Washington Square News | September 16, 2019

5 CULTURE

9 OPINION

Meet the CAS Senior With a 1930s Wardrobe

NYU Is Protecting Abusers

7 ARTS

10 SPORTS

Creative Writing Community Persists Despite Lack of Major

Women’s Volleyball Starts Off Season With Exciting Wins

VOLUME LIII | ISSUE 4

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2019

Hong Kong Unrest Arouses Anger, Fear in Students Away From Home

KATE LOWE | WSN

Protesters fill the streets of Hong Kong in June.

Massive protests, some of which have turned violent, have been going on in Hong Kong for months — students from the city have different feelings on the matter.

By VICTOR PORCELLI News Editor While millions have taken to the streets of Hong Kong to protest a bill that would give China more power over the mainly autonomous region, students who call the city home are now watching, sidelined, from New York.

Hong Kong’s troubles started with a murder. Residents of the city, Chan Tong-kai, 19, and his girlfriend, Poon Hiu-wing, 20, went on a Valentine’s Day trip to Taiwan during which Chan strangled Poon to death.

Hong Kong police wanted to hand over — or extradite — Chan to Taiwanese authorities, but the city does not have an extradition agreement with Taiwan. And so, the Hong Kong government proposed one. However,

what seemed like a simple attempt to solve a problem, critics said was a way for China to assert more power over Hong Kong.

This is because the extradition bill would not only allow Hong Kong to send criminals to Taiwan, but to China, too. The country had already encroached on Hong Kong’s temporary autonomy (its independence is protected by a law which expires in 2047, when the city will presumably return to Chinese rule) through abducting booksellers that sold unflattering literature about the Chinese Communist Party and a billionaire financially tied to influential Chinese politicians.

Many of those protesting the bill have done so out of fear that it would be used to charge and extradite Hong Kong residents critical of the mainland and reduce the overall freedom

of the city. The autonomous region has a more just and fair legal system than China — protestors worry that an extradition law could allow the country to impose authoritarian rule over Hong Kong.

Since then, multiple protests — some peaceful, some violent — have taken place, with millions participating and police resorting to tear gas and rubber bullets. The bill has been tabled but protestors have made other demands that include Chief Executive Carrie Lam’s resignation, protestors being absolved of their crimes, an inquiry into police brutality and greater democratic freedoms overall.

Liberal Studies first-year Dylan Yen — who was in Hong Kong this summer — was personally affected by the protests.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

VIOLA MAY | WSN

Burger Studio: Gone, But Never Forgotten READ MORE ON PAGE 4

Washington Square News

2

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2019

NEWS

NEWS@NYUNEWS.COM

Edited by VICTOR PORCELLI

Hong Kong Unrest Arouses Anger, Fear in Students Away From Home CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

“Every single day I had to wear a gas mask when I would go home,” Yen said.

“Police gassed the subway station where I would get home so I would have to walk through tear gas.”

Yen said he was stopped by the police six times simply because he looked young.

“I felt helpless,” Yen said. “I was just a normal kid. I was coming home from work and the police stop me and decided to put handcuffs on me just because I was young and wearing a gas mask.”

CAS junior Christy Wong said she knew many people personally who participated in the protests. At one point, a friend of hers couldn’t get home due to fires stopping public transit.

“Things have become pretty violent so

everyone has just been worried about their own safety. This is new for all Hong Kongers because [Hong Kong] was once the top [three] safest city in the whole world,” Wong wrote in a text message to WSN. “Now, youngsters may get targeted while they’re out in public even if they’re not participating in the protests.”

Wong said she does not agree with the extradition law, but does think the protests have gone too far.

“I was born and raised in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong’s autonomy and rule of law would always concern me,” Wong wrote. “I’m personally against the extradition law. However, the protests have escalated into something different recently.”

Wong worries that political or other interest groups may be using the protests as a way to

prevent a policy that will hurt them. Chinese businessmen who don’t want their assets seized and those who oppose Lam are two parties she mentioned.

“This is a murky situation where people have begun to take advantage of the young protestors and use them as political tools for their own political gains,” Wong wrote.

Steinhardt first-year Marcus Wong sees the situation differently. Like Christy, he thinks the protests are fine in theory but have gotten out of hand. However, he does not agree that the extradition bill is something to be concerned over.

“I personally think it’s dumb,” Marcus Wong said. “When you think about it, you’d only be caught in the crosshair with China if you’re doing something that’s against China. If you’re a normal person, why do they

Student Government’s To-Do’s: Improve Resources, Help Connect Students With Them

By VICTOR PORCELLI News Editor Student Government Assembly’s new chairperson will seek to circumvent some of the university’s unnecessary bureaucracy in an effort to provide and connect students with more resources this year.

In an interview with WSN, Jakiyah Bradley — SGA’s chairperson for the 2019-2020 academic year — discussed her vision for the governing body. SGA is made up of three different councils: the President’s Council, which includes school presidents; the Student Senator’s Council, which includes school senators and senators at-large; and the Global Students Council, which includes students from NYU’s global campuses.

In past semesters, SGA has focused on changing NYU policy through resolutions which, if passed by the SSC, must be approved by the Executive Committee of the University Senate, passed by the senate and, finally, approved by NYU’s Board of Trustees.

Bradley said she sees the value in bringing about change in this way, but believes that

student representatives should also look for other methods of doing so.

“Making sure that members know they don’t have to write a resolution for everything,” Bradley said. “For food insecurity stuff I never wrote a resolution, I was able to just talk to people. Again, not to downplay resolutions, sometimes it’s just faster to talk to folks.”

Formerly a Senator at-Large for students facing food insecurity, Bradley was part of a working group with administrators, staff and students focused on the issue. Through their efforts, the Courtesy Meals Program — which provides students unable to afford their next meal with $75 dining dollars — was promoted. Bradley has since worked with administrators to improve the program and helped incorporate food-insecurity initiatives into NYU’s deal with their new dining service provider, Chartwells.

Bradley said that, in addition to working with administrators to improve resources, she’d like SGA to act as a go-between for students and existing resources this year.

“If students don’t know where to go

SAM KLEIN | WSN

Jakiyah Bradley, chairperson of the Student Government Assembly, leads a meeting in 2018.

to in the university, they should at least feel like they can come to student government,” Bradley said.

Multiple students expressed that NYU — as a university with over 50,000 students and around 5,000 faculty and staff — can be a difficult place to find resources.

“If you know where to get the resources, it’s good for you, but for someone who’s more passive you might’ve been better off going to a smaller college,” CAS first-year Alice Xu said. “You have to be actively seeking out the resources here.”

Tandon senior Lauren Oh said she felt overwhelmed by the amount of services NYU provides.

“There are so many resources that I don’t even know of, but like the ones that I already know I don’t know how to take advantage of them,” Oh said. “I know that there are so many more that I don’t even know how to find.”

Steinhardt sophomore Shane Turner has had a similar experience.

“I do always feel like there’s a resource I’m missing,” Turner said. “Like I always feel like ‘wow, there should be something for this’ and I always feel like ‘there might be something for this’ but the time it would take to go find that and learn it and use it, means I just don’t.”

Turner went on to say that, for student government to remain useful, “You need it to function sort of as a stepping stone between student education and administration.”

He’s only one student, but Bradley shares his perspective.

As she looks toward the new semester, Bradley said she would like SGA to focus on connecting students and sees it as a way to make more of an impact on students’ lives.

“We are given so much privilege and responsibility as members of student government and communication is so key, you need to let your constituents know what’s happening,” Bradley said. “[This] is something I think will make student government seen more on campus. But not just seen more, but felt, you know? Because if we’re not doing that connection for students, then what’s the point of us?”

Additional reporting by Lisa Cochran and Miliana Bocher Email Victor Porcelli at vporcelli@nyunews.com.

have to catch you?”

Marcus cited the interdependency Hong Kong and China have, saying that China needs to have peace with Hong Kong to maintain its reputation, and Hong Kong needs China to function. Protestors who have turned violent and, in some cases, harassed other civilians, should not be labeled as heroic, Marcus said.

“They fail to realize that they’re not just creating revolution and helping the weak, they’re causing harm to a lot of people that don’t stand by what they’re thinking,” Marcus Wong said. “So I think this is the part when I’d say, the protesting right now, at this moment, has gone too far.”

CAS senior Kristie Chan does not live in Hong Kong, but her family is from there and she has lived in the city in the past. Having watched Instagram stories from her friends

who are on the frontlines of the protests, Chan does not think protestors are to blame for the violence.

“I can see that the police are acting out of hand a lot of the time,” Chan said. “Nobody is beating the police. It’s all self-defense.”

Chan said that the protests have implications for when the Basic Law that gives Hong Kong its independence expires.

“The feelings in these protests aren’t something that can be fixed in 2047,” Chan said.

“It exposes some irreconcilable differences between Hong Kong and China. The government can’t ignore that going forward.”

Additional reporting by Claire Jones.

Email Victor Porcelli at vporcelli@nyunews.com.

Protestors March for Animal Rights

Protestors hold signs at the March of Silence on Thursday.

By BIANCA BRUTUS Contributing Writer A silent procession of 100 vegans clad in all-black outfits with green tape over their mouths marched to protest eating animals or consuming animal products on Thursday.

Beginning in Union Square Park, marching up Broadway and ending at Herald Square, the protestors carried signs with phrases such as “animal liberation = human liberation” and “demand for meat = fires in the Amazon.”

Thursday’s protest marked the second ever March of Silence, during which participants are asked to refrain from any verbal communication for the entire day. The LA-born annual demonstration calls for people to not consume, wear or use products derived from animal exploitation.

Paulette Naumova, 21, was at the march to stand in solidarity with the over 150 billion of animals killed for food, clothing and entertainment each year.

“I think this march is great because it focuses on the victims and I hope the march makes people think twice about how we use, abuse and exploit animals,” Naumova said. “All of us that were part of the march come from different walks of life [...] the one thing that brings us together is our collective realization that animal liberation is necessary.”

BIANCA BRUTUS | WSN

Amber Alicea, 24, attended the march to bring awareness to the suffering animals are put through for meat, entertainment, clothes, medicine and other uses.

