address the rising costs of meal plans as enrollment continues to rise, given the limited food options and weekend hours. As of now, Residential students hope for equality and better consistency within the weekday schedule and weekend dining hall services. 

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“Give Back and Give Blood” is the name of Rutgers–Camden’s Student Nursing Association’s first blood drive in association with the American Red Cross. It will be held on Wednesday, April 8th, from 9:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. in Campus Center MPR. The Student Nursing Association (SNA) is not only looking for donors, but also for volunteers to help run the drive. 

“The American Red Cross supplies about forty percent of the nation’s blood,” explains SNA’s Junior Secretary, Sofia-Andre Aseron. “So doing a blood drive and participating in it is a good way to give back to your community.”

Aseron is the main organizer of the event, communicating with representatives from the American Red Cross along with the rest of the SNA E-Board. In particular, Aseron expressed that SNA’s event planner, Maya Mazahreh, president Gianna Giangreco, and PR manager Prerana Malla have all helped organize the event. 

“The blood drive is super important because, as of right now, according to the American Red Cross, there is a current blood shortage in our hospitals and in our blood banks and accidents happen every day, and we need to make sure that we have a good blood supply to make sure that we can help those who need it,” explained Aseron. 

Aseron also shared the inspiration for the event, which was a joint effort between herself, Jilliane Jaugan, SNA’s Fundraising Chair, and Vincent Crocilla, SNA’s Vice President: “We were talking about ways to get students more involved in the club and, really, [Jilliane] had the idea. She remembered that at our high school, they hosted a blood drive, and we just remember a lot of people coming out to it and a lot of people thinking it was the coolest thing ever.” She added, “We wanted to do something that helps with our local community and do more outreach.”

The American Red Cross offers two different types of blood donations: a standard donation or a Power Red donation. The Red Cross describes Power Red donations as giving almost double the amount of red blood cells as a standard donation, and makes donors feel more hydrated than a standard donation by separating blood so it does not take plasma, platelets, or saline. Power Red donors must meet certain age and height requirements, as well as be blood type O, A negative, or B negative. 

The donation process also varies slightly for each type of donor. A standard donation can take up to about thirty minutes, while Power Red can take up to an hour, with these times including the check-in process, the actual donation process, and then the recovery. According to Aseron, “The American Red Cross will be providing refreshments on their end to help replenish and recharge energy, but the blood drives don’t really take that much energy. A lot of people think that it does, but it won’t drain you for the day. I’ll promise you’ll be okay.” 

While being nurses in training, the Student Nursing Association will not be the ones taking donors’ blood: “The American Red Cross will be the ones taking the blood as they are the ones certified to take the blood. The SNA is just hosting the event,” explained Aseron. SNA is working in tandem with the Camden branch of the Red Cross to hold the blood drive. 

SNA members will be volunteering to run the event alongside other RUC students. Any students who are interested in volunteering with check-in and recovery can do so by signing up for volunteer slots, which are divided into thirty-minute increments. Students can sign up for more than one if they are available. Both donors and volunteers are asked to sign up for a time slot if they would like to take part.

Other upcoming events from the SNA are their stethoscope giveaway, which will be during their third GBM of the semester, and their clothing sale, where students can buy Rutgers–Camden School of Nursing merchandise. More information for both of these events can be found on SNA’s Instagram page. 

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The Diocese of Camden, a catholic church located on Market street, reached a multi-million dollar settlement in February of this year amid sexual abuse allegations. 

The abuse allegations came after the state of New Jersey changed the statute of limitations for sexual abuse allegations. In 2019 Governor Phil Murphy signed bill S477/A3648, which allows minors who were sexually abused to file civil suits up to their 55th birthday, which considerably extends the statute of limitations. 

Following this change, survivors of abuse from the Diocese of Camden have filed civil suits despite now being well into adulthood. 

Some of the survivors have spoken out with various news channels, one of which being Andrew Napoli who said to CBS news, “I’m going to end up dead if I don’t start addressing, you know, the trauma of my life.” Napoli also expressed in his statement that being a part of the committee that negotiated the $180 million dollar for the 300 survivors has contributed to the healing process. 

The Diocese of Camden disclosed a clergy list to the public which lists 56 of the priests and deacons that were involved with the Diocese of Camden and were accused of sexual abuse and misconduct with minors. 

Although the settlement wasn’t reached until early this year, the list was originally published in 2019, around the time that the allegations first came out. Most members on the list are now deceased, and those who are not have been removed from the ministry. 

When asked if he thinks financial settlements are appropriate in these situations, or if jail time would be more suitable, Julien Moral a student at Rutgers Camden says, “I would say that for religious establishments, a monetary settlement isn’t justifiable. I think what the institution practices and preaches should be reflected in their actions. And so I would say jail time would be applicable for something like this. I think that if you are a safe haven for a lot of people, you should be held accountable and not be able to buy your way out of trouble.” 

