DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR
Sakshi Venkatraman Sakshi Venkatraman is a CAS sophomore studying Journalism and Politics. Although she hails most recently from Texas — a state that she is fond of only when she’s not there — she considers The Golden State her true home (NorCal > SoCal, obviously). When she’s not in the newsroom, she’s reading conspiracy theories, making Vine references and trying to convince people that we are definitely living in a computer simulation. Follow her on Twitter @sakshi_saroja.
WHEN I READ MY NYU ACCEPTANCE LETTER, I fell off my chair and wept like a child. I had dreamed of New York — like so many do — ever since I moved to the United States from England. Using books and movies as fodder, I let my mind drift to the thought of this immense, romantic, artistic city and the fiction still hasn’t slipped away. In all its guts and glory, New York has continuously taught me to be a better, stronger person. More so, I believe, than any other college could. The first year, I watched money fly from my fingers, worrying about parties, classes and my roommates — but two years later, my roommates are still my roommates, and the rest has fallen into place as well. The worst thing you can do is worry; the best is exploring what’s around you, looking to find exactly what makes you tick. For me, that’s tapping away my nights in the newspaper office. This is how I learned about my school; my community; and myself. For you, it might be different. But who knows? Maybe you’ll be the one writing this letter in a couple of years.
DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR
Alejandro Villa Vásquez Alejandro Villa Vásquez is a sophomore studying studying English, Education and Creative Writing in CAS. He dreams of writing something worth publishing someday, as well as becoming a high school teacher. The things that make him happiest include works written by and about Sylvia Plath, female-fronted anime series and anything smothered in hot sauce. With a casual passion for fashion, you can find him in his natural habitat of the thrift store scouring for trousers, Mary Janes and any other dusted treasures he can get his paws on.
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
MULTIMEDIA EDITOR
Jemima McEvoy
Katie Peurrung
Jemima McEvoy is a junior studying Politics, Economics and Languages in CAS. Maybe it’s because she grew up in the British countryside, but she’s completely intoxicated by life and art in New York City. She’s passionate about music, literature and filling journals up halfway. If she’s not wandering around the streets smiling, she’s likely writing or hastily sketching the goingson of Washington Square Park. She really likes words, but you’re probably not surprised.
Katie Peurrung is from Washington and quite proud of her recent purchase of an umbrella, even though she never remembers to use it. When she’s not drinking her third cup of coffee at the multi desk, she’s probably at home watering her plants. She’s tired of explaining her Gallatin concentration, but she’ll gladly share a photo of her dog with you. Katie’s pet peeves include people who don’t recycle, slow walkers and not using the Oxford comma. You can find her on Instagram and Twitter, probably too often.
MANAGING EDITOR
Sayer Devlin Sayer Devlin is an Economics major in CAS and loves reading Marginal Revolution and Toni Morrison. In his time at WSN, he’s started the official podcast and vigorously reported on everything from the finances of NYU to the school’s racial makeup. He was born in Tokyo and has lived in Paris, London, Boston and New York. When he’s not pretending to work, Sayer is spending too much time paying attention to sports, technology and Twitter @SayerDevlin.
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Rachel Buigas-Lopez Graphic design is her passion. Over the summer, she worked as an Art Design intern for The New York Times. Now, she’s a junior studying Integrated Digital Media at Tandon. She was born in Florida and raised in Texas — which means she is still trying to figure out how many jackets she needs in the winter. Outside of newspaper, and sometimes at newspaper, she spends her time fawning over photos of greyhounds that are bigger than any apartment she will be able to rent in Manhattan.
UNDER THE ARCH MANAGING EDITOR
Pamela Jew Pamela is the Managing Editor of WSN’s up-and-coming magazine, Under the Arch, as well as a junior in Gallatin studying Consumer Culture and Ethnography. For a hot conversation starter, ask her about the summer she spent watching over 200 hours of Jake Paul videos because it’s every day bro. She’s from a town in the suburban outskirts of Atlanta, lovingly referred to as ‘The Bubble,’ but to burst your bubble, she unfortunately (or fortunately) doesn’t have a southern accent. You’ll find her social media if you hunt.
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Laura Shkouratoff Laura is WSN’s local California Surfer stereotype and makes up half of the paper’s design team. She’s a junior studying Education Policy in Steinhardt — don’t ask her how she got here (and decided to stay at WSN for two years). Laura spends her time stress-baking vegan food, smelling things at Lush and quoting the “Minions” movie. She’s on instagram as @shkouratoff since no one has her last name, but ask her about her new life as a #youtuber.
UNDER THE ARCH EDITOR
UNDER THE ARCH EDITOR
Yasmin Gulec
Tyler Crews
Yasmin Gulec cannot believe she is already a junior double majoring in GLS and Journalism. She is one of the editors for the newest section of WSN, Under the Arch, and is very excited to create content for it. She loves using “I’m international” as an excuse for pretty much everything. She is from Istanbul, Turkey and has difficulty pronouncing the words cocoa, drawers, squirrel and comfortable. In her free time, you can find her forcing her friends to walk long distances to try interesting food and coffee spots. You can follow her on Instagram @yasmiintea.
Tyler is one-third of the team that is bringing you Under the Arch, WSN’s new magazine. Tyler grew up in New Hampshire, driving her truck, hiking and swimming in rivers. The city allows none of these activities, yet Tyler often finds herself gazing longingly at the Hudson River, wishing it weren’t a severe health risk. Tyler is unashamed in her appreciation of Taylor Swift’s music, despite whatever insults Clive Davis kids throw at her. Follow her on Instagram @ ty_crews to see some cringeworthy captions.
NEWS EDITOR
Sarah Jackson Sarah Jackson is a junior in CAS who has changed her majors more times than she’d like to admit. In her free time, she can be seen avoiding coffee, trying (but usually failing) to contain her excitement when she sees a corgi on the street and wishing she could afford to go to the opera more often. She can quote full scenes from “Frasier” and “The Golden Girls,” but she still hasn’t figured out how to dress warmly enough in the winter (she’s from California). She is still trying to learn the ropes on Twitter, but you can keep up with her social media inadequacies @SarahM_Jackson.
NEWS EDITOR
Kristina Hayhurst Kristina Hayhurst is a rising senior in CAS studying Physics and English; ask her about the space-time ladder paradox if you want to lose a few hours of your life. Notoriously over-caffeinated and overbooked, catch her around Tompkins Square in her free time reading (probably Harry Potter), doing yoga or scoping for Neil deGrasse Tyson.
OPINION EDITOR
Janice Lee
NEWS EDITOR
Alex Domb
Janice Lee is a senior majoring in Psychology and minoring in Creative Writing and French, and despite what she studies, she is committed to becoming a journalist. She is from Orange County, California and believes that anyone else from there is an automatic homie. Janice adores sitcoms and will quote and reference them at any given time. Janice enjoys the simple pleasures of going on picnics, petting cats and eating ice cream. She also appreciates a good denim jacket, no matter the season. If you ever need a charger or hand sanitizer or floss or a cough drop, Janice has your back.
Alex is a rising sophomore studying Politics and Journalism in CAS. He holds dual U.S. and U.K. citizenships, but he grew up in central New Jersey and will take advantage of any excuse to defend his home state at all costs. In his spare time, Alex enjoys debating the latest NBA trade, attempting to navigate the subway or wolfing down a slice of 99 cent pizza. Justify his shameless Twitter plug by dropping him a follow @dombalex.
ARTS EDITOR ARTS EDITOR
Ryan Mikel Ryan is a rising junior, studying Journalism and English in CAS, A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Ryan was drawn to art, particularly film and dance, for its exposure of the world around him. He has previously written for Out Magazine and interviewed the likes of Sean Baker, Greta Gerwig and Steven Spielberg. You can currently find him in the concession line at Angelika Film Center or trying to make sense of Marcel Proust À la recherche du temps perdu.
Daniella Nichinson Daniella is studying Marketing and Creative Writing, but lately has gone through the utterly clichéd phase of life known as an “existential crisis.” In her mind, it is still the 1970s because Pink Floyd reigns supreme and Jack Nicholson is a heartthrob. When Daniella abandons the delusions of her own mind and returns back to 2018, she enjoys writing, playing tennis and absorbing all the film and music she can find. Daniella loves a good chat, so strike up a conversation about the best Italian film, why “The Wall” is a better album than “Dark Side of the Moon,” or how Freud’s theories aren’t that farfetched, and you won’t be disappointed.
SPORTS EDITOR
Warner Radliff CULTURE EDITOR
Natalie Chinn Natalie Chinn is a junior double majoring in Journalism and Anthropology. Originally from the greater Seattle area, she likes to brag about how great the Pacific Northwest is. You can catch her walking aimlessly around New York City with a coffee in hand, moping about the lack of trees.
Warner is a rising junior majoring in Politics and minoring in Public Health. He is a commuter student from Staten Island and is often found complaining about his daily commute of two trains and a ferry boat ride, but regardless he will not hesitate to defend New York City’s forgotten borough. Although he can hold a conversation on most sports, he is particularly enthusiastic about lacrosse, hockey and gymnastics. Beyond NYU, he is greatly uncertain about his professional interests and is looking toward graduate school to buy himself some more time to figure it out.
