Washington Square News | September 30, 2019

4 CULTURE

9 OPINION

Abroad for Four Semesters, This Junior Chases Change

What Does Impeachment Really Mean?

6 ARTS

10 SPORTS

Rapper Jack Harlow Talks Exploding Popularity, Humble Start

Women’s Volleyball Coach Reaches 100 Wins

VOLUME LIII | ISSUE 6

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2019

Administrators and Students to Work Together Toward Sustainability A student government committee was created at the end of last semester to continue the work of NYU’s Sustainability Working Group.

By MILIANA BOCHER and VICTOR PORCELLI Contributing Writer and News Editor

238 Thompson Rooftop Garden, one of NYU’s landscaping projects, sits on top of the Global Center for Academic and Spiritual Life.

TONY WU | WSN

A new committee within NYU’s student government will seek to work with, rather than against, university administrators in reaching its sustainability goals.

In previous semesters, students have often been at odds with the university when it comes to issues of sustainability. Spearheaded by NYU Divest and the Student Labor Action Movement, protests have focused on demanding the university divest from fossil fuels and enact more ambitious sustainability efforts. From occupying a Bobst Library elevator — and other university buildings — to protesting outside of Kimmel Center for University Life, conversation between students and administrators has often been combative.

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Student Vaping Fears Intensify Amid Recent Wave of Illnesses Students discuss e-cigarette culture on campus and how first-year students develop their addictions.

By TATIANA VELASCO Staff Writer He was an NYU student who would never be seen without his Juul in hand.

Nicotine was, unbeknownst to him at the time, something he was becoming dependent on. He thought he could comfortably quit anytime — and one day, he tried.

In an attempt to improve his health, he ditched his Juul and gave it to a friend to help keep him accountable. However, the initiative did not last long. He started to fight with this friend, longing for his usual fix.

“And that’s what addiction looks

like,” said Benjamin Poleretzky, CAS junior and close friend of this particular Juuler. “He tried to stop, he wanted to stop, he even displaced himself from the product, but found himself coming right back to it.”

With 12 confirmed deaths related to e-cigarettes (and counting), this epidemic is a growing national issue, and it is not sparing NYU students. While some students continue to cling to their vapes, others are beginning to recognize their detrimental effects.

Steinhardt senior Jasmine Choi is a regular e-cigarette user and so are all her friends. She described how she began vaping her first year.

“When you are a freshman, you just do it because it’s a social thing, and also you feel like it’s not that big of a deal,” she said.

Choi also said she never viewed the nicotine in vapes in the same light as regular cigarettes.

“You think of it just as flavored vapor, in a way,” she said.

With the plan to quit e-cigarettes after graduation, Choi realizes that her experiences mirror what a lot of people go through with smoking.

“I am concerned about my future — how [e-cigarettes are] going to affect my future, my family and my health especially,” Choi said.

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JULIA MCNEIL L| WSN

Ultimate Goal of Frisbee: Find Family READ MORE ON PAGE 10

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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2019

NEWS

NEWS@NYUNEWS.COM

Edited by VICTOR PORCELLI

Administrators and Students to Work Together Toward Sustainability CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

The new committee, which includes three members of the Student Senators Council and is chaired by CAS sophomore Adriana Moreno, will work with NYU’s Office of Sustainability. Created at the end of last semester through a change in SGA’s bylaws, the committee sees increased communication with administrators as an opportunity for meaningful collaboration that could produce legitimate changes within NYU. “Our goal is definitely to find a middle ground,” Moreno said in an interview with WSN. “To me, it’s not about rushing into everything and demanding everything.

It’s all about sustainability, about working with administration and about being patient and firm.”

Prior to the committee, student representation for sustainability was limited to one person — recent NYU graduate and 20182019 Senator at-Large for sustainability Edin Thornton. Senator at-Large positions last one year, and there is no guarantee that their constituency will be represented the following term.

“I’ve always thought that it was really important, and I’ve definitely pushed hard to make sure that [a sustainability committee] was in the by-laws,” Thornton said. “You

need to have this committee.”

Thornton said she saw the committee as a continuation of the university’s Sustainability Working Group, formed in 2018.

The group had faculty, administrators and students on it. It was disbanded at the end of last semester after giving a presentation in the University Senate and introducing 35 new sustainability initiatives.

Moreno said the committee’s goals for the upcoming semester balance both the administration’s objectives and the committee’s own personal initiatives. The sustainability committee plans on working with the administration to supplement the Climate Challenge Plan originally issued earlier this calendar year and on improving collaboration with NYU’s global network regarding sustainability and related student engagement. Additionally, Moreno hopes to expand on previous university initiatives like the ban on plastic water bottles, the new compost bins in dining halls and the expansion of plant-based food options on campus.

“The actual idea of sustainability is so key to how we should be running our campus and our society as a whole,” Moreno said. “Sustainability, on a small scale, means waste reduction like plastic and food waste. It’s using our resources in a way that

future students will never be deprived of those resources.”

The administration looks forward to working hand-in-hand with the new SGA committee to find success for both administrators and students.

“Involvement with students better informs our work as we discover both community concerns and passions,” NYU Chief Sustainability Officer Cecil Scheib said in a statement to WSN. “We’ve met with the committee chair and members and have already started an open exchange of ideas and plans.”

Moreno emphasized the importance of working with administration to bring about university-wide changes.

“Whether or not [our policy] passes is up to the administration,” Moreno said. “I think the fact that we’re working with [the Office of Sustainability] is going to make a really big difference because they will provide the resources for us that I wouldn’t know how to have access to.”

NYU Divest did not respond to a request for comment by time of publication.

Email Miliana Bocher and Victor Porcelli at news@nyunews.com.

Student Vaping Fears Intensify Amid Recent Wave of Illnesses CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

A recent study published by the American Journal of Health Behavior found that attitudes and social norms surrounding e-cigarettes influence college students. The results indicated that students’ use of e-cigarettes is more likely caused by their social environment than other circumstances.

Steinhardt sophomore Abigail Basdeo is a friend of an e-cigarette smoker who has no known plans to quit. She expressed her sadness about the e-cigarette related deaths in the news and said she is concerned for her friend’s health.

She also recognized e-cigarettes are a problem at NYU. She even posted a Snapchat photo last week depicting Juul pods on the sidewalk, which she took while walking around campus.

AIDAN SINGH | WSN

With new regulations on e-cigarettes and ban on flavored Juul products, students discuss the dangers of e-cigarettes.

The photo’s caption reads, “Instead of cigarette buds in the cracks of the sidewalk there are Juul pods and Idk what’s worse.”

Choi agrees that e-cigarettes are an increasing problem.

“I think it’s about time that the government recognizes this as a serious issue and takes an action,” she said.

Some have. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo banned flavored e-cigarettes using an executive action to prevent use among teens.

He hopes the ban will become law during the state’s next legislative session.

More teens are vaping each year, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse — and researchers at Dartmouth University found that many of them will transition into smoking, which is even more dangerous to their health.

Choi also said that e-cigarette companies should not include encouraging messages regarding the healthiness of vaping compared to smoking cigarettes. She is not the only NYU student upset about their marketing strategies.

“I don’t think [e-cigarette companies] care really about how you feel because to them, it’s just — they have to make money,” Basdeo said.

“They are definitely lying.”

Poleretzky suggested that a government ban on e-cigarettes would not be a bad idea. At the least, he said the government should increase regulation on e-cigarette companies.

“Corporations won’t take steps to ensure public safety unless the government forces them,” he said.

When Poleretsky sees students using e-cigarettes around campus, he said he feels bad because they are “probably hooked”.

“I wish, I wish I could tell them that it is dangerous, and this is one of the worst things you could do to yourself — make yourself addicted to something,” he said. “It’s a sad but brutal truth.”

Email Tatiana Velasco at news@nyunews.com.

CHELSEA LI | WSN

CAS sophomore Adriana Moreno is an environmental studies major and an NYU EcoRep.

Panelists Discuss Hate Speech, Free Speech at NYU

By TESSA KILCLINE Staff Writer NYU students have both warmly invited and vehemently protested certain speakers slated to visit campus. The ones that draw the most attention are conservative pundits like Milo Yiannopoulos — whose speaking engagement last year was canceled — and Gavin McInnes — who was pepper sprayed by a protestor outside his 2017 talk. A panel spoke about the merits of seeking to prevent speakers from coming to college campuses at the Cantor Film Center on Thursday.

The panel was hosted by PEN America, a nonprofit organization that supports free expression worldwide, in conjunction with the NYU Center for the Humanities and the NYU Institute for Public Knowledge, which aim to foster interdisciplinary discussion and support events on issues of public concern.

The panel discussed the conflict between those who think people believed to promote hate, such as alt-right speakers, should not be allowed to speak on college campuses and those who believe that is a violation of free speech.

Campus Free Speech Project Director Jonathan Friedman began the event by proposing that two fundamental truths are at play in the conflict.

“First, teaching about the value of free speech to a democratic society is a fundamental and enduring responsibility of the academy,” Friedman said. “Secondly, the calls for campuses to work to expel racism, hate and discrimination are legitimate, they’re urgent and they’re just. To anyone monitoring national news about higher education, it is plainly apparent that these two sets of values have been clashing.”

Interim Policy Director at the New York Civil Liberties Union Lee Rowland emphasized the capacity of a university to employ its standing and resources during free speech conflicts.

“The school still has the power, without disinviting that speaker, to use its bully pulpit to contextualize, to maybe even oppose the views that those students have chosen to highlight,” Rowland said. “If we want an atmosphere where free inquiry presides, the university has to lead the way and show us how these

values coexist.”

PEN CEO Suzanne Nossel referred to Yiannopoulos, a conservative pundit who consistently gains coverage for racist or problematic remarks. For instance, he has said that Muslims should be sent back to the Middle East and that journalists should be gunned down. In 2016, NYU canceled a scheduled talk with him due to security concerns. In 2018, another Yiannopoulos talk at NYU was postponed indefinitely at the request of Mayor Bill de Blasio.

“In our view, [the universities] have to enable this talk or whatever it is to go forward,” Nossel said. “It shouldn’t be shot down. It shouldn’t give Milo the platform to grandstand about having been silenced, but at the same time, you speak out from the voice of the university about the values. You can do other things to support students who feel victimized and unsettled by the presence.”

There was also an incident in 2017 in which VICE co-founder McInnes walked out of a talk at NYU because he could not be heard over the sounds of protestors and was attacked with pepper spray.

Attendee and CAS junior Emma Fecko was at NYU when the controversies over Yiannopoulos and McInnes occurred, but was not directly involved.

“I’m not generally happy with the way NYU handles most things,” Fecko said. “I think that those who run the institution are so far removed from the student body and aren’t really at all involved in our daily lives or take the time to acknowledge how we experience school here.”

Another attendee, CAS senior Helena Gonzalez said she felt universities should prohibit speakers that meet certain criteria.