“I like this form of activism because oftentimes people think that vegans are loud and annoying, so this takes that out of the equation.” Alicea said. “I hope those who deeply care for animals can see that conflict every time they eat a piece of an animal or something that came from them. I was a vegetarian for 6 years and throughout that time I kept lying to myself that no one died for me to eat cheese or eggs.”

Kiirstin Marilyn, one of the organizers, emphasized animal products’ contribution to global warming.

“Animal agriculture is the leading cause of climate change from deforestation to emissions to unregulated waste and more,” Marilyn said. “We are currently facing a climate crisis and everyone needs to consider how what they put on their plate affects the rest of the world and impacts our future.”

Demonstrators continued to march despite the rain.

“Most of the participants understand that all truly oppressed beings suffer way more than us getting rained on for a couple hours,” Marilyn said.

Email Bianca Brutus at news@nyunews.com.

Washington Square News | News

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2019

University Launches EthicsForward Data Science Major

By AKIVA THALHEIM Social Media Editor A new major and minor in data science has launched, the College of Arts and Science announced last week. It’s the first new major in over five years.

In development for more than a year, the new major will be hosted in collaboration with the Center for Data Science and the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences. Its program of study requires five new courses in data science designed specifically for the major, in addition to four courses each in computer science and mathematics.

Data science seeks to extract insights from scores of data collected across disciplines as wide-ranging as finance, biology and urban development. Some of its most significant applications are in the fields of artificial intelligence and machine learning. For instance, the algorithms used in self-driving cars are based on large amounts of data collected from human-driven cars outfitted with many sensors.

CAS Dean Gene Jarett said that he was inspired by NYU Shanghai’s data science major on a trip there during his first year as dean and wanted to make it available for undergraduates in New York. He also emphasized that data science’s applicability to a wide domain of fields meant many students would likely be interested in it.

“One of my priorities is to really address what are the interests of students today in terms of how they want to develop or have some degree of command over their education,” Jarett said in an interview with WSN. “I think this degree really would launch them any number of directions.”

CAS junior Jonathan Shaw took the pilot course Data Science for Everyone

last year, which sparked his interest in majoring or at least minoring in data science, instead of just studying economics.

“I realized that data science would be even better [than economics] because in this age there’s basically data on everything,” Shaw said. “And data science I view as a tool for you to have to better understand any other field.”

The major also requires students to have a minor in CAS unless they have a double or joint major, which is meant to draw on the interdisciplinary nature of data science, according to Center for Data Science Director Julia Kempe.

“We wanted to kind of steep the major in the liberal arts to have a meaningful connection to some fields, be it biology, social science, anthropology, even history or English, can benefit tremendously, we believe, from this data science know-how,” Kempe said.

A significant issue within the field of data science and its applications is that algorithms can be severely biased when they are fed “dirty data.” Algorithms used in police departments across the nation, for example, attempt to predict crimes before they occur by analyzing historical data points such as arrest records and police reports. These predictive policing algorithms have been found to be biased when flawed data is used. In New Orleans, past discriminatory behaviors of officers led to skewed data and a program that disproportionately predicted crimes to be committed by people of color.

The new major seeks to specifically address and prevent these issues through a required course in the ethics of data science, Kempe explained. She added that the course was inspired by NYU’s AI Now Institute, which has worked to address issues of ethics and biased algorithms in artificial intelligence.

“We are hoping to educate young people to be data savvy and also data critical, because nowadays, everything is about data but often it’s done in a very uncritical way,” Kempe said. “We have to understand where the biases are [and] how to use data ethically — it’s something that we want to impart on every student, if we can.”

Californian and Monta Vista High School senior Surya Dantuluri interns at a company that develops the operating system for autonomous cars and is interested in studying data science at NYU. He said he appreciates the inclusion of the ethics course as he recognizes how data science can be used incorrectly or maliciously.

“There’s a lot of bad things you can do with [data science],” Dantuluri said.

“And hopefully, once some more ethical laws come in, we can make them regulate [and] mitigate the bad usage of data science.”

CAS senior Brad Davis is majoring in computer science and agreed with Dantuluri. He said it’s important for companies to handle data ethically, an issue Facebook has repeatedly come under fire for — the first instance of which was in 2018, when it was reported that voter-profiling company Cambridge Analytica obtained more than 50 million users’ private information without their permission from the company.

“We say Facebook, because Facebook got found out the most, it’s most obvious that they’re doing this, but every tech company has massive amounts of data about their consumer,” Davis said.

“How they choose to use it and if they choose to use it in an ethical way is really such an important topic.”

Email Akiva Thalheim at athalheim@nyunews.com.

3 CRIME LOG

Student Punched in the Face at Clark Street

By CRIME BOT Robot Reporter From Sept. 6 to 12, the NYU Department of Public Safety received one report of criminal mischief, one report of disorderly conduct, one report of a drug law violation, two reports of harassment, seven reports of larceny, 12 reports of liquor law violations and one report of a simple assault.

Criminal Mischief On Sept. 11 at 11 p.m., a student reported vandalism at Othmer Residence Hall. Police notification was declined, and the case is open and under investigation.

Disorderly Conduct On Sept. 12 at 1 a.m., a resident assistant reported witnessing disorderly conduct at University Residence Hall. The case was closed and referred to the Office of Community Standards.

Drug Law Violation On Sept. 10 at 11:03 p.m., a member of Public Safety reported an alleged drug law violation at Brittany Residence Hall and recovered a small amount of marijuana. The case was closed and referred to the Office of Community Standards.

Harassment On Sept. 8 at 10:42 p.m., a student reported verbal harassment at Rogers Hall. Police notification was declined, and the case is open and under investigation.

On Sept. 11 at 11:25 p.m., an RA reported an instance of harassment and intimidation at Palladium Residence Hall. The case was closed and referred to the Office of Community Standards.

Larceny On Sept. 10 at 1 p.m., A student reported a missing laptop at Vanderbilt Hall. Police notification was declined and the laptop was recovered.

On Sept. 6 at 11:15 p.m., a student reported a missing bike at the Kimmel Center for University Life. A police report was filed.

On Sept. 6 at 11:12 p.m., a student reported a missing bike at 721 Broadway. Police notification was declined, and the case is open and under investigation.

On Sept. 10 at 5:35 p.m., a faculty member reported missing bike parts at 721 Broadway. Police notification was declined, and the case is open and under investigation.

On Sept. 11 at 10:32 p.m., a student reported a missing cell phone at Rogers Hall. Police notification was declined, and the case is open and under investigation.

On Sept. 11 at 4:25 p.m., a student reported a missing wallet at Palladium Hall. Police notification was declined, and the case is open and under investigation.

On Sept. 12 at 11:30 p.m., a student reported a fraud at Third Avenue North Residence hall. NYPD was notified, and the case is open and under investigation.

VIA PIXABAY

NYU’s new undergraduate major in Data Science teaches students the science of data collection and analysis.

Liquor Law Violation On Sept. 6 at 11:46 p.m., an RA reported underage alcohol possession at Third North. Police no-

tification was declined, and the case was closed and referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Sept. 6 at 11:29 p.m., an RA reported underage alcohol possession at Third North. Police notification was declined, and the case was closed and referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Sept. 6 at 10 p.m., an RA reported underage alcohol possession at Palladium Hall. Police notification was declined, and the case was closed and referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Sept. 6 at 11:59 p.m., an RA reported underage alcohol possession at Third North. Police notification was declined, and the case was closed and referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Sept. 7 at 12:19 a.m., an RA reported underage alcohol possession at Third North. Police notification was declined, and the case was closed and referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Sept. 7 at 12:03 a.m., an RA reported underage alcohol possession at Third North. Police notification was declined, and the case was closed and referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Sept. 7 at 12 a.m., an RA reported underage alcohol possession at Gramercy Green Residence Hall. Police notification was declined, and the case was closed and referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Sept. 7 at 1:55 a.m., an RA reported underage alcohol possession at Third North. Police notification was declined, and the case was closed and referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Sept. 7 at 1:52 a.m., an RA reported underage alcohol possession at Third North. Police notification was declined, and the case was closed and referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Sept. 8 at 12 a.m., an RA reported underage alcohol possession at Carlyle Court Residence Hall. Police notification was declined, and the case was closed and referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Sept. 12 at 11:21 a.m. an RA reported underage alcohol possession at Lipton Residence Hall.

Police notification was declined, and the case was closed and referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Sept. 13 at 1:14 a.m., an RA reported underage alcohol possession at Carlyle Court. Police notification was declined, and the case was closed and referred to the Office of Community Standards.

Simple Assault On Sept. 12 at 2:30 a.m., a student reported being punched in the face at St. George Clark Hall.

The case was closed and referred to the Office of Community Standards.

Email Crime Bot at news@nyunews.com.

Washington Square News

4

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2019

CULTURE

CULTURE@NYUNEWS.COM

Edited by CAROL LEE

Overhyped Places to Avoid Around Campus NYU students claim tastes better than the so-called GOAT of boba. For amazing bubble tea without the long waits, try Chinatown or Flushing. Places like Gong Cha, Mi Tea and Debutea will satisfy your boba cravings without the Disney World-esque lines. Also, as anti-Boba Guys Steinhardt junior Ryan Tsai pointed out, Boba Guys is from California. “East coast beast coast,” he said.

Oren’s Daily Roast 29 Waverly Place

VERONICA LIOW | WSN

Elmer Holmes Bobst Library, in some students’ opinion, is an overrated place to avoid on campus.

By GABY BALDOVINO Staff Writer Not to flex our campus or anything, but a lot of places around NYU and Greenwich Village get major hype. Some of these places deserve their stellar reputations, but many of them are simply not worth the time.

Here are some places that NYU students have quickly discovered aren’t even worth a

Snapchat story.

Boba Guys 11 Waverly Place Starting off controversial. This chain claims that they serve the “highest quality bubble milk tea in the world.” But with that comes long, long lines. It’s rare to see Boba Guys without a line that stretches up to competitor Kung Fu Tea, which some

Popular with NYU faculty, Oren’s Daily Roast is conveniently located right across from Silver. The medium-high end coffee shop offers a meticulous selection of “the finest coffees, roasted to order.” However, CAS senior Yorai Vardi likens their drip coffee to “acidic mud.” If you are a coffee fiend, there are several — albeit not as convenient — alternatives, such as Stumptown Coffee Roasters and Irving Farm. When you have an 8 a.m. at Silver and you snoozed one too many times that morning, you might as well just mobile order from Starbucks.