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NYU Welcomes Puerto Rican Students By MACK DEGEURIN News Editor A towering mango tree once stood triumphantly outside of Christian De La Cruz’s grandmother’s house in Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico. The 26-year-old said the tree, which had become a hallmark in the area for its juicy fruit offerings and timeless beauty, had remained a constant companion to the home well before his own birth. On Sept. 20, that changed. In a phone interview, De La Cruz recounted hearing news channels warn of an impending Category 5 hurricane expected to pass directly over the island. The eye of the storm had its sights set on Carolina, De La Cruz’s hometown. He and his sibling hastily packed their bags and made the drive south. When they arrived, they hunkered down in his grandparents’ house. For De La Cruz the evening was surreal, but he says he
could see the fear painted on his grandparents’ faces. When De La Cruz emerged from his bombarded home the following day, he remembers a scene of complete devastation. Trees and power lines littered the ground; all outside communication had ceased, and the streets had been replaced by rivers. Christian described the scene like that of a nuclear wasteland. And lying there beside the house, was the age old mango tree, snapped in half like a chopstick. De La Cruz, like many college students in Puerto Rico, had his hopes of finishing college abruptly uprooted. However, he, along with another estimated 55 to 58 students, will have the opportunity to finish the semester, tuition free, at NYU as part of the Hurricane Maria Assistance Program. The university first announced the program in November 2017 but has recently increased its admitted students from 50 to 63 due to the large number of
MACK DEGEURIN | WSN
The exterior of the New York City Hurricane Relief Center.
applicants, said Assistant Vice Chancellor Josh Taylor in an email. According to Taylor, NYU received 400 applications for the program. The program provides students with a full paid tuition of 12 to 18 credits, an NYU meal plan, housing in one of NYU’s residence halls and free access to NYU’s health insurance program. Only undergraduates who were already enrolled in undergraduate universities in Puerto Rico and in good academic standing were considered for the program. Those who applied would fall under a special tuition program and would be considered a Visiting Undergraduate Student, according to Fortune. Visiting Undergraduate single semester tuition is valued by NYU at $25,322. Additionally, students are required to pay the expected tuition of their Puerto Rican university, as NYU specifies on its website. “In an effort to ensure that this program does not negatively affect schools in Puerto Rico, students will be expected to pay their regular spring tuition to their home campus.” De La Cruz is just one of an estimated 114,000 to 213,000 Puerto Rican residents who are expected to exodus the U.S. territory by 2019, according to the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College. These numbers may not decline any time soon. Hurricane Maria’s initial aftermath claimed 64 lives and left 95 percent of the island without electricity. However, nearly four months hence, much of the island remains without electricity. Ana Garcia, one of the 63 Puerto Rican students accepted into NYU’s assistance program, said her home is among
those still without electricity. In the wake of Maria’s destruction, Garcia said she was forced to read textbooks and finish assignments in complete darkness, with only a handheld flashlight to light her way. Even her university, the University of Puerto Rico, struggled to maintain constant power. “Nothing is guaranteed right now,” Garcia said. De La Cruz blames the slow recovery on what he sees as widespread political and business corruption throughout Puerto Rico. The psychology and film student was also skeptical of the government’s report that 64 people died. He suggested that based off of what he had seen on the ground that the number of dead must have been larger. “Politics in Puerto Rico does not represent the people,” De La Cruz said. When asked why she thought the recovery process had moved so slowly, Garcia attributed several factors but said above all, people did not expect the severity of the storm. “Nobody was expecting how chaotic it would be,” Garcia said. Inconsistent electricity and a slow recovery have left some to seek new beginnings away from home. Not long after the hurricane made landfall, New York City opened a Hurricane Service Center aimed at assisting all hurricane victims but with an emphasis on displaced people from Puerto Rico. The service center attempts to get displaced victims back on their feet by offering health services, providing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits for food and transitioning children into New York public schools. According
to Elizabeth Angeles, a project manager for New York City’s Emergency Management Center, over 1,400 visitors have received aid from the service center. Outside of New York, other major universities, including Brown University, Cornell University and Tulane University have offered their own assistance programs for Hurricane Maria victims. Brown reportedly will not charge accepted Maria students tuition and is also aiding in travel expenses. Jeff Schiffman, director of Admissions at Tulane, told WSN that Tulane felt a moral responsibility to aid hurricane victims. Tulane faced it own natural disaster with Hurricane Katrina, 13 years ago, which forced its students to complete courses and attend classes at universities around the country. According to Schiffman, NYU allowed some Tulane students to attend classes at the Washington Square Campus during this time. For De La Cruz and Garcia, the Hurricane Assistance Program offers a glimpse of relief after months of anxiety. De La Cruz said that he had applied to NYU after graduating high school but had been denied twice. When he heard that NYU was offering a hurricane assistance program, De La Cruz was still without electricity. Similarly, Garcia said she heard about NYU’s program while sitting at a bakery, trying to charge her phone and laptop. Both De La Cruz and Garcia will begin their first day of classes today. This article was originally published on Jan. 22, 2018. Email Mack DeGeurin at mdegeurin@nyunews.com.
Aramark’s Long History of Missing the Mark By KRISTINA HAYHURST Deputy News Editor Aramark, NYU’s food provider, has come under fire again due to the discriminatory Black History Month meal served at the Weinstein Passport Dining Hall last week. This is the second Aramark controversy resulting in employee dismissals this academic year, the first of which followed Lipton Dining Hall’s New York City Department of Health low-graded inspection, in which rat droppings were found in the facilities. This meal was served only a week after a similar menu of fried chicken and grape Kool-Aid was served at Loyola University. The incidents at NYU and Loyola are only the most recent instances of mismanagement for Aramark. Karen Cutler, vice president of Communicationsat Aramark, emphasized in a statement to WSN that one of the company’s core values is quality support for its numerous consumers. “We operate our business with social responsibility,” Cutler said in the statement. “We focus on initiatives that support our diverse workforce, advance consumer health and wellness, protect our environment and strengthen our communities.” Aramark also supplies food to private prisons. Beginning in 2014, there have been a myriad of reports claiming that Aramark’s sanitary and health practices are detrimental to the well-being of prisoners. In 2014, inmates found maggots while peeling potatoes at the Charles Egeler Reception & Guidance Center in Jackson, MI. About 30 prisoners fell ill from food poisoning at another Jackson facility supplied
by Aramark. A former Aramark employee reported unsanitary kitchen practices such as serving raw or undercooked meat, falsifying records about dishwater temperatures and quality of cleaning solutions and inflating the count of meals served to inmates. This complaint was supposedly one of the reasons the employee was fired. In September 2014, inspections of Aramark’s meal service for seven prisons in the Ohio area received contract compliance scores of less than the minimum level of 80 percent. In 2015, the Michigan Department of Corrections confirmed that Aramark served food that had been thrown in the trash to prisoners in Saginaw County. Before this, Aramark employees instructed kitchen staff at the Central Michigan Correctional Facility to serve rat-bitten cakes covered with icing. More maggots were found at the G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility in Michigan. The culmination of these grievances caused the state of Michigan to end its three-year deal with Aramark 18 months early. Aramark’s issues aren’t limited to health and sanitation. There have been reports of Aramark employees smuggling marijuana into Michigan prisons and attempting to hire inmates to assault other inmates and a multitude of inappropriate relationships between staff and prisoners. Cutler claimed that much of this information is untrue. “There is a lot of misinformation and propaganda around Aramark and our service of food to the Corrections industry, as a result of a Netflix documentary [“13th”] and ongoing activism around the prison industrial complex and anti-privatization,” she said.
She also denied the existence of any infestations in Ohio or Michigan. “There are many unfounded allegations about the quantity and quality of food for inmates, service levels and sanitation issues,” Cutler said. “The most disturbing and damaging of these baseless claims involved ‘maggots.’ There was not and has never been an infestation of any kind in food served to offenders in Ohio or Michigan [Department of Corrections] facilities.” Even so, these allegations prompted a direct response from NYU last spring, when NYU Prison Divest started a petition urging NYU to divest from Aramark. Joseph Taecker-Wyss, a Gallatin junior and a member of the Incarceration for Education Coalition, outlined a few of the reasons why they started the petition. The IEC is a group of NYU community members working to end discrimination against formerly incarcerated NYU applicants and applicants with criminal records. “Aramark is one of the biggest profiteers from mass incarceration,” Taecker-Wyss said. “Fundamentally, it’s an unjust company. It has had a huge range of human rights abuses, and it’s directly tied within the system. With NYU supporting it, it’s supporting the practices of Aramark and mass incarceration.” Prison Divest’s petition, which gained 391 signatures in the past year, was brought to the administration in the spring of 2017. According to the IEC, the university rushed them through its offices quickly and said it would consider the petition when renewing the contract with Aramark in August of this year. “NYU’s primary tactic when dealing
with on-campus student organizations is to just deflect, to claim they’re unaware or to claim it’s somehow outside of their control,” Taecker-Wyss said. “Obviously NYU does choose what they’re invested in, what organizations they support, and it’s an intentional choice to support Aramark.” Aramark has also recently faced backlash internationally, stemming from its ties to Direct Provision, an institution that houses asylum-seekers and their children while they await relocation. Direct Provision has been widely criticized because it denies residents the right to work, study or cook their own meals. While it is supposed to house asylum-seekers temporarily, many families end up spending seven to 10 years in it. Colleges across Ireland have started to protest Aramark, including the Union of Students in Ireland, Trinity College Dublin Students Union and University College Dublin. Alex Greene, a 2017 alumna and a member of the IEC, said that she wasn’t surprised that Aramark has ties with Direct Provision. She emphasized that it was all the more reason for NYU to take accountability. “NYU should hold themselves to the standard that they claim to have, which is that they’re diverse, inclusive and non discriminatory,” Greene said in an interview with WSN. “Yet they continue to use and invest in companies that use prison labor and utilize unethical practices.” The main motive for NYU’s continued partnership with Aramark, according to Greene, is that the university’s administration finds it too hard and financially taxing to secure a new food provider. “They have the financial incentive to do nothing,” Greene said. “They don’t have to
KATIE PEURRUNG | WSN
NYU’s Lipton Dining Hall, which recently failed a health inspection by the New York City Department of Health.
put in the time and money to find a new company or figure out new ways to provide dining services to a large university. One of their largest pushbacks was that they didn’t want to go through all of that to find a new company, but I mean, that’s their job.” When questioned about whether NYU was considering divestment from Aramark when their five-year contract ends this summer, NYU spokesperson Matt Nagel referenced a message sent to NYU’s Resident Assistant Council and Inter-Residence Hall Council this month from Owen Moore, the assistant vice president for the Division of Campus Services. “The university has begun planning for a RFP [request for proposal] process for food service providers,” the email stated. “I want to initiate consultation with the I.R.H.C and RA council at the next Dining Advisory Board meeting on March 21(which is open to all students), as we will be reaching out soon to the university community for input.” The IEC will be organizing a protest against Aramark this Thursday, Feb. 29, in Downstein. This article was originally published on Feb. 26, 2018. Email Kristina Hayhurst at khayhurst@nyunews.com.
