1 washington park journal - march issue
DESCRIPTION
The Dean's Advisory Council presents the March Issue of 1 Washington Park JournalTRANSCRIPT
2014
Issue 6, March 2014
1 washington park
journal
2
In This Issue Message from the Dean’s Office “Tomorrow’s Success Relies on Today’s Perseverance”
As an academic advisor, I am always impressed by my students who are actively seeking opportu-nities from the moment they enter 1 Washington Park. It’s never too early to start planning out your coursework and prepping for an internship. In fact, if you don’t start these things within your first or second semester, you’re probably falling behind. This is why it is imperative that students be proac-tive throughout their time at RBS.
It is important for students to take ownership of their academic careers. If you are unsure as to
where to start, try joining a student club or organization. This is a great way to get your feet wet, but don’t stop there. Make it a priority to meet with the Office of Career Management so you can start honing your interview skills and polishing your resume. For many majors, securing an internship is a crucial step in gaining employment opportunities post-graduation. There are many other resources and opportunities on campus, specifically tar-geted to boost student success. If you need a little extra help in a course, seek tutoring from the Rutgers Learning Center. Need some assistance proofreading a paper? Check out the Writing Center. Want to learn from a professional mentor in your career field? Apply for TeamUP! Interested in visiting another country while furthering your academics? Look into Study Abroad. The opportunities don’t end there. It’s up to you, the student, to take advantage of all that Rutgers has to offer.
Also, don’t wait to meet with your academic advisor. The RBS curricu-lum is very sequential and often requires careful planning. Be sure to view prerequisites in the Schedule of Classes. Don’t just look up courses for your next semester; review courses you plan to take in the future. If you have questions regarding short/long term academic planning, schedule an ap-pointment to meet with your advisor. It’s also extremely important that stu-dents stay informed regarding academic policies, deadlines, registration information, etc. Be sure to review the Academic Policies page under the “Current Students” tab on the RBS: Undergraduate – Newark website. Also, know when the deadlines to add/drop and withdraw from courses are. See the Registrar’s Academic Calendar for more info. In short, your success is dependent upon you. Only you can take ownership of your academic ca-reer. If you haven’t started taking advantage of all that Rutgers has to offer, start seeking opportunities TODAY. Tomorrow’s success relies on today’s perseverance!
Mary Lehr-Furtado Academic Advisor
Club of the Month:
ALPFA
By: Cynthia Trujillo
Page 4
Childhood Obesity Rate
By: Maha J. Kazmi
Page 6
Professor of the Month:
Professor Williams
By: Raymond Postadan
Page 7
RBS Clubs Spotlight
By: Syed Hassan
Page 8
Dear Abby
Page 9
DAC’s Semester Ahead
By: Saiyid Ali Abbas Raza
Page 10
Tips Section
By: Jeannie Mark
Page 11
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Message from the Editors
Hi Readers,
Is everyone as excited as us that Spring Break is
just around the corner? It right there, and all we have
to do is survive this week! Between midterms, case
studies and club events, what should you expect on
this month’s 1WPJ issue?
From Ms. Mary Lehr-Furtado’s “Message from the
Dean’s Office”, we get to understand the importance
of grabbing every opportunity to help start your ca-
reer. We encourage everyone to seek advise from the
Office of Career Management, your academic advis-
ers, and all other resources available to us as students.
Let’s also get to know the ALPFA, their commit-
ment to the Rutgers Business School undergraduate
community, as well as the available opportunities and
exciting events they have in store for everyone.
This month, we also get to know more about Pro-
fessor Ray Williams from the Accounting Department,
his experiences, RBS involvement, and his advice on
finding your passion.
Get an update on what the Dean’s Advisory Council
has been working on, as well as the upcoming events
that RBS clubs/organizations have in store. Read
Abby’s first advice for a student, and get to nominate
someone as “Student of the Month.” Also, read arti-
cles written by our peers about childhood obesity rate
and tips on how to improve your writing skills.
Good luck on your midterms and have a great
Spring Break!
Catherine Balino and Urvi Tiwari
Co-Editors-In-Chief of 1WPJ
4
Club of the Month
ALPFA creates job opportunities for students, builds relationships between students and professionals in the corporate field, and engages in fellowship activities in the sur-rounding communities. ALPFA advances into the 21st century as an experienced pro-fessional association dedicated to enhancing opportunities for students in all business major fields. As a student chapter of this professional business association, they strive to participate in the professional chapter’s events, regional/national chapter’s events, build professional relationships, advertise career opportunities for their members, or-ganize/participate in community service events, and network with the other 23,000 business student and corporate professional members.