Bobst Library 70 Washington Square S. Almost everyone at NYU has been a

New Donut Pub Is a Hole in One

By TESSA KILCLINE Staff Writer Stepping into the trendy, Instagram-worthy interior of The Donut Pub is like entering a world where the past and present become one.

The local donut shop sports a long, diner-style counter where pink mason jars hold straws and mixing sticks. Retro classics like Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition” play through the speakers and neon signs decorate the walls.

A blend of the retro and the modern speaks to the long history of The Donut Pub. The doors of the original Chelsea location opened in 1962, founded by former Wall Street trader Buzzy Geduld.

Over the summer, The Donut Pub added its first new location in over 50 years of business and, fortunately for NYU students, this second store is located on Broadway and Waverly Place. It is a convenient three blocks away from Washington Square Park and just a few doors down from the NYU Bookstore. Need a quick breakfast bite before that pesky Friday morning class? The Donut Pub is now here for you. It’s open 24 hours Thursday through Sunday, making it the perfect place to satisfy latenight cravings. And with a 10% discount for NYU students, the prices are reasonable.

The store displays a large wall of donuts and other baked treats. The new Astor Place location differs from the original Chelsea shop in that it serves not only baked goods but also gelato from the nearby Il Laboratorio del Gelato. What’s more, the facility is peanut- and tree nut-free.

The shop’s donuts, which come in regular and mini sizes, are delicious yet light. Unlike many donuts, they

are not too rich or too dense.

Tandon sophomore Afnan Haq was drawn to The Donut Pub after looking through the window into the trendy interior. He said the donuts were some of the best he has ever had.

“I get a donut there like every few days now,” Haq said.

Haq’s favorite menu item is the pumpkin spice donut. (Fall enthusiasts and pumpkin spice latte lovers are quaking.)

Wanting to branch out beyond Dunkin’ Donuts, Max Lerner, a firstyear student in Gallatin, thought The Donut Pub might be the perfect fix for his donut cravings.

“My God, it was amazing,” Lerner said.

Lerner vouched for the maple-bacon bar — his personal favorite. He

also suggested that students stop by the shop in order to try the specialties.

Just like the interior design, the donut flavors reflect a combination of the retro and the modern. The Donut Pub offers classics such as glazed and jelly donuts, but also less traditional options like the s’mores croissant donut, which is a cronut sandwiched between two graham crackers and held in place by sticky marshmallow fluff.

For the health nuts out there, there are whole wheat donuts for sale.

The Donut Pub is sure to become a staple for NYU students in the coming months, so why not try it out now and be a part of the first wave of students to give a seal of approval?

Email Tessa Kilcline at dining@nyunews.com.

MARVA SHI | WSN

The Donut Pub, located on Broadway near the NYU Bookstore, features a variety of sweet treats and a retro dining style.

Bobst loyalist at one point in their life. But eventually, we all have to grow up. Bobst isn’t exactly a comforting place to study: the building should’ve served as a government building or art museum. Granted, the LL2 study rooms do hit differently, the south side is marginally tolerable and sometimes you just need to be at Bobst so that you can say you’re at Bobst for the memes. But, bottom line, Bobst is overrated, and there are way better — even quieter — study spots at NYU. Real ones will know that the LaGuardia Co-Op slaps when you have a paper due in two hours, the Stern Community Lounge goes off when you have a Gen Chem exam the next day and that study room in the basement of your dorm will make your Econ homework do itself.

Macdougal Street Comedy Clubs Macdougal Street We’ve all been there: you’re on the sketchy trek from Washington Square Park to dollar pizza at 2 a.m. and suddenly you’re hounded by overeager men aggressively promoting tickets for a free comedy show. Usually, you’ll walk right past them, unfazed and just dying for a slice of heavenly cheese on cardboard, but what happens when you actually take

the bait and go inside? Often, you’ll find yourself cringing and groaning in a dingy, weird-smelling and crowded bar while amateur comedians try way too hard to make you laugh at politically incorrect jokes. You’ll leave most likely comforting a friend who was unfairly targeted, still craving the cheesy goodness of that pizza.

Rockefeller Center 600 Fifth Ave. Yes, it’s September. Yes, we are going to talk about exactly what not to do during the holidays. We’ve all seen the pictures: groups of friends holding hands as they ice-skate, families cheesing with the giant Christmas tree and kids posing with the giant Christmas ornaments. Crowded, noisy and generally a huge tourist monument, Rockefeller Center is simply not the place to be around Christmas season, especially if you want to pretend you’re a New Yorker. Real New Yorkers (or talented posers) would rather head to Brooklyn to see Dyker Heights, a neighborhood with insane Christmas decorations that cover the whole facade of million-dollar homes.

Email Gaby Baldovino at culture@nyunews.com.

Burger Studio: Gone, But Never Forgotten

By RIA MITTAL Staff Writer I’m sitting in the UHall commons and everything is wrong. Walking down the stairs, I anticipated the sharp scent of ketchup, the crackle of cooking oil and that warm orange glow of hope and hamburgers. What did I get instead? The blue and white stripes and marble interiors of yet another breakfast place.

I’m sitting in the UHall commons and everything is wrong because our beloved Burger Studio is no more.

When you lose someone you love, you try to cling to your memories together. I remember every hungover Sunday afternoon — rolling out of bed at 2 p.m. and craving nothing but the greasy comfort of curly fries and cherry Dr. Pepper. I remember every delirious post-exam snack hunt and every frantic dining dollar haul.

Who was there for me through all these trying times? Who stood by me when all other dining halls were closed for the night? Burger Studio.

It hasn’t been long since Burger Studio was taken from us, so unexpected and far too soon, yet there is so much I already miss. The veggie burger with an unexplained extra patty. Those onions that I never asked for but enjoyed nonetheless. And that singular curly fry in my always overflowing tray of regular ones.

While I may not be able to physically enjoy these little nuggets of joy anymore, they will live on in my heart.

Buger Studio wasn’t just a dining hall, it was an institution. It began by building your own meal on those cute, glitchy little machines. That was followed by taking in the scents

and sounds as you waited for the sweet servers to call out your number, fuming when some Tapingo b-tch’s food was ready first. And, finally, sinking your teeth into a juicy, yet always somehow limp burger — an emotional and sensory journey like no other.

Without Burger Studio, UHall is just a set of walls and I am just a sad little bobcat. “People always leave,” the wise Peyton Sawyer once said, and I guess she was right because that’s exactly what Burger Studio has done. Alas, forgiveness is a part of love and if I could forgive them for those nights of lettuce-induced food poisoning, I can forgive them for this. No matter where it is now, Burger Studio will always have a place in my heart and no amount of grief-filled Shake Shack trips will ever replace it.

Burger Studio is survived by BRKFST & Co. Email Ria Mittal at dining@nyunews.com.

DEBORAH ALALADE | WSN

Washington Square News | Culture

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2019

5

Steinhardt Junior Reports at the Forefront of Prague’s Fashion Scene

By SARA MIRANDA Contributing Writer

SARA MIRANDA | WSN

Steinhardt junior Sarah Teskova is a student photographer working for Harper’s Bazaar Czech Republic.

A picture is worth a thousand words. To Steinhardt junior Sarah Teskova, the stories and images of fashion are worth a thousand more. A budding fashion journalist, Teskova’s journey within the industry has taken her from covering New York Fashion Week for WSN to now writing for Harper’s Bazaar Czech Republic.

Teskova’s fashion journalism endeavors began with her own exhibition at Prague’s Hybernia Theater. Displaying her work in one of Prague’s most respected art institutions led to another opportunity for Teskova as a photographer for Czechoslovak Models, a Prague-based modeling agency.

Since arriving at NYU, the emerging freelance writer and photographer has found other opportunities in the field of fashion communication by interning at DNA Model Management.

Teskova also has bylines for NYU. FASHION, an online fashion media platform serving the NYU community that offers lifestyle tips and fashion trend reports.

The experience Teskova has accumulated in both Prague and New York City has evidently paid off as she is now a contributing editor and photographer for Harper’s Bazaar Czech Republic and covered New York

Fashion Week for them. Thanks to a combination of Teskova’s writing acumen and her initiative in applying for an internship position at Harper’s Bazaar Czech Republic, her dream of working for a major fashion publication came true.

“I’ve met the editor-in-chief of online Harper’s Bazaar who liked my proposed topics and it all kickstarted from there,” Teskova said.

Teskova’s initial interest in visual art came from her childhood visiting galleries, museums and cultural landmarks in central Europe, where she grew up.

“My interest in fashion really manifested from being a painter and photographer,” Teskova said. “I see fashion as another form of art.”

Fashion journalism seemed like a natural progression for Teskova, given her ingrained interest in photography and art.

“I love documenting people in their best light and then seeing the joy on their faces when they see the end result,” Teskova said.

“They realize how beautiful they are — and getting a chance to show someone that is amazing.”

Teskova’s position at Harper’s Bazaar Czech Republic has already taken her far in the world of fashion journalism. So far, she has covered several Spring Summer 2020 fashion shows, naming Christian Siriano, Zimmerman,

Sally LaPointe, and Cynthia Rowley as her favorites.

YouMe Lin, a Gallatin alumni and founder of NYU.FASHION, sees nothing but good things in Teskova’s future in enlightening others through her strong command of language and visual eye.

“Sarah is an extraordinary writer and has a keen eye for fashion,” Lin said. “I admire how she’s constantly using her work and stories to inspire others in both journalism and through her style.”

Although she is enjoying every minute of reporting on current runways, Teskova says that she does not see herself pursuing a career in the fashion industry.

“I see it as more of a passion, something to distract me from the real world,” she says.

Nonetheless, Teskova says that her experiences in the ever-evolving industry have endowed her with many lessons and to live by that she believes will stay with her in any career that she wishes to pursue.

“It’s a rough business, so make sure to stay humble, but also watch out for yourself,” Teskova said “It’s all about connections and you never know who you’re going to meet. Go to the event, even if you don’t feel like [it].