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Students Pay Tuition with Cryptocurrency Investments By SAKSHI VENKATRAMAN News Editor Less than a year after investing a $5,000 principal in cryptocurrencies, like Bitcoin and Ethereum, SPS senior Konig Chen has made enough to pay four years worth of NYU tuition, and then some. Chen made his initial investment by purchasing coins — the digital currency of many cryptos that have been exploding in popularity in recent years. After seeing extremely high returns in just a matter of months, he invested $45,000 more in August. By January 2018, he had accumulated over $300,000. “It’s definitely not the normal returns you would get on the stock market,” Chen said. “Because it’s so new and so innovative, one could say that there is no clear price and that’s why it’s so volatile.” Among the popular cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin has been plagued by extreme instability in recent months, with the market price soaring and crashing in mere days or weeks. Between December 2017 and January 2018, the price of Bitcoin fell from $19,000 to under $10,000, according to Coinbase, a platform for buying and selling cryptos in the United States. But Chen wasn’t investing alone. He had the help of a group called Trace Capital, an organization started by Gallatin junior Leo Tulchin and his former roommate, who chose to be referred to simply as Brandon. Brandon is a former NYU student who dropped out to pursue other opportunities. Brandon, who was used to trading traditional stock, dipped his toes into crypto in 2015. Shortly after, he began heavily trading coins. In September 2017, Brandon adapted an algorithm for traditional stocks to predict market trends, using gathered information to
gauge market risk. “I take a very unorthodox approach to trading and analysis,” he said. Brandon predicts spikes and crashes in the crypto market by gathering data and recognizing trends. “If news comes out in Hong Kong right now, when would that hit the [United States]?” Brandon said, posing a hypothetical. “When it hits, that’s when we would see the next drop.” He uses this information to advise his investors on when and where to leave their money, as well as when and where to pull out. “In a lot of cases, the market will fall and then spike back up,” Brandon said. “It’s like dominoes, where is the next domino going to fall?” Through his analysis, Brandon was able to predict the massive Bitcoin crash in China in September 2017. After that, it only took him a week to start Trace Capital and get his friends involved. “I became friends with him and invested $1,000,” Leo Tulchin said. “In 10 months, that $1,000 grew to $18,000.” Brandon’s circle of crypto traders expanded in the following months; they exchanged advice and helped each other manage investments. Tulchin started reaching out to people he knew in the business and investment world to get them involved. “The good amount of these people are in our parents’ generation, who have been more traditional business people and investors,” Tulchin said. “They connected with Brandon, and our network started growing. We’re now managing around 15 people and working with a sizeable investment pool.” Brandon and Tulchin’s venture has peaked the interest of many venture capitalists and traditional investment firms. One fund even tried to buy
Trace and Brandon’s algorithm. The offer was turned down. Now, Trace focuses its trading in the cryptocurrencies Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and Ripple. “It’s really hard to predict the markets right now, and part of my success is because of Trace because Brandon gave me the tips,” Chen said. “We’re trend followers. If there’s a chance to make money, we’re there. It doesn’t matter if the underlying asset doesn’t have much value.” Brandon claims that Trace Capital is moving toward incorporation. But for students who aren’t being guided by an algorithm, the realities of volatile crypto markets have hit hard. Stern freshman Anurag Gautam invested $100 in Bitcoin and $100 in Ethereum about a month ago. “The market was really good at the time so I thought it was a good time to get in,” Gautam said. “I realized it wasn’t that great of an investment because $100 couldn’t make me a lot. My dad and I later put $750 into Bitcoin.” The recent dip in the value of Bitcoin has taken a significant toll on Gautam’s investment. “Recently, the markets have been really bad,” he said. “There was a day where it even hit $9,500. It’s kind of my dad’s money too, and I don’t like the fact that I’m playing with his money. At this point, if I break even or make a little profit, I’ll sell it and give my dad his money back.” LS freshman Karishma Mohan invested money in Bitcoin on her birthday a few months ago. She has since seen the value of her investment fluctuate greatly. “It’s very up and down,” Mohan said. “There have been times where I have lost thousands of dollars overnight. There was one drop that happened like a month ago where in 48 hours, it
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increased almost 50 percent; but like a day after, it basically dropped.” But the market’s instability hasn’t deterred students from investing their money in cryptocurrencies. Gautam described Bitcoin as the gold standard. “I think cryptocurrencies are the future,” he said. “I think it’s a good time to invest. Over break, I took a good amount of time to research and I’m a strong believer in blockchain technology. I believe in blockchain technology more than I believe in crypto.” Gautam’s beliefs stem from the fact that blockchain technology keeps a continuous log of all transactions made through online currencies. The system is supposedly unhackable. “Everyone is held accountable to the same standard because of the blockchain technology,” he said. “Everything is digital; it’s a like a ledger. Every transaction is the right transaction.” Gautam said he plans to invest in smaller cryptocurrencies in the future. “I’m planning on starting a company
soon and when I start making money, I want to invest in smaller cryptos — not Bitcoin,” he said. Mohan described Bitcoin as worth it in the long run. “It’s basically just high risk, high reward,” she said. “A lot of people, even though they know it’s very volatile, go with that notion that they can cash out really big. A lot of people don’t know when to take it out — that includes myself.” Despite the risk, Mohan remains a believer in Bitcoin. “I have a lot of faith in Bitcoin,” Mohan said. “Bitcoin has a very long pattern of coming up after drops. For comparison, I have also invested in Ethereum and Litecoin and those tend to have a very short-lived peak and then drop. Those probably won’t increase again. I just trust Bitcoin more.”
This article was originally published on Feb. 5, 2018. Email Sakshi Venkatraman at svenkatraman@nyunews.com.
Stoneman Douglas Tragedy Shakes NYU By MACK DEGEURIN and CAROLINE HASKINS Feb. 14 began the same as any other Wednesday for Randi Marnell. But when the Steinhardt first-year student exited her afternoon class, she was met with a deluge of alerts on her phone. Text after text appeared — more than she could count. Friends and family had been reaching out to her, all panicked. Stoneman Douglas High School, which Marnell had called home for four years, had just experienced one of the deadliest school shootings in United States history. In total, 17 students and teachers lost their lives. Marnell immediately began contacting as many people from Stoneman Douglas that she could: friends, teachers, acquaintances — anyone who might have found themselves caught in the gunfire. One after another, Marnell received confirmation of their safety. With each ping, a fraction of the weight on her chest was lifted. But as minutes passed, her former high school orchestra classmate had yet to respond. At first, Marnell assumed her classmate was simply caught up in the shooting’s chaotic aftermath. More time passed and still, no response. And then she saw it: a CNN alert confirmed the unthinkable. Her friend from orchestra, Carmen Schentrup, was among the 17 students who lay lifeless at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
For many NYU students, this tragedy literally hit too close to home. According to university spokesperson Matt Nagel, more than 130 NYU students at the Washington Square campus hail from Broward County, home to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The day after the shooting, these students received an email from Senior Vice President of Student Affairs Marc Wais offering condolences and Wellness Exchange resources. In a statement to WSN, university spokesman John Beckman aligned NYU with various universities across the country to promise high school applicants that their
chances of admission will not be hindered by disciplinary action due to participation in a March for Our Lives school walk-out for gun law reform scheduled for 10 a.m. on March 24. “Other than acts of violence, NYU does not consider any form of school disciplinary action as part of our admissions process,” Beckman said. “Therefore we would not take account of school discipline in a circumstance of peaceful protest on a pressing matter of national debate.” Various NYU student groups have responded to the tragedy. On Feb. 19, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence
KATIE PEURRUNG | WSN
Stern junior Dakota Damiani and FIT junior Elizabeth Hartley light candles for the victims of the Parkland shooting.
chapter at the NYU School of Law held an action hour to incentivize the law school community members to pledge to vote for gun reform in 2018. According to Bretty Weinstein, NYU Brady Campaign chapter co-president, the chapter is also planning to collaborating with activists to support March for Our Lives on March 24 in Washington D.C. and at sister marches nationwide. At the time of this article’s writing over 8,000 Facebook users have expressed that they plan on attending the March for Our Lives sister march in New York City, including dozens of NYU students. NYU Global Spiritual Life also collaborated with four other organizations to host a Vigil for Parkland on Feb. 22. Stoneman Douglas alumnae Dakota Damiani, a Stern junior, and Elizabeth Hartley, a junior at the Fashion Institute of Technology, reflected upon the shooting to a solemn audience of over 100 people on the steps of the Kimmel Center for University Life. In an address to the crowd, Hartley said she lived less than a mile away from Stoneman Douglas High School. She also echoed the rhetoric of March for Our Lives, the gun law reform movement created and led by current Stoneman Douglas students. “I am here grieving,” Hartley said. “And asking that you help end gun violence.” Spiritual leaders from the Bronfman Center for Jewish Student life and the
Islamic Center at NYU also provided spiritual guidance and spoke in favor of gun law reform. “We need to understand that this is unfortunately probably not going to be the last time we gather on these steps in upcoming months,” Islamic Center at NYU Associate Chaplain Sheikh Faiyaz Jaffer said. “What we saw is another manifestation of the evil and hate and vice found in the hearts of people.” Executive Director of the Bronfman Center Rabbi Yehuda Sarna specifically voiced opposition to President Donald Trump’s call for increasing firearm presence in schools. “There have been so many good guys without guns who have been killed by bad guys with guns,” Sarna said. The audience was stoic and attentive while each person spoke. However, during the moment of silence, emotions quickly came to a height. Sniffles and tears trickled down faces as rain tapped gently against the glass doors. The room brimmed with grief. In an interview with WSN following the event, Hatley restated her commitment to ending gun violence. “Enough is enough,” Hartley said. “Let’s follow the lead of the kids in Parkland.” This article was originally published on Feb. 26, 2018. Email Mack DeGeurin and Caroline Haskins at news@nyunews.com.
