COVER BY WENXUAN NI
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WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | MONDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2016 | NYUNEWS.COM
NYU Releases Official Diversity Statement
By SAYER DEVLIN, JEMIMA MCEVOY AND NATASHA ROY
Andrew Hamilton sent an email on Thursday updating the NYU community about the university’s diversity initiatives. The statement — titled “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” — outlines the university’s dedication to building a respectful culture that embraces diversity. The statement recognizes previous shortcomings in NYU’s approach to diversity and says that this awareness will strengthen commitment toward taking tangible steps in the direction of acceptance. Students such as CAS freshman and Rubin Hall council president Shraddha Jajal thinks this is a positive addition to NYU’s diversity efforts. She believes it will help NYU continue its efforts to make the university an inclusive environment for all its students. “I think this just helps reassure us as students that we are safe where we are,” Jajal said. “And no matter how the next
four years turn out, NYU will always be there for us and will always support its students regardless of what our background is.” Jajal said that the Rubin student government board SUG@R will now consider the Diversity Statement when planning future events for Rubin residents. “I think it’s just that we forget that not everyone has not grown up in the same way we have and we tend to suppress minorities even if we do not mean to do so,” Jajal said. “So in response to the new diversity statement, the hall council will definitely be talking about this in our next meeting as well as trying to promote it throughout the hall because we do not want anyone to feel as though they do not belong.” CAS senior and member of the Black and Brown Coalition Juan Manuel Calero Canaval said that it is significant for important changes and movements to start with the students. “Whether things meaningfully change has always been
up to student leadership,” Canaval said. “Universities exist to serve and educate every generation, and inasmuch the future in general is in our hands, so is the university’s future. While obviously there will always be push back on a number of issues from the powers that be, we students should not be afraid to make our needs heard and make demands to be met.” Steinhardt freshman and member of the Third North Student Government Chris Friedman said that he has seen the biases mentioned in the statement manifest themselves in his classes on multiple occasions, which is why people should take this statement seriously. “And since the city we live in and the school we attend is so liberal, it is important that we remember Andrew Hamilton’s words about inclusion,” Friedman said. “So even if we disagree with someone else’s values or opinions, I think it’s more important than ever to realize our social responsibility to uphold this important
Fall 2016 Crime Recap
By DIAMOND NAGA SIU News Editor
NYU saw 166 crimes during the fall semester — September, October and November — and November saw a slight dip in crime. Both September and October sustained 56 crimes, whereas November had 54. Larceny had the highest rate of reported incidents with 98 in total, while
controlled substance and criminal mischief reports placed second and third with 18 and 15 reports respectively. Of the 166 crimes, 12 happened in Tandon, but the most crimes happened at Bobst Library with 12 crimes in total. However, the second most common place for crime is Third North Residence Hall, which had 11 crimes — it saw five crimes in October while
Bobst only had one. And of the 17 residence halls, not including Affinia Hotel, four of them saw no crimes during this three month period: Othmer Hall, Coral Tower, Greenwich House and Senior House. Below is a breakdown of total crimes this semester.
Email Diamond Naga Siu at dsiu@nyunews.com.
tenant of a diverse community, as members of one.” CAS senior and Muslim Student Association president Afraz Khan said that the statement does a good job in reaffirming the university’s commitment to diversity, but he is unsure how the statement will affect NYU’s environment. “I cannot say whether this statement will have any immediate impact on our campus climate and how well minority groups are taken into account in future,” Khan said. “I do think this statement is a way for the larger NYU community to gain more insight into how the administration plans to pursue change in the coming months.” Khan said that he appreciated how the statement acknowledged the need to build structures to promote inclusiveness, especially among colleagues from marginalized groups. However, he believes that progress starts with concrete progress. “I am happy to know that the university is updating its fo-
Email the News Team at news@nyunews.com.
CRIME LOG
Nov. 26 to Dec. 4
By JEMIMA MCEVOY, SAYER DEVLIN AND NATASHA ROY The NYU Public safety department received 11 reports of larceny, two reports of criminal mischief and one report of a controlled substance between Nov. 26 and Dec. 4.
Larceny
INFOGRAPHIC BY DIAMOND NAGA SIU
cus and purpose in regards to diversity at NYU,” Khan said. “But until these principles are implemented through concrete steps, minority groups at large will continue to experience various forms of bias, hate and discrimination on-campus.” CAS freshman Iffat Nur is a Muslim student, and he said that going forward the statement will come into inevitable incongruities with the idea of safe spaces, since people will have to find a balance between creating environments with free speech without creating student-enforced segregation. “NYU is taking a stance I find favorable,” Nur said. “The idea of voices actively coming from multiple sources for discourse, making sure voices are included without anyone overpowering one another is important, and I hope that NYU will take serious steps to encourage this stance of diversity, equality and inclusion they have in mind.”
On Nov. 26 at 5:43 p.m. a student at Bobst Library reported that her laptop was missing from her backpack, which was inside a study desk. Police notification was declined. On Nov. 26 at 9:24 p.m. a student reported that, while at the Washington Square campus, a bicyclist rode by and took her iPhone from her hands while she was walking. On Nov. 28 at 1:35 p.m. a student reported that her backpack, which had been in an office in the Global Center for Academic and Spiritual Life, was missing. Police notification was declined. On Nov. 28 at 1:40 p.m. a student reported that her backpack was missing from the dining hall in Weinstein where she left it. Police notification was declined. On Nov. 28 at 2:42 p.m. a student reported that his wallet, which had been on a counter in the printing room of Dibner Building, was missing. Police notification was declined. On Nov. 28 at 3:45 p.m. a student reported that her scooter was missing from a pole that it had been attached to in front of Kimmel Center. Police notification was declined. On Nov. 28 at 5:25 p.m. a student on the 10th floor of Bobst reported that his ID was missing
from his wallet. Police notification was declined. On Nov. 28 at 5:35 p.m. a student reported that her bicycle, which had been on a rack on Waverly Place between Broadway and Mercer Street, was missing. On Nov. 29 at 12:30 p.m. a student reported that his shirt was missing from the laundry he had left in Palladium Hall when he went to retrieve it. On Dec. 1 at 3:15 p.m. a student reported that the back tire of his bicycle was missing at the Dental Center. The bicycle had been attached to the bike rack. Police notification was declined. On Dec. 1 at 6:36 p.m. a student reported that her laptop was missing from her locker in the Dental Center. Police notification was declined.
Criminal Mischief On Nov. 28 at 1:30 p.m. an employee reported that he noticed graffiti on the side of the lockers in LL2 of Bobst. The incident remains under investigation. On Dec. 1 at 4:50 p.m. a student reported that the arm of her desk chair at 5 Washington Pl. had graffiti on it. A police report was filed and the incident is under investigation.
Controlled Substance On Nov. 28 at 11:45 p.m. Public Safety responded to a report of controlled substance at Founders Hall and confiscated a small amount of marijuana.
Email the news team at news@nyunews.com.
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Senior Nabs Rhodes Scholarship for Political Advocacy By MARIA PUERTAS Contributing Writer
Dubai Abulhoul grew up in Dubai and is currently a Political Science major at NYU’s Abu Dhabi campus. As part of her senior capstone she has been researching the effect of gender roles and culture on political participation in her home country, and she is a member of the Emirates Youth Council, a government initiative aiming to ensure youth participation in United Arab Emirates politics. Abulhoul is also the author of a best-selling Emirati fantasy novel, “Galagolia: The Hidden Divination.” On top of all this, she is also a Rhodes Scholar recipient, one of the world’s most prestigious and competitive scholarships. WSN spoke with Abulhoul about what she learned through the Rhodes Scholarship application and what she plans to do during her time at Oxford University. WSN: Why did you choose NYU? DA: I was in 10th grade when I first heard that NYU opened one of its campuses in Abu Dhabi. I was immediately drawn to the global university structure that the NYU Abu Dhabi campus provided for its students, which led me to apply in my senior year.
WSN: How did you hear of the Rhodes Scholarship and why did you decide to apply for it? DA: I heard about the Rhodes Scholarship when it was first introduced as the Falcon Scholarship in the UAE around two years ago. I was keen on applying during my senior year, even though I knew that it would be a very competitive process. I am glad I applied regardless of how challenging the process seemed at first, and I focused more on the process as opposed to worrying about whether or not I would get it. WSN: What was the hardest part about applying for the scholarship? DA: I would say the hardest part was working on the personal statement. [But] the writing process allowed me to seriously reflect on what I have done, what I am doing and what I plan to do after my time at NYU. It was a hard process, but also the best part of the application as well. WSN: What was the most interesting thing you learned during the process? DA: I think the most important thing I have learned is the importance of truly being yourself. I spent the week prior to the interview thinking too much about what is
expected of me to say, as opposed to what I actually had to say. When I entered the interview, I decided to, for the next twenty minutes, completely forget about what I had prepared and to focus only on providing answers that are true to who I am and what I believe in. WSN: What do you hope to do during your time at Oxford? DA: I hope to pursue an MSC in Global Governance and Diplomacy and to use my time there to learn from and get to know all the Rhodes Scholars who I will have the privilege to study alongside of during my time at Oxford. WSN: What are your plans after Oxford? DA: I want to bring back the knowledge I get from my time at Oxford to the UAE and to join the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to serve my country abroad. WSN: What is your advice for prospective Rhodes Scholarship applicants? DA: Be yourself, and enjoy the process! Working on the application is an amazing self-reflective opportunity, and learning to enjoy the process, regardless of the outcome, is something I am grateful I realized early on. WSN: What is one of the most
interesting things you’ve learned while researching the effect of gender roles and culture on political participation? DA: I am still in the early stages of my capstone research on the effect of gender roles and culture on political participation, but what I am quickly realizing is how subjective that effect is, which in return makes the connection a very challenging thing to quantify. WSN: What was the most difficult thing about writing your book “Galagolia: The Hidden Divination” at
such a young age? DA: I think the most difficult thing was getting to convince publishers to take my manuscript seriously despite my young age at the time. Looking back, what kept me going, despite the challenges my young age presented, was how passionate I was about writing, and that led me to focus more on the writing process itself instead of the final published outcome.
Email Maria Puertas at news@nyunews.com.
VIA NYU.EDU
Dubai Abulhoul is a senior majoring in political science and has been researching the effect of gender roles in politics at NYU Abu Dhabi.
