Street 4-16-15 : Press Play

The Daily Princetonian

Thursday April 16, 2015

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“What are you listening to?” Staff Writer VICTORIA SCOTT asked six people in Frist what was playing in their headphones. Spoiler alert: Drake and choral music both make it to the list.

“My current favorite songs are ‘Burning Desire’ by Lana Del Ray and ‘Drip Drop’ by Yazz the Greatest (Hakeem Lyons).”

UGONNA NWABUEZE ’18

SHAWON JACKSON ’15 “In the morning, I like listening to Beyoncé because she’s energetic, fierce and gets me in a good mood.”

NOGA ZABOROWSKI ’18 “I’ve got ‘This Friend’ by the Civil Wars [stuck in my head]. I recently rediscovered that I have seven songs by this artist and that’s what stuck in my head right now.”

LIAM VELEZ ’16

WILL JOHNSON ’18

“I’m listening to music I have to learn for a class. It’s choral music: ‘The MidWinter Songs’

by Morten Lauridsen.”

“My favorite kind of music is Country and some Pop. One of my favorites is ‘Something Bad’

by Carrie Underwood because it’s so uplifting.”

ASHLEY REED ’18

“When I’m studying I like listening to Drake.

Especially ‘Heat of the Moment,’ because he has a soothing tone even though it’s rap music.”

The Daily Princetonian

Thursday April 16, 2015

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FRIEND, HOOKUP OR DATE?

Q&A Friendsy Founders Michael Pinsky ’15 & Vaidhy Murti ’15 Interviewed by

EMILY TANG Staff Writer

M

ichael Pinsky ’15 and Vaidhy Murti ’15 are the creators of Friendsy, a mobile app that offers college students a secure network through which they can become more connected. One main feature of Friendsy is the option for users to categorize their interest in another student as friendship, hookup or date. The person gets an anonymous notification, and if both people are interested in the same way, they get a match. With the hint feature, users are allowed to tell the prospective match as much about themselves as they want. The other main function of Friendsy is the “ChitChat” tab, where users can talk anonymously to other users and eventually add each other on their friend networks if their is mutual interest.

Daily Princetonian: What was the inspiration behind the app?

Michael Pinsky: When we were freshmen, we met by randomly sitting down at Frist to watch the Yankee game. We were the only two people there, and became very fast friends ... but it usually doesn’t work like that in college. People get sucked into their social circles, so there’s all these amazing people on campus, but it becomes difficult to branch out ... so we thought, why not create a risk-free way for students to branch out of their social circles?

DP: How did you come up with the name of the application?

Vaidh Murti: It was just one of those moments, when I was sitting with my mom and sisters, and it just happened.

It sounds cool, and we wanted to create “friend-sy friends” through our app. In comparison to other social interaction applications, the name sounds

much less aggressive, which I think really plays into the idea that it is a friendlier, safer site that emphasizes the happiness of users.

DP: So tell me, how is Friendsy doing in terms of numbers?

VM: [In] May 2013, when the application launched, we registered 1000 users in one week.

Throughout the course of the next school year, we launched at 7 different schools, registering 10,000 users. In the past fall, we launched to an additional 30 schools, and had 20,000 users in 40 schools.

On March 1, we opened up to all four-year undergraduate colleges [in the US], and we are currently at 70,000 users. As far as numbers we really like, there have been 300,000 mutual matches ... and 460,000 chit chats.

DP: What do you study and how do you think your major has helped you along the process of making this app?

MP: I’m in the psychology department, so it’s pretty self-explanatory. I learned about human behavior, what makes people tick, how to make sure people in a good mood. All of this went into the creation of this app.

VM: My major is computer science, COUTESY OF TECHCRUNCH.COM which is what most Vaidhy Murti ’15 (left) and Michael Pinsky ’15 (right) co-founded Friendsy in the people on our team spring of 2013. The app now has over 70,000 users in colleges across the U.S. are. I’ve been build-

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ing apps for many years now. I really enjoy building products that people like to use, and I don’t plan on stopping.

DP: How do you plan to further expand its user base?

MP: A lot of it, fortunately, is pretty organic. There is an option for users to anonymously request phone contacts to join Friendsy, so that’s cool. Also, it grows by word of mouth.

We are also interested in marketing techniques as well.

One of the great things about Friendsy is the people are only college students. ... The application adds a level of sophistication in a previously binary arena. In a lot of dating apps, it’s just a matter of choosing “yes” or “no,” swiping “left” or “right.” By allowing you to have different types of interactions, Friendsy reflects the way people meet in real life.