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Phillip Picardi Talks Giving ‘them’ a Seat at the Table By AMANDA BURKETT Violet Vision Editor Preparing to meet Phillip Picardi features a mix of fangirling, anxiety and stressing over the perfect outfit. Luckily (and unluckily) for me, I never met Picardi in person, due to his busy work schedule. After a series of emails and scheduling discussion, Picardi was able to devote some time to talk with a student from his alma mater over the phone. Although I could show up to our call in pajamas and Picardi would never know, his extensive resume and press coverage still intimidated me. You may be familiar with him if you’re an in-the-know millennial, or an average Gen Zer. Alternatively, maybe you’re one of his 42,300 Instagram followers or you’re simply familiar with the products of his work — Teen Vogue, Allure, Refinery29 or them. Picardi has capitalized on his acute understanding of teenagers in a powerful way — he has even been referred to as a “mind reader” by Fast Company. Not only is he a friend of Anna Wintour, he’s made the Forbes’ 30 under 30 list and Out Magazine’s OUT100. At 27 years old Picardi’s stock is on the rise with nowhere to go but up. Picardi introduced himself to the firstyear class at the NYU Presidential Welcome this past August. His unforgettable speech made him a household name for Class of 2021 students — sharing his humble beginnings, which included hiding Teen Vogue under his bed. It may seem hard to believe, but only nine years ago Picardi was in our shoes. “I was fresh from Boston, with a very north-of-Boston bright orange tan and a blow out, that was very reminiscent of Pauly D but like a gay version,” Picardi said. Fake tan and all, Picardi lived out his aspirations, while living in Goddard Residence Hall — thriving on the hustle. Picardi attended the Gallatin School of Individualized Study with a concentration in “Beauty,” all while working various internships and a part-time retail job at Saks Fifth Avenue. In his free time, he penciled in time to go clubbing with friends. “I spent most of my academic years off campus interning and working,” Picardi said. “On campus I did a lot of independent studies, and often, I was much more focused on my work and career rather than academics.” Picardi’s intrinsic confidence was swept out from under him when he found out
that people had been bullying him online. While Picardi was at NYU, the now-defunct website CollegeACB hosted sections for hundreds of universities around the United States and users could post anonymously, which lead to students posting about other students. Picardi’s friends logged onto the NYU section on CollegeACB and discovered a thread devoted to his eyebrows. “People saying my eyebrows made me look like a pedophile, and that they thought I had gotten a facelift, or botox,” Picardi said. “I was so horrified, because I took, and take, so much pride in my appearance, but especially as a college kid.” That day, Picardi arrived at his Teen Vogue internship in tears. His boss at the time, Eva Chen, assured him of himself — and of his thick brows — and asked him to write about the experience for Teen Vogue. Picardi calls the piece the most formative of his internship years. Once Chen saw his writing, he was promoted from web intern to beauty intern. Following that, he rose to assistant editor, then editor. After leaving briefly to “play with lipsticks” as senior beauty editor of Refinery29, he returned as the digital editorial director of Teen Vogue — at 23 years old. “I don’t think I would be as young as I am in my job had I not gone to NYU,” Picardi said. Picardi often speaks about seeing his age as an advantage, but he did not always feel that way. When he was appointed to digital editorial director, he knew he had a lot to prove. While people tried to undermine him, his network of industry mentors encouraged him to take the high road. “That taught me so much about leadership and how to lead with grace,” Picardi said. “And not to get caught up in petty nonsense and to lead by example — to prove your worth.” Despite being proclaimed as a “fearless editor” by Anna Wintour, Picardi is still proving his worth in the office every day. He is aware that the publishing industry is changing at a rapid pace and the future is hard to predict. “I never feel 100 percent stable or secure,” Picardi said. “But, I thrive on that feeling.” Picardi identified a gap in Teen Vogue’s content — he had a vision of where the publication could go beyond just beauty. With confidence and clarity, Picardi navi-
COURTESY OF RICHARD GERST
Phillip Picardi (Gallatin ‘12) is the chief content officer for Teen Vogue and them.
gated Teen Vogue through a shift that was deemed surprising — to everyone but him. “We wanted to cater to a young person’s whole existence, rather than what their appearance was,” Picardi said. After making this decision, Teen Vogue expanded from fashion, beauty and entertainment, to verticals devoted to wellness, lifestyle and most famously, news and politics. Picardi prides his rebrand on inclusivity, he halted content that discussed “dressing for your body type” and photoshoots began to prioritize diversity. With the glossy profiles also came judgement, especially because of his role at Teen Vogue as a cisgender, white man.
He is uniquely aware of this and stands up to his critics — feeling that anyone in power should be criticized. Picardi has been receptive to young people’s discussion of gender and continues to engage in conversation. “Teen Vogue for me represents a generation of young people, not just one gender — especially when this generation is shifting views on gender and representation.” Picardi said. He filled a blank space in the Condé Nast company this past October, by releasing a new platform – them. Them is an LGBTQ-centric digital publication devoted to shifting discussion of gender
among young people. Picardi wanted the platform to be in “true Condé Nast style” which he describes as beautiful, elevated and celebratory of people and their stories. He shared that he would’ve liked something like them growing up, but its online presence in this political climate makes it accessible to teenagers in a way that print could not be. “Now, queer kids are growing up in a time where confidence in LGBTQ people is actually down, where Donald Trump is our president and is actively lobbying against the trans community,” Picardi said. One month after starting them, Picardi’s position at Teen Vogue became even more essential, as the magazine ended its print production. Picardi’s job title is now chief content officer at both Teen Vogue and them. In his vision of an empowered youth, Picardi has engineered Teen Vogue’s first New York summit with a bluntly political theme, #TurnUp. The focus is the importance of civic engagement and on rallying young people to “turn up” to the polls for the November midterm elections. “I do think that after a very exhausting year of fighting back, people need a moment to be with each other and to listen to each other and to hear different viewpoints,” Picardi said. Picardi speaks highly of the politically conscious environment at NYU. From it he learned how to navigate progressive conversations about identity and social justice. “I think if I didn’t go to NYU, with so many schools of thought and so many progressive, intelligent thinkers,” Picardi said. “I think my career would’ve been very different than it was today.” Despite being a success at Teen Vogue for almost 10 years, Picardi doesn’t see his lead as infinite. Picardi refers to them as his baby, as the light of his life, but still asserts that he will not be part of it forever. “Teen Vogue’s content necessarily shifts with each generational shift,” Picardi said. “I’m excited to take this brand in a new direction […] and I’m really excited to see what comes next.” Teen Vogue is offering NYU students a $100 discount when they register for this year’s summit using their NYU email and the code “NYU100.” This article was originally published on April 30, 2018. Email Amanda Burkett at aburkett@nyunews.com.
College Wallet, Bougie Belly: San Marzano By SCOTT HOGAN Staff Writer
LIV CHAI | WSN
San Marzano’s signature French toast.
Heralding a new series for yours truly, carrying a college wallet with a bougie appetite. This week, we’ll be kicking things off with an NYU favorite, San Marzano. Many Americans have grown up with nights out at a local Italian restaurant fixed up with cheap wine and that delicious bread that leaves a maddening amount of crumbs all over the tablecloth. However, over the past couple of years, a new wave of fine-dining Italian eateries have been popping up all over, featuring high-end ingredients and high prices as well. San Marzano, located in the East Village on Second Avenue, stands out from the crowd. Featuring a cross between a clean modern and a vintage rustic aesthetic, the restaurant offers a pleasant atmosphere to enjoy a meal with one or two friends. Down to the details of the apothecary-esque drawers filled with little notes on napkins or receipts that line the wall, the place obviously has personality.
Judging based on looks alone, I would not have been surprised if I had to spend over 20 dollars on an entree. However, San Marzano has been able to maintain low prices without sacrificing the high quality of its food. “The owner never changes [the prices],” said a server at the restaurant. “He knows that all the college kids like to come in for a cheap meal.” The pasta is absolutely worth any wait you might face, and chances are you’ll be waiting for at least an hour if you go on the weekends or during peak hours on a weeknight. All appetizers are just $7, and they are perfect for splitting. The brussel sprouts are a personal favorite, balancing the char of the sprouts, the salt of the pancetta and the surprising sweetness of the apple perfectly into one delicious bite. For entrees, the restaurant gives you the option to choose a combination of its fresh, inhouse pastas with a sauce for only $10. There’s no wrong choice with the sauces, though the pesto is one of the best I’ve
San Marzano 117 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003 CALL (212) 777-3600 VISIT sanmarzanonyc.com PRICE Under $10
ever had. It’s super smooth and not oily at all, while the vecchia bettola is bursting with fresh tomato flavor. Even the wild boar ragu hits the spot as the hearty boar compliments the saltiness of pecorino cheese. San Marzano also offers a variety of panini, but you’re better off sticking with the pasta. When sitting down for a meal at San Marzano with a close friend or two, it is easy to pretend that you’re an adult with a real, paid job and who has their life together rather than just another college student with $15.76 in their bank account. This article was originally published on March 26, 2018. Email Scott Hogan at features@nyunews.com.
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Explore With Me: Harlem By CARINA PANSCH Contributing Writer
STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER | WSN
Call Me Daddy By MARISA LOPEZ Contributing Writer NYU students know it all too well: the almost laughable cost of attending this college. And what’s more? The painful price of living in New York. The financial stress induced by tuition can’t always be solved by scholarships and financial aid. In fact, some NYU students have turned to an unconventional source of income to foot these bills: sugar daddies. Making money through apps like SeekingArrangement, which pair “sugar babies” — defined by SeekingArrangement as “attractive people looking for the finer things in life” — with successful men and women looking to spend money on companionship, has become increasingly popular at a number of colleges. NYU placed third on the list of the fastest growing sugar baby schools of 2018. This list featured six other New York schools: Syracuse University, Pace University, The New School, Fordham University, University at Buffalo and Columbia University. SeekingArrangement advertises the
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If the baby is enjoying their time with the daddy and wants to be around them, it is not prostitution: it is free choice. ANONYMOUS TISCH FIRST-YEAR
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arrangement as being one that is mutually beneficial, where both parties get exactly what they expect. However, a sugar daddy arrangement isn’t as simple as SeekingArrangement suggests, no matter how it may sound on the surface. The lavish lifestyle comes at a price. Despite what many students would like to believe, most sugar daddies aren’t simply seeking company — they’re seeking sex. Oftentimes, the arrangement ceases to be mutually beneficial, leaving the sugar baby uncomfortable or unsatisfied. A CAS freshman, who asked to remain anonymous, was paid $200 per meetup with her sugar daddy but ended up feeling objectified after her experience, noting she was forced to perform sexual acts she was not comfortable with. The most uncomfortable situation occurred when an older man told her she looked younger than 18 and that he liked it. There are certainly a great deal of reasons why one might enter a sugar daddy and sugar baby relationship, but financial motivations seem to be top of the list for NYU students. A sophomore in CAS previously earned $50 to $1000 a month as a sugar baby. She was arm candy that her sugar daddy could
take around to events to impress other people. “At the time [of the arrangement], I felt that it was my only option— I was living alone in a new city, with no support from my parents,” the student said. “I eventually stopped after three months because using someone else’s money felt like I was somehow cheating or that I owed him something.” A Stern junior, who also requested anonymity, is currently in the process of locking down her sugar daddy. The arrangement, if agreed on, will earn the student $4,000 a month. The motivation behind joining SeekingArrangement? The student is currently paying for all of their living expenses and wants to begin paying off loans. “I also grew up in and out of poverty, so I’d like to get to experience luxury for once,” the student said. This student advised others seeking a sugar daddy to be careful about account owners who make fake promises about the payment and the agreement in general, and said “A lot of the guys you’ll meet on sites like Seeking Arrangements are not the real deal.” One prominent argument against the sugar baby lifestyle is that some claim a moral problem with sex work. An anonymous Tisch freshman, who almost committed to a sugar daddy but decided not to because of the time commitment, commented on the these criticisms of the practice. “If the baby is enjoying their time with the daddy and wants to be around them, it is not prostitution: it is free choice,” the student said. “If it’s purely sex with someone the baby isn’t attracted to and wouldn’t otherwise be involved with, [I think] it’s closer to prostitution.” Some students, such as a Gallatin freshman who was previously paid $900 a month by a sugar daddy, believe that these arrangements are sex work in some form, but don’t agree with the stigma that surrounds sugar daddy agreements. “You could say it’s a form of sex work, but I do not think that sex work is morally corrupt,” the Gallatin freshman said. “People should have the freedom and autonomy to exchange their emotional, physical and/or intellectual faculties to get what they want or need … The stigmatization of this work stems from society’s deeply embedded misogyny and mystification of sex.” Maybe you can look past the faults a relationship from SeekingArrangement may come with, as many NYU students have. Perhaps, the cons outweigh the pros, and you recognize that relationships like these just aren’t for you. Whatever the case, as long as the cost of college remains high, the sugar baby lifestyle isn’t disappearing.