“When this person speaking becomes a security concern, that’s where there’s certainly a line,” Gonzalez said. “And a lot of times, especially with these alt-right people, it does become a security concern.”

Fecko, who came into the event with the view that offensive speech should be monitored, found that the panel brought new perspectives to her attention.

“I think that just by being in a space like this and hearing different opinions about it, my ideas are more developed,” Fecko said.

Email Tessa Kilcline at news@nyunews.com.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2019

Washington Square News | News

Graduate Student Union Claps Back at NYU on Return of Professor Who Sexually Harassed Student

By VICTOR PORCELLI News Editor NYU and its graduate student union have been embroiled in a back-andforth over whether or not the university should f ire Professor Avital Ronell, who was found to have sexually harassed a student last year and is back teaching a course this semester. The Graduate Student Organizing Committee released a statement on Monday renewing its call for Ronell’s f iring and critiquing NYU’s response to it in early September.

GSOC started a petition signed by over 600 students, faculty and staff — mainly students — to have Ronell f ired for her harassment of graduate student Nimrod Reitman. After an 11-month Title IX investigation found Ronell guilty of inappropriate physical contact and text messages to Reitman, she was suspended for one academic year.

This fall, she is back teaching a course at NYU — something the university finds acceptable and GSOC does not.

“Is a one-year suspension during which Ronell taught in Europe really ‘substantial’?” GSOC’s response to NYU’s open letter states.

GSOC said it will continue to call on NYU to fire Ronell. The university responded to the initial petition, but GSOC says this response is inadequate for several reasons.

“First, we wish to note that we find your responses regarding the return of Avital Ronell unsatisfying,” the response says. “[I]n addition to the aspects of our petition mentioned in your response, there are many you did not address.”

Clarity on the Title IX Process The GSOC petition’s first and second demands were that NYU make clear how it had determined Ronell’s punishment and provide a framework for how it makes such decisions.

The union would like there to be a uniform and transparent Title IX process in hopes that this will make it easier to hold NYU and those found to have committed Title IX violations accountable.

3 CRIME LOG

Missing Suit at Tisch Hall

By CRIME BOT Robot Reporter From Sept. 20 to 26, the NYU Department of Public Safety received one report of disorderly conduct/harassment, four reports of harassment, two reports of larceny, five reports of liquor law violations and one report of simple assault.

Disorderly Conduct/Harassment On Sept. 22 at 4:27 p.m. a staff member at Third Avenue North Residence Hall reported witnessing disorderly conduct and harassment. Police notification was declined and the case is open and under investigation.

Harassment

COURTESY OF GSOC

NYU’s Graduate Student Organizing Committee has been at odds with the university over its handling of a professor found to have sexually harassed a graduate student.

Although NYU enumerates its Title IX process for reports against employees, with clear information on how to report someone and what happens after, it does not provide information on how it decides whether or not to take disciplinary action and what type of disciplinary action to take.

In-Person Training One of GSOC’s questions to NYU is, “has [Ronell] undergone any training as part of her return?”

In its letter, NYU notes that all university employees undergo online sexual harassment training. GSOC, as part of its demands, says there should be “regular, in-person, rigorous trainings for faculty, staff and students,” that focus on not only sexual respect, but racial sensitivity and bystander intervention as well.

Streamlined Resources GSOC said in its response that resources listed by NYU, such as the Sexual Misconduct Prevention, Assistance, Counseling and Education program, the Office of Equal Opportunity and the

Wellness Center, should have updated their websites for clarity.

Although NYU’s letter says students can make anonymous reports through the OEO, GSOC says the OEO’s website does not make this clear. On its website, the OEO states: “The Office of Equal Opportunity is limited in its ability to investigate anonymous complaints. Therefore, online submissions cannot be accepted without valid contact information from the submitter. Individuals who wish to seek advice anonymously should call the office directly.”

Additional Funding, Staff In addition to demanding resources be more accessible, advertised and streamlined, GSOC asks that SPACE receive additional funding. It also claims that NYU’s Wellness Center should hire additional staff as the “the ratio of counselors to students is insufficient for the needs of the community.”

Email Victor Porcelli at vporcelli@nyunews.com.

On Sept. 21 at 6:20 p.m., a student reported being harassed at Third North. The case was closed and referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Sept. 23 at 8 p.m., a student reported being harassed in Founders Residence Hall. The case was closed and referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Sept. 23 at 2:20 a.m., a student reported being harassed in the Kimmel Center for University Life. Police notification was declined and the case is open and under investigation.

On Sept. 26 at 11:45 a.m., a student reported being harassed in Washington Square Park. Police notification was declined and the case is open and under investigation.

Larceny On Sept. 22 at 7 p.m., a student reported a missing bike from Schwartz Plaza. Police notification was declined, and the case is open and under investigation.

On Sept. 26 at 7 p.m., a student reported a missing suit from Tisch Hall. Police notification was declined, and the case is open and under investigation.

Liquor Law Violation On Sept. 20 at 12:39 a.m.,an RA reported witnessing underage alcohol possession at Seventh Street Residence Hall. The case was closed and referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Sept. 20 at 5:26 p.m., an RA reported witnessing underage alcohol possession at Carlyle Court Residence Hall.

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

On Sept. 20 at 9:41 p.m., an RA reported witnessing underage alcohol possession at Alumni Residence Hall. The case was closed and referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Sept. 21 at 1 a.m., an RA reported witnessing underage alcohol possession at Lafayette Street Residence Hall. The case was closed and referred to the Office of Community Standards.

On Sept. 25 at 10:15 p.m., an RA reported witnessing underage alcohol possession at Senior House Residence Hall.

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

Simple Assault

Washington Square News

On Sept. 22 at 11:45 p.m., a staff member reported being punched by an unknown person at 12 Waverly Place. Police notification was declined and the case is open and under investigation.

Email Crime Bot at news@nyunews.com.

@nyunews

@nyunews RACHEL BUIGAS-LOPEZ | WSN

Washington Square News

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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2019

CULTURE

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Edited by CAROL LEE

Abroad for Four Semesters, This Junior Chases Change

SAM KLEIN | WSN

CAS junior Isay Acenas visits a falcon hospital in the United Arab Emirates in January.

Isay has done research in the UAE, studied in Sydney and Buenos Aires and will study in Madrid next spring.

By SAM KLEIN Managing Editor Isay Acenas doesn’t want to talk about the entrepreneurship program she started in the Philippines as a sophomore.

She doesn’t want to talk about how she’s in Buenos Aires for her second of four consecutive semesters abroad. Or about being recognized by the state of California in high school for establishing a safe space for Filipino youth in the Bay Area.

Isay wants to talk about weightlifting.

She says she’s lived four different lifetimes, but weightlifting has been her constant since she was 14.

“It’s a mental state where it’s me against

the weights, and nothing in my life matters,” Isay says. “My phone is on airplane mode. No one can reach me, talk to me.”

Weightlifting is an Olympic sport, and it’s not all about strength — incorrect form can disqualify an otherwise successful lift.

Weightlifting isn’t powerlifting, which consists of well-known exercises like benching, squatting and deadlifting. For Isay, training — she’s quick to specify that it’s training, not working out — includes powerlifting to build strength, but also practicing her form. And practicing her form. And practicing her form more.

For the six years that Isay, a CAS junior, has been weightlifting, she has kept training journals, a new one every year. When she

trains, she writes down her numbers, but also any thoughts that she has. She keeps the old journals, but doesn’t look back at them.

“I hate being in my feelings,” Isay says. “I want to write things down, and I want to make things tangible, but I think if I look back I’m too scared of regressing.”

To understand the significance of holding onto her journals for this long, it helps to know about Isay’s insistence on a minimalist lifestyle. Last semester, she was studying away in Sydney. Currently, she’s in Buenos Aires, and this spring she’ll be in Madrid. Each time she transitions, Isay is careful to limit herself.

“I only brought a small suitcase here to Argentina, and I have a list for every time I go abroad,” Isay says. “I’m like, I’m only going to bring four shirts, three pants, stuff like that. I just prefer to have few things and have control of them.”

She also keeps just 30 contacts in her phone — an act of Spartan self-discipline that forces her to form incredibly close relationships with a select few people.

One of the 30 is Gallatin junior Carlin Guervil. Isay and Carlin lived in Goddard Residential College together as first-years, but first bonded while living together in a homestay in Guatemala during spring break.

Carlin remembers how, at a festival there, Isay picked up the host family’s youngest child and held her on her shoulders the entire time so she could see. Since that trip, she and Carlin have remained close.

“Whenever we talk, I know that the conversation goes in a whole bunch of different directions,” Carlin says. “She’s capable of having conversations about everything, and there was never a point at which we had one superficial conversation, one gener-

Concrete City, Green Thumb: Plant Shop Recommendations

By CLORIS YANG Contributing Writer The benefits of keeping a plant in your dorm range from cleaner air, to diminishing drowsiness, to making you feel a little less lonely.

Keeping something other than yourself alive may seem daunting to some students, but once you’ve adopted a plant child or two, you’ll find the joys of plant parenting are well worth the responsibilities.

Aside from the plants’ aesthetic value, convenience tends to be a major consideration for busy and stylish NYU students. The good news is that there are many good spots around NYU to introduce some oxygenating goodness into your dorm without too much effort.

Epicurean Market 45 University Place Though Epicurean may be discredited by its lack of variety, its proximity to campus makes it a convenient option.

The small grocery store offers some beautiful, healthy

succulents and cacti that might manage to survive your windowsill.

University Floral Design 51 University Place A go-to for every picky student, University Floral Design sells elaborate bouquets and whimsical floral arrangements, but also many easy-to-maintain household plants. Best of all, if you just stop by and ask about how to avoid killing your peace lily, their assistants are happy to give helpful suggestions. But beware — high-end plants come with a hefty price tag.

Westside Market 84 Third Ave. If you live in Third Avenue North or Alumni Residence Halls, Westside Market is a spot you should check out for some hardy cacti and flowering plants. Their options include ferns, pothos and anthurium; all good choices for busy NYU students, ranging from $15 to $30.

Trader Joe’s

142 E. 14th St. If you are a novice plant caretaker, Trader Joe’s can be a good starting place.

Once you’ve filled your cart with cookie butter and cauliflower gnocchi, take a look at Trader Joe’s potted succulents. They’re only $4, meaning they’re low-risk if you end up killing them the next week.

Union Square Greenmarket Union Square, East 17th Street and Union Square West on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays Besides the myriad of fresh-picked fresh fruits and vegetables, artisanal meats and homemade jams, vendors at the Union Square Greenmarket sell various houseplants at reasonable prices. The bustling atmosphere of this farmer’s market makes it a fun weekend excursion before the autumn chill sets in.

Email Cloris Yang at culture@nyunews.com.

ic conversation.”

Carlin calls Isay a great listener, and marvels at how she gets him to talk about dreams and aspirations, while rarely discussing her own. But it’s impossible to talk about Isay without talking about her unquestionable success.