Life is about change.”

Email Sara Miranda at bstyle@nyunews.com.

Meet the CAS Senior With a 1930s Wardrobe

By TATIANA VELASCO Staff Writer Walking around campus, you might catch a glimpse of him — wearing a pair of laced up Oxfords, high-waisted trousers, a long-collared button-down shirt, a Windsor knotted tie and a short knitted V-neck sweater vest. You question if you have been transported in time, and you stop for a second to remember what decade it is.

CAS senior Jack Dylan Sorensen is a connoisseur and an avid collector of vintage fashion from 1930 to 1949. Although he has collected some other vintage pieces, his primary focus is menswear from this era.

“I like a lot of features of this era’s suits: the high waist, the loose trousers, padded shoulders and just the quality and construction,” Sorensen said. “And, I think it’s really cool to own something and be like, ‘If I was born a hundred years ago, this is what I would be wearing.’”

He began collecting vintage clothes when he was 17 years old after one of his friends, who also collects vintage suits, introduced him to it.

“I just thought it was really cool, and then, it blossomed into me buying a lot of sh-t on eBay,” he said.

Sorensen not only collects clothes from the 1930s and 1940s, but he often wears his vintage finds, showing them off in the streets of New York City.

“I alternate between my modern clothes, which are like T-shirts from when I was 14,” he said. “Or sometimes, I’ll wear vintage stuff every day of the week – it really just depends on whenever I’m in the mood.”

According to Sorensen, some of the pieces he owns are too fragile to be regularly worn, so he saves those for special occasions.

Though for the most part, he tries to wear his collection more often than not, especial-

ly his favorite pieces.

These include a pair of tweed trousers made in England in the late summer of 1940. A high-waisted pant typical for that era, it’s Sorenson’s most revered feature of the era’s fashion.

Another piece that he is particularly fond

“

Anywhere and everywhere you could feasibly find vintage clothes — I always check. You never know what you’re going to find.

JACK DYLAN SORENSEN CAS Senior

”

of is a 1940s long-sleeve seersucker shirt. He said that it is nice to wear during the hot summer months because the material is so thin. The shirt is “almost see-through” as he described it.

But above either of these, Sorensen is attached to one particular suit in his collection.

“If I had to give everything away but one thing, it would be a late 1942 to early 1943 wartime executive suit,” he said.

“It’s one of the first things I got when I started collecting.”

According to Sorensen, clothing man-

ufacturers executed several fabric saving measures during this era for the war effort, which eliminated cuffs from suits. For that reason, the most cherished piece of his collection, his wartime executive suit, does not include cuffs.

Sorensen also expressed his admiration for the fabrics used in clothing from this era.

“My No. 1 [favorite fabric] is definitely tweed — I love really heavy tweeds,” he said.

“But, I also really like worsted wool and wool flannel.”

Sorensen also noted the high quality of the fabric worn in the 1930s through 1940s. He noted — that’s why he can wear a suit from 1942.

“Today, you tend to see a lot of fabric that is light-weight and not as durable,” he said. “I don’t think anyone’s going to be wearing my Dickies pants a hundred years from now.”

Sorensen said he hunts for pieces anywhere from thrift shops to online dealers.

He is also a self-taught tailor and has made some of the pieces himself. Some of his friends, who collect vintage clothes, often swap pieces with him as well.

“Anywhere and everywhere you could feasibly find vintage clothes — I always check,” he said. “You never know what you are going to find.”

As for the future of his collection, Sorensen plans to keep collecting vintage pieces, especially pants. He confessed that shopping for pants is difficult with his “obnoxiously long” 36-inch inseam.

“I mean, ideally, I’d love to have enough clothes where I could wear a different outfit every single day and never have to repeat,” Sorensen said. “That would be really awesome.”

Email Tatiana Velasco at bstyle@nyunews.com.

TATIANA VELASCO | WSN

CAS senior Jack Dylan Sorensen is a collector of vintage fashion from 1930 to 1949.

Washington Square News

6

ARTS

ARTS@NYUNEWS.COM

‘Dr. Stone’ Meditates on Civilization Itself

By NICHOLAS WEID Contributing Writer 3,689 years and 159 days after the entire world’s population was mysteriously turned into stone, Senku Ishigami awakens — and he’s been counting. Luckily for the world, Senku possesses an almost incomprehensible intelligence and knowledge of science and is probably society’s best bet for re-realizing civilization. He quickly f igures out the formula to awaken other petrif ied citizens and applies it to his best friend Taiju, whose boundless stamina is repurposed by Senku for science. Together, they start rebuilding civilization, Senku as the brains and Taiju as the brawn.

Dr. Stone’s main characters are certainly overblown, possessing stamina and intelligence to an inhuman extent, but that’s a necessary suspension of disbelief for the show to work.

The main cast is closely tied to what they seek to achieve. Senku is the embodiment of civilization and science, while the antagonist signif ies simple, strength-based society. These externalizing characterizations means the death of one of these characters would likely hit harder on an ideological level than emotional. If Senku were to die, the future of humanity would be in peril.

The main conflict of Dr. Stone is a result of these overpowered levels of intelligence and pure strength. Is recreating modern civilization what’s

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2019

best, or is a civilization shielded from the destructive potential of science better? The show raises the question and then sidelines it but that makes sense: there would be no weight to the answer while the world is still in the Stone Age. There needs to be time for science to run its course to modernity, for the inevitable highs and lows of technology to manifest, and the writers realize that.

There’s certainly much to look forward to, but the question is if the show keeps enough interest to carry its viewers to that point. As mentioned, the main conflict of the show is pushed to the side relatively early on, but Dr. Stone keeps the pace going by introducing a secondary cast of characters, citizens of a small Stone Age society which has presumably been functioning for a few generations. This new community has a great deal of personality and Senku shines here as a tool to introduce science to people who still believe it to be witchcraft. None of the episodes feel like f iller because there is always some sort of advancement being made by Senku, whether in the form of personal growth or simply an era-def ining invention. Ultimately, the show’s a win-win. The sidelined main conflict promises to be interesting and until the show gets there, the constant sense of motion captures interest in a way many anime struggle to do.

Edited by CLAIRE FISHMAN

‘Hustlers’ Is the Female-Driven Crime Drama Everyone Has Been Waiting For

Email Nicholas Weid at arts@nyunews.com.

VIA FACEBOOK

Hustlers, starring Jennifer Lopez and Constance Wu, is an empowering film that breaks traditional barriers in Hollywood.

By KAYLEE DEFREITAS Deputy Arts Editor

VIA FACEBOOK

Senku is the main character of Dr. Stone, a dystopian manga exploring the capabilities of civilization.

Drugging Wall Street men with a mix of MDMA and ketamine and making them max out their credit cards on booze in strip clubs? It may sound crazy — it sure sounded that way to the cops — but it is actually a true story that has now inspired a major motion picture.

“Hustlers,” written and directed

by Lorene Scarfaria, is a story drawn straight from a New York Magazine article published in 2015. The film follows a group of strippers who scheme Wall Street men out of their money after the financial crisis of 2008.

It is clear that the movie was written, directed and produced by women, just from the unique way it treats the women on screen and gives precedence to them. This film treats its female main subjects with dignity and respect.

To see sex workers portrayed in a way that emphasizes that they are real people with lives outside of what they do is so refreshing and important. So often women in sex work are shown in a negative light, but here they are given the

respect they deserve, and their stories are given priority over those of the men who surround them.

“Hustlers” proves that this is Jennifer Lopez’s world and we are all just living in it. This film finally gives her the chance to show off her acting skills in a dramatic role, and she holds nothing back. As Ramona, Lopez delivers a dynamic performance that allows the audience to connect with her on all levels. As the mastermind of the group, Lopez is so enthralling that neither her team nor the audience ever questions her bold plans. This film allows J-Lo to show off all her talents, and she does not disappoint for a second.

Constance Wu also gives a powerful performance as Dorothy/Destiny. She plays the highs and lows of the character with ease and does a fantastic job making the audience understand her decisions. The supporting characters do an outstanding job with the material they are given. While they don’t get to go as deep as Wu and Lopez do emotionally, they add humor and heart to the film, and all give exceptional performances.

The film has many strengths, but

the one issue that stands out is the pacing and build. “Hustlers” is enjoyable and will draw an audience in and keep them interested, but the climax and sudden falling action happen way too quick. It is nice to spend time with the characters and smile at the sisterhood these women have formed, but the whole fall-out of the plan was a bit rushed and did a disservice to the buildup. It is well-written, and the scenes are intense and emotional, but it leaves the audience wanting to see more of that since the buildup was so massive throughout.

“Hustlers” is a more-than-suitable addition to Hollywood’s growing collection of powerful sisterhood movies. This film is a fantastic example of what women’s stories in film look like when actual women tell them and give their voices to them. Scarfaria has done a tremendous job blending multiple themes and tones into the film to ultimately create the female-empowered crime drama everyone has been looking for.

Email Kaylee DeFreitas at kdefreitas@nyunews.com.

Washington Square News | Arts

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2019

7

Creative Writing Community Persists Despite Lack of Major

By JULIE GOLDBERG Books & Theater Editor The home page of NYU’s Creative Writing Program is impressive at first glance. Prominently featuring a photo of a contemplative Zadie Smith and, just below it, an interior shot of the ever-charming Lillian Vernon Creative Writers House, the program promises worldclass instruction in an intimate setting.

The MFA program consistently churns out critically acclaimed writers, such as recent graduate and Plimpton Prize winner Isabella Hammad, among many others, and makes the top five of MFA program rankings.

The undergraduate program ranks No. 3 in College Magazine’s September 2018 list of 10 colleges for writers, and No. 8 in The Adroit Journal’s 2019 ranking. An August 2019 PrepScholar blog post titled “The 12 Best Creative Writing Colleges and Programs” lists NYU as a 13th “bonus school.”

Alex Heimbach, the author of the post, wrote, “I didn’t include NYU in the main list because it doesn’t have a dedicated creative writing major, but it’s a great school for aspiring writers nonetheless, offering one of the most impressive creative writing faculties in the country and all the benefits of a Manhattan location.”