With the possibility of sending hints, you can be as forward as you feel comfortable being, and narrow down the pool of people who might be interested in you.

DP: How often do you use your app?

MP: Literally every day.

VM: All the time. It’s lots of fun!

DP: What are some cool conversations you’ve had on it?

VM: There’s been so many great ones, but one interesting one was with a kid who happened to be both a Giants and Knicks fan like me. He was from Fordham, and we became mutual friends. He would text me every single day. ... This guy ended up becoming mutual friends with a lot of oth-

er people on the [Friendsy] team, and when we had a March Madness Bracket, it was everybody on the team, and he joined in as well.

DP: What happens to students on the application who graduate from their colleges, since it is so much of a college-based platform?

MP: Our general plan is to grow it vertically into an alumni network.

We want to still have things graduates can do — since they are newly introduced into the “real world,” where there isn’t a campus of similar-aged individuals, it is also hard to meet new people, but a lot of them are still looking to make new connections. There are a lot of interesting ideas about the best ways for keeping users of 2015 on board. For example, we could do reunion-styled meetups, where everyone flocks to New York City.

The fact that the school emails will expire for graduates gives us a short window to get some other form of verified identity. Although the app doesn’t rely on colleges keeping user email addresses active to function, it does rely

COUTESY OF FRIENDSY

on those emails for communications between Friendsy and you ... It’s a tricky challenge we’ll dealing with in the next few months.

DP: As you’re both seniors, where do you plan to take Friendsy after graduation?

MP: We are going to be managing the application full time next year. It will be nice not having to try and manage Friendsy while dealing with schoolwork at the same time.

Our next big step is to really dominate the college scene.

We want to get every college student on Friendsy.

The Daily Princetonian

Thursday April 16, 2015

VTONE READY TO SHINE WITH

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GET ‘MESSY’ WITH SONGLINE

‘CITY LIGHTS’ Q&AAron Wander ’15 & Ryan Cody ’15 Interviewed by

VICTORIA SCOTT

HARRISON BLACKMAN

Staff Writer

V

Associate Street Editor

Tone hopes to make the city shine this weekend with its spring show “City

performances.”

The group is currently preparing for its annual spring show, “City Lights,” which will take Lights.” place this Thursday, Friday and Princeton’s first East Asian Saturday at 8:30 p.m. in the Wilsinging group, VTone, was found- son Black Box Theater. Intended ed in 2011 by Judy Sun ’14, Kevin to inspire people through muLeung ’14, Sophia Xing ’15 and Eva sic, “City Lights” showcases Weng ’15 with the intent of adding songs from many cultures and diversity to the already vibrant a varies in mood and content, accappella scene at Princeton. Four cording to Xing. years later, the group now has 29 “Our inspiration was to light active members and performs in up cities with our music,” Xing one arch sing and one onstage said. “This time we will be pershow every school year. forming songs in Japanese, Chi“The group was initially nese, Korean, Vietnamese and founded to provide diversity to Mongolian and the songs all the a cappella scene at Prince- have different feelings.” She exton by performing music of East plained that the feel of each song Asian origins,” Xing, one of the is meant to reflect the city and co-founders, said in an e-mail culture that it represents. interview.

To prepare for a show that feaWhile many people in the tures such a wide range of lanUnited States might only think of guages and cultures, VTone has Psy’s “Gangnam Style” when they made the process very open-endthink of East Asian music, there’s ed. According to Xing, this allows a huge range of musical styles to the singers to choose which songs explore. VTone has made it its they would like to perform. mission to touch on as many cul“We start with arrangers tures and historical periods as choosing/compose [sic] songs possible and performs both pop that they would like to work with and traditional songs in numer- and then do a two-way selection ous East Asian languages. The process to determine which vogroup has also included some calists and instrumentalists are English songs in its repertoire. performing which songs,” Xing “Currently VTone performs said. “Regarding the songs, we English, Chinese, Korean, Japa- usually try to strike a balance nese and Vietnamese music,” between the languages as well as Xing said. “In the future, VTone a cappella versus instrumentalhopes to incorporate music from backed songs,” she added. more cultures and elements of As a group, VTone provides traditional Asian music into our the Princeton community with opportunities to experience East Asian music beyond the few major hits that make it to the Western charts. The group also encourages newly composed music, Xing explained, and not necessarily a cappella music.

“We’re always open to including new forms of music,” Xing said. “Because we are a very new group and most of the members in VTone have background in both singing and playing instruments, we’d COURTESY OF VTONE welcome anyone who Sophia Xing ’15 (left) and Linda Liu ’17 (right) is interested in creatperforming in ‘Vibrance,’ VTone’s 2014 show. ing new music.”

