The resurrection of Cafe Loup: beloved West PAGE 9 Village eatery.
October 2018
Departing New School Lawyer talks Unions, Tuition and more PAGE 6
Parsons MFA student sent money-themed looks down runway to critique American value PAGE 10
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As student run newspaper since 2007
ISSUE 1
Proposed Title IX Policy Prohibits Student-Faculty “Sexual” Relationships
THREE WOMEN INCITING POLITICAL CHANGE, ONE STUDENT AT A TIME by EMMA TUCKER
by MOLLY MINTZ Ten months after initiating a review into its policies regarding sexual misconduct, The New School released a proposed draft of its new Title IX compliance efforts on Sept. 25. The university is requesting feedback from New School community members via a confidential Google Form. “In spring semester, we met with and listened to more than 500 students, faculty and staff in 14 separate listening sessions to better understand your experiences and concerns,” Rhonnie Jaus, the vice president of Equal Employment Opportunity, Affirmative Action, and Compliance, wrote in an email announcing the proposed changes to students and faculty. University president David Van Zandt announced the Title IX policy review in an email on Dec. 11, 2017, along with the hiring of Jaus, a former New York assistant district attorney specializing in sex crimes and former Title IX Coordinator at Adelphi University. Jaus spearheaded the review with Jennifer
Francone, The New School’s Title IX Coordinator and assistant vice president of Student Equity and Access. The policy draft is available on the Student Conduct and Community Standards page of the university’s website. Most notably, the proposed draft forbids “all romantic or sexual relationships between faculty or staff and students (graduate and/or undergraduate),” which The New School previously allowed. According to the proposal, employees already in relationships like this must report their relationship to a supervisor immediately, and will face approval by senior administrators. Professors or faculty who do not disclose these relationships are at risk of losing their jobs, according to the proposal. A section in the proposed policy on “hostile environment[s]” brings “unwanted and objectionable conduct”, including bullying, intimidation, and the use derogatory imagery and racial or sexual epithets, that “is CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
DOWN TO THE LAST STRAWS UC Cafeteria nixes plastic straws, opts for compostable lids by KATHERINE HUGGINS After pouring a cup of iced coffee, Dali Schonfelder fumbled putting on a plastic coffee cup-like lid, which was recently adopted in the cafeteria in lieu of straws, in an effort to be more environmentally conscious. As the Parsons sophomore left the cafeteria, iced coffee in hand, some spilled out onto her, illustrating her gripe with the eco-friendly move. “You’re not going to save the world but just eliminating straws,” Schonfelder said. “But we’re trying, so it’s a good start.” The new lids were introduced this semester in an effort to reduce plastic pollution. Unlike the previous cafeteria lids that sat flat and held a straw in the center, these new Greenware lids are raised from the cup and have a larger oval opening, similar to a sippy cup, that do not require a straw. The university decided to stop using plastic straws “following news reports that straws are one of the most pervasive waste stream items, and one of the top five that wash up on ocean
“You’re not going to save the world by just eliminating straws. But we’re trying, so it’s a good start.”
beaches,” said Ed Verdi, assistant vice president of business operations. The initial report that caused many restaurants and operations to give up straws was published in 2012 by the nonprofit Eco-Cycle, where the data came from 9-year-old Milo Cress as part of his Be Straw Free campaign. The statistic has became relevant in the past few months after a marine biologist’s video of a turtle with a straw stuck in its nose went viral. The statistic was recently cited by large news publications such as The Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times. Cress’ estimates, which involved contacting multiple straw manufacturers in the United States, put the figure at 500 CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
Women from the Institute of Retired Professionals (Rita Silverman, left) (Lisa Cristal, right) and a guest (Stephanie Saia, middle) register students Photo by Orlando Mendiola.
At first glance, the three students sitting at a table brimming with paperwork amid bustling co-eds coming and going, may seem out of place. They look like grandmothers — three women can who describe Vietnam War protests or recall the country’s mood during the Watergate scandal. In fact, they can detail these epic events and many more. But today, they are merely registering their fellow, albeit much younger, students to vote. Since August, they’ve registered more than 400 New Schoolers and have no intention to stop anytime soon. “Voter registration seemed like an obvious thing to do,” said Ettie Taichman, a retired social worker. “We had a feeling that students would be responsive. We were right because
we are now being besieged by students who want to vote.” Taichman and her peers are sprinting to register as many as they can before October 12, the deadline for the midterm elections. The midterm elections, apart from their importance in this current political environment, are a cyclical opportunity for citizens to exert their prerogatives in choosing who they want to represent them in the United States Congress. Taichman, along wit h Lisa Cristal and Denise Waxman, launched their voter registration drive as part of a project for the university’s Institute for Retired Professionals. The IRP is a continuing education program for people aged 55 and older, located in the 16 St. building. 24 additional volunteers are
involved with the project, which is supervised by the advisory board of the IRP. The trio came up with the idea for the voter registration project, which stemmed from their political viewpoints and strong feelings about the 2016 election. Initially, Waxman and Taichman sent out notices about upcoming political activities but did not feel that the community response was sufficient. “We knew that a lot of millennials didn’t vote,” said Cristal, “and we thought it was important that people vote, regardless of their political affiliation. We saw that as a failing of the election.” Only 49 percent of eligible millennials, those ages 18 to CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
The Wonderous World of Jazz by GEORGIA SEBESKY It’s 8:15 at night and Scott Fish walks down a nearly-deserted Eastern Parkway, pulling an amp strapped down with bungee cords and carrying a modified Stratocaster guitar on his back. He hasn’t rehearsed tonight’s set in a few weeks, but he isn’t worried — the show should be casual. Besides, most people at a bar would rather talk to their friends than listen to live music. His commute is easy: it’s a mere five-minute walk from his Crown Heights apartment to Two Saints, a local joint with just enough room for a makeshift bandstand and a regular
Tuesday night live jazz series. Everything about the job is effortless for Fish. All he has to worry about is waking up in time for his 9 a.m. class the next day. Fish and his bandmates, drummer Patrick Granzen and vocalist Bella Rocha are all students of the College of Performing Arts. Fish and Granzen are current seniors at Mannes and Jazz, while Rocha graduated as a jazz vocalist this past spring. The set started at 9 and the group played mostly jazz standards (including “I Fall in Love Too Easily,” “One Note Samba,” and “My Funny Valentine”) – “because that’s what we
learned in school,” Rocha joked with the crowd. The audience was more receptive than the band anticipated, especially during their rendition of “Head Over Heels,” by Tears for Fears, which prompted three women seated nearby to cheer and sing along. The trio also threw in a few more stylized covers: a sultry rendition of the Jackson 5’s, “I Want You Back” and a stripped-down “Georgia on My Mind.” “It’s a real no-pressure gig,” Fish said during the break between their first two sets. “The three of us play together in different musical contexts and CONTINUED ON PAGE 9
MASTHEAD Editor-in-Chief Ryanne Salzano Creative Director Sarah McNutt News Editor Siri Chilukuri Arts & Culture Editor Sammi Fisher Opinions Editor Shayna Seid Deputy Creative Director Candice Wood Photo Editor Orlando Mendiola Social Media Editor KC Badala Reporters Bryan Bedolla Kurt Burger Nicole Collazo Jessica Davies Tuongvi Diep Jake Drabinski Andrew Giacco Jacquelyn Greenfield Rowen Griffith Joseph Gobran Trishana Hardjono Olivia Heller Katherine Huggins Jervey Inglesby Lundon Lafci Valerie Laxague Kedoo Lightbody Marissa Matozzo Julia Metraux Molly Mintz Gus Perry Celina Rios Radhiya Sabnani Georgia Sebesky Julia Seng-Sourinho Hannah Tacke Emma Tucker David Willner Faculty Advisors Irwin Chen Aidan Gardiner Allison Lichter Joseph
FROM THE EDITOR Today is overwhelming. Not this specific date, but this time. I feel helpless. I think many of us do. It feels like nothing matters, that no matter what we do, the systems that enable injustice and violence will just continue their sinister work. This news doesn’t stop. Dr. Christine Blasey Ford goes before the Senate Judiciary Committee to relive her trauma. The country watches, and many remember times when they were powerless. Judge Brett Kavanaugh receives a lifetime appointment to this country’s highest court. The New York Times publishes a 13,000-word investigation into the tax and fraud schemes Donald Trump used to hoard money before rising to the presidency. Still, his administration and their cronies continue to profit, lining their pockets with money . And we’re moving closer and closer to a climate crisis with our room for error growing ever smaller, according to a United Nations report released Oct. 7, which was commissioned as part of the Paris
Agreement. The time when it’s too late is sooner than we expected and will bring real consequences: food shortages, wildfires and regular devastating storms. There’s more than just these three stories. This is all from the past week! “Overwhelming” doesn’t begin to cover it. It seems like all we read in the headlines are new and old abuses of power, of those at the top maintaining their control. So many times in these past months, with all of this going on, I’ve felt like nothing I do individually matters. It all seems out of my hands. My grandmother says, “This country is going to hell in a handbasket.” It’s exhausting. It’s beating us down. 39 percent of Americans are feeling more anxious today than they did a year ago, according to the American Psychiatric Association. Diagnoses of major depression have increased by 33 percent since 2013, according to Blue Cross Blue Shield. What we can do is be there for each other, at the most
basic level. Kindness is radical. We can still care for each other and be there for each other. What we do matters. How we are to each other matters. We owe it to ourselves and to each other. The macro makes us worthless. But that’s not how we live. We spend our days with each other. A friend of mine told me that these feelings aren’t bugs in the system — they’re features. We’re powerless to the ills of the world only when we’re wrongly convinced that we’re powerless to them. We can’t be pushed to apathy. We need to be moved to action. To organize. To recognize injustice and to continue work against it. Midterms are Tuesday, Nov. 6. These elections can lead to real change. Conservatives have a majority on the Supreme Court, but they can lose their footholds in the House and Senate if people go to the polls. This print issue has a article about efforts on our campus to register voters. Our reporter Emma Tucker did a fantastic job in pitching it and seeing it through. I think it’s
an important story. Those in power stay in power when people don’t come out. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a woman of color, a Democratic Socialist, made national headlines when she wrested power from incumbent Joe Crowley in New York’s 14th congressional district, which covers parts of Queens and the Bronx. Ocasio-Cortez’s upset wasn’t because of voter turnout — it was her efforts in canvassing. Directly engaging with people, hearing what they were concerned about and taking direct action. WNYC published a fantastic piece: “Why Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Won.” They went door-to-door and hit 11,300 homes in just Queens. People matter. We can take direct action and make real change happen. We have power. We can’t allow ourselves to be convinced that our voices or actions don’t matter.
tion. At the very least, students maintain a diverse assortment of platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and according to at least one New School student surveyed: Snapchat.
in our surveying. We overrepresented Lang by about 20 percent, while under-representing Parsons by nearly 15 percent. NSSR and CoPA students were represented about proportionally, but we didn’t speak to enough Continuing Education and School of Public Engagement students in our survey. Like the rest of the school, we’re still working to tighten up our community relations. At the Free Press, we think it’s important to be transparent with our methods and results of our audience engagement surveys. We think it’s equally important, however, to create and maintain an open discussion of how the campus newspaper can better represent and serve its community. We’re asking you to send questions, comments or news tips to nsfreepress@gmail.com to help us go forward. Or if you see someone familiar on our masthead — reach out!