Following her first year at NYU, Isay, along with CAS junior Charlotte Dankwah, secured a Davis Projects for Peace grant, an annual $10,000 award which goes to a single project per university. Their proposal, “Irrigate, Elevate,” sought to improve communication between farmers and researchers to facilitate long-lasting agricultural entrepreneurship. It was based in Tarlac, a rural region of the northern Philippines, and promoted Alternate Wetting and Drying as a way to improve rice yields.

Isay’s project also emphasized gathering feedback from farmers to improve the practice on the fly.

After spending the summer developing her project — and constructing 12-by12-foot fences around rice paddies — Isay came back to NYU. She received the 2018 Making a Difference award, which NYU President Andrew Hamilton awards every other year to one student, one alum and one faculty member.

But then, it was time to challenge herself and take a step back, Isay says. Just as she does at the gym, she put aside the accolades and praise and external voices, and turned to herself to ask what she needed to take with her — and what could stay behind.

“I couldn’t push it further, and I knew that if I did, it would only be because people thought that I would, and I wanted to fulfill what they thought of me,” Isay says.

“I think I’m kind of stepping back for these coming two years, and I’m just focusing on

getting a job, getting an internship.”

Since that summer, Isay has worked fulltime in the Sydney Fish Market, been a part of a summer research project in the United Arab Emirates and now is working for U.S. Foreign Aid in Buenos Aires. There doesn’t seem to be a common thread that ties together everything she’s accomplished.

Isay says sometimes she questions it too.

She also says she insists on constantly proving herself wrong.

“I think it comes down to that I need to challenge myself,” Isay says. “I need to throw myself off guard.”

When prompted to consider how she wants to be thought of, Isay says she doesn’t want people to think about her.

After all, the easiest way to avoid worrying about meeting expectations is not to let people set them in the first place. Isay moves too fast for expectations, but some things about her remain constant.

Her passions may shift, and her future path remains a mystery to everyone — probably intentionally. One thing that is sure to stick is her near-stubborn insistence on challenging herself.

It’s the reason why she can back squat 305 pounds. (No, that’s not a typo.) It’s the reason why she spends all those hours training, phone on airplane mode, alone in the gym. It’s impossible to win weightlifting; no matter what number you hit, there will always be another two 10-pound plates to throw on the ends of the bar, clear your head — and lift.

“A hundred pounds today is going to be a hundred pounds tomorrow,” Isay says.

“And if I can lift it today, but I can’t lift it tomorrow, that’s all because of me.”

Email Sam Klein at sklein@nyunews.com.

Wall-Punching and Puke: Roommate Worst Nightmares ByALEX TRAN Contributing Writer Unless you can afford New York City’s astronomical rent prices solo, odds are you will end up sharing your living quarters during your NYU career and beyond. While NYU’s quasi-random roommate pairing for first-year dorms can be useful for making friends, it can also lead to dealing with some pretty crappy roommates. As if school hasn’t hit them hard enough, these students are experiencing cringe and gag-worthy roommate horror stories.

For introverts, or those not familiar with college party culture, get-togethers can be a source of anxiety. CAS first-year Kimi Li shared a Welcome Week experience with his roommate.

“He partied almost every night from 11 to 4 in the morning. People were dancing, singing and drinking in our living room. I’m not a party guy, so I don’t like that,” Li said.

Having had a roommate in high school who eventually became his best friend, Li was disappointed and somewhat shocked by this new one. Luckily, after the two talked and sorted out their Living Agreement, things began to get better for both of them. Other students, however, have not been as fortunate.

“My outgoing roommate was having a party in our common area,” Steinhardt sophomore Saloni Kumar said of her experience living in Third North last year.

“She did not tell me she was having friends over, and I wasn’t in the dorm room at the time. When I came home, nobody was there anymore, but the entire room smelled like weed and there was a massive hole on the wall. It was her boyfriend who did it.”

As if the drywall-punching — cue the Kyle memes

— wasn’t bad enough, the boyfriend added insult to injury by offering amateur in-dorm salon services.

“My other roommate said that [the boyfriend] had cut up some girls’ hair and there were thick hair all over our bathroom floor,” Kumar added.

But partying and wall-punching barely scratch the surface. A Stern first-year, who wishes to remain anonymous, may have everyone beat in the bad-roommate Olympics.

“So she was on her period, and her boyfriend came over,” she said. “They did it in the bathroom while I was FaceTiming my mom, so that was fun. And because she did it during her period, she left blood on the sink and a pile of used tissues covered in blood in the trash. So just imagine the smell of that.”

After the incident, the roommate failed to clean up the mess despite multiple text messages. Done with talking, the first-year took matters into her own hands, leaving a trash bag in the middle of the room until her roommate finally conceded.

Students agree that having to share a room with another person for months means seeing them at their worst, which is an essential part of college and teaches valuable interpersonal lessons.

“You never realize how precious having a room to yourself really is until you have a roommate,” Steinhardt first-year CJ Tomaszewski said. “But part of living with someone else is just getting used with people having different standards. [My roommate] sometimes tunes me out and doesn’t take my suggestions for our room, but ever since I brought it up, he has gotten a lot more considerate.”

Email Alex Tran at culture@nyunews.com.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2019

Washington Square News | Culture

5

Sophomore Fosters Empowerment With Dorm Lash Business

By ELIF KESIKBAS Staff Writer Doesn’t everyone want big, full, bold lashes? While many turn to mascara daily to achieve the look, once makeup remover hits the eye, the effect disappears.

Steinhardt sophomore Sosena Bekele’s eyelash extension business, Lash Fantasy, makes sure that you wake up with your dream lashes without the risk of clumpy mascara and empowers her clients to be as bold as their looks.

“I honestly just love empowering women, and my clients all feel very empowered after getting lash extensions,” Bekele said.

Bekele started doing lash extensions when she was 16. As a daughter of a single mother, she wanted to contribute to the household and began by babysitting and tutoring. Soon, she realized that she could use her knowledge of beauty and eyelashes to turn a profit. She started by practicing on her friends, and as her skills improved, she started charging people.

When Bekele moved to New York, she took a break from doing lash extensions to work as an event host at Chelsea Piers.

However, the long and rigid working hours became difficult to balance with school.

“I had 12-hour shifts until 2 a.m. to 3 a.m. — super late on the weekends,” she

said. “I would stay up and do homework and go back to work, and it was just crazy that whole time.”

After accidentally being placed in a double instead of a low-cost triple for her sophomore year, she decided to look for a more flexible job to help cover the extra housing costs.

Bekele decided to take up doing lash extensions again. Over the summer, she enrolled in an intensive two-week certification program back home in Maryland.

After getting her lash technician license, she invested in a massage table and a wall mirror to set up a mini studio. She now sees her clients Monday through Thursday evenings, and all day on weekends at her dorm-studio.

“Right now [my clients are] a majority of NYU students, but I do have some Pace students, and some local students reaching out to me, so I’m excited,” she said.

Bekele offers lashes in various styles from Classic to full-on-drama styles such as Volume or Extra Volume. Prices start from $70 for full sets and $45 for fills.

In addition to the financial benefits, the media, culture and communications major’s drive comes from her passion to challenge the standardized Eurocentric face of beauty and challenge the boundaries of how blackness is represented in the media.

“The lash business helps me continue to stay at NYU, and helps me to continue to pursue my desires to change the face of beauty, and how blackness is presented to us,” Bekele said.

Bekele also channels her motivation into creative areas other than her lash business. She considers herself a creative director. Bekele recently set up a photoshoot to create her own remake of the Power Rangers, where she focuses on the contrast that melanin creates and represents black women as the gatekeepers of blackness, fighting to break the stereotypes and misinterpretations about what it means to be beautiful in the black community.

“Oftentimes black women are given dramatic tropes,” Bekele said. “They are either up here or down here; they’re never just regular people. It’s so important not to just have one story of black women, so I kind of wanted to share black women as fighters.”

Bekele believes that with her lash business, she can provide her clients with the same kind of empowerment, where her clients become one with their lashes and embrace them as a new layer of beauty, power and confidence.

“When you wake up with lashes people genuinely feel way better about themselves is what I’ve learned,” Bekele said. “We all

Pumpkin Spice and Everything Not-So-Nice

lash technicians.

“My lash business has been actually really good and really successful, and I am getting a person a day, so that’s really good money that’s a little stable,” Bekele said. “I’d love to teach other people and do classes, so that’s something I’m thinking of doing down the line.”

Email Elif Kesikbas at bstyle@nyunews.com.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SOSENA BEKELE

Sosena Bekele, NYU student and founder of eyelash extension business, Lash Fantasy.

Dining Hall Inclusivity Has Its Limits

By SABRINA CHOUDHARY Staff Writer

By CALAIS WATKINS Dining Editor Water is the holy grail of human existence. From replenishing the lone desert wanderer to sustaining settlements along riverbanks, water is a biological need for survival. Never was this so clear to me as it was during the two days of this past week when water was my only reprieve from the oppressive flavor of pumpkin spice.

What was supposed to be a one-day-experiment of eating only pumpkin spice-flavored foods turned into a two-day affair after I realized there is a truly absurd amount of pumpkin spice-flavored foods out there.

Lo and behold, Trader Joe’s is pumpkin spice’s biggest stan, and I wanted to try everything. Looking back, my ambitions were extra and I most certainly have regrets.

The following is the story of a life temporarily consumed by pumpkin spice.

I began my experiment by making pumpkin pancakes and pumpkin coffee with pumpkin almond milk for breakfast.

The coffee was a nice change from the Dunkin Donuts blend I usually brew and the pancakes were flippin’ amazing (pun intended). I was delighted, my roommates were delighted — this was going to be easy.

In between classes, I grabbed the obligatory pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks.

After the barista announced my order to the entire store when it was ready, I noticed the eye rolls of those around me and quietly made the walk of shame to collect my drink.

Stigmatized as basic? Yes, but they taste delicious, and I’m not sorry for thinking so.

Lunch was a pumpkin bagel with pumpkin cream cheese. The bagel gave me the same energy as a cinnamon raisin bagel — not too shabby. However, pumpkin spice and cream cheese are a match made in hell. I respect the inventiveness, but this was 10 steps too far.

At this point, I was sick of pumpkin spice and missing savory foods. The experiment had been amusing up to this point, but I was craving a burger big-time. As luck would have it, I had pumpkin bisque to

love natural beauty, but lashes add on a layer of beauty.”

While Bekele already has a packed schedule working as the Black Student Union’s advocacy chair, Vice President at the Ethiopean & Eritrean Student Association, a peer mentor at both Steinhardt and the Academic Achievement Program and a tutor with America Reads, she aims to grow her business. She hopes to establish a marketing team and train prospective

SYDNEY KYSAR | WSN

look forward to for dinner.

It was horrible. It tasted like warm hummus and had the consistency of warm hummus. Truly disgusting.