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Camden County officials on Thursday, March 5, 2026 celebrated the opening of a new reentry release center designed to help people leaving jail reconnect with housing, employment, and treatment resources as they transition back into the community.

The facility, located next to the current Camden County Correctional Facility in Camden City, will serve incarcerated people being released from custody after serving their term. County Commissioner Jonathan Young and Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli Jr. led the opening ceremony, with the center planned to be fully operational on March 16.

The program’s central goal is to reduce recidivism, the rate at which former inmates return to jail, by providing services to help overcome common barriers such as lack of identification, unstable housing, and limited access to substance use or mental health treatment. The center will offer a range of services aimed at giving individuals a concrete foundation upon reentry. Among the most critical is assistance obtaining government identification, including birth certificates and social security cards, documents that are often necessary for employment applications and access to treatment programs.

Rob Warner, the newest specialist at the reintegration facility and a current employee there, described the hands-on nature of the work his team does with each individual from the moment they arrive. “The facility plays a huge role in reintegrating individuals back into society from being previously incarcerated. We are the specialists who are working with these individuals from the time they enter until the time they leave. This happens because I work on getting them a birth certificate, social security, reintegration ID’s, huge stepping stones for treatment, and more,” Warner said. He noted the team consists of five members, most of whom are existing county employees who are continuing their work under the expanded program and improved facility.

The new facility includes practical amenities meant to help people prepare for life outside, such as showers, laundry machines, a kitchen, and common areas. Warner emphasized that even basic access to hygiene can carry significant meaning for someone about to reenter society.

“These are people just like you and me who not only need some help but want the help and are willing to accept the help. Helping people with substance use is also a great feeling to know that you got someone off the street who was struggling and are able to potentially help these families get back together because substance use can really take a toll on that,” Warner said.

A retired Camden County chief department officer, who previously worked in a similar capacity, said the problem the center is trying to solve is longstanding and well-documented.

“It’s generally known that many inmates who get incarcerated and released will return within some point of a year,” the former officer said. “This new facility will focus on reducing and returning inmates to be productive members of society once they serve their sentence.”

The retired official also pointed to the economic impact of a successful reentry facility. Fewer people cycling back through the jail system translates to lower costs for taxpayers and broader benefits for the communities of Camden County, they said.

Cappelli echoed that perspective, arguing that a significant portion of the jail population would be better served by the healthcare system than by incarceration. “Most of the folks who are incarcerated here really are folks who should be patients,” Cappelli expressed, adding that many require treatment for substance abuse and mental health conditions.

After the opening ceremony took place, the reentry release center became fully operational on Monday, March 16, 2026.

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Financial aid is something many college students look towards for support paying for college. However, as Department of Education cuts have slowed down financial aid, Rutgers has reported that they plan to increase tuition costs for their annual budget. 

According to USA Today, there have been several colleges that have reported financial aid delays due to the cuts in the Department of Education; the layoffs taking place has caused the Department to operate at a much slower pace. At least 40% of colleges have said that financial aid servicing has caused them to have issues, there have also been outages of key systems. According to college officials, contacting the Federal Student Aid office was also delayed which has caused concerns regarding availability. Alongside this, the One Big Beautiful Bill had eliminated Grad Plus Loans and implemented a cap on loans for professional degrees (Law, Medicine, Clinical Psychology). 

Rutgers also increased tuition for the 2025-2026 year, for in-state students it has increased by 5%, while there was a 6% increase for out-of-state students. The reason for this increase is due to Rutgers’ $5.9 billion budget, which is supported by this tuition increase. Other fees like housing have also gone up with this change.

Some students, who have been having problems with financial aid, have had to take gap semesters as a result. “When I found out I wouldn’t be able to afford my spring semester I went to the financial aid office right away…Making sure that I am able to have the money to come back was my top priority…” says Xia Durham, a Junior Accounting student at Rutgers–Camden. 

Due to issues with financial aid, she couldn’t afford to come back for the Spring 2026 semester, this resulted in her graduation date being delayed. “There was nothing that I could have done…I needed to wait till the Fall to continue my classes, but I’m not letting it stress me out too much, I try to see it as a required break from my coursework.” 

There are programs at Rutgers-Camden to help low-income students who need support including the EOF program. They provide support like additional financial aid, counseling, and tutoring for disadvantaged students. 

“The Educational Opportunity Fund allows for students to experience college with the financial support they need, cuts to funding prevents us from giving that chance for them.” says Matthew West, EOF’s program manager. This kind of support can help students navigate a system that they may not be used to. There are also grants and scholarships that students can apply for support as well. For now, if you are a student, it’s best to understand what your current financial position is, and how these changes will affect you in the future.