— RYANNE SALZANO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
WE ASKED, YOU ANSWERED. by GUS PERRY The New School Free Press has conducted surveys over the past two semesters to better our understanding of the university community and its diverse voices. Beyond looking to engage in a open dialogue with our readers, we’re looking to identify the ways and places that information spreads at our school. This year, we’re making the results of our survey accessible to our readers. You can find a link to the raw data online — for now, these are the biggest takeaways.
The cafeteria seems to be a go-to spot for information. With no main campus or quad area like other universities, New School seems to struggle with maintaining a distinct and centralized community. The cafeteria, however, has been adopted as a space for culinary delight, friendly conversation and the host of a communist occupation. It was
the most frequent response to where information is shared in the school, appearing in more than a quarter of responses.
Smokers have their own channels of info. In classic New School taste, spaces for a pre- or post-class Camel Blue are also hubs for information. When asked where students come together to share information, several respondents pointed to “the smokers in front of the UC.” Other responses included “small talk with friends if we happen to be smoking on the sidewalk at the same moment” and “The UC and after class (smoking cigarettes).” We’re a school of stereotypical millennials. It’s cliché but true that millennials can’t put down their devices. Respondents cited digital sources, such as social media and emails, nearly twice as much as IRL communica-
The Free Press has some work to do. Most of our respondents claimed to engage with the Free Press in some way, with just over half pointing to the website and various social media manifestations of the Narwhal news source. For the others (safe to say those reading this are not included), we’re still looking for new ways to engage and connect with students from all parts of this university.
We didn’t reach all of you. As a newspaper composed of mostly Lang students, this may have been a little skewed
Follow Us @nsfreepress newschoolfreepress.com TELL US WHAT WE SHOULD COVER, OR SUBMIT YOUR WORK. nsfreepress@gmail.com
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EDITORIAL
October 2018
After Protests, Cafeteria Workers Keep Their Jobs by KC BADALA Cafeteria workers in the University Center are back under the same management, after last semester’s occupation led by the communist student group. Cafeteria workers did not know if they would keep their jobs after The New School announced in March that they would not renew their contract with Chartwells, who directly employs the food service workers. Students occupied the cafeteria starting on May 1 for 16 days under the leadership ofthe Communist Student Group (which officially withdrew as a group five days before all other student protesters left). The contract that was due to expire in July has been extended. They are still employed by Chartwells and are covered by the UNITE HERE! Local 100 union. “The contract that was in effect last year has been extended and those terms and conditions continue to apply. The local 100 employees are able to operate under the same, and in some instances, improved conditions than what they have from the prior year,” said Roy Moskowitz, departing chief legal counsel for The New School.
Other changes include the promotion of Anne Moriarta to the cafeteria’s executive chef, replacing Brian Duhart. “She will play an important role in our efforts to continuously improve food service operations,” according to Amy Malsin, a University spokeswoman. It wasn’t immediately clear why Duhart left. Chartwells has brought on about 6 more cooks, cashiers and utility workers since last spring. They intend to hire new cashiers in the future, officials said. Veronica Ogletree, who works at the hot food bar, said the tumult last semester left many of the staff rattled. “They wanted to leave and go somewhere else, even though we had our jobs back they were still frightened,” she said James Graham, is still trying to adjust to the changes. “I think they understand where everything is at, so I’m just giving them a little more time to get things in order,” he said. In September, the university hired C.J. Rodger as assistant director to oversee the front of the house staff and day-today operations in the cafeteria along with any operational issues that come up.
To Rodger, students are her number one priority, she said. “The students are here first and foremost. They are the ones who are paying to come here,” Rodger said. The cafeteria mostly remains the same operationally. Workers received new uniforms for the fall semester. Despite the fervor around campus during the occupation, not all students agreed with the protest. “With the student protests and stuff, I feel like a lot of stuff was blown out of proportion and people didn’t understand the logistics of what the school was actually planning to do.”said Rachel Nagao, a third year strategic design and management major at Parsons. While the occupation is long over, the jobs of the cafeteria workers are not guaranteed after the two-year contract is up. Ogletree remained skeptical of the assurances that the extension has brought and for the future. “We have to worry about the next two years that’s going to come, and it’s going to hit us quick, what are we going to do and we’re not even sure we’re going to be here in two years,” said Ogletree.
UNIVERSITY TESTS MOLD, AS STUDENTS SETTLE INTO HOUSING by JULIA METRAUX AND GUS PERRY Mold found late September on a students’ clothes and in the walls of the 13th Street dormitory triggered the evacuation of 161 residents, mostly freshmen, to housing in Manhattan and Brooklyn. All 161 residents were assigned temporary housing by Sept. 27, according to an email announcement sent on Sept. 28. Residents were moved to locations throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn, including housing on 92nd Street and Marymount Manhattan College dorms, as well as Educational Student Housing in Brooklyn Heights. There is “no reason to believe the mold is a health risk,” school officials said, but they moved students out of an “abundance of caution.” As of an email sent by the school on September 21, “we have received no reports from residents in the building of health issues that could be related to the mold” The New School has hired TRC Solutions, an industrial solutions company, who are currently testing the mold. A university spokesperson said that they expect results in the next two weeks.. Bill Sothern, an industrial hygienist from NYC-based organization Microecologies, described the situation as “grotesque enough that it is certainly very likely to create and occupant health risk.”
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The Institute of Medicine published a 2004 report linking indoor mold with respiratory symptoms, such as coughing and wheezing. Mold also can aggravate allergies or asthma in susceptible individuals. Students will not be able to enter the 13th Street Residence Hall “while repairs to the residence are made,” according to a Sept. 28 email announcement. This dorm will re-open in January 2019. New York State requires licensed industrial hygienists to conduct all assessments and mediation, as well as advise for the complete removal of mold-contaminated substrates. Eissa Attar, a first-year architecture and design student, was annoyed by the situation. Attar had not been assigned new housing as of Sept. 23 and had already felt at home at 13th Street. “Yesterday, I brought my cousin to the dorm that I love, the neighborhood that I love, and the family that I built here,” Attar said. “I came from 13 hours away [from Saudi Arabia] to here, and now I am moving again.” Around 20 students were sent to other New School dorms, about 15 students to Educational Housing Services in Brooklyn Heights, more than 20 to Educational Housing Services in the Upper East Side, according to an email sent to 13th Street Residence Hall residents. Some were also
sent to a residence hall at Marymount Manhattan College, but it wasn’t immediately clear how many. An unknown number of students were moved to The Markle Residence, which is run by Salvation Army, as well as at The Alabama, a student housing apartment building in Greenwich Village.
EMANUELE CASTANO THREATENS TO SUE TNS FOR $10 MILLION by TUONGVI DIEP A psychology professor who resigned last year following a sexual misconduct investigation is threatening to sue The New School and two key administrators for $10.35 million, court documents show. Emanuele Castano, who was the co-chair of the New School for Social Research’s psychology department, was investigated in July under Title IX for having an inappropriate relationship with an undergraduate student. That undergraduate student, who’s referred to as Jane Doe in court documents, filed a complaint during the spring semester of 2017 about the relationship with Castano, according to court documents. The student also sued The New School in April, saying the university didn’t do enough to protect her from Castano’s advances and mishandled her complaint, according to court documents. Castano resigned in October 2017, following allegations of sexual misconduct by an anonymous student, according to the lawsuit filed by the student. The New School has since initiated a review into its sexual misconduct policies, releasing a proposed draft in September. According to the summons filed Sept. 9, Castano alleges that The New School committed fraud, negligence and violated a contract with him. He is asking for $10.35 million as punitive damages. The court documents do not
“I came from 13 hours away [from Saudi Arabia] to here, and now I am moving again.” Students were relocated to residences based on their responses to a questionnaire that was sent to affected students Sept. 21, said a university spokesperson. School officials provided unlimited monthly MetroCards to students whose temporary housing assignments came with a commute. While the university originally told students that they would expand meal plan options, an email to former 13th Street Residence residents on Oct. 4 instead offered students the option to opt out of their meal plans. Students who had requested more information regarding refunds were sent an email on Oct. 5. This email said affected students would have to “put forward a formal
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provide details on Castano’s allegations against the university. Castano also names Jennifer Francone, The New School’s Title IX coordinator, and Jerry Cutler, Chief Human Resources Officer. Castano and his lawyers could not be reached for comment, despite multiple attempts. According to the court filing, the university has 20 days to respond with a written response to the summons summons issued by the Supreme Court of the State of New York. It wasn’t immediately clear if the university responded. A New School spokesperson declined to comment further. The filing represents an intent to sue, but Castano is not required to do so. The New School declined to comment on Castano’s filing, or if they had provided a written response. “The university has not been served with a complaint and cannot comment,” said Amy Malsin, the spokesperson for the university. Last year, The Stanford Daily, the campus newspaper of Stanford, published an article about a Title IX investigation into Castano after an undergraduate student filed a sexual misconduct complaint. Stanford brought Castano on in November 2017, after he left The New School, but did not keep him on staff following the publication of the Daily’s article.