This article was originally published on Feb. 20, 2018. Email Marisa Lopez at features@nyunews.com
From noble houses to bustling African market streets, Harlem breathes the history of the city in a special way. Marked by a diverse and creative population, this area of New York is becoming a popular place to not only hang out but also to live. Although the trek up to Harlem is a long one for NYU students, it’s worth experiencing the unique culture that has developed over decades. The subway takes you to 125th Street — the heart of Harlem. On the main street of the district, vendors sell African scarves and drums, PHOTOS BY TONY WU | WSN
CDs and African-American literature. Hip-hop blares from the surrounding shops and everything seems a bit more colorful than anywhere else in New York City. At 253 W. 125th St. you’ll find the Apollo Theater, which has been Harlem’s cultural center since the Harlem Renaissance. In its legendary “Amateur Night,” which took place every Wednesday, musicians such as Ella Fitzgerald, Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson were discovered. The Harlem Studio Museum houses hundreds of pieces by African artists and about African-Americans in America. Past this famous museum lies Lenox Avenue, which is also known as Malcolm X Boulevard after the famous civil rights movement leader. The area around this street forms the gastronomic focus of nightlife in Harlem. Here you can experience the roots of American food at the Red Rooster, or try classic soul food at Sylvia’s. After dinner, end the evening in one of the surround-
ing jazz bars, such as Paris Blues. For those who still want more music after that, the National Jazz Museum offers a good insight into the history of the genre. Diving even more into East Harlem, you can spot street art as you walk around. Graffiti Hall of Fame on Park Avenue is one showcase of the many talented local artists. In North Harlem life is calmer, but not quieter. The lively gospel choirs and beautiful architecture make a visit to at least one of the countless churches — such as the imposing Abyssinian Baptist Church worth the time. Further back in time you can walk through the multi-ethnic neighborhoods of Washington Heights and Hamilton Heights. The still-intact mansions show the remnants of a colonial New York and the architectural history of Manhattan. At that time, this part of the island was still farmland and European-born nobles built their country estates there. Between the towering mansions, New York’s
Top: The Greater Refuge Temple on Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard Center: Apollo Theater on West 125th Street, Showbiz legends and amateurs alike take the stage at this longtime music hall. Bottom left: Mural near the Monument to Adam Clayton Powell, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Bottom right: Mural on West 138th Street.
most famous cemetery, the Trinity Church Cemetery, holds hundreds of graves of the former elite, including author of “Invisible Man” Ralph Ellison and author of “Moby Dick” Herman Melville. Coming to the end of the day and on the edge of Harlem, it’s especially nice to enjoy the sunset on the George Washington Bridge. This article was originally published on Feb. 20, 2018. Email Carina Pansch at features@nyunews.com.
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‘Isle of Dogs’ Is Culturally Tone Deaf By VERONICA LIOW Assistant Managing Editor In a stop-motion feature film about the relationship between canine and man, Wes Anderson tells one of his most wholesome stories yet. Though Anderson often stands out for his eccentric style of filmmaking, he unfortunately falls into the list of white filmmakers who stereotypically portray and use other cultures — Japan in this case — as a tool for entertainment. In “Isle of Dogs,” a 12-year-old boy, Atari Kobayashi (Koyu Rankin), leaves the fictitious city of Megasaki in search of his bodyguard-dog, Spots (Liev Schreiber). His journey starts when he lands on Trash Island — where all dogs have been banished onto after having contracted a flu virus — and meets some helpful companions, a pack of dogs: Chief (Bryan Cranston), Rex (Edward Norton), King (Bob Balaban), Boss (Bill Murray) and Duke (Jeff Goldblum). Atari’s adventure to find Spots is very endearing. It is almost impossible to not fall in love with the storyline, especially with the exquisite utilization of miniatures and the cohesive color palette that make the film so visually appealing. However, Anderson’s skilled cinematography in the film only makes “Isle of Dogs’” overall execution more disappointing. In the film, there is a lack of English subtitles for the Japanese spoken. The audience understands Atari not through his words but through his gestures and the subtle translations of the pack of dogs, who though are from Japan, apparently don’t speak Japanese. This is because Anderson prefers to work with the same people — at least enough to have an entire section on his Wikipedia page dedicated to it. However, it is problematic that in a film that takes place in Japan, all the voice-actors cast as dogs are white, English-speaking and predominantly male. Back in Megasaki, Mayor Kobayashi’s (Kunichi Nomura) announcements fade into the background as an English-speaking translator talks over him. And making matters worse, the translator, Interpreter Nelson (Frances McDormand) is played by a white woman. The lack of Japanese
subtitles and representation sends a message to Japanese people that their voices do not matter — that parts of their culture can be swept under the rug if they do not satisfy the execution of the storyline. The film perpetuates the problematic stereotype of the “passive Asian.” Stereotypes such as this contribute to issues such as the fetishization of the complacent Asian housewife and the hindrance of Asians moving past the glass ceiling despite having the highest college completion rate, low unemployment rate and median household income — to name a few. When Mayor Kobayashi announces a death sentence for all dogs, Tracy Walker (Greta Gerwig), a white foreign exchange student, takes the initiative to find the cure for the dog-flu virus and to lead the protest against anti-canine sentiments. It can be empowering to see a young female as a hero, especially since there aren’t many female voices in the film in general. However, the outdated and overused white savior complex is distasteful. In “Isle of Dogs,” the hero in Megasaki is a white woman who appropriates black culture through her afro, another problematic decision of Anderson’s. Speaking of a lack of female voices, Nutmeg (Scarlett Johansson), a former performance dog on Trash Island, has the most screen time after Tracy. Unfortunately, her character has no purpose beyond being Chief ’s love interest and setting up a childish joke: Chief asks an owl to send a message to a “bitch,” or female dog, Nutmeg. This usage of the term “bitch” to induce humor into the film is low-brow at best. “Isle of Dogs” disappoints, primarily because it succeeds in almost everything — especially cinematography — but falls short in respecting women and Japanese people and culture. Some are able to overlook that aspect. However, I am unable to because the film had the potential to have been executed in a much more considerate manner without losing its quality. “Isle of Dogs” had its limited release in the United States on March 23. The wide release is set for April 13. This article was originally published on April 11, 2018. Email Veronica Liow at vliow@nyunews.com.
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“Isle of Dogs” director Wes Anderson with his miniature cast of dogs, heroes and villains.
iPhone Films and ‘The Florida Project’: How Sean Baker Made It RACHEL BUIGAS-LOPEZ | WSN
By RYAN MIKEL Arts Editor In 2015, Sean Baker shot, wrote, produced, edited and directed “Tangerine” all on an iPhone. In 2017, the Tisch alumnus made waves again with his Academy-Award nominated film, “The Florida Project.” Baker credits his alma mater for shaping the virtuoso filmmaker that he is today. In fact, he hung around campus for a year after graduation just to use the school’s wealth of resources. “I spent a year hanging out at NYU just trying to get back into those classrooms,” Baker told WSN. “It gave me a very well-rounded education. I always tell young filmmakers even if you consider yourself only a writer or director, you still need to understand the camera. You need to understand everything.” This rings true for “The Florida Project,” where the auteur is present in every aspect of production in some capacity or another. The film follows precocious six-yearold Moonee (Brooklynn Prince) and her juvenile mother Halley (Bria Vinaite) as their lethargic summer days unfold at a desolate motel outside of Disney World. Lurking behind Prince’s whimsical performance and Baker’s vibrant vision is a surprising examination of classism and homelessness in the United States today. As Daniella Nichinson wrote in WSN last year, “in the worst situations, children see the splendor of life.” To excavate this story of poverty and extract breakout performances from
newcomers Prince and Vinaite, Baker credits his team and the amount of time dedicated to pre-production. “This world and issue were brought to me via news articles,” Baker said. “I was intrigued because if this story was happening in the so-called happiest place on Earth, it might be happening in your own community.”
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I always tell young filmmakers even if you consider yourself only a writer or director, you still need to understand the camera. You need to understand everything. SEAN BAKER
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Baker is no stranger to this underground and marginalized America and has extensive background in working with first-time actors. His last film, “Tangerine,” unearthed the day-to-day lives of transgender sex workers and was led by performances from Kitana Kiki Rodriguez and Mya Taylor –– both of whom had no prior acting experience. This time around he worked with an Instagram model and an ensemble of children.
“You just have to take your time,” Baker said. “You can find so many people who have amazing personas and physicality, but you have to remember to make sure that they can act … [It’s] a long list of steps, but it’s about the time taken with those steps.” Time is of the essence for Baker, who typically spends years of research on a project before a screenplay can even begin. With “The Florida Project” and all of his films, there must be a clear beginning, middle and end, and until he is 100 percent comfortable with the world he is depicting, Baker won’t even think about a story’s structure. Right now, Baker sits in this prolonged stage of filmmaking as he figures out his next move. All we know for sure is that his unconventional style of filmmaking will remain at his work’s core. “I’m not actually taking the regular Hollywood route,” Baker said. “I would rather work with a nonprofit that is all about the art, like Centereach, than try and get myself into bed with the studios … It’s about getting on the road and really seeing America and trying to figure out what story needs to be told next.” While “The Florida Project” only managed to garner one Oscar nomination, for Willem Dafoe as ‘Best Supporting Actor,’ at the 90th Academy Awards, Baker is steadily gaining traction in the industry as a daring cinematic voice who values substance and humanity over fame and market value. This article was originally published on March 5, 2018. Email Ryan Mikel at rmikel@nyunews.com.