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Students and faculty at Rutgers Camden strive to adjust to the current nursing shortage as the Nursing Program at Rutgers Camden implements new Virtual Reality clinical simulations. The Virtual Reality experience launched this semester and was implemented to allow students to care for patients on a maternity floor through a controlled simulation headset. Hospitals and healthcare facilities are facing a nursing shortage, preventing students from completing their clinical rotations on the floor. 

Nursing students are typically required to complete their clinical rotation on the floor for 12 hours to be prepared for what it’s like to experience a real-life nursing shift and to gain hands-on experience. The use of these new Virtual Reality headsets allows these students to experience real-life maternal scenarios for approximately 20 minutes, reducing the risk of motion sickness. This change was not used to fill students’ free time, but allows students to experience medical scenarios that are, in some cases, “rare” to see during the typical one clinical day per week rotation. 

“A lot of the healthcare floors are becoming crowded between all of the day-staff along with the students, and it’s making it more difficult to secure the clinical spots our students need to experience the hands-on aspect of their course load,” said a Nursing staff member at Rutgers Camden. “While it’s not a replacement for students on a hospital floor, the virtual reality does a great job at filling in the gaps to ensure students are continuing to receive similar experiences and possibly even more exposure to events that may not happen throughout their semester on the floor.” 

The new virtual reality here at Rutgers Camden is here to bypass these obstacles in the field with the level of stress already on the floor. The staff member continued, “Families, primary staff, patients, and administration are all just a fragment of who is attending in the hospital during the day reaching a true saturation point making it difficult to provide an interactive experience for our students.” 

As these changes are part of the program, nursing students are questioning whether this Virtual Reality can help students to become better prepared to work in the field after graduation. As this is the first semester of these clinical changes, students at Rutgers Camden are still processing and learning how to navigate the virtual reality simulation implementation. 

“I’ve only ever had one clinical in person during my med surge class, so it does feel different not being on a healthcare floor,” said Selena Aquino, a junior nursing student going through these new changes. “I’m intrigued to see how these changes will help or hurt our level of preparedness to being on an actual hospital floor as new grads.” For Junior nursing students like Selena, these changes can feel like more of an experiment rather than a saving grace to the hands-on experience in their maternity courses. 

While virtual reality offers the rare scenarios that many students may never get to experience, it has a chance at lacking the authenticity of being on the floor. Aquino continued, “The new solution to the nursing shortage is intriguing, but it worries me that as new grads on the floor, we will lack the adrenaline that’s needed and the preparation of being tired from a real 12-hour shift.” 

While these changes can be worrisome for the students, it has seemed to have a large impact on the students’ expectations, indicating an appreciation for the new virtual reality simulation. “However, the new Virtual Reality exceeded my expectations to say the least. I have never felt more in control and responsible for my actions while taking care of a patient before, and the idea of that truly worried me. I think that this new system of learning is a great way for my Junior class and I to be able to be more in control, take accountability, and practice skills we may not be able to in the true clinical setting,” said Aquino. 

The juniors in this program have a completely different experience from those who have already taken these courses. Upperclassmen experienced their maternity clinicals in person, seeing medical events such as births and labor difficulties while others were delegated to take vitals and assist in ADLs. The current junior students are now in a controlled environment where they get to be the primary nurse.

“I remember being nervous in a crowded room with two nurses who weren’t even happy that we were there,” said Olivia, a senior nursing student at Rutgers Camden who went through these classes before the effects of the nursing shortage. “It was an amazing experience, but I would say being on my feet for approximately 20 minutes in a 4-hour lab doesn’t even come close to how hard it really is to be on the floor for almost 12 hours without hardly getting a moment to pause, think, or retry the patient care,” said the senior. 

As the spring semester continues for these students, Rutgers Camden will be able to get a close insight into how effective the virtual reality simulation really is for the junior class and the upcoming nursing students. The Camden Nursing program is showing students and faculty how nursing education is changing and evolving, and how this university is adapting to the changes in healthcare.

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Rutgers Camden can be said to be run by its adjuncts, just as many institutions of higher education across the country are. Similarly to many other groups of professionals, the adjuncts of RUC have a union to protect their interests. Per the website for the Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union, 1,300 adjuncts teach at least 30% of all undergraduate classes across all Rutgers campuses. Many of the most popular professors on RUC today are considered adjunct lecturers. 

Current RUC students might remember the strikes of spring 2023, wherein the adjunct faculty union was forced to cease working and go on strike in order to make gains on their new contracts. At the time, the primary issues were wages, job security, and healthcare. Since then, the Office of Military and Veterans Affairs appeared to briefly be mulling over a strike that never materialized, with a shift in personnel, and now the highest levels of executive staff at Rutgers have changed, such as a new president. 

Despite all the changes, old issues are still afoot behind the scenes. Namely, the contract for adjunct workers is up for renewal soon, and some foresee difficulty reaching an agreement. 