DAPL Reroute: Divest Wants More By SAYER DEVLIN, JEMIMA MCEVOY AND NATASHA ROY
After months of demonstration against building the Dakota Access Pipeline through Native American land, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced on Sunday that it would reroute the pipeline so it would not cross the Standing Rock Reservation. In a statement about the DAPL’s rerouting, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe thanked the tribal youth who helped start the movement, the support they received globally, the other tribes that stood with them and the Obama administration. “We thank the thousands of people who came to the camps to support us, and the tens of thousands who donated time, talent and money to our efforts to stand against this pipeline in the name of protecting our water,” the statement said. “We especially thank all of the other tribal nations and jurisdictions who stood in solidarity with us, and we stand ready to stand with you if and when your people are in need.” CAS senior and NYU Divest member Lola Jusidman said that although the rerouting was a victory for the Standing Rock Sioux people, the pipeline should not be built anywhere. “We value the tentative decision to reroute the pipeline as a victory within the shamefully long and hard fight for tribal sovereignty and respect for sacred lands,” Jusidman said. “But, as many Native leaders believe, the DAPL does not belong downstream on the Missouri River, where it will poison
the water supply of millions. It belongs nowhere.” Jusidman also said that any decisions regarding the pipeline should include tribal leadership in the decisionmaking process. “Our movement must be vigilant that the Army Corps and other authorities incorporate tribal leadership and implement its requests in the reassessment of the pipeline,” Jusidman said. “We stand firm in recognizing that new fossil fuel infrastructure has no place on this Earth, and we resolve to continue fighting it.” CAS senior Natalie Petrulla, president of Earth Matters, said that she was extremely happy with this announcement. “I think that even though the pipeline is still being built, it shows that people really do have the power to change things, and standing up for what you believe in actually makes a difference,” Petrulla said. “I feel like this victory is going to motivate people even more to stand up for environmental causes
because now they feel like they can really accomplish something.” Petrulla said that although this decision may seem relatively small in the context of environmental change, it has powerful implications for the environmental community. “In the grand scheme of things, it is a small victory, especially because the pipeline is still being built,” Petrulla said. “But it is a very important moment for the environmental community.” Taylor Norman, co-president of the Native American and Indigenous Students Group, said that she is remaining positive about the news while still remembering that there is more to fight for. “Whether or not DAPL goes on, there are still other pipelines being built — two in New York,” Norman said. “However, this decision helps as we fight for our sovereignty as indigenous people.”
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STAY UP-TO-DATE PHOTO BY DIAMOND NAGA SIU
After nationwide support for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, the US Army Corps of Engineers have rerouted the Dakota Access Pipeline around the reservation.
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WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | MONDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2016 | NYUNEWS.COM
ARTS
EDITED BY HAILEY NUTHALS ARTS@NYUNEWS.COM
A Film That Gives More Than We Asked
By ETHAN SAPIENZA Film Editor
When I first saw “I, Daniel Blake,” it was late September. I found myself noting how the film seemed to have perfect timing in the wake of Brexit: a British working class man, the eponymous Daniel Blake (Dave Johns), is forced to go on state welfare after heart issues require him to take a break from his job as a carpenter. What should be a simple medical leave is made horribly frustrating due to the counterintuitive, gravely illogical laws of a coldly bureaucratic government. Put simply, a blue-collar man is utterly forgotten by his country and its administration, and it was baffling to me not to see parallels to Britain’s populist anger. Then again, when I mentioned this thought to the man next to me, he responded with a look of befuddlement. To smooth things over, I confessed that racism
was certainly an inextricable reason for the country’s decision to leave, and this film does not look to empathize with racist or ignorant Britons. I thought back to that moment two days after the presidential election, when during a recitation my English TA confessed that he didn’t believe protests and angry demonstrations would be enough to heal a fractured and hateful nation. Rather, he believed we needed to try to speak to and relate with much of the country that had voted Republican. In hopes of promoting this sentiment, my TA offered a poignant thought: he loved President Obama for his universal health care and emphasis on equality. Not once did he think of him as the president who allowed NSA overreach or a dramatic increase of senseless, brutal drone bombings. Why, then, couldn’t a Trump voter think of our president-elect as just the candidate who could restore working-class jobs, and
not as the anti-Muslim, anti-Mexican, sexist candidate? This point seemed to directly and effectively contrast my statement on Brexit’s racism, and only elevated the importance of “Blake” tenfold. While film and art won’t immediately instigate change, they certainly can be, and certainly have been, instruments that allow people to see, and hopefully understand, from which they are otherwise utterly removed. “Blake,” directed by the often-socialist Ken Loach, has the potential to allow viewers to take a look into the discontented, disenfranchised lives of the working class, the supposed bloc that elevated Donald Trump to president-elect. This is not to say Donald Trump should be accepted or normalized — as his racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, sexism, lying tendencies, ignorance and incompetence must always be acknowledged — but that empathiz-
Kevin Devine Talks ‘Instigator’ Tour By BOBBY WAGNER Managing Editor
For Brooklyn indie artist Kevin Devine, continuing to write songs is synonymous with continuing to understand himself. Devine just released “Instigator,” his ninth studio album. It is equal parts poignant political commentary and stories of personal growth — a conversation with a younger version of himself that uniquely informs listeners. WSN sat down with Devine to talk about “Instigator” and his tour. Washington Square News: At the time of release, you called “Instigator” your favorite thing that you’ve made so far. What is it about this album that sets it apart? Kevin Devine: It’s pretty dynamic for something that’s 35 minutes long. It’s not a sprawling double-concept album in length, but I feel like it gets to a lot of different sides of my musical brain without sacrificing what makes my songs different from anyone else’s songs. I completely understand that my experience of my music is and should be totally different from my audience’s. I think this is the best executed batch of songs we’ve ever put together. WSN: Can you talk about the political inspiration behind the album — particularly a song like “No History” [a song centered around Devine’s experience on the day of 9/11]? KD: A song like “No History” takes a while to be written. I don’t mean that in an active
sense. The song showed up at 8:30 in the morning one weekday last June. And the structure of the song was pretty much there by 2 o’clock that day. What actually drives that song above the surface of your consciousness can take 15 years. I tend to try to write songs that are pro-people. They’re social justice songs in that way. I think politics are kind of an ugly thing. Think about it — if you’re speaking about a person in your life behaving politically, it’s never a good thing. You don’t mean it like, ‘that guy’s awesome.’ You mean it like, ‘that guy’s calculating and manipulative.’ WSN: Are these ideas the driving force behind a decision like the one you made to give all the tour and merch proceeds to Planned Parenthood and ACLU? KD: I’m a guy that plays shows in front of between 150 and 1,000 people. I’m not a politician, a celebrity, or a famous rockstar. I’m a person who’s well-known in a corner of culture. Planned Parenthood and the ACLU and the Southern Poverty Law Center and LGBTQ organizations — those are the people who are going to be really under siege. We’re not going to raise millions of dollars for them, because that’s not the scope at which I exist. But it’s a small action we can take. WSN: What is your process going about seeking artists to tour with? KD: With this tour, I listen to all of these bands as a fan.
ing with our political combatants may be necessary, and may be made easier by watching a movie. The film so firmly places the viewer within Blake’s struggles that rarely does a scene go by without frustration mounting, whether there are new stipulations added to prevent his welfare checks from coming through or simply neighbors not
taking out their trash. While these struggles may be unknown to many, at least with “I, Daniel Blake” they can be seen, felt and hopefully allow for empathy. “I, Daniel Blake” will be released in theaters on Dec. 23.
Email Ethan Sapienza at film@nyunews.com.
COURTESY OF CHARLIE OLSKY
“I, Daniel Blake” won the 2016 Palme D’or at the Cannes Film Festival.
“Here I Am” Is Here and Now
By ALLI PIERSON Theater and Books Editor
PHOTO BY SHAINA NYMAN
Kevin Devine has recently released his ninth studio album, using his music as a means for political commentary.
I also like the idea of it being generational in a way, and me being the old guy on the tour. You can either rage against that and be weirded out that you’re the old guy, or you can embrace the fact that there [are] great young songwriters who wanted to be on tour with me. Pinegrove and Julien [Baker] either currently, or very shortly, [could] do this kind of tour on their own. At this moment, it was a perfect grouping. They all write different styles, but they’re all things that I feel like I have some connection to in my musical DNA and catalogue. This tour has been a homerun in that way. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Find the longer version at nyunews.com. Kevin Devine is headlining at Irving Plaza this Thursday, Dec. 8.
Email Bobby Wagner at bwagner@nyunews.com.
Lillian Vernon Distinguished Writer-in-Residence Jonathan Safran Foer met an eager audience this past Friday inside NYU’s glass fish tank, the Rosenthal Pavilion, for a reading of his most recent novel. Safran Foer has been a member of the creative writing faculty at NYU for nearly a decade, and his work has touched the lives of many students. He is the author of several compelling works of literature, including “Everything Is Illuminated,” “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” and “Eating Animals.” Foer’s latest work, “Here I Am,” is his first published fiction novel in over a decade. At his reading, Foer explained that he was inspired to pursue a career in writing after taking an undergraduate writing course with Joyce Carol Oates at Princeton. In regards to his teaching, Foer shared a piece of advice Oates had given him. “It wasn’t that you should be a writer because writing has value — it was that you should be a writer because you have value.” In her introduction of the author, creative writing program director Deborah Landau praised Safran Foer’s writing, saying, “[His books] have that quality that he calls ‘muchness.’ They’re big, messy, vibrant and full of life, and that’s why we love them.” She further noted that Foer “[is] known for his rather unorthodox teaching approaches …There was one spring … when the semester ended but he just kept teaching his class.” Foer’s lovable enthusiasm was evident as he read from his new
book. “Here I Am” tells the story of a Jewish family in Washington, D.C. facing both a domestic and a global crisis. The threat of these simultaneous and parallel crises is the foundation of the novel. The excerpts that he read from his work were characteristically moving and insightful, centered around themes of love, relationships, pain, identity, grief and loss. As Foer read, he mentioned how much he enjoys experimenting with the distance between what the reader knows and what the characters know, such as instances where characters are laughing or whispering about some information outside of the reader’s understanding. His comedic wit and raw sentiment produce a lifelike portrayal of human emotions. The novel’s true depth in the novel shines through sentences like “There are no cures for the hurt that hurts most. There’s only the medicine of believing each other’s pain and being present for it.” In response to a question on writing about such complex emotions, Foer remarked that “it’s amazing how many questions about writing can be returned as like, ‘how do you do it in life,’ because you do, and often times in writing I’m not relying on some kind of craft or technique that is particular to writing. It is usually a craft or technique that is particular to life and to my experience in life.” Jonathan Safran Foer’s “Here I Am” is available online and at your local bookstore.