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The Storyteller Behind Jesediah stance.” Despite some critiques about the way music is produced, Sgambati praises the constant evolution of today’s musical landscape. He loves how music, including his own, is constantly changing The genesis of his work derives from structure rather than spontaneity. After hearing something he likes, Sgambati puts
By AVANI JURAKHAN Contributing Writer Up-and-coming rapper and Tisch junior Jesse Sgambati — known popularly as Jesediah — shakes his work up by intertwining spontaneous beats with structured storytelling. Born and raised in Syracuse, New York, Jesse Sgambati began learning classical piano at eight years old. He later switched to guitar lessons under his history teacher, setting in motion a strong love for music that endures to this day and focuses on the concept of storytelling. Although he always appreciated hiphop, Sgambati made the choice not to limit himself to just one style of music. Instead, his art is a product of mixing multiple genres. Prior to his admission to NYU’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, Sgambati took a gap year in Syracuse to spend time with family. In an effort to make the most of his time in suburbia, Sgambati pursued his long-time interest in fashion and enhanced his image through a local theater’s costume department. Currently studying both production and songwriting, Sgambati considers himself more of a writer than a producer. Both of his singles, “Lonzo” and “G.O.A.T.,” released under his stage name Jesediah, were written by him but produced externally. “[I feel] that it is easy to become overly dependent on the hypeness of a beat,” Sgambati said. “So much that all other characteristics of a song can lack sub-
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“[I feel] that it is easy to become overly dependent on the hypeness of a beat. So much that all other characteristics of a song can lack substance. JESSE SGAMBATI
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COURTESY OF JESSE SGAMBATI
Jesse Sgambati, known largely as Jesediah, is an up-and-coming rapper studying both production and songwriting in the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music
the beat into Logic Pro — a digital audio workstation for Apple’s macOS — and freestyles over it to format the flow and melody. He then works on the diction. His integration of story plays a crucial role in defining the line between wit and accessibility in his music. One of his many artistic goals is to make music that lives on beyond the past trends of a specific era. He wants his music to remove the common fleetingness of mainstream hip-hop. Popular hip-hop artist Young Thug is a
huge influence on Jesediah. Sgambati admires his risky artistic progression and his breaking of the Black masculinity mold. Regarding technicality, Young Thug taught Sgambati the beauty in differentiating flow and rhythmic surprises. Sgambati also looks up to lyrically intricate bands such as Mumford & Sons and The Head and the Heart. His dream is to make music his life. This is a dream that he feels hasn’t always been received with wholehearted support within the Clive program at NYU. Nonetheless, he pointed out that there are faculty who have aided and supported him with his interest in pursuing hip-hop. As far as making it goes, Sgambati stressed the importance of taking the incentive to find connections outside of school. He views everything in his sight as an opportunity. While NYU offers copious resources, there are flyers, events and word-of-mouth kickbacks around the city that provide budding musicians the exposure and experience they need. In addition to being proactive in the pursuit of success, Sgambati said it is important to be resilient and comfortable with being told ‘no.’ “You will be discouraged a majority of the time in the industry,” Sgambati said. “But it is necessary to remain humble and relaxed.” Listen to Jesediah on Spotify or Apple Music. This article was originally published on Jan. 29, 2018. Email Avani Jurakhan at music@nyunews.com.
A Tale of Two Administrations By RYAN MIKEL Arts Editor Steven Spielberg’s Golden Globe-nominated biopic “The Post” revives the specific but timely story of the Pentagon Papers scandal and the ragtag journalists who went headto-head with the Nixon administration to expose four decades of government corruption. In the motion picture headlined by two hallmarks of American cinema — Meryl Streep as Washington Post publisher, Katharine Graham, and Tom Hanks as The Post’s hard-hitting editor, Ben Bradlee— Spielberg excavates the 1971 scandal, revealing unsettling parallels between the political climates of then and now. “This is a story that is vaguely familiar to all of us in this day and age,” Spielberg told WSN in a video interview. “[It was] an audacious attempt for the president of the United States to attempt [to] silence our First Amendment rights.” Familiar, indeed. Our current commander-in-chief, Donald Trump, holds a similar relationship to our fourth estate, which he has called “scum” and “the enemy of the people.” But let’s not forget the man who first named the press the real enemy decades ago. The year is 1971. The voting age was lowered to 18, and a movie ticket costs barely a dollar. Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher just ended free milk in schools, the Vietnam War is still ablaze and our government is embroiled in an international scandal at the helm of then-local paper, The Washington Post. The Post and its competitor, the New York Times, race against the
clock at the legal orders of Richard Nixon himself to expose the Pentagon Papers — a top-secret, 7000page report detailing the government’s deceptions about the Vietnam War that spanned three decades, four U.S. presidents and thousands of U.S. soldiers’ lives. “[It] was an audacious, nevermeant-to-be-released-publicly study of the fact that the entire Vietnam War under four presidential administrations was a complete lie,” Hanks told WSN in a video interview. “Every administration knew [the war] was unwinnable and yet each administration committed more resources and more young men to that engagement in order not to suffer the humiliation of an American defeat on their presidential watch.” The Nixon administration responded to the two publications with a federal injunction that halted any further publication of the Pentagon Papers. The Supreme Court responded, as well, but in favor the press, famously citing, “The press was to serve the governed, not the governors,” and the rest is history. Today, a similar narrative has played out on our Twitter feeds, with Trump taking more than a few jabs at the press, both before and during his time in the Oval Office. He has used his presidential weight and 140 characters — now 280 — to threaten the press relentlessly. At a rally in Fort Worth, Trump hinted at the arrival of new libel laws that will “sue [the press] like [they’ve] never been sued before,” claiming “with me, they’re not protected.” The press has been made into a scapegoat to create an ever greater divide between the nation’s two major political parties. According to a study
VIA FACEBOOK
‘The Post’ stars Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks. The film tells the story of the Pentagon Papers scandal, and the journalists who challenged the Nixon administration in order to expose government corruption
by the Pew Research Center, Democrats and Republicans disagree now more than ever on the press’s positive and/or negative role in society. Since Trump’s inauguration earlier this year, six-in-ten Republicans think media criticism does not keep our nation’s leaders in line. Nine-in-ten Democrats think differently.
With such evident parallels, Streep told WSN in a video interview that she hopes everyone takes something away from this film, even Trump himself. “I actually think [Trump] may really like ‘The Post,’ weirdly,” Streep said. “[Maybe] he [will] stop the shenanigans and give some respect for
people who are operating on their principles and not on their appetite.” “The Post” is in theaters nationwide.
This article was originally published on Dec. 10, 2017. Email Ryan Mikel at rmikel@nyunews.com.
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OPINION
OPINION@NYUNEWS.COM
Edited by TYLER CREWS
SPORTS
RACE
Mirai Nagasu Fits the Bill
Between Black and White
By JANICE LEE Contributing Writer The 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics came to a close earlier this week. While the Olympic Games grant athletes international exposure, they also provide a moment for all Americans to celebrate national pride and unity. This year, Team USA sent its most diverse team yet, with a total of 14 Asian-Americans. Many of these Asian-American athletes achieved international recognition for their performances, including snowboarder Chloe Kim’s gold medal run and figure skater Nathan Chen’s six quadruple jumps in his redemptive free skate. This recognition has come during a climate of everlasting struggle for adequate Asian-American representation. In entertainment, for example, the rates have been dismal — in more than half of film, television and streaming media, there aren’t any named or speaking Asian characters. More recently, Hollywood’s insidious whitewashing has come to light as Asian roles have regularly gone to white actors. Representation within the Olympics, though, is not a comprehensive solution to the lack of Asian-American visibility.
Sports are fundamentally more egalitarian than film and television casting. Athletic performance is trackable through transparent means like universal scoring criteria, and exceptional performance can secure an athlete’s spot on the Olympic team. Conversely, entertainment can function more covertly with less need to adhere to egalitarian values. Films and television shows are ultimately projects seeking viewership and revenue with casting decided by creatives, directors and production companies. Despite how Asian-American representation in this year’s Olympics was achieved through merit rather than a conscious effort for diversity, it still provides a powerful avenue for changing the landscape of how Americans perceive Asian people. So far, the lack of Asian-American representation in media has perpetuated the harmful mentality that Asian people are inherently foreign and therefore, un-American. This binary belief seeped into the coverage of the Pyeongchang Olympics when The New York Times Opinion editor Bari Weiss retweeted a video of figure skater Mirai Nagasu’s historic triple axel, with the caption: “Immigrants: They get the job done.” Her tweet garnered attention for inaccurately referring to Nagasu, who was born and raised in California, as an immigrant. Weiss has since deleted this tweet and replaced it with a thread defending herself, linking other articles that refer to Nagasu similarly. First-generation Americans like Nagasu retain a unique blend of their parents’ culture and American upbringing. This is what Weiss said she intended to highlight. Yet the outrage can be traced
to something more formidable than a misunderstanding, as the implications of Weiss’ comment outweigh her intentions. By clumping Nagasu with immigrants solely because of her parents, Weiss effectively undermines her American identity. The stark irony is at its most obvious peak since Nagasu represents the U.S. on Olympic ice. How countless others have done the same to Nagasu doesn’t exempt Weiss from the impact of her comment. Rather, it informs us of the larger picture — the ubiquitous tendency for Americans at large to view Asians as foreign. Chrissy Teigen in a response to Weiss said it best: “No one is ashamed of the word immigrant but it’s tiring being treated as foreigners all the time. You made a mistake. It’s okay. But people are giving you calm, great insight. Just learn and breathe.” Instances like Weiss’ tweet are inevitable. Comments like Weiss’ will cause identical friction. All of this tension, however, is necessary for progress toward a more inclusive definition of what it means to be American. These microaggressions along the way, if we handle them with perspective and patience, can be our growing pains. The process begins with representation, and this time, it was heralding Asian-American Olympians as our own. Perhaps by 2022, when our ethnically diverse American athletes gather once again, America will be closer to recognizing the duality of Asian-American identity, understanding that “American” is just as relevant as “Asian” in “Asian-American.” This article was originally published on March 2, 2018. Email Janice Lee at jlee@nyunews.com.