Photo by Jessie Davies.
appeal” in person to Michelle Relyea, Senior Vice President for Student Success. Resident Advisors who formerly served students at 13th Street Residence Hall continue to assist their students in new locations, officials said. Before evacuations began, Attar discovered mold on various belongings and around his room. “I got mold on my clothes,” Attar said. “At the beginning, I was blaming my roommates for pouring water, but then I learned it was mold.” Asked how he felt about his sudden evacuation, Attar said simply, “Anger.” Tom Leonard, a first-year who studies guitar at CoPA
and moved to Upper East Side, was playing when he heard he would have to leave his new home. He learned of his relocation from David Truilo, his friend, who studies saxophone at CoPA. “We were in the middle of a session when David told me that we were being evicted because of mold,” Leonard said. “We were practicing new material and had to stop, so I could call my parents.” Nicole Allen, a first-year student who studies photography moved to a Marymount dorm on 55th Street, found the silver lining, choosing to see the sudden upheaval as a lesson in learning to pack quickly and
October 2018
Proposed Title IX Policy Prohibits Student-Faculty “Sexual” Relationships
LANG’S ACCLAIMED DANCE PROGRAM NOW A MAJOR BY ABBY MARTON
by MOLLY MINTZ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
severe, pervasive or persistent,” into the scope of Title IX. The proposed policy removes a time limit for reporting complaints. Previously, complaints had to be reported no later than 60 days after the alleged incident. While the proposed policy does not mention an appeal process, parties in a Title IX investigation can appeal at the end of the case. “Both the complainant and the accused have the right to appeal,” Jaus said in a statement to the New School Free Press. The policy review came after The New School faced scrutiny for its investigation into Emanuele Castano, the former co-chair of the NSSR psychology department. Castano was investigated for his sexual misconduct regarding his relationship with an undergraduate student, which began when she was a freshman. According to the Stanford Daily, The New School did not complete the Title IX investigation because he resigned one day before the case’s completion. Castano issued a summons against The New School on Sept. 9, informing the university of his intention to file suit for $10.35 million. Community response The Free Press contacted 150 students and faculty about the proposal. Four people agreed to be interviewed on the record. Margot Bouman, a Parsons professor and co-director of the NSSR gender and sexuality studies program, said that many parts of the proposed policy, as well as Jaus’ efforts, are “admirable” and “important.” “I’m still looking to see how one goes about making sure that this [harassment] doesn’t take place,” she said. She emphasized the difficulties of understanding the structural, legal, and cultural aspects involved in Title IX. She suggested clearer guidelines for reporting complaints. Emmanuel Guerisoli, a PhD. candidate in sociology and history at NSSR, expressed concern over the the draft’s “hostile environment” section. He said it creates potential for third parties, like eavesdropping bystanders, to report situations of alleged bullying and discrimination that they aren’t directly involved in or lack context about. The section “limits free speech” and enables a “heteronormative, white male, Anglo-Saxon type of culture,” Guerisoli said. He said the hostile environment rules will make people “try and sound less radical” and “cautious about expressing any point of view.” “In a way, we’re being sanitized,” Guerisoli said. The Sex-E Collective, a student wellness group that
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promotes sex positivity and provides sex education, will host an event for students to review the proposed policy. The event is on Friday, Oct. 12 in the University Center’s Social Justice Hub, Room 513, from 7 - 9 p.m. Toni Marie Conliffe, a student peer health advocate and spokesperson for the Sex-E Collective, said the event was inspired by the comments on a Sept. 28 Instagram post with images of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, Anita Hill, and past university protests uploaded by The New School’s official account. Grace Tarducci, a Lang sophomore, commented on the post that the proposed Title IX policy is “despicable” and “allows what happened to heroes Christine [F]ord and Anita [H] ill to continue happening and go unpunished.” Tarducci said she has been assaulted twice at The New School and did not file Title IX complaints because of discouragement and fears of retaliation. “I know that nothing would’ve happened [if I reported],” she said. Tarducci criticized repeated use of the word “intent” in the “sexual misconduct” section of the draft. She said that defining violating sexual misconduct as an intentional act is “ridiculous” and “creates the biggest loophole ever.”
“I know that nothing would’ve happened [if I reported],” she said. “I feel that it would be pretty easy to prove that you don’t have the intent to harm,” Tarducci said. Her experiences, she said, “make it clear to me that The New School doesn’t really care about whether or not survivors get support, and whether or not assailants are punished.” Both Guerisoli and Tarducci said they submitted feedback to the Title IX Office through the Google Form. Conliffe said she invited
Her experiences, she said, “make it clear to me that The New School doesn’t really care about whether or not survivors get support, and whether or not assailants are punished.” Title IX Office administrators via email on Sept. 26 to attend the upcoming Sex-E Collective event. In an email obtained by the Free Press, the Title IX Office wrote on Oct. 1 that “at this time, no one will able to attend this event.”
After three years of the dance program being a concentration, Lang now offers a BA in Contemporary Dance. Danielle Goldman, the Contemporary Dance Program Director, said she hopes the new major will be “appealing to students seeking a rigorous dance program within a liberal arts context.” “A number of Lang students opt to take dance practice courses, or get involved in performance opportunities, or explore choreographic research, even if they are majoring in another discipline,” said Goldman. “We are hopeful that the major will increase interest in the program, and that this will lead to an even more robust and diverse suite of course offerings.” Dance is not the only new major within the Arts Department at Lang. In the past few years, Contemporary Music and Theater have also both become majors. In order for Contemporary Dance to become a major, the proposal had to be vetted by the Lang’s Academic Curriculum Committee, the Dean of Lang, the University Curriculum Committee, and the Provost’s Office. Once approved by those apart of the university, the proposal had to be sent to the New York State Education Department for their approval as well. As for students who are already a part of the dance program, the change is more subtle. Their requirements have not been alternated drastically; but majors will have fewer requirements overall. As part of the requirements, the dance program is focused around four areas: movement practice, choreographic research, history and theory, and performance. Examples of classes include Choreographic Research, Capoeira, and Politics of Improvisation. Katy Pyle, a choreographer and dance professor, is antic-
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ipating positive changes from Contemporary Dance becoming a major. “I see the trend of Eugene Lang attracting more thoughtful, devoted and talented dancers over the past few years; and that can only bring more passion and power to the program’s future,” Pyle said. Rebecca Stenn, a dancer and choreographer who teaches in the program said, “It’s just great. It has this kind of clarity, direction, and focus. We’re going to allow a student, for instance, who is interested in choreography to follow that line.” Emily Ruiz, a fourth year student in the dance program and a co-captain of the dance collective, an organization at The New School that provides a space for dancers to collaborate, is thrilled about the change. “I was overjoyed when I found out Contemporary Dance became a major,” Ruiz said. “The title just made it feel much more real,” Ruiz said. “It is a subject that should have always been able to stand alongside philosophy, economics, and all the other
major areas of study.” Kendra Ing, 20, a student in the dance program says that the new shifted requirements has given students more space. “They just made it more flexible. We have more of a choice.” She is a combination of both excited and relieved. For Ing, the major change has given her more of an opportunity to explore Lang and all of its classes. Most of the dance students she knows are studying something else besides dance. Ing is, for example, minoring in interdisciplinary science. Lauren Queen, 20, is another student in the dance program. Like Ing, Queen says it is not a huge change for her personally, but she does feel like the requirements are more open now, allowing students to focus on what they want. Both Ing and Queen found out about the program change from the @eugenelang Instagram page. “One of the dance program’s greatest strengths is that it is not set apart from the rest of the college,” said Goldman, the Contemporary Dance Program Director.
October 2018
LANG STUDENTS GO BEHIND BARS by RADHIYA SABNANI New School classes have taken place in unique locales across the city like museums, dance studios, parks, but one theater course will bring Lang students to a place they’ve never been: jail. As part of the Lang Prison Initiative, professor Zishan Ugurlu will have three unincarcerated students attend her “Introduction to Directing” class alongside seven female inmates, ranging from ages 25 to 40, of the Metropolitan Correctional Center, a federal jail that was once home to well-known criminals like Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera, also known as “El Chapo.” The most recent version of the initiative began at the correctional center in spring 2018 without involving any unincarcerated students. This semester also brings a Lang philosophy class to the inmates, taught by Robert Sember, but Ugurlu’s class is the only one to bring Lang students inside MCC. The Mellon Foundation awarded a $70,000 grant to The New School to fund the Lang Prison Initiative in January of 2018. The one-time grant covers the initiative for the spring and fall semesters of this year. This iteration of the initiative is meant to be exploratory, instead of a long-term program. “We got that money from the Mellon Foundation but they were very clear, that they would give us a grant once and only once. And it was not to start our own program,” said Stephanie Browner, the dean of Lang. “Mainly they gave us the money to see how we could collaborate because they wanted to see [us] leveraging existing programs rather than us having our own.” Lang has long had a relationship with prisons, with
students even participating in debates at Arthur Kill Correctional Facility in Staten Island. The students were part of a small debate team of Lang students regarding government funds being used to finance higher education for inmates. The course will focus on unique and notable playwrights such as Anton Chekhov, Lorraine Hansberry and Maria Irene Fornes. Students will have a number of reading, writing and performing assignments to complete throughout the semester. Specifically, they will study script analysis, composition, working with actors and organizing a production. Ugurlu noted that she and her students are not permitted to ask about or discuss the crimes that these women have been charged with. “I only know what has been volunteered to me,” said Jade Merriwether, an undeclared sophomore at Lang planning to pursue a degree in culture and media. Some of the inmates were caught in minor money crimes because they unknowingly were working for fraudulent corporate companies, Merriwether said. To her knowledge, some were also accused of violent crimes. Merriwether and two other students — Sofie Hubbard Warshafksy, a third year global studies and theater major, and Hannah Levy, a third year media studies and theater major — all had to apply with an essay about why they want to join, what they’ll offer and how they hope to benefit. “I think this is really just an important step in making folks on the outside more aware of how the system works and on the different levels of inaccessibility that these women are facing daily,” Merriweather said. Warshafksy looked forward
Down to the Last Straws by KATHERINE HUGGINS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Photo by Orlando Mendiola
million straws per day. Cress founded the Be Straw Free campaign as a waste reduction initiative after learning that plastic straws were littering waterways and the ocean — posing a danger to marine life.
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His shocking 500 million figure has continued to be publicized, prompting strawless changes across the country. Starbucks, Hyatt, IKEA, Royal Caribbean, American Airlines, Eataly and other businesses have all made promises to be
to the unique experience after getting her acceptance email. “I was thrilled because I knew this course would not just be part of another semester, but would most likely have a heavy impact and be an experience that would have a lasting effect,” said Warshafksy. Unlike The New School where students are able to use their ID cards to gain access to the buildings, students visiting MCC must move through various barriers to reach the classroom space, a small, windowless room with semi-occupied bookshelves and a small television set. “You’re immediately dropped into this space that is polar opposite from The New School,” said Warshafsky. Students are expected to dress modestly with long sleeves, long pants, no holes, no metals and no utensils or items that cannot be seen clearly, one of them said. They also have to be cautious not to mention any inmates that have escaped prison.
“You’re immediately dropped into this space that is polar opposite from The New School.” Some students worried about saying the wrong things to staff and inmates. But that changed when the students finally got to know the inmates. “I felt a lot more welcomed that I expected to be,” Warshafsky said. “Immediately the women taking the class really wanted to introduce themselves to us, wanted to show us where they live, wanted to show us their beds. It was just very humanizing, it didn’t feel like
fully strawless within the next few years. Now, the only straws in the cafeteria are biodegradable and offered only by request with smoothies. Although these new straws are more expensive, the school is having to buy less straws due to the new lids. “The financial impact of this decision is effectively zero,” Verdi said. People with disabilities that require straws should not be concerned about the change. “We recognize that there may be health considerations that necessitate the use of straws for some members of our community and will work to accommodate all of those needs,” said Gregory Herrera, director of business operations. “Students, faculty or staff who require this accessible tool can request one from any of our dining staff.” For many students this change has gone unnoticed. Brian Marshall, a senior at CoPA, believes the university is trying to be eco-friendly, particularly due to the wasteful nature of cities.