However, dessert was delicious and thank goodness, because I needed a win.

I combined Pumpkin Joe-Joes placed atop pumpkin ice cream with a nice cup of pumpkin tea.

The end of day one left me feeling very pumpkin-spiced-out. Not to mention, my diet for the day had consisted mostly of caffeine, sugar, carbs and a small amount of dairy. My nutrition levels were all out of whack and my body was starting to feel it.

So I did it all over again.

On the second morning my breakfast consisted of Pumpkin O’s cereal and pumpkin cold brew. Not bad, but also not great. Admittedly, I was feeling very anti-pumpkin at this point. I even began to dream of vegetables, and I hate most vegetables. Yes, I’m five years old and I’d like to take a moment to say sorry, Mom. With two back-to-back classes ahead of me, I packed pumpkin snacks for lunch.

The pumpkin cereal bar was delicious,

but far from satisfying, so I dipped into my pumpkin almonds. You heard me.

Pumpkin almonds. They look like regular almonds and when I popped one into my mouth, I expected it to taste normal but was extremely disappointed every time.

I would have had more pumpkin bisque for dinner, but when 6 p.m. rolled around, my body felt weak and my mind felt faint.

It was time for protein.

That Shake Shack burger and fries was the best meal I have ever had and will ever have.

There are some delicious, creative, pumpkin spice-flavored foods out there and I love a good theme. That being said, this flavoring fad isn’t going anywhere, so even if you’re looking to try all the options, don’t feel the need to cram everything in this fall.

After all of the pumpkin spice-flavored foods I’ve consumed, I’m expecting pumpkins to grow out of every orifice of my body.

Cinderella’s fairy godmother could never.

Email Calais Watkins at cwatkins@nyunews.com.

In the last few years, NYU’s dining halls have expanded to accommodate more dietary preferences and restrictions. Most notably, Lipton became a certified halal dining facility last winter. However, students with dietary restrictions feel there is still more to be done. After many protests against Aramark’s food services, NYU switched to a new food provider this fall, but this change did not come with an improvement in dietary accommodations.

Steinhardt sophomore Asata Spears doesn’t eat red meat, and she says there are fewer options for her this semester in comparison to last year.

“This year I find less either red meat or completely vegan, there’s no fish or chicken or turkey or anything,” Spears said. “And if there is chicken, it’s always fried, like chicken tenders.”

CAS sophomore Laura Measher, a pescatarian, remarked that the dining halls are mostly the same as they were under the old provider, but the global dining section of Palladium now seems to consist only of chicken.

“I can’t eat anything from there any day, so if I’m not in the mood for the other stuff there, I don’t have much of an option,” Measher said.

Students also noted a lack of advertisement about food at dining halls that accommodates dietary restrictions. Even if the food is there, they say they don’t know about it.

Tisch sophomore and vegan Zoe Wells used the Beyond Burger as an example. The burger is a completely meatless option currently being offered at the Palladium, Downstein, Lipton and Third North dining halls.

“It’s new that they’re actually

putting it on the menus this year,” Wells said. “Last year they actually had it at multiple dining halls, which was just a weird off-the-menu thing that you had to ask for. I only knew because someone else who was vegan told me they had them.”

Wells also noted that NYU used to post allergen warnings for their menus on a website called Campus Dish, but they’ve stopped using it this year.

“There are better options but they’re worse about labeling things than they were last year,” Wells said.

“I can’t tell before I get to a dining hall what my options are.”

Measher and Wells cautioned that this lack of information could pose a bigger problem for those with allergies.

“A lot of the stuff is about mislabeling of vegan versus vegetarian things, where dairy and egg is the difference there, and those are huge allergens for people,” Wells said.

Despite acknowledging a lack of advertisements and labeling, Measher doesn’t let these issues affect her overall conception of NYU Eats.

“Honestly, I’m really satisfied because we have so many dining halls,” Measher said. “People complain about it, but at other schools, there’s one dining hall that serves the same thing every day, so there’s a really large variety. If you’re not looking for the variety you might get annoyed, but it’s there.”

Wells somewhat agreed, though that doesn’t mean she’s a fan of NYU’s dining halls.

“It’s frustrating because in talking to friends at other schools, they have it much worse because we have such a variety of dining halls,” Wells said.

“But it’s still frustrating enough that I’m just sick of the meal plan.”

Email Sabrina Choudhary at dining@nyunews.com.

Washington Square News

6

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2019

ARTS

ARTS@NYUNEWS.COM

Edited by CLAIRE FISHMAN

Rapper Jack Harlow Talks Exploding Popularity, Humble Start

Jack Harlow during The Come Up Show in 2018. Harlow is a rising rapper from Louisville and is now on The Mission Tour.

By SOPHIA LETSON-ETTIN Contributing Writer It was just another Thursday for musician Jack Harlow. The 21-year-old rapper started his day by posting a video of his first billboard in New York City to Instagram. A milestone for any artist, the Times Square advertisement was just the latest step in a carefully crafted rise to stardom for Harlow.

“Confetti,” his second mixtape under Atlantic Records imprint Generation Now, has been out for a little over a week

now. It was the latest in an avalanche of successes for the rising star this month alone, including a BET Hip-Hop Award nomination, the cover of Preme Magazine and a spot on iTunes top 50 rap albums. WSN sat down with Harlow to discuss his beginnings in music, unwavering connection to his Midwestern roots and newfound mainstream success.

“I thought I’d be past where I’m at right now,” the Louisville rapper said. “I just feel like there is a chip on the shoulder when you come from a city that isn’t appreciated.”

VIA FLICKR

Harlow didn’t gain recognition for his music overnight. The artist started making music in middle school using a Guitar Hero microphone and free audio editing software.

“I remember there was this kid named Andrew,” Harlow said. “I told him I wanted to rap so he showed me. The quality was sh-t, but that’s where we started.”

Jack eventually graduated from his makeshift set-up when his father gave him a USB desktop microphone for Christmas. When he got to high school,

he began to mature musically. He networked with professionals around the city and booked studio space in actual recording booths. A career in rap was a serious goal for the teenager.

The ambitious rapper has always been at the intersection of artist and businessman. For his first studio-produced project, “Finally Handsome,” Harlow sold promotional hoodies out of his trunk in his high school parking lot. It was a starting point for gaining traction locally.

His next project, “The Handsome Harlow EP,” the rapper’s first venture into streaming, expanded his clout beyond the Louisville public high school scene.

From there, he started playing local festivals, like Forecastle Festival, and regional favorites, like Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival and South by Southwest.

“18,” his second mixtape, brought his work to national attention, impressing the likes of Vince Staples, who asked him to open for his Louisville concert.

But for Harlow, like many artists in the digital age, social media has been the best tool to connect to more fans and other artists in the industry.

“I knew what could go viral, and I knew what had to happen to build an audience because I saw other artists blow up,” Harlow said. “It’s annoying how much deeper success is than just making good music. You have to be strategic.”

Since he started playing the game, his presence online has been a propellor for his success. It helped launch Harlow into the viral sphere of social media, where his single 2017 single “Dark Knight” amassed over 2.8 million views on Youtube and caught the attention of

DJ Drama. He was subsequently signed to their label Generation Now, a subsidiary of Atlantic Records, home to rappers like Lil Uzi Vert (“XO Tour Llif3”) and Lil James (“Traphouse”).

While Harlow hasn’t yet released a full length album, “Confetti” shows a bright future ahead. The 12-track mixtape is a self-actualized declaration of his abrupt rise to success. Compared to his previous projects “Confetti” is less introspective, but this change is not a drawback. Songs like “ROTTEN,” featuring EST Gee, and “THRU THE NIGHT,” featuring fellow Kentucky rapper Bryson Tiller, are definite standouts among the album.

Despite this success, Harlow remains humble and feels indebted to the people of Louisville for giving him his roots.

The mixtape’s closing track “River Road” is a sequel to his earlier single “Eastern Parkway.” Both tracks are named after prominent streets in Louisville. They stray from his usual boastful beats and instead read as a poetic train of thought ruminating on the place he called home for two decades.

“People from Louisville share that sentiment with me,” Harlow said. “Louisville is the perfect size where there’s actually a culture to take pride in but you know you haven’t been appreciated.”

Jack Harlow will embark on a promotional tour for “Confetti” next month. He hits New York City at Sound of Brazil on Oct. 24.

Email Sophia Letson-Ettin at music@nyunews.com.

‘Rethink Pink’: Tisch New Theatre’s Vision for ‘Legally Blonde’

By CLAIRE JONES Contributing Writer Tisch New Theatre, a student-run organization at NYU, will bring “Legally Blonde” to the Skirball Center stage on Nov. 1. Adopting the motto “rethink pink,” the cast and crew are imagining a new world for the musical.

Beginning their work last spring, the crew has spent several months of pre-production brainstorming ideas on how to reinvent the beloved musical.

“How can we look at it [‘Legally Blonde’] through a 2019 lens?” said Tisch senior Tim Sebastian, TNT’s president and the show’s producer.

VIA WIKIMEDIA

Tisch New Theatre will be performing their rendition of “Legally Blonde” at the Skirball Center.

“It’s the ‘Legally Blonde’ that we all know and love, but we are looking at it differently.”

Tisch senior Micaela Brinsley, the show’s director, drew inspiration from Greek storytelling. For example, she plans on having a Greek chorus stay on stage throughout the entire show.

“I’m super interested in the relationship between the form of an art piece and the content of an art piece, and I’ve been able to use this show as a space to sort of dig into that,” she said.

Brinsley said she has torn apart the script and researched the themes in the show that she wants to highlight.

“There are rarely any moments where she [Elle] is alone, able to express what she’s feeling, until the second act,” Brinsley said. “We’re emphasizing Elle’s journey and what it means to be a person grappling with your own inner voices of doubt and confusion.”

Tisch sophomore Giulia Marolda, who plays the main character Elle Woods, said one of the main ways she’s able to find Elle’s internal voice is through the deep character studies that the cast has been working on together.

“We’re really digging into each of the characters and trying to find a more grounded place for each of them to come from,” she said.

While the source material of the show isn’t changing, the team hopes

that their directorial vision and intensive character work will bring something new to the stage.

“This show has always been done in the same way,” Marolda said. “You never hear of a reimagination of ‘Legally Blonde.’ We’re really adding so much more meaning to it.”

In their rendition, Brinsley said, the hope is that the comedy of the show doesn’t obscure the gravity of the social issues that play out in the performance, such as sexual harassment and internalized misogyny.

“I think with this show you can have a really great time and engage with it but also leave thinking about some of the issues that we’re talking about,” she said.

Skirball’s 850-seat theater poses its own challenges and opportunities. While it’s not TNT’s first time staging a performance at Skirball, their past two productions ran at the SoHo Playhouse.

“We had to pick a show that would allow us to really live within Skirball,” Brinsley said. “We had to pick one that was right for the space, but also pick one that [...] we could do something new with.”