It’s possible that the lack of a distinct major is deterring otherwise interested young writers from choosing to cultivate their talents at NYU rather than the other schools — Emerson College, Emory University and Washington University in St. Louis, to name a few of NYU’s most direct competitors — included on such lists. WSN spoke to five students on the creative writing track about this, as well as the state of the undergraduate program overall.

Considering the international repute of the MFA program, a number of students felt that a major in the undergraduate program was not only warranted but also highly feasible.

“They wouldn’t need to change that much to make a major possible,” CAS senior Griffin Vrabeck said. “They literally just need to write it down on paper that it’s an offering, and then boom. They have all the classes, all the resources to make it happen.”

CAS junior Anastasia Foley said, “I think that the interest is there. And it would attract more students to the humanities department.”

Others found it a matter of allowing students the freedom to explore their passion, such as CAS junior Cassandra Rohr. “If someone’s life and blood is creative writing,” Rohr said, “they should be able to explore that path in its entirety.”

While torn on whether or not a creative writing major should be offered, CAS senior Leah Muncy defended the English major, pointing out the importance of an academic background in literature for aspiring writers as opposed to jumping straight to writing.

“It’s important to study the evolution of writing, which author or tradition you’re invoking if you decide to omit, say, grammatical rules or to mess around with the form,” Muncy said. “People sometimes don’t realize that the reason why certain literary works are considered ‘great’ is because the work was very much tethered to its time.”

She cited Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl” — a poem he famously read aloud at Washington Square Park in 1996 — as an example of a work which was innovative for the time, but wouldn’t cause a stir today.

“It’s not scandalous to write poems like that anymore,” Muncy said. “You’re not pushing the limitations of the form.

Ginsberg did it first. The English major gives you the awareness that a creative writing major may not.”

CAS junior Noah Borromeo agreed, saying “I love that the department requires us to drench ourselves in literature,” but adding that the concentration, or potential major, “would benefit from more classes tailored toward writing and craft, aside from the workshops.”

“I’ve found that how well the class goes is more dependent on who is in the class, and less dependent on the actual professor or the program itself,” Muncy said.

A few students said that more selective classes, or simply some classes reserved only for those on the creative writing track, would give serious students an opportunity to work on their craft with more like-minded peers.

“The creative writing classes are of mixed majors,” Borromeo said. “Meaning some people aren’t there with a concentration in creative writing, or even an English major, which is not a bad thing at all, but I think the students whose concentrations are creative writing might benefit from majors-only sections.”

Vrabeck felt similarly, attributing what he sees as a lack of community within the program to the “lack of requirements for creative writing students,” as “there aren’t necessarily a lot of classes in which you’re surrounded only by creative writers.” The core classes of the English program — Literatures in English I, II, III and IV — on the other hand, are open exclusively to English majors.

Currently, the English major with a concentration in creative writing only requires two creative writing workshops, culminating in a senior capstone

JULIE GOLDBERG | WSN

A view from the inside of NYU’s Lillian Vernon Creative Writers House.

project. The other option for English majors is the concentration in literary studies, which doesn’t require any workshop credits. It does require a course in both British Literature before 1800 and Critical Theories and Methods, while the creative writing concentration requires only one or the other.

The minor requires 16 points of coursework in creative writing. While advisors encourage those in the creative writing concentration to pursue the minor as well, it’s perhaps counterintuitive that the minor requires twice as many workshop credits as the major track.

Despite the lack of an official major, most felt that there was a community within the program so long as one sought it out.

“I’ve made some of my best friends from creative writing workshops, especially nonfiction workshops,” Muncy said. “People come in and they’re like, ‘Here’s a story about my sh-tty dad.’ So by the end of the semester, you know everyone’s trauma, all the ins and outs. You really just start rooting for each other.”

Foley, in reference to her experience with the Writers in Paris program — one of three eight-credit summer intensives

offered, with the other two located in Florence and New York — said, “I think that people are willing to get to know others in the program, share their work, and be supportive of one another.”

Many of the students interviewed said they aspired to study in the graduate program — in fact, everyone that expressed an interest in an MFA named NYU’s program as their first, and often only, choice.

“Considering the staff and the fact that I’m never leaving New York, the NYU MFA is my top choice,” Borromeo said. “I pray that I get in.”

Every semester, the program offers a handful of undergraduate master classes, which require an application for admission and are taught by the program’s most acclaimed faculty — past instructors have included Rick Moody, Eileen Myles, Zadie Smith, Rachel Zucker and Anne Carson, to name a few.

“Everyone was such a genuinely good writer, and we all cared about writing so much,” Muncy said of her master class with Pulitzer Prize winner Jeffrey Eugenides. “You could tell that everyone just loved to be there, and we all respected each other immensely.”

“Professor Eugenides was the first writing professor I’d had who would tell something to you straight,” Muncy said.

“He’d be like ‘This isn’t working. Your heart isn’t in this.’ He made my friend cry once, but after she was like, ‘This is the best thing that ever happened to my writing.’ After taking that class I was able to finally be like, ‘I’m a writer.’ I hadn’t had the courage to say that about myself before.”

This semester, the program is offering master classes with professors such as poet Nick Laird, winner of the 2005 Rooney Prize for Irish Literature, and Ishion Hutchinson, winner of a 2016 National Book Critics Circle Award and 2019 Windham-Campbell Literature Prize in Poetry.

Students all indicated that the faculty is generally excellent and supportive.

“The professors will offer you their time and guidance; they want you to get published and succeed more than anything,” Muncy said. “You have to dedicate yourself to writing, but the program will be there for you if you do.”

Email Julie Goldberg at jgoldberg@nyunews.com.

Nicki Minaj Retires From Music (Probably)

By DESTINE MANSON Staff Writer “My career has been a pinkprint, when I retire, tell them think pink.”

Onika Maraj, better known as Nicki Minaj, reminded fans of these lyrics from her 2012 album, “Pink Friday Roman Reloaded: The Re-Up,” on Instagram after abruptly announcing her retirement on Twitter. The tweet has since been taken down and replaced with an apology to fans and a promise for an explanation. In light of the tornado of feelings that many of Nicki’s fans

are going through right now, it’s worth reflecting on the singer’s career, which took off over a decade ago.

Minaj began with her first mixtape, “Playtime is Over.” Although certainly not composed of her top hits, this mixtape set the foundation for the style we know and love today. The cover, which depicts Nicki Minaj in a barbie doll box, became a staple that remains relevant to her career even to this day. Nicki Minaj affectionately refers to her fans as “barbs,” short for barbies, and has since used the style from her very first mixtape in various projects. It was around

the same time of the mixtape that Minaj was asked to join Young Money Entertainment — and she proceeded to take the rap scene by storm.

Despite the list of controversies and “Did she really just say that?” moments over the years, Minaj has produced hit album after hit album. Nicki’s debut album “Pink Friday” went No. 1 on the Billboard charts. She was just the fourth female rapper to do so on the Billboard 200. Hits like “Super Bass” and “Your Love” dominated the airwaves and defined middle school dances for Gen Zers. Minaj’s effortless flow

and witty wordplay were not necessarily something new for the airwaves from a female, but it made a great impression on a new generation.

After the tweet announcing her retirement was released, Nicki Minaj began plugging her new fashion line with Fendi. It’s evident that whether it’s music or not, the self-titled “Queen of Rap” will by no means stop her public presence. It feels safe to say that from what we have seen with her constant track record of surprise features and appearances in films throughout her career, she probably is not done forever.

Many barbs saw her recent collaboration with Megan Thee Stallion on the smash hit “Hot Girl Summer” as a passing of the baton to the next hot female lyricist. From the effortless flow to the fashion and iconic “Nicki stance,” her brand has left its imprint on the music industry in the pop and hip-hop worlds alike. Whether fans take Minaj’s retirement to heart or not, a break after everything she has accomplished throughout her career feels warranted.

Email Destine Manson at music@nyunews.com.

Washington Square News

8

OPINION@NYUNEWS.COM

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2019

OPINION

Edited by COLE STALLONE and ABBY HOFSTETTER

INTERNATIONAL

South Africa’s Gender-Based Violence Needs Our Attention

By NEIL DITTRICH Contributing Writer This past week, my social media feed has been ablaze with friends and family voicing their outrage about the escalation of gender-based violence back home in South Africa. The magnitude of fear that South African women experience was illuminated through the tragic rape and murder of Uyinene Mrwetyana, a University of Cape Town student who was attacked at a post office when she went to pick up a parcel. Soon after, the South African Police Services released a crime report for the past year stating

that there were 2,771 women murdered and a shocking 36,597 more sexual offenses reported within the same time frame. These harrowing facts and stories sparked a national outcry. Despite this, there has been a deafening silence on the part of the international community and I have been disillusioned by the lack of global outrage.

Femicide is not unique to South Africa, but our silence is treating it as an isolated problem. When injustices against women were brought to light through the #MeToo movement, influential media outlets acknowledged and spread awareness of the problem. South Africa warrants the same respect and consideration. Therefore, as members of an influential community, it is imperative that we create awareness about the issue — South Africa’s women deserve to be heard. The first step in assisting them is to show them that we are listening.

Uyinene’s death is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to gender-based vi-

olence in the country. The everyday life of a woman in South Africa involves constant alertness and unease. The statistics speak for themselves: between 25% and 40% of South African women experience some form of physical harm at the hands of a man. Many South Africans protested on Sept. 5 to show solidarity with victims of gender-based assault, as well as to call for the government to take action.

The women of South Africa have spoken up. Now it is in the hands of the global community to step in and encourage the leaders of South Africa to do more to make sure that these women feel safe. This is not a battle that South Africa can fight alone. So talk about the issue; post on social media; urge others to look into what is happening halfway across the globe. Awareness is the catalyst of change.

If you are still uncertain about whether creating awareness leads to real change, I invite you to think about social media’s historical power in calling attention to

global crises. This past summer, the fire in the Amazon was spreading both in reality and on all prominent social media platforms. During this time, I could not open Instagram or Facebook without seeing the devastation that was occurring in Brazil and its neighboring nations. Celebrities and the media called for people to donate and ensured everyone knew the extent of what was happening. Shortly after the outburst on social media and international news platforms, Brazil’s president was forced to take action. It is important to bear in mind that the uproar was not only emanating from Brazil — we all had a role to play in making sure that something was done. The same fervor should apply to South Africa.