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Illustration by Rowen Griffiths
we are this and they are that, it just felt like an appreciation of each other,” she added. The class had met five times as of Oct. 4. Already, Ugurlu is seeing benefits. “It was a beautiful experience because both sides were very excited, and specifically inmates were very excited to meet with students who actually agree to be in this course,” she said. Ugurlu began teaching in jails in the summer of 2008 at the Arthur Kill Correctional Facility. Aside from this, she has been involved with teaching directing, scene study and how to create a solo performance in prison in collaboration with Rehabilitation Through the Arts and Fortune Society. Due to the politically active background she was exposed to while growing up in Turkey, Ugurlu decided to accept the offer to teach inside a prison. “I grew up in a politically active house, so to me it’s like teaching in prison is a political act. And actually talking about
mass incarceration allows you to talk about the gender, sex, unemployment, you know the politics, religion, and everything when we talk about this. So, I said yes,” Ugurlu said. Ugurlu also commented on the ways students learn in a jail. “Everything is going to be handwritten, there’s no computers, there’s no google, there’s no internet” she said. To Ugurlu, these interactions happen much more vividly and strongly than in regular classrooms. Dean Browner believes in the reach of this program. “Sometimes programs touch only a few lives. We have a lots classes that touch a few lives. Sometimes that can be just as important as a program that has 100 declared majors,” said Browner. “We’ve engaged on the ground with an incredibly important issue: mass incarceration. But at the level of human beings and their lives,” she said.
“Being in New York City, people just throw trash everywhere, so I think the school tries to be environmentally conscious,” Marshall said. Verdi agreed that the decision to go strawless “aligns with the university’s longstanding commitment to sustainability.” He also noted that the university emphasizes waste reduction. He did not respond to questions about the amount of waste the cups will save.
“I saw a picture of a turtle with a straw in its nose one time, and it made me feel bad about myself.”
“Being in New York City, people just throw trash everywhere, so I think the school tries to be environmentally conscious.”
efficient practices,” Verdi said. “The disposable containers and utensils we do use were selected for their biodegradable and/ or compostable properties.” Matthew Mazzucco, a Lang first year student, has taken an additional step to reduce plastic waste by using metal straws instead. Mazzucco purchased his straw from Everyman Espresso by Stuy, for $1. He decided to invest in the alternative straws in an effort to reduce ocean pollution. “I saw a picture of a turtle with a straw in its nose one time, and it made me feel bad about myself,” Mazzucco said.
“The cafeteria offers china and flatware in a largely trayless environment, which are recognized waste and water
October 2018
EXIT INTERVIEW WITH THE NEW SCHOOL’S TOP LAWYER by EMMA TUCKER School has a tradition of trying to be fair and equitable to people. So, it’s a logical place for unions to come, and the same is true for part-time faculty. It’s a place where unions who are seeking to organize a particular group of people would likely come to establish a precedent, if you will, and take that and go elsewhere, for example, to other universities. I’m not surprised by these incidents because I think they know that on some level, they will get a receptive and supportive response to something like that.
After Castano resigned from The New School following the allegations against him and was hired by Stanford, was there any contact between our university’s Title IX office and Stanford’s?
I’m sure you’ve heard about the mold infestation of the 13th St dormitory building that forced an evacuation of the building. How is The New School legally responsible for that incident?
The policy that was in effect last year was actually a policy that was developed many years ago. The policy is an improvement but it’s not finalized yet. It’s still subject to change and folks like you could say that you want further changes made, which I think is a healthy idea.
Photo by Orlando Mendiola
On Jan. 15, 2014, The New School was preparing to finally open its brand new University Center after an enduring four year construction process. In the early morning of that Wednesday, a water main broke at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and 13th Street, flooding the below-ground levels of the building. For the next 18 months while 75,000-squarefeet of the University Center was being rebuilt, the lecture halls were closed and students living in Kerrey Hall dormitories had no access to the laundry and gym amenities,. For Roy Moskowitz, this time was the defining period of a long and distinguished career. Now, Moskowitz keeps a mug displaying a blueprint of the University Center on his desk — a reminder of what he considers to be one of the greatest achievements and challenges of his 12 years at The New School. Moskowitz began his tenure at the university in 2006, assuming the title of Chief Legal Officer. In 2011, President David Van Zandt came into office and asked Moskowitz to extend his responsibilities to overseeing all real estate matters, facilities, security, governmental relations, and serving as the Secretary of the Corporation. This included the task of completing the University Center both on time and under budget, both of which were eventually achieved. Moskowitz, a fiscally-minded Queens native, sits in his office on the eighth floor of the 80 Fifth Ave building surrounded by second-hand furniture, all from prior officers of the university. He is preparing to leave his position at the university. On his bookshelf, Moskowitz keeps a book that details the plan for an investment in which he had a key role. Two years ago, The New School bought a five-story, 180,000-square-foot building at 34-42 West 14th St. for $153 million, which will not be available to the university for at least 10 years. As Moskowitz prepares to leave the position he’s held for 12 years, The New School Free Press sat down to talk with him about some of the standout moments in his career.
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The following interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
Why are you leaving your position as Chief Legal Officer? When I first took the job in 2006, President Kerrey interviewed me for the position and I said to him at the time that I would only remain in the position for ten years. I’ve been at this job for 12 years, so I’ve overstayed because the work I’ve found to be very rewarding both professionally and personally.
How has the legal office changed throughout the course of your tenure at the university? During the 12 years that I’ve been here, the university has grown from an operation from $200 million per year as a company to somewhere around $400 million per year. What does that mean? It means that we hire more staff, we hire more professors, buy more goods, and all of these things have legal implications. During this time that we have, in effect, doubled our operating costs, we have not hired any additional personnel to the legal office. So, we’ve managed to service the increasing needs of the university without it costing any more money to the university. That doesn’t sound particularly glamorous but it’s something I’m proud of in terms of a professional achievement.
The New School recently bought a building on 14th Street, but it remains unused. Why is it in the university’s interest to own this building? The benefits are long-term. The space around here is very expensive and scarce and most buildings are not well suited to be instructional spaces. What you need for an instructional space are high ceilings and big open rooms, and the buildings in Greenwich Village are mostly short and small, so they don’t lend themselves well to being used as classrooms. The 14th Street building, however,
is a former industrial building, so it has big open spaces.
Did this investment have any financial impact on the university? No. We were able to buy a building in the neighborhood at a price that has had no financial impact of the university because it’s currently leased to commercial entities. They pay rent, which defrays the costs of buying the building. We currently rent 79 Fifth Ave, which is a much more expensive proposition for an education institution because we pay real estate taxes. By owning the 14th Street building, we save literally millions of dollars per year by not paying those taxes. So, in 2028, the current plan is to move from 79 5th Ave to 14th Street.
What protections can The New School realistically provide to undocumented immigrants here, given that the federal government’s authority trumps that of a college? [laughs] Well, I don’t know if you meant to use the word “trumps,” but there are a variety of things that we can do and have been doing to assist students who are currently undocumented. I know that a lot of work has been going on at the New School for Social Research about this and I know it’s an issue of real concern to the university. We have pledged to do what we can within the bounds of the law about this. There are no law enforcement authorities that we permit on university campus without first contacting our Director of Security.
In your opinion, why do you think The New School keeps having these issues with unions, such as protests and occupations? I actually have a different view on that. The New School was the third private university in The United States that was petitioned to create a union for student workers and I think the reason for that is that The New
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Well, that is one of the buildings that we own, so the responsibility for the conditions of that dormitory, as well as all of the other buildings that we own, rests with the university. I think we’ve responded appropriately when we became aware of the condition and we took immediate action to safeguard the wellbeing and health, not only of the students who live there, but the people who are working there. The next step will be to make sure that the mold is remediated before anyone moves back in.
In what ways is the university responsible for preventing the mold in the first place? We have a buildings department that is responsible for cleaning and maintaining all of our buildings, and in the ordinary course, they clean and maintain the buildings. We test regularly and while mold is not a normal protocol, it is now. We’ve begun testing all buildings and take our charge seriously. I think we can say quite proudly that the condition of our buildings compared to many other universities in New York City is quite good.
I would like to ask about a filing in the Manhattan Supreme Court by Emanuele Castano in attempt to sue The New School for $10.35 million in damages. How has the legal office responded to that? So, I’ve read about those releases too. We have not been served with any complaints about that. I don’t mean to suggest that it’s made-up. We know that there has been a file reserved.
What does a file reserved mean? It means exactly that. Mr. Castano, at this point, has retained counsel and his counsel has notified the court that they have an intention to do it. It doesn’t mean they are obligated to do it, but we have not been served with any legal papers at the present time. So, I can’t comment on the substance of the complaint because I haven’t seen it.
To the best of my knowledge, Stanford did not contact us about this before they made a decision to hire him.
We just received a new sexual misconduct policy. What was deficient about last year’s policy that makes this one better?
Was there an effort to change the policy because of the allegations against Castano or would you say the changes in cultural norms and state and federal laws made more of an impact? They made much more of an impact.
What do you think are the biggest legal issues on the horizon that this university should be thinking about? Many of the legal issues that are in front of us are of a national nature and by that, I mean sexual misconduct. We are going to see more of it, there’s no doubt in my mind. One of the biggest problems of sexual harassment and assault in this country is its failure to be reported. As it becomes destigmatized, I think more people will feel comfortable in coming forward, whether it’s to make sure that the person who did it never has the opportunity to do it again or to make sure that the injuries and damages they suffered are fairly corrected. We’ve taken a lot of positive steps but I think there is more work to be done. That’s a big area that we are going to have to watch out for.
Is there anything else?
The other big area is the cost of education. There are no easy answers to how we address that but something has to give here. We can’t keep coming to our students and asking them to pay more. We have costs, and we have to figure out how to pay for those costs, but we can’t keep looking to students to support those costs. So, I think that’s a huge issue not only nationally, but for the New School as well, to figure out how we’ll be able to deliver quality educational services to our students but to do so in a way that is financially manageable for the people who are here.