Sebastian said one of the reasons they chose “Legally Blonde” was because it’s a big show fit for a large stage.

“It does bring challenges, like how are we going to do a proper lighting design, [...] a proper scenic design and how will we stay in budget,”

Sebastian said.

He added that TNT raises money through private donations from friends, family, industry professionals and brand partnerships. They use an online fundraising website that they have been promoting in hopes of reaching their $30,000 goal.

Putting on such a large-scale production entails an intensive rehearsal schedule. Excluding Monday, they rehearse for four hours on weekday evenings and eight hours per day on weekends.

Marolda said she doesn’t mind the time commitment and that she was always willing to give her all to the show, even going so far as to dye her hair blonde.

In TNT’s production, it is the process of self-discovery, and Elle Woods’ determination that is prioritized over all else. Brinsley and Marolda are excited for the NYU community to see this version of “Legally Blonde,” which places female empowerment at its center.

“Every sacrifice that I made I know is going to be worthwhile because this show is going to be incredible and really unlike anything anyone has ever seen,” Marolda said.

Tickets for Legally Blonde go on sale Oct. 4 at noon at NYU’s Box Office.

Email Claire Jones at theater@nyunews.com.

Washington Square News | Arts

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2019

7

‘Undone’ Bends Time but Remains Relatable

By NYSSA JOSEPH Contributing Writer “BoJack Horseman” creator’s characters follow an aesthetic formula: self-destructive, self-abasing and utterly relatable. As Amazon Studio’s first adult animated series, Bob-Waksberg’s “Undone” launches into the existential crisis of the central character, Alma, as she ponders her mundane day-today routine, and leads to a penetrating exploration of human reality. The show is animated by Dutch artist Hisko Hulsingm, whose works include HBO’s “Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck,” using rotoscope animation to live-action performances. This process has never been used to animate episodic television before.

Following a near-death car accident, Alma (Rosa Salazar), discovers her ability to warp time. With her newfound ability, she sets off to investigate the truth behind her father’s (Bob Odenkirk) death. Using her new relationship with time, Alma’s understanding of connection and family expand to help her journey through exploring the mystery of her father’s car accident. The series contextualizes the elastic nature of reality, memory, human capability and relationships in a half-hour stylistic comedic drama. And though funny, the show also tackles some more serious issues, such as mental illness, suicide and loss. It questions the nature of the main character’s reality, doubting whether her powers are real or if she has simply

inherited a familial mental disorder.

Alma is quirky and funny, but at times unlikable. Her facetious way of dealing with problems is not only exasperating to her family members but can also be off-putting to viewers. Coupled with her new ability to change time, her arrogance in dealing with relationships doesn’t seem to have any consequences. In multiple scenarios, instead of dealing with her actions, Alma runs away or completely ignores them.

Packing all these sensitive issues into only eight half-hour episodes can sometimes feel inundating, especially in the era of binge-watching. But with a thoroughly charming cast: Constance Marie as Alma’s mother, Angelique Cabral as Alma’s sister and Siddharth Dhananjay as the easy-going boyfriend, these subjects feel more relatable and understanding than the average money-hungry production cooperation pretending to understand the human condition. Or in Alma’s words, “Every part of our natural lives has been commodified, taken from us and then sold right back to us.”

With intelligent and thought-provoking episodes, the show had a very stimulating start only to sadly have an ending as mundane as Alma’s daily routine. Though unsatisfying and vague, the open-ended finale proves “Undone” might indeed not be done just yet.

VIA AMAZON

Email Nyssa Joseph at film@nyunews.com.

Amazon Studio’s first adult animated series “Undone” follows an ordinary girl and her new-found ability to warp time.

Chris Chan Roberson: The Fastest Professor Alive

By FAREID EL GAFY Film & TV Editor Blink and you’ll miss him. From every corner of the film industry to every classroom at the Tisch School of the Arts, two decades of professional experience has left no stone unturned

by Professor Chris Chan Roberson, whose students call him CCR. Roberson teaches film production classes to freshmen, juniors and even high schoolers come summer. His work outside of Tisch has featured YouTube stars The Key of Awesome, horrifying hero “The Toxic Avenger,” and comedian Billy Eichner. Yet filmmaking was never something Rober-

son aspired to.

“I was thrown into it because someone thought I was good at it, and I didn’t want to let them down,” Robertson said.

Roberson was raised in Chelsea, and says New York City had a great influence on the man he is today.

“There’s such a diversity; it allowed for a freedom of thought — I’d go to my friend’s Yeshiva or my friend’s Buddhist temple,” Robertson said.

His father a jazz singer and his mother a painter, Roberston was raised in the Manhattan art scene.

In grade school, he remembers using performance as a way to combat his crippling shyness.

VIA NYU

Tisch professor Chris Chan Roberson worked extensively in the film industry before teaching at NYU.

“My junior high was the O. Henry School of Writing, so I did a lot of playwriting,” Roberson said. “I fell into these artistic trajectories as a way to get more visual.”

Roberson graduated from Tisch in 1998, and he saw no reason to leave the Big Apple. An avid comic book reader, Roberson maintains that his ultimate dream is to be a comic book writer — as it stands, he’s done just about everything else.

Roberson’s first experience in the industry was as an intern for Gold Coast, a monster truck racing post-production house and a subsidiary of 4Kids.

“I went to a math and science high school, so I developed a mathematical formula for converting frames to seconds,” Roberson said. “That was my transferable skill.”

In 1996, Roberson was a production assistant on a set, and in 1998, fresh out of college, he was made office manager at the studio Troma Entertainment.

“They make D-List horror films; ‘Surf Nazis Must Die,’ ‘Class of Nuke ‘Em High,’ ‘The Toxic Avenger’ — they’re cult classics,” Roberson said.

In 2000, he set his mind to learning Final Cut Pro, which was a brandnew editing software at the time. Six years later he was tapped by Bob McClure, with whom he’d performed sketch comedy in the 90s, to edit, unpaid,“The Burg,” which he calls the first web series. Eventually they received a sponsorship from Motorola.

“I was getting a paycheck for editing, which I thought was totally boss,” Roberson said.

McClure later went on to be a pickler, and in 2012, “The Burg” produc-

er Kathleen Grace thanked Roberson for his help with a job offer. He took over the residency and education programs at YouTube.

Roberson helped build their Chelsea Market studio, still in use today. He calls it the best job he’s ever had, and remarks that being able to throw money at anything was a bizarre feeling.

“No one ever said ‘that’s too expensive’ — they’re Google, they have a billion dollars,” he said.

Also, he made a parody of Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind” with Billy Eichner.

“I know Billy, we went to high school together,” Roberson explained.

If you’ve seen 2010’s “Forest Hills State of Mind,” that was Roberson.

“It just felt like fun at the time,” Roberson said. “The best sets are ones where you feel like you’re hanging out with friends.”

Though he’s never ingested super serum, Roberson attributes his success to being a good soldier. On-thefly problem solving and a willingness to do what’s needed are key to the film industry, Roberson said.

“Often you just have to say, ‘Sure, I’ll edit something for 20 hours straight,’” he said.

To this day, he edits for “Comic Book Resources” and “Screen Rant” in his free time.

“People will send me videos saying ‘Hey, Chris I think you’d like this.’ I have to say, ‘yeah, I made that,’” Roberson said.

Though he can count his non-film jobs on one hand, his early work experience in retail and bartending has proven invaluable to him as a storyteller. After helping Muneer, a family

friend, set up shop one year, Roberson spent subsequent summers selling vintage clothes at street fairs.

“Every script I write has a Muneer character — he gave me my first job,” Roberson remembered.

Little accidents seem to go a long way. In his senior year, his professor told him he’d be a great teacher.

“I said ‘That’s very kind of you, I never had any aspiration, maybe if I ever pursue a master’s I’ll think about it,’” Roberson said. “I guess they thought that was some kind of yes because I got a letter in the mail saying I’d be teaching in the fall of 1999.”

Of the industry today, Roberson says he’s supremely excited.

“Everything’s in flux,” Roberson said. “YouTube is 10 years old, it’s so young it’s comparable to 1896 when people ran out of the theater because they thought the train was going to kill them.”

Between classes, he has written a feature, “Vespertine,” about a night manager whose only job is to keep her employees awake. He’s also restarting his YouTube channel “All Hail Retcon” in which he explains fake ‘80s technology, and he has a one-man-show, “Magnetic Dragons,” premiering at Frigid Festival in February about the worst film set he’s ever been on.

More than anything else, Roberson says he wants his students to build connections for life.

“I think a lot of what I write stems back to those conversations that we had at Rubin about life and movies,” Roberson said.

Email Fareid El Gafy at felgafy@nyunews.com.

Washington Square News

8

OPINION@NYUNEWS.COM

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2019

OPINION

Edited by COLE STALLONE and ABBY HOFSTETTER

ENVIRONMENT

Greta’s Anger: A Shift Toward Accountability

By COLE STALLONE Opinion Editor Sixteen-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg’s impassioned speech at the United Nations Climate Summit caught the world’s attention. Despite this, it seems the full implications of her words have not been fully understood by those in power.

Her speech comes after the success of the international climate strike, the largest of its kind in history. It is important to ac-

knowledge that Thunberg’s position is one of privilege; she’s the face of the climate movement yet is someone who doesn’t face daily struggles caused by climate change.

More so, her privilege is what grants her the audience of powerful people, regardless of whether they truly consider what she says.

Though Thunberg isn’t the only climate activist angered at the current response, her speech highlights an important, yet often-undiscussed problem: who will be held accountable for the climate crisis?

Ultimately, Thunberg correctly believes those in power are most responsible, and world leaders’ current lack of effort to resolve the situation is a “betrayal.” Her speech was often interrupted with applause, which is representative of her reception by those who’ve contributed to the crisis. Despite this, most of the response to her speech has far have been important in

shifting the direction of the conversation around climate change — turning anger and anxiety into action and accountability.

The primary concern of Thunberg’s speech is the political leaders’ abandonment of their responsibility to fix climate change, despite their overwhelming contribution to the problem. It seems as though her pleas for those in positions of power to realize their complicity fell on deaf ears. Chelsea Clinton thanked Thunberg over Twitter and Hillary Clinton called her “a gutsy woman” — despite the fact that Clinton campaigned on clean coal during the 2016 election. Former President Barack Obama met Thunberg the week before her speech and told her “we’re a team,” ignoring the fact that his legacy on climate change fails to be impactful.

Compared to Thunberg’s relatively liberal proponents, most of her critics have been

ideologically on the right; she has received attacks from conservative commentators and President Trump.

While her reception by those who have trouble acknowledging their contribution to the climate crisis is troubling, there’s no doubt that her work has contributed to the development of a movement. More tangibly, Thunberg was a part of lawsuit to sue the five largest polluting nations, showing the struggle against climate change and the anger felt by many at the inaction in response is not restricted to her alone. Vic Barrett, New York native and environmental activist, is one of 21 plaintiffs suing the United States government “for causing the climate crisis.” More importantly, those most affected by climate change are finally being heard; indigenous activist Artemisa Xakriabá spoke on the same day as Thunberg, talking about the destruction of her

home in the Brazilian rainforest. More concretely, climate groups are forming to make ecocide — the crime of environmental destruction — a more serious offense.