Email Alexandra Pierson at books@nyunews.com.
NYUNEWS.COM | MONDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2016 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS
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ARTS
EDITED BY HAILEY NUTHALS ARTS@NYUNEWS.COM
NYU Dancer Tests Her Limits By NATALIE WHALEN Staff Writer
Dancer Sayer Mansfield joined Pilobolus Dance Theater Company as its first-ever female apprentice upon graduating from NYU’s prestigious dance program in 2014. Now, she is back at Skirball Center for the Performing Arts for a twoweek run with her company that has “tested the limits of human physicality” since 1971. Mansfield talked to WSN about what it’s like to collaborate with international talents and to forgo her extensive classical training in order to test the limits of her art form. Washington Square News: How do you think NYU’s dance program uniquely prepared you for your career? Sayer Mansfield: No one falls through the cracks at Tisch — everyone was very much supported and pushed and challenged. I think it’s also very important to have the push of rigorous academic classes beyond the conservatory training. I think that ultimately makes you a more interesting human being, and therefore, a better artist. We took pretty advanced music classes at Tisch and also acting classes. Pilobolus is called Pilobolus Dance Theater for a reason: it’s not only movement arts, it’s also a lot of theatrics, a lot of character work and a lot of deep investigation into how you act on stage. It requires acting technique. Most contemporary dance don’t go that deep into that realm. Pilobolus has asked me to drop a lot of what I know. It’s not a super
By HAILEY NUTHALS Arts Editor
technical company and I came in there with a lot of training. I think I’ve kind of let that be my foundation [while being] encouraged to explore beyond that — get a little more messy, a little more raw in my movements. WSN: I can definitely see where the acting would have helped, especially in the “Wednesday Morning: 11:45” piece from Program B, which you helped create. Do you do choreography for Pilobolus as well? SM: Pilobolus is a collaboration, so every single piece that you see on stage comes from improvisation of the dancers. Then the directors and the collaborator — we often collaborate with musicians or artists or storytellers — work to clash the piece together. “Wednesday Morning” is a piece that I created with Matt Kent and Renee Jaworski and another fellow dancer, Teo Spencer. It was about a three-or-four-week process, and it’s kind of evolved since its initial creation. Every voice in the room is asked to be heard and used — you can’t just sit there idly and ask for someone to count you in … it’s very much like you’re actively involved, you’re creating movement, you’re creating characters, you’re creating emotions and the environment in which the piece is being made. WSN: What’s it like to collaborate with so many different talents in different areas? SM: It tends to be quite a challenge because we all have very different experiences and expertise. I think it’s cool not to have a cho-
reographer coming in and telling you exactly what to do. It’s great to have someone from a different background — from a different art form — and take their view on art and their view on creation. When people come into the studio who are not physical artists, we can find an intention, we can find a purpose, we can find something that we want to say and then we use each other. [As dancers], we know how to voice those opinions and those expressions and [how to] try and expand them together. It’s a cool challenge. WSN: I know that you guys are on tour quite often. Do you have a favorite place to perform? What is it like to perform in different places for different demographics of people? SM: I’ve been to a lot of cool places with Pilobolus since I’ve joined. We go everywhere and nowhere, I like to say. We go to middle-of-nowhere Pennsylvania and we go to Copenhagen, so the demographic is vast and different everywhere we go. I think that’s the real strength of Pilobolus — that we can appeal to a broad audience. We’re not this elite dance company that only the dance literate can understand; everyone can find value and be entertained and be moved by our work. And we get that response all around the world. People haven’t seen anything like us and I think it’s really cool that we get people into the theater that wouldn’t come otherwise.
Email Natalie Whalen at entertainment@nyunews.com.
Forget Me Not
As NYU students bustle in and around the West Village, grabbing cookies at Lipton Hall’s dining hall or popping into the Kimmel Center for a quick club meeting, it’s easy to forget that this city, which our university so proudly claims to be in and of, comes with a storied past that goes far beyond the brownstone apartments and historic arch. Vertigo Theater Company’s new production of “Street Children,” which opened on Nov. 30 at the New Ohio Theatre, gives an achingly poignant story of what used to be the reality of the Village — a home for the city’s transgender and queer community who rallied around the piers and created a thriving community around balls, vogue dancing and families not of blood, but of love. The play cleverly played with the theme of ghosts, all too easy to see in half-remodeled buildings and peeling paint on old signs in the city. Playwright Pia Scala-Zankel took it one step further, however, and made her focal point Gina (Mj Rodriguez) the mother of the House
of Diamonte, who the audience learns was killed in a brutal attack of homophobia. Gina flits in and out of scenes, voguing and giving silent looks of understanding to her grieving friends. Ghosts of the other characters’ pasts float around as well. Since nearly all of the characters are transgender women, there are several past lives that the women are forced to confront. The acting, on the part of all the cast members and Eve Lindley (as Jamie) and JP Moraga (as Angela), was superb and so authentic that it was at times almost painful to watch. The characters were particularly good because the actors had excellently-written parts to work with and a plot that grew organically and developed amongst twisting, twining dancers and was given flavor with costumes and colloquial dialogue. Depth was not spared in the writing, and Scala-Zankel managed to let every character breathe without losing focus or feeling disjointed. Most importantly, “Street Children” gives a voice and a human side to a culture that for too long was outlawed and attacked. It’s upsettingly little-known that the
West Village only became home to upscale apartments and bougie organic markets after its former residents died of AIDS and were forced to move out as their landlords raised rent to prices they simply couldn’t afford in acts of blatant homophobia. In particular, the play gives a voice to the trans and queer people of color that are erased from the stories that make it through. Even the nuances of the concept of trans women passing for cisgender and the ways that relatives of trans people deal with their deaths, mis-gendering and dead-naming their loved ones and erasing their histories, created ghosts in two senses. Despite all of this, the play still manages to work in snappy humor and touching moments that keep it from being so heavy as to turn off less sympathetic audiences. “Street Children” is the story and the reality of our city, and one that deserves nothing less than the talent it got. “Street Children” is playing at the New Ohio Theatre at 154 Christopher St. through Dec. 17.
Email Hailey Nuthals at hnuthals@nyunews.com.
PHOTO BY RUSS ROWLAND, DARR PUBLICITY
The Off-Broadway rock odyssey “The Portal” blends musical performance with a movie-like narrative.
‘The Portal:’ A Movie on the Stage By BLAIR BEST Staff Writer “Am I watching a movie or a piece of theater?” This was a common thought among those sitting in the audience at the Minetta Lane Theatre for Saturday night’s preview of the new rock opera “The Portal.” Modern theater like this off-Broadway premiere uses advanced multimedia as a way to enhance the overall theatrical experience, to mixed results. Where a hand-painted backdrop once hung, a tarp now reflects projections of pre-recorded video footage. Live theater is a jewel that obtains its rawness only when the audience can witness the story unfolding by the work of the performers. With its heavy use of video in place of live performance, “The Portal” lacked this thrilling component. The show was a puzzle of fictional movie clips and live rock music left for the audience to piece together by themselves. With audience interpretation not only encouraged but required, the show’s excess amount of spinning images, bright lights, monotone songs and apocalyptic costumes became overwhelming and distracting. Rather than fully grasping the message or the meaning behind this peculiar piece, audience members likely left the theater with more of a migraine than a deeper artistic awareness. The bright images had more of an effect on one’s head than on their knowledge of the show. This complication comes from the fact that the use of multimedia in a stage setting only works if it acts as visual representation to propel the audience further into the world the actors are attempting to create. It does not succeed it if is used as the
central element in the story. If the audience had wanted to see a pre-recorded movie, they would have logged into a Netflix account or bought a ticket at the local cinema. There is a careful balance required when adding multimedia aspects to a stage performance. Some more modern directors have successfully walked this fine line without falling. Shows such as the 2016 premiere of “O’ EARTH” directed by Dustin Wills, The Public’s premiere of “Grounded” directed by Julie Taymor and the 2014 Broadway revival of “Les Miserables” directed by Laurence Connor and James Powell all use multimedia in live performance. However, the technology in these productions acts as a virtual reality that enriches the performance and transforms the theater into the world of the play in a simple, yet powerful way. “The Portal” had a few effective moments. When the two oracular female dancers took the stage without the eccentric bongo player and the wild electric guitarist, their story of movement was clear in its juxtaposition of the series of off-putting images racing behind them. By inviting the audience to come along for the ride into the portal, this show started off with promise, but once the stage was literally turned off, the audience was left in a bewildered state, misled by what the program had promised. People quickly turned their phones back on, gathered their coats and left the theater — that’s if they were one of the few who stayed for the entire performance. “The Portal” is currently running at the Minetta Lane Theatre at 18 Minetta Ln.
Email Blair Best at theater@nyunews.com.
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WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | MONDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2016 | NYUNEWS.COM
FEATURES Student by Day, Bartender by Night By CAMILLE LARKINS Staff Writer
What are the chances the person pouring your drink at your local bar is a fellow student? In this city, it seems as if there are endless job opportunities for students — many of whom make their extra bucks doing odd, bizarre and unique jobs. We talked to two students who ditch their book bags for shakers at night and work on the other side of the counter. Most NYU students who come to Durden are there to enjoy the cheap beer and dance on tables if it gets rowdy enough, but Stern sophomore Eli Hulse is more in his element behind the bar. The Vermont native, who was hired by Durden in January, said he likes bartending for the time being. Hulse has worked at two bars before Durden but wanted to experience working at a college bar. “It’s a fun job, and if I wasn’t working here right now, where would I be?” Hulse said. “Either at
another bar or sleeping, so I might as well be working.” On a relaxed Monday night, Hulse pours drinks for his regulars, some of whom frequent Durden several times a week. He appreciates returning customers and finds that he gets better tips on calm nights like this one. Although one may think he’d walk away with more money, Hulse said that this is definitely not the case. “NYU kids don’t tip,” he said. Hulse said that there are perks to being the only single male bartender on staff, and on some nights, he ends up having even more fun than the patrons. According to him, perks include getting to see who’s hooking up with whom after too many Fireball shots. “Sometimes you see people you know hooking up at the end of the night,” Hulse said. “I see it all, but I’ll never say anything. But if I see them in class, I’m just thinking like, ‘I know.’” It may be a stereotype for an actor to work as a bartender at night,
but Tisch senior Kristen Vaganos believes that there’s good reason for it. “It really is a convenient side job for actors. I plan on still doing it in Los Angeles after I graduate this semester — I can do it at nights when I have auditions during the day,” Vaganos said. Having worked at Campeon in Union Square for a little over a year, Vaganos describes it as a great way to save money for post-grad life, but not something she sees herself doing in the long haul. Vaganos balances her midnight shifts at the bar with a strenuous academic schedule and acting roles on the weekends. Campeon, which has over 50 TVs and prides itself on being the “home of the 80-inch flat screen,” is a hub for sports lovers, especially soccer fans. “Whatever game is on really dictates how well we do that night,” Vaganos said. ”If it’s an Ecuadorian or a Spanish team that night, we’ll be packed. But it’s still pretty calm.” Vaganos has built strong relation-
WSN’s Tried and True Gift Guide By HALLE GOLD Contributing Writer
Holiday season is right around the corner, which means it’s time to start thinking about what gifts to get for all the special people in your life. If the thought of holiday shopping makes you cringe, don’t panic — get started early to find the perfect gifts that won’t break the bank. Read on for some foolproof gifts for the people in your life who are difficult to shop for.
