Washington Square News March 25, 2019

4 CULTURE

9 OPINION

Friday Night Movies on VHS at Tisch

NYU Needs to Rename Steinhardt

6 ARTS

The Finish Line Is Further for Women

10 SPORTS

Anupam Kher on Tragedy and Compassion in ‘Hotel Mumbai’ VOLUME LII | ISSUE 8

MONDAY, MARCH 25, 2019

Namesake of Steinhardt Accused of Sexual Harassment Michael Steinhardt was accused of a pattern of sexual harassment in an article published in The New York Times.

By MEGHNA MAHARISHI News Editor

ALANA BEYER | WSN

Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development flags fly above its building on Washington Square East. The school is currently reviewing allegations against its namesake Michael Steinhardt.

Philanthropist and billionaire Michael Steinhardt — the namesake of the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development — was accused of sexual harassment by several women he worked with in various Jewish organizations last Thursday.

In a report by The New York Times and ProPublica, seven women alleged that Steinhardt had repeatedly asked to have sex with them. Steinhardt also made comments about their bodies and fertility.

After the allegations broke, the Steinhardt school sent out an email to its students condemneding its namesake’s actions, but acknowledging Steinhardt’s status as an important donor.

“The Steinhardts’ support of our school has been generous, to be sure,

and it has helped many of our students and programs,” the email reads.

“Notwithstanding that, the kind of remarks and behavior recounted in the news story are out-of-step with our school’s values.”

In a statement to WSN, university spokesperson John Beckman said the university was reviewing Steinhardt’s actions with students, faculty and staff.

Steinhardt is also the namesake to a gallery in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a conservatory in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and a Hillel building at the University of Pennsylvania.

The Steinhardt school was originally founded as the School of Pedagogy in 1890, and it was the first professional school established in a U.S. university dedicated to teacher education. It was named after Steinhardt in 2001 after he donated $10 million to the school. He donated another $10 CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Journalist Harassed by Far-Right Will Teach How to Report on It

By VICTOR PORCELLI News Editor Starting in the fall 2019 semester, a journalist who has been attacked online by members of the far-right will teach a course detailing ways to report on white supremacists and extremist groups. In addition to reporting methods, “Reporting on the Far-Right” will have an emphasis on maintaining physical and mental health while on the beat.

Talia Lavin was a fact checker for The

New Yorker when she tweeted a picture of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent’s tattoo beside a visual dictionary for the Iron Cross, an image associated with the Nazi Regime. However, it was later revealed that the tattoo was a symbol for the platoon the agent had fought in in Afghanistan.

Lavin was not the only person who made the mistake, and she was quick to correct it: soon after others tweeted that it did not appear to be an Iron Cross, she deleted the tweet and issued an apology. However, in a public statement, ICE credited Lavin with

starting the rumor. Lavin was subjected to death threats and online harassment and resigned from her job soon after. Since her resignation, Lavin has been reporting on the far-right for outlets such as the Washington Post, Media Matters and the New Republic.

In the class Lavin will be teaching at NYU, she hopes to teach students how to deal with this type of criticism.

“It was very disturbing to become the focus as this extremely junior employee of such a firestorm,” Lavin said in an interview with WSN. “One thing that I

would like to educate students about is ‘how can you handle the vitriol you receive as a reporter?’”

After Lavin’s class was posted on NYU Journalism’s website, it was reported that she had been hired by the university, resulting in Lavin and NYU being criticized by right-leaning public figure.

The New York Post columnist John Podhoretz went so far as to tweet that Lavin’s hiring by NYU, along with that of freelance journalist Lauren Duca, provides reasoning for “why J Schools should be

neutron bombed.” Lavin was also the subject of a “Fox and Friends” segment in which host Laura Ingraham referred to her as a “little journo-terrorist.”

“What I experienced was essentially being a pawn in a culture war that was much broader than me,” Lavin said. “It’s unfortunate to me that these sort of culture warmongers have taken the opportunity to use an adjunct faculty hire to smear a 200-year-old institution [NYU].”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Washington Square News

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MONDAY, MARCH 25, 2019

NEWS

NEWS@NYUNEWS.COM

Edited by VICTOR PORCELLI and MEGHNA MAHARISHI

Namesake of Steinhardt Accused of Sexual Harassment CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

million in 2006.

Steinhardt first-year Isabella Franklin was surprised to hear of the allegations made against the namesake of her school. “[T]his wasn’t a person I’d heard of before outside of the context of the school,” Franklin said. “I was also pretty disappointed because Steinhardt is obviously a big part of my life.”

Steinhardt sophomore Adrian Beyer noted how the email Steinhardt administrators sent to students discussed their namesake’s dona-

tions to the school.

“I know the university depends on the donations, so it was interesting to see in the email that there is an economic aspect, being that he was economically really generous with our school,” Beyer said. “I don’t know if I found it uncomfortable, but I was just wondering what is the proper way to address those types of issues.”

When a f igure whose name is associated with a university becomes steeped in controversy, it is not uncommon for there to be discussion about removing said name. At Yale

“

It would be a good move to change the name and sends an important message, but it’s definitely not sufficient.

ISABELLA FRANKLIN Steinhardt First-Year

”

University, the name of Calhoun College was changed due to John C. Calhoun’s ties to white supremacy.

At Princeton University, students have demanded that Woodrow Wilson’s name be removed from buildings because he was racist, overseeing the segregation of agencies and advocating for the Ku Klux Klan — although Princeton has not met those demands. At NYU, the administration hasn’t taken action despite facing criticism due to Elmer Holmes Bobst Library being named after an anti-Semite and accused pedophile.

Franklin said that it would be a good move for the university to change the name of Steinhardt in light of these allegations.

“I really think that they should if they actually want to show respect for and solidarity with victims of sexual abuse and harassment,” Franklin said. “It would be a good move to change the name and sends an important message, but it’s def initely not suff icient.”

Email Meghna Maharishi at mmaharishi@nyunews.com.

Journalist Harassed by Far-Right Will Teach How to Report on It CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Additionally, Lavin said that many of the criticisms levied on her contradict those on the right who champion the First Amendment.

“I see Laura Ingraham’s criticism of me as a way to curtail the academic freedom she claims to champion,” Lavin said. “Part of freedom of speech is freedom to teach.”

Lavin’s course will teach students how to take care of one’s mental health, deal with threats and maintain digital safety, in addition to general reporting skills. The use of public information to analyze and cover extremist groups, as well as the history of said groups, will also be covered.

Lavin said that one should expect a certain level of harassment when using the adversarial approach to reporting on the far-right she uses and will be teaching in her class.

“When you’re covering extremists, you should be pissing them off,” Lavin said.

“You’re covering racists and extremists, people that are filled with hate. Good reporting should challenge that ideology.”

Journalism first-year Abigail Metsch said she would be interested in taking the class.

“I would love to learn how to better express myself on this topic,” Metsch wrote in

a Facebook message to WSN. “I also love the idea that [Lavin] will be using her own experience to teach the course — actions are always more impactful than words.”

CAS junior Teddy Son, another journalism student, said that he felt the course would be helpful in increasing his knowledge of extremist groups.

“I believe in terms of raising awareness, it’s a course I would consider taking,” Son said.

“It’s definitely an unorthodox course in that I don’t think anything like that has been offered in recent years.”

Lavin said that she wishes to impart to her students the ability to deal with the pressure that comes with reporting in the current political climate and the knowledge that making a mistake in good faith is something that should be more commonly accepted. This belief is part of why Lavin said she will continue to work in journalism despite the immense amount of hate directed towards her.

“I’m not going to stop reporting on the surge of white nationalism because Breitbart. com wants to convince their readers that I’m the enemy of the people.” Lavin said. “Period.”

Email Victor Porcelli at vporcelli@nyunews.com.

VIA TWITTER

Fox News and other right-leaning publications have criticized NYU for hiring Lavin.

Jewish Students Push for Religious Holidays Off

By VICTOR PORCELLI News Editor

ALANA BEYER | WSN

The facade of the NYU Brofman Center for Jewish Student Life, which is a resource for Jewish students. One Jewish student has recently requested additional days off for certain holidays.

During holidays such as Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, some Jewish students restrict themselves from using electricity or writing. A letter sent to the university backed by student government proposed that NYU should not have school in observance of these holidays.

Stern junior Revital Chavel wrote the letter, which asks that NYU cancel classes on the three days that make up the Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and also incorporate a more substantial policy concerning due date extensions.

Rosh Hashanah, which marks the Jewish New Year, serves as a day of judgment. Ten days later, during which people are meant to repent, comes Yom Kippur, when Jewish people also fast for 24 hours. In addition to the restrictions on electricity and writing, those observing the holidays must also attend synagogue for prayer for a large portion of the day.

NYU’s policy does not allow students to be penalized for missing a class due to a religious holiday, although it does not explicitly give off for any of them, such as Good Friday or Diwali. Gallatin f irst-year Sarah Fuchs said that though students are not penalized, they are still impacted.

“That’s great and all to have as a policy, but it still affects you,” Fuchs said. “By missing a class you’re behind on it, you don’t get the lecture, you don’t get to hear what’s going on and you don’t get to participate.”

A petition in 2017 with the same proposal failed to result in any policy changes by the University Senate, the body that decides on how to structure the academic calendar. In addition to days off, Chavel’s letter asks for students to be granted extensions on assignments equal to the number of days spent observing the holidays.

“The accommodations that NYU is making is not enough considering the features of the holidays,” Chavel said, referring to the restrictions imposed on electronic use and work.

Stern f irst-year Max Greenstein said the restrictions can impede a student’s ability to study or complete schoolwork.

“Studying for a math test, for example, we can’t write out equations, or other things where you need to write, use a calculator,” Greenstein said. “Having those three days off would put us on the same playing f ield as everyone else.”

Greenstein said that having to complete assignments before the holidays, even if the deadline is extended, can also affect his mentality going into it.

“It’s not only the restrictive nature of certain activities, it’s also the spirit of the day,” Greenstein said. “If Rosh Hashanah is coming up, that’s considered the day of judgment for us, so a week beforehand we don’t want to have our minds set on school or academics when something much more important is coming up.”

Email Victor Porcelli at vporcelli@nyunews.com.

MONDAY, MARCH 25, 2019

Washington Square News | News

SGA Sets New Guidelines to Ensure Fairness in Upcoming Elections

By JARED PERAGLIA Deputy News Editor With all-university elections just over a week away, NYU’s Elections Commission has issued a number of new guidelines to ensure a fair, democratic and equitable election season.

Campaigning begins March 25 for a variety of open positions from School Senators to Presidents and Senators atLarge. Elections will take place from April 1-5 for most representative councils of Student Government Assembly.

Students will be able to vote for their representatives on a portal using their NYU email address.

Senior Vice President for Student Affairs Marc Wais sent out a university-wide email last week encouraging the student body to get involved.