This student-governed chapter is a nationally recognized organization that has the largest corporate sponsors in the world ranging from "The Big Four", Prudential, J&J, JP Morgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Unilever as well as many more. Established in 1972, this Association continues to build upon a proud legacy of a shared vision, mission, and values. Their vision is to be the premier business organization for expanding op-
portunities for Leadership in the global market. The mission is to create opportunities, add value, build relationships for their members, the community, and its business partners while expanding leadership in the global workforce. Similarly, their shared values with the professional ALPFA chapter include professional growth, relationship building, inclusiveness, service, integrity and culture.
Upon this bedrock of shared values, the Association's visionary founders launched an ambitious mission that they pursued over the course of forty years. Committed to its shared values and to its mission, the Association flourished, ex-panding its base of operations to 161 student and professional chapters nation-wide with several more in formation. As heir to this rich legacy, ALPFA's current Board of Directors, with the support of the Corporate Advisory Board, is innova-tively addressing the challenges that lie ahead by promoting the highest standards of excellence for itself and for its mem-bers.
How to jump on this opportunity?: In or-der to take full advantage of the profes-sional organization (i.e. career opportu-nities, free/discount events, scholarships, etc.), you must become a registered member. Registration is only $20 a year, however, there is a special discount code available on their national website (alpfa.org) to become registered for only $10! Please check out their website (runalpfa.org) to enroll in their email sub-scription to stay in tune with their local events, and instructions on how to be-come a registered member so that you may stay in tune with all national, re-gional, and state-wide events.
President: Cynthia Trujillo
Vice President: Stephanie Vallejo
For links to their website, email and social media accounts,
click the icons on the right:
ALPFA E-Board
5
Step 1
To submit your questions, follow link here.
Step 2
Read next month’s issue to read the advice Abby has for you!
Got a Burning Question? Ask Abby!
6
Childhood Obesity Rate Lowest in Decade By: Maha J. Kazmi
According to a report released re-
cently by the Center for Disease
Control, the obesity rate for children
between the ages of two and five
years old dropped 43% during the
course of the decade. This is welcom-
ing news as America has been battling
an obesity epidemic in recent decades.
Some theories as to what caused the sig-
nificant drop in the rate revolve around
governmental initiatives such as the
“Let’s Move!” Campaign started by First
Lady Michelle Obama as well as federal
subsidized food programs that increased
subsidies for fruits and vegetables. Oth-
ers credit the “de-marketing” of junk
food to children in schools.
Though the age group does not neces-
sarily represent a large portion of the
American population (nationally, the
obesity rate has remained flat), the drop
is still significant as the likelihood of an
individual becoming obese is established
during these early formative years. The
coming years will be crucial in determin-
ing if the decline is sustained during the
next decade. —
Opinion Board
What do you think has
caused the drop in the
childhood obesity rate?
Government programs
The general shift towards
health food purchases
Efforts to curb junk food in
schools
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Professor of the Month
Professor Ray Williams
Background and career Professor Williams' career has been a fulfilling one, which he says "has contributed to where I am now."
For the first ten years out of college he worked in commercial banking, starting as a Credit Analyst and work-ing his way up to the title of Vice President overseeing loan reorganizations in the Credit Department with National State Bank. After working with National State Bank, Professor Williams then decided to take the BAR Exam in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. After working for various small firms he went back to school, earning his LL.M. in Corporate Law and Finance. Upon earning his Master's degree, Professor then clerked at the Federal Bankruptcy Court in Camden, NJ. Then, one summer got an opportunity to teach a Graduate legal course at Rutgers, realizing that he loves teaching and would like to do this someday. According to Pro-fessor Williams, "Well, that someday came four years later. I found my passion here and no matter how tired I was I could come here and be revitalized."
That's the challenge we face as college students, studying to ultimately find our passion. Could you give us ad-vice on how we can find our passion?
"The best thing is to not look for the perfect job since you don't know what the perfect job is. Look for jobs that will help you build competencies and once you get those skills and see a variety of work situations that will help you find your passion. Maybe you receive an offer with JP Morgan. You'll get your financial and quantitative background, then somewhere else you learn better writing skills. If you thought [and answered], 'What would I do if financially I did-n't have to do anything?' Then that's usually what your passion is. "
In recent years, the Rutgers Business School has been pivotal to helping high school students find a college disci-pline that is of interest. Could you please talk about your involvement?