The Fashion Lover Finding the perfect gift for fashionable friends can be stressful, since trends are ever-evolving, and everyone has their own unique style. Fashion is personal, and if you aren’t entirely sure of what your friend will love, it’s best to choose a piece that is classic and universal, like a delicate necklace or an interchangeable ring set. Jewelry in general is a great gift option for the fashion-lover, and there is high-quality jewelry available for all budgets. For a friend who loves following the latest trends, try a cool choker or a velvet jacket.
The Roommate Getting a holiday gift for your roommate is a sweet and unexpected way to show your appreciation for them. After all, they’re the one who has to deal with you on your loudest, messiest, most stressfilled days, and surprising them with a gift is a sure way to show that you care. Plus, getting your roommate a gift is a great excuse to buy some holiday decor for your place. One fun idea is to surprise
your roommate with twinkle lights and holiday-themed candy. After a long day of classes, your roommate with definitely appreciate the holiday pick-me-up. If you want a no-cost option, simply tidying up the room and leaving your roommate a nice card will help spread holiday cheer.
The Significant Other Deciding on the perfect gift for that special someone is often the most stressful part of holiday shopping. It truly is the thought that counts, and your significant other will love you no matter what you decide to get them this year. That said, if you want your gift to blow your partner away, thinking about their hobbies and interests is a great place to start. Get them two tickets to see their favorite basketball team, or ensure an unforgettable date night by going to a Broadway show they’ve been dying to see. Another tried-and-true gift for the significant other is perfume or cologne. Again, keep your partner’s tastes in mind, but also use this gift as an opportunity to get your boyfriend or girlfriend a fragrance that you love. The best way to pick out a scent is to go to the store and test them out first hand — try to imagine your partner wearing the scent, and choose one that you think best suits his or her personality. Some favorites include Viktor & Rolf’s Flowerbomb perfume for women and Yves Saint Laurent’s L’Homme for men.
The Parents As busy college students, many of us don’t talk to or visit our
EDITED BY ABIGAIL WEINBERG FEATURES@NYUNEWS.COM
STAFF PHOTO BY ANNA LETSON
Graduating senior Kristen Vaganos is a bartender at Campeon, a Spanish sports bar on 16th. ships with her regulars, and she likes it that way. “Our regulars are basically friends of ours at this point,” Vaganos said. “You can just hang out, get good tips and have fun conversations, rather than pretending I’m interested in some random person. And if they’re nice, they can get free drinks.” But for all her friendly regular customers, there are inevitably the not-so-nice ones. Luckily, Vaganos says that no one gets away with
being disrespectful towards their bartender at Campeon. “People are rude sometimes, especially if they’re drunk,” Vaganos said. “Sometimes they’ll say, ‘Hey beautiful!’ when they want a drink. I’ll go over there and tell them, ‘My name is Kristen. Now what can I get you?’ I won’t put up with it, and I’m not afraid to tell customers not to say something.”
Email Camille Larkins at features@nyunews.com.
The “Naughty” Knitters at NYU By LILY LI Staff Writer
VIA ETSY.COM
Give someone a little winter cheer with snowflake window decals. parents as much as they — or we — would like. Coming home for winter break with gifts for your parents will show them that you have been thinking of them. For mom, making a DIY spa day kit will show her that you put a lot of thought into your gift and will allow her to get some relaxation in during this crazy time of year. Even better, this gift is cheap and easy to make. All you need are some sheet masks, her favorite shade of nail polish and some delicious-smelling soaps. If you buy enough for two, you will be able to make a day out of it together. For dad, a luxury shaving kit from The Art Of Shaving will grant him a day of pampering as well. These kits come in all different scents and are perfect for the dad who loves feeling clean and put-together. Another gift that any dad is sure to love is a T-shirt that fits his style and personality, like a vintage shirt from his favorite band or a funny shirt for the goofy dad. Check out Urban Outfitters for a great selection.
Email Halle Gold at bstyle@nyunews.com.
Winter is just around the corner, and knitters are busy making blankets and scarves. At NYU, there is a group of people who have been knitting for almost 12 years, not for themselves, but for various charities. They call themselves the “Naughty Knitters.” “We have to be careful with the name because people who don’t know us think we might be naughty, but we are not. We are nice,” said Jennifer Tichenor, an NYU Steinhardt alumna who founded the Naughty Knitters in 2004. When asked how the group gets its name, Tichenor said the idea came from a friend. “I was thinking about starting the group, and I was at a little party with some NYU friends. My friend next to me who ran the Sex Ed Department had a wonderful sense of humor and said to me, ‘Just call them the naughty knitters!’” Tichenor had helped at local food banks, rescue centers and senior groups and had been working as a nurse before she retired in 2004. During her time at NYU, she got to know people who enjoyed making crafts. She also observed many New York charities’ need for items like pads and scarves. “There are people who are willing to help but don’t know how to reach out to organizations,” Tichenor said, “and Naughty Knitters is the place they come to.” The members of Naughty Knitters are a mixed community of people including administrators, wives of faculty members and students. “There are people who make one item a year and there are people who make a hundred items a year,” Tichenor
said. “But nobody has asked me to take their name off the list. Nobody.” With the help of the members the group has donated more than 5,000 items to the homeless, children and the U.S. military in the past 12 years. There are some core members who have been working for Naughty Knitters for many years. Among them is Tricia Voda, another NYU Steinhardt alumna. Tichenor said that Voda is very talented and that she could not have run the group without her. Voda joined in 2011 and created the Naughty Knitters Facebook page. “It is a lot easier to reach people both in and outside NYU community, give more exposure to what we do,” Voda said. “It can also give a public thank you to people who had helped us.” This week, the Naughty Knitters are busy preparing for the annual big event on Dec. 9, when they make an official donation to representatives from different charities. This year, they knit 250 toy bears for the project Knitting Without Borders, which donates knitted and crocheted bears to children undergoing medical treatments around the world. Tichenor moved to New York City when she was 27 and has lived here since then. For her, being a New Yorker means that, “If you get, you need to give.” She wants to help as many people as possible. “There are people who are in the trenches but courageous. I want to bring some color in their everyday life. That’s important to me.”
Email Lily Li at features@nyunews.com.
NYUNEWS.COM | MONDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2016 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS
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FEATURES
EDITED BY ABIGAIL WEINBERG FEATURES@NYUNEWS.COM
TEDxNYU Simulates Inequality at Hunger Banquet
By TIFFANIE HWANG Staff Writer
NYU students might be highly privileged, but that doesn’t mean they don’t care to help the less fortunate. TEDxNYU is partnering with Oxfam, Amnesty International, Share Meals and Habitat for Humanity on Monday to host and allow NYU students to participate in the Oxfam America Hunger Banquet. This will not be the typical student organization banquet where students will enjoy a hearty meal together; instead, students will experience the meal as members of different social classes. Students who attend will draw tickets before the event assigning them to a specific economic class of high, middle or low income. These income tiers reflect the current statistics of people living in poverty. Each group will be served a different kind and quantity of food, which will reflect their income bracket for the night. Students will also be spatially dispersed, with the upper
class sitting at round tables, the middle class sitting buffet style and the lower class sitting on the floor. TEDxNYU Director of Marketing and CAS sophomore Aneesh Ashutosh explained that every aspect of the banquet was carefully designed. “The idea is to confront the idea of food inequality by bringing it to your community in a very personal way,” Ashutosh said. “It’s hard to ignore the problem when it’s literally right in front of you. It’s one thing to read news about poverty, but another entirely to get kicked in the face by it, even for a single meal.” Students will be part of a direct and interactive experience that strays from the normal, collegiate banquet. The event will also feature guest speakers and student performers. TEDxNYU Director of Community Events and Steinhardt senior Chasity Polk hopes the banquet’s uniquely interactive experience will inspire attendees to action. “I don’t think it’ll alter whole per-
Four Fab Magazines to Subscribe To By BRINA JEFFRIES Staff Writer
Most fashion-lovers are familiar with influential magazines such as Vogue, Elle and Harper’s Bazaar, but there are so many more to discover. The following are exceptional magazines to get your family, friends or yourself subscriptions to this holiday season.
W Magazine W is a women’s fashion magazine owned by Conde Nast publications. The “W” stands for “who, what, where and why” because of the magazine’s impeccable ability to showcase literature and art all together while still informing their readers of recent trends. W is advertising a sale of a one-year subscription of “the definitive voice of fashion, film and art” for only $12, a steep discount to the original price of $61.90.
Interview Magazine Contrasting the feminine vibe of W magazine is Interview Magazine, which has a more grunge aesthetic. Originally founded by artist Andy Warhol and journalist John Wilcock, Interview has become a powerhouse magazine advertising the most vibrant aspects of pop culture. Interview has a holiday deal of 10 big issues for $25, beating the original price of $10 per issue. If you are looking for a magazine with gorgeous photography and an amazing editorial layout, look no further than this phenomenal print.
V Magazine Known for its dynamic branded
letter ‘V’ in the middle of every issue, V magazine is quite similar to W. However, W is more delicate while V magazine has a unique edginess. Holding both V and VMAN, this magazine company has something for everyone. Although it has an edgy appeal, there is still something classic about this magazine’s presentation of a large scope of high fashion photography along with music, film, architecture and art. A one-year subscription of V costs $30 and VMAN costs $15. Although on the more expensive side of magazine subscriptions, this publication is completely worth it for the fashion and art lover.