The most crucial part of the speech was her insistence that the current global warming limit of 1.5 degrees Celsius — a threshold we’re likely to pass — may not be enough to stop irreversible damage. These concerns are very real for the millions who would be affected by the damage that will happen if the limit is passed; the impact of climate change will be felt hardest in developing nations. Those who will face climate change first don’t come from where Thunberg does nor will they be granted same audience she has. Those most vulnerable share in Greta’s anger; it’s time we listened.

Email Cole Stallone at cstallone@nyunews.com.

POLITICS

Not All Activism Is Created Equal

By SARAH JOHN Contributing Writer Greta Thunberg is a climate activist.

You’ve probably heard of her because of the recent climate strikes or seen the subsequent social media posts applauding her for her work and fame — applause she deserves. But recently, you’ve probably also seen a few people question why Thunberg, although very brave in her work, is the face of a movement that has been going on long before her sit-ins in Sweden.

Before Thunberg, there was Little Miss Flint. Before Thunberg, there were Tekanang and Helena Gualinga, islanders

and climate activists for huge portions of their lives. And even now, they are still the ones who stand with more to lose than anyone else — including Thunberg.

Thunberg knows this. In fact, she invited hundreds of activists, many of whom were residents of islands threatened by rising sea-levels, to speak alongside her at the U.N. In her speech, she even stated she “was one of the lucky ones” — meaning she was not at risk of losing her life, home or safety to climate change. She’s right: she is one of the lucky ones. But this is the problem. It is always the lucky ones who get the chance to speak up.

Consider the case of the Parkland kids, for example. After enduring the terrible tragedy of a school shooting, they gained fame for their activism speaking for gun control. I applaud them for their work in building a movement of young people.

But I also notice the conversation that continually ignores the activism of predominantly brown and low-income children, who have been protesting gun violence in

their communities far longer. This same system leaks into every movement. People still don’t accept that the Pride movement and the Black Lives Matter movement were started by black queer women, opting to not celebrate them because of transphobia, racism, sexism or all of the above.

Today, they are erased from the very movements they started.

That’s a special kind of awful.

I’ve brought up my issue with poor representation in activism many times. People often tell me something along the lines of, “At least the activism is happening.” But in reality, there is nothing more important than making sure the way we fight our battles is inclusive and honest. If the very system we use for gaining equality reflects society’s inequality, than what real good can come of it? It’s a poisoned tree; it’s a slap in the face masquerading as a kiss on the cheek. It’s not enough.

Activism is about liberation, but there is nothing liberating about being told that your story only matters when it comes from

someone else’s mouth. It’s important — essential, actually — that the way we fight for equality reflects the very equality we want to create. In the art of activism, every brushstroke matters. What kind of narrative does it paint to exclude the most vulnerable people from conversations about their advancement? It’s dehumanizing, in the very spaces where humanity matters most.

It is also important to remember the lack of representation that pervades every aspect of society. To whitewash or gatekeep activism to the most powerful people in any way is to deprive young people of role models. I can still remember how Mae Jemison, the first black woman in space, was inspired by Nyota Uhura, a black female character from Star Trek. It is hard to imagine a white woman speaking about diversity would have had the same effect on Jemison. I say this because I know it has never had that effect on me, a black person who grew up in predominantly, white and Asian spaces.

I don’t know the Parkland kids or Greta

Thunberg or any other person spearheading a campaign of that size. I don’t want to imply their work is unimportant, or that they are at fault. But this system of delegitimizing the work of activists without privilege is worth criticizing, and I hope everyone continues to see that. It is a system that we cannot let ourselves contribute to.

This message is especially important at a school like NYU where wealthy liberal students are the majority. It is important that we conduct ourselves with a little humility. Being here and having the resources of an education like this is a privilege.

But the goal is not to use your privilege to help others. The goal is to redistribute your privilege. Find out who is doing the work and help them. Understand that sometimes you are not equipped to be the best person to speak on an issue. Give money. Give time. But rather than inserting yourself into the equation, try to give a little support.

Email Sarah John at sjohn@nyunews.com.

GOVERNMENT

The Supreme Court Is Facing a Legitimacy Crisis

By EMILY DAI Contributing Writer Almost exactly one year ago, the American public watched Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s gripping account of a sexual assault perpetrated by then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Despite Ford’s testimony, Justice Kavanaugh’s utterly inappropriate demeanor and 2,400 law professors urging senators to oppose the judge, Kavanaugh was confirmed. Now, The New York Times has reported an allegation and corroborating evidence of sexual misconduct —

this time from Kavanaugh’s college years.

While Deborah Ramirez’s allegations have received considerably less media attention than Ford’s, they have undoubtedly hurt the Court’s image and reignited old concerns of whether or not the Supreme Court is facing a legitimacy crisis.

Legitimacy is difficult to pin down, yet remains a characteristic uniquely important to the high court. The Supreme Court’s legitimacy depends on Americans viewing it as an institution above partisanship, and the GOP has considerably bruised the Supreme Court’s reputation by forcing Kavanaugh onto the Court within years of blocking Merrick Garland’s confirmation. While some Democrats are attempting to restore some legitimacy by pushing to expand the number of seats on the Supreme Court, this last-ditch effort is unlikely to work. Kavanaugh’s infamous confirmation hearing devolved into a battle of partisan will. The FBI investigation that should have brought Ramirez’s allegations under severe media

scrutiny last year was superficial front that emboldened Republicans to confirm Kavanaugh. All notions of an independent judiciary were shattered as Kavanaugh deemed Ford’s sexual assault allegations a “calculated and orchestrated political hit” and baselessly claimed it was “revenge on behalf of the Clintons.” While the Supreme Court has recovered from periods of weakening public faith in the past (public confidence in the Court dropped from 48% to 39% after Justice Clarence Thomas’s nomination process but fully recovered within six years), the previously unnoticed allegations against Kavanaugh are especially significant because they are against a sitting justice.

The effects of the Supreme Court’s damaged reputation are palpable. Newly-invigorated Republicans went as far as to write a letter to a clerk of the Court saying that the GOP had the Court’s back, and that Democrats pose an immediate threat to judicial independence. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell unabashedly stated he would

allow President Trump to fill a vacant seat during an election year, despite blocking former President Obama’s nominee just three years prior. The damage that this new confidence instills to be openly hyperpartisan is only matched by the sharp gender discrepancy in the Supreme Court’s approval ratings. While 60% of men approve of the court’s performance, only 43% of women say the same, according to a Gallup poll. Dr. Jennifer Freyd, a professor who specializes in studying the psychology of sexual assault survivors, noted that Kavanaugh’s confirmation signified an episode of institutional betrayal and could have lasting psychological impacts on sexual assault survivors, further contributing to the erosion of faith in the Court. For a government institution that heavily relies on its image as neutral arbiters of the law, this is especially damaging.

There are no good solutions to this growing crisis. Several Democratic presidential candidates were quick to call for Kavanaugh’s impeachment as Ramirez’s story

broke. However, unseating Kavanaugh would require several Republican senators willing to oust the justice who solidified a period of conservative dominance on the Court. Reminiscent of former President Franklin Roosevelt’s court-packing plan, others have called to expand the number of justices in order to counteract the Republican influence on the Court. Pushing forward with this initiative and imitating the GOP’s hypocrisy will do nothing to restore a less polarized judiciary. In response to several sexual harassment allegations against an array of judges, Chief Justice John Roberts called for an evaluation of the judiciary’s standards of conduct and investigation procedures. What Roberts failed to do, however, was include the Supreme Court in this new initiative. It is clear that something needs to be done, and as long as Kavanaugh’s dark cloud hangs above the Supreme Court, its reputation will only worsen.

Email Emily Dai at opinion@nyunews.com.

Washington Square News | Opinion

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2019

9

MEDIA

Latino Journalism Deserves Better

By MELANIE PINEDA Editor-at-Large I grew up watching the news in Spanish.

I would walk home to my abuelita’s after school every day, where Univision would constantly be playing in the background.

Whenever a telenovela or courtroom show wasn’t on, the evening news would be. My — and just about every Latino’s — favorite anchor was Jorge Ramos.

Ramos, a pioneer in the journalism industry, has extensively covered Latino and immigration issues for more than 30 years.

During his career, he has consistently blurred the lines between journalism and activism. He has been kicked out of press conferences by President Trump, was recently detained by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro while interviewing him on the country’s tense political climate and moderated the most recent Democratic debate in Spanish. All of this was for the sake of accurately portraying news for Latinos, from the perspective of a Latino.

Although journalism like Ramos’ is not common, U.S. news outlets are making it clearer just how insignificant they deem Latino journalism to be. Just a couple of weeks ago, The New York Times shut down their Spanish language site, NYT En Español, which catered specifically to a Latin American audience. The site was run in Mexico City and published original, Latino-led content every day. Many Latino journalists expressed their disappointment with the decision, calling it a great loss for Latino journalists and audiences alike.

The Times — one of the biggest news outlets in the country — claimed in a statement that the site wasn’t making enough money. But the newspaper also reported earlier this year that they were on track to generate more than $709 million in digital revenue in 2019, a number that is expected to keep rising in 2020.

This leaves the question of how there could not possibly be enough money in the Times’ budget for a site that brought them more than 80 million viewers, or if — like many other sources of minority journalism — the site was simply viewed as expendable.

In 1994, Hispanic journalists made up only 4% of both the television news workforce and directors. Now, more than 20 years later, they make up about 11% of the workforce, and 8% of news directors.

These statistics are especially disheartening, as more minority journalists and news outlets centered around minorities are being laid off and shut down. Unfortunately, journalism like Ramos’ and NYT En Español is rare, even though accurate coverage of Latino issues is needed now more than ever.

As a Latina journalist, I am used to not

Submitting to

seeing my face on the news — at least not in a positive way. When Latinos are actually given news coverage, it is more often than not linked to negative themes such as crime and “illegal immigration,” further perpetuating a false image that racist politicians like Trump encourage. I am used to going to Latino-run news sources in order to read content that I can actually relate to and that my family has access to. But for a site as influential the Times to say content catered for me and others like me is not profitable is a slap in the face to all Latinos and journalists as a whole.

The Times claims that shutting down En Español will not affect their coverage of Latin America. But this statement in itself is contradictory — how could shutting down an entire Latin America-based team not affect Latin American coverage? It is blatantly obvious when a story centered on Latinos isn’t being told by a Latino team. A recent example of this is the graphic — and potentially triggering — coverage of the devastating story of a Salvadoran father and child who drowned attempting to cross the border into the United States this past summer.