By remaining silent, we become part of the problem: we signal to the women of South Africa that they do not matter.

I fear that their cries for help will simmer down due to a lack of belief that change will come just as they did in 2018. Similar protests took place in 2018 during

Women’s History Month and it is evident that not much has changed. Let us not allow there to be a period of silence again. One of my friends back home told me that “at this point, we just want to be heard,” as she voiced her frustration with the lack of action taken. Activism and awareness have the power to both create a serious dialogue about societal wrongs and right those wrongs, as evidenced by both national and international support for the #MeToo movement.

I understand that it is easy to overlook a nation that rarely makes international news, but the incessant violence against human beings in South Africa warrants global attention and transcends the label of “localized problem.” I urge you not to let other major headlines drown out South Africa’s cries for help. If we do not say anything, nothing will change.

Email Neil Dittrich at opinion@nyunews.com.

CULTURE

Rupi Kaur Is Killing Poetry

By ASHLEY WU Staff Writer Nowadays, Instagram poetry is seemingly everywhere. On social media, small aestheticized squares of text dominate the feeds of millions of people. These short confessional poems are often riddled with endless aphorisms and accompanied by doodles of flora and fauna or women’s bodies. Ostensibly harmless, this new trend of Instagram writing is extraordinarily detrimental to the art of

poetry. Rupi Kaur and others like her who propogate this new mode of poetry are exploiting the emotions of young women and creating a demand for poetry that lacks real depth The truth is that evaluating the quality of poetry has always been a difficult task. Due to its subjective nature, it can be difficult to define whether or not a piece is objectively good or bad. However, Kaur’s work can be likened to the fast food of poetry; it is quick and oftentimes enjoyable, but is in no way good for you.

Kaur’s short poems rely on cheap devices and cliched wisdom to appeal to readers. As a result, Kaur neglects the intricacies and thematic breadth that make poetry fascinating to read. Kaur copies legendary poets like Pablo Neruda; in her poem, she writes, “your voice does to me/ what autumn does to trees,” echoing one of Neruda’s most famous lines, “I want

to do with you what spring does with the cherry trees.” This instance is a perfect example of the fast food effect. Kaur takes a gorgeous line and paraphrases it in more simplistic words, losing artistry and meaning in the process. She does this by eradicating certain details that add an understated elegance to Neruda’s line: after taking out the “cherry trees,” and substituting his action line with “your voice does to me,” the line sounds a bit emptier. The act of paraphrasing removes the intense romantic passion that lived in Neruda’s poetry.

Although many applaud Kaur for revitalizing poetry among young readers, she is representative of a disturbing new trend. Through her rhetoric and content, Kaur targets one distinct demographic to boost her sales: vulnerable teenage girls. Content marketed towards teens is rising in popularity with the

advent of social media and streaming services, however Kaur’s poetry targets them in a way that feels more exploitative than enlightening.

Kaur touches on a number of subjects that profoundly affect millions, from body image and relationships to alcoholic parents. However, the way she approaches these subjects offers no real enlightenment or comfort. Instead of describing the feelings these issues evoke or offering a distinct perspective on the topic, Kaur almost invariably just namedrops these subjects without any real analysis. Yes, alcoholism is bad. Yes, girls should try their best to love themselves.

But what else? The way Kaur approaches these themes is almost analogous to the ways massive corporations appropriate movements like gay rights or feminism to sell products. By commodifying emotion and encouraging other young poets

to do the same, Kaur is exploiting the authentic experiences of young girls for clicks and sales.

As fellow Instagram confessional poets such as Atticus and R.M. Drake quickly achieve celebrity status on social media, the public is shifting its focus to more simplistic poetry. Due to the emotionally evocative quality that poetry possesses, young people flock to the medium for representation and a creative outlet. However, Kaur’s work allows little room for analysis because of its reliance on aphorisms and other tricks that are meant to make poetry sound “deep.” Readers everywhere must not let accessibility take precedence over the elements that make poetry beautiful in the first place.

Email Ashley Wu at opinion@nyunews.com.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Letter to the Editor: ‘Why Is NYU Hiding Its Resources?’

By MARC WAIS I read with interest your recent editorial, Why is NYU Hiding its Resources?, and I wanted to address some of the points you made in regard to the Courtesy Meals program and the resources we pro-

vide to survivors of sexual misconduct, which your editorial suggests that we are underpromoting.

As with many new programs, including most recently the menstrual hygiene products distribution program and the NYU Chat Bot, Courtesy Meals was initially launched as a pilot to determine student receptivity, and we solicited input from students throughout the pilot process. The program officially launched during the 2018-2019 academic year, during which time it was promoted in the following ways: • NYU Weekly email newsletter to all students • University Senate Meeting pre-

sentation in spring 2018 Student Government received monthly updates • Resident Assistants and Student Affairs Deans and Directors received updates • Social Media InstaStory (viewed by 15,000 subscribers) • Reality Show, fall 2018 performance Our goal is to ensure that this program continues to be accessed by the students who need it and we welcome any suggestions individual students or the Washington Square News might have as we work towards this goal.

As for the resources we provide to survi•

vors of sexual misconduct, the clinical services you outlined in your piece have been provided through the Wellness Exchange for many years and they predate the federal mandate you cite. (The exception is the rape kit — which is always provided by the hospital.) We provide other appropriate medical care, if necessary, at the Student Health Center. As you noted in your piece, we aggressively promote access to the Wellness Exchange and all medical services.

A challenge your editorial presented was how we best promote the vast array of programs and services we offer for students within the context of NYU’s scale and complexity — while remaining sensitive to the fact that students are seemingly

inundated with communications 24/7.

In fact, it was in response to student appeals to simplify our messaging that we focused our promotional resources on the Wellness hotline, which is the simplest and most effective step towards accessing services at NYU. That said, we’re always open to continuous innovation and, once again, we welcome ideas any member of the community may have on how best to get the word out.

Anyone should feel free to contact me and my staff with ideas anytime at student.affairs@nyu.edu.

Marc Wais is NYU’s Senior Vice President for Student Affairs.

Washington Square News | Opinion

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2019

9

UNIVERSITY LIFE

Ronell’s Return Is a Slap to Survivors

By ANNA MURATOVA Senior Reporter TW: This article discusses and mentions sexual harassment and assault.

The news of Professor Avital Ronell’s return to NYU felt like a bucket of cold water poured over my head: sobering and chilling.

As she was found guilty of sexually harassing her advisee, Nimrod Reitman, after an extensive Title IX investigation, I couldn’t imagine the university allowing her to come back and keep teaching here — let alone having more advisees and students. But despite it all, she’s back.

Many sexual assault survivors have a Ronell in their lives: the person or people who caused them pain by using their bodies as a weapon against them. I do.

Speaking from my experience and the experiences of many I’ve conf ided in, having been harassed or assaulted becomes a daily struggle for those living with it. Reminders of my trauma lurk behind every corner, even though it happened four years ago, 4,000 miles from New York City. Cat-calling still serves as a reminder of my abuser’s “compliments.” I still jolt from any accidental physical contact on the train. A tap on my shoulder from behind still makes me freeze in place. The list continues.

NYU successfully provides protection and comfort to victims by implementing support groups for survivors of a multitude of gender identities through Wellness, the Student Health Center, S.P.A.C.E., and discussing the heavy subject of consent through the Reality Show. With all of these efforts in place, Professor Ronell’s return feels like a betrayal. This isn’t to say that those tools suddenly become useless; they don’t. But inviting her back inadvertently undermines the work of everyone trying to make NYU a protected space for victims of harassment and assault, from Wellness facilitators to fellow students. Of course, I’ll keep going to my support group meetings every Friday and healing with the help of those who believe in me and trust my experience. But I won’t feel as safe and as welcomed on this campus, as survivors’ persistence and trauma don’t seem to be respected here anymore.

Submitting to

Frustration and a desire to push back were strong as the news of Ronell’s return unraveled. But terror prevailed above it all. Ronell’s return sent me into a deep panic, invoking painful memories of the trauma I’ve sustained. Sure, she hasn’t done anything to me or to anyone I know. However, she did what’s been done to me as well as to an inf inite army of survivors, many of whom work and study at this school.

The mere idea of Ronell coming back opens up a wound and takes away the sense of safety that any student is entitled to at their university and any employee is at their place of work. The only thing worse than that would be our abusers showing up on our campus to taunt us. For me, it’s just a nightmarish thought. For many, it’s reality. Ronell herself is an abuser who has come back to our campus.

Yes, Professor Ronell is just a person, even though she caused tremendous pain and made huge mistakes. Yes, she might even be deserving of redemption. But it’s not up to me, or you, or this university to decide. We can’t just go ahead and forgive her (or not) because we don’t have that right.

Only Reitman, who’s been hurt by her in one of the most intimate and deeply scarring ways, does.

There’s just one way her return can be, to an extent, justif ied in my eyes: if Reitman himself was asked by the respective off icials at NYU, came forward and consented to it. He’s a survivor of her actions and deserves to be the one to get the f inal say in the matter, regardless of whether he’s still a student here.

Ronell is back on campus, teaching and mentoring a cohort of students, after being found guilty of sexually harassing her graduate advisee. She’s here and she’s a reminder to all of us, survivors at NYU, that no matter how many resources the university implements to support us via Wellness, no matter how hard the community tries to educate about consent, our trauma and subsequent recovery isn’t respected by the administration. They are the ones who made the decision to rehire a perpetrator after she hurt a student on our campus. Yes, he’s just one person. But the truth is that his story is that of hundreds of students and employees at NYU — including me — who now feel unwelcome in the complexity of our experience in a place where we should belong and feel safe, protected and heard.

STAFF EDITORIAL

NYU Is Protecting Abusers After an investigation that lasted less than f ive months found billionaire and NYU trustee Michael Steinhardt made inappropriate comments to students, NYU’s Board of Trustees has decided against changing the name of the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development. This comes after the university’s decision to reinstate Professor Avital Ronell despite f inding her guilty of sexually harassing an NYU graduate student.