“I strongly encourage all students to get involved — whether by running

for office or by voting for the student representatives that best embody the things that matter to you,” Wais said in a statement to WSN. Senator-at-large and head of the elections commission Edin Thornton told the SGA body that student voter turnout has been low. WSN spoke to a number of students that were unaware that NYU had a student government and were unable to name any resolutions passed by the body.

Thornton encouraged SGA candidates in February to avoid smear campaigning — a trend that the Elections Commission says once existed within the body.

“This is not the [United States] Senate; we don’t need to be out here at that level,” Thornton said to members of the SGA. This year, SGA members are not allowed to endorse other senators. Steinhardt Graduate President Nate Faust spoke at a February SGA meeting about

his past experiences with endorsements.

“With my experience in the past, endorsements can get nasty, real messy, real quick,” Faust said.

The commission placed a finance cap of $25 for all individual campaign spending. Candidates must submit their receipts to the commission at the end of the season. Thornton also discouraged possible candidates from buying promotional t-shirts, buttons and Facebook ads.

In a statement to WSN, the Elections Commission said they hope the new guidelines streamline the elections process.

“We look forward to a diverse field of candidates and executing seamless elections to build a foundation of solid work for the coming representative student councils,” the commission said.

Email Jared Peraglia at jperaglia@nyunews.com.

Muslim Students Continue to Mourn After Christchurch Shootings

By MEGHNA MAHARISHI News Editor Silver sophomore Mariam Abukwaik was overwhelmed by the headlines. At least 49 were presumed dead in Christchurch, New Zealand in a horrific massacre which targeted two mosques.

Abukwaik attended Friday prayers that same day, and it was during this time that she found out her uncle, who was living in New Zealand, was missing. Soon after, she saw a text from her father telling her that he was among the dead.

“That definitely hit me and I couldn’t ignore it,” Abukwaik said.

On March 15, a gunman opened fire at two mosques in Christchurch, killing 50 people and injuring another 50. After the shooting, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced a ban on both assault rifles and the shooter’s manifesto. Ardern also refused to mention the shooter’s name, a move that garnered her international acclaim for her empathetic and decisive leadership.

Right before spring break, the Islamic Center at NYU hosted a vigil to mourn the victims of the shooting. At the vigil, Abukwaik shared how she had lost her uncle and recounted the experience as cathartic.

“It’s not easy putting myself out there in that way, but it was really therapeutic because the point of the vigil was to bring everyone together and let it be a healing space,” Abukwaik said.

After publicly speaking about the shooting, Abukwaik spent spring break in mourning. Abukwaik discussed the Muslim concept of ummah, the Arabic word for community, and how she felt her community was deeply impacted by the shooting.

“When one part of the ummah is hurting, the whole entire thing hurts,” Abukwaik said. “Everyone hurts. Knowing that my family, my people and my ummah was hurting, in one area it made me hurt. This whole entire break I was hurting. I’ve just felt this weight in my heart.”

In light of the Christchurch shooting, NYU President Andrew Hamilton issued a statement, and a letter was sent out to students with addresses in New Zealand, but no email was sent to the entire NYU community about the shooting.

“Even in a time when mass shootings

have become depressingly common, this attack stands out for its awfulness: its lethality, its religious bigotry, its use of social media, its timing and location — as Muslims peacefully attended Friday prayers in mosques,” Hamilton wrote in his statement. “[I]t is a painful reminder that hatred knows no borders.”

President of the Muslim Students Association and CAS senior Omer Malik heard about the shootings the night the news broke, and followed coverage of the shootings as they were happening. He felt as if he needed to be at the vigil for NYU’s Muslim community, and recalled feeling supported at the Friday prayers as crowds of Muslims and allies attended to mourn the shooting.

“For me, I was at first a little worried going to prayers after everything that had happened,” Malik said. “I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go, but then it hit that I had to go because I couldn’t let it impact me.

I felt like I needed to be there to make sure that everyone else was doing OK, so I could be there for them.”

Malik also said that the vigil hosted for the victims of the Christchurch shooting was not the first vigil he’s had to attend at NYU. “Sadly, it’s not the first vigil I’ve been

a part of,” Malik said. “I’ve seen a lot of vigils and rallies on the steps on Kimmel, so it wasn’t anything out of the norm for me. I was just like, ‘OK, we have to go there and people are going to speak, and we just have to make sure things run smoothly.”

During spring break, the Islamic Center at NYU hosted a community healing space, an event where people share their feelings in a safe space, but attendance was low, according to Malik.

A little more than a week after the shooting, many Muslim students are still recovering and reflecting. Malik hopes to plan another community healing space event to give more students the opportunity to share their feelings.

Abukwaik hopes that professors acknowledge how the shootings continue to impact students when classes begin on Monday.

“I’m a little bit nervous that people and other students and faculty are all going to walk in and feel like everything is chill when it’s not,” Abukwaik said.

“There’s still so much aftermath. People are still so impacted by this.”

Email Meghna Maharishi at mmaharishi@nyunews.com.

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CRIME LOG

Missing Jewelry at Gramercy Green

By CRIME BOT Robot Reporter From March 7 to 20, the NYU Department of Public Safety received one report of criminal mischief, one report of disorderly conduct, two reports of controlled substance violation, one report of fondling, three reports of harassment, six reports of larceny, four reports of liquor law violation and one report of stalking.

Criminal Mischief On March 8 at 2:31 p.m., an NYU employee reported damaged property in Founders Residence Hall. Police notification was declined and the case is open and under investigation.

Disorderly Conduct On March 8 at midnight, Public Safety responded to a report of an individual behaving disorderly in Alumni Residence Hall. A police report was filed and the case has been referred to the NYPD.

Controlled Substance Violation On March 9 at 11:16 p.m., Public Safety responded to a report of an alleged drug law violation and a small amount of marijuana was recovered in Founders Hall. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On March 20 at 3:20 p.m., Public Safety responded to a report of an alleged drug law violation and a small amount of marijuana was recovered in Third Avenue North Residence Hall. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

Fondling On March 9 at 8:56 a.m., Public Safety received a report of an alleged fondling in Othmer Residence Hall. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Title IX Coordinator.

Harassment

ALANA BEYER | WSN

Mariam Abukwaik, who lost her uncle in the Christchurch attacks, calls for justice at the New Zealand Mosque Attack Vigil on the Kimmel Steps.

On March 15 at 2 a.m., a student reported being a victim of physical harassment in Brittany Residence Hall. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On March 18 at 2:27 p.m., an NYU-contracted employee reported being a victim of physical harassment in Lipton Residence Hall. Police notification was declined and the case is open and under investigation.

On March 19 at 11:27 a.m., a Security Officer reported physical harassment in Schwartz Hall. A police report was filed and the case has been referred to the NYPD.

Larceny On March 7 at 11:43 a.m., a student reported a missing backpack in Alumni Hall. Police notification was declined and the case is open and under investigation.

On March 8 at 12:07 a.m., a student reported a missing package in Brittany Hall. Police notification was declined and the case is open and under investigation.

On March 13 at 11:25 a.m., a student reported a missing coat and personal items in Warren Weaver Hall. A police report was filed and the case has been referred to the NYPD. On March 15 at 12:47 a.m., a student reported missing jewelry in Gramercy Green Residence Hall. A police report was filed and the case has been referred to the NYPD. On March 19 at 9:23 p.m., a student reported a missing backpack in Bobst Library. A police report was filed and the case has been referred to the NYPD. On March 20 at 1:37 p.m., a NYU faculty member reported missing personal items in the Weissman Building. Police notification was declined and the case is open and under investigation.

Liquor Law Violation On March 18 at 10:15 p.m., a resident assistant reported witnessing underage alcohol possession in Brittany Hall.

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

On March 8 at 11:37 a.m., an RA reported witnessing underage alcohol possession in Brittany Hall. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On March 16 at 1:49 a.m., an RA reported witnessing underage alcohol possession in Othmer Hall. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On March 16 at 2:18 a.m., an RA reported witnessing underage alcohol possession in Third North. Police notification was declined and the case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

Stalking On March 11 at 4:47 p.m., Public Safety received a report regarding an alleged stalking in the Waverly Building. A police report was filed and the case has been referred to the NYPD. Email Crime Bot at news@nyunews.com.

Washington Square News

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CULTURE@NYUNEWS.COM

MONDAY, MARCH 25, 2019

CULTURE

Edited by FAITH MARNECHECK

Friday Night Movies on VHS at Tisch

By ELIF KESIKBAS Staff Writer The ideal Friday night usually consists of getting as far away from school as possible and enjoying time in the city with friends.

The thought of spending a Friday night in an NYU building may conjure up terrible thoughts of studying for midterms and finals in Bobst.

However, Tisch undergraduate club Fourth Wall Cinema and its sister club Witching Hour lure students who are passionate about cinema back to the sixth floor of Tisch School of the Artsevery Friday evening. As one of the dwindling consistent film societies left in the U.S., Fourth Wall and Witching Hour provide a community for students seeking fun through film.

A typical night starts with a screening by Fourth Wall and ends with Witching Hour’s obscure so-bad-it’s-good horror film played on a homemade VHS tape. The attendees can come to one or enjoy the double feature.

FOURTH WALL Fourth Wall International Cinema Salon started in 2016 when friends Cecilia Chi-ying Lau and Yeon Ju Hong, who were juniors at the time, longed for more international films in Tisch Cinema Studies’ curriculum. To make up for the lack of international films, Lau and Hong checked out stacks of DVDs from Bobst Library. But the two also wanted to create a community of other students who shared a love of international cinema — hence Fourth Wall was born.

“Fourth wall means the screen or the invisible ‘wall’ between the cinematic world and our real world, which to us can also mean the liaison between us and the art of cinema,” Lau said.

The club attracted the attention of several Cinema Studies and Film & TV students, but failed to expand to the greater NYU community and had meager attendance of three to five students per meeting in addition to the executive board. In the hopes of making the club more approachable, it rebranded as Fourth Wall Cinema in Fall 2018.

Under the rebranding process, the e-board began to curate a more well-rounded screening series, including films from underrepresented voices — international groups and those in the U.S. This semester, they are showing films from Australia and Vietnam for the first time. The films range from screwball comedy and spaghetti western to the latest screening “Songs My Brothers Taught Me,” a Native American film by Chinese director Chloé Zhao.

Despite the rebranding, Fourth Wall still hasn’t reached its desired turnout; this is especially disappointing given that they are creating a culturally rich environment in a university proud of its diversity.

“Our audience tends to fluctuate. There are screenings which we are completely packed,” Tisch junior and Treasurer Matthew Holman said. “And sometimes we have smaller screenings that happen to be five or ten. So it really varies from week to week.”

Fourth Wall announces the upcoming screening on the club’s Facebook page earlier in the week. The screenings reach peak popularity when the club organizes special events, such as advanced screenings and Q&A sessions with directors and actors.