Paper Magazine Paper magazine is an independent New York-based magazine that focuses on all things pop culture. From fashion and celebrities to music, art and nightlife, Paper offers great content and carefully-curated editorials. A year’s subscription, or six issues, will cost you a mere $10 and a twoyear subscription only $15. If you believe in the millennial intersection of pop culture and social activism (because duh), this is the magazine for you. Magazines are a wonderful gift to give your fashion-loving friends this holiday season. Supporting literary artists is essential in keeping the prestige and sacredness not only of fashion but also of the world of print media.
Email Brina Jeffries at bstyle@nyunews.com.
spectives or change habits,” Polk said, “but I do hope people either leave more informed or with an idea of how else they can get involved, not just in the grander sense of eradicating the world of hunger but even just on campus, which is where Share Meals comes in.” Share Meals, a meal swipe sharing app, is one of the clubs partnering with TEDxNYU. Their active club president, Jonathan Chin, will speak about individual agency and empowerment at the event. “Ending hunger is the poster child for problems-too-big-to-even-try,” Chin said. “It seems as impossible as world peace, and so many people feel powerless to take action, so they don’t.” Chin, however, doesn’t let the size of the task stop him. “I want everyone to walk away with a new perspective on their own ability to impact the world,” he said. “To address hunger in particular, I want them to reevaluate their consumption habits and to be
more responsive to the needs of the people — friends and strangers — around them.” The Hunger Banquet aims to shed light on the global issue of hunger and food security in a simulation that allows students to be put in a position where they are directly surrounded by situations in which they may not be familiar with. “I feel the topic is something that most people are aware of, but [the Hunger Banquet] reimagines it in a
way that not only talks about it, but makes you feel it,” Polk said. “This is what people have to deal with in real life, [and] it almost forces you to engage with something that may make you otherwise uncomfortable.” The Hunger Banquet will take place tonight at 8 p.m. in the Eisner and Lubin Auditorium at the Kimmel Center for University Life.
Email Tiffanie Hwang at features@nyunews.com.
VIA FACEBOOK.COM
At the Hunger Banquet, guests will randomly be classed as lower, middle and upper-class and eat according to their wealth.
Are Dining Halls Safe for Celiacs? By KAITLIN WANG Staff Writer
Signs advertising gluten-free options are ubiquitous in NYU’s dining halls, but students who lead a gluten-free diet often have a hard time finding uncontaminated items. For those who have a gluten sensitivity, from intolerance to Celiac Disease, eating gluten can cause a whole range of symptoms, from headaches to abdominal pains. Often, even the smallest bit of cross-contamination can trigger these symptoms. Steinhardt freshman Amelia Murray, who has a gluten intolerance, has gotten sick from eating traces of gluten from the dining halls. “I’ve gotten sick probably fifteen times, at least once a week. Usually what happens is that my arms and my legs get numb and sometimes they hurt really badly,” Murray said. “It’s frustrating because this could have been avoided.” Although the NYU Food Allergen Guide and Policy states that there are many non-gluten options available and that separate cutlery and cookware are used to avoid cross-contamination, Tisch freshman Olivia Royal does not think the system really works. “I don’t think they’re very good at being careful about [cross-contamination] at all,” Royal said. Murray agrees and noted that even dedicated gluten-free dishes are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. “At a lot of dining halls, even though they say the dish is gluten-free, they can’t guarantee it
and you might get sick,” Murray said. “A lot of the time if you ask they’ll go and check and it might be, but they don’t know for sure.” Cross-contamination is not the only problem these students face concerning dining halls. Although there are some dedicated gluten-free meals and stations, there is little variety in the options available. When Steinhardt junior Chloe Blanchard was a freshman, she ate at the dining halls every day because she was on a meal plan and was living in a dorm that did not have a kitchen. But she found that the gluten-free options soon got boring. “I just got tired of them really quickly, especially since it was two meals a day, lunch and dinner. The salad bar gets pretty old, and sometimes I could eat a burger without the bun, but that’s no fun,” Blanchard said. “They were fine options, but eat-
ing it every day got really tiring.” Even with steady gluten-free options available, there are still problems with the food the dining halls put out for gluten-free students. Murray has run into problems with the gluten-free bread at Downstein. “There’s a section that has gluten-free breads and bagels, but a lot of the time a lot of them have mold on them,” Murray said. “I know gluten-free food gets bad really quickly, but it happens frequently. Each time I tell the manager, she’ll say, ‘This never happens. I’m so sorry,’ but it happened yesterday too.” There is much room for improvement in the dining halls’ gluten-free options. The first step, according to both Blanchard and Royal, is to provide more options for those with gluten sensitivities.
Email Kaitlyn Wang at features@nyunews.com.
STAFF PHOTO BY RENEE YANG
Although gluten-intolerance is becoming a more widely compensated in food products, NYU dining halls do not offer very many options.
- News Q&A with a Deplorable NYU Professor
- Arts on seeing black holes and smelling clouds
Michael Rectenwald — also known as @antipcnyuprof, Deplorable NYU Prof and Contemptible NYU Prof — was an important story this year, because it showed the power of college media and how even though we are a college publication, we have the ability to make waves and break news. — Diamond Naga Siu, News Editor
Katherine's writing in this piece made multiple editors clutch their hearts and dab the corners of their eyes. It's easily one of my favorite pieces I've ever edited, not to mention that the art she writes about sounds life-changing as well. — Hailey Nuthals, Arts Editor
WSN
Before Donald Trump won the presidential election, seemingly everyone — NYU students included — thought that his campaign was a joke. This article took an insightful look at the students who proudly backed the presidential candidate from the very beginning. — Abigail Weinberg, Features Editor
- Sports Off the Ice: Overheard With the Hockey Team This story is my favorite because it added color to an NYU sports team in a way I don’t think we have really achieved in the past. We got them uncensored and in their element. It was a hell of a good time to write and I hope it was a hell of a good time to read. — Rachel Ruecker, Sports Editor
2. Meghan Trainor - “No” 3. Lukas Graham - “7 Years” 4. Shawn Mendes - “Treat You Better” 5. gnash - “i hate u, i love u”
Regard that 20 time to our lea gifted to com togeth album plugge that ga enjoy a
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- Opinion Lack of Diversity Task Force Accountability Disconcerting Our Diversity Taskforce editorial combined great investigative skills from our staff and forceful commentary from our editors. This piece really demonstrated what the opinion desk is capable of, and is a welcome break from the norm. I'm really proud of this piece — all the work that went on behind the scenes to bring it to publication caught the attention of both students and administrators. — Emily Fong, Opinion Editor
BEST SPORTS MOMENT
WORST SONG
I hesitate to even call this a song because it seems more like an offense to the entire world of music. The Chainsmokers’ only claim to fame is that one of them has perfectly gelled hair — which is the only saving grace in this mishmosh of poorly written lyrics over a baseline that sounds like a fifth-grader playing the harmonica. If that wasn’t bad enough, the last 30 seconds of the song are literally just a repetition of the line, “We ain’t ever getting older.” I got too old just waiting for this song to finish. —Ankita Bhanot, Deputy Features Editor
- Zach M Editor-a
STAFF PHOTO BY ANNA LETSON
- Features The Quiet Life of NYU’s Trump Supporters
1. The Chainsmokers (feat. Halsey) “Closer”
WSN
Top Stories of the Year
Y I
1. The Chicago Cubs Winning the World Series VIA WIKIPEDIA.COM
The Cubs winning the World Series is easily the best sports moment of 2016 but will live on to be the best sports moment for years to come. As fans, we take pride in this long journey, maybe just as much as the players on the field. Winning the World Series is a feat any baseball team would be proud of, but for a Cubs fan, winning the World Series is everything. It is life-changing, it is generation-defining. The best word to describe the Cubs winning the World Series is love, and this feeling will be with fans, like other tried-and-true love stories, until the end of time. —Gabriella Bower, Beauty & Style Editor
VIA WI
2. Cavs beat Warriors in NBA Finals 3. Katie Ledecky dominating in the Rio Olympics 4. Simone Biles also dominating in the Rio Olympics 5. Villanova wins the NCAA Tournament
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YEAR IN REVIEW
BEST MOVIE VIA YOUTUBE.COM
2. Moonlight 3. Manchester by the Sea 4. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 5. Zootopia
Martin at-large
1. Finding Dory
dless of what side of the aisle you fall on, it’s clear 016 was an exhausting, frustrating, often disturbing o be alive. But even in a year as polarizing as this one, ading artists, musicians, filmmakers and sports figures us with stunning works that we’ll treasure for years me. As the year comes to a close, the WSN team got her and voted on what we thought were the best ms, songs, movies and more of 2016. These votes were ed into a secret, complex, Nate Silver-inspired model ave us the lists we are now happy to present. Please and Happy New Year!