ASK THE SEXPERT

This week, she discusses painful penetration.

Dear Sexpert,

I recently started having sex with my new boyfriend, and it is quite painful for me. Is it possible that his penis is too big? Is my vagina too small? What can we do?

— Barely Fitting In

Dear Barely,

Having sexual intercourse should be fun and mutually enjoyable, so if you are ever feeling pain or discomfort during sex, stop and figure out what’s not working.

First, an anatomy lesson: The average vagina is about three to four inches in length. When women become aroused, muscular tension in the vagina pulls the uterus upward, extending the length of the vagina up to five to six inches. This can help to accommodate a penis (or other object) more comfortably.

The average male penis is three to five inches when flaccid, and five to seven inches when erect.

However, size can vary widely, and you and your boyfriend might need to spend some time experimenting to find what works for both of you. Different sexual positions can allow you to change the depth and pace of intercourse, so that you can be more comfortable. Take it slow at first to see how it goes.

Let’s discuss other likely causes of pain during sexual

intercourse. There could be a lack of lubrication, which would make it much more difficult and painful for his penis to enter you.

Latex condoms, some medications or low arousal can impact lubrication. Talk with your partner about spending more time on foreplay to increase arousal.

You could also try introducing water-based lubricants (they are less irritating and won’t damage latex condoms). Additionally, if you are feeling a cramping sensation during intercourse, it could be caused by his penis hitting your cervix.

If you still have questions, or if the pain persists or gets worse, it could be caused by an infection or other medical issue. Make an appointment with Sexual Health and Wellness Services at University Health Services, where clinicians can help you come up with some more strategies so that you can enjoy healthier and happier sexual experiences.

— The Sexpert

Interested in Sexual Health? The Sexpert is always looking for members of the community to join the team of sexual health educators who, along with factchecking from University health professionals, help write these columns. Email sexpert@dailyprincetonian.com for more information and questions about sexual health. Don’t be shy!

S

treet sat down with Aron Wander ’15 and Ryan Cody ’15, who are, along with Namkyu Oh ’16, the three co-founders of slam poetry group Songline. Songline was founded in 2013. Wander and Cody discussed Songline’s unique characteristics, the slam poetry process and Songline’s upcoming show, “Hot Mess,” which runs this Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. in the Wilson Black Box Theater.

Daily Princetonian: What are the goals of Songline and why was it founded?

Aron Wander: We were looking for a cohesive, small, tight-knit poetry group that would be able to put on themed shows and would have a small group dynamic. Slam poetry often — poetry in general — you often end up writing about things very personal. We found it’s easier to have an honest writing process— Ryan Cody: —if you can get really close to everyone in the group. Encourage a very tightknit community. We felt like it was easier to do that, especially when we only try to perform 45 minutes to an hour for our shows; it’s nice to have a smaller group so everyone gets to say what they want to say.

DP: Can you tell me a little about “Hot Mess?”

AW: Hot mess — so it’s going to be a bit of a hot mess.

It’s going to be a good time I think. We have a lot of different kinds of poems. Not as many group pieces as in some previous shows, but I think it’s nice to let people speak on their

own. We got some poems about couches, we got some poems about dead skin, poems about being a foreigner, a good mix of poems.

RC: A little bit of everything.

DP: What are some of the challenges involved in running a slam poetry group?

AW: I think one is, as much as having a small tight-knit group is a boon, it also means that each member really has to carry their own weight. Nobody’s there to pick up the slack for you. I mean, we’re there to pick up the slack for each other, but there aren’t that many people to pick up the slack.

RC: And it can be really tough, you know just how things fall — especially for us, you have seniors who have theses due ... You have to write all your stuff, and I couldn’t write a poem for him if he was struggling. It all comes from you, and it can be hard sometimes if you don’t know what you want to say. It’s not something where it’s like, “Today I’m going to sit down and write a poem.”

It happens most of the time where it’s just like, “I have an idea, I’m going to write it right now.” And that can be tough when you’re really caught up in other stuff.

AW: I think two of the biggest challenges in slam poetry [are] because you have an audience, you’re often constantly on the line wondering, “How honest am I being? Am I saying this to get a reaction, or am I saying it because I feel it? Am I trying to make myself feel it so I can believe it and say it?”

COURTESY OF SONGLINE

Aron Wander ’15 in a promotional photo for Songline’s ‘Hot Mess.’