While many of the reporters who covered the story are based in Latin America, articles on every major news outlet showed the uncensored image of the father and child dead in El Rio Grande, and almost all without so much as a content warning.

While it is journalists’ job to share news and images that will evoke strong reactions from their audience, there is a line between truthful reporting and sensationalizing a marginalized group.

In their annual report on Latino news coverage, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists concluded that change in the decision-making process of news networks is needed in order for mainstream news to accurately represent Latino stories. It is hard to envision any newsroom with more than one Latino journalist or executive approving such a haunting image being shared without taking into consideration the very real traumatizing effect it could have on their Latino audiences.

I remember crying on the metro on my way to work when this story first broke.

The horrifying image became ingrained into my mind for weeks on end. As the daughter of a Salvadoran immigrant, all that kept playing in my head was how easily that father and child could have been someone I knew, someone I loved, someone whose dead body was now on display for the whole world to see.

We need more teams of Latino journalists so that the misrepresentation and erasure of Latino news doesn’t continue to happen over and over again. The Times brands itself as a company committed to “fostering diverse staff that reflects the society we report on.” To shut down a site exclusively dedicated to the U.S.’s fastest-growing population not only goes directly against what the newspaper claims to stand for, but also sends a clear message of who is deciding what type of news coverage is worth fighting for.

STAFF EDITORIAL

What Does Impeachment Really Mean?

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi launched an impeachment inquiry on Tuesday into President Donald Trump. Pelosi, who has long believed that impeachment was too divisive a process to pursue, announced this in light of a complaint filed by a U.S. intelligence official detailing a phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Over the phone, Trump urged Zelensky to investigate former Vice President and current presidential candidate Joe Biden. Trump’s request centers around Biden’s alleged repression of an investigation looking into Hunter Biden’s involvement with Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian oil and gas company. The allegation against Biden is not substantiated, but Trump’s decision to pressure Zelensky into investigating him might just be the president’s downfall. Yet the timing is notable, as Trump has already committed multiple impeachable offenses. It only comes after a prominent Democrat is threatened, as opposed to the many civilians that have suffered from his crimes. Even more ironic is the fear around election manipulation, when the U.S. has done the same to several countries around the world. Beyond the irony of the cause, impeachment itself, if it were to happen, wouldn’t change the political reality for many.

Impeachable offenses fall into one of three categories: treason, bribery or “high crimes and misdemeanors,” which Alexander Hamilton defined in the Federalist Papers as an abuse of political power and public trust.

This newest accusation is far from the first time that Trump has committed an impeachable offense. He’s faced sexual assault allegations while in office, funneled money from his eponymous nonprofit toward his presidential campaign and intimidated witnesses multiple times (including last week, when he implied that the whistleblower should face the death penalty). Special counsel Robert Mueller refused to declare Trump innocent of soliciting foreign intervention in the 2016

election, saying that if he “had confidence that the president clearly did not commit a crime, [he] would have said so.” Trump has shown on multiple occasions that he is eager to abuse the power he’s been given, and all other counts of abuse have been far more egregious than the one that ended up becoming the cause for his potential impeachment. Pelosi’s decision was fully justified, but why didn’t she make this decision months ago?

The impetus for impeaching the president is deeply ironic in light of the U.S’s history with elections, both abroad and at home.

Internationally, the U.S. has meddled in over 80 elections — including Russia’s in 1996.

Domestically, gerrymandering is widespread throughout the U.S. and a recent Supreme Court ruling effectively legalized the practice.

Beyond its subliminal manipulation tactics, the U.S. engaged in overt voter suppression, rooted in its historic mistreatment and disenfranchisement of minority groups. The influence of wealth on politics, particularly elections, has reached a point where the U.S. is considered an oligarchy — by researchers and by former presidents alike.

Foreign intervention in U.S. elections doesn’t do much to uproot an already corrupt system. The cause of the impeachment inquiry was arguably a greater threat to the stability of the Democratic Party than it was to that of the country. This is not a statement against the impeachment of the President but rather a recognition of the politics involved. During his time in office, Trump has made irreversible changes to the U.S. government; people have died as a result of his policies and people will continue to die as a result of the socio-political shift that his election catalyzed. In spite of all this, Pelosi has decided that now, as opposed to all other times that the president has violated the oath of office, is the time to begin the impeachment process. Impeaching the President might mean upholding the rule of law, but impeachment alone will not bring true justice.

Email the Editorial Board at editboard@nyunews.com.

COLE STALLONE Chair ABBY HOFSTETTER Chair JUN SUNG Co-Chair

Email Melanie Pineda at mpineda@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 30, 2019

SPORTS

SPORTS@NYUNEWS.COM

Edited by BELA KIRPALANI

Ultimate Goal of Frisbee: Find Family

By BELA KIRPALANI Sports Editor On a sunny September morning on Randall’s Island, 30 young women in mesh pinnies and athletic shorts run around on a large grassy f ield, flicking and catching a white frisbee. The Violet Femmes, NYU’s women’s ultimate frisbee team, can be found here every Saturday for three hours.

“Oh man, this is the best part of college,” Tisch sophomore Sophia Wang said. “I’m paying 70k to play frisbee. Go write that down!”

The team was founded in 2001 and chose its name as a nod to folk-punk band the Violent Femmes. Steinhardt senior Rachel Arbacher played ultimate in high school and immediately found a home on the Violet Femmes when she f irst came to NYU. “Because [frisbee’s] so focused on community and spirit of the game, you have to feel comfortable enough to communicate with your teammates,” Arbacher said. “So we all make an effort to at least once a week, people are getting coffee or tossing a frisbee in the park or hanging out.”

Ultimate frisbee is played by two teams of seven people, and there are only two positions: handlers, whose primary role is to toss the frisbee, and cutters, who run around trying to catch it.

The essence of ultimate frisbee lies in the principle of the “spirit of the game,” which means that the expectations and responsibility of fair play lie in the hands of the players.

This doctrine has been passed down from coaches and players throughout the years, which differentiates it from other sports.

Head Coach Anna Membrino is

entering her seventh year in charge of the team and has witnessed f irsthand the bonds that the Violet Femmes have formed.

“They’re a really strong community, they’re really smart kids and they’re really willing to learn,” Membrino said. “And they love each other a lot, which sort of can be said of all teams but it’s def initely true in this case.”

“Last year, we thought we’d make it to regionals, but our season got cut short and we just sat in this circle and we talked,” Wang said. “Everyone was crying partly because our season was over, but I think I was crying because I realized what frisbee meant to me.”

The Violet Femmes practice outside three times a week and try to schedule workout sessions at 404 Fitness at least once a week. The team competes in three regional tournaments during the fall season — the f irst of which will take place during the weekend of Oct. 4th in Vineland City, New Jersey.

Stern senior Teddy Le Nguyen and CAS senior Isabel Moroney are in their fourth and f inal year on the team. As team captains, their responsibilities include organizing tryouts, running practice and workout sessions and establishing a welcoming environment.

“In addition to being very strong players, they really care about the team and their teammates,” Membrino said. “Bringing rookies into the fold and making this a warm and positive community that can be hard to f ind at NYU, they work really hard to ensure that that is the experience that everyone on the team has.”

“You want to give back to them and give them the same experience

JULIA MCNEILL | WSN

A player looks to pass the frisbee to a teammate during practice. The Violet Femmes, NYU’s club women’s ultimate frisbee team, compete in regional tournaments throughout the semester.

that you had,” Moroney said. “I want this team to keep being as great as it has been for me for years to come.”

As a registered club team, the Violet Femmes receive funding and support from NYU Athletics in order to attend regional tournaments and reserve practice space throughout the semester. NYU Athletics declined to disclose how much funding it provides the team, but the department did state that the Violet Femmes receive the same support as all other club sports.

In recent years, ultimate frisbee has grown from being a casual pastime to a universally-recognized competi-

tive sport. In 2015, the International Olympics Committee recognized ultimate frisbee’s governing body and is considering including the sport in the 2024 Olympics.

The Violet Femmes held tryouts in early September and saw a solid turnout of around 25 people, 11 of whom were accepted to the squad.

“We’ve def initely see an increase in incoming players who have played in high school which is on track with the growth of the sport across the country,” Membrino said. “So that makes sense and it makes for a stronger rookie class every year, so we’re slowly getting better and better and

better. And then we have people who started last month. So it’s still going to be a range, but the top of the talent is def initely getting better.”

No matter how diff icult it is to balance academics, having a social life and being on the Violet Femmes, everyone on the team has found a home that they would never give up.

“It’s like therapy, and college is so stressful,” Wang said. “None of us have time to do frisbee, but we do it because that’s the only way we’re going to be able to do college.”

Email Bela Kirpalani at bkirpalani@nyunews.com.

Women’s Volleyball Coach Reaches 100 Wins

By BIN CHO Staff Writer

VIA NYU ATHLETICS

Coach Andrew Brown recently reached 100 wins as an NCAA Division III head coach

On Sept. 22, the women’s volleyball team defeated Case Western Reserve University in four sets to secure its first UAA win of the season and head coach Andrew Brown’s 100th win as an NCAA Division III head coach. Prior to joining NYU in January 2018, Brown coached the Union College women’s volleyball team to a 6638 overall record. Following the Violets’ results this past weekend, Brown’s overall NCAA Division III coaching record now sits at 101 wins and 54 losses.

The season prior to Brown’s arrival at NYU, the Violets posted a mediocre 7-20 overall record. In Brown’s first season, the team improved to 22-16 and looks to be taking another step up this year — the Violets are currently 13-4.

“When I first got here, the big thing I was able to see with the current team and their trend was that we had really talented players within the program,” Brown said. “But there wasn’t a cohesive style of volleyball.”

Ranked fourth in Division III for blocking, NYU has shifted its focus to defensive efficiency, which Brown emphasized when he first arrived.

“Big emphasis was on being very physical at the net, being a very dominant

blocking team, to have a lot more offensive firepower at the front row and having a really good defense, where it was really hard for an opponent to score a point in terms of our effort and our relentlessness,” Brown said.

“

When we walk into the gym now, regardless of the tournament, people know who we are JACQUELINE KUPELI CAS junior, Team Co-Captain

”

This physical style of play has established the Violets’ reputation as a gritty team, according to team co-captain and CAS junior Jacqueline Kupeli.

“When we walk into the gym now, regardless of the tournament, people know who we are,” Kupeli said. “They know we’re serious. They know we’re compet-

itive, and that we’re a challenge.”

However, Brown’s focus isn’t solely on winning games. He also wants to help his players excel off the court.

“The thing that’s really special about this school is they are able to take advantage of so much opportunity,” Brown said. “Being able to have volleyball as a piece that they can excel in, is something special for them.”

This has translated to academic success — last year, 10 members of Brown’s squad received UAA Fall Sport All-Academic honors, leading the team to the American Volleyball Coaches Association Team Academic Award.

“He has his own experiences as a student-athlete that really shape his coaching and he really does care about us holistically,” co-captain and Steinhart senior Sabrina Krebs said. “He really wants us to succeed.”