In its second semester, Fourth Wall hosted Japanese musician and actor Ryuichi Sakamoto, known for starring in “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence.” That week, the e-board saw RSVPs skyrocket, says Qui. New York City-based distributors, which know the club as one of the handfuls of cinema societies that consistently holds screenings, have started to contact Fourth Wall to arrange advanced screenings. Qui says the distributors not only offer advanced screenings but many times the director will come for a Q&A with the club’s members.

Through these special screenings, NYU students get to see the films before they even hit theatres like Metrograph or IFC Center — and for free.

“My freshman year during spring we played ‘The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäk,’” Holman said. “We actually screened that before it got distribution theatrically, and the director was there for Q&A afterwards.”

Fourth Wall continues to attract a greater variety of members by choosing interesting, engaging movies, such as Uruguayan film “Whisky” (2004) this Friday and “Day of Wrath,” shot on 16mm on April 19.

“Our club really first and foremost is inviting literally anyone to come and watch these movies,” Tisch junior and Director of Marketing Clau Barran said. “We are not by all means a closed club, and we are not trying to be pretentious or trying to make it so tight that we are not accepting new people.”

WITCHING HOUR After a thought-provoking session of Fourth Wall, the night becomes more relaxed.

“We love Fourth Wall; we go to Fourth Wall,” said Witching Hour co-founder Matt Cohen said, who is now a Cinema Studies graduate student. “The people at Witching Hour, most people, are part of both groups.”

Witching Hour is all about sitting back for two hours and enjoying B-movies’ charming mistakes. After the screen turns to black, members analyze the director’s professionalism and the limitations of a low budget on a film’s quality. Tisch junior and co-President Evan Preedy says the club uses the term “alternative cinephilia” as a way to mute the idea that the club only criticizes films.

“One thing we’d like to emphasize is that we are not a bad movie club,” Preedy said.

“For a variety of reasons, that’s sort of a reputation that is very easy for us to get lost in.”

Witching Hour organically started when some members, including founders Cohen and Tisch alumnus Tyler Warren, started staying to watch an extra horror movie for fun after Fourth Wall. Cohen and Warren then decided to make it an official club under the Fourth Wall umbrella.

“We were like, ‘Alright let’s do this,’ and we came up with the idea to show horror films — under-seen ones or trashier ones that people wouldn’t normally think of,” Cohen said.

The club’s first-ever officially screened movie, “Troll 2,” played from a VHS tape that Cohen made as a birthday present for a friend. When the amateur recording added to the B-movie vibe, Witching Hour decided to

VIA FACEBOOK

The Fourth Wall Cinema Club after a screening, in the intermission before the beginning of its sister Club, The Witching Hour’s film.

bring the VHS tape tradition back.

“The idea behind it was that it was supposed to harking back to going to video stores with your friends and picking up something different or wacky or interesting,” Cohen said.

The club replicates the experience by incorporating the members into the movie selection process. Unlike Fourth Wall, the E-Board only prepares a semesterly plan for the themes that the movies will follow.

“What’ll do before we screen the actual film is we’ll have a bit of a pre-roll, which we start out by showing the trailer for films that could be potentially screened for the following week,” Tisch senior and co-president Andrew Garland said. “Once we are done watching the movie before everyone goes home, we vote on which movie we want to see.”

Every now and then, the club lets go of the limitations of theme and has a “grabbag week,” in which people can nominate movies they want to see. The e-board then picks the best 10, and the selected movies go through a second round of voting to choose which one to watch.

The winning movie is then recorded on a VHS tape. Even though Witching Hour is

an undergraduate club, Cohen continues to help out backstage. He still makes the tapes, which he records over old TV tapes that he found in a box lying around in the Cinema Studies department. He calls it “the biggest score of all time.”

“My whole house is covered with blank tapes at this point,” Cohen said. “Most of what I have been using is I think [from] a local television station [that] was getting rid of their recordings of old shows or something.”

Witching Hour designs covers for each of the VHS tapes and posts them to its Instagram page. Besides posting the covers, the club only advertises on weekly posters for Fourth Wall.

“We kind of wanted to keep it like this sort of not secretive, but you have to seek us out, you have to be a friend or something to come hang,” Cohen said. “We wanted to be not like this exclusive theater environment; we wanted to be like if you love horror movies come hang out.”

Matthew Holman is a former Theater & Books Editor of WSN. Email Elif Kesikbas at culture@nyunews.com.

Edible Landscapes in a Concrete Jungle

By KYLIE KIRSCHNER Staff Writer In a few weeks, a sea of purple blossoms will again be part of the view from the Kimmel Center for University Life’s upper floors. These particular flowers are from chives, but there are also saffron crocus, Corsican violets and creeping thyme planted on the same roof. There are serviceberries in front of Bobst Library, American cranberry bushes on Bleeker street, a whole range of crops at NYU’s Urban Farm Lab and soon, the Carlyle Court Residence Hall courtyard

will have a carefully designed and partially edible garden. For the past 10 years, NYU Grounds has been integrating edible plants into the campus and has worked on a number of sustainable landscaping projects.

Brie Arthur, horticulturist, home gardener and author of a book on foodscaping — “The Foodscape Revolution: Finding a Better Way to Make Space for Food and Beauty in Your Garden” — recently visited NYU to talk about foodscaping and the potential NYU’s urban campus has.

“Everywhere I go, I see potential in the ground around me,” Arthur said in her pre-

ALANA BEYER | WSN

As an urban green space used for agriculture, the NYU Urban Farm Lab is an example of foodscaping at NYU.

sentation. “We have an obsession with green meatball shrubs and open mulch space.”

Foodscaping, as she defines it, is simply the integration of edible plants into ornamental landscapes. That doesn’t just mean in gardens or spaces in parks; there are also container plantings, window boxes, roofs — any patch of ground available.

Arthur sees foodscaping as a potential way to ameliorate a plethora of problems. It can be a way to eliminate food deserts and provide healthy food to people who don’t have access to it; it can help reduce the economic and environmental costs of transporting food to consumers; it can improve soil ecology and reduce the use of herbicides; and of course, it can help forge a connection between people, the food they eat and the ground it comes from.

“The reason food is important in this isn’t just because we need to eat,” Arthur said. “It’s because growing it helps people instinctively manage their land more ethically. It’s the idea of ownership. Once you feel like you own something, you take better care of it. People don’t necessarily feel [a] responsibility to that park — they might use it every single day, but that doesn’t mean that they value it.”

About 80 percent of what Arthur herself eats comes from the one-acre suburban landscape around her home in Raleigh, North Carolina, but it’s not like she never

visits the grocery store.

“I’m not trying to be so rigid as to only eat what I can grow, but everything I grow also gives me an appreciation for what I buy,” Arthur said. She urges others to do the same, even if it’s just growing herbs on a windowsill.

However, in order for larger-scale foodscaping projects — like the ones being proposed at NYU — to succeed, people need to be invested. Maria Chaves, a GSAS student at NYU studying environmental medicine, said that all one needs to be involved in the green community is a little time, intrigue and hands-on experience.

“You really do get an all-senses experience when you grow something yourself,” Chaves said. “Anyone can enjoy that — you don’t have to be an environmentalist or a farmer, or be super-invested to just be interested. That little spark of interest is all you need.”

Of course, there are also social and economic drivers that can make foodscaping an appealing option.

“Incoming students are increasingly concerned with the institutional mission of universities and I think highlighting this during the admission process can be an asset,” Ilana Weinstein, a graduate student in Steinhardt’s Environmental Conservation Education Program said.

Weinstein is currently working on an

independent study to map edible invasive plants overlayed with soil toxicity, use community education to manage those invasive populations and transition those areas into foodscapes.

“I think an easy way to get college students to care is by advertising the stress relief benefits of gardening and that this garden creates free food,” Weinstein said. “Finding ways to incorporate this local produce into dining halls or club events would be a cool way for students to directly see the benefit of this project.”

No one’s eating the chives from the Kimmel roof yet, but that project and others are certainly a start.

“It takes a while for people to start to see that these things are happening,” NYU Grounds Manager George Reis said.

“Hopefully, in a phased way, we’ll be able to increase what we do. There’s more landscaping space around Washington Square Park that belongs to the University than there is in the park itself.”

In other words, there’s a lot of potential.

Last fall, Arthur direct-seeded some of the roofs at NYU. “You’re going to have more poppies than you’ll know what to do with,” she said to the attendees.

Email Kylie Kirschner at dining@nyunews.com.

Washington Square News | Culture

MONDAY, MARCH 25, 2019

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Boost Your Wardrobe After Class at Buffalo Exchange

By TAYLOR JEFFRIES Staff Writer Spring cleaning might lead to spring shopping with Buffalo Exchange’s arrival on campus. The popular consignment store is scheduled to open a new location this spring at 714 Broadway across from the Tisch School of the Arts, though the official opening date hasn’t been announced yet.

The new store will be more accessible for NYU students than the next closest location at 332 E. 11th St. in the East Village. Steinhardt first-year Bomin Ahn was thrilled by the announcement.

“I would love to have Buffalo Exchange near our campus,” Ahn said.

“I definitely think it is one of the best stores with reasonably priced clothes in good quality. I went to one in Brooklyn and absolutely loved it and was actually thinking that it’d be nice to have one near us.”

Not only can students shop, but they can also sell their clothes at the store. Buffalo Exchange’s policy states that it’ll accept any men’s or women’s clothing and accessories in their best condition. You can either be paid in cash, get store credit or trade in for an item at the store.

However, CAS sophomore Amodhya Samarakoon said she probably won’t be visiting the store to sell clothing. In her experience, Buffalo Exchange has extremely high standards, so she would rather donate her clothes

to charity or drop them off at H&M in exchange for a 15-percent-off coupon.

“I don’t have much anticipation for the new store as a place to donate clothes, but I do look forward to stopping by and looking for some deals,” Samarakoon said.

For other students, however, the store’s high prices are a definite turnoff. CAS first-year Parker Kenyon, who has had mixed experiences at Buffalo Exchange, said he sees its appeal. However, he also feels apathetic toward the new store since he doesn’t plan to shop there in the future.

“Although they often have clothing I would wear, my one reservation about Buffalo Exchange is the price,” Kenyon said. “I think the location, being on Broadway and near a university, could factor into a rise in prices even further. As a college student with a limited budget, I would [make the] hike to visit other thrift stores over the new Buffalo Exchange.”

Despite any potential concerns, the CAS first-year is hopeful for its success.

“I am very excited for the new Buffalo Exchange because [it has] historically had very unique vintage and consigned pieces,” Adelman said. “If people like it, it could easily become a big center for students to resell clothes by making a bit of money and even finding new pieces within the store.”

MIN JI KIM | WSN

Email Taylor Jeffries at bstyle@nyunews.com.

Signs outside the new Buffalo Excahnge location, which will open at 714 Broadway this spring.

