Washington Square News March 11th, 2019

4 CULTURE

9 OPINION

Gallatin Designers Bring Dreams to Life on the Runway

Analyzing the Administration’s Affair With Amazon

7 ARTS

11 UNDER THE ARCH

NYU Professor’s ‘NYLON’ Makes a Complex Plot Work

Jackson Heights

VOLUME LII | ISSUE 7

MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2019

Students Hold Silver Accountable in Wake of Racist Email The Silver School of Social Work will be adding training for faculty and incoming students and hiring an external consultant to address issues of racism.

ALANA BEYER | WSN

A man walks in front of The Silver School of Social Work. The school has hired an external consultant and plans to add training for faculty and staff after a student tweeted about a classmate’s racist email to him.

By LACHLAN HYATT Staff Writer and VICTOR PORCELLI

News Editor

After a student’s tweet about a racist experience went viral on Twitter, a group of students has made a list of demands that includes making curriculum changes and establishing mandatory training sessions in the Silver School of Social Work.

Last month, Silver first-year graduate student Shahem Mclaurin was told by a classmate via email that his “black presence” in the classroom made the student uncomfortable. A few days after Mclaurin tweeted about it, Silver responded a few days later with a statement that acknowledged ongoing institutional racism at the school and included a laundry list

of steps it would take to address the problem. In the statement, the school said it would hire an external consultant who would visit in late February, have its social justice committee release a report on Feb. 22 and discuss the issue at the next faculty meeting.

“We view the email incident as a teachable moment for us,” Silver Dean Neil B. Guterman said. “It has offered a real opportunity to better address the very real challenges of bias and exclusion so that Silver, as a leading school of social work, can become more welcoming, inclusive and diverse.”

After the incident, students from various organizations and associations — as well as Mclaurin himself — joined together to form the Affinity Group Collective and wrote a petition calling for a meeting with administrators to address

instances of racial discrimination within Silver. On Feb. 25, the group attended a Silver faculty meeting and laid out a list of demands to address social justice issues at the school.

Silver graduate student Ymani Hawkins is a member of the group and is enrolled in the class in which Mclaurin was discriminated against. She said the group entered the faculty meeting to ensure its voices were heard.

“We walked in and we expressed that we want our nine demands to be heard,” Hawkins said.

Only the white students in the affinity group spoke at the meeting, as students of color felt they were at a higher risk of repercussions; the move also symbolized the silence of faculty members of color in the meeting, according to Hawkins.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

ALANA BEYER | WSN

Elizabeth Street Garden Fights to Exist READ ON PAGE 2

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Edited by VICTOR PORCELLI and MEGHNA MAHARISHI

Students Hold Silver Accountable in Wake of Racist Email CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

The list of action items put together by the Affinity Group Collective includes revising Silver’s curriculum to include critical race theory, decolonization and anti oppressive action. An overhaul of the application process to emphasize social justice and a mandatory two-day anti-racism training to be held during students’ orientation were also mentioned, in addition to the implementation of a protocol for students of color who experience discrimination in the class or field to report the incidents.

One member of the affinity group asked

for specific faculty members to be assigned to each demand, or at least the first three, according to Hawkins.

“A few faculty [members] made it known they would take on the specific tasks,” Hawkins said. “Since then, they’ve been setting up meetings with the affinity group, as well as with Shahem and I, to discuss these things and how they’re going about dealing with them.”

Silver is taking steps to meet some of the demands listed. According to NYU Public Affairs Officer Robert Polner, the school leadership, faculty and students will provide training for faculty on ad-

Professor Honored by LGBTQ Caucus

By MANSEE KHURANA Deputy News Editor While working on his dissertation at the University of Illinois, current NYU professor James Martin felt pressured to hide what he was really interested in: LGTBQ issues.

Now, his research focuses on the mental health disparities in LGBTQ populations and the history of identities within the community, and he is able to reflect on that time in his life.

“I hid that, because in those days, that was the smartest thing to do,” Martin said.

Martin is now the associate dean for Academic Affairs and director of the Master’s of Social Work Program at NYU. He was recently honored by the Caucus of LGBT Faculty and Students in Social Work, an independent organization — that Martin himself founded in 2003 — that serves as a network and advocacy group for social work faculty and doctoral students.

Since then, it has expanded to include members from across the globe.

Martin founded this group while he was a member of the Council on Social Work Education, a commission that also focuses on supporting LGBTQ faculty in their work.

“My own personal experience, and many people’s experience, is that if you are a sexual or gender minority in the academic field, you’re often fairly isolated,” Martin said.

When he became the advisor for an LGBTQ group at the Silver School of Social Work in 1998, he noticed that LGBTQ students’ experiences in the workplace did not line up with the progressive New York City that he had initially imagined.

“I couldn’t believe some of the discussions that students were having,” Martin said. “[There were] conversations like, ‘do you think it’s okay to be out where you’re working?’

I was shocked.”

In a statement to WSN, Dean of Silver School of Social Work Neil B. Guterman expressed how valuable Martin’s work in the caucus has been for promoting the mission of Silver as a whole.

“His work with the Caucus of LGBT Faculty and Students, while outside his duties for the school, is in keeping with our mission and our commitment to enhancing the vitality of communities and promoting the ideals of a humane and just world,”

Guterman wrote.

In 2011, the caucus established a co-chair position and an executive committee so that Martin could transition out of a leadership role without weakening the organization.

While Martin is now an active member of the social work community, his decision to pursue social work happened due to a chance encounter.

“I didn’t even know what social work [was] back when I was a psychology major,” Martin said. “I was going to pursue a career in all sorts of things, including music.”

After meeting with a friend in his hometown who told more him about the field, Martin decided to pursue a master’s in Social Work at the University of Michigan. He went on to work in a psychiatric hospital and received his doctorate from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Martin still sees problems with how academic institutions treat LGBTQ faculty and doctoral students. One of these issues is how doctoral students and faculty may not receive funding because people don’t realize how much there is to know about LGBTQ issues.

“I think in places like New York we suffer from people thinking that they’re really progressive or liberal and think that they don’t like to acknowledge that they don’t know as much as they thought.”

Early on in his career, Martin was told that his research was too limited.

“In my last year [teaching at the University of Texas] I had a friend say that ‘some people might think your work is a little narrow,’” Martin said. “That’s the challenge that people have in these areas, because there isn’t an appreciation that these areas are important.”

Despite his initial hesitation while getting his doctorate, Martin chooses to continue to research the topics that he’s passionate about and he cannot imagine dedicating his career to anything else.

“It was my personal experience, and it was my community, so it was what I wanted to do,” Martin said.

In the future, Martin hopes that LGBTQ doctoral students and faculty can use the caucus to receive support that they might not receive from their institution, especially in workplaces where they might feel more isolated.

Email Mansee Khurana at mkhurana@nyunews.com.

dressing issues of bias and exclusion. The next cohort of incoming students will receive anti-racism training as part of their orientation. The school will also build “socio-emotional supports for students of color” and continue to look at how the curriculum can be adapted to more effectively address issues of oppression, according to Polner.

In addition to working with the affinity group, Silver is holding listening sessions and walk-in meetings with the deans, including Guterman.

“Addressing issues of diversity, equity and inclusion have been a priority

for me since arriving at the school in 2017,” Guterman said.

Polner stated that this past fall, Silver launched a search for an external expert to help the school address these issues. Dr. Kenneth V. Hardy, a clinician who works with traumatized and oppressed populations, was selected for the position. Hardy is the former Director of the Center for Children, Families and Trauma at the Ackerman Institute in New York City and made his first visit to NYU in late February, according to Polner.

Guterman said that the school would

also be searching for someone to be appointed to the newly created role of deputy director for diversity, equity and inclusion.

Hawkins said that she is hopeful that change will be made as long as students continue to hold the administration accountable.

“I’m encouraged that we have the strength, the faith, the grit to confront these issues and stay on [the faculty and staff] about it,” Hawkins said. “I think that this is going to work.”

Email Lachlan Hyatt and Victor Porcelli at news@nyunews.com.

Elizabeth Street Garden Fights to Exist

ALANA BEYER | WSN

Two women enjoy a summertime jazz performance in Elizabeth Street Garden. The space is under threat of demolition.

By BETHANY ALLARD Staff Writer There’s a small open space in Little Italy, nestled among the buildings of Nolita. It’s filled with statues, benches, greenery and, weather permitting, New Yorkers basking in the sun. This is the Elizabeth Street Garden. As of right now, it’s also the future location of an affordable housing complex for seniors.

The garden first came to fruition in 1990, when the Elizabeth Street Gallery owner Allan Reiver started leasing the lot from the city on a monthly basis. Reiver cleaned up the trash-ridden lot, fenced it, planted greenery and placed some statues from his gallery. In 2005, he granted the public access to the garden through his gallery, and in 2013, access from the street.

In 2012, the city announced its intentions to build affordable housing on the site and members of the community began rallying to keep the garden open.