With his 100th win behind him, Brown wants to cap off this season with one more milestone — snagging an NCAA postseason berth.

“We want to push and make it to a postNCAA appearance this year,” Brown said. “I think it’s going to be tough, but I think our players are really up for that challenge this year.”

Email Bin Cho at sports@nyunews.com.

Washington Square News | Sports

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2019

Men’s Basketball Hires Mental Health Coach

By GRIFFIN VRABECK Staff Writer Men’s basketball Assistant Coach Jake Rachbach, NYU Athletics’ newest hire, plans to focus on players’ mental performance to improve on-court play. With a master’s from Temple University in kinesiology, Rauchbach’s main objectives with the team will involve “removing performance blocks” through “integrated mental techniques.”

“Mostly, I want to help and add value for the players and the staff, and build on last year,” Rauchbach said.

Rauchbach brings coaching experience on the college, professional and international levels.

Most recently, he served as head coach for Maccabi Team USA Men’s Open, leading them to the gold medal at the 2019 Maccabi Games in Budapest. He was also an assistant coach and director of player development for the Ironi-Ness Ziona Basketball Club in the Israeli SuperLeague.

At the college level, Rauchbach served as player

performance specialist, consultant and graduate assistant for the men’s basketball team at Temple University from 2004 to 2018.

“Jake and I have known each other for over a decade,” Violets head coach Dagan Nelson said.

“Jake actually coached with me when I was a high school coach in North Carolina, so our relationship goes back a long time.”

Rauchbach’s unique skill set makes him a special coach, allows him to connect with players who might be in difficult situations.

“He is an energy, psychology guru,” Nelson said.

One of Rauchbach’s key traits, according to Nelson, is his ability to “harness and help student athletes remove mental blocks that they may have had since early childhood.”

With these interpersonal skills, coupled with basketball acumen, Rauchbach says he hopes to produce tangible results for the team.

“I’ve seen him improve shooting percentages, I’ve seen him improve free throw percentages, I’ve seen him improve [the team’s] points per game [and] per student athlete,” Nelson said.

The Best Sports Mascots, Ranked

Forward and SPS senior Jimmy Martinelli looks forward to working with the new coach and hopes his guidance will give the team an upper hand.

“I know that as a Division III program, we have to be one of the only schools that has an actual mental performance coach for our basketball team,” Martinelli said. “So that’ll definitely give us an edge in competition.”

Rauchbach says that a part of measuring his success depends on “the overall wellbeing of the player and the player’s ability to rate his own progression.”

Despite this, he remains focused on the endgame: winning and player development. He pointed out that, ultimately, working with student-athletes on the mental aspects of their game is “all about optimizing player performance.”

Catch the men’s basketball team in action in its season opener on Nov. 9 against Oberlin College.

Email Griffin Vrabeck at sports@nyunews.com.

Three Women’s Tennis Players Advance to Nationals

By BENJAMIN MICHAEL DAVIS Deputy Sports Editor

see the court on Oct. 17 in the Oracle ITA Cup.

Men’s Golf The Violets finished up the Williams College Fall Invitational last Sunday, ending up in fourth place of 25 teams. NYU shot 301 on the second day to bring their tournament total to 592. Leading the way was Stern sophomore Joseph Burlison, who finished third on the weekend with a oneover-par 72 on Sunday and a 142 overall. Other golfers in the top 20 were Tisch junior Robbie Keyes in 12th with a 148 on the tournament and CAS first-year Alan Chen, who tied for 17th after shooting 149.

The men next tee off on Saturday when they play in the Liberty League Fall Preview on Saturday.

Men’s Tennis The men’s side had less luck in their ITA Northeast Regional Championships on Friday and Saturday. On day one, all of the doubles teams lost, and only singles players CAS sophomore Christian Otero and CAS firstyear Alex Yang won their first round matches. Otero followed this up with a 6-1, 6-1 loss in the second round, while Yang advanced to day two. On day two, Yang put up a strong fight against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute junior Sebastian Castillo-Sanchez, but ultimately fell short of making it to nationals, falling 6-0 and 6-4.

Women’s Golf NYU wrapped up the Mount Holyoke invitational last Sunday. The Violets finished second of 17 teams in the par 72 course, shooting 309 in round two for a 622 total. This was tied with Middlebury College, but NYU’s lower round two score gave them the edge. Top 10 finishers included Tisch junior Jessica Wu, who finished sixth with 152, Stern junior Ashley Lung, who finished eighth with 154 and CAS senior Arisa Kimura and Stern junior Navika Kuchakulla, who tied for ninth ending the tournament with 155.

This weekend, the Violets competed in the George Phinney Jr. Golf Classic at Middlebury College. NYU finished in fourth place of 12 teams with a two-day total of 644. Middlebury won the tournament with a 634. SPS first-year Sophia Bain led NYU with a fifth-place performance of 158.

The team’s next tournament is the Tartan Invitational, hosted by Carnegie Mellon on Oct. 7.

Women’s Tennis NYU finished the ITA Northeast Regional Championships strong last Saturday and Sunday with three players advancing to the Oracle ITA Cup in Rome, Georgia on Oct. 17. The duo of Stern junior Anna Maria Buraya and Liberal Studies first-year Anastasiia Balyk beat their counterparts from Skidmore, dropping the first set 6-2 but winning the next two, 6-0 and 6-2, to advance to nationals.

On the singles side, Stern first-year Karina Jensrud also advanced to nationals. It also took her three tries, losing her first 4-6, then pulling out 7-5 and 6-0 wins to beat first-year Miriam Gandham of Vassar College.

These three players will advance and will next

11

By BELA KIRPALANI Sports Editor To some, mascots may seem utterly useless or distracting from the actual game. To others like me, however, that is exactly what makes them so important to the American sporting experience. Whatever your stance on mascots may be, I think we can all agree on one thing — sports mascots are absolutely wild. Without further ado, here are the best of the best.

1. Gritty I couldn’t let Gritty’s birthday pass without paying homage to the icon himself. Gritty exploded onto the mascot scene in 2018 and hasn’t looked back. No one knows exactly what he is, but everyone knows his name.

From regularly going viral on the internet for his creative content to becoming a staple of socialist meme accounts, Gritty has a cultural impact unrivaled by any other sports mascot in modern times. If you haven’t realized it yet, I stan.

2. Mr. Met Perhaps I’m a biased Mets fan, but Mr. Met is the epitome of a class act mascot. While the Mets have struggled a bit in recent years, Major League Baseball’s oldest mascot has been holding it down since 1964.

They just don’t make ‘em like Mr. Met anymore. *sigh* 3. Phillie Phanatic What even is this thing? A dinosaur? A muppet? Who knows! The Phillie Phanatic is certainly up there as one of the strangest mascots and has long been a fan favorite in the City of Brotherly Love. Unfortunately, the Phanatic might no longer have a home in Philly after a lawsuit was filed over who owns the rights to the mascot. If this doesn’t epitomize the U.S.’s weird mascot culture, I don’t know what does.

4. Benny the Bull Benny the Bull is insane. Only an insane creature would have the courage — if you can even call it that — to bully Robin Lopez, given the NBA player’s notorious anti-mascot track record. I wish I had half the guts Benny has. Bottom line, Benny knows exactly what I want and what I want is to see Robin Lopez lose his sh-t. For a historic franchise that has struggled to capture anyone’s attention in recent seasons, Benny sure knows how to keep Chicago in the headlines.

VIA NYU ATHLETICS

CAS junior Coco Kulle returns a shot at a Sept. 22 tournament.

Women’s Soccer The Violets continued their winning ways this week, beating Farmingdale State on Wednesday and Mount St. Mary College on Sunday. In the former, only one goal was needed when CAS junior Julia Raith was assisted by Stern junior Francesca Dimitrakis in the 77th minute.

Sunday was CAS junior Sam March’s day. She scored both of NYU’s goals in the 2-0 win. The first came in the 27th minute on a penalty kick and the next came just after halftime, in the 49th minute.

NYU dominated Mount St. Mary, out-shooting them 22-5 and 11-3 on goal despite coming in even in terms of fouls.

The team returns to the pitch on Saturday when they take on Case Western Reserve University at home.

Men’s Soccer Men’s soccer continued their win streak and pushed their record up to 3-4-1 with a double-overtime victory at home on Saturday. It was a back and forth game as Stevens Institute of Technology opened the scoring in the 55th minute on a goal from firstyear Bruno Andino. NYU was then able to tie it up in the 85th minute when Liberal Studies senior Owen Smith scored off an SPS senior Sergio Monton corner. This score held until the 105th minute when CAS first-year Talal Said was able to win it for the Violets off of a Monton cross.

The Violets look to move up to .500 on Saturday at home against Case Western.

Women’s Volleyball The Violets split their two matches this week, sweeping Lehman College and losing to Ithaca College. On Thursday, NYU faced Lehman for the first time since the 1994-95 season and beat them 25-11, 25-9 and 25-10. Leading the way were Liberal Studies sophomore Amy Zhang with nine kills, CAS sophomore Veronica Johnson with 10 assists and Gallatin sophomore Maddie DeJong with five digs.

On Saturday, the now 13-4 NYU fell to 11-5 Ithaca College three sets to one. The Violets pulled off a close win in their first set and had a 23-22 lead in the second, but couldn’t capitalize and lost sets two through four.

NYU’s next match is at Hunter College on Thursday.

5. SuperMascot Rocky I honestly have no idea why Rocky is a “SuperMascot,” but the Denver Nuggets’ lion is one of the best in the biz. While Benny the Bull may have hand-picked Lopez as his nemesis, Rocky will literally fight anyone and everyone — children included. I’m not saying I endorse mascots being outrageously violent but I swear, nothing cracks me up more than mascots shoving kids over. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Honorable Mention: The NYU Bobcat If you’ve made it this far in this column, I thank you and provide you a little treat in the form of an NYU legend. Our adorable Bobcat can be seen dabbing on people at NYU sporting events, Strawberry Fest and even the New York City Halloween Parade. I also hear that if you get a cool photo with the Bobcat, you will be blessed with good luck for eternity.

The Sports Girl is a weekly sports column that will feature a girl’s take on sports. . Yes, sports. Yes, a girl. Email Bela Kirpalani at bkirpalani@nyunews.com.

Men’s Cross Country Men’s Cross Country finished ninth in the Purple Valley Classic, hosted by Williams College on Saturday. In the 8k course, CAS junior Jonathan Sussman was the fastest Violet, finishing in 27th place with a time of 27:21.2. NYU fared better in the 5k, with two runners in the top 10. CAS junior Alejandro Gonzalez finished in fourth place in 17:18, and CAS junior Oliver Jacob finished in 17:34, which was good for eighth place.

The Violet’s next meet will be the Paul Short Invitational, hosted by Lehigh University on Saturday.

Email Benjamin Michael Davis at bdavis@nyunews.com.

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