You Can Still Celebrate National Women’s Month in NYC

By CALAIS WATKINS Staff Writer If the flood of female power posts on social media didn’t already clue you in, National Women’s Day was celebrated by many on March 8. However, the celebration of women’s achievements over the years doesn’t begin or end there — the entire month of March is dedicated to recognizing the history of women’s accomplishments and the ways in which they’ve pushed through gender inequality over the years. While the month is coming to a close, there are still many ways you can take part in Women’s History Month.

Here are some options that do justice to the women we’re celebrating: HERO at Nitehawk Cinema $$ 136 Metropolitan Ave. Throughout the month of March, Nitehawk Cinema is showing a series of movies that span time and genre, all featuring powerful female leads. The event was inspired by the recent release of “Captain Marvel,” Marvel Studios’ first film to feature a woman as both the star and director. Need more reasons to make the trek to Williamsburg? The theater’s movie rooms have both comfy chairs and tables so everyone can dine while they watch. This venue is perfect for grabbing your girlfriends and ordering a glass of wine while watching an empowering action film.

Nasty Women of the Metropolitan Museum $$$ 1000 Fifth Ave. “Nasty Women of the Metropolitan” is a walking tour specifically designed for Women’s History Month. This twohour-long guided journey through the

museum focuses on powerful women and their contributions to art and history, as seen in the Met’s collection of art installations. Since President Trump called Hillary Clinton a “nasty woman” during the 2016 presidential election, feminist movements have adopted the phrase with a sense of humor, turning it into a slogan rather than an insult. If you’re a lover of art, this tour was made for you. Students receive a discounted price of admission, and there is a 10% discount code on the linked website.

All Female Reboot $ 123 E. 24th St. “All Female Reboot” is a show where an all-female cast gives new life to scripts of popular, male-dominated movies. Previous shows include their rendition of “Dunkirk” and “There Will be Blood.”

This phenomenon of women playing roles made famous by men began in Hollywood and made its way to New York just in time for Women’s History Month.

Create a Playlist If your schedule is too packed with work and school, there is still a creative and fun way to celebrate Women’s History Month. Try creating a playlist packed with powerful, inspiring female musicians and pop those headphones in while you’re going about your day. This mode of celebration is completely free while still giving a taste — or sound — of an industry in which women have soared over the years.

While many of these activities will only be around until the end of the month, they serve as a reminder that women should be celebrated all day, every day.

Email Calais Watkins at culture@nyunews.com.

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ARTS

ARTS@NYUNEWS.COM

‘Hotel Mumbai’ Thrilling, but Not Too Profound

By FAREID EL GAFY Staff Writer Thrusting ordinary people into extraodinary situations is a recipe followed by many gripping f ilms, and it is certainly the backbone of Director Anthony Muras’ “Hotel Mumbai.” The twist, however, is that this thriller is based on true events, depicting real heroic acts from unlikely heroes. The f ilm centers on an attack on the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in 2008, during which armed terrorists assaulted several locations in Mumbai, a cosmopolitan city on India’s west coast, killing 164. The necessary security forces were hours away in the nation’s capital, New Delhi, and as a result, over 500 guests and staff were trapped inside for several days.

The f ilm itself follows a few storylines. Arjun (Dev Patel) is a poor waiter in the hotel restaurant who struggles to do right by his pregnant wife and infant daughter.

Though his boss, Chef Hemant Oberoi (Anupam Kher), thinks he’s careless, the two end up working together to keep the guests safe, acting as the f ilm’s emotional core. While Kher plays a real person, Patel’s Arjun is actually a composite character representing different staff that worked at the hotel, and both do justice to the people they portray.

Among the guests are newlyweds Zahra (Nazanin Boniadi) and David (Armie Hammer) who want only to escape with their baby, looked after by its nanny Sally (Tilda Cobham-Hervey). At one point, David makes the heartbreaking decision to separate from his wife in the hotel so that he can attempt to save their newborn despite knowing there is a low chance of them both surviving.

The couple’s chemistry is not that well-established before this split

MONDAY, MARCH 25, 2019

happens, but luckily Boniadi and Hammer are suff iciently strong performers that they can make the audience care about them once they are separate.

The f ilm features the young band of terrorists quite heavily. Chief among them is Imran (Amandeep Singh), whose guilt tears away at him once he starts to realize that he may have been played for a fool by the man who hired him. Other characters include the gruff Russian Vasili (Jason Isaacs), a couple of Australian backpackers and the Mumbai police chief and his partner.

Religion is presented very candidly in “Hotel Mumbai.” In one scene, after the attacks have begun, a British guest sees Arjun, a Sikh man, wearing his turban, and she grows increasingly uncomfortable. Recognizing this concern, Arjun directly approaches the woman, calmly refusing to take off his turban and instead explaining the signif icance behind the turban and how it is a symbol of honor for him. The woman silently understands and they move on.

The f ilm juxtaposes the terrorists’ violence and their adherence to Islamic norms, such as avoiding pork and inappropriate contact with women. It’s not all that groundbreaking.

“Hotel Mumbai” is unafraid to present uncomfortable conversations, but its ultimate intent is not to be a think piece. It is a thriller through and through, and it excels in this regard. Nick Remy Matthew’s cinematography spans cramped utility closets and breathtaking skylines, a visual treat from beginning to end. The action is relentless and the tension palpable, every gunshot crackling through the theater and keeping the audience on the edge of their seat. Chef Oberoi and Arjun’s master-student relationship is

wonderful — Kher and Patel have exceptional chemistry — and one of the f ilm’s best moments comes at the end when the two share a tearful moment together outside the Taj, as if father and son.

Maras has made many f ilms about tragic world events, such as his 2011 short “The Palace,” an award-winning f ilm about a family struggling to survive the 1974 invasion of Cyprus. The cast of his latest project features Indian, American and British actors, and much of the f ilm features English-language dialogue alongside a few other languages — Hindi and Marathi — native to the Indian subcontinent. From David to Vasili to the nameless Australian backpacker, there are also a number of characters that Western audiences can relate to. Fair enough, a fancy hotel in India’s largest city will house many international guests, but it feels odd to give them so much focus if not to attract a non-Indian audience.

It begs the question — who is the intended audience for “Hotel Mumbai?”

By the time the credits roll, it’s clear that the f ilm aims to resonate universally with audiences, regardless of their ethnic or religious background. The guests and staff band together to survive, but “Hotel Mumbai” does not rely on gunshots and explosions to execute its themes, even though they are present in its climax. The f ilm does, however, fall short of its goal to spread a message of how compassion and love prevail in times of tragedy and chaos. While the heroism of the staff and guests is certainly inspiring in an otherwise good action f ilm, don’t expect profound social commentary.

Email Fareid El Gafy at film@nyunews.com.

COURTESY OF MARK ROGERS / BLEECKER STREET

Dev Patel (left) and Anupam Kher (right) in director Anthony Maras’ Hotel Mumbai, a Bleecker Street release.

Edited by GURU RAMANATHAN

Anupam Kher on Tragedy and Compassion in ‘Hotel Mumbai’

By GURU RAMANATHAN Arts Editor Eleven years ago, the Indian metropolis of Mumbai was brought under siege by Pakistani terrorists in a deadly attack. A popular restaurant, two hospitals and the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel were attacked, and 164 people were killed. For three days, the terrorists held up camp in the Taj, while the surviving guests and staff banded together to save one another from more bloodshed.

At the time, legendary Bollywood actor, teacher, author and motivational speaker Anupam Kher was shooting a film six or seven miles away. His heart and mind were elsewhere, stirred by the chaos taking place in a city he loved and the hotel where his friends resided.

“It was a horrifying, nightmarish, reality TV but that was what was going on,” Kher said in an interview with WSN. “A few of my friends died in that attack. A very dear friend of mine who was the general manager of [the Taj], he lost his wife and two children there. There are certain things that get imprinted on your mind.”

Now Kher acts in “Hotel Mumbai,” a film that recounts the events of those three days. It opens this week and co-stars Dev Patel, Nazanin Boniadi and Armie Hammer.

Kher plays Chef Hemant Oberoi, the head chef of the Taj and one of the real people depicted in the movie. Kher, who was able to meet Oberoi, admired the man whose leadership came across in the moment of crisis. Like he did in real life, Oberio immediately springs into action in the film when the attacks are underway, inspiring his staff and helping the guests to safety with his own intricate knowledge of the hotel.

The city of Mumbai has always occupied a special place in Kher’s life. He was brought up in a small north Indian town called Shimla with no easy gateway into acting. No one else in his family pursued the arts. After graduating high school, he went to Chandigarh and later Delhi to study drama in college, before becoming a teacher in Lucknow at age 23. On June 3, 1981, he ventured to Mumbai to try his luck in Bollywood, but struggled for two to three years, even experiencing homelessness for a short period of time.

“In the early ‘80s, if you didn’t have long hair you were not considered to be an actor,” Kher said. “I was balding, I was thin, and I had a diploma and gold medal from drama school, but that didn’t mean anything. I finally got my first break when I was 28 to play a 65-year-old man [in ‘Saaransh’] which was a sensational debut.”

Thirty-five years later, Kher has appeared in over 500 films, including successes in Hollywood like “Silver Linings Playbook” and “The Big Sick.” Despite his emotional connection to the attack itself, he had no hesitation in taking the role because of his confidence in the script and the preparedness of director Anthony Maras. Kher especially felt his own responsibility to tell a story that is a tribute to the survivors and families of those who died.

“It’s a story of compassion, it’s a story of ordinary heroism, apart from great, unbelievable tragedy,” Kher said. “It’s important to tell people what happened and how other people came out of nowhere and became unlikely heroes.”

Kher commands the screen, often with silence, playing a leader who desperately

suppresses his fear, anger and dread for the sake of his guests.

But the film is still very much an explosive thriller and that tone was carried through to the set itself. Most of the interior scenes of the Taj were shot in Adelaide, Australia, and were completed first in the shooting schedule. To simulate the attack for the cast, Maras would play recorded gunshots with giant amps on set, recreating the tension from scratch. The crew only filmed a few exterior scenes at the attack sites in India and near the Taj. Despite how serious and intense their on-set experiences were, the cast and crew still bonded thoroughly, often getting dinners after twelve or thirteen hour days.

“We will get into a cab, me, [Armie Hammer], everybody, and the cab driver will always be an Indian. And he will never charge me,” Kher said. “That happens in New York, also. We are not actors for our countrymen, we are a part of their life.”

After filming was done, Kher said he felt as if he had gained new family members.

Most of his scenes were with Patel, who plays a Sikh waiter named Arjun. One of the attack sites was Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus railway station, the same place where Patel had shot the song “Jai Ho” from his breakout film “Slumdog Millionaire” only a few months prior. His character Arjun is actually a composite character representing different staff members that Maras and co-writer John Collee interviewed. In the film, Oberoi acts like a father figure to him.