The apartment complex, named Haven Green, will be seven stories tall and provide 123 affordable studios for seniors, as well as retail space and office space for Habitat for Humanity NYC, one of the developers of the project. It will also be an LGBTQ-friendly development, with plans to offer support services for seniors in that demographic.

Two groups that support the garden filed lawsuits against New York City this week demanding that the city provide an environmental impact statement on the garden’s land before the development can continue. This would provide more indepth analysis compared to the environmental assessment statement New York City released in November.

On Feb. 26, Manhattan Borough

President Gale Brewer approved a recommendation to go through with the development of the project, with the condition that the developers attempt to increase the open space in the development plans by 30 percent.

As of now, the developers have plans to create about 6,700 square feet of publicly-accessible open space as compared to the roughly 20,000 square feet currently available. JR, the garden’s executive director and Reiver’s son, said the proposal isn’t much of a compromise.

“They would destroy all of [the garden],” Reiver said. “They would build their own space and the space would be drastically different.”

Tandon junior and Lafayette Street Residence Hall resident Tarek Hassoun discovered the garden at the beginning of this semester but has since returned many times. During their first visit, they struck up a conversation with another visitor, who told Hassoun about the plans to develop Haven Green. Although Hassoun enjoys going to the garden to seek refuge from the city, they believe that it comes down to the city’s priorities.

“I’m more so leaning towards the fact that senior citizens need affordable housing,” Hassoun said. “While we can search for alternatives, there are tons of seniors on the waitlist right now.”

Haven Green said it would provide affordable housing for the next 60 years, despite Brewer’s recommendation that stipulated the housing be made permanently affordable.

Those who wish to keep the garden open have argued that a lot at 338 Hudson St. would actually provide more space for the development and allow the garden to stay.

A statement from Haven Green posted on their website in November says that the lot on Hudson Street is not a viable alternative as it is controlled by the Department of Environmental Protection and contains an important water shaft that cannot be built on.

“Haven Green is not pitting affordable housing against green space; the reality is that the project offers both to a neighborhood where both are so desperately needed,” the statement reads.

Vice President of External Affairs for Habitat for Humanity NYC Matthew Dunbar said the organization understands the sense of community that surrounds the garden. He said that it should also be recognized that building Haven Green would do good for the community.

“The fact of the matter is when something could be lost, there is oftentimes a lot more energy and a much more vocal opposition to losing something then there is to potentially gaining something,” Dunbar said.

Reiver says that while he believes there is a need to push more affordable housing and supports the cause, he doesn’t believe it should be at the expense of the garden.

“One, it’s vital in the sense of that’s green space — real green space, not paved park. And two, it’s this sense of community,” Reiver said.

Reiver will speak at a panel about community green spaces and affordable housing on March 11.

The City Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on Haven Green on March 13, before it goes to the city council for a vote.

Email Bethany Allard at news@nyunews.com.

Washington Square News | News

MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2019

App Will Connect Faculty to Student Babysitters Next Year

By AKIVA THALHEIM Social Media Editor Faculty members at NYU are outnumbered by students 10 to one.

Managing their workloads can be overwhelming on its own, but professors with kids have even more to worry about. A new app developed

by NYU IT, called Keeyo, is meant to take some weight off their shoulders by increasing access to care services within the university.

Keeyo is a care services registry that will connect students with faculty, staff and other students who are parents and seeking care services for their children.

Initial features will include child care and tutoring, though elder care and even dog-walking services could be implemented in the future. The app is set to launch next year.

While NYU provides referral services when it comes to child care and schooling, Keeyo will be the university’s first caregiving app. The university currently outsources some of its referrals in caregiving through its employee assistance program, and contracts with a provider for emergency back-up care.

In addition to paying for 75 percent of the first 50 hours of emergency child and adult care, NYU also offers other grants and tuition assistance programs.

According to a preliminary overview provided by NYU IT, student care providers will be able to create profiles highlighting the services they offer, including their availability, fluency in languages and academic interests.

Parents will then be able to match with students they’re interested in, and a chatbot will assist with confirming services and other communication.

A key component of the app is its ability to provide services on demand, in case of emergencies and other unforeseen events. Additionally, while students won’t be reviewed for their services, they will be able to provide testimonials on their profile. Payment for services is expected to be conducted offline, though there will be suggestions in regards to appropriate wages.

A 2017 Ad Hoc Work Life Balance committee survey found that many respondents were looking for more child care solutions, according to Work Life Office Executive Director Grace Cosachov Protos.

A similar sentiment emerged in the Being@NYU survey, a university-wide campus climate assessment conducted in 2017. Forty-seven percent of administrators “strongly agreed” or “agreed” that NYU provides adequate support when it comes to work-life balance. The numbers were lower for

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CRIME LOG

Student Stalked in Rubin Hall

By CRIME BOT Robot Reporter From March 1 to 6, the NYU Department of Public Safety received four reports of controlled substance violation, one report of criminal mischief, one report of criminal trespass, one report of drug law violation/liquor law violation, three reports of harassment, five reports of larceny and one report of stalking.

Controlled Substance Violation

COURTESY OF NYU

Opening day of the Work Life office at NYU. One of the office’s major initiatives is Keeyo, an app that will connect student caregivers to faculty, staff, and other students in need of child care.

tenured and tenure-track faculty respondents — 35 percent “strongly agreed” or “agreed.”

“The need is really there,” Cosachov Protos said. “This is not going to solve all problems, this is just one piece of the puzzle and hopefully it will provide some relief to parents that are really trying to figure out this kind of caregiving [problem].”

Another motivation for launching this platform is to support President Andrew Hamilton’s affordability initiatives by providing a source of income to students. In doing so, the app can provide practical, hands-on experience for students studying childhood education and development.

Gallatin sophomore Eliana Abrams currently has three babysitting jobs around the city, but would appreciate the on-demand aspect of Keeyo.

“I would definitely want to use a system that could allow me to easily get babysitting jobs, spur-of-the-moment,

as with like an Uber or Wag!,” Abrams said, referring to the popular ride-sharing and dog-walking apps.

When asked what would draw students to use Keeyo over other babysitting platforms, Cosachov Protos said that she expects people to feel more comfortable using a service that is only available to the NYU community.

Tisch first-year Holly Nance, who regularly babysits on the weekends, agrees with this theory. She added that while she found her current babysitting gig online, she was uncomfortable with the idea of entering a complete stranger’s home.

“As a potential babysitter, I would feel safer and more secure knowing that I was going to the home of someone that is connected to the NYU community,” Nance said.

On March 2 at 9:55 p.m., a resident assistant reported witnessing underage alcohol possession in Broome Street Residence Hall. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On March 2 at 11:21 p.m., an RA reported witnessing underage alcohol possession in Lafayette Street Residence Hall. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On March 5 at 10:30 p.m., an RA reported witnessing underage alcohol possession in Weinstein Residence Hall. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On March 6 at 10:32 p.m., an RA reported witnessing underage alcohol possession in Carlyle Court Residence Hall. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

Criminal Mischief On March 5 at 11:28 a.m., a contractor reported damage to equipment in 6 Metrotech Center. A police report was filed and the case has been referred to NYPD.

Criminal Trespass On March 6 at 10:50 p.m., an RA reported witnessing a criminal trespass.

The person was escorted out without further incident from Broome Street Hall. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

Drug Law Violation/Liquor Law Violation On March 5 at 8:13 a.m., Public

Safety and an RA witnessed underage alcohol possession and reported an alleged drug law violation where a small amount of marijuana was recovered in Gramercy Green Residence Hall. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

Harassment On March 1 at 8:31 a.m., an NYU employee reported being a victim of electronic harassment in Schwartz Hall. A police report was filed and the case has been referred to NYPD. On March 3 at 9 p.m., an NYU student reported witnessing harassment in his dormitory in Carlyle Court.

Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On March 6 at 2:20 p.m., an employee reported being a victim of verbal harassment in 105 E. 17th St. Police notification was declined and the case is open and under investigation.

Larceny On March 1 at 12:54 a.m., a student reported a missing phone in University Residence Hall. Police notification was declined and the case is open and under investigation.

On March 2 at 5:16 p.m., a student reported a missing backpack in Gramercy Green. A police report was filed and the case has been referred to NYPD. On March 2 at 6:30 p.m., a student reported a missing wallet in Palladium Residence Hall. Police notification was declined and the case is open and under investigation.

On March 2 at 12:02 a.m., a student reported a missing bag in Lipton Residence Hall. Police notification was declined and the case is open and under investigation.

On March 5 at 11:15 a.m., an NYU employee reported missing equipment in Rogers Hall. A police report was filed and the case has been referred to NYPD.

Stalking On March 6 at 4:29 p.m., a student reported being stalked in Rubin Residence Hall. The case is open and under investigation.

Email Crime Bot at news@nyunews.com.

Email Akiva Thalheim at athalheim@nyunews.com.