Instead of pursuing justice for those affected by their actions, the university has consistently decided to support the abusers, going so far as to provide them with protection in anticipation of their return to campus. This is obviously problematic and, as a community, we must question the motivations behind the university’s decision to protect these predatory individuals. The university’s administration has shown it does not care about community safety; in response, we must listen to the concerns of those who NYU refuses to consider.

After Steinhardt was accused of sexual harassment by seven women in May, the university launched an investigation into his interactions with members of the NYU community. In an email to the Steinhardt school community on Thursday, Board of Trustees Chair William Berkley said that not only did the investigation f ind “several instances of unacceptable remarks containing offensive language used by Mr. Steinhardt in front of or in talking to members of the NYU community,” but that Steinhardt also failed to meet the standards set by the university’s mandatory sexual misconduct training.

According to university bylaws, Steinhardt can be removed from his seat on NYU’s Board of Trustees “with or without cause at any time” by a vote of the Board. But despite the investigation’s f indings, no changes have been made: Steinhardt still holds his seat on the Board.

After the allegations against Steinhardt broke, the college’s dean wrote in an email to the school’s students that “the kind of remarks

and behavior recounted in the news story are out-of-step with our school’s values.” But if Steinhardt’s behavior is misaligned with the school’s values — not to mention actively harming members of NYU’s community, as the investigation concluded — why does he still sit on its Board of Trustees?

NYU’s lax treatment of Steinhardt isn’t the only time the university has chosen to protect abusers over their survivors. After a Title IX investigation conducted by NYU found Professor Avital Ronell guilty of sexually harassing her graduate advisee, she was suspended for one year without pay. Ronell’s suspension has since ended and she has returned to campus — accompanied by a Public Safety Off icer.

Though many students, including the Graduate Student Organizing Committee, called on the university to f ire her, NYU retaliated with a letter to student organizers in Ronell’s defense, saying that her “interactions with students will be monitored to ensure that she has absorbed the lessons of her misconduct.”

NYU also noted that all university employees are required by New York State law to complete online sexual harassment training. They did not mention whether or not Ronell had completed her training before the semester, as training is not due until Oct. 9; they also did not note what would happen to Ronell if she failed her training course — as Steinhardt did.

Steinhardt’s continued presence on the Board speaks to a larger problem. What is the point in NYU requiring its faculty to partake in sexual misconduct training if nothing happens when they fail? Furthermore, what is the point in NYU conducting Title IX investigations if those found guilty are not removed from campus? It seems that these measures are not in place to protect members of the NYU community, but rather to simply satisfy legal requirements. Students deserve to feel safe on campus. The university’s continued protection of perpetrators of sexual misconduct shows that the administration disagrees.

Email the Editorial Board at editboard@nyunews.com.

COLE STALLONE Chair ABBY HOFSTETTER Chair JUN SUNG Co-Chair DIYA JAIN Co-Chair

Email Anna Muratova at amuratova@nyunews.com.

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

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2019

SPORTS

SPORTS@NYUNEWS.COM

Edited by BELA KIRPALANI

Women’s Volleyball Starts Off Season With Exciting Wins

By REBECCA CHOI Staff Writer Fresh off of its 2018 ECAC Championship win, the women’s volleyball team established itself as a force to be reckoned with and entered this season with a chip on its shoulder.

Starting off the 2019 campaign strong, the team opened against Buffalo State College and swept the competition 3-0 on Aug. 30. Taking the lead, the women never fell behind, showing their opponents that they were here to take control and win the game. The next day, they had a busy schedule facing two opponents, Wheaton College and Pratt Institute, respectively. Again, they defeated both schools by identical 3-0 scores. The Violets continued their winning streak against Arcadia University, Stockton University and Skidmore College, only faltering in a tight match against Springfield College.

CAS junior and co-captain Jacqueline Kupeli credits the team’s success in part to the coaching staff and the strong team dynamic.

“The overall time we’ve spent with the new coaches, like the new coaching style has been so beneficial,” Kupeli said. “Our practices’ structures have been really well rounded where we’ll divide up individual skills and we’ll go to game play. So we get a little piece of the sport each practice which I think really helps us mentally prepare for the game.”

Hired in April 2018, Head Coach Andrew Brown took the reins of a lackluster team that finished the 2017 season with a 7-20 record. Brown and his assistant coach, Rachel Bello, transformed the Violets, culminating in their first ECAC Championship since 2013. Now, in his second season with the team, Brown reflects on the team’s ability to harness its full potential and

looks to continue that success. “[The] momentum, continuing the hard work that we established really allowed us to become more comfortable with our core values and our systems,” Brown said. “That way, as we welcomed new players into the school in terms of our freshmen, we were able to kind of plug them in and just continue where we left off. And I think it’s really evident on the court with all their dedication and hard work that they put in.”

While the members of the women’s volleyball team possess great skill and potential on the court, they also have the mental fortitude to push past setbacks, like the loss against Springfield College on Sept. 7. Stern first-year Nicole Daoshares said that despite the Violets’ loss, they learned a great deal that will lead to wins in the future.

“We learned a lot from that game because we have a lot of points in which we can work on,” Dao said. “Let’s keep

Fiery and Talented, Christian Otero Never Stops Competing

By GRIFFIN VRABECK Staff Writer Four years ago, when CAS sophomore Christian Otero was attending Gulliver Preparatory School in Miami, he won two state titles. But that wasn’t enough.

“I was in Spain for the freshman year, so I thought I would be able to go for three, but then I wasn’t able to,” Otero said. “And then senior year, I wasn’t fully committed. So I feel like I could’ve gone for more, but I didn’t.”

Otero showcased his resiliency, toughness and commitment to improving as a player merely by training and competing in the disarming heat of Miami with a coach who might now be considered old-school.

“If we were cramping, we couldn’t stop,” Otero said. “I’ve had to go to the hospital twice for full body cramps, and he didn’t care.”

But Otero valued his coach’s intensity, saying it taught him how to push through the pain and focus on what’s important.

“He just wanted to win, win, win,” he continued.

“And that’s what it’s all about. You go through that process to get into a college.”

All of this hard work paid off for Otero, giving him the opportunity to choose where he wanted to attend college. Otero was deciding between a Division I and Division III school, and decided to focus on academics because he didn’t plan on pursuing tennis professionally.

“My brother went to Penn State, and they were very heavy on fitness,” he said. “I figured tennis ruins your knees, it catches up to you at the end of the day, you know? And if you get injured once with tennis, you’re done. You can’t compete at such a high level if you have a bunch of knee surgeries or if you have a huge injury. So I felt like focusing on academics was the right thing.”

Otero has had a promising start to his career on NYU’s tennis team. Last season, he earned a 3-3 record in singles play and a 3-1 doubles record. In the team’s opening match of the 2019 season on Sept. 7, the CAS sophomore beat his singles opponent in the Lions Fall Kickoff Tournament in straight sets, before pairing up with CAS first-year Alex Yang to secure

NYU’s only doubles victory. This past weekend, the winning momentum continued, as Otero defeated his singles opponents (6-0, 6-0) and (6-1, 7-5).

Head Coach Horace Choy described Otero’s game as “complete, but quiet,” and added that his “street-fighter mentality” is key to his success on the court.

“They can both hit good shots from difficult positions,” Choy said of Otero and Yang. “Even shots that get opponents to say ‘Where did that come from?’”

Yang believes a big part of their newfound success is due to their position on the court.

“The side you take is really important because that’s where you’re going to be returning your serves from, and returns are so important in doubles,” Yang said. “[Otero], he likes hitting big forehands, so his side is perfect for him. I like backhands on my returns.”

Watching his older brother’s experiences shaped Otero’s comprehensive perspective on life as an athlete and sparked his own desire to finish everything he starts.

“After I saw what my brother had to go through at Penn State, I knew I did not want to do the same thing, because he ended up getting burnt out and quitting the team, and I wanted to commit to something and finish it,” Otero said.

And in the future, Otero — who studies economics — hopes the lessons he’s learned in tennis will translate into off-court success.

“Being some sort of sports agent or handling athletes’ money is something I would love to do, because I’m invested into sports and I know a lot about sports,” he said. “I can relate to people who play sports because I know the grind and what they have to go through, and the exercise and time and work you have to put in.”

As for now, Otero and Yang appear to be a budding doubles team, switching between the No. 2 and No. 3 spots in the starting lineup, respectively The next opportunity to see their electrifying play is in New London, Connecticut at the Connecticut College/USCGA Invitational on Sept. 21.

Email Griffin Vrabeck at sports@nyunews.com.

our strengths but also work to develop and get better at our weaker points.”

Right now, with many wins coming so early in the season, the squad is focused on continuing to train hard during practices and in the weight room in order to keep the momentum going. CAS sophomore Gretchen Kincade expressed her strong belief in the team. “[We believe in] our training and just sticking to it,” Kincade said. “We keep going, no matter what we’re doing. It’s so fast, like everyone gives it their all because it is such a high level of volleyball that we were playing, and I think as long as we continue to buy into the idea that we could be an amazing team this year, I think we’re going to be really successful.”

Dao agreed, citing the distinctive team dynamic that they possess.

“The communication overall in our team is pretty well rounded,” Dao

said. “I’d say everyone contributes in their own way. And the way we work together is really collaborative and not only motivating, but like, everyone is accountable for what their job is.”

With a stellar 10-1 record so far this season, the team’s confidence is at an all-time high.

“I think that we are going to continue this upward trend for sure,” Kincade said. “It’ll be interesting to see how far we will go. People may not expect [that] for us as we have not been such a force in the past, but I think that I’m looking forward to, you know, really shocking our competitors.”

Catch the Violets back in action in their next match against the College of Mount Saint Vincent at NYU’s Brooklyn Athletic Facility on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Email Rebecca Choi at sports@nyunews.com.

Examining the Tennis Pay Gap

Andrey Gobulev, a male tennis player, returns a serve during the US Open.

By DANIAL HASHEMI Staff Writer Canadian tennis player Bianca Andreescu was awarded $3.85 million for winning the 2019 U.S. Open women’s singles title. Men’s singles champion Rafael Nadal was also given $3.85 million. If this sounds like an abnormality for sports, it is. In fact, tennis is the only major sport in which men and women receive the same amount of prize money for winning Grand Slam tournaments.