“I think it’s easy to like Dev Patel. He does not hold back his affection,” Kher said. “Also I think Dev must have seen me in my movies, and if not then his parents must have seen hundreds of my movies. So I was not meeting Dev Patel the star, I was meeting Dev Patel the fan. So, it was important for me to be good to him without wanting to sound arrogant.”

The film is being released at a critical time as the world still reckons with the devastating attack at the Christchurch mosque in New Zealand. But there is a constant air of truth, on the part of the actors, script and director, that prevents “Hotel Mumbai” from ever feeling exploitative. Kher believes the film will resonate with audiences, because it shows how normal people from all walks of life demonstrate solidarity and band together in a time of crisis.

“Togetherness sometimes comes out of tragedy,” Kher said.

Kher also thinks the film can provide a necessary catharsis for those who have gone through trauma or know people who have just as it did for him. When “Hotel Mumbai” premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, Kher had an extremely emotional response, recalling that he was crying and howling in the audience and on stage.

“Hotel Mumbai” is one of the few films in recent memory that works as both a thriller and a realistic drama, working to both entertain the audience and honor the survivors of tragedy.

Perhaps one of the most remarkable things about the aftermath of the Mumbai attacks was that Oberoi and his staff reopened one of the restaurants bombed in the hotel just three weeks later. As Kher puts it, tragedy is inevitable but it is critical to remember that life will go on and morale cannot, and should not, be defeated.

Email Guru Ramanathan at gramanathan@nyunews.com.

Washington Square News | Arts

MONDAY, MARCH 25, 2019

T-Pain Gets a Roll on at PlayStation Theater

The Power Dynamic in Hamilton’s ‘Conversations’ Podcast

By LEAH BLOCK Contributing Writer In my left ear is Andrew Hamilton, the president of NYU, a man who made over a million dollars last year and lives in a penthouse apartment on Washington Square. In my right ear is Rubén Blades, Steinhardt’s first ever Scholar-in-Residence, a musician, politician, activist and lawyer.

They speak together on Hamilton’s new podcast “Conversations.” The podcast will air once a month during the school year and feature students, alumni and professors. The first episode was released on Feb. 22 with Blades as the inaugural guest.

Where Hamilton is loud, Blades is calm; where Hamilton interrupts, Blades listens.

I am struck by the contrast between these two men, who both came to the United States from vastly different regions: one hailing from a wealthy colonial power, the other having left the home he loved in the wake of a military coup.

Yet despite their differences, both are filled with passion. Hamilton for the university he serves, and Blades for his home country. Before he is any of his titles — from presidential candidate to Grammy Award-winning singer — Blades is an optimist. Whether it be in the field of music, law or public office, Blades believes in the power of people to create social change.

Throughout the conversation, Hamilton and Blades share laughter, but their interaction never feels genuine. They make it a bit too clear that they have a rapport with one another, that they are getting along and having fun. However, underneath this veil of social nicety, I see an interviewer desperate to con-

IFFAT NUR| WSN

Rapper T-Pain performs during his dazzling 2019 tour, mixing fan favorites and trap throwbacks to create a nostalgic atmosphere.

By IFFAT NUR Contributing Writer The name T-Pain, especially for those in college, probably f irst evokes the phrase “throwback.” It makes us stop and reminisce the incredible buzz he generated as one of the go-to artists in pop music during the late 2000s, appearing on more than 50 chart-topping singles, such as “Buy U A Drank (Shawty Snappin’)” and collaborative hits including “Good Life” with Kanye West and “Low” with Flo Rida.

The rap icon performed a dazzling set at PlayStation Theater on Friday night featuring a long list of fan favorites and trap throwbacks.

Much of the rapper’s performance was a medley of nostalgic beats — a reminder of the days when he had the whole nation dancing to his tunes. He was always quick to build up hype before launching into his previous hits, sometimes by asking the crowd if they were having a good time, or a “good good” time, before launching into his parts on “Good Life.”

On the video wall, the screen would alternate between visuals of a Miami beach scene and the current song’s music video.

He also drew from his winning performances from the TV show “The Masked Singer,” performing covers of songs such as Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now,” Sam Smith’s “Stay With Me” and Montell Jordan’s “This Is How We Do It.” These are certainly nostalgic,

if not timeless, former hits, and T-Pain played to his crowd well, delivering a unique and powerful spin on them.

Of course, this was primarily a tour for his new album “1UP,” so naturally, he performed many new songs, namely the single “Getcha Roll On,” which features rhythm and blues artist Tory Lanez on the album version. The tracks on “1UP” use less autotune and allow his live performances to be closer replicants of his studio version. Still, one could not help but be captivated, as it turns out the autotune was masking a naturally beautiful voice.

It was clear that T-Pain was also having fun as he performed. Often during a bridge, he would break out into dance, typically doing the robot but also performing more contemporary dances such as the Shoot, popularized f irst by Blocboy JB last year.

At the end of his performance, an out of breath T-Pain shouted, “We can only go up from here.”

After the way he lit up PlayStation Theater, it is almost impossible to doubt his words. T-Pain has said in previous interviews that the performances he gave on “The Masked Singer” were merely so that he could prove that he’s more than capable without autotune. It’s safe to say that T-Pain is getting the praise he is due.

Email Iffat Nur at music@nyunews.com.

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nect with his interviewee.

Five minutes in, Blades quotes his grandmother. “You can be poor, physically,” she once told him. “You can be poor materially, but never be poor spiritually, never be poor intellectually.”

Blades is a fascinating man. Although he went to law school, his career did not last long; he fled Panama’s military dictatorship in 1974 for Florida, where his law degree “meant nothing.” He instead turned to his childhood passion for music before returning to Panama to run for president in 1994. Blades received the third highest number of votes and later served as the country’s Minister of Tourism.

Later, Hamilton and Blades discuss Blades’ musical career. The Steinhardt scholar’s brilliance is masked behind shyness. At 14:45, Hamilton uses Blades’ music as a transition.

The tune is upbeat and beautiful, but does make reference to political realities. When asked about the political bend to his music, Blades denies it is there — he simply wants to write songs about his environment, both “as a protagonist” and “as a witness.” His political commentary surpasses ideology or propaganda: it is honesty in lyrical form.

Around 18:00, we learn how Blades uses his music as a form of legal and political engagement. Blades both transgresses and defies the labels that others put upon him. He does not identify as a protest singer, but he does not shy away from it, either. While in law school, Blades wanted to hold public office — he viewed law as a gateway to social change, and politics as “an act of self-defense.”

When Hamilton asks if he will run for president of Panama again, Blades says he will never shy away from public office.

The educator and the activist then turn to

discuss pressure that students face from their parents and from their environment: “It’s okay to make mistakes,” Blades says, lamenting the high expectations that students face to succeed in hypercompetitive fields. Hamilton worries about the effects of social media on his students: he notes that the “constant barrage of commentary and criticism” makes it harder for students to fail and to grow from that failure.

Blades spoke of his sometimes poor performance in school, noting he failed music and math. He seems to have a sense of humor about himself and his failures; his jokes are never braggadocious, nor at the expense of others — he takes everything seriously except himself.

Hamilton, on the other hand, takes his position in the podcast very seriously. He is performing for a different audience — his employees, his students — and for a different world.

The podcast ends after 31 minutes with Blades saying, “Thank you, Mr. President.”

I notice the sincerity in his voice and the respect he has for the man he is speaking with.

As the elevator music fades out, I am left with the impression that this incredible man — equal parts musician and leader — respects his counterpart. But I am left surprised that Hamilton doesn’t go out of his way to reciprocate that respect.

Yet perhaps they show respect in different ways. As a debater, I show respect for ideas by engaging with them, which occasionally includes interrupting. I see myself in Hamilton’s qualities: his privilege and pride, his desire to do right by the world. In Blades, I see my aspirations: to love and be loved by the world, to make art that matters to its audience, to instigate and nurture social change.

Email Leah Block at arts@nyunews.com.

Washington Square News

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OPINION@NYUNEWS.COM

MONDAY, MARCH 25, 2019

OPINION

Edited by HANNA KHOSRAVI and MELANIE PINEDA

CULTURE

Reality TV Isn’t a Guilty Pleasure

By HOPE RANGASWAMI Columnist “This is bigger and more consequential for the country than the Russia investigation.” These are the words I texted my friend when Jordyn Woods announced she was going on Red Table to spill the Tristan Thompson tea.

Though I sent this text as a joke, it got me thinking about the increasing role reality television plays in our lives.

Our news feeds are dominated just as much by reality-TV-derived drama as by reality. Our president himself was a reality TV star. We have a complicated relationship with reality TV: we

love to hate it, to dismiss its value, to resent its existence. And yet millions of us choose to watch it, though we might be ashamed to admit it. One of my professors recently described the genre as “abominable,” and maybe it is — but can we learn to allow ourselves to indulge in the abominable?

I keep up with the Kardashians.

I’ve watched “Life of Kylie” from start to finish. (I couldn’t get through “Rob and Chyna,” though — I have limits.) I loved all 138 hours of “Love Island.” And if you haven’t watched Jerry Springer’s show “Baggage,” look it up and watch it right now. It’s absurd and brilliant. You won’t regret it.

Many share my love for these shows and others like them, but may not be so proud to say so. Reality TV is almost exclusively relegated to the lowly rank of guilty pleasure, signaling to us that our enjoyment must necessarily be accompanied by guilt. But I refuse to feel guilty about taking the time to switch off and indulge.

Why do we feel guilty about enjoying reality TV? The shame seems to stem from our perception of reality TV as trash — in a recent poll, 48 percent of Americans held an unfavorable view of the reality genre, with 69 percent of respondents describing it as “trashy.” The conclusion we should draw, it seems, is that we’re wasting our time by enjoying something so intellectually worthless.

To enjoy watching this garbage becomes a kind of sin or a shameful secret. But this mentality only makes the time we’ve allocated to rest less restful.

We hold ourselves to increasingly high standards — constantly trying to work harder and be better — and these standards affect how we perceive free time. Rather than really letting ourselves enjoy our moments of rest, a voice creeps in our heads that says “Should I be watching something less lowbrow? Should I be doing something more productive?” Realizing that taking time off to watch garbage doesn’t need to make you feel guilty is

an important step towards shaking off the sense that we should be constantly working. We deserve to be a little kinder to ourselves. In doing so, we might actually reap more benefits from our breaks. Enjoying something a little trashy doesn’t mean you don’t have taste or you’re wasting your time. It’s actually a kind of self-respect — caring about yourself enough to let yourself like what you like, without judgment.

Giving ourselves the space to truly rest, free from the weight of guilt, has countless benefits: improved reasoning and willpower, restored motivation, increased productivity and creativity, to name a few. We ask so much of our bodies and minds — it’s natural (and necessary!) to want to switch off.

And switching on an episode of reality television might just be the best way to switch off; the beauty of reality TV shows is that they ask nothing from us.