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Gallatin Designers Bring Dreams to Life on the Runway

By CAROL LEE Beauty & Style Editor Audience members dove into the subconscious of the Gallatin School of Individualized Study’s designers during this year’s Gallatin Fashion Show: Dreams and Dreamscapes. The show featured everything from satin evening gowns to red plaid skater dresses. After brief opening remarks by Gallatin alumna Colby Jordan and a discussion by archaeologist and Assistant Professor Karen Holmberg, the presentation of the dreamy collections commenced.

Overcast The show kicked off with a collection designed by first-year duo Lauren and Stephanie Kirshenbaum. Motivated by a desire to bring seemingly unachievable and distant dreams down to earth, the Kirshenbaums utilized a soft color scheme of whites, baby pinks, barely-there blues, pastel purples and soft greens. One standout look juxtaposed a geometric off-white top with a pure white cloud-like skirt, capturing the spirit of bringing dreams together with reality.

Dreamt of Flying Bear Rachel Wang, a Gallatin alumna, was inspired by the ancient Chinese proverb, “Dreamt of Flying Bear.” According to the show program, “dreaming of the bear is a sign that one is about to meet the most crucial character in one’s history.” Wang fused comfortable sleepwear with elegant evening wear to create clothing made for both beauty sleep and changing the world. However, the

appearance of red flannel as an accessory and later as a skater dress was jarring in an otherwise overwhelmingly neutral collection.

An Ode to Arizona Alumna Madeline Dolgin celebrated the beauty of her dreamscape and home state of Arizona in a collection filled with whimsical cacti and colorful embroidery. Many of the pieces included designs evocative of the sky, from bright midday to eye-catching sunset to a bewitching night sky.

The White T-Shirt Project Students of Professor Louise Harpman’s “Good Design” course simultaneously explored the “range of cultural meaning ascribed to the color white” and transformed plain white T-shirts into tops that demonstrated assigned design principles. For example, senior Audrey Burt successfully illustrated imbalance by removing all but the collar and sleeve from half of the shirt and reattaching it on the bottom of the other side. Leaving the collar and sleeve allowed the top to maintain its original silhouette despite the fabric displacement. The diverse nature of the resulting pieces suggested that plain white T-shirts may not be so plain after all.

Amouricana When sophomore Sanjula Singh heard the theme for this year’s show, she instantly knew that she wished to explore the American Dream. The classic red, white and blue took on another layer of meaning in her collection as the fabrics were brought together “from different lands and pieced together

to represent the diversity of the United States,” according to the program. The most eye-catching piece was a white cape onto which the names of Native American tribes were written using fabric and paint, a puzzling addition that needed further context.

Oneironaut Oneironaut, or a traveler of dreams, was the word of inspiration for alumna Shayna Feuer’s collection. Feuer’s was the most performative of the displays; the first model walked down the runway wrapped in a sheer floral nightgown and sleeping mask before proceeding to lie down and fall into a deep sleep at the end of the runway for the remainder of the show. The other models strutted down the runway and around her in an eclectic display that included gold, crushed velvet pants, a black hoodie and a satin nightgown. While conceptually and aesthetically interesting, there was a vexing lack of a cohesive color palette.

“And the Rest” - Original Song Instead of a clothing collection, NYU alumna Mackenzie Leighton provided the audience with a break from fashion in the form of an original song and video clips of her dreamscape, Paris. According to her video introduction, she had written the song about her new neighbors in Paris after her post-graduation move to the French capital.

Mother Inspired by her dance with God, during which she was able to eradicate her victim mentality after years of childhood abuse and

JORENE HE | WSN

During the “Oneirornaut” showcase by Shayna Feuer, a model mimes sleeping.

trauma, junior Selly Djap designed three exquisite dresses constructed with sheer, flowing fabrics. The three models danced en pointe slowly as though they were in a dream-like state in an ethereal unveiling of the collection.

Dream Days Junior Sophia Merlino focused on the present for her collection. According to the program, Merlino designed her pieces to “[represent] our ability to make our fantasies into a reality, through being present in this dream day.” However, the multifarious collection failed to clearly demonstrate her concept.

The Tangible Ethereal: Transformative Events Sophomore Joy Kim’s collection sought to evoke audience members’ memories of dreams. Kim incorporated flowy fabrics and rich blues, pinks and yellows in her pieces.

The most compelling piece was a deep blue dress with a high slit on the right side that sparkled and flowed effortlessly as the model floated down the runway.

A model dances en pointe down the runway for the “Mother” collection by Selly Djap.

JORENE HE | WSN

Witching Hour The models for alumnus Victor Leonard’s collection strutted to an eerie rendition of “Silent Night” as they wore pieces inspired by Leonard’s experiences of sleep paralysis. The white looks that bookended his segment of the show were elegant and alluring, but the red and black pieces in be-

tween truly embodied the haunting nature of nighttime immobility.

Post-Earth For her collection, Anna Kathleen Croom designed clothing that befitted the futuristic world she imagined in which humans live in harmony with the world around them. Trendy utilitarian elements and denim ran rampant throughout the overwhelmingly beige lineup.

Liminal Space - Colors on the Horizon With the horizon as her dreamscape and muse, senior Elizabeth Bellotti captured the sky as the sun moves throughout the day.

Bellotti fused fine art and fashion through her use of silk painting and dip-dying to create exquisite fabrics that seemed to have been cut from the sky itself.

Head in the Clouds The last collection was designed by firstyear Madeline DeJong. The white, gold, blue and silver satin pieces were simultaneously bold and unassuming, depending not on flashy prints or gaudy design but on their delicate color palettes and impeccable tailoring. The final look was an elegant one-shoulder gown with a patchwork of the collection’s colors that achieved her goal to encapsulate the imagined experience of floating on a cloud.

Email Carol Lee at clee@nyunews.com.

NYU Shruti: South Asian Students Find Community

By RIA MITTAL Staff Writer Anyone who has attended Club Fest knows the pandemonium of trying to navigate the plethora of clubs and organizations while surrounded by masses of befuddled people, sweating in a small, claustrophobic room.

For South Asian students, NYU has a multitude of cultural clubs to serve as a home away from home. Finding the one that will make you feel most comfortable and exploring organizations to learn about different cultures can be challenging. NYU Shruti, well-

known among the university’s South Asian community for its bar nights and dance teams, might be a good place to start.

NYU Shruti — the school’s largest South Asian student association — focuses on organizing events around South Asia’s vibrant culture here at NYU. It has over 600 members, hosts around four major events annually and is recognized nationwide among most South Asian college organizations and charities.

The club’s main goal is to promote awareness, activism and unity in the South Asian community at NYU and

to give students a space to express their cultural identity.

“Shruti holds several cultural events to help its members get in contact with their culture,” CAS junior and Shruti Vice President Noyonika Ghatak said. “Shruti has several opportunities for each member to engage in their favorite parts of their culture.”

While its events always attract crowds, the organization’s greatest success is the strong community that it builds among South Asian students.

“It’s like being in a family and finding a home away from home,” Stern sophomore Madhav Gupta said.

Shruti keeps students connected to their South Asian roots while also maintaining an inclusive environment for students of all ethnic backgrounds.

The club hosts hugely popular events throughout the academic year, including MONSOON — an annual showcase of NYU’s South Asian dance teams and acapella groups — and Banquet — a large celebration featuring classic Indian snacks and Bollywood jams.

They hosted this year’s MONSOON last Thursday, where all of NYU’s South Asian performance teams took the stage. Attendees were

treated to lively dance performances, classic jokes and all Bollywood hits.

Shruti gives South Asian students the opportunity to express themselves, form friendships and make lasting memories that shape their NYU experiences.

“If you are looking to meet new people and participate in fun activities, you should join Shruti,” Stern sophomore Anant Kasliwal said. “Here, you are at liberty to express who you are.”

Email Ria Mittal at culture@nyunews.com.

Washington Square News | Culture

MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2019

Childhood Meets Adulthood With Häagen-Dazs’ New Boozy Ice Cream

By HANNA MCNEILA Staff Writer

Growing up, St. Patrick’s Day meant shamrocks and pots of gold at the end of every rainbow. We would don green or face the pinching fingers of schoolmates. Now older and hopefully wiser, we understand that it is a day to honor the death of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. In addition to this knowledge, we can level up from leprechauns and take part in the adult version of this holiday in New York City, where there are festivities, special events, music and — of course — gallons and gallons of Guinness. Here are some fun things you can do this St. Patty’s Day, which falls on Sunday.

55 E. Eighth Street CALL (212) 777-2477 HOURS Mon.-Sun., 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.

VISIT haagendazs.us

11th St. Bar $$ 510 E. 11th St.

HANNA MCNEILA | WSN

Bourbon Vanilla Bean Truffle from the Häagen-Dazs on E Eighth Street.

similar to vanilla but is much sweeter.

It’s also loaded with chocolatey brownie bites and infused with fudge.

The Bourbon Vanilla Bean Truffle had a much stronger flavor, with the taste of the alcohol more prominent than in the Irish Cream. It has swirls of bourbon flavoring, a delicious fusion with the sweetness of the vanilla ice cream. The unlikely match made for a

surprisingly compatible combo.