Female tennis players are the top-paid female athletes in the world. In fact, the only three women that crack the top 100 of the world’s highest-paid athletes are tennis players. For comparison, NBA players receive roughly $240,000 for winning the Finals while their WNBA counterparts only take home around $11,000.

Unsurprisingly, women’s tennis players had to fight hard to get their due. In the 1970s, Billie Jean King was getting paid a fraction as much as her male counterparts for winning the same tournaments. In what became known as the Battle of the Sexes, King faced off against former world No. 1 ranked men’s tennis player Bobby Riggs in a $1,000 winner-takesall match on Sept. 20, 1973. King won the highly-publicized match, leading to a major shift in how the public viewed women’s tennis.

King continued her advocacy, later threatening to boycott the 1973 U.S. Open if male and female champions were not paid the same, making the Open

VIA WIKIMEDIA

the first major tennis tournament to offer equal prize money. The other three Grand Slam tournaments followed suit after the 1973 U.S. Open and have all paid equal prize money since 2007, when Venus Williams lobbied for Wimbledon to pay female champions the same as men.

While it may seem like the pay gap in tennis has closed, the reality is that at other large combined ATP-WTA tournaments, the prize money difference can be stark. At the Western & Southern Open in 2015, Serena Williams was paid $495,000 while Roger Federer received $731,000 for winning the same tournament.

While Grand Slam tournaments may give the impression that tennis pay is equal among men and women, the New York Times reported that the annual prize money for the top 100 earners in the Women’s Tennis Association is equivalent to just 80 cents to every dollar earned by the top 100 men in the Association of Tennis Professionals outside of Grand Slam tournaments.

However, the tennis organizations of ATP and WTP have made serious strides in creating similar fame and fortune for the athletes who put in the work to get to the top with Grand Slam tournaments paying the same prize money to both genders.

Hopefully, if other sports leagues follow suit and equalize prize money for winning titles, other female athletes could also get their share.

Email Danial Hashemi at sports@nyunews.com.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2019

Washington Square News | Sports

11

Saving Goals and Taking Names

By MARIA LEVINE Staff Writer During the past two seasons, women’s soccer starting goalkeeper Meghan Marhan has become a key player for the Violets, establishing a reputation with shutouts and game-saving plays.

The Stern junior was awarded the starting role last season after a promising rookie campaign in which she presented herself as a defensive stronghold in the four games she played. In her sophomore season, Marhan made a career-high 11 saves in a 1-0 victory over the University of Chicago and was named First Team All-UAA and IAAC Fall Honor Roll. She currently holds the top spot for the highest save percentage and fewest goals allowed for any goalkeeper in NYU history.

Despite all of her personal success, Marhan remains focused on the overall performance of the team.

“I honestly don’t focus too much on my own personal things,” she said.

“Because in the long run, I don’t think that’s important.”

The Glen Ridge, New Jersey native started playing soccer when she was in fifth grade, always taking her position in-between the goalposts.

But a few years down the road, Marhan did not have the most conventional recruitment experience. Despite playing soccer, lacrosse and basketball in high school, athletic recruitment was not at the front of Marhan’s mind early in her high school career.

“I did stop playing goalie for like two years in high school when I didn’t think I was going to play in college,” Marhan said. “Then going into my senior year, I kind of had a change of heart and decided that I did want to give it a try.”

In addition to adjusting back into the game after a few years off, Marhan also had to navigate the technical aspects of recruitment. She was a bit late to the recruiting game, with

VIA NYU ATHLETICS

Meghan Marhan has been the starting goalkeeper for NYU for the past two years.

many high school athletes beginning the process in their junior year ⁠— sometimes earlier. Marhan started attending various college camps at the beginning of her senior year. She was at a camp at Columbia University when she first caught the attention of the NYU women’s soccer team coaching staff.

“I was really swayed by the coaches because I really liked them as a whole and I met some of the old players and really liked them and the team dynamic,” Marhan said.

Marhan considers her teammates her best friends and motivators who help her balance the demands of academics and athletics. She even cites

recent alums and former NYU teammates as constant sources of support.

“Because it is New York, [players] stick around after they graduate,” Marhan said. “So they’re such a good resource, they’ve been through all four years. So I actually do seek them out a lot for advice.”

The encouraging relationship between Meghan and her team is mutual, with CAS senior and center forward Alex Benedict describing her teammate as “the sweetest person, right from the start.”

“Though she was quiet, we bonded immediately over our mutual love for clothes and shoes,” Benedict added.

As a goalkeeper, it is crucial for

Marhan to have command over the team as she observes the game from the end of the field, shouting out instructions to her teammates. “[Marhan] has developed such a presence on the field,” Benedict said.

“She directs the team from the back line to the forwards and she helps keep the team organized. Meg is a huge part of our collective success.”

As she continues to hone her technical skills, Marhan also believes that she can continue to improve in her role as a leader on the team.

“Being on the soccer team, you have to learn to work with so many different personalities,” she said. “So that’s definitely helped my teamwork

abilities. And then being a goalie, I’m expected to communicate throughout all the practices, all the games. So my leadership and my communication have definitely skyrocketed since high school. And that’s really helped me step out of my comfort zone.”

Just four games into the 2019 fall season and Marhan is already off to a strong start, with two shutouts and a few key saves under her belt. As her confidence continues to grow, the sky’s the limit for Marhan as she begins the second half of her collegiate soccer career.

Email Maria Levine at sports@nyunews.com.

Concussions Are Not Just a Football Problem

By BELA KIRPALANI Sports Editor When I say concussion, you say football. Concussion, football.

Concussion, football.

Cases like those of Aaron Hernandez and Junior Seau are still fresh in our minds. Hits like these replay in

our memories. It seems that almost every article about CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy, is connected to the NFL. While football is and should continue to be a main part of the discourse around head injuries, the conversation too often gets lost in the sport, giving off the false im-

SOPHIA DI IORIO | WSN

pression that the two are correlated — concussions and football.

The reality is that head injuries, including concussions and longterm brain damage, are prevalent across multiple sports. A 2017 study by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons found that high school-age female soccer players actually have a signif icantly higher rate of concussions than their male counterparts. Head and neck injuries account for 37% of all surf ing injuries. Even cheerleading, a sport that we don’t typically associate with roughness or physical contact, is among the top 20 sports with the highest rate of head injuries — not to mention hockey, boxing and countless other sports that are most commonly thought of as hard on the body.

In the meantime, high school participation in sports has risen steadily, but the awareness, education and protection are not catching up.

A 2017 study examined the brains of 111 deceased NFL players and of the 111, 110 players were diagnosed with CTE. What has changed since? Not much — at least not in the NFL. U.S. Soccer banned head-

ing for children under the age of 10 in 2015. FIFA also changed its concussion protocol ahead of the 2018 World Cup, allowing for games to be stopped for three minutes in order for team doctors to properly assess the damage to a player and have the authority to remove a player from the f ield. These are all steps in the right direction, but there is still so much we don’t know — and only so far these rules can go toward protecting athletes. There’s also no uniformity across sports, across leagues and across the world.

While we still don’t have a lot of information about CTE, including how the disease manifests, we know this: the symptoms — memory loss, depression, impaired judgement — are severe and must be taken seriously.

We must talk about this. Too many people live in silence. People like legendary United States Women’s National Team goalkeeper Briana Scurry, whose career was ended by a concussion in 2010 and who suffered in silence for many years before speaking out and pledging her brain to science. The NFL is too quick to brush off its responsi-

bility in this systemic issue, settling lawsuits, refusing to comment and, more recently, issuing a challenge for applicants to create safer helmet prototypes. If you need to engineer new equipment and f ight countless legal battles, I wonder, isn’t it time to ask if the sport is being played correctly? Is this really how we’re prioritizing “player safety”? The NFL’s own players don’t even feel protected by the league (in more ways than one, but I will focus on health for the sake of this article).

Because it’s an invisible injury, it is often not treated as seriously as, say, a torn calf muscle. It’s not something that you can wrap in a bandage or stitch up. And in the ultracompetitive world of sports, athletes are often told to “suck it up” or “f ight through the pain.”

It’s time that player safety not just be used as a corporate tagline and treated as a priority instead.

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.

Washington Square News Staff Editor-in-Chief

Sakshi Venkatraman Managing Editor

Sam Klein DEPUTY Kate Lowe Creative Directors

Sophia Di Iorio, Deborah Alalade Copy Chiefs

Sam Brinton DEPUTY Dana Sun, Daija Dewberry Multimedia

Julia McNeill DEPUTY Marva Shi PHOTO Jorene He VIDEO Min Ji Kim DEPUTY PHOTO Elaine Chen DEPUTY VIDEO Chelsea Li Social Media

Akiva Thalheim Vanessa Handy

VISUALS

Senior Staff NEWS Victor Porcelli CULTURE Carol Lee ARTS Claire Fishman SPORTS Bela Kirpalani Opinion Page EDITOR Cole Stallone, Abby Hofstetter DEPUTY Jun Sung, Diya Jai ABOUT WSN: Washington Square News (ISSN 15499389) is the student newspaper of New York University. WSN is published in print on Mondays and throughout the week online during NYU’s academic year, except for university holidays, vacations and exam periods.

Deputy Staff NEWS Alexandria Johnson ARTS Kaylee DeFreitas FILM Fareid El Gafy BOOKS & THEATER

Julie Goldberg MUSIC Ethan Zack CULTURE Lauren Gruber DINING Calais Watkins BEAUTY & STYLE Bella Gil SPORTS Benjamin Michael Davis ADVERTISING

Business Manager

Lukas Villarin Director of Sales

Mel Bautista Account Associates

Yejin Chang Mira Silveira ADVISING

Director of Operations

Nanci Healy

Editorial Adviser

Rachel Holliday Smith Editors-at-Large

Sayer Devlin, Hanna Khosravi, Melanie Pineda, Pamela Jew, Natalie Chinn, Alex Cullina, Nicole Rosenthal, Justin Park

CORRECTIONS: WSN is committed to accurate reporting. When we make errors, we do our best to correct them as quickly as possible. If you believe we have erred, contact the managing editors at managing@nyunews.com.