UNIVERSITY LIFE
The Relentless Rat Race
By TYLER CREWS Opinion Editor Reaching the end of my first year as an undergraduate student at NYU, I should feel relieved. I made it through a year of college and a year of living in the city without failing, dying or having too many mental breakdowns — though I’ll admit, there have been a few here and there. Now, I’m only six weeks away from going home where I finally can relax with my family. Except, I have now realized that there is nothing relaxing about undergraduate summers or the weeks preceding. The competitive nature of the summer internship search leaves no room for relaxation. Recently, my suitemate walked into my room and said, “I think I’ll be fine without a paid internship if I do an unpaid internship while also working at a restaurant at night. If that doesn’t work out, I’ll volun-
Submitting to
teer somewhere regularly while working a job that pays well, but doesn’t look good on my resume.” Her reasoning didn’t come as a surprise, considering the fact that all any student will talk about at the moment is how they’re going to secure a summer position that boosts their resume. Odds are, if you are an undergraduate student at NYU, you are familiar with the internship struggle — you either have an internship lined up for the summer or you’re desperately looking for one. Gone are the days of working part-time at ice cream shops and grocery stores, and, in many cases, actually getting paid for your work — a greater problem in and of itself. People don’t warn you that your career begins on your first day at NYU. At 18, I am expected to know what I want to do with my life and make a jump start on my future, or else I’ll be stuck playing catch up to my peers. I believe that internships can provide positive learning environments for expanding skill sets and gaining experience, especially for juniors, seniors and graduate students. However, the quality of your resume and ability to secure an internship later on should not be contingent on what you did over the summer after your first year. Entry level jobs are now requiring up to two years of industry experience, so when you graduate your resume
is expected to be deep in both quantity and quality — which delegitimizes that ice cream scooping job. There are even some internships for juniors and seniors that require prior industry experience, pushing the timeline forward even more. Furthermore, at a school with students from different states and countries, many of us don’t have the same internships opportunities at home compared to those provided in New York City. As a result, some students choose to stay in the city over the summer to work, and only see their families for a week or two. It’s sad to think that this summer will be my last summer at home because where I live in New Hampshire doesn’t have nearly as many internship opportunities in my industry as there are in New York. Unfortunately, there is no clear way to get around this. Admittedly, I am writing this piece after submitting over 10 applications, partaking in numerous phone interviews and jumping at every indeed.com notification that pops up in my inbox. At the end of the day, you either play along and run the internship race, or get left eating your classmate’s dust. This article was originally published on April 2, 2018. Email Tyler Crews at tcrews@nyunews.com.
By ALEJANDRO VILLA VÁSQUEZ Copy Chief I recently saw a tweet about how if “y’all [Latin Americans] had papers y’all would be good[.]” Due to righteous backlash from Latins of all races and ethnicities, the girl who originally posted the tweet took it down. Offended and consumed by anger, I began to think about the way the Latin American experience in this country is often reduced and effaced. It is a twofold effect, that both harms and weakens our efforts as people of color trying to dismantle white supremacy. It’s true many of the struggles faced by Latin Americans do stem from displacement and migration. But I think people — especially non-Latin people of color — underestimate how insurmountable everyday challenges become when you suffer a significant lack of socioeconomic capital. Most are ignorant as to how difficult resettlement can be, considering the loss of familial support and language barriers that prevent the very attempt to establish oneself, socially and economically, in this country. But I refuse to play the Oppression Olympics. I only suggest that we redirect our scrutiny to the real problem. The black-white binary is intangible. It’s a lens that functions insidiously and perniciously by governing American racial discourse, causing people to efface the identities and struggles of people of color by wrongfully thinking that there are only two true races: black and white. It disregards all ethnic, cultural, linguistic identities of many Latin Americans, indigenous people and Asians, and either evaluates their struggles in terms of black suffering or erases them via accusations of assimilation into whiteness. The problem of thinking simplistically in terms of black and white is that the solutions developed in response to white supremacy, racism and xenophobia will be just as reductive, leaving many groups without a say because so many are seen as white for not being of African ancestry and brushed off as racially other for having physical characteristics not befitting of whiteness. But colorism also dominates societies all over the world, to be perfectly candid. I myself will nev-
er deny that colorism has worked in my favor and in favor of people that look like me. But that will never change the fact that we have been profiled and mistreated for being brown. White people look at me and recognize that I am different from them. In fact, before coming to NYU, the thought of me being labeled as white was never even a thought, considering my lack of any European features or white skin. I am approaching the end of my first year, and can recall in these past six months several situations in which I was labeled as white, never by anyone white themselves. The most recent incident was at an immigration lawyer’s office while I was filling out paperwork to become a citizen — which costs $1,100 per person, by the way. The person filling out my paperwork, an Afro-Dominican woman, looked at me and quickly marked me as white on my application. I was offended, but I tried to figure out what caused her to think this way instead of blaming her. A quick Google search revealed that the naturalization application has a section where you can check your ethnicity as either of Latin origin or not, and, as expected, a race section with spots for white, black, Asian, Pacific Islander and Native American. I speak for a huge amount of brown people, both Latin and not, that do not fit into these categories. This form of identification on official government documentation only reinforces the blackwhite binary, and thus identities and experiences are further effaced. It’s in the best interest of people of color to be wary of falling into this trap. Trying to erase my experience will never makes yours better. Intersectionality is our friend. It’s a framework that allows us to consider the way our identities overlap and many times determine how we cope with structural racism, classism and xenophobia. That being said, never let anyone ignore the colorist tendencies of society. Yes, the lighter you are, the closer your proximity to whiteness and therefore your likelihood of benefitting from colorism. But there are also many daily challenges caused by displacement and migration, making citizenship status, at times, feel like the least of one’s concerns. There is also a Eurocentric phenotype that many Latin Americans and Asians do not fit, but due to their lighter skin are at risk of being lost in the black-white binary. We want to avoid this divisiveness. It distracts us from finding a solution to the behemoth of white supremacy. We can’t let this racist notion of whiteness divide and conquer us the way it has in the past. This article was originally published on April 16, 2018. Email Alejandro Villa Vásquez at avillavasquez@nyunews.com.
SEND MAIL TO: 75 THIRD AVE. #SB07, NEW YORK, N.Y. 10003 OR EMAIL: OPINION@NYUNEWS.COM WSN welcomes letters to the editor, opinion pieces and articles relevant to the NYU community, or in response to articles. Letters should be less than 450 words. All submissions must be typed or emailed and must include the author’s name, address and phone number. Members of the NYU community must include a year and school or job title. WSN does not print unsigned letters or editorials. WSN reserves the right to reject any submission and edit accepted submissions in any and all ways. With the exception of the staff editorial, opinions expressed on the editorial pages are not necessarily those of WSN, and our publication of opinions is not an endorsement of them.
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UNIVERSITY LIFE
A Puerto Rican Perspective on Coming to NYU
By IGNANGELI SALINAS-MUÑIZ Contributing Writer Speaking Spanglish in one of the dining halls, sitting next to you in class or walking by you with a GPS app pulled up on their phones, eyes searching: new Boricuas are here at NYU. When Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico, it severely
damaged the island’s universities and left students in a state of desperation. However, out of the disaster came an opportunity when NYU announced the Hurricane Maria Assistance Program, a semester-long scholarship for a select number of students. Thanks to the program, this spring semester, NYU has received an influx of more than 56 visiting Puerto Rican students ready to take on New York City, and I am one of them. On Sept. 20, I was in Washington D.C. as part of the Córdova and Fernós Congressional Internship Program, a program funded by the Puerto Rican legislature to promote relationships between the two governments. On Sept. 19, I called my mom and promised to talk the next day. I would never have imagined that all com-
munications systems would crumble and that I wouldn’t hear her voice for over a week, after Hurricane Maria hit on Sept. 20. With communications, electricity and water systems non-operational, the island blacked out and was unreachable. Most of the universities remained closed until Oct. 31. I was lucky because the electricity arrived at my house a day before I returned to the island from D.C. People lit fireworks in the neighborhood when they saw the light bulbs turn on because they had been without power for 78 days. Others were not so fortunate. Many students in NYU’s Hurricane Maria Assistance Program still don’t have power back home and had to face the difficulties of submitting an online application without access to electricity or the internet.
Even before the hurricane, our pursuit of higher education was a struggle. Last spring, Puerto Rico’s Fiscal Control Board decided that it would cut more than half of The University of Puerto Rico’s budget. Students from the 11 campuses met in an assembly, and the majority decided to hold a strike that lasted 54 days. When the strike ended, students continued their semester until mid-July and started school again in August. Then, in September, Hurricane Maria hit the island. Libraries were flooded, classrooms were destroyed and paths were blocked. As a result of these challenges, students were delayed in their schoolwork. Many of my friends back home are still finishing their finals and their fall 2017 semester, and the scholarship recip-
ients at NYU are balancing their schoolwork here with finishing their courses back home. The emotional and physical stress that these students have been through is enormous. They have been showered with rainwater, they have picked up bits of their home, they have traveled hours to make a call and they have seen political officials, for whom they had no power to vote for, decide how much help they would receive. However, they and I have felt the kindness and support of the NYU administration since our feet touched campus, and for that, we are grateful. This article was originally published on Feb. 5, 2018. Email Ignangeli Salinas-Muñiz at opinion@nyunews.com.
EDITORIAL
Students Are Shouting, Trustees Need to Listen
This past week has been a whirlwind for members of the student groups, NYU Student Labor Action Movement and NYU Divest, who have made headlines with their week of activism. Whether it is shouted in the new Bonomi Family Admissions Center or from the steps of the Kimmel Center for University Life, their message is clear — they want student representation on the Board of Trustees, increased communication and full divestment from fossil fuels. We believe that it is imperative that their demands are met — conversations concerning our interests, well-beings and finances should not be hidden from us. On March 26, Divest and SLAM began their weeklong protests by occupying the new admissions center. After a three-day occupation without a substantial response from either the board or NYU’s administration, the two clubs relocated to Kimmel, where they intended to continue the occupation if they
did not receive confirmation of a meeting with administrators by midnight on March 28. Finally, on Thursday, representatives of the two groups met with two NYU administrators, Senior Vice President for University Relations and Public Affairs Lynne Brown and Senior Associate Vice President of Student Affairs Tom Ellett. In the meeting, SLAM and Divest demanded a public town hall meeting with the board, which would then be followed by an annual town hall meeting. The administrators responded that they could not give assurance of a meeting until next Friday, April 6. They also threatened disciplinary action for protestors who stay in NYU facilities past hours of operation. SLAM and Divest will resume their activism on April 9 if they do not receive confirmation of the meeting by this Friday. It is important for the board to acquiesce to SLAM and Divest’s demands because greater transparency and accountability is essential to ensure the board acts on behalf of the best interests of the NYU community. In the past, members of the board have been linked to investments in the fossil fuel industry and student debt companies. This presents conflicts of interest, seeing that NYU claims to be committed to a more sustainable future. Additionally, when NYU did divest from two direct fossil fuel investments, the student body was not notified, displaying an alarming lack of transparency. In
response to the secrecy shrouding the board, student activists have demanded a seat at the table. The University Senate — a body composed of both students and faculty — has recently voted in favor of student representation on the board, so now the only barrier is a board vote. This would enable the student body to be better informed about board decisions and have greater participation in the decision-making process. Furthermore, students could better hold the board accountable in the event that its conflicts of interest affect its decisions. For now, organizing town hall meetings between the Board of Trustees and representatives of Divest and SLAM appears to be the only effective way to ensure direct communication between the two parties. If the trustees want to fulfill their mission of defending the interests of the NYU community, they can no longer run away from debates with the students at whom their decisions are directed. If the board doesn’t have anything to hide, then it shouldn’t have a problem abandoning its secrecy. Email the Editorial Board at opinion@nyunews.com. TYLER CREWS Chair PAOLA NAGOVITCH Co-chair ALISON ZIMMERMAN Co-chair
VICTOR WU | WSN
CULTURE
‘Black Mirror’ Obscures Women’s Health Care
By PAOLA NAGOVITCH Deputy Opinion Editor “Black Mirror” recently returned on Dec. 29 with a new season. The popular Netflix series is known for its exploration of the intersection between technology and humanity — more specifically focusing on the effect of technology on human activities and relationships. The second episode of the fourth season,
“Arkangel,” chronicles the lives of a single mother, Marie, and her daughter, Sara, in a commentary about helicopter parenting. However, it creates a false narrative about women’s contraception, and consequently has the potential to hinder its access. Out of concern for Sara’s safety, Marie installs a device, called the Arkangel, in Sara’s brain, thus allowing her to track all of Sara’s movements through a tablet. Marie can see what Sara sees, check her health vitals and track her location. When Marie witnesses Sara having unprotected sex, she slips emergency contraception, or EC, into Sara’s smoothie. Sara discovers this when she vomits and ends up at the nurse’s office. The nurse explains to Sara that EC is “emergency contraception for terminating a pregnancy” or in other words, a means to guaranteeing an
abortion. This explanation is an issue because EC is different from abortion pills. Although “Arkangel” primarily focuses on helicopter parenting, the producers wrongly portrayed EC pills as abortion pills. This conflation of EC pills and abortion perpetuates the misconception that family planning resources, such as contraception, are characterized by abortions and further diminishes women’s access to health care. It is crucial to emphasize that EC pills are not abortion pills. EC pills will not interrupt an established pregnancy because they are not effective after implantation. EC pills are preventive pills. Even though it is a fictional show, “Black Mirror” should be conscious of the implications of this conflation during a political period where women’s health care is constantly under at-
tack. Pro-life advocates, including Holly Scheer, refer to this episode as a source to uphold the narrative that emergency contraception pills are the same as abortion pills because they interfere with the progress of fertilization to implantation, even though fertilization has not yet occurred. Referring to conception as the creation of life enables anti-abortion champions to conclude that EC pills are equivalent to abortion pills because it stops implantation after life has already been conceived. Moreover, equating the two pills also contributes to the pro-life belief that any form of contraception is a toll for abortion as opposed to a preventive measure. “Arkangel” plays into a false narrative that equates EC and abortion pills, and the consequences are a misconception that furthers the pro life agenda.