At only 0.5 percent alcohol per volume, the new flavors definitely won’t get you drunk, but all of them are worth a try. Next time you have a hankering for dessert after a long week of class, consider taking a short stroll to Eighth Street.

Email Hanna McNeila at dining@nyunews.com.

Coffee and Ambience at Caffe Reggio

ALANA BEYER | WSN

A woman stands outside the entryway of MacDougal Street’s Cafe Reggio.

By CALAIS WATKINS Staff Writer Cafe Reggio 119 MacDougal St. CALL (212) 475-9557 HOURS Sun.-Thurs., 9 a.m. - 3 a.m.

Fri.-Sat., 9 a.m. - 4 a.m.

VISIT cafereggio.com

An 8 a.m. class is mission impossible without a cup of coffee in hand. My first semester at NYU, my immediate mission was to scout out all of the nearby coffee shops:

Pubs and Pots of Gold: St. Patrick’s Day Fun

By CALAIS WATKINS Staff Writer

Häagen-Dazs

After taking a bite of cold, sweet vanilla ice cream, imagine a hint of bourbon lingering on your tongue. This is the taste Häagen-Dazs was going for the with the release of its newest alcohol-flavored ice cream line — and don’t worry, you don’t need to be 21 to enjoy these treats.

Häagen-Dazs has introduced six new flavors, all with a twist: Irish Cream Brownie, Bourbon Vanilla Bean Truffle, Rum Tres Leches, Stout Chocolate Pretzel Crunch and Bourbon Praline Pecan, along with a dairy free option, Amaretto Black Cherry Almond Toffee.

Alcohol-infused ice cream is nothing new — the line was first introduced in Canada over a year ago and was made available in the U.S. earlier this month.

Smaller stores like the Tipsy Scoop on 26th Street and Morgenstern’s on Rivington Street have been selling alcohol-infused ice cream for a while.

Located on Eighth Street between University Place and Broadway, students have that only-in-New York convenience of walking a few feet over to the Häagen-Dazs store to try out the new flavors.

Of the six, two are available at the Eighth Street store — Irish Cream Brownie and Bourbon Vanilla Bean Truffle.

If you’re in the mood for a super sweet and rich scoop of ice cream, try the Irish Cream Brownie. It has a milky taste

5

the perfect study spot, my on-the-run goto and places to chat with friends. Finding that special place is often a feat. Thankfully, there’s Caffe Reggio.

Located on MacDougal Street, Caffe Reggio is the perfect place to relax when your dorm room or Bobst becomes too stuffy. Whether you need a place to finish some homework, grab a bite to eat or show off a bit of New York City history to visitors, Caffe Reggio fits the bill.

First established in 1927 and said to be the first place to serve cappuccinos in the United States, Caffe Reggio still holds some of the magic from Greenwich Village’s past. It’s also one of a kind.

Italian Renaissance paintings line the walls. The art paired with the dim interior lighting makes one feel as though they traveled back in time to a period when small, intimate restaurants were everywhere.

And when I say intimate, I mean intimate. The tables and chairs are packed in close together throughout the tiny room.

If you’re someone who needs a lot of legroom, this might not be ideal. The waiters need to shimmy and slide their way through the maze when delivering food, but they always make it work.

Caffe Reggio’s menu aligns with the old-school Italian theme of the restaurant.

There are yogurt concoctions for breakfast, paninis for lunch, pasta for dinner and decadent cakes and cannolis for dessert among many other options.

However, I have to admit, food isn’t where Caffe Reggio shines. Whether it’s to grab a bite with friends or munch on something during a study break, the atmosphere will always be Caffe Reggio’s main attraction.

Though the food may not get five stars, the drink options are a highlight.

Caffe Reggio’s coffee is amazing. Served in a variety of old mugs and cups, nothing caffeinated will ever disappoint. Beyond coffee, Caffe Reggio offers a small selection of wine and beer. Open until 3 a.m. on weekdays and 4:30 a.m. on weekends, it is the perfect place to sit down, talk and grab a late-night drink with friends.

A quick walk to the East Village and you might stumble into 11th St. Bar, where St. Patrick’s Day events are scheduled from morning till the next dawn. The bar will have everything from sports to Irish tunes. Doors open at 9 a.m., kicking off the holiday with the Liverpool vs. Burnley soccer game.

Following the game, the bar is hosting an Irish rock tribute band, featuring famous hits for three hours. Not familiar with Irish rock? Don’t worry, you can jam out to all of the U2 songs. However, the music doesn’t stop there. Starting at 10 p.m., there will be a “Traditional Irish Seisiún,” which is a musical jam session full of traditional Irish music.

Shades of Green Pub $$ 125 E. 15th St. Looking for a low-key celebration?

You can chill, drink and eat with your friends at Shades of Green Pub, known for its Irish drinks and cuisine. The food menu has a “Traditional Irish Pub Fare” section, with identifiable classics such as bangers and mash. The pub also

serves Guinness, a dry stout beer native to Ireland and people’s go-to brew for St. Patty’s Day. Luckily, 15th Street isn’t too far away from campus, so an Uber home shouldn’t be too expensive.

Or if you think you can manage and aren’t too langered, stumbling won’t be too taxing.

9th Annual Irish Arts Center Book Day Free Locations Vary While there are many places to wild out on St. Patrick’s Day, you can also feed your inner intellectual at the Irish Arts Center. On March 15, the Irish Arts Center is setting up 11 pop-up stands of books at locations around the five boroughs. Starting at 8 a.m., you can visit any of these stands and pick up a book written by an Irish or Irish American author for free. Closest to NYU’s campus will be the pop-up stand at the Canal Street subway stop.

Going Green Art Run $25 for a First-Time Art Runner 121 Ludlow St. For those that find fitness more fun than racking, there is a St. Patrick’s weekend 5K run on March 16. The path takes runners by some of the most famous murals around Manhattan.

“Plogging,” the organization’s word for picking up trash while jogging, is highly encouraged. Also, for every runner who signs up, Tree-Nation plants a tree. Get in the green spirit while donning the traditional color of St. Patrick’s Day. Whether your jam is working out, listening to music, reading a good book or knocking back a pint, there is something in the city for everyone this upcoming St. Patty’s Day. Email Calais Watkins at culture@nyunews.com.

JULIA MCNEILL | WSN

Email Calais Watkins at dining@nyunews.com.

Shamrocks and other St. Patrick’s day decorations line the walls of McSorley’s Old Ale House in the East Village.

Washington Square News

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MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2019

ARTS

ARTS@NYUNEWS.COM

Edited by GURU RAMANATHAN

‘Climax’ Pushes the Limits of Human Nature

By NICOLE ROSENTHAL Music Editor The best nights are the ones that come unexpectedly — last-minute debauchery that catapults you into the adventure-filled and wondrous unknown. In “Climax,” French director and master of contemporary psychedelic cinema Gaspar Noé hosts a journey into the human psyche that you may never want to leave.

Set in the mid-90s, the story opens with a French dance troupe preparing for an upcoming competition in a school basement. Tensions run high as the audience is brought up to speed over 10 minutes of banter between pairs of dancers, each disclosing who they despise, envy and desire. As the team hosts a dance party after rehearsal, complete with a punch bowl of LSD-infused sangria, the night begins to go awry.

Once the first sip of sangria touches the lips of one of the protagonists, the film takes a dive headfirst into the hallucinatory realm: the beat drops, the brightness of the lights intensify and the opening credits begin to roll, a full 46 minutes in. And so it begins.

From there, it’s chaos — yet it is the most controlled, calculated chaos in Noé’s repertoire. Rather than CGI depictions of a sperm’s view during coitus or brutal rape scenes, Noé’s take on sex is tame here in comparison to his previous works. His take on the intersection of sex and the human condition is deeper and more mature this time around.

Relying on drug use to bring out characteristics of the human condition is hardly a new concept for the Argentinian director, but he hits a new note in “Climax,” as the longer time goes on — and the stronger the drug gets — the more humanity is brought out of our seemingly average protagonists.

“I have been to many parties that

have turned wrong, but hopefully no one was dead at the end [of it],” Noé said in a phone interview with WSN. “Because of a party that has gone bad, I have never been to a police station or hospital, but if you go out at night, you very often see fights because alcohol and drugs turn a lot of great, loving people to crazy and evil.”

Roughly a dozen average protagonists are put before us at the onset of the film, all normal twentysomethings with hopes and dreams. Once the drug hits, however, we watch each character fall miserably into their own personal hellscapes, lost inside their own heads, behaving almost like ravenous animals at the very end. It is this ending that evokes the movie’s title — as most of the characters are bathed in red light, naked and furiously copulating, we are reminded of just how primal and nonsensical humans can be.

Here, Noé begs the question: is one night all it takes for someone to regress that way?