"The program right now is called, 'Rutgers Prep.' The purpose of the program is to introduce urban high school students to financial careers and perhaps influence them to pursue the business discipline. We recruit from the metro-politan area, especially within Essex County. We would focus solely with Juniors who are in the top five to ten percent of their class and we have received a very good response. The class that we have of around 20 students have an aver-age GPA between 3.7 - 3.8." While discussing with Professor Williams, I also learned that the structure of the program is a whole day of learning, where the students would take the Management Skills class in the morning and then attend workshops in the afternoon, which vary in topic, including: Business Writing, Supply Chain, Personal Empowerment and Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and also Tax. The students and the University would then stay in touch with the hope that these students matriculate with Rutgers. Once confirming their attendance and after they graduate, these future First-Year students would then take six college credits in the summer and would start their first semester at Rutgers-Newark in Advanced Standing with nine credits. Professor Williams looks forward to this program and men-tions that "Part two of the program starts this summer."
"The best thing is to not look for the perfect job since you don't know what the perfect job is. Look for jobs that will help you build competencies and once you get those skills and
see a variety of work situations that will help you find your passion… If you thought [and answered], 'What would I do if financially I didn't have to do anything?' Then that's usually
what your passion is. "
RBS Club spotlight
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SHRM—Future Events:
March 12th: HR Topics—Professor Markert
March 19th: L'Oreal
April 16th: Port Authority
April 19th: Geodis Wilson
ALPFA—Past Events:
Black Rock Corporate Site Visit
Societe Generale Invest-
ment Bank Corporate
Site Visit
Future Events:
Little Red Dress Women's Networking Event
March 13th, Thursday
7PM—9PM
West Five Supper Club
505 Madison St. Hoboken, NJ (Shuttle provided from Hobo-
ken Path Station)
Free for Registered ALPFA Members, $10 for Non-Members
"Join us for a night of networking with powerful women, fun,
and dancing for a good cause!" Proceeds assist the American
Heart Association
Goodwill: Zumba Event
March 14th, Friday
6:00pm-8:00pm
PRCC Dance Room
PNC Information Session—Bagels, Brunch & Banks
March 24th, Monday
11:30AM—12:50PM
1WP Room 303
BASE—Past Events:
February was off to a slow start for Rut-
gers, even so for the student organiza-
tions of Rutgers Business
School. Despite the excessive snowfall,
BASE had an exciting and strong start to
their events this semester. Our first two excel workshops
brought in an enormous, and eager to learn crowd of stu-
dents. In addition to our workshops, BASE welcomed Mon-
delez, and Campbell’s to discuss a real world case of inven-
tory management, and strategic sourcing. Students were able
to apply classroom knowledge to real situations, and learn
alongside industry professionals.
Future Events:
March will be a busy, and exciting month for BASE! We
will be kicking off the month with Caterpillar on March 6th
to discuss their carbon footprint, and sustainability ef-
forts. We will also be holding our first fundraiser to benefit
the March of Dimes foundation on March 11th on the first
floor. Stop by for a delicious treat, and donate to a wonderful
cause! Finally, BASE will be holding its first site visit of the
semester at Kuehne & Nagel corporate location in Jersey
City, NJ. Join us for an exhilarating learning experience, and
network with K+N’s finest. Stay on the lookout for our flyers
for information on RSVP’ing for this event.
Message:
BASE has an exciting opportunity for Rutgers Business Stu-
dents! We will be co-sponsoring a headshot event with
ALPFA and RFS. This is a wonderful opportunity for stu-
dents to differentiate themselves and obtain their very own
professional headshot. These are great for LinkedIn photos,
as well as, professional business cards. This will run from
March 31st to April 4th, so schedule your headshot soon as
spots are filling quickly. Visit our Facebook and LinkedIn
page for more information and registration. We look forward
to seeing you at our events!
RFS—Past Event:
Asset Management Workshop
March 4th, Tuesday
6:30PM
Alumni from J.P. Morgan Private
Bank, Prudential Capital Group, and more.
9
Dean’s Advisory Council 1WPJ Issue 6, March 2014
Future Events:
Investment Banking Workshop
March 25th, Tuesday
5:30PM
Location TBD
There will be alumni from investment banking talking about
what it is, what you need to succeed, and how to break in.