“Black Mirror” needs to be more careful about the implications it has on women’s health care. Women’s access to health care in America is in danger under the administration of President Donald Trump. In 2017, the Trump administration dismantled an Obama administration birth control mandate that granted millions of women access to birth control without a copay. Therefore, shows with a wide platform, such as “Black Mirror,” must be vigilant about their content, whether it’s fictional or not. Overall, women’s reproductive health is a topic that should be treated with more caution to avoid further hindering women’s access to contraception. This article was originally published on Jan. 22, 2018. Email Paola Nagovitch at pnagovitch@nyunews.com
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SPORTS@NYUNEWS.COM
NYUNEWS.COM
SPORTS
Edited by MADDIE HOWARD
Tisch Senior Selected for US Wheelchair Basketball Team By BELA KIRPALANI Deputy Sports Editor When she was five-years-old, Tisch senior Josie Aslakson’s life changed forever. A brutal car accident left her paralyzed from the waist down. Now, years later, Aslakson has been selected to the United States’ Women’s World Championships Wheelchair Basketball team for the second time. She will compete in the 2018 International Wheelchair Basketball Federation Championships in Hamburg, Germany this August. “It’s offered me a whole new perspective on life,” she said. “I don’t think I would see things the way I do now if I wasn’t forced into this position.” Aslakson started playing basketball at age 13. Her father Ted Aslakson explained how she got her start. “There is a facility in Minnesota called the Courage Center, where Josie was actually learning archery,” Mr. Aslakson said. “The basketball team happened to be practicing during one of her archery lessons, and the basketball coach pushed her to try basketball. And one day, she actually decided to give it a go.” She played basketball at Jordan High School before attending the University of Texas at Arlington. “The options for college wheelchair basketball are pretty limited, so I wasn’t
sure if any of the schools that offered it were a match for me,” Aslakson said. “But once I visited UTA and realized that I liked it as a school, I was willing to commit.” Aslakson transferred to Tisch School of the Arts in 2017, where she is currently majoring in Dramatic Writing. “It’s different,” Aslakson said when asked how she continues playing basketball in New York City. “I don’t have a team anymore. But I made sure that I got an apartment close to the YMCA, so that’s really nice.” Every athlete needs a strong support system, and Aslakson is grateful for the support from parents and coaches over the years. “My parents have always been so supportive and have done everything for me, whether it’s taking me to tournaments or practices, or getting me whatever equipment I need,” she said. “And in basketball, each coach I’ve had has been so great, from high school to the national team level.” U.S. Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Coach Trooper Johnson believes Aslakson has all the qualities of an amazing teammate. “Josie does all the dirty work for the team,” Trooper said. “She is always setting picks or steals for her teammates and working to get other people open. Defensively, she anticipates well and
PAUL KIM | WSN
Josie Aslakson practices for the 2018 World Championships for wheelchair basketball.
does not back away from guarding bigger, faster players.” Aslakson has high hopes for her team’s success in Germany this summer, though the journey will be a challenging one. “It’s going to be a tough competition because we have such a young team, and a lot of those European teams who are successful right now will have so much
experience,” she said. “But I really like the chemistry that I’ve seen already in our team during training. I feel like everyone is ready to do whatever it takes to win.” Aslakson continues to inspire many people through her hard work and dedication to the sport of basketball. “Her level of commitment is amazing,” her father said. “The more exposure her story gets, the more likely it
is that it sparks something in another child. For Josie, basketball is about more than just putting a ball in a hoop. It’s about being around kids she could relate to, and becoming more self-confident on and off the court.” This article was originally published on Feb. 20, 2018. Email Bela Kirpalani at bkirpalani@nyunews.com.
Student Athlete’s Charity Fundraises at Division III Week
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By WARNER RADLIFF Deputy Sports Editor CAS senior swimmer Martin Brekke wants to make a splash outside of the pool. For many in athletics, excelling in their respective sport is the central goal of their senior season, aiming for one last chance to shine. For Brekke, his final semester at NYU represents not only personal athletic achievement, but also an opportunity to pursue charitable endeavours as a means to empower children around the world and impact a community that is greater than himself. Since its founding in 2009 by Brekke and his family, the Norwegian non-profit organization Kids Action for Kids has carried out a two-fold mission: finance corrective surgeries for children born with the facial deformities of cleft lip and cleft palate, and empower kids to positively transform the lives of other less fortunate kids. Brekke, who was born in Norway but lived in Thailand for over a decade prior to attending NYU, wanted to give back to the Thai community and found cleft lip and cleft palate to be issues he could address directly. According to KAFK’s medical partner Operation Smile, approximately one in 700 babies in Thailand is born with either a cleft lip or cleft palate. If not corrected at birth, the babies face an onset of breathing, drinking and eating difficulties which often lead to malnutrition and subsequent death. Beyond their life threatening state, what further hit Brekke emotionally was the social marginalization suffered by children with cleft lip and cleft palate. Brekke recalled a story of a nine-year-old boy whose life was transformed from social
A lot of kids want to help out, but since they don’t have their own money, they don’t feel like they can do anything. MARTIN BREKKE
” COURTESY OF MARTIN BREKKE
Martin Brekke at a Kids Action for Kids event.
outcast to gregarious schoolmate after undergoing a KAFK financed surgery. “After the surgery, he said everything changed — he got his life back,” Brekke said. “He loved going to school, he had loads of friends and was now on the soccer team. He loved life. He came back to thank us and it was really emotional just to see that a relatively small amount of money could make that kind of a change.” The relatively small amount of money that made such an impact was $800, which is the approximate amount needed to finance one surgery. These funds were raised by the core of Kids Action for Kid, and the reason behind the name: the kids. “A lot of kids want to help out, but
since they don’t have their own money, they don’t feel like they can do anything,” Brekke said. “We wanted to change that so we started Kids Action for Kids to come up with ways to motivate children to make a change.” The motivation to enable change stems from the altruistic character of the kids who decide to use their limited means to help the disadvantaged kids serviced by KAFK. Knowing that kids are not in a position to make a direct financial donation, Brekke encourages kids to find what they are passionate about and creatively fundraise for it. “What the children get out of it is this empowering feeling of ‘I actually can do
something,’” Brekke said. “Which I think is kind of rare in kids that they really feel that they’ve done something, not just my parents gave me money so I can pass it along. I created something here. So we wanted to make that a big part of it.” Members of the NYU community can also assist Brekke and KAFK in furthering their vision by making a donation during the upcoming DIII Week. Between April 2 and 6, the Student Athlete Advisory Committee will partner with KAFK to fundraise a goal of $6,000 for an approximate 15 corrective surgeries with all funds being matched by the organization’s financial partner, Benchachinda Group. Coordinator of Athletic Training Nikki Webb said this effort is a celebration of the impact the NYU student-athletes make within their communities when removed from their sport. “We have wanted to celebrate and to bring to the spotlight some of the great things our student-athletes do as active members of their academic and civic communities,” Webb said. “Martin’s orga-
nization is just one example of our student-athletes’ achievements.” SAAC President Rayne Ellis added that the partnership between the SAAC and KAFK not only speaks to the impact made by and within the NYU athletic community but also the university’s mission to be a globally influential institution of higher learning. “The thing that’s so important about Martin’s involvement with SAAC is that he’s bringing an international organization to our little community,” Ellis said. “I am going to be able to help fix a baby’s smile thousands of miles away because of someone on the swimming team. This is what NYU means when they say we have a global community.” Those interested in contributing to the cause should visit the campaign called Miles for Smiles GoFundMe page to make a financial contribution of any size. All funds raised will go directly toward KAFK’s 2018 missions in Myanmar and Thailand where 200-240 more lives will be brightened through smiles, in addition to the over 1,100 lives that have already been positively impacted through the work of KAFK. In celebration of his coming graduation, Brekke’s career at NYU will be commemorated for his sublime character as a scholar, athlete and humanitarian. In addition to continuing his work at KAFK, Brekke will use his joint degree in Computer Science and Economics at Google’s European headquarters in Dublin, Ireland. This article was originally published on March 19, 2018. Email Warner Radliff at wradliff@nyunews.com.
Washington Square News | Sports
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Rainey Tops Off Senior Year With Two Championships By WARNER RADLIFF Deputy Sports Editor Ian Rainey capped off his collegiate swimming career in style at the 2018 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III Swimming and Diving National Championships by winning two national titles