The vivacity and chaotic nature of our characters’ madness is not only represented in the script, but in the captivating performances from the trained cast of performers. In fact, save Selva — played by Sofia Boutella of “Atomic Blonde” and “The Mummy” — all the actors in the film were street dancers with little to no prior acting experience.

What’s more, the actors were encouraged to ad-lib. They were accompanied only by a loose script in an attempt to keep the film sentimental.

Casting minimally trained actors was a conscious choice, according to Noé.

“It would’ve been impossible to make a movie about dancers with actors,” he said. “Dance is a natural skill that you enhance by practice. I casted based on charisma and dancing skill.

What I like about these dancers is that they are exceptional in the originality of their language.”

And that they are: the opening dance

number features layered performances from contemporary dancers as they contort their bodies first individually, then as a group to form one massive figure. Boutella’s solo during the trip proves to be another highlight, as she screams, flings herself against the wall and death drops in a ferocious fight with her own mind.

Along with the characters, the audience is also thrust into a pit of madness as painfully long takes featuring the camera creeping behind actors as they traverse dimly lit hallways into the void. We can hear the violent screams down the empty halls with the characters, almost as if we are inside a haunted house.

And sure, there are other reasons why some critics have panned the release: its esoteric musings on death and Freudian subtext are hardly new. There are long periods of no dialogue at all and even longer periods of the ensemble cast ruminating the consequences of abortion and the “occupational hazards” of analingus. However, Noé aims to portray reality, which can sometimes be filled with arbitrary banter and periods of silence.

To counterbalance the moments of the intermittent comedown, the audience is visually bombarded with vibrant colors, flashing beams of light and body contortions aplenty. Mentally, we are stuck with end credits at the beginning, beginning credits in the middle and a proto-plot twist matched with a hint of the supernatural.

Much like a good party, “Climax” is a visually stunning experience that will keep you on your toes. It delivers witty dialogue, fast-paced action and an unparalleled intensity that keeps us fixated until the sun comes up. And like only the best parties, we’ll tell our friends about it for years to come.

Email Nicole Rosenthal at nrosenthal@nyunews.com.

VIA A24

The poster for Gasper Noe’s “Climax.”

Children Navigate Dark Themes in ‘Five Easy Pieces’

By RENÉ BENNETT Contributing Writer At the junction of childhood, trauma, post-colonialism, political murder and theater is Milo Rau’s “Five Easy Pieces.”

The title is projected onto a cloud-filled screen at the play’s opening as child actress Eva Luna Van Hijfte sings John Lennon’s

“Imagine”; it’s an ironic gesture towards a children’s piano lesson book. With each easy piece, the pianist learns essential skills for mastery of the instrument. In the play, divided into five pieces, the players are guided through various lessons for mastery of worldly understanding.

But “Five Easy Pieces,” which premiered in May 2016 in Brussels and ran last week-

VIA SKIRBALL

Children mourning a young girl’s murder in “Five Easy Pieces.” In the show, which ran this past weekend at Skirball, children confront real-world trauma.

end at Skirball, is no moonlight sonata.

The audience is forced to bear witness to an account of the Belgian serial child-killer Marc Dutroux enacted by children between 11 and 15 years old — though they were younger when the play debuted.

The performances of the children as the victims and their loved ones are impressively effective and do not shy away from the difficult subject matter, even as their faces are filmed up close and projected onto the set’s large screen. In one piece, Fons Dumont plays a victim’s father dealing with the news of his daughter’s rape and murder; his performance manages, astoundingly, to convey his concurrent self-blame and political angst. In another, Blanche Ghyssaert takes on the role of one of the victims, describing being raped and incarcerated by the killer. “He doesn’t care whether it hurts or if I cry,” she says.

Due in part to the young actors’ precocious, devoted performances, the entire audience becomes palpably awash with discomfort — and this was certainly Swiss director Rau’s intention. In 2007, he founded his production company, The International Institute of Political Murder, to put weighty conflicts from around the globe onto the stage. Ranging from trials fighting for artistic freedom to colonial

genocides in Africa, all its productions deal in some way with political brutalities. His works are not produced solely for shock value — they imitate the realities faced by people daily — and the discomfort of seeing children act out the Marc Dutroux affair is a reflection of the tremors felt across Belgium following the actual crimes.

“Five Easy Pieces” incorporates individual scenes from the crimes to dissect how national attitude shaped Belgian identity, and to examine human development and empathy. Interspersed with reenactments from the Dutroux affair are segments of casual dialogue between the child actors and a theater director, the only adult in the show, played by Hendrik Van Doorn.

These conversations bring out the children’s personalities while also discussing the nature of theater, commenting on the way in which people develop an understanding of devastation.

“What are you scared of?” Van Doorn asks one of the girls, Lucia Redondo. Redondo replies, “I’m afraid of dying. I don’t know why. And if I imagine what it would be like if my parents were dead — no, I can’t imagine it.”

How we process tragedy, and how we confront the fragility of what we love, defines our growth and identity. This is

central to how “Five Easy Pieces” unfolds.

It is the ultimate lesson learned by the children, and by the audience watching as the children lose their starry-eyed vision of the world to a much gloomier reality. During rehearsals, two advisers and a child psychologist were present, as well as the children’s parents, to ensure the well-being of the young actors.

The play’s greatest setback is its convoluted focus. Is it a play about the nature of theater? Is it about Belgian national identity? Is it about the aftermath of a harrowing tragedy? Is it psychoanalysis of childhood and development? It proposes to be about all of these at once, and in doing so, a coherent focus is lost among a somewhat cluttered sequence of well-executed skits.

This is not to negate the significance of the themes covered. “Five Easy Pieces” is nonetheless a compelling, confrontational exploration of trauma — both direct and indirect — with child actors who turn all preconceptions of children on their head. ‘‘Five Easy Pieces” ran at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts from March 7 to 9.

Email René Bennett at theater@nyunews.com.

Washington Square News | Arts

MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2019

NYU Professor’s ‘NYLON’ Makes a Complex Plot Work

By DANTE SACCO Deputy Arts Editor Nylon is a polymer plastic. It’s a long and durable molecule notable for its ability to hold things together, used in products like ropes, stockings and parachutes. In the new play “NYLON,” currently running at Theaterlab on 36th Street in Midtown, the quandary emerges: what are the ties that bind us, and are they strong enough to weather life’s challenges?

The first act is solely concerned with Anna (Sheila Vand), the play’s practical but capricious orbital center, and her ex-boyfriend Matthew (Cesar J. Rosado) as they meet for the first time in four years. As they talk, first in a coffee shop and then her hotel room, details of their past together and their present apart emerge. Anna lives in London now but Matthew’s still in New York, where Anna’s visiting for a work conference. She’s married and works at a magazine; formerly a musician, he’s given up performing to start a landscaping business.

As Matthew and Anna warm to each other, the audience warms to the play. Their intimacy is rekindled in a matchbox-sized theater, with an audience close enough to the stage that tripping performers is a real concern.

But past missteps, lingering unhappiness, regrets and remorse quickly come to the surface. In this intimate setting, feelings run particularly raw.

“NYLON” makes frequent use of something like the opposite of dramat-

ic irony. At all times, each character is operating with motives and interests we are unaware of until, gradually, the traumas, decisions and mistakes of the past are revealed and reassessed.

The play is written by NYU Dramatic Writing professor Sofia Alvarez and it’s the first work produced by her new venture, the Blockchain Theater Project. It requires the audience to digest two narratives simultaneously: the events playing out in front of us, and the characters’ intertwined lifetimes of baggage.

At one point, Colin, Anna’s straitlaced husband (Brian Miskell) asks her, “How many boulders are gonna fall on my head today?” Other times, the story’s unrelenting turbulence does feel overwhelming, with the frequency and abruptness of plot revelations tiptoeing the line between fluid and clunky. In the midst of this, it can be difficult to grasp where the story is heading or to trust that the direction won’t pivot within minutes. Yet, by the play’s conclusion, the oscillating characters and story weave themselves into a charged and emotionally complex work.

Miskell’s is one of the show’s strongest performances. The friction of his dweebish pragmatism rubbing against Rosado’s extroverted cool makes for a few of the play’s most enjoyable scenes.

The dialogue is personal and informal, the jokes too in self-awareness to originate among anyone but millennials.

Directed by Knud Adams, the actors maneuver in a sparsely furnished

white space that forces the audience’s attention to the actors. This production has no superfluities: the few props present, mainly beverages that parallel the fluctuating tone and seriousness of the scenes, loudly proclaim themselves in the empty set. Accompanying the action is original music by Anand Wilder of the band Yeasayer.

The production makes thrifty use of sound, largely limiting it to transitions between scenes. The score is varied and versatile but still feels cohesive.

At times, punchy guitars evoke a hip Brooklyn coffee shop, while at others, stripped down holiday numbers point to a desolate Christmas.

Much of the success of “NYLON” hinges on Rosado and Vand selling their romance and the potency with which they can tell their own stories.