RAS—Past Event:
The Mock
Interviews
are the big
event that
Rutgers Ac-
counting So-
ciety hosts
each semes-
ter to help the
students pre-
pare for the
real world
interviews. This semester, we invited recruiters from Deloitte,
PwC, EY, KPMG, CohnReznick and Prudential. A lot of stu-
dents signed up and benefited from the one-on-one interviews.
We arranged breakfast and lunch and provided an opportunity
for students to network with the professionals and among
themselves. Great feedback was received from both the stu-
dents and interviewers. The students felt prepared and the in-
terviewers were pleased with the interest of students getting a
head start on their careers. This is our biggest event every se-
mester and we will carry on with this tradition.
Future Events
Rutgers Accounting Society is host-
ing an information session with
PwC on how to build networking
skills in March 31 during Free Pe-
riod. Another event is the IT Audit
Information Session by
CohnReznick on April 14 during
free period, cosponsored by MISA.
We are also hosting a C-Series event with the Mr. Tom
Schember, SVP and Managing Director for RGP on April 28.
RSVP is required before the event since we would have lim-
ited spots open.
Message:
We wish all the students of RBS a great semester and I hope
we can serve you in the best way possible.
CEO—Future Events:
Fruit Sale
March 13th, Thursday
RBS 1st floor lobby
Entrepreneurial Rutgers Alumni Panel
March 27th, Thursday
MISA—Future Event:
2nd Annual MISA Global
Village
April 2nd, Wednesday
Everyone around me knows what they'll want to do in life but I don't. I'm worried if I'm not prepared enough. What should I do?
—Confused student
Dear Confused,
Please take your life one step at a time. It may seem that everyone knows what they're doing but that's a subjective point of view. They might look at you and feel the same way! Who knows! But if you have a fear of not being prepared enough to step out of college, I'd say talk to your advisor, friends, peers openly. Ask them how they chose what they chose and what they recommend for you. :-)
—Abby
DEAR ABBY DAC ADVICE COLUMN
To ask Abby a question, follow link here. Wait for next
month’s issue to read Abby’s advice for you!
Springing (DAC) in Spring
By: Saiyid Abbas Raza
It seems DAC is being on the full swing this semester. With the
success of Chat and Chew with Dean Battle-Brown, DAC is now
on full throttle towards attaining it’s motto, defying expectations,
breaking records!
The DAC is planning great events for the RBS community. Af-
ter having the welcome back with Keith Ferrazzi, DAC will be
bringing the 3rd Annual Professor Polls Ceremony. In addition,
DAC has a secret surprise coming up as well. However, just to pro-
vide a small sneak peak, this event will be held in the evening and
will be calling upon some alumni as well as professionals from the
corporate world. Yes, this event is so exciting that it forced me to
buy a new suit, or, at least makes me want to buy a new suit.
The different committees are finalizing their long term goals
for a solid structure for Open Forum Discussion as well as the re-
nowned RBS Academic Survey. The success of academic survey
last year resulted in a change of Bistro’s management as well as
some significant changes in the academia. It is worthwhile to
mention that the first ever academic survey helped in creation of
the student technology center on the 4th floor.
In addition, DAC will soon be going for its own elections as
well. With a majority of DAC set to graduate, the seniors are ex-
tremely excited in seeing the new faces take charge as well. With
less than two months left, what is to come is nothing short of ex-
citing. The month of March has already brought the good news of
spring as well, with snow storms finally going away for good.
Meanwhile, best of luck for your midterms and have an excit-
ing, tension free, relaxing and captivating Spring Break.
ESOURCES:
Symplicity Calendar
Includes information on all RBS Club events and professional workshops by OCM
https://undergradbusiness-rutgers-csm.symplicity.com/calendar/index.php/
pid258724?
CDC Calendar
Includes information on Club events as well as on campus events.