All we have to do is watch. There are no expectations, no demands on our minds, no burdens on our bodies. The

very thing we might criticize reality television for — namely, being mindless — becomes its greatest strength.

Let’s stop constantly policing our taste and start being kinder to ourselves. Watching reality TV isn’t a guilty pleasure; it’s a legitimate form of self-care. It’s okay to want to escape and indulge. So next time you watch reality TV, own it.

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 sophomore in CAS majoring in English and Environmental Studies.

Email Hope Rangaswami at opinion@nyunews.com.

EDUCATION

The Problem With Colleges Fetishizing POC Struggles

By MELANIE PINEDA Opinion Editor It’s no secret that it is much harder for students of color to be admitted to elite institutions. A New York Times analysis from 2017 indicates that black and Hispanic students are more underrepresented at top universities now than they were 35 years ago. Affirmative action, the report said, may help increase the number of black and hispanic students, but that underrepresentation persists from issues in equality starting as early as elementary school. Stuyvesant High School, one of the most elite

high schools in New York City — a city which prides itself on diversity and inclusion — admitted only seven black students this year, a record low number.

And in the wake of the media frenzy caused by Lori Laughlin — who played Aunt Becky from “Full House” — and several other celebrities illegally securing their children’s place in elite schools, many students of color have come forward with the hardships they overcame to get into those same institutions. Some shared needing to work twice as hard as their white counterparts, only to be told that they got into elite colleges because of their race.

Others discussed the blatant income inequality that plagues several of these universities. One story that would constantly come up when I scrolled through my Twitter feed is students of color feeling pressured to share traumatic stories to ensure their acceptance into a good school.

Time and time again, minorities

are encouraged to write about living through trauma as a person of color in a way they know will outperform their white counterparts and compel universities, scholarship organizations and graduate schools to admit them.

T.M. Landry, a college prep school which made several headlines last year for sending many of its underprivileged black students to elite schools, was exposed for doing just that — exaggerating and even lying about their students’ struggles in order to guarantee acceptance into a top-tier college. The students were told that this was a “good look” for their applications.

But urging students of color to share stories of extreme hardship only places more pressure on a group attempting to navigate a system built against it. It further pushes stereotypical narratives such as that of the strong and unbreakable black woman, which often lead to negative effects on mental health.

We become so used to sharing these

traumas that it eventually becomes second nature: questions such as “What’s something you’ve had to overcome?” or “Tell us about a time where you learned an important lesson” are immediately linked to either a traumatizing event in our lives or discrimination we’ve faced in the past, stories which are often triggering and emotionally draining to recount.

I was one of these students. In high school, I was told by teachers and counselors that my 3.8 GPA and extracurriculars weren’t enough, and that I had to emphasize on my application any hardship my background had brought me as a kid. I remember pouring my heart out into each and every one of those personal essays because I was taught that my trauma was what was going to put me over the edge. I also specifically remember my white classmates not being encouraged in the same way, yet they were admitted into the same schools I was while only writing about simple,

joyful personal narratives, such as the time my friend coached his younger brother’s soccer team.

Students of color are told that what makes them different is what makes them shine. But elite institutions’ disturbing emphasis on these differences also creates an atmosphere for these students which is not always welcoming. Our rags-to-riches stories become almost fetishized; to elite schools, our academic accomplishments and performances aren’t enough. As T.M. Landry and several other institutions know, we aren’t desirable enough just as we are. But no one student can truly do it all; we all are accomplished in different ways and should be able to exemplify that within our respective institutions.

By placing unrealistic expectations on underprivileged students, colleges run the risk of losing them entirely.

Email Melanie Pineda at mpineda@nyunews.com.

GOVERNMENT

The Disrepute of Mayor de Blasio

By COLE STALLONE Deputy Opinion Editor In January, only five percent of New Yorkers said Mayor Bill de Blasio would make the best president out of a selection of prominent New York politicians.

De Blasio’s approval rating is also fairly low, at 43 percent this past December.

However, a quick look at the mayor’s record might leave some wondering

why, as most of his policies are progressive and generally beneficial to the city.

Nevertheless, de Blasio is fundamentally out of touch with the concerns of most New Yorkers. Most importantly, he seems to be set in his ways and indifferent to his critics; this inflexibility is his greatest flaw. It has contributed to great dissatisfaction with government among the public, which manifests in low voter turnout. Ultimately, de Blasio’s administration reveals an important lesson about governance: a progressive platform is only viable if it meets the most critical needs of the constituency.

The mayor’s defense of his reforms to the city’s ferry system highlights his removed disposition. The project includes more than $500 million worth of spending on the ferry, which has been met with criticism — especially in light

of crumbling bus and train infrastructure. The mayor appeared defensive when questioned about the proposal and cited how beneficial the improvements would be to those who depended on the ferry in their commute. On average, 13,400 people use the city’s ferry system daily, which equals fewer than five million rides per year — a million lower than the number of people that use the subway daily.

This deliberate misallocation of resources into a project that does not benefit the vast majority of New Yorkers represents de Blasio’s inability to effectively govern. While the project isn’t inherently negative, it takes away potential resources to fix more prevalent issues at hand and provides no practical solution for them. And while there is something to be said about the complexity of the

Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the inherent difficulty of legitimate reform, de Blasio’s attempt at being a visionary comes off like inadequacy and indifference.

De Blasio’s disposition is overshadowed only by New Yorkers’ dissatisfaction with electoral politics — in the most recent mayoral election, only 24 percent of New Yorkers voted, two percent less than in the previous election.

Similarly, the 2019 New York City Public Advocate special election had a voter turnout of only nine percent. This is in sharp contrast to the record-setting midterm elections nationwide, which saw a national turnout of 49 percent.

Nevertheless, the Public Advocate race — New York’s most recent election — was unique and gave the city something to look forward to. It featured a range

of progressive candidates, each with distinct and interesting policy goals. Most importantly, each candidate seemed to learn from de Blasio’s mistakes and focused their campaigns on issues that were important to their voters.

Ultimately, the Public Advocate election gives us some hope, but the low turnout should be noted. A range of candidates is good, but only if it inspires and invigorates the electorate. As de Blasio looks beyond the city, and as the city looks beyond him, the only thing that’s certain is change. In a moment of national uncertainty, hopefully this can be the time for positive change and the reincorporation of alienated New Yorkers into the political sphere.

Email Cole Stallone at cstallone@nyunews.com.

Washington Square News | Opinion

MONDAY, MARCH 25, 2019

9

CULTURE

Finding Hope in Springtime

By HANNA KHOSRAVI Opinion Editor This last weekend, I flew back from Tokyo, where I had spent my spring break during the inaugural blossoming of Japan’s world-renowned “Sakura,” or cherry blossom trees, in practically every crevice of each sidewalk, garden and public park. In Tokyo, everyone — tourists and residents alike — seemed to be awaiting the bloom of the Sakura. It’s quite special, observing a nation come together to cherish something as abstract as the onset of spring. Springtime is, after all, something that can belong to all of us.

On Thursday when I woke up in Tokyo, which up to that point had consistently been abuzz with foot-traffic unlike any I had ever observed (and I live in New York), the city was strangely still. I soon realized that most businesses and schools were on holiday for the Vernal Equinox, or the first day of spring, on March 21. While the tranquility was transient, I could sense within its undisturbed serenity a true homage to and respect for both spring and nature. At the change of the seasons, Japan holds festivals and holidays during which it honors the power of nature and eulogizes ancestors, as families spend time at the burial sites of loved ones or visit shrines to pay tribute to both the past and the future.

As the child of Iranian-American and Kurdish-American parents, my family and I have celebrated spring through the holiday of Nowruz, or Persian New Year, with the same intent and annual joyous spirit of Christmas, Thanksgiving or New Year’s Eve. And so seeing a national recognition and embrace of the start to spring was, suffice it to say, extremely cool.

Nowruz might just be one of my favorite periods of the year. Nowruz, which expands upon the Ancient Zoroastrian tradition of vernal commemoration, translates directly to “new day,” and the festivities are celebrated by over 300 million people across the globe. The holiday is, despite its regional congruencies, completely secular. It is rather a cultural celebration, rife with color, music, dancing and cuisine, amplified by a 13-day procession of festivities to ring in the new year.

During Nowruz, families will set up a Haft-Seen (which stands for the “Seven Ss,” “seen” being the Farsi word for the letter “S”), a decorated table setting bedecked with an array of trinkets, food and symbols all representing tips for potential prosperity. Take seeb, or apple, included on the table for health, or sabzeh, which means grass, as the centerpiece of the table, positioned to indicate growth and rebirth.

On the Tuesday before each Equinox, families will set up a small pit of

Submitting to

fire and jump over it in a ceremonial inauguration to the new year’s impending revelries. As you take the leap over the low-burning flames, you chant in Farsi what can roughly be translated to “give me your fiery redness, and take back my sickly paleness.” And at the moment of the new year itself, festivities center completely around the forces of nature.

Nowruz — rather than taking place at midnight as the Gregorian New Year does — occurs at the exact moment of the Vernal Equinox on any given year, which means that parties might start at 5 a.m., 10 p.m. or mid-day. No matter where you are or what you’re doing, you stop, drop and roll at the moment that spring makes its grand foray into our year. This also means that if we are celebrating Nowruz at 5:58 p.m. Eastern Time, my grandfather in Iran is celebrating at the exact same moment at 1:58 a.m. his local time. It means that when I was in Japan this year, my father awakened us at 6:58 a.m. with the chimes of exuberant Iranian tunes on his iPhone, jolting our hotel room into holiday cheer as he live-streamed images of Nowruz festivals all across the globe.

It is a moment of complete synchronicity, of mutual celebration, of the prioritization of the loved ones around you and of the absolute magic of the annually-changing tides of nature. Nowruz revolves around a oneness with our communities and with the earth beneath our feet.

Celebrations of spring are no wunderkind, individual to any one culture — many if not most cultures possess some derivation of it, and we see the jubilant commencement of the season in the permutations of Passover, St. Patrick’s Day or Easter. But to me, spring has always seemed much more adequate for a new year than the mid-winter throes of January. Spring is about rebirth and renewal — spring is about something as simple and wholly pure as an unfettered excitement to see the first flourishing of cherry blossoms turn an entire city from the ashen gray of winter into technicolor.

On the last day of Nowruz’s 13-day extravaganzas, families fold up their embellished Haft-Seen and make a trip to the closest river or lake to place (or toss) the sabzeh (the grass) into the current, allowing it to float away towards a hopeful prosperity. At the final glimpse of the sabzeh coursing through the water, Nowruz concludes, indicating a period of reflection of what has gone by and intention for what is to come. It is about unifying one’s personal and spiritual growth, love, health, prosperity, longevity and wisdom (all symbolically represented on the Haft-Seen) with the revitalization of the Earth at the end of March each year. Yes, the new year is a holiday of happiness, but it is also a meditation — a reflection through which we not only look at ourselves but take the opportunity to look out of our windows and see nature celebrating (and blooming) with us. Spring is a concept that can remind us of both our shared joys and our humbled presence at the

sheer capacity of something as vast and beautiful as the changing season.