Both give admirable performances, visibly aching for a chance to replay their unfortunate shared past.

In this play, the aphorism that you can’t know someone until you’ve seen them at their worst proves itself many times over. Anna in particular is challenged and her facade of practicality is quickly peeled away. But despite all this pain, the beauty of “NYLON” appears in the decisions made in the shadow of looming trauma. ‘‘NYLON” runs at Theaterlab, 357 W. 36th St., third floor, from March 6 to 24.

Tickets are $22.

Email Dante Sacco at dsacco@nyunews.com.

7

Fortnite’s Music Releases Can’t Replace Traditional Methods

VIA FACEBOOK

The cover of Weezer’s self-titled album, known as the “Black Album.”

By ETHAN ZACK Staff Writer

VIA TWITTER

Cesar J. Rosado and Sheila Vand in “NYLON.” The new play by Sofia Alvarez, running at Theaterlab through March 26, follows a former couple as the traumas of their shared past come back to haunt them.

Before Weezer’s latest self-titled album — referred to as the “Black Album” — released in stores on March 1, there was only one platform to preview several of its songs. It wasn’t Apple Music or Spotify. It wasn’t YouTube, either.

It was, strange as it may seem, “Fortnite.”

For a limited time, players of the battle royale video game could enter an amusement park-esque area entitled “Weezer World” and listen to a portion of the band’s latest work.

“Weezer World” is not the only musical event that has been held within the first-person shooter game nor is it the most notable one. EDM DJ Marshmello made waves in early February with a semi-live digital concert hosted within the game. The artist played some of his greatest hits as his voice was broadcast to players around the world. Marshmello’s online concert was well-received by the community, and many claimed it to be a prime example of what could be the future of the concert industry: live performances you can attend virtually, regardless of your physical location.

No movement required, just a stable internet connection.

The idea that these artists used this platform in a unique way to engage with what could potentially be an unmined listener demographic is respectable. These events are a win-win situation. Players get to listen to music from extremely popular artists, with some added bells and whistles for no cost at all, while the artists get to expand their brand. The speculation that this sort of event is the future of live music consumption, however, feels like people are jumping the gun when it comes to comparing a digital concert with a real-life one or a dedicated music platform with a video game.

Marshmello’s performance was impressive in that it wasn’t pre-recorded and he actively hyped up the crowds of players at the digital venue, telling them to use their in-game emotes to dance along. Unless you were jumping up and down in front of your computer monitor in a fit of joy upon seeing Marshmello’s glorious, X-eyed visage, you weren’t actually moving like you would at a real venue. Beyond that, much of the appeal of concerts in the modern day is primarily derived from the experience of sharing a real-life space with an artist you truly enjoy, seeing the human beings behind the magic. Sharing a digital space just isn’t the same. You may be hearing his voice, but Marshmello isn’t actually there.

Weezer’s event isn’t very exciting upon closer inspection either. There’s no getting around that this is a pretty over-complicated way to hear a few of the band’s new tunes. Imagine you’re a fan of Weezer but don’t have a “Fortnite” account. You have to go through the entire process of buying the game, setting up an account and learning the basic controls of the game just to get the chance to listen to some songs a few days early. Popping a new song or preview up on a large streaming app is far more practical and likely garners a greater audience as well.

When you peel back the novelty of these events, you realize that they’re really nothing more than glorified ways to watch a televised concert or preview some unreleased music. The concert is as impersonal as watching the Super Bowl halftime show from your TV, a live event without any real intimacy.

It can be a novelty experience, offering an interesting way for artists to get their name out there, but for the time being, it cannot even begin to replace the traditional methods of music consumption.

Email Ethan Zack at music@nyunews.com.

Washington Square News

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MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2019

OPINION

OPINION@NYUNEWS.COM

Edited by HANNA KHOSRAVI and MELANIE PINEDA

THE ART SCHOOL REPORT

NYU Has Co-Opted the Anarchist Artist

By JOHANNA STONE Columnist This spring, a grandiose performance and exhibition space called The Shed will open its doors in Hudson Yards, a mass rezoning development — and an area of rapid gentrification — near Chelsea.

Put simply, The Shed is the area’s most creatively masked tax write-off yet. At its opening week, writer, director, musician and self-proclaimed Marxist Boots Riley will be one of the first speakers to grace the stage of the “new ritual space.”

Though I’m sure Riley’s appearance

at this event could easily be chalked up to his current public demand and an overeager publicist, his presence in this space undermines much of what made his anti-establishment summer blockbuster “Sorry to Bother You” so spot-on. Riley will be speaking about civil disobedience in a performance space whose true agenda seems to be much more about allocating wealth than using art as a mechanism for political change. And it is somewhat alarming to consider that NYU’s Drama program contains a similar inconsistency.

The Experimental Theatre Wing, one of the eight primary training studios at Tisch School of the Arts, offers a comprehensive education in a conglomeration of styles largely shaped by the downtown theater scene that grew out of New York City in the latter half of the 20th century. A prime example of this avante-garde theater scene was the Judson Dance Theater, founded in 1962 by artists such as Deborah Hay and Steve Paxton in the basement gym of

Judson Memorial Church. The church is a center for liberal views and political activism located on Washington Square South across the street from what is now NYU’s Global Center for Academic and Spiritual Life. The artists who worked at Judson are the contemporaries and mentors of many teachers at the ETW. Much of the curriculum at an acting studio that costs upwards of $70,000 to attend was created in a socially conscious church basement at no cost.

In 1964, two years after Judson Dance Theater started, NYU embarked on its own rezoning agenda by buying up much of the property on Washington Square.

This privatization and increase in property value is part of what has caused the area to no longer be a viable option for the working-class artists it once attracted. This situation bears a little too much similarity to what is currently going on in Hudson Yards, and however appealing the $500 million project may seem to the socially artistic populous of Manhattan,

The Shed is not necessarily the “haven for creative expression” it advertises.

A few weeks ago, I had a class where a working experimental artist told us the ultimate goal of the postmodern artist is to be an “original anarchist” — one who assesses the current structures of the world and utilizes art as a tool to provide alternative, controversial hypotheses to these structures. A majority of the teachers at the ETW are the real deal: they built their careers in black-box downtown theaters, and NYU now offers a sustainable paycheck in what is too often a barely sustainable art form. But this anarchist narrative does not hold up well within the institution where it is being taught.

As a student of the ETW, I have become an active participant in this hypocrisy, learning more every day about an art form that does not align morally with the space in which I am learning it. Thirty blocks uptown, The Shed prepares to open its doors to a space that

will hire the type of artists who graduate from this very program. It’s not easy to refuse a well-paying gig in a broke art form. Experimental theater is finally being accepted by the institutions it was created to oppose, and they’re offering artists a paycheck. The ETW has taken it and Boots Riley has taken it, whether he knows it or not. Perhaps we are all bystanders to the downfall of the anarchist narratives we so enjoy. We just don’t want to talk about it.

“The Art School Report” is a column about the trials and tribulations of art school and the New York City art scene at large. Johanna aims to document the experiences and opinions of Tisch students and the terrifying thought of graduating into the world with an arts degree.

Johanna Stone is a sophomore in Tisch majoring in Drama. Email Johanna Stone at opinion@nyunews.com.

Meet the Spring 2019 Columnists Kylie Smith “BODIES” will be a series about body image. Recently, Kylie has been battling body insecurity — something that many wrestle with. Over the next few months, Kylie hopes to befriend her own body again, and to change the way we talk to and about ourselves because at some point in time, we have all been at war with our own bodies.

Kylie Smith is a sophomore in CAS majoring in Journalism and Art History.

Cole Stallone “Cole’s Climate Dispatch” will focus on the fact that climate change is the most important issue of our time. Scientists have given us a little more than a decade to prevent the worst of the crisis from coming true. Given the sense of urgency, dedicated commentary is needed to continue the conversation about this challenge. “Cole’s Climate Dispatch” will focus on the institutional response to climate change as well as major events that affect the political atmosphere and the ways in which students can have an impact.

Diya Jain “Op-Ed Your Eyes” is a commentary on current affairs, and Diya’s goal is to make her readers more aware about what’s happening in the world. She’s from India, so the busy New York streets weren’t that much of a change. When she’s not watching political satire like “The Patriot Act,” she prioritizes bringing her perspective as an international student with a passion for current events to her writing.

Diya Jain is a first-year in CAS majoring in Economics.

Cole Stallone is a sophomore in CAS majoring in History.

Nathan Maue In “Pundit in Training,” Nathan takes a look at the fact that while young people are most likely going to constitute the largest voting block in the United States, we seem to lack a proper grasp of their perspectives and opinions. With this column, Nathan aims to wield his many opinions to try and understand the world of American politics through a student lens.

Nathan Maue is a senior in CAS majoring in Computer Science.

Johanna Stone “The Art School Report” is a column about the trials and tribulations of art school and the New York City art scene at large. Johanna aims to document the experiences and opinions of Tisch students and the terrifying thought of graduating into the world with an arts degree.