“Finding Dory” was everything every millennial had waited for for 13 years and beyond. More emotionally resonant than its predecessor due to the length of time leading to its release, as well as the focus on Dory trying to rediscover her long-lost parents. The new characters, all voiced by familiar actors — including Ed O’Neill, Bill Hader and Sigourney Weaver — fell right into the story. And baby Dory was just the image 2016 needed. — Rachel Ruecker, Sports Editor
BEST MEME
EST TV SHOW 1. Stranger Things First off, let’s get it clear: we all know, Mr. Film Critic, that “Stranger Things” did not break any molds. That’s not why people like it. What made “Stranger Things” so fantastic was just that in every way, it excelled. It took all of the things we’ve seen before — shows set in the ‘80s, fantastical monsters, rock and roll soundtracks — and executed them perfectly. The acting was amazing, the score had beautiful nuance and the character development was almost unreal. It was just purely enjoyable. — Hailey Nuthals, Arts Editor
IKIPEDIA.COM
2. Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life 3. Game of Thrones 4. Broad City 5. Atlanta
BEST ALBUM 2. Beyonce “Lemonade” 3. Chance the Rapper “Coloring Book” 4. Kanye West “The Life of Pablo” 5. Radiohead “A Moon Shaped Pool”
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K.COM
VIA WIKIPEDIA.COM
1. Frank Ocean - “Blonde”
Listening to “Blonde” is kind of like smoking a joint at a party, taking a few hits and thinking that you’re going to be OK until it finally hits you and you know you’re screwed. Once the songs start to catch in your head, they consume you. “Blonde amplifies the emotional tenor of “Channel Orange,” with wistful lyrics a”bout nostalgia and falling in love. The first half is catchy, from Frank Ocean’s high-pitched vocals on “Nikes” to Beyonce’s powerful backup on “Pink + White”. The influence of The Beach Boys, The Beatles, Stevie Wonder and Elliott Smith echoes throughout the latter half of the album with songs like “Close to You,” “White Ferrari” and “Seigfreid.” From beginning to end, “Blonde” is intoxicating, even overwhelming, and, like a high, you’ll never make it through without feeling something. —Abigail Weinberg, Features Editor
1. Barack Obama and Joe Biden
VIA TWITTER.COM
Biden may have been the star of memes for years now, but the proliferation of memes about the relationship between President Barack Obama and Vice President Biden has taken over the internet. By casting Biden as a mischievous child trying to sabotage the next administration and Obama as the kindhearted man that he is, they have helped all of us process this disastrous election cycle and express our nostalgia for the Obama years. —Taylor Nicole Rogers, Dining Editor
2. Evil Kermit 3. Arthur Fist 4. Ted Cruz is the Zodiac Killer 5. Blurry Mr. Krabs
BEST SONG 1. Frank Ocean “Ivy” Frank Ocean’s “Ivy,” a haunting and delicate look at a failed relationship, is the R&B artist at his most bare and open. There is no driving beat; just a confessional Frank reflecting on mistakes over a pair of dreamy guitars. The song swells and sighs, until the singer howls “I’ve been dreaming of you,” making the hair on the back of your neck stand straight up — and forcing the listeners to consider what love means to them. — Alex Bazeley, Editor-in-Chief
VIA WIKIPEDIA.COM
2. Frank Ocean - “Self Control” 3. Kanye West - “Ultralight Beam” 4. James Blake (feat. Bon Iver) “I Need a Forest Fire” 5. The Chainsmokers (feat. Halsey) - “Closer”
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WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | MONDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2016 | NYUNEWS.COM
OPINION
EDITED BY EMILY FONG OPINION@NYUNEWS.COM
UNIVERSITY LIFE
Pets Offer Release for Overtaxed Students
By VERONICA LIOW Contributing Writer There are at least 20 colleges in the United States that are considered pet-friendly, meaning that they allow students living on campus to own pets. Unfortunately, NYU is not one of them. NYU’s current policy states that students living on campus cannot own pets other than goldfish, though the policy is different for faculty members. However, with the health benefits — both mental and physical — that come with owning a pet, NYU should adopt a more pet-friendly policy so that stress-ridden students can reap the benefits that many faculty members already enjoy.
Owning a pet can have various mental health benefits, which can be favorable to a university like NYU that is plagued with an intense culture of pre-professionalism. According to a study conducted by Keith Humphreys, a professor at Stanford University, when a person holds and strokes a pet, his or her parasympathetic nervous system is activated. With almost a quarter of NYU students reporting that their anxiety has affected their academic performance in the last 12 months, making NYU a pet-friendly campus would be helpful in bringing this percentage down. Pet owners are also less likely to suffer from depression. The Centers for Disease and Control Pre-
vention states that owning a pet can lead to decreased feelings of loneliness, and Animal Planet also notes that pet ownership offers a sense of purpose. At a school like NYU, where 59 percent of students report depression symptoms, these steps go a long way. With such ambitious students, NYU’s implementation of a pet-friendly policy would indicate a commitment to addressing these issues.
Owning a pet also has physical health benefits, such as lowering blood pressure and reducing the risk of a heart attack, according to Animal Planet. In addition, research from the National Institute of Health shows a negative correlation between being a pet owner and being obese. Having incentive to exercise is especially important in a school such as NYU, in which less than half of its students meet national physical activity guidelines. By implementing a petfriendly housing policy, students can reap the physical health benefits that come with owning a pet. The mental and physical health benefits that pet owners attain cannot be matched. To better the community by decreasing mental
illness and promoting physical activity, NYU should change its housing policy to allow pets in residence halls. To address any issues students may have, from allergies to phobias, the NYU housing application can include a portion in which students choose whether or not they are okay with living on pet-friendly floors. Halls can introduce permission forms and caretaking agreements to prevent disputes over pet care. Though the university may consider this process to be a hassle, it is a small price to pay for the wide range of mental and physical health benefits to students.
Email Veronica Liow at opinion@nyunews.com.
UNIVERSITY LIFE
Read It and Weep: We Need Actual Reading Days By PARIS MARTINEAU Deputy Opinion Editor As finals week creeps ever closer, students across NYU’s many schools are scrambling to study for their upcoming exams. Although this process has been — and will always be — a stressful one, this mad end of the year madness has usually been aided by one very special university-wide calendrical addition: Reading Days. These extensions to the academic calendar are the overworked Bobcat’s best friend. Usually taking the place of anywhere from one to seven scheduled class days that immediately precede finals week, Reading Days are time
set aside by the university for students to work on exam-prep, finish up end of the year assignments or just generally attempt to piece their lives together in the wake of yet another stressful semester. However, this year, NYU’s official Reading Days fall on the weekend — Dec. 17 and 18, to be exact — which essentially gives Bobcats zero additional days to study for finals. This does a disservice to students, who deserve that allotted extra time to prepare for the semester’s exams. Placing these days on the weekend, instead of on actual class days, does nothing to help students manage their busy studying schedules, and instead only adds to the cul-
ture of academic stress at NYU. Students under this weekend Reading Day schedule have to balance all of their finals prep with their scheduled university coursework and their usual weekend activities. Having these days — which are usually set aside for rest and reflection — when no classes are scheduled completely negates their purpose and reflects a serious lack
of forethought on the part of the university. At other colleges, Reading Days are considered a priority when it comes to planning the year’s university calendar, as their existence has a direct impact on the mental health and academic success of their students. Harvard sets aside six to seven days for their Reading Period — which is described as “a time for students to reflect, review, and synthesize what they have learned during the semester” — and Columbia designates three to four days as university-wide Study Days. By setting aside these additional days for study and reflection, colleges show students that
their academic success and preparedness is the school’s first priority. NYU’s choice to place its two Reading Days on the weekend — and to only have two Reading Days allotted to begin with — sends a very different message. If the university truly wants to foster an environment that encourages schoolwide academic achievement and growth, it needs to properly set its students up for success. This starts with ensuring that NYU students have access to the benefits — like Reading Days — that those at other universities do.
Email Paris Martineau at opinion@nyunews.com.
GUEST EDITORIAL
IYSSE Demands Free Speech at NYU By ISAAC OSEAS Contributing Writer The Student Activities Board’s rejection of the International Youth and Students for Social Equality’s club application is an act of political censorship against socialists and an attack on the democratic rights of the entire campus community. The SAB serves more to prevent student activities than to promote them. Students need to be aware that the SAB’s undemocratic decision-making process means it censors democratic debate by rejecting nearly 90 percent of club applicants. The IYSSE collected the signatures of over 200 NYU students
who support the IYSSE’s campaign against war, inequality and the Democratic and Republican Parties. In response, the SAB put forward baseless arguments, claiming the IYSSE’s aims overlap with that of other clubs. As we stated in our reply to this contention, “[NYU students] have the right to hear a diversity of standpoints” from campus organizations. The SAB claimed that clubs must be denied recognition because of a supposed lack of university resources. But NYU can spend over $1 million to renovate the university president’s Greenwich Village penthouse apartment, has an endowment of $3.5 billion and its list of trustees reads like a who’s who of Wall Street and hedge
fund billionaires. Is it any wonder that these financial aristocrats want to block socialism from winning a hearing on campus? The attack on students’ right to form groups is even more significant when one considers its context — the election victory of Donald Trump, ushering in what will be the most right-wing government in U.S. history. NYU students and millions of oth-
ers are seeking explanations for Trump’s election, especially considering the fact that more than 13 million primary voters backed a candidate who called himself a socialist earlier this year. Trump has called for unprecedented attacks on the First Amendment, threatening to jail and revoke citizenship of people engaging in constitutionally protected speech and denouncing his opposition as “professional protestors.” The IYSSE stands for uniting the working class and youth of all races and nationalities in a common struggle against Trump, both big business parties, war and social inequality. The decision of the SAB, which is politically connected to the Democratic
Party, will curtail political debate and discussion so necessary at this time. We are launching a campaign to democratize the group application process so that all voices can be heard. We will continue to expose the connections of the NYU administration to Wall Street, the U.S. military and gulf dictatorships like the United Arab Emirates to prove the need for a fighting opposition to capitalism on campus. We urge all members of the NYU community who believe in free speech to email us and join our campaign.
Isaac Oseas is a graduate student and activist at NYU. Email him at io429@nyu.edu.
NYUNEWS.COM | MONDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2016 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS
OPINION
EDITED BY EMILY FONG OPINION@NYUNEWS.COM
CULTURE
STAFF EDITORIAL
Hipsters Can Solve the Midwest’s Unrest By THOMAS PRICE Deputy Opinion Editor In a recent report, it was shown that college graduates are leaving many states in record numbers in favor of more heavily populated areas on the coast. This has caused a lot of economic anxiety in those states as their educated workforce has fled from them. And while this is a worrisome issue, forcing those students to stay cannot be the solution. Instead, these states with dwindling college educated workers should be incentivizing people to come to them through innovative methods. What remains unequivocally true is that these states need to start diversifying their job market to accommodate more of these workers. Expanding burgeoning industries can help these states to become epicenters of new jobs in emerging markets. However, this cannot be their only step. While offering these jobs may lessen the deficit, another large part of the reason these people have left is because of the cities and areas themselves. California, a state that young college graduates have
flocked to, is also pouring over with culture. Los Angeles as well as San Francisco are vibrant, soulful and exciting cities that offer far more than the Midwest. When given the option to live in a city with six professional sports teams, world class art museums, gorgeous beaches and the most eclectic mix of food in the world or a town with none of that, there is a clear answer about which to choose. These states must open themselves up to more of the cultures and lifestyles that have enriched these more populated areas. While they cannot necessarily give themselves boardwalks on the beach or Golden Gate Bridges, they can help foster their cities to celebrate new music and art. Building a metropolitan identity that helps to accentuate the charms of the Midwest can create
a unique place to live that attracts these young college graduates once again. There is an absolute abundance of natural beauty in many of these states that is not available in the regions which they have been left for. It is time to promote this alongside their more accessible assets for college graduates that makes them places to be. There is more that the cities and towns where graduates are fleeing from have to offer. If they can learn to play on their natural advantage, there is no reason why South Dakota could not be an epicenter of American culture like any other place. So, instead of simply bemoaning the drainage of young talent and worrying about economic futures, perhaps with revitalizing the culture and identity of these regions there lies a solution which will incentivize college educated workers for generations to come. Or maybe, Disneyland and the San Francisco Giants are just too big of obstacles to overcome.