And then you’re also trying to balance, “How much am I relying on my personal experience to make this poem good, and how much am I relying on the writing?” I have a poem about my OCD, and so I wonder, “Am I relying on the fact that people are going to feel bad for me because I have OCD to make people like this poem, or is the writing actually good?” I think those are two big tensions people encounter.

DP: Do you guys have a favorite show or performance you did in the past that you want to share?

RC: I liked the first show we put on when the newly formed group was kind of crazy, because we hadn’t had auditions yet. We had three people for the majority of it; then we added a fourth person pretty close to when the show was. It was very much rolling with the punches. We performed in Terrace, which was really cool.

But it was that experience of finally pulling it all together, really the first time we were like, “We are a group, we’re per for m i ng, we’re ready to go” — I thought that was a lot of fun.

AW: We had COURTESY OF SONGLINE Poster featuring Songline co-founder Namkyu Oh ’16 and member Catalina Trigo ’17. no idea how

many people were going to show up. We got about 100 both nights, which was awesome.

We overflowed the room. It was really exciting — it was very stressful, because when there were four of us, each of us was responsible for a lot of poetry, so we were each in like five or six poems. This show, most of us are in like three. It was a good time, though.

DP: What are Songline’s goals for the future?

AW: I think we’re just going to keep trying to do what we’re doing, but do it even better.

RC: I think it’s been interesting, because we’ve been here, and obviously, we started the group just last year, so it’s still making sure that we’re carving out a space for ourselves. It’s kind of a scary, exciting time to be like, “All right, now it’s up to you guys.” They’re all freshmen and sophomores and juniors, [and they’re] taking control of the group more and more as we get closer to being done.

AW: It’s also weird for us because Cody and I have been doing poetry on campus since sophomore year, freshman year. And we’re about to head to places where we’re probably not going to be doing a lot of poetry, in the real world.

RC: We’re also the first graduating class of Songline, so that’s pretty exciting stuff.

But yeah, I think doing what we’re doing, but doing it better and probably expanding the areas we get involved in, optimizing our system. I’m happy with it for now.

The Daily Princetonian

Thursday April 16, 2015

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BAC DANCE FUSES FAIRY TALES AND HIP-HOP IN ‘ONCE UPON A TIME’ JOY DARTEY Staff Writer

W

hile the words “Once Upon a Time” evoke thoughts of Grimms’ fairy tales, Princeton’s Black Arts Company Dance (BAC) is interpreting that phrase in a whole new light during their spring show of the same name. According to artistic director Sylvia Okafor ’16, the 12-piece spring show, set for this weekend, is meant to depict the many faces of BAC. “Artistically, we really want to branch out,” Susanna Yu ’17, the current president of BAC, said. “This show in particular is a lot more creative in terms of the theme and how we’re working with it. The types of music is also a lot more diverse in this show than in previous shows.”

According to Okafor, BAC’s current mission is to show that are many sides to the dance company.

“I think in the past, BAC has been confined to this box,” Okafor said. “When people think of BAC, only one type of choreography comes to mind, one type of dance style comes to mind, and for this show especially, we want to show that we’re not confined to this box and that we

are growing and expanding and we have many faces to this one company.”

Ebo Quansah ’17, the assistant artistic director of the company, stressed the importance of innovation.

“The most important thing that people are going to find out is BAC’s innovation,” Quansah said. “And I think that has led to a difference in music, difference in choreography. We are not just focusing on the choreography, but we are also focusing on showmanship.”

Okafor explained BAC’s tenet of showmanship.

“When I first got into BAC in my freshman year, the company was known for having a great choreography, and now we are moving to the point where we can perform amazing choreography while telling a story and having the audience understand what we are trying to portray from the beginning to end,” Okafor said.

The leaders of the show agreed that something that sets BAC apart from other dance groups on campus is the company’s funny and entertaining video fillers, as well as how each theme is chosen strategically to match the company’s vision.

They also explained that this year’s theme was suggested two semesters ago, when a member of BAC proposed that the company put on a show that was similar to a dream. Okafor said the company had been considering the theme of “Once Upon A Time” for a while, and now that BAC is concentrating on showing the Princeton community the company’s many faces, the idea that originated a while ago seems like a great medium to accomplish the company’s mission. She went on to explain that “Once Upon A Time” is the most choreographically diverse show BAC has had since she joined the group.

Putting on shows has not been without challenges. Terry Zhu ’16, the vice president of the company, talked about how critical it was that the members embody the theme.

“The fillers and the choreography are all very crucial, so a cohesive theme is very, very important, even from the get go,” Zhu said.