Johanna Stone is a sophomore in Tisch majoring in Drama.

Hope Rangaswami We hear the term “self-care” all the time, but what does it really mean? To whom is it available and in what ways is it attainable? “The Pursuit of Happiness” will explore practical ways for NYU students to take care of themselves, proving that being broke and busy isn’t a barrier to self-care.

Hope Rangaswami is a sophomore in CAS majoring in English and Environmental Studies.

Washington Square News | Opinion

MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2019

9

CULTURE

Don’t Forget Forgiveness STAFF EDITORIAL

By SARAH JOHN Deputy Opinion Editor My mother has a sort of relentless, enduring faith — in God, in herself and, most admirably, in other people. It seems nobody is safe from her optimism. I’ve seen her give countless strangers in restaurants impromptu sermons on life and their hidden potential. I’ve also watched her carry out the same overly familiar interactions with friends I bring over for dinner. She believes people are fundamentally good, and she has always wanted me to believe that too.

More than anything, she has always wanted me to be forgiving.

She thinks it is the most important trait a person can have; growing up, I believed that too. Since my mom always said to never to give up on people, I rarely ever did, because I wanted to have that same beautiful gift she does — that faith in others that inspires people to grow into the fullest versions of themselves. But then, life happened.

I had complicated, messy friendships that made me realize as noble as forgiveness is, it can also be incredibly hard. Eventually, the childhood part of me that believed people were fundamentally good, the part my mom worked so hard to develop, started to waver. I found myself wondering: isn’t there a point where people are just, well, a lost cause? Do some people just not deserve your forgiveness because they’re incapable of change?

It’s not a pretty thought.

The world would probably say yes to both those questions. Society does not typically encourage forgiveness. Social media tells you to cut out any friendships that don’t constantly make you feel like you’re living your #bestlife to prioritize self-care. Furthermore, there is the concern that forgiveness can often mean excusal. Asking people to forgive those who have hurt them can minimize their suffering or be a dismissal of their pain. But there is also a radical kind of connection that comes with forgiveness, I think. That is the quality I saw in my mother as a child, and it is the same one that keeps me from adopting the cynical worldview I am so often tempted by today.

I have had friends who required a lot of forgiving — people who had a lot of beautiful qualities, but also a lot of traits they still needed to work on. Oftentimes, people would urge me to stop speaking to them, since they evidently were causing me more harm than good.

But there is something very important about being able to recognize people’s potential. After forgiving them, I have been able to see those same friends grow into completely different, caring, thoughtful people. I feel fulfilled knowing I was one small part of that change. There are times where sticking it out and being supportive creates something really beautiful — the kind of trust that my mother inspires in others around her.

And of course, boundaries are important, and unhealthy relationships need to be ended. But I still believe people are fundamentally good and for the most part, they do deserve forgiveness. Not necessarily because of anything they’ve done, but because forgiving people forces us to see the best in each other, and in turn leads others to see the best in themselves. Nelson Mandela once said “Forgiveness liberates the soul, it removes fear. That’s why it’s such a powerful weapon.” And so perhaps that is the way we should choose to conceptualize forgiveness. Too often, forgiveness is viewed as a sign of weakness or concession. But it is completely possible to forgive someone while still holding that person accountable. Forgiveness simply means removing bitterness from the equation.

I would like to see us destigmatize forgiveness a little bit more. It does not make you a doormat. It does not mean you are excusing anyone’s actions. It is instead a chance to make a negative interaction into an experience that both parties can learn from.

My mom always forgives, and for a long time, I thought it was her gift to other people. But the more I think about it, the more I realize that being forgiving often lightens our own loads as well. Forgiveness is a way of making our own little worlds more accepting, and that is reason enough for us all to strive towards it.

Analyzing the Administration’s Affair With Amazon Last semester, Amazon announced its decision to build its second headquarters in Long Island City, Queens. After several protests from local residents and activists, however, Amazon chose to cancel its plans, much to the disappointment of NYU’s administration. In fact, President Andrew Hamilton and Tandon School of Engineering Dean Jelena Kovačević are now encouraging Amazon to reconsider its decision by signing an open letter to Amazon published in the New York Times last week, along with many other prominent city leaders.

Several other faculty members expressed support for an Amazon headquarters when the company was still planning on settling in Queens.

But this is in no way the university community’s perspective on the issue. Some students feel personally affected by NYU’s decision to support Amazon rather than listen to the very real concerns that have been brought up by New York City residents. By citing the jobs Amazon could create as the primary reason to support the company, Hamilton and other faculty members are ignoring New Yorkers’ persistent advocacy against the company. By turning a blind eye to residents, Hamilton has sided with a corporation that may do more harm than good to the city NYU calls home and he has belittled those who make up the heart of New York: its activists and its residents.

As of 2019, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is worth $137 billion and has grown into an ever-present figure in the media. Recently, Amazon has faced scrutiny for mistreatment of its workers. After Bernie Sanders publicly condemned Amazon — which is now America’s second largest employer — last fall for paying its work-

ers particularly low wages, the company announced that it would raise its minimum wage to $15 an hour.

Sanders and Democratic Congressman from California Ro Khanna called for a plan that would require companies like Amazon to provide funds for federal assistance needed by its employees, pointing out the hypocrisy in of the world’s wealthiest man running a company whose employees rely on Medicaid and food stamps. In addition, last month, Fortune magazine reported that Amazon will pay $0 in federal taxes on $11.2 billion in profit, which means that its new campus in New York would not only cause higher rents, standstill traffic and an overall alteration of the city’s culture, but its presence would also not agive back enough to New York’s infrastructure.

To better understand the fears of Amazon’s opposition, one can look south, to Crystal City, Arlington, Virginia — the site of the company’s other planned headquarters, which is in the process of being finalized.

According to the Washington Post, Arlington’s incentives agreement states Amazon will receive as much as $550 million dollars of taxpayer money over the next 15 years; its only requirement is to occupy the space allocated by the county. This agreement is in addition to the $750 million secured by Amazon from the Virginia state government. Those opposed to the agreement felt as though the county did more for Amazon than it did for the community, and that it failed to leverage Amazon into giving more back to the community.

The primary concern of local residents is that the new headquarters would cause displacement and gentrification, especially in working-class communities. Seattle, the site of Amazon’s original headquarters, is

an indication of the reality Crystal City is about to face, which includes skyrocketing homelessness and rent prices. Given NYU’s role in gentrification, it should be unsurprising that the administration would support similar policies in the city. However, it is especially disappointing to see Hamilton support the deal in light of the intense opposition New Yorkers showed it.

The open letter signed by Hamilton begins by discussing all that was lost in the deal, framing Amazon’s offer like charity and not an action motivated by profit by one of the world’s largest corporations. It also states that “a clear majority of New Yorkers support this project” and statistically, this is true. However, these polls fail to address the voices of local residents that are adamantly opposed — those who will be affected most by the deal. The letter also mentions that Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio would help aid the process if Amazon were to come back, but the reality is their prior efforts in securing the deal — which included secret negotiations and billions worth of tax breaks — have done more harm than good. It’s important to note that both Cuomo and de Blasio have particularly low approval ratings from their constituencies, so maybe they should not be pointed to as an overall representation of the community.

NYU students live as part of New York City, and the city community is ours as much as the university community. As an esteemed institution integrated into a thriving metropolitan area, NYU has a real chance to invest in its environment for the betterment of all. But here, it has missed an opportunity to take a stand for the New York City community.

Email the Editorial Board at editboard@nyunews.com.

HANNA KHOSRAVI Chair MELANIE PINEDA Chair COLE STALLONE Co-chair SARAH JOHN Co-chair

Email Sarah John at sjohn@nyunews.com.

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SPORTS@NYUNEWS.COM

MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2019

SPORTS

Edited by BRENDAN DUGGAN and ZACH HAN

Women’s Golf Wins UAA Championship in Dramatic Fashion

By BRENDAN DUGGAN Sports Editor Men’s Track and Field Competing at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships, SPS senior Malcolm Montilus placed sixth in the 400-meter race, earning him his first-ever All-American honor. Montilus ran the 400 in 48.49 seconds. After missing All-American honors by one spot last year, Montilus finished his indoor track and field career by earning the prestigious honor.

As a team, NYU men’s track and field tied for 51st out of 116 teams.

Women’s Track and Field CAS junior Evelyn Nkanga represented NYU at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships in Boston this past weekend. As NYU’s only qualifier for the event, Nkanga finished ninth in the triple jump, one place away from earning All-American honors.

Although Nkanga missed All-American honors by six centimeters, she successfully qualified for NCAA Indoor Championships every year and looks to put up a fight in outdoor track and field this spring.

Men’s Volleyball The NYU men’s volleyball team hosted second-ranked Springfield College in Brooklyn this past Saturday. After losing the first two sets 25-16 and 25-15, the Violets stormed back, capturing sets three and four 2519, 25-23 respectively. In the final set, after a 12-12 tie, the Springfield College Pride squeezed out a 16-14 victory to win the match.