Email Thomas Price at opinion@nyunews.com.
POLITICS
Protests Are Not the Actions of Crybabies By HENRY COHEN Contributing Writer
A particular criticism has been hurled at liberals distraught by the Trump presidency since his election, especially at those who have taken to the streets in protest. Conservative pundits like Fox News’ Sean Hannity have accused liberals of being crybabies, who are unwilling or unable to deal with the election not going their way. Even the president-elect himself reached out on Twitter to take a jab at the protestors, pointing out that the same liberals who demanded the elections results be accepted are now protesting in the streets. Many students here at NYU have no doubt heard this very insult in the last few weeks, given that is has become a part of anti-liberal vocabulary. Those who level with this accusation often believe that the culture of political correctness has gone too far and that it has prevented liberals from ever having to learn to cope with a devastating failure, as they are typically taught to find self-worth even within
SUBMITTING TO
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their losses. What these detractors and the president-elect are overlooking, however, is that the nature of these protests by no means undermines earlier calls from liberals for Trump to accept the election results. During the final Presidential debate, Trump caused a massive uproar after hinting that he would not accept a loss on election night. His claims that he would “keep us in suspense” until the votes had been counted provoked backlash from liberals, who accused him of undermining the peaceful transfer of power upon which our democracy is built. Clinton supporters taking to the streets to protest Trump’s policies is different than Clinton supporters being empowered by their candidate to distrust the election process. Clinton un-
equivocally accepted the election results in her concession speech, which set her apart from her opponent and affirmed her supporters’ trust in their government. NYU students who have protested the election results are by and large not protesting the democratic process. Rather, they are protesting the campaign promises and behaviors of their president-elect that they oppose, which is the foundation of political protest. It is ironic too that those who have taken to the streets in impassioned fervor are being labeled as crybabies. As someone who participated in the protests the night after the election, I can vouch for the fact that no one was crying as they marched on Trump Tower. Protesters right now are angry and emboldened, qualities that could not possibly be called symptoms of an oversensitive culture. On the contrary, they more than anyone have come to terms with reality and are doing everything in their power to do what they believe is right.
Email Henry Cohen at opinion@nyunews.com.
Collegiate Freedom of the Press Is a Pressing Issue
The University of Kentucky and its campus newspaper, the Kentucky Kernel, have been entrenched in a legal battle after the paper published documents exposing a professor who had sexually assaulted numerous students. This lawsuit has once again raised questions regarding whether or not student publications at public and private universities should be extended free press protections. Student journalists at private universities are not necessarily protected by the First Amendment, and often have to rely on the openness and respect of the administration. Stifling genuine reporting at any university — public or private — sets a troubling example. With the influence of professional news organizations waning, the importance of student publications as an independent and objective news outlets is ever more pertinent — a student newspaper is the voice of a student body. When they are unable to report on issues due to college censorship, they cannot properly represent the university’s community. Independent student-run newspapers need to have autonomy to report on breaking stories, even if they do not present the university in a positive light. It is unjust for administrators to skew what is reported in college media, as student bodies deserve to know what is happening on their campuses. Obviously, college administrations want to protect the reputation and integrity of their institutions. However, by repressing the rights of campus newspapers, colleges are only damaging their reputations further by covering up scandals instead of working to solve them. Private universities shouldn’t use their status to manhandle college media, as doing so runs contrary to a university’s mission: to inspire students to learn. Denying student journalists valuable reporting experience during their college years robs them of the necessary skills to prepare for their future careers. Similar to how national news organizations hold the government accountable, student reporters should have the ability to check the power of faculty, administrators and their institutions as well. Without these campus organizations, college communities — NYU’s, for example, is 50,000 strong — do not have a dedicated source of independent and relevant information. Freedom of the press is not a right that is merely restricted to the so-called real newspapers. It is a protection allotted to journalists of all sorts, including student reporters. Although critics are quick to dismiss college newspapers, they are often the first to report relevant university-related stories that are later covered by major news publications. In order for stories like these to continue to exist, collegiate newspapers must be given the same freedoms as their professional counterparts. By stepping on the rights of publications such as the Kentucky Kernel, university administrators have begun to set a dangerous precedent, one that should deeply disturb all journalists — students or not.
Email the WSN Editorial Board at opinion@nyunews.com. EDITORIAL BOARD: Emily Fong (Chair), Paris Martineau (Co-chair), Akshay Prabhushankar (Co-chair), Thomas Price (Co-chair) STAFF PHOTO BY SAM BEARZI
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
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WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | MONDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2016 | NYUNEWS.COM
SPORTS
EDITED BY RACHEL RUECKER SPORTS@NYUNEWS.COM
Checking in on Athletics
By RACHEL RUECKER Sports Editor
The semester is quickly wrapping up, but that doesn’t mean NYU sports are. Here’s a guide to what’s happened this semester in the athletics department, what will go on while we’re away and what’s in store for next semester. STAFF PHOTO BY ANNA LETSON
The Final Sports Kid Column By BOBBY WAGNER Managing Editor
You can probably imagine there isn’t a whole lot of breaking news at the Washington Square News sports desk. If you’re the sports editor of this publication, you’re almost definitely awake writing a fencing recap at 11:15 p.m. on a Monday night. But if you were to drift off, you can pretty safely bet that you won’t have missed anything crazy — no athletes declaring for the NBA draft, no storming the field in jubilance after a big upset. It’s only you, your computer and whatever the hell an epee is. Once, during my two-semester tenure editing this very sports section, I got the chance to break news. The hockey team — the only team that will garner an, “Oh, I heard those games were fun,” instead of an, “Oh, that’s cute that we have one of those” from the average student — was piquing interest of a Division III athletic conference. Currently, it plays as a Division II club team, set to move up to Division I next season. All this is inconsequential, really. Students don’t really give a damn about most DIII teams we have already. Adding hockey to the ranks would have been cool for people who were already plugged in, but it’s not like NYU Student A would have changed their drunk brunch plans with NYU Student B just to hit Chelsea Piers on a Sunday afternoon. I don’t regret getting as excited as I did about covering that story. For one, I was a freshman — I try not to stomp on the ambitions of my youth. Seeing my name in the paper was still occasion for a text to my mom. But mostly I don’t regret my excitement because it felt like all the times I combed the weird world of DIII wrestling websites to look for NYU scores had been, like, a miniscule shred of being worth it. For once, it didn’t feel like going back to an empty well. I swear I woke up in the midst of a lowkey fever dream that week thinking that NYU sports was going DI. This, of course, is
not going to happen in my time as a Violet. I wrote 1,200 words about why not, a cross-section of why NYU has all but ditched its tradition of sports — which is hard to imagine ever existed. Christopher Bledsoe, our athletic director, told me flat out that NYU wasn’t looking to make the jump to DI. Why would they? Try as you might, you can’t pretend to imagine yourself tailgating for an NYU team unironically. Making sports a punchline is part of a long list of comfortable quips we use to seem cooler than this university. My time as sports editor wasn’t spent covering coaches who made millions of dollars. I didn’t get 30-minute exclusives with golden boy quarterbacks who were destined to make millions in the NFL. I didn’t live tweet the big game from our Twitter account. Nope, instead I covered hockey head coach Chris Cosentino — the human quote machine who made NYU hockey seem like a lesson in life and love. I got unlimited time with a dozen athletes next to the dog park in Washington Square Park and asked them about why they thought NYU students didn’t show up to their games. When we were done, we grabbed coffee and they told me about how hard it was to adjust to New York City. I explained to my top editors why “big men” was a phrase in basketball and not just me editorializing about the muscularity of dudes on the basketball team. NYU sports may not have the sheen of multi-million dollar stadiums and TV contracts, but to write them off as trivial is to undermine the unique voices of so many athletes who are doing things beyond imagination while also practicing at the ungodly hour of 5 a.m. It’s these voices that have made being WSN’s resident Sports Kid — a title I got by default — wholly worth it, and they’re why I wouldn’t trade a single 11:15 p.m. game recap for anything.
Email Bobby Wagner at bwagner@nyunews.com.
FALL SPORTS
Women’s Volleyball After a hot start this fall that saw them hit a nine-game win streak, the women’s volleyball team cooled off to finish just slightly above even at 18-17. They were most successful on the road, picking up a 5-1 record away from home. Junior middle blocker and captain Rayne Ellis was an enormous talent on the team this season and was recently named First-Team All-ECAC Metro. The young team did not have any seniors on the roster this season so they should have no trouble hitting their stride come next fall.
Cross Country The men’s cross country team had a stellar season, placing in the top ten in every meet this season, even winning the ECAC Championship on Saturday, Nov. 5. It finished its season with a number of participants at the national championships in Louisville, Kentucky. Many of the team members will be carrying on this spring for the indoor and outdoor track seasons. The women’s team did not send any runners to nationals, but still raced well all semester, placing in the top half of its season-culminating meet, the NCAA Atlantic Region Championship.
Soccer Both the men’s and women’s soccer teams saw ups and downs on the season. Particularly in the realm tied games, as both teams had plenty. The men’s team, which went 9-8-2 in their fall campaign, ended things on Nov. 12 in a 3-1 loss that served as its first and only game of the postseason. However, an unexpected win in the team’s final home game against Brandeis the week prior was an emotional climax that sent the team’s many seniors out on a high note. The women’s team went 13-3-6, but was frustrated by a number of long lasting double OT efforts. Its season was slightly longer lasting than its male counterparts, going to the ECAC DII Championships, which ended in a tie game against Springfield College on Nov. 20. The team has six departing seniors and plenty of young talent to fill those cleats.
ning the season opening St. Lawrence Invitational in September and placing high in subsequent outings. The men were even more successful in their first half, winning two of five fall tournaments. Both will return March 11 to play in the UAA Championships in Palm Beach, Florida.
sic. The women have gone an even better 8-0, highlighting senior captain Kaitlyn Read’s final run with the team. This weekend ends its fall campaign, with the women returning on Dec. 30 against Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Tennis
The men’s aquatics team has gone 2-1 in scored meets this season, winning first at the NYU Fall Invitational. The women on the flip side have been on a perfect stride, going 4-0 in scored meets. Both teams will be back on Jan. 13 for the Johns Hopkins Invitational, which will be hosted at Palladium.