I’m not necessarily saying we need a national holiday to induct each equinox, or that our confetti ridden Times Square-Dick Clark-New Year’s Kiss-January celebrations are not special enough. All my family and friends know I still somehow well up with tears when the ball drops and “Auld Lang Syne” starts playing at midnight.

New Year’s Eve is, and always should be, a moment of unabashed cultural spirit. But Nowruz, too, represents a concept worth noting — a celebration of a distinct cultural and environmental regeneration at the start of a delightful, colorful season.

In the last few years, observing Nowruz’s permeation into the national consciousness has been a welcome development. I would always be excited to see President Barack Obama pronouncing Farsi words, wishing all celebrators a Happy Nowruz in his annual address to the Iranian-American community during his eight years in office. It even put a smile on my face when I awoke a few days ago to my New York Times Cooking newsletter, adorned with a fruitful list of Persian recipes so that you, too, can celebrate the Persian New Year if you would like to.

Because Nowruz, despite its cultural relevance to Iranians and Iranian-Americans, is not a holiday based in any kind of scriptural principle set. You do not need to adhere to a certain culture, creed or religion to embrace the oncoming of spring, and you do not need to do it with the ferocity of jumping over a fire if you do not want to (doing this in New York seems like a logistical nightmare — although I can confirm with absolute certainty that the practice is, indeed, quite fun).

But perhaps creating a cultural acknowledgement of the season, in the way that many cultures have adapted — like Japan’s Vernal Equinox Day — can serve as a breath of fresh air, a modicum of light in a world and in a time that seems so entrenched in geopolitical uncertainty. I do not want to get into our current realm of disheartening social and political debates — because that’s not what Nowruz is about. But I will say that in this atmosphere of somewhat deafening turmoil, something as simple as spring can serve an indicator of hope and a reminder that there is, indeed, a new day on the way — and that we all play a part in creating it.

Nowruz is continuing on until April 1. So enjoy it how you will, but do consider celebrating somehow (might I recommend a visit to Taste of Persia, a particularly good Iranian soup stand near Union Square?).

Take part in Nowruz, or just take part in the spring, in and of itself. We should all embrace the chance to pay tribute to the hope that this new season might bring — there’s a reason they call it “spring cleaning,” after all.

Email Hanna Khosravi at hkhosravi@nyunews.com.

STAFF EDITORIAL

NYU Needs to Rename Steinhardt Over the break, the nation’s headlines were filled with the name Steinhardt. Michael Steinhardt — a retired hedge fund manager and namesake of NYU’s largest graduate school thanks to a $20 million donation — faces multiple accusations of sexual harassment and inappropriate comments made toward men and women in various organizations. The Steinhardt Foundation quickly responded to the allegations, dismissing most of them as “purposeful distortions” of Steinhardt’s “well-known sense of humor.” Make no mistake, Steinhardt’s behavior is far beyond an acceptable form of humor; it is predatory sexual harassment and a direct abuse of his position. Steinhardt’s behavior also directly contradicts NYU’s policy toward sexual misconduct.

Having a school named after a notorious sexual harasser disrupts the “safe learning, living, and working environment” NYU seeks to maintain. For this reason, the university should remove Michael Steinhardt’s name from the School of Culture, Education and Human Development. This decision would be a major step for the university in showing it cares more about the well-being of its students than the desires of its donors.

NYU needs to look at who it wishes to immortalize and celebrate. The administration has already faced criticism for the Elmer Holmes Bobst Library, which is named after an accused pedophile and anti-Semite. Now, with the Steinhardt school and building, NYU will once again face the choice of whether to condemn or acclaim these abusers.

Many activist movements today push for individuals to question the normalization of abusers and harassment. In the article outlining Steinhardt’s transgressions, one woman stated that after Steinhardt’s demeaning comments about women’s bodies or inappropriate requests for sex, people would act as though nothing happened or laugh along.

This is often the story in examples of abuse, from Harvey Weinstein to R. Kelly — many people knew what was occurring, yet chose to do nothing. In this way, victims are not only subjected to the actual harassment itself, but also forced to feel the isolation of

their peers’ apathetic responses.

This is why shows of solidarity with victims are vital. Doing nothing supports a broken status quo, one that allows the power to rest with abusers and those who contribute to a culture of harassment. NYU may wish to keep Steinhardt’s name to avoid making a controversial statement. But there is no avoiding the push to recognize and condemn powerful figures who have fallen from grace. We saw it when students at Yale University successfully called for the removal of John C. Calhoun’s name from numerous buildings due to his promotion of slavery, and when people across the country called for the removal of Confederate statues for similar reasons.

As much as this controversy is a part of a larger problem, ultimately this situation provides an opportunity for the university to take a stand. The original report by the “Jewish Week” highlights the clear consequences of Steinhardt’s behavior. Sources claimed that after the initial complaint from a woman in 2015, Steindhart was no longer allowed to meet with female employees unaccompanied. In terms of NYU students, that means the namesake of the Steinhardt school should not meet with 59 percent of its students unaccompanied; this is fundamentally unacceptable. Before these most recent allegations, there was little national attention. But we can no longer plead ignorance.

NYU’s policy toward sexual misconduct, sexual assault and sexual exploitation explicitly states the administration’s commitment to “fostering a community in which such conduct not tolerated.” For this most obvious reason, NYU has no reason not to rename NYU Steinhardt. To truly abide by its own explicitly outlined policy, NYU can and should choose to rename the Steinhardt school. In the age of the #MeToo movement, we are undergoing a regeneration of our culture — in short, we are finding out that there are lots of problematic, powerful people with their names plastered on things and places we love and respect. But rather than standing by and allowing these contradictions to exist, we should stand against them.

Email the Editorial Board at editboard@nyunews.com.

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

SEND MAIL TO: 75 THIRD AVE. #SB07, NEW YORK, N.Y. 10003 OR EMAIL: OPINION@NYUNEWS.COM WSN welcomes letters to the editor, opinion pieces and articles relevant to the NYU community, or in response to articles. Letters should be less than 450 words. All submissions must be typed or emailed and must include the author’s name, address and phone number. Members of the NYU community must include a year and school or job title. WSN does not print unsigned letters or editorials. WSN reserves the right to reject any submission and edit accepted submissions in any and all ways. With the exception of the staff editorial, opinions expressed on the editorial pages are not necessarily those of WSN, and our publication of opinions is not an endorsement of them.

Washington Square News

10

SPORTS

SPORTS@NYUNEWS.COM

Stern Junior Sets NCAA Swimming Record

SAM KLEIN | WSN

SPS junior Julian Montilus runs the 400m hurdles at the USF Bulls Invitational on Saturday. He placed sixth overall in the event.

By BRENDAN DUGGAN Sports Editor A recap of NYU Athletics from March 17 to 24.

Women’s Swimming Competing at the NCAA Division III National Championships in Greensboro, NC, the NYU women’s swimming team placed fifth out of 50 teams, recording 203 points, their best finish in program history.

Stern junior Honore Collins won all three of NYU’s national championships and was also awarded National Swimmer of the Year honors. Collins won the 200-yard butterfly (2:00.40), the 200-yard individual medley (1:58.18) and the 400-yard individual medley (4:15.17). Her 200-yard individual medley time set an NCAA record.

CAS first-year Rachel Reistroffer earned All-American honors with her fifth-place finish in the 1650-yard freestyle, recording a time of 16:55.85. The 2018-2019 historic season officially ended as the National Championship weekend concluded.

Baseball The NYU baseball team played six games in a row last week, losing to SUNY New Paltz and Rowan University, but winning four games in a row to improve to 10-3 on the season.

In a shutout win over Illinois Institute of Technology, the Violets erupted for 16 runs while holding the Scarlet Hawks to three hits and zero runs. Leading the NYU offense, SPS senior Colman Hendershot recorded four RBIs, as ten Violets recorded at least one hit. Stern junior Sal Cammisuli tossed five shutout innings, giving up two hits and no walks, improving to 2-0 on the season.

Against Plattsburgh State, NYU Head Coach Doug Kimbler recorded his 100th career win as the Violets rolled to a 4-2 victory. Stern seniors Ryan McLaughlin and Jack Walter each had RBIs in the second inning to give NYU an early lead, and Stern junior Ford Ladd pitched 6.2 innings, giving up only one earned run to improve to 3-1 on the season.

The Violets recorded two more wins during their six-game stretch, including an 8-5 win over Plattsburgh State and a 30-19 win over Illinois Institute of Technology. The Violets return to action on Wednesday, March 27 and will attempt to avenge their loss to SUNY New Paltz. The game will be played at 4 p.m. at MCU Park in Brooklyn, NY. Softball The NYU softball team went 5-3 over their eight-game stretch in Florida over spring break. After losing two games to the College of New Jersey in a doubleheader, the Violets bounced back and won three in a row, defeating Oswego State, Messiah College and Babson College by the scores 7-5, 4-2 and

MONDAY, MARCH 25, 2019

6-1 respectively.

Against Oswego State, the Violets erased a 5-0 deficit, scoring six runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. CAS first-year Lauren Kong began the rally with a triple, and after 11 batters hit for the Violets, ended the scoring with a two-run single. College of Nursing junior Scarlett Murphy pitched 3.1 hitless innings to earn the victory.

After losing a close game to Babson College 12-10, the Violets rebounded again, defeating The College of New Jersey 8-3, and Oswego State 7-0. Against the College of New Jersey, the Violets came back from a 3-1 deficit when CAS first-year Serena Ponciano tied the game with a two-run double. In the next inning, CAS junior Mary Tindall hit a two-run home run to put the Violets ahead. Stern first-year Maggie Swan improved to 3-0 after pitching a complete game, striking out six batters and giving up just two earned runs.

The Violets improved to 7-3 on the season and resume action on Tuesday, March 26 when they host Rutgers-Newark in the Bronx.

Men’s and Women’s Track and Field The NYU men’s track and field outdoor season opened up in Tampa, FL this past weekend. The Violets competed in the USF Bulls Invitational. SPS junior Julian Montilus helped the Violets by placing sixth in the 400m hurdles, with a personal-best time of 54.25. Additionally, CAS junior Carter Beardsley placed third in the hammer throw with a distance of 48.59m.

The NYU women’s track and field team also competed at the USF Bulls Invitational this past Friday and Saturday. The 4x100m relay team of SPS senior Shannon Morgan, Tisch first-year Danielle Fuller, CAS firstyear Anna Langlois and Stern first-year Joanna Li took fifth place with a time of 54.56.