CAS junior Evan Lindley led the team with 13 kills and 10 digs. CAS junior Matin Bikdeli dished out 42

assists, Tandon junior Neil Ferraro tallied five blocks and Stern junior Alex Li finished with 10 kills, nine digs and two aces. The men’s volleyball team returns to action March 13 when they take on Hunter College.

Baseball The NYU baseball team improved to 4-0 after sweeping SUNY Canton this past weekend. The Violets hosted SUNY Canton at MCU Park in Brooklyn, winning 8-0, 13-3 and 6-3.

In their 6-3 victory, Tandon senior Tim Salvadore pitched 4.2 innings, allowing no hits and one earned run.

In the bottom of the third inning, the Violets broke the scoreless game with four runs, as Stern senior Ryan McLaughlin and LS first-year Zane Baker each added an RBI. SUNY Canton cut the deficit to 6-3, but CAS senior Will Jauss and SPS sophomore Joe Prisco pitched perfect eighth and ninth innings respectively, with Prisco earning his first career save.

The Violets return to action March 11, when they will host Farmingdale State College at MCU Park.

Women’s Tennis The NYU women’s tennis team defeated Wellesley College 8-1 this past Saturday at the Stadium Tennis Center in the Bronx. The Violets improved to 4-0 and handed Wellesley its first loss of the season.

The team started doubles play strong with three wins; Stern sophomore Anna Buraya and Stern senior Fleura Shiyanova won the first match 8-2, Liberal Studies sophomore Kate Shaffer and Stern junior Rupa Ganesh won the second match 8-4 and Stern senior Vanessa Scott and Stern junior Judy Kam won the third match 8-5.

The Violets continued to dominate in singles, and will return to action

SAM KLEIN | WSN

First-year John Gassler pitches in a game against SUNY Canton on Saturday. The Violets won 6-3 to complete a three-game sweep and improve to 4-0.

March 16 at the College of New Jersey.

Men’s Tennis The NYU men’s tennis team lost to Haverford College 5-4 this past Saturday. Stern junior Vishal Walia and CAS senior Shrikar Kundur provided the Violets with their only doubles victory. In singles play, CAS senior Yanik Parsch won his match 6-2, 6-4. CAS junior Josh Piatos won his match 7-5, 6-2, and CAS sophomore Lucas Biondi won his match 6-2, 6-3.

The Violets now have a 2-2 record and will resume action March 16 at The College of New Jersey.

season, the NYU men’s golf team competed in the UAA championships this past weekend in Palm Coast, Florida.

The Violets defeated the University of Rochester in match play, finishing third out of four teams. Leading the way for the Violets, Tisch sophomore Robbie Keyes went 2-0 over the weekend. Stern first-year Joey Burlison clinched the third-place finish for the Violets by sinking a putt to give him par for the hole.

The Violets return to action next weekend when they will compete in the Jekyll Island Men’s Collegiate Invitational in Jekyll Island, Georgia.

its fourth straight UAA Championship this past weekend in Palm Coast.

Currently ranked seventh in the nation, the Violets recorded a score of 631, beating Washington University in St. Louis by one point and Carnegie Mellon by two points. SPS senior Patty Treevichaphan led the Violets, shooting a par-72, while Stern firstyear Arshia Mahant shot a 77 on the second day, finishing tied for third place overall.

The Violets resume action next weekend when they will compete in the Jekyll Island Women’s Collegiate Invitational in Jekyll Island.

Men’s Golf In its first competition of the spring

Women’s Golf The NYU women’s golf team won

Email Brendan Duggan at bduggan@nyunews.com.

Graham Chatoor Sets New Records at UAA Swimming and Diving Championships

By NICO DAVIDOFF Contributing Writer Graham Chatoor shined in the University Athletic Association Swimming and Diving Championships by setting new pool, meet and team records, establishing himself as one of the top

long-distance swimmers in the nation.

He earned two berths at nationals, where he is seeded second in the 1650yard freestyle and ninth in the 500yard freestyle.

A CAS first-year from Glencoe, Trinidad and Tobago, he has been a welcome addition to the NYU swimming team.

Standing at 6 feet 5 inches tall and weighing 160 pounds, Chatoor has greatly strengthened a team that was looking to build off of last year’s successful season, when it ranked third out of the eight teams in the UAA and eighth out of the 25 teams in the NCAA’s Division III. At the UAA Swimming and Diving

SAM KLEIN | WSN

NYU Swimmers during a meet on Oct. 6. First-year swimmer Graham Chatoor set conference and NYU records to earn national berths in the 1650-yard and 500-yard freestyle.

Championships held at the University of Chicago on Feb. 13, Chatoor emerged as a star after a quiet first half of the season. His two most notable performances came in the 1,000-yard and 1,650-yard freestyle where he clocked in at 9:16.61 and 15:24.13, respectively.

“It was just so shocking,” Chatoor said about his record-breaking performance. “As soon as I touched the edge, I looked at the board and saw that I had won. It turns out I out-touched the other guy by like 0.6 seconds. Everyone there was going absolutely crazy and one of the coaches just started jumping up and down.”

However, this kind of success is nothing new for Chatoor, who is a four-time finalist at the Central American and Caribbean Swimming Federation Swimming Championships and a champion of the Caribbean Free Trade Association Swimming Competition.

Chatoor attributes his growth as a swimmer this year to the support of his coaches and teammates. He said that the new experience of competing on the collegiate level is not easy, but his teammates have made all the difference.

“I just love the camaraderie we all have,” Chatoor said. “They’ll always cheer you up if you have a bad race, which happens. But the best is when

they encourage you during the race. At UAAs they were all by the side of the pool screaming at the top of their lungs and I love that.”

Chatoor brings the same drive and determination he has in the pool to the classroom. Currently studying Politics in CAS, he hopes to become an attorney one day.

When asked about his transition from the sunny island of Trinidad to New York City, Chatoor made it clear that it hasn’t been a walk in the park for him.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to the weather,” Chatoor said. “But I really love the independence and freedom that comes with living here. I also had to get used to the coaching adjustments. There are no dual meets here and I’ve been doing a lot of lifting which I wasn’t used to.”

The team is now preparing for the final stretch of this year’s season and hopes to make a splash at the National Championships which will be held on March 20 in Greensboro, North Carolina. Chatoor is determined to build off of his performance in the Regional UAA Championships and put the league on notice at this year’s biggest competition.

Email Nico Davidoff at sports@nyunews.com.

MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2019

UTA@NYUNEWS.COM

Washington Square News | UNDER THE ARCH

UNDER THE ARCH

Jackson Heights WSN’s Photo Editor Alina Patrick visited Jackson Heights and challenged herself to walk up to strangers and ask to take their photograph.

Words and Photos by ALINA PATRICK Photo Editor I rode the 7 train out to Jackson Heights, Queens expecting to spend the afternoon awkwardly approaching strangers and being rejected left and right before coming home with a few hit-or-miss rolls of film, typical of my attempts at street photography projects. But Jackson Heights surprised me. The majority of strangers I approached were happy — albeit a little confused — to let me take their photograph, and I was excited to see an entirely new neighborhood of the city through their portraits.

I spent the first hour warming up by taking quick snapshots on my Minolta 35mm camera. Nothing good yet, and I was starting to become nervous that I would only have portraits of pigeons to show my professor. After finishing the first roll of 35mm film I pulled out a Rolleiflex, a medium format film camera that looks like a 1950s movie prop. Suddenly, when I approached strangers and asked for their portrait they began to shrug their shoulders and say “OK.” Instead of being brushed off as someone who they must have thought was a crazy tourist lost deep in Queens with a camera, they accepted the idea that I was an artist.

I photographed families, old men, shop owners, street performers, the homeless, food vendors and anyone else I could find. A few people struck up conversations with me and introduced me to their friends to take their portraits. One man who I caught on his smoke break told me he owned the salon we were standing outside of and introduced me to his friend who owned the botanica next door. I returned on Monday to give them darkroom prints of their portraits and hopefully get to learn a bit more about them and Jackson Heights. I am so grateful to the few strangers who welcomed me into their communities even if only for a five-minute conversation and a photograph.

Email Alina Patrick at apatrick@nyunews.com.

See the full series online at nyunews.com. This story was previously published on March 4, 2019.

11

Edited by PAMELA JEW

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Alana Beyer DEPUTY Jorene He PHOTO Alina Patrick DEPUTY PHOTO Julia McNeill DEPUTY VIDEO Min Ji Kim SENIOR Veronica Liow Social Media

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Rachel Buigas-Lopez, Amanda Burkett, Sayer Devlin, Sarah Jackson, Tianne Johnson, Janice Lee, Jemima McEvoy, Laura Shkouratoff ABOUT WSN: Washington Square News (ISSN 15499389) is the student newspaper of New York University. WSN is published in print on Mondays and throughout the week online during NYU’s academic year, except for university holidays, vacations and exam periods.

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