The tennis teams played four tournaments a piece before shelving their seasons until Feb. 25, when the men will play against Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania and the women will be in nearby Swarthmore to take on Swarthmore College. Men’s senior Umberto Setter will look to end his Violet career on a high note, while the lone senior on the women’s team, Laila El Dessouki, will likewise hope to soar in her season finale. WINTER SPORTS
Wrestling The wrestling team just suffered its first loss this weekend, as it dropped a match to LIU Post, but it still stands a dominant 7-1 on the season, a record that includes a number of decisive wins. Next weekend, the men’s wrestling squad will head to Kings’ Point to play the United States Merchant Marine Academy and Nassau Community College before the break and will return Jan. 5 as it travels to Indiana to take on the NWCA National Dual.
Fencing Though the fencing season is still young, the Violets are finding their place and will continue to do so in 2017, beginning with the National Circuit in Columbus over the Jan. 5 weekend.
Basketball The men’s basketball team has hit the court running this season, enjoying a 4-1 run so far. The team plays three more games before hanging up its runners until Dec. 29 when it begins a four-game run at the NYU Men’s Basketball Clas-
Swimming and Diving
SPRING SPORTS
Baseball & Softball The NYU baseball team has one of the later starts, not beginning until March 1 against John Jay College at MCU Park, the Violets’ home field. In just the third season of its existence, the baseball team will hope to achieve a winning record this season, going 21-23 and 20-22 in its freshman and sophomore seasons. The softball team opens its season on March 5 against Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham and will hope to continue the extreme improvement it saw from a 12-24 freshman season to a 26-15 sophomore one.
Track Largely comprised of cross country team members, the track season kicks off with seniors Jorge Maldonado and Budd Brown highlighting a team that lost key members in Matt Powers and Max Avila. Both the men and women will kick off the track season on Jan. 13 in the Ramapo Season Opener.
Men’s Volleyball The men’s team debuts on Jan. 14 at the Brooklyn Athletic Facility against Benedictine University. Last season, it was dead even at .500 but was strong at home, going 5-2.
Email Rachel Ruecker at rruecker@nyunews.com.
Golf The golf teams, which played brief fall seasons before taking a break until the spring, had early success this year. The women’s team played incredibly well, win-
VIA GONYUATHLETICS.COM
For the first time since 2013, the mens’ cross country team competed in the NCAA Division III championship.
NYUNEWS.COM | MONDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2016 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS
SPORTS
EDITED BY RACHEL RUECKER SPORTS@NYUNEWS.COM
By RACHEL RUECKER Sports Editor After an elongated Thanksgiving break, the NYU hockey team was back this weekend with a pair of away games, first facing off against Keene State College in Keene, New Hampshire before heading over to Boston to take on Northeastern University for the second time this year. They lost to Keene to a 5-3 decision, but the Violets learned from the loss and clung on 3-2 against Northeastern on Sunday. In Saturday’s game, though NYU was the first on the board thanks to freshman forward Kohl Donovan’s sixth goal this season, their consistent penalization got the better of them. Sophomore forward Mason Gallegos doubled the NYU lead at 13:09 of the first before things turned around for the Keene State Owls. A pair of power play goals for Keene in the second had them even with the Violets, though the penalty minutes were any-
Post-Break Hockey Roundup
thing but, with the Violets far more penalized on the frame than the Owls. KSC moved ahead early in the third, but NYU answered back with freshman forward Scott Mulligan netting the Violets’ third goal of the game. A fourth Keene goal at 11:33, scored on freshman goaltender Patrick Cavanaugh, put the nail in the coffin for the Violets, before KSC really punctuated things with an empty-netter in the final minute of the game to secure a 5-3 win. Things got spicy in Boston during NYU’s second matchup of the weekend against Northeastern on Sunday afternoon. Northeastern got on the board first, though it came after a successful Violet kill. After another successful kill and a change of period, NYU got on the board thanks to sophomore forward Keaton Baum’s sublime effort on the power play. Northeastern answered back but when they got put away for slashing, the Violets scored their second power play goal of the night
to tie things at two. Baum also earned this one, for his second of the night. Another kill later, Baum was good for his third of the night with just under three minutes left in the second. Going into the third up by only one, the Violets had to keep on top of their penalty kill. They stayed strong through a number of calls they were less than happy about. With a pulled Northeastern goaltender, tensions were high to come away from the weekend with at least a split record. The scramble came out in the Violets’ favor, and they took Northeastern 3-2. Hattrick earner Baum believed the Violets learned the right lessons from their loss. “[Saturday] we came out with the right mentality and were dominating 5-on-5 but the penalties in the second killed us,” Baum said. “Today my teammates made some really nice plays to help produce the goals. I was just in the right place at the right time to score them. I think
we took some steps in the right direction this weekend and our team continues to get closer to one another, which is key.” The Violets will be back at their ever-faithful Chelsea Piers Sky Rink this Friday at 8:30 p.m.
The looming pressure of final exams wasn’t enough to slow down NYU sports this weekend, with a full slate of action taking place up and down the Northeast.
Basketball With the Coles Athletic Facility torn down and the 181 Mercer Street construction project underway, the men’s and women’s basketball teams played host to Hunter College on Sunday — in Hunter’s gym. Sharing the court for the season, the Violets seemed to feel right at home, with both teams dismantling their opponents by double digits. The women’s team, ranked 25th in the latest NCAA Division III poll, improved to 8-0, defeated Hunter 78-41. In a recurring theme this year, most of the damage came in the second and third quarters, with the Violets outscoring Hunter 49-15 in those 20 minutes. Lights out on both sides of the ball, NYU shot 45.7 percent and tacked on 20 steals. Five Violets scored in double digits, with senior guard Kaitlyn Read and freshman forward Lauren Brown finishing with 15 points apiece. The Violets have beaten all of their opponents this season by at least 10 points. Bouncing back from its first loss of the year to Yeshiva University last week, the men’s team put two solid halves to-
gether to defeat Hunter 68-52 for its fourth win of the year. The Violets quickly jumped ahead 13-5 in the first half and did not trail at any moment, in full control for 40 minutes. Though they had 19 turnovers, high-percentage shooting was enough to offset the occasional sloppiness. Senior guard Joe Timmes continued his standout season with 20 points on 7-11 shooting, while junior guard Ross Udine added 17 of his own. Freshman forward Jimmy Martinelli finished with a double-double, with 10 points and 13 boards. As finals week approaches, the Violets will soon have some well-earned time off. The men’s team returns to the court Tuesday against Purchase College while the women next play on Dec. 30 against Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Fencing NYU’s fencing teams traveled north this past weekend to compete at the Tradition Tournament in Fairfield, Connecticut. The men’s team went 4-2 against competition that included a win against seventh-ranked Harvard University, as well as one over Vassar College, while the women’s squad went 2-4. Upperclassmen leadership drove the men’s team in its four wins. Quinten Burgunder went 12-3 in the sabre competition, and junior foil Daniel Sconzo helped carry the load
with 10 wins of his own. Though it didn’t finish with the same success as the men’s, the women’s team also found success in foil and sabre. Second-year foil Anastasiya Muravyeva went 10-8, while firstyear sabre Oliwia Szumilo finished 8-5. The fencing program is off until 2017, when the squad returns to action at the National Circuit in Columbus, Ohio.
Swimming and Diving The Violets shipped off to Cambridge, Massachussetts for the MIT Winter Invitational, a three-day competition spanning Friday to Sunday. The women’s team continued its stellar season with a record broken, finishing in first place, while the men placed second. Senior Elise Gibbs and freshman Honroe Collins set new NYU records. Gibbs’ winning time of 2:18.49 in the 200-yard breaststroke broke her previous record of 2:18.88. Though Collins did not place first in the 200-yard IM final, her time of 2:04.90 in the preliminary set a new mark for the Violets. Joe Del Buono was the men’s standout over the weekend, winning the 100-yard butterfly in 49.75 while also anchoring the second-place 200-yard medley relay team. They finished in 1:31.36. In addition to victories in the pool this weekend, numerous swimmers achieved NCAA cuts. Junior Tim Kou and fresh-
to take on Marist College before wrapping up their calendar year against Rider University on Sunday, Dec. 11 at 4 p.m.
Email Rachel Ruecker at rruecker@nyunews.com.
PHOTO BY BRENDAN GUTENSCHWAGER
The NYU Hockey team split their decisions on the road.
Swimming Highlights Weekend
By MICHAEL THOMPSON Staff Writer
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man Carlos Colmenares each made two cuts, and Elise Gibbs led the ladies with three. Swimming is also on hold until the next calendar year, with the Violets hosting Family/Senior Day on Friday, Jan. 13 against MIT and Johns Hopkins University.
Washington Square News
Wrestling In a weekend of mixed results, the NYU wrestling team dropped its first meet of the season to LIU Post on Friday but bounced back nicely to defeat Hunter on Saturday as the team celebrated Family Day in Brooklyn. The Grapplers had a tough time against LIU, only taking three of the day’s 10 matches. Junior Anthony Calvano was victorious at 133 pounds, while junior Raymond Jazikoff and senior captain John Messinger both earned wins at respective weights of 157 and 174 pounds. However, with family in attendance the next day, the Grapplers returned to form, winning eight matches, three by forfeit. Calvano won via forfeit at 122 pounds and also defeated Hamad Amir in an exhibition. Austin won his match at 141 pounds, while Jazikoff and Messinger tacked on wins. The Grapplers are set to travel to Kings Point, New York on Saturday to square off against the United States Merchant Marine Academy.
Email Michael Thompson at sports@nyunews.com.
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WENXUAN NI EASTON SELF
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NINA JANG Multimedia
ANNA LETSON
deputy multimedia POLINA BUCHAK video TATIANA PEREZ deputy photo VERONICA LIOW. EUAN
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JESSICA MARTINEZ SOPHIE LEWIS deputy CASSIDY MILLER
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VIKAS NAIR SALES REPRESENTATIVE
ALLISON LAMBDIN SALES ASSOCIATES
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APOORVA NORI
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EMILY FONG deputy opinion editors
PARIS MARTINEAU, AKSHAY PRABHUSHANKAR, THOMAS PRICE
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About WSN: Washington Square News (ISSN 15499389) is the student newspaper of New York University. WSN is published in print on Mondays and throughout the week online during NYU’s academic year, except for university holidays, vacations and exam periods. Corrections: WSN is committed to accurate reporting. When we make errors, we do our best to correct them as quickly as possible. If you believe we have erred, contact the managing editors at managing@nyunews.com or at 212.998.4302.
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on December 8th.