Both the men’s and women’s track and field teams will resume action on Friday, April 5 at the Sam Howell Invitational in Princeton, N.J. Men’s and Women’s Fencing The NYU men’s fencing team competed at the NCAA Fencing Championships this past week in Cleveland, OH. Stern senior Mickey Bak lead the Violets with a 16th-place finish after winning 10 separate events. Additionally, Stern senior Kyle Welch and CAS sophomore Zohaib Mannan finished in 17th place and 23rd place, respectively.

Competing at the NCAA Championships, Stern sophomore Tiffany Luong represented NYU in Cleveland this past weekend. Luong won two matches and finished in 22nd place. Combined with three men’s fencers, NYU placed 17th overall, tallying 30 total points.

As the weekend came to an end, so did the NYU men’s and women’s fencing season.

Email Brendan Duggan at bduggan@nyunews.com.

Edited by BRENDAN DUGGAN and ZACH HAN THE SPORTS GIRL

The Finish Line Is Further for Women

By BELA KIRPALANI Deputy Managing Editor In honor of Women’s History Month, I thought I would take a moment (or several moments) to reflect on the many inspirational figures in women’s sports who have paved the way for future generations, and also on the work that still needs to be done for women to gain the recognition they deserve. Following in the footsteps of The Sports Kid, aka former Managing Editor Bobby Wagner, I have decided to jot my thoughts down in a handy column for WSN readers to peruse.

As a young girl, I was always into sports, especially soccer. My mom signed me up for intramural soccer when I was five years old to get me out of the house, and I fell in love with the game almost immediately. Some of my strongest memories from my childhood took place on those soccer fields — the sun bearing down on me and my teammates as I zoomed around, zigzagging through defenders like Mia Hamm, my idol.

One of the biggest moments in women’s sports came in the summer of 1999. I was only a year old when the United States won the 1999 Women’s World Cup, but as I grew older I looked back on the famous penalty shootout and Brandi Chastain’s controversial celebration with pride and unparalleled admiration.

Twelve-year-old Bela obsessively watched Mia Hamm and Briana Scurry’s highlights, read everything she could about the legendary 99ers and kept up with the latest team news.

Those women were my heroes — for the

first time, I felt seen and I even thought that I could one day take the field and represent my country on the world stage. Obviously, that dream never quite materialized, but the sentiment remains the same: the United States Women’s National Team made me feel proud of being a girl who loved sports. It proved that it could succeed on the world stage, and it catapulted women into the limelight at a time when men’s teams dominated the headlines.

Throughout my life, there have been countless inspiring women in sports who have consistently pushed boundaries and made their names. Michelle Akers, Serena Williams, Maya Moore, Katie Ledecky, Sue Bird and Simone Biles, just to name a few. These athletes and the millions of girls around the world who play the sports that they love, without caring about what others think, prove that women no longer have anything to prove.

However, while women have been killing it in their respective sports for years, there are still some ways to go in terms of providing female athletes with the recognition and media coverage that they deserve. It’s hard to miss the trolls that post hateful comments on female athletes’ and sports journalists’ social media accounts.

And the lack of strong support from media is disappointing; just look at ESPN’s frustrating mishandling of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament bracket. Why was Kobe Bryant — a man who never played college basketball and who was once accused of sexual assault — made the face of the NCAA’s women’s March Madness ad campaign instead of one of the countless WNBA superstars?

Why must the United States Women’s National Team face such flack in their fight for equal pay and improved working conditions?

After all, they’ve won the World Cup three times and gold at the Olympics four times.

The men? Zero for both.

Don’t forget when the best women’s soccer player in the world was asked if she could twerk on stage at the awards ceremony.

And let’s not even get started on how President Trump has neglected to invite the past two WNBA champions or current NCAA women’s basketball champions to the White House.

The Minnesota Whitecaps just won the Isobel Cup during its first season in the National Women’s Hockey League. Two professional women’s soccer games broke attendance records in the past two weeks. And the University of Connecticut’s women’s basketball team — the most successful women’s basketball program in history — has a chance to win its 12th national title this season.

The women’s accomplishments speak for themselves. If you’re a fan, buy a ticket and show up to cheer on your local team. If you’re a journalist, commit to fair coverage of women’s sports. And if you’re a misogynist, step up to the plate and support women in athletics, too.

The Sports Girl is a weekly sports column that will feature a girl’s take on sports. Yes, a girl. Yes, on sports.

Email Bela Kirpalani at bkirpalani@nyunews.com.

MONDAY, MARCH 25, 2019

Washington Square News | The Wallkill Journal

11 The Wallkill Journal was created and published by individuals incarcerated at the Wallkill Correctional Facility, in collaboration with the NYU Prison Education Program and the WSN staff.

Two Incarcerated Men Prepare for Careers in Fashion

By RAYVON GORDON Late on a Friday night, a pair of independent fashion designers sat down to swap notes in a highly unlikely setting, the Wallkill Correctional Facility, where both of them reside. Gary Robinson, aka Giz, 32, and Troy James, 23, could pass for brothers. Both have tightly shaved hairlines and waves like spinning disco balls. During our conversation, Giz assumed an attentive posture, cool and relaxed as he prepared to be interviewed. James looked carefree and cavalier, as if he’d already earned his first check as a designer.

Elsewhere in the dayroom, our fellow inmates shouted excitedly at a football game playing on the TV, slammed domino pieces at an adjacent table and whipped up impromptu meals in the kitchen area.

Most wore standard prison greens. But that didn’t stop Giz and Troy from fantasizing about the flashier, more high-end apparel they hope to create one day soon.

Rayvon Gordon: What’s up, guys.

Tell me about yourselves and your fashion lines.

Giz: What’s up. My name is Gary Robinson, born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. I design the upcoming female clothing line Michelle Milani.

Troy: Nothing much, you know, just getting to the bag. I go by the name Troy James, born and raised in Harlem. My fashion line is also for women, and it’s called Desire Legacy.

How did you two meet?

Giz: We’ve known each other going on nine months now. We live in the same “house” on the C-side.

Troy: We happen to have the same knack for drawing. Once I was presenting some designs I made on handkerchiefs and custom pillowcases, which I trade for food and smokes. [Other inmates send these handmade pieces as gifts for loved ones.]

He took a liking to my work, and I got to see his.

You two seem pretty tight.

Giz: That’s my lil’ brother… I do not take a liking to too many fellow inmates that come around, especially the type I call “silly’onskee’s,” who have no clue on life.

He is always looking for a way out, so I

What inspired the names of your lines?

Giz: I wanted to reference a powerful woman, and thought of Michelle Obama.

And for the last name, I was looking for a foreign appeal to it, so I came up with Milani.

Troy: Desire is a name I’ve had in mind for my unborn child; I always wanted that for my first girl. And Legacy, well…it’s a birthright, something inherited.

How would you describe your work?

Giz: I’d say it’s a clash of sugar and spice; urban sex appeal and class. My target market is urban women who favor classy, elegant attire.

Troy: At first, it was more urban wear, and then I adopted a more regal taste — women’s pantsuits and lingerie, among other things. More grown-up and sexy.

What inspires your work?

Giz: Women’s appearance, their anatomy, the way they walk, talk, smell… and their personalities overall.

Troy: I think of my mother and what she’d expect from me as her creative son. I know it was rough raising two boys on her own. I just want to show her that I fully understand a women’s part in life.

What is your favorite clothing brand?

Giz: Ralph Lauren Polo and Levi’s.

Troy: True Religion.

ILLUSTRATION BY TROY JAMES

Troy James, another Wallkill inmate, also designed a women’s fashion line called “Desire Legacy.” He designs pantsuits and lingerie, among other things.

Editor-in-Chief

try my best to uplift him, as a big brother should. So I inspire Troy on a positive note and try to keep him from making the mistakes I made.

Troy: He is all right. I believe we’ve built a lasting friendship.

How did each of you get started doing fashion?

Giz: The day I started was like an epiphany. I’m 32 and this is my fourth bid upstate.

I was tired of coming into the system. So I was sitting in my room one day and it just hit me that this would be a way to release the pain and frustration. Nobody in my family owns a business. I wanted to break the cycle of poverty. This is my way to get out the fucking hood. I now have over 50 pieces in each collection, including shoes, handbags, dresses, jackets, bikinis and lingerie.

Troy: Giz inspired me. I had tried my hand at fashion design, but nothing too serious. It was when he showed me his craft that the bug bit me and I went and got started. In the first month, I designed over 400 sketches.

Giz: The first piece Troy showed me, I could see the potential. It didn’t surprise me much, since I already knew he could draw.

Now, he’s the prime orchestrator indeed. I’d trade a few pieces of my own for his.

Troy: He would advise me to keep practicing, take my time and focus. For him, he already had it in the bag; I couldn’t say too much other than, “Let me see more!”

Washington Square News Staff Sakshi Venkatraman Managing Editor

Sam Klein DEPUTY Akshay Prabhushankar, Bela Kirpalani Priya Tharwala, Sophia Di Iorio Copy Chiefs

Joey Hung, Andrew Ankersen DEPUTY Kate Lowe, Lauren Gruber, Sam Brinton, Paul Kim ILLUSTRATION BY GARY ROBINSON

pieces?

Giz: Not so much, because I’m still learning the ins and outs of fabrics. Although trying to keep up on the latest trends is a challenge.

Troy: The limitations definitely frustrate me. I can’t buy the fabrics I need to make my designs, display the pieces on mannequins, or put them on social media. But for now I’ll just keep making more collections.

Do you know how to sew?

Giz: No, but I’m eager to learn — probably taking a class in tailoring will be one of the first things I do when I reach home.

Troy: I have some experience sewing, just making pillowcases out of handkerchiefs.

Would you ever consider working for another designer?

Giz: Absolutely, so I can grow as a fashion designer and learn the business side of things.

Troy: Of course. Because I am fresh to the game, I have a lot to learn. The opportunity to work with an [established] designer would show me the business side and help me refine my ideas.

Any tips for budding designers or other creative types?

Giz: Always motivate the next person with the talent you have. Find yourself; discover your gift because everyone has a talent. Surround yourself with good, positive people as I did with my brother Troy. Push forward and strive, and take it a day at a time.

Troy: Do the right thing and good things come back to you. No matter what people tell you, always be yourself — do not be a follower. Don’t ever try to be somebody you’re not. And remember, patience goes a long way. It’s something I’ve learned from my boy and future business partner, Giz. It’s key. Lastly, do not force yourself to work. Let it come naturally, even if it takes days, weeks, or months to orchestrate the vision.

Who would you most love to dress?

Giz: The former First Lady, Michelle Obama.

Troy: Cardi B.

This story has been approved for publication by an official with the Wallkill Correctional Facility.

Do you find it frustrating that you can’t get your hands on material and actually produce these

Rayvon Gordon is a student in NYU’s Prison Education Program. Email him at prison.education@nyu.edu.

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A design from Wallkill Correctional Facility inmate Gary Robinson, aka Giz. Giz’s line is called “Michelle Milani,” inspired by former First Lady Michelle Obama.

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