October 2018
THE RISE AND FALL OF THE USS by: LOGAN MAHAN This article was originally published online on June 11. An abbreviated version follows. A decade after it started, the once vital University Student Senate that helped pick current provost Tim Marshall, has become a sleepy organization seemingly detached from its constituency, according to interviews with its members and advisors. The USS, a university-wide student run organization that collects $8 from every students’ tuition to fund various projects and events, has become a minor presence on campus. Its social media presence is bleak and rarely updated. Few students vote for their representatives and fewer show up to meetings. Many senators seem to lack a relationship with a larger part of their student body. A picture of a withered institution emerged after the New School Free Press interviewed two current senators, three past senators and its faculty advisor. “There are certainly places where we can improve,” admitted NSSR senator Ahad Ali.
people who are lonely, for a school to have the activity of being at a school. Because we threw social events we fostered people in all the different schools of The New School getting together and meeting each other and then everyone made friends,” Cummings said. ”That was the really important thing to do. I don’t think there was any question about that.” Cummings had also hoped that when the USS was set up, it would have continuity, that people would remember its history, keep track of what happened before and build on experience. The senators even shelled out cash to have a website designed, chronicling its history. “We archived everything — that happened and it was huge. A couple years later, somebody just threw it away and put up a new site on WordPress,” said Cummings. “It seems to be forgotten, everything that we did, like it almost never happened,” he added.
think more students will find some form of appeal and will definitely want to follow the rules of being a student senator and do their job,” she said. Unlike the USS, 77 percent of student government officers in the U.S. receive some sort of compensation, according to the American Student Government Association. Some senators, though, feel that pay unfairly draw on the money students give the senate and that senators should be part of the body for the love of the work. “It’s a volunteer job,” said Ali. “We had someone mention, ‘Should we be getting paid for this?’ I’m like, ‘No we can’t take like taxpayer money or student money and use it on ourselves. That makes no sense. If you’re not in to it, you’re not into it.’” But the work is certainly hard, Ali admits. “This is also one of the reasons why people don’t sign up for the Senate. It’s not just the two hours you contribute from
was attributed to controversy surrounding the 2015 senate, which spent $27,900 on a school-wide party at the Chelsea club Marquee. A few senators felt the money could be used for something else, while others thought it could be a way to bring the community together. “Parties aren’t such a bad thing, they work on other college campuses — why wouldn’t it work here at the New School,” said Timungwa. Some senators believe another cause for current low voter turnout could be attributed to the new voting system. The senate stopped using Google Forms in 2016, as Google Forms allows a user to submit via multiple email addresses, allowing senators to vote for themselves. They switched to a new system provided by The New School, where a single email is sent out to each student to access the online ballot. Current senators have asked the university to send the voter email every day, so the ballot doesn’t get lost in student’s inboxes, but university administrators and senate lead-
Origins of the University Student Senate The USS burst onto campus during a moment of upheaval and strife in 2008, quickly inserting itself into the fray to become a strong advocate for students. At the time, students staged an occupation in the cafeteria that preceded the University Center when then-president Bob Kerrey, a controversial leader, named himself provost. “The USS executive committee worked really hard to diffuse the occupation and violence on campus,” said Peter Ian Cummings, first vice president and second president of the USS. In one of its first major acts, the USS formed a committee with the University Faculty Senate to nominate Marshall as Provost. “We really brought about an enormous change in the management of the school. I think you’re seeing the benefit of that now. Those are the types of things that a student government can do,” said Cummings. In those early years, on-campus parties were the number one activity the Senate pushed for, said Cummings, who graduated in 2010. “It was always our idea that the USS should not just be a political organization, but should work on student activity,” Cummings said. The senate spent half their budget on student activities, according to Cummings, and threw parties in Arnold Hall once a month. They also a collaboration with NYU, Cooper Union, and Cardozo, in which all four schools had rotating events. “Everyone came and danced,” he said. Cummings emphasized the importance of social events, especially since the New School’s campus is so spread out. “[The New School] really needs a function of providing
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All of this is not to say the students senators haven’t done anything recently. This year, the Senate set up a $55,000 student research fund that is available to students from any school to apply for funding. Students can apply for up to $3,000 individually or for $5,000 for two students. The senate contributed $25,000 dollars and the administration contributed $30,000. “This is going to go to the whole school and I think this is something that the school really needed especially because so many students come in for funding for their research,” said Ali. “This initiative took us a lot of time convincing the school, said Kabeer. He said that the senate’s original proposal to the school was for them to double match the senate’s budget, so the senate would put in $25,000 and the school would put in $50,000. However the school did not agree to that. The senate also allotted $4,000 to a Zine Publishing Collective proposal, which would allow students to create, print, and publish zines--or mini magazines--for free. The senate wants to also create an archive of past zine which would be available in the library.
Keeping track of the USS
Illustration by Ashlie Jurabe
Payment of senators In 2008 when the USS was formed, the senators set up rules barring them from paying themselves, paying other students or their travel expenses. “The intention of the fund was to promote a culture of student involvement,” said Hendrick Cho, first president of the USS. Cho added that in the second year, although he was no longer a senator, the senate voted to veto that standard, and began to pay themselves with the then$5 fee collected from students. “Although I think the amount was small, perhaps in the hundreds of dollars,” said Cho. Cummings said that during his time at the senate, being a USS officer was a work study position. “We got paid as a work study job and it was paid hourly. When I was the president of the USS, and I had office hours,” he said. Cummings would plan events and meet with people during those hours. Currently, senators are not compensated for their work. “The way the senate is currently set up, it’s not sustainable because it depends on students who are willing to give up free time to give to the senate,” said Serengeti Timungwa, who joined the Senate in 2015. “If they change it up a little bit and decide to maybe offer some form of pay for student senators or give them free housing or give them some tuition cuts, I
six to eight on Fridays. It’s also all of these other things you have to do,” said Ali. Faculty Advisor for the USS, Maureen Sheridan, said she would like to see the senate take a more active role and have more visibility on campus before opening up a conversation about compensation, which she is not against. “I think they also need to ask the students. At the end of the day, the students are the ones who are paying,” Sheridan said. Since the change in pay though, current and past senators admit that a malaise has crept into the senate. Few students participate in elections and when senators are elected, many often fail to keep a strong bond with their constituents. Voter participation is key, Ali said. “That’s the number one thing because it allows us legitimacy and that legitimacy allows us to speak to the administration more effectively on things that are for the students,” Ali said.
An unengaged constituency The senate’s voter turnout has been low in the previous three elections, currently at five percent of the school’s population, according to Kabeer, co-chair of the Senate, who represents NSSR and only goes by one name. In 2015, the Senate had its highest voter turnout rate, of more than nine and a half percent. However, the rate
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ers have thus far refused. “We were like, ‘You already spam students every day,’” said Kabeer. Once elected though, senators often serve short terms, which leads to inconsistency. Over the last two years, Kabeer said he has noticed a certain group of students are closer to their senators than others. The New School for Student Research is well connected with the Senate, as it is a smaller college of approximately 800 students, with two representatives. Parsons has about 5,000 students, with five senators. “Depending on where the senator comes from, that community is always connected. Then there’s certain communities that just slip through the cracks,” Kabeer said. On top of that, the senate is afflicted by the same thing all student-run organizations are afflicted by: student turnover. Ex-senator Timungwa said there was a large turnover when she left in Spring 2017, creating a cultural shift. “As new senators came in there wasn’t the same drive to engage with students. I feel that it’s really gone downhill,” said Timungwa. She added that student senators who did not show up to meetings, also refused to give up their seats to new students. “It’s really been an issue with how devoted a student senator is to their position.”
Funding from the Senate
However, the accomplishments of the Senate are largely unknown and not publicized due to a bleak social media presence. As for one example, most of the USS’ social media is not up to date. The last tweet sent out on the USS’ Twitter account was from January 2016. Their last Facebook post was from September 2017. The last update on the initiatives of their official website page was Feb. 17, 2017. The senate recently promoted two senators to also be communication directors, handling social media, but only their Instagram has been updated. Similarly, it’s hard to tell how much money the senate has spent this year. The USS has spent at least $15,065 this semester, according to the senate’s meeting minutes, however, as of May 14th, not all of the minutes have been posted for the year. “When the student senate achieved something, there usually wasn’t that much publicity about it or publicity about the fact that the student senate achieved that,” said Timungwa. “It could be a real great tool for change on campus. None of that was really communicated.” Though sleepy now, past senators hope the USS can be the robust student institution it was supposed to be. “There are two important things student governments should do,” said Cummings. “Number one they’re supposed to plan activities to foster school spirit. And number two they’re supposed to be a strong voice for the students to talk to the administration. That’s what a student government is supposed to do. I think we did that really well.” Finish this article online at newschoolfreepress.com
October 2018
Three Women Inciting Political Change, One Student At A Time by EMMA TUCKER CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
35, voted in the 2016 election, according to a study by Pew Research Center. Registering to vote takes all of three minutes — a remarkably simple process that has amazed students, staff, and faculty alike. “I have wanted to register for a while but it’s such a hassle,” said Stephen Mascall, admission events coordinator for The New School. “I heard that the table was here and I ran over from the office. I’m not sure I would have registered in time, without these women.” Rita Silverman, an IRP member and retired university professor who volunteers at the table for the voter registration project, believes that young people need a reason to compel them to be politically active. “Having a group of older women and a few men come up and ask you if you’re registered to vote,” said Silverman, “I mean, I think you can look at us and see your grandmother. They appreciate
that we are doing this and we appreciate that they are excited and interested.” “I think it’s really great that they’re doing this.” said Sarah Little, a third year studying global studies major at Lang, “They helped me get an absentee ballot for my district. It was a simple process and they made it so convenient.” While quick and easy for most, some have to return repeatedly with more questions or in need of help with completing forms. “One of the things I appreciate most about them is their expertise in the area of voter registration and how eager they are to counsel students with questions,” said George Saad, senior office manager of Student Leadership and Involvement at The New School. Saad has provided support for the voter registration project since its inception. He is a collaborator and partner to the IRP women, responsible for scheduling their table in the lobby, advertising their work, and making their bulletin signs.
One of Taichman’s greatest concerns is that some students think they are registered when they’re not. States like New York, Georgia and Virginia purged close to 16 million voters from the rolls between 2014 and 2016, according to a 2018 report by the Brennan Center for Justice. For students who currently live in New York but have family residence in another state, the IRP women can answer questions about which state they are allowed to register in, and help them fill out absentee ballots. “It’s their decision to decide where their vote matters the most,” said Cristal. “We’re just there to educate them, not to influence them.” The three care deeply about civic life, a commitment that stretches back to their teenage years. Taichman grew up in Toronto, Canada, where she took classes in civics from an early age and often discussed politics with her family at the dinner table. “I voted from the day I was able to, which
IRP member Lisa Cristal helps to register two New Schoolers. Photo by Orlando Mendiola
was 21,” she said. “I would never have thought of skipping voting. It seemed like a right and a privilege as a citizen. I always had a strong sense of justice.” Taichman became an American citizen in 1967 and embarked on an extensive career in social work, helping people with civil legal problems in areas such as domestic violence, health care, and social security. Taichman has two daughters and three grandchildren. “I worry about what the world
“I would never have thought of skipping voting. It seemed l ike a right and a privilege as a citizen. I always had a strong sense of justice.” will be like for them,” she said. Cristal, a retired lawyer with two children, was born in St. Louis, Missouri and moved to New York City when she was 28. She became interested in politics amid the political scandal of her generation — Watergate. “People were engaged then just like people are engaged now,” Cristal said. “But the difference is that towards the end of Watergate, Republicans and Democrats were working together for the better good of the country. I think politics now are much more polarized.” Cristal worked on the Hillary Clinton campaign manning the Election Protection hotline, and before that, for the Barack Obama campaign, where she worked the phone banks, ensuring voters go to the polls. Similarly, Waxman, a Los Angeles native and retired lawyer, became politically engaged
early on, when she was 18. She attended Occidental College at the height of the Vietnam War and her campus was one of the hundreds in the country that went on strike in protest against the war. “It’s a much busier world than it was when I was 20,” said Waxman. “Being able to talk with this generation at the tables, I have a general sense of not being as engaged or organized. Not that there aren’t exceptions, but there are so many distractions and it’s overwhelming for everybody.” After the next election, the trio will start advocating for changes in the law. One of their main concerns is the regressive voting legislation in New York state, which requires citizens to register at least 25 days before the election, unlike other states that allow day-of registration. For New York primary elections, citizens of New York must register a year in advance and register in a political party affiliation to be eligible to vote. At the moment, however, the women are focused on registering as many as they can for the midterms. The fast approaching deadline for registering in New York state is October 12. Anyone wishing to vote in the November 6 elections will have to register by then. The IRP volunteers plan on being back at their table at least once per month following the November 6 election and will come back in full force in 2019 in preparation for the 2020 presidential election. “We’ve been very impressed with the caliber of students here, their civic mindedness and their enthusiasm about wanting to vote,” said Taichman. “This is a do-or-die time. It feels like it’s time that, at the very least, everybody has to vote and have their voices heard.”