The group has high aspirations, according to Okafor.

“We set really high standards for ourselves,” Okafor said. “The choreographers push themselves, and the dancers try to meet the choreographer’s vision. Making sure everyone meets that standard is a challenge.”

STREET’S

TOP TEN Things that got you into Princeton

1 3 5

The alumni interview.

CHRISTOPHER FERRI :: PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

Yu echoed this sentiment, explaining that the company pushes people to always want to improve.

“It does not matter whether you are a senior or a newbie, because there is always room for improvement,” Yu said. “There should be no room for complacency.”

The organizers are looking forward to showing the different faces of BAC to the Princeton community. Every piece is significantly different, they said, and showcases BAC’s innovation. They expect all four shows to be packed.

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2 4 6 8 10

Your chill-to-pull ratio.

Favorite word.

Favorite BuzzFeed quiz.

Whether you can pronounce Mathey College.

Whether you will sign in or bicker.

Whether your parents donated a building.

Whether you look good in Sperrys.

If your Common App essay had a motive and good keywords.

Your evaluation by Woodrow Wilson’s ghost.

CAMPUS PICKS CHRISTOPHER FERRI :: PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

CHRISTOPHER FERRI :: PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

PUP and Intime collaborate in ‘La Cage aux Folles’ YICHENG SUN

Photography Editor

I

n “La Cage Aux Folles,” co-produced by Princeton University Players and Theatre Intime, Saint Tropez drag club owners George and Albin have their lives turned upside down when their son brings home his fiancée’s homophobic parents to meet them.

The musical, directed by Morgan Young ’16, will run in Theatre Intime for two weekends.

EVENT: PRINCETON PUBLIC WORKS PRESENTS FIRST ANNUAL ARTS MIXER Murray-Dodge Cafe Thursday, 7:30 p.m.

If you’re into student art and bubble tea, then you might want to stop by Princeton Public Works’ Arts Mixer, where visual artists and arts groups from across campus will be “mixing” with each other and rekindling the passion for art that burns in their hearts, bubble tea in hand. Their work will be displayed in the cozy setting of this event, which will be happening in Murray-Dodge Cafe.

MUSIC: PRINCETON UNIVERSITY BATTLE OF THE BANDS Dillon Loading Dock Friday, 9 p.m.

Who will open for the main act at Lawnparties?! Unlike with the decision of who to feature as the main act, students will have a say in that choice. Student bands Baker & Goods, Fictionize, Psychobaby, Valley Academy and St. Danger will be completing in the University’s firstever Battle of the Bands to nab that coveted opening spot. All five bands will be performing at Dillon Loading Dock (where Coldplay performed during their first U.S. tour, apparently) and will be accompanied by churros (for audience members to eat).

COMEDY: QUIPFIRE! PRESENTS GRAVID WATER SHOW Class of 1970 Theatre in Whitman College Friday, 9 p.m.

HEADLINERS AND HEADSHAKERS headlines you didn’t read this week DAILY PRINCETONIAN STAFF

U. accused of violating Animal Civil Liberties Act in marmoset-monkey civil dispu te HackPrinceton attracts close to 500 hackers, 400 codes, 3 deadly bugs, 2 nerdy decals and Eric Schmidt ’76 with a pear tree Patton ’77 allegedly shuts down Class of 1977 Facebook group, Free & For Sale, TigerNet and ICE; gosh darn-it

TED CRUZ ’92: GRASSY SEEMED PHENOMENON WHO ONCE ES DESTINED FOR LAWNPARTI Requests to view admission files, Tina Fey’s “Admission,” surge since January

rock Students protest chapel gathering, ber concert hosted by U. President Eisgru ’83, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

Quipfire! is back with its second Gravid Water Show this year. What is Gravid Water, you ask? We’re not sure what “gravid” means in real life, but in the context of improv comedy, it involves one actor who’s already memorized all of her lines performing onstage with a Quipfire! member who has no idea what those lines are. This show is happening for only one night, so you probably don’t want to miss it.

DANCE: THE PRINCETON PERSPECTIVE PROJECT’S “BEHIND THIS SMILE” STORYTELLING EVENT Robertson Hall Saturday, 11 a.m.

The Princeton Perspective Project will be diving in behind the smiles of the students and alumni who are set to share stories on Saturday about hard times and successes with just their silhouettes visible. Other speakers and student performers will be featured throughout the day, and the event as a whole hopes to challenge notions of effortless perfection on Princeton’s campus. Oh, and there will be Chipotle for lunch.