Professor Austin Rooney, an adjunct lecturer and current vice president of the union’s executive board, acknowledged a demonstration that happened in front of the Campus Center on Wednesday the 18th of February: “[There was] a demonstration out in front of the student center during the free period regarding the administration’s refusal to acknowledge the flex work [work from home] component in URA’s contract…. The administration are demanding that people be on campus more.”

Another point of concern from the union is the apparent use of facial-recognition time clocks to “punch in” and potentially monitor RUC faculty without their consent. Fliers posted in visible areas around Armitage Hall and other high-traffic areas on campus mention this, as well as the linked website, which represents the sister union URA-AFT. Union members have indicated that this will be part of upcoming contract negotiations. Per the website, “On August 27, 2025, Rutgers Management sent an email to IP&O Staff in New Brunswick/Piscataway stating they were ‘excited to announce’ that current UKG Kronos time clocks were being upgraded to facial recognition. Workers have been instructed to enroll by providing a face scan without their consent… Increasing workplace surveillance opens the door to abuse, including the capture and dissemination of our faces for dangerous and illicit uses.”

As for the question which might now be on most people’s minds, the possibility of a strike is very remote but never zero: “I don’t think there’s any reason – I haven’t seen anything to suspect that this [round of negotiation] will be unusually difficult,” explained Rooney. “Our power comes from you all. Our working conditions or your learning conditions. We greatly recognize and respect the amount of support that we got under the last labor negotiations. We’re gonna need that again moving forward, so we want to be keeping everybody informed and working hand in hand.”

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On Wednesday, February 18th, Rutgers-Camden launched the “AI Campus” program. It is overseen by Vice Chancellor for Research, Thomas S. Risch and Senior Program Coordinator, Ojobo Agbo Eje. It will allow students to research and develop AI software to be used for various projects. Opinions amongst Rutgers students are mixed, with some expressing weariness towards the impact that a program like this might have.

The AI Campus at Rutgers-Camden is a part of a larger initiative called the “National AI Campus”. According to their official website, the AI Campus movement is built around “project-based-learning.” Some of the specific applications that they focus on are, “biomedical imaging, natural language processing, genomics, self-driving cars, etc.”

Thomas Risch explained that this model has been particularly successful in many California state universities such as CASU Dominguez Hills. He expressed the desire for the Rutgers–Camden branch to meet the rising standards of the National model. He said, “One of our big, overreaching goals with the AI Campus is to make sure South Jersey is ready for an AI workforce.”

Risch also mentioned that some of the events may include topical conversations such as ethics or psychological effects of AI. He later noted that concerns around these topics and the development of Artificial Intelligence are valid. However, he believes that AI is a powerful tool for research.

Both Thomas Risch and Ojobo Agbe Eje agreed that AI can’t be avoided. Eje, who is in charge of managing the infrastructure and process of the program, was especially interested in working with that inevitability. He wants to cultivate a cooperative learning environment so that people can equip themselves with the ability to adapt to the ever changing technological world. 

He had these words to say on the matter: “As an institution that seeks to prepare people for what the future is, we cannot hide under the rock. The overall goal of the AI Campus is to make sure that our people–faculty, staff, students–are up to speed and comfortable with AI.” Eje feels strongly about bridging the gap between unrestrained AI adoption and the complete rejection of its positive benefits. 

Wayne Reynolds is a grad student in the Emerging Media program with the goal of becoming a screenwriter. He considers AI to be a detriment in his field, as many companies are prioritizing generative software over original work from creatives. He is worried about the lack of regulations and how that may affect writers and artists.

Reynolds is skeptical about the decision to incorporate AI based research into Rutgers–Camden. Although he isn’t fond of AI integration, he offered his perspective on how Rutgers can encourage ethical research: “There needs to be an emphasis on assisting students, not merely doing the work for them.” He also believes that artificially generated content should be prohibited.

Erin Gallagher, a math major with minors in education and statistics, feels more cautiously optimistic. She believes Rutgers is at least making an effort to utilize AI in ethical ways. Gallagher acknowledged it can be useful in certain situations, noting the creation of assignments by professors and fellow students who use AI software to practice math problems. On the flipside, she questioned if it could be diminishing the need to learn mathematics. 

In general, Gallagher expressed how she’s anxious about how society will be changed by AI over time, “Looking to the future, it’s a little scary. Like, where are we gonna end up? Are we gonna devolve or evolve? Overall, I guess we’re just gonna kind of go in with fingers crossed and hopefully we’re all gonna be okay.”

In short, AI Campus administrators claim to be mindful about the potential dangers of AI, while also remaining dedicated to advancing its capabilities. They want to provide Rutgers-Camden students the means to be able to explore this rapidly changing technology on their own. Some of those students are still apprehensive about the program; others are open to it, so long as ethics are being carefully considered. 

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