PARSONS BUILDING RE-OPENS MONTHS AFTER FIRE by RADHIYA SABNANI Six months after an electrical fire shuttered 2 W. 13th St. and affected more than 4,100 students, the mostly-Parsons building re-opened for the fall semester. Some students were still angry about the lost time and money that the fire caused. On Apr. 2, an electrical fire erupted in the basement, spreading contamination throughout the building. The building is home to many shops and studio part of the Making Center. The fire left traces of dioxin, lead, metal, and carbon soot that travelled mostly through the basement, printmaking shop, and ceramics shop. There was also fire damage in the switchgear room. Richard Supriano, a communication design major who graduated in 2018, ran into serious issues last semester as a result of the fire. “All my inventory was downstairs, all my sketches, all my film,” Supriano said. ”I spent
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a shit-ton of money. Inks. I couldn’t retrieve it,” he said. Supriano was not compensated for his items until mid-August, he said. All of the shops have been re-opened as of Oct. 3. Five out of the six kilns damaged in the fire have been replaced, as of Oct. 5. Aziza Rozi, a fashion design major, was upset about the closing and loss of items. After she spent $500 for a project, Rozi was unsure of when she would be able to retrieve her things. So she snuck in. “When you’re in a time when you’re really desperate, that’s what you do,” she said. The university made a workspace available to printmaking and ceramics students that have graduated, so they can make up for lost working time. Max Garett, associate manager of the N2 general shop at the Making Center, said, “It was kind of a rush to get things up and running. Some things took a little longer because of
construction and cleaning and things like that. But so far, everything’s working out pretty well.” “It was a nightmare,” said Joe Hirsch, a full time technician in the Design Lab, which is located on the tenth floor of the 2 W 13 building. A few days after the fire, the Design Lab was relocated to the basement and second floor of the University Center, as well as on the sixth floor of 6 E 16th St. Hirsch and other staff from the Making Center had to move large equipment and machines, such as printers and embroidery machines, through small elevators and rain. “That was very painful. Luckily no one got hurt. We pushed everything,” Hirsch said. Construction plans for a textile design studio, as well as a facility for communication design and illustration had to be put on hold as a result of the fire, said Joel Towers, executive dean of Parsons. “Both of those projects had
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to be put on delayed construction schedules and then expedited to get them ready for the beginning of the semester, so we lost all of our wiggle room,” Towers said. The New School will use infrared technology to check all of their switchgear to make sure there aren’t any shortages, loose connections, or similar issues, said Thomas Whalen, director of facilities management. The university was not able to provide an estimate on the amount of damage the fire did to 2 W. 13th St. Towers and Whalen said that since this incident, every student that submitted a request has been reimbursed. However, at least one student has not received any follow up or money to reimburse her work. Ashton Doukas, a fine arts student, is still waiting for a response from the school as of Oct. 5. Her project was in the basement, where the fire originated. Doukas estimates a loss
“I slowed down a lot. I feel like I would have been, really would have been famous by now if it wasn’t for the fire.” of $150 worth of materials. “I filled out that whole form, I put everything like I put so much detail into it,” Doukas said.” And I’ve heard nothing.” Although the university has made steps they believe will prevent a similar fire from happening again, for many, the damage has already been done. “The fire kind of made me change my whole schedule completely and I really had to manage what I could print and what I couldn’t print,” Supriano said. “I slowed down a lot. I feel like I would have been, really would have been famous by now if it wasn’t for the fire,” Supriano said.
October 2018
The Wonderous World of Jazz
THROWN FOR A LOUP
by GEORGIA SEBESKY
by ANDREW GIACCO
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Photo by Orlando Mendiola
Café Loup, the famed West Village literary haunt, closed its doors with no warning on Sept. 19. Left behind were its devout patrons, many from The New School, heartbroken, as if they had just been evicted from their childhood home. Only one week later, the clouds hovering over West Village dissipated, and the sun shined on the doors of the café; a New York City resurrection. Just a week later, after a Twitter funeral, Café Loup tweeted “Back in business!” The next night, Thursday at 6 p.m., Cafe Loup was as lively as ever. People flowed in with excitement on their faces, as if an old friend was back in town. Some were amazed, others seemed suspicious -- almost as if it were too good to be true. The bar was full with cocktails, martinis in front of everyone. The phone was ringing, reservations were coming in, and people busied in. The temporary close happened because there are five outstanding tax liens against the café, totaling around $295,000,00, according to the NYSD of State Tax Warrants. Café Loup at 105 W. 13th St, was seized by the New York State Department for Taxation and Finance for failure to pay taxes. These tax liens were imposed to acquire the delinquent taxes owed to the state, with the latest unsatisfied lien filed on Sep. 28, 2018 for $53,734.22 “It’s a complicated and private matter but the issue has been resolved. It took a week to get it resolved but we worked to get it resolved immediately. We’re back in business and here to stay,” said Harry Duberie, a representative for Café Loup. The café declined to comment on any specifics of the outstanding tax liens. Twitter was set ablaze by customers who were left shocked, saddened, and ultimately confused by the cafés abrupt closure. A tweet from Caroline Eisenmann, an associate agent at Golden Agency, summed it up by saying “I went to go see Café Loup myself and the man standing
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outside commented, ‘The world has ended.’” During its brief closure, some visited the café to see its demise for themselves. The doors of Café Loup were adorned with a bright red sign, which read “SEIZED” in black, bold lettering. The home for stiff martinis, New School Faculty gossip, and celebrity runins with the likes of Patricia Clarkson, a Café Loup devotee, was no more. “Between this, Bendel closing, and the MTA, New York is officially dead,” said Alexandra Svokos, a news editor for Bustle. The closing led to an outpour of love for the café, and might have been a blessing in disguise, reminding diehard patrons to return to the place they love. “It definitely won’t make me stop going. If anything, [the closing] may motivate me to go more, so they have more of my money,” said Robert Khederian, a real estate agent and monthly visitor of the café.
“Between this, Bendel closing, and the MTA, New York is officially dead.” Beloved by New Yorkers, the eatery has long been a favorite of New School faculty and students for decades. To Philip Silvia, New School alum and part-time New School Professor, it brought together people from the university community. “[It’s] a democratic space where it didn’t matter who you were, how famous you were, you could always go for a drink and a burger,” Silvia said, before the café reopened. “It’s a daily, easygoing place. It has always been a real accessible spot for prospective faculty [at the New School] to be taken out to lunch.” The café is integral to the New School community, namely the faculty. Dominic Pettman, Lang Professor of
Culture and Media dubbed Café Loup “The de facto lounge for New School Faculty.” The café will forever will be a part of the West Village’s storied history, but it also has a special place in the New School’s history as well. Stephanie Brower, dean of Lang, spoke to her relationship with the café, saying “I have been many times. In fact, one of my interview meetings was there over lunch.” “Community depends on a certain amount of continuity and Café Loup is one of the few places that provides that,” Pettman said. “As the city hoovers up public space for private interests, we need these kinds of generous, accepting, de facto gathering spaces or oases to regroup, plot, hatch, dream, etc. I’m glad and grateful that New Yorkers who understand the importance of genuine community hubs still have this option to escape to.” There are few iconic spots left in West Village, and Café Loup is one of the few places left that boast a strong cult following. With so many trendy restaurants popping up overnight, and folding within a year, it’s refreshing that places like this do still exist.
“Community depends on a certain amount of continuity and Café Loup is one of the few places that provides that.” “When I was at the New School, it was known as a place where you could go and have a good lunch, unhurried, sit down and spend an hour or two. It was very convivial,” said Sean Elder, who taught in the Lang Writing department from 2006 to-2010. “‘The Loup’ was a good place for the faculty because if you could afford more than a slice of pizza, it was the place to be.”
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this is just one of them.” Aside from their jazz trio, which plays Two Saints about once a month, Fish and Granzen make up an experimental duo called Honey Drizzle, which plays other Brooklyn venues like The Glove. They also play in Rocha’s indie-rock band, Twin Village. “Gigs either come from word of mouth recommendations or me approaching a venue,” Fish said. “If I want people to pay attention to the weirder music that I’m playing I would probably go to an art gallery, as opposed to a bar where friends can just come and grab a drink and hang out.” Aside from their musical talents, what drew Fish, Granzen, and Rocha together was, ultimately, their ability to get along as people. “If someone isn’t a fun person to be around then you just won’t make good music together,” Fish said. He met Granzen almost accidentally, on a gig with a mutual friend in their shared hometown of Madison, Wisconsin the summer before their sophomore year. That’s when they realized they went to the same school. “I’ve met a lot of people through just playing at people’s houses who may not even go to New School or who may have graduated,” Granzen said. “Finding gigs and people to play with is really just about being out there and being present.” CoPA encourages students to seek out performance experience. The School of Jazz provides students with access to a “gig office,” which maintains a list of various performance opportunities and provides students with tips for marketing themselves as working musicians.
“If someone isn’t a fun person to be around then you just won’t make good music together.” Granzen has never used the gig office, but described it as a faculty-supervised program in which students may audition to become band leaders. A client will contact the gig office looking for live music for a specific event, often cocktail parties or weddings. Specific band leaders must then assemble groups dependent on a client’s particular needs. “I never used [the gig office] or was called for a gig through [them],” Rocha said about her time at The New School. She said that band leaders appointed to the gig office would usually end up inviting their friends or other instrumentalists to play shows. “It wasn’t super helpful for vocalists.” “I think for Jazz the emphasis on going out and playing in
the city is a little more stressed [than at Mannes],” Fish said. “If you go to Mannes and you use its resources well but you stay in a practice room your whole four years, you’re ultimately not going be prepared when you graduate.” Granzen described the jazz program’s ability to prepare students for life as a working musician as “kind of a hit or miss.” Some of the business and entrepreneurship classes can be outdated, he said, focusing on aspects of the industry like managing record sales when most of today’s successful recordings are accessed almost entirely through streaming services.