https://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~cdcrun/CDCRUN09/CDC_Calendar.html
Office of Career Management:
High Performance Series
http://www.business.rutgers.edu/undergrad-newark/career-management/students/
career-workshops
MARCH
3/3—11:30am-12:50pm Working Resume Writing Lab
Please RSVP through Symplicity
3/6 & 3/13 Excel Workshop 2 Part Series
(Must Attend Both Dates) RSVP through EventBrite
3/12—2:30pm-3:50pm Finding Your Career Personality Please RSVP through Symplicity
* Audience: All RBS Students
* Dress: Business Casual—no jeans, sneakers, or gym attire
11
Many companies and corporations state they want to hire someone with a given list of skills ac-quired from the person’s specific area of study. However, many people who work for these com-panies have stated that one may learn while working on the job. What companies really look for in a potential candidate is good communica-tion, verbal and written. Business writing may dif-fer from essay but they both require the same es-sentials such as grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc. A good cover letter will always grab the at-tention of a recruiter therefore, even before start-ing the job, writing has now become an intricate part of the hiring process. Here are a few tips on becoming a better writer:
Be specific. One of the most common mistakes
made in any writing – essay, cover letters, stories, etc. – is general, broad statements that fail to state some-thing. Being as specific as possible will not only make what is being said much more credible but also makes it more relatable. Anybody can say, “I am a good fit for this company because I meet the qualifications listed” or “I am a good fit because I’m punctual, a leader, etc.” Instead of just listed adjectives to de-scribe yourself, use specific examples to make this adjective much more credible. Instead of just describ-ing yourself as a “leader” try, “I have acquired my leadership skills within group projects in the courses I have taken as well as my role within the Dean’s Advi-sory Council.”
Don’t repeat yourself. Another common mistake
in writing. Being redundant makes reading whatever it is that you’re writing that much more mundane and uninteresting for the reader. For cover letters, this more specifically means not re-writing your resume in an essay format. A cover letter exemplifies one’s per-sonality and strong characteristics to make the argu-ment that this person is a good candidate for the job in addition to all the great things listed on the per-
son’s resume. Keep it short. Unless, of course, you have a cer-
tain page number required by a professor who likes to read twenty pages on your analysis of Shakespeare. But, even in that scenario, keep your sentences con-cise. State your point and move on to the next sen-tence. The longer the sentences, the more it appears that you’re rambling and trying to take up space on the page.
Watch your tone. I just sounded like a mom, did-
n’t I? Anyway, no matter what you write, each piece should and will have a different tone. Your essay on Hamlet will sound and look very different from your cover letter or a short story you wrote. Your tone of writing should also be very consistent throughout the entire piece. Don’t start casual and end formal or vice versa. Inconsistency in writing makes it seem unor-ganized and not as strong as it could be. For those working on cover letters, always pay attention to the vibe of the company you’re applying to. If it’s a more casual company, your cover letter can be more easy-going with some catchy phrases or anecdotes about yourself.
Proofread. Always make sure to re-read what you
have written several times before handing it in. Don’t proofread just after you’ve written it. Wait a day or two and then proofread it again. It also helps a great deal to ask others to proofread it for you. Everyone has a different eye for things. You may spot grammar errors immediately but others may be better with
Tips for Better Writing
By: Jeannie Mark
Nomination Form
Date: __________________________
Nominee’s Name: ____________________________
Nominee’s Major: ____________________________
Nominator’s Name: ____________________________
How did this student demonstrate academic excellence this month?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
What special project(s) inside of RBS did this student take on that set him/her apart?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
What special project(s) outside of RBS did this student take on that set him/her apart?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
How did this student exhibit the quality of good behavior and/or social responsibility?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
What special characteristics about this individual deserve recognition in this month’s issue of the 1WP Journal?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
Know a Rutgers Business School student who has shown overall excellence? Tell us!
Step 1: Fill out the form above, or follow the link here.
Step 2: Email the completed nomination form to [email protected].
Step 3: Wait for next month’s issue to see who gets chosen as “Student of the Month”!
12
Dean Battle-Brown has expressed an interest in helping students make
more personal connections to each other and the Rutgers Business School
brand. In response, the Dean’s Advisory Council partnered with Dean Bat-
tle-Brown to develop “Chat and Chew With Dean Battle-Brown”. This
program will be a lottery system for all interested students who wish to net-
work get to know other students and Dean Battle-Brown over lunch. Come
build relationship with your fellow students at a lunch where you can dis-
cuss a variety of topics. We believe this program is a step toward develop-
ing a stronger student body and the Rutgers Business School brand
Join Us!
Location: University Club
(Paul Robeson Campus Center)
Dates and Times:
Monday, March 3 @ 11:30-12:30 PM
Monday, April 7 @ 11:30-12:30 PM
Monday, May 5 @ 11:30-12:30 PM
Interested Students Please Sign- Up:
Visit Undergraduate Office, Room 324 and fill out student info
card, or follow link here.
Lunch Provided!
CHAT AND CHEW WITH DEAN BATTLE-BROWN
HAVE SOMETHING INTERESTING TO SHARE?
IT MIGHT BE 1WPJ WORTHY!
CONTACT US AT
http://dac.newark.rutgers.edu/