“Finding gigs and people to play with is really just about being out there and being present.” “[The New School for Jazz] has really helped me become comfortable with performing and reading different music, for sure,” Granzen said. “But it’s really shown me that you have to do more than just play your instrument if you want to survive solely off of music.” One of the biggest challenges for working musicians, especially for those who are also students, is financial security. Gigs aren’t necessarily steady and pay is often unreliable. Bars like Two Saints that host musicians will often pay a band a predetermined amount of money at the end of the night, and usually offer free food and drinks during the set. More established music venues might pay musicians a cut of the admission fee they charge patrons at the door. “At this point, three months out of school I’ve been playing a few gigs each month and currently I’m not depending on it for income,” Rocha said. She currently works at the clothing store Awoke Vintage in Williamsburg, but hopes to be able to transition to a full-time career in music soon. “I think there’s a whole group of musicians now that are simply playing the music that they want to play for themselves and for the people who enjoy it,” Fish said. He said that the chance to experiment and play music with like-minded individuals far outweighs how much money they’re handed at the end of the night. “That’s a really refreshing way to play music,” he added. “That’s what I hope to do now with my friends.” Fish, Granzen, and Rocha are playing Two Saints on Tuesday Oct. 16, 9 p.m. to midnight.
October 2018
JEWELRY DESIGNER MAKES THE U.S. DOLLAR WORTH SOMETHING NEW AT NYFW by SHAYNA SEID
Photo by Orlando Mendiola
After presenting seven looks at the Parsons MFA Spring 2019 Ready-to-Wear show, on September 7, jewelry designer Kota Okuda gained attention from several publications, like Garage, Vogue and Paper, and even from Nicki Minaj. Okuda, 27, is comfortable with precious materials like diamonds and gold, but his thesis took a strong look at the themes of value and money with Karl Marx-inspired commentary on how people create and are controlled by value. His collection included an oversized money clip dress, wallet dress (complete with American Express card) and pieces incorporating U.S. currency.
From idea conception to the runway, this particular project has taken a year–four months for the actual crafting of materials. It was inspired after Okuda read Marx’s reflections on the commodity, which made him reassess how value is translated, especially in materials. Okuda is very interested in the value society places on materials like 18k gold and diamond. He questions the relationship between cost and value. That was the starting point to think about the creation of his thesis. He has an ongoing interest in money and how people assess worth. “People create value but the value controls the people,” said
Okuda. With that theory behind him, he created oversized $1 printed paper bills for the dresses, $1 laser-cut and engraved plastic bills for the shoes, and stampedout dime and penny bras. One of his favorite looks was rejected from the show—a bra made entirely of actual shiny pennies that had a total worth of $2–$1 per breast. The shoes for all looks were clear, stripper heels that had laser-cut and engraved, small plastic $1 bills attached. The reserved Okuda said that he got the shoes from his friends, who are not strippers, but who love those types of accessories. The look that Nicki Minaj and her stylist were most interested in was the money clip dress. Okuda went to her hotel and dropped off the look but hasn’t heard anything further. Personally, he doesn’t know Minaj’s work that well. “I’m not a hip-hop personality, but it’s so funny. It suits for her style,” said Okuda. Okuda was one of 15 students in Parsons’ MFA Fashion Design and Society program whose thesis work was showcased during New York Fashion Week at Spring Studios. Before enrolling at Parsons, he did a foundation year at Cambridge University in the U.K. and then earned a degree in jewelry design from Central Saint Martins in London. After graduating
Studying Abroad? Things to Know Before You Go by NICOLE COLLAZO Sitting on the stairs of the UC, remembering her time traveling around Europe while studying at Parsons Paris in the fall of 2017, 21-year-old fashion design senior Nicole Wieneke could not contain her smile. “Career-wise it was helpful because I was in the most important fashion capital, but my favorite part was being able to travel easier, cheaper, and efficiently around Europe,” she said. Wieneke chose Parsons Paris because she felt like she needed a change of setting. However, educationally, it wasn’t as fulfilling as the New York City campus. “It set me back a bit because for New York it is a lot more rigorous and conceptual, focusing on yourself. In Paris, it is more about how you sell yourself to the industry, which doesn’t allow you to be as creative as you should be,” Wieneke said. This did not stop her from growing and learning abroad. “I thoroughly enjoyed how studying in another place means immersing yourself into a culture,” Wieneke said. Traveling “allows you to put yourself out there and find yourself in ways you didn’t know you could.” The New School offers multiple study abroad programs and allows for students to participate through affiliated and non-affiliated programs. The university advertises all of these
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programs to prospective students sometimes during campus tours. However, information about the details about going abroad can be hard to find once students arrive on campus. A section of the New School website provides an overview about how study abroad functions, but does not provide other information, such as requirements needed to go abroad. It is not one-stop shop for all the information you’ll need to make your decisions. It requires additional digging. In some cases, the website shows multiple exchange opportunities that are not available when students go to the application website GoAbroad, such as Sub-Saharan Africa. Students can learn about their peers’ experiences studying abroad through Global Peer Ambassadors. Global Peer Ambassadors is a program where past study abroad students serve as a connection with future study abroad students to answer specific questions about the places they are interested in. Laura Walton, 20, a BA/BFA junior studying fashion design at Parsons and global studies at Lang, went to Havana, Cuba the summer of 2017. She says being a part of the Global Peer Ambassadors is a large commitment but a great resource for students who are interested in studying abroad. Currently, there are six students working as ambassadors, including Walton. She went to Havana through the Studley Graduate
Program in Milano’s International Field Program. “I was the first and only undergrad in that program. There were some issues I had to deal with on my own, considering everyone was over 25, but at least it gave me an idea of the workload for graduate school,” Walton said. Walton had the opportunity to be in Cuba for three months. Walton found most of her support from her professors in the Global Studies department, rather than study abroad offices at The New School. “The New School overall didn’t really help, but I try not to be too hard on the Lang Study Abroad office because at this point it is mostly student-run,” she said. Since the Lang Study Abroad office is currently undergoing staff transitions, the majority of the people working there are students. To be able to attend the program, Walton applied to the Gilman Scholarship and received a Global Studies grant for the additional fares, which she said was very important, especially as a student of color on campus. “Exchange programs that are run by the school itself are important,” Walton said, “Mostly because a lot of POC students rely on their New School financial aid to be a part of opportunities like studying abroad.” Studying abroad through an exchange program from The New School allows your financial aid to roll over. With a non-affiliated program, some of
ARTS & CULTURE
from CSM, Okuda received an offer to work for Tiffany & Co., but because of his visa, he couldn’t accept and instead chose to continue his studies in New York. Okuda’s personal style features little to no jewelry. “I don’t like [jewelry] for wearing, even watches. I like glasses, but I really like people wearing jewelry. ” said Okuda. With his more modest and minimalist aesthetic, it’s not too surprising that his namesake jewelry brand is drastically different from the sometimes overtly sexy work he presented for his thesis. The pieces are more refined, and he uses more classic metal materials like gold and silver. For now, they are only sold at his pop-up shop in the luxury department store Isetan in Tokyo, once each year during the holiday time, and he has no interest in ecommerce. Despite having customers in Japan, Okuda has heard nothing from Japanese media about his thesis collection. He suspects this is because his collection is not for sale and Japanese consumers are only interested in products that they can possess. “In Japan, no one cares about the background of design, [or the] artistic element. I also got a response from Hong Kong and Chinese media, but no response from Japan.” said Okuda. He explained that Japanese brands meant for consumption, like Commes des Garçons and Issey Miyake, have flourished, but it’s difficult to promote avant-garde designs with no commercial purpose. A causal study of Instagram
content from Vogue Japan in the past two weeks, backs up Okada’s theory. During Milan and Paris Fashion Weeks, Vogue Japan’s Instagram featured photos of new trends, runway looks and street style, while American Vogue has peppered their feed of runway looks with content about designers as well. Just based on account content, it seems as if Vogue Japan is more interested in pushing products than is American Vogue. With one of the largest luxury goods markets in the world, it’s no wonder Japanese people, in Okuda’s eyes, are solely interested in buying fashion and not appreciating it as art within a larger context. According to Deloitte’s “Global Powers of Luxury 2018” study, Japan’s luxury market “is expected to grow further over the next years thanks to rising consumer confidence and purchasing power of the younger generations.” Although he does not want to sell the pieces that were seen on the runway, Okuda does want to create a product or collection that bridges his thesis work and his own aesthetic. Contrasting with suspected Japanese consumer behavior, what adds value to something is often the meaning and effort behind it. As we become more transparent shoppers, we want to know the backstory behind the items we purchase and if they do more harm than good– this is why sustainable, ethical and political fashion does well. There is new value in commentary fashion that critiques our society–and we will pay an expensive price for it.
it may not follow. In addition to exchange programs and faculty-led programs, there are other ways to go abroad. When Lang psychology senior Natalie del Rosario, 22, decided she wanted to study abroad in her second semester of her junior year, she did not rely only on the university. “My interest of studying abroad began through a friend here at the university but she told me ‘If you want to do it, you have to do it by yourself. The New School is not going to help,’” del Rosario said. With the third-party study abroad program Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE), del Rosario had the opportunity to study law in Spain, which is not offered through The New School. Overall, she loved the experience and is grateful for the way the studies in Madrid complement her studies at The New School. As the primary student assistant to the dean at the Lang study abroad office, Maddie Sinnock, 22, BA/BFA student of fine arts at Parsons and religious studies at Lang, spends most of her time providing information to Lang students who might want to go abroad. She recognizes some restrictions in the system but also encourages initiatives that allow students to share their experiences abroad. “A lot of our limitations in the office is that we can’t do everything we want, which is why we have the Lang Global Ambassadors, so they can help guide students that are interested in studying abroad,” Sinnock said. The office is currently in the process of training of new tem-
porary Director of Lang Study Abroad Rebecca Reilly. Reilly is serving while Amal Hegeb is on leave, according to an email sent out by Lang Dean Stephanie Browner on Sept. 12. Sjournee Cornelius-Quaidoo, BA/BFA junior studying arts and context at Lang and integrated design at Parsons, is one of the Lang Global Ambassadors. She attended the James Baldwin Summer Program in Paris this past summer. This faculty-led program, ran by chair of First Year Writing Program professor Scott Korb, studies James Baldwin’s works, focusing on critical reading and creative writing. The one thing Cornelius-Quaidoo advises students is to keep in mind the conversion of US dollars to euros, because there was no preparation beforehand around expenses and personal safety. Depending on the location, there are required preparation courses for the students to be a part of before leaving, but that is not true for all programs. The Study Abroad website notes is that “all New School students who study abroad are enrolled in a program called ‘On Call’” which is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for assistance with emergency situations. For Cornelius-Quaidoo, this experience overall was a positive one and she would like to go abroad again. “If I could study abroad once a year, I would. You just learn so much about culture and academics,” Cornelius-Quaidoo said. “You won’t know how valuable it is until you do it.”
October 2018
Mold Forced Me Out of My Home by KATHERINE HUGGINS I smoothed down the edges of the tape and leaned back to admire my work. The photo wall in my dorm room on the third floor of 118 W 13th St. was complete. My first month of college had been relatively smooth-sailing so far. Little did I know, that in just a week I would be taking down my photos and leaving the place that finally seemed like home. On Friday, Sept. 21, two days after designing my wall, I checked my email and saw a note from University Housing: “13th Street Residence Relocation.” I would be moving soon, very soon, because mold had been found all throughout the walls of the building. The home that I’d established, the roommates I’d bonded with, the photo wall I’d created – all of it would be uprooted after only a month. That night, the first person moved out to Loeb Hall. The housing staff provided free packing materials in the lobby. I hadn’t been assigned another place to live, but I grabbed a cardboard box and started organizing my belongings. Over the weekend, my roommates, HeeEun Chung and Jude Rodriguez, and I wondered about our new situations. What would the rooms be like? Would each
Juuls Rule, Cigs Drool by JERVEY INGLESBY The Food and Drug Administration threatened to ban the sale of the e-cigarette brand Juul and four other brands unless the company can prove in 60 days, starting Sept. 12, that they don’t market to minors. The FDA conducted a surprise raid on Juul’s headquarters in San Francisco on Sept. 28, confiscating more than 1,000 documents with the goal of finding evidence that the company has been targeting youths. Juul had already provided the FDA with more than 50,000 documents at its request, according to a New York Times interview with Kevin Burns, the CEO of Juul. This potential ban however, is not an effective way of aiding in the health of users. It won’t keep Juuls and similar products out of the hands of minors. Instead, it will allow counterfeit vape juice devices to take over the market with little to no regulation on harmful additives and chemicals. In the end, regulation is always safer than prohibition. I’ve been using nicotine products for about eight years, starting at the age of 13, as did many of my friends in my home state of South Carolina. My first tobacco of choice was Copenhagen snuff, a moist product that is consumed by placing a wad between one’s teeth and lower lip and spitting a tar-black juice to avoid throwing up. I learned this habit from my father, who has been a snuff user for more than 40 years and who suffers from debilitating anxiety, as almost everyone in my family does. I quickly made the switch to cigarettes during my freshman year of high school, after witnessing
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of our new roommates be chill? Would they let us blast our music and have dorm room dance parties like we (occasionally) did? Would we even get along? None of us were ready to say goodbye. We hadn’t requested to be together, beginning the year as total strangers–but by month one, we were an unstoppable trio. On Monday, when Jude moved out to Marymount Manhattan’s dorms on 57th street, I gave my first tearful hug goodbye. Walking through the halls, I heard irritated students talking about the mold and the building condition. “Don’t touch that wall, there might be mold!” “I’ve been coughing for two weeks, it’s obviously the mold.” “Did they, like, not inspect the building over the summer?” I, too, was disgruntled by the process (and slightly grossed out by the mold). Some students were going to Brooklyn, others were going to the 92nd Street Y. Any vacancies in the school’s other dorms were quickly filled. My RA shared updates whenever he received them and checked in on how the residents were doing. The university tried to accommodate us by providing us small lockers to keep materials and emailing out a list of students affected
by the move to their professors. Absences would not be excused, but the faculty would hopefully better understand the situation. I went out and found a few potential apartments, but without a roommate and furniture, my parents and I agreed it would be best if I just stuck it out in the dorms for the year. Two days later, on Wednesday, my other roommate moved across the street to the Markle Residence. I considered joining her. At least they won’t have the added commute and there are free meals, I reasoned. But adjusting to life in a women’s only residence with strangers ranging 18-55 years old, and a rumoured dress code? Not the place for me. An hour or so after my last roommate had left, I received my relocation assignment. The housing staff assigned me a large dorm shared by Baruch and LIM College on the Upper East Side by 97th street. The school would give me an unlimited Metrocard each month and an $100 Visa gift card as an apology for the inconvenience. They also gave us goodie bags containing a small pack of Kleenex, six lollipops, two Tide pods and a single tea packet. How… thoughtful? Friday afternoon, I moved. I placed my boxes in the lobby, and the school took care of moving them to my new dorm. I was placed in another
my father’s first gum graft — a result of the fiberglass shards that were once a snuff additive and the general corrosive effect that tobacco has on gum tissue. For six full years after this switch, I was a regular smoker of Marlboro Reds and Golds. At first, I was hiding the habit until my addiction increased to at least a pack per day. This habit waxed and waned depending on my anxiety and stress levels, but I often went through stints where I couldn’t maintain a baseline level of sanity without at least two full packs a day. Today, I have finally been able to free my lungs and wallet from the bondage of cigarettes, thanks only to the Juul device. Juul has made a name for itself by creating sleek devices that burn a heavy nicotine-salt blend in the form of “pods.” These pods come in packs of four, costing about $20, and come in flavors like mint, menthol, tobacco and mango. Opponents of legal Juul pods argue that these flavors and the sleek design of the Juul device have been purposefully constructed to appeal to younger users and minors. It hits the throat with a satisfying harshness, mirroring cigarettes far better than tanker vapes, and produces a thin, small vapor upon exhalation, which contrasts the unnecessarily massive clouds of vapor that are produced by tankers. Additionally, $20 toward a pack of Juul pods provides the same amount of nicotine as four packs of cigarettes, as each pod is equivalent to a pack, and they are sold in fours. A decent pack of cigarettes costs about the same. Juuling is four times as affordable. This claim seems to have some merit, as a recent Center for Disease Control study reports that high school vaping rates have increased eightfold from 2011
to 2017, according to CDC data, referenced in a Reuters special report on Juuling. While smoking has decreased from 15.8 percent of high school students in 2011 to 7.6 percent in 2017, vaping has increased from 1.5 percent use to 11.7 percent during the same period, according to the same CDC data. However, a Public Health England (PHE) government-funded study published in February stated that “vaping poses only a small fraction of the risks of smoking and switching completely from smoking to vaping conveys substantial health benefits.” The study also stated that e-cigarettes “could be contributing to at least 20,000 successful new quits per year,” in the U.K alone. Professor John Newton, the director of Health Improvement at PHE said, “Our new review reinforces the finding that vaping is a fraction of the risk of smoking, at least 95% less harmful, and of negligible risk to bystanders. Yet over half of smokers either falsely believe that vaping is as harmful as smoking or just don’t know.” Professor Linda Bauld, an author and Professor of Health Policy at the University of Stirling and Chair in Behavioural Research for Cancer Prevention at the Cancer Research Center UK said, “Concern has been expressed that e-cigarette use will lead young people into smoking. But in the UK, research clearly shows that regular use of e-cigarettes among young people who have never smoked remains negligible, less than 1%, and youth smoking continues to decline at an encouraging rate.” Juul Labs currently holds 70.5 percent of the United States e-cigarette market, according to a multi-company report by Nielsen Total US x AOC/Convenience Database & Wells Fargo
ARTS & CULTURE
triple. The room is larger than my old one, and there’s a large communal kitchen downstairs, so I’m excited to start cooking again–kitchens were a luxury not provided in 13th. We have a fully-equipped gym, lounge areas and our own TV in each room. It’s not a half-bad place to live. Fortunately, I’m locked into my old housing rate, so I don’t have to pay extra for these added amenities. I have two new roommates who I’m getting to know. Since they’d been rooming together at 13th street, their transition seemed a bit smoother than mine. While both are very sweet (and tidy), it’s frustrating to have to repeat this process of adjustment. Currently, the plan is to move back into the old building for spring semester and I’m already dreading having to box everything up again. While nothing has been guaranteed, the RAs I’ve spoken with believe we will return to our previous living arrangements with our original roommates. A common complaint from students was that by separating everyone, a community was being torn apart. It’s true that we’re now spread out over the city, but I met and talked to more people in the week leading up to my move than I had the whole month. People wanted to engage, and it was an easy conversa-
tion-starter since we were all experiencing it. But conversations would then change from mold to discussions of our personal backgrounds, and next thing I’d know, I’d be hanging out in the basement or patio with a group of people I didn’t know. Knowing we were losing our community only helped us build it faster. I think it’s true that the school could have made a better effort to keep roommates together, or at least explain better why they couldn’t. I wish they would tell us more information about the mold itself. How much was there? When will it be tested to see if it is harmful? How can I find the results of the test? I recognize that this was an unforeseen problem, and I respect the school’s quick action. The RAs and residence staff have been under tremendous pressure, and I recognize that they’re doing their best. But until “take two” of movein, you can find me on the 6 train in the morning or working out in my new, luxurious gym in the evening. It’s been a strange, unstable first month of college for the residents of 13th street. I suspect that – much like the way that moving out gave us a common experience to discuss, moving back in will do the same. I have no doubt that this will only make our community more tight-knit and stronger.
Illustration by Olivia Heller.
Securities, LLC. Their sales have increased dramatically from 2.2 million devices in 2016 to 16.2 million in 2017, according to a CDC study released on Sept. 25, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The other devices that are being targeted by the potential ban are Fontem Ventures BV’s blu, Altria Group Inc.’s MarkTen and British American Tobacco Plc’s Vuse and Logic. The likely outcome if Juul devices and pods are banned in the United States is that the blossoming illegal pod market will explode and lead to far more intensive health impacts than before, as a result of their lack of regulation. Juul’s official website states that “through years of research, JUUL Labs developed its proprietary e-liquid formula, which is mixed under strict quality controlled processes utilizing industry leading U.S. partners. Our ingredients include glycerol, propylene glycol, natural oils, extracts and flavor, nicotine and benzoic acid.” Although these statements must be read with some skepticism, the company’s ingredients have been evaluated by the FDA, while the exact ingredients making up illegal pods are unknown, as are their potential health
hazards. The parent company of Juul Labs, PAX Labs, recently filed trademark claims against over thirty Chinese manufacturers of counterfeit pods and Juul brand devices online, according to a statement made by the company on Sept. 11. For me, returning to cigarettes isn’t really an option, as the city’s tobacco taxes have made them inaccessible. I’m far more likely to use unregulated vaping products to avoid this cost, leaving my health in the hands of unregulated manufacturers. A current example of a failed ban is our continuing prohibition of marijuana, which has put billions in the hands of cartels and gangs, and led to an unregulated market full of horror stories. In addition, the proliferation of unregulated, synthetic cannabinoids, often referred to as spice or K2, resulted in 28,521 related hospital visits in 2011 alone, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. If Juul pods were made illegal, it seems likely that such visits would occur as a reaction to unregulated pods. In the end, regulation is simply a safer and more profitable method than prohibition.
October 2018
FASHION ON FIFTH by JESSICA DAVIES AND BRYAN CENTENO
“I freak out about what I’m wearing, because I’m always late, but it sometimes works,” he said.
Lovetta Conto, a senior Fashion Design student at Parsons
She chose her outfit with the purpose of achieving a “mature but sexy” look.
Left: Tyler Demauro, a freshman studying Strategic Design and Management at Parsons Right: Sarah Manella, a sophomore studying Interior Design at Parsons
Manella accessorized heoutfit with all-black converse, a grommet belt, glitter blue eyeshadow, and a silver septum ring from her 18th birthday.
Emily Michaels, an AAS fashion student
“My sweater was gifted from a friend and my bag was five dollars from a Goodwill store in Texas,” she said. As for her Cape Robbin rainbow platform shoes, she “bought four pairs at once because I fell in love with them,” she mentioned.
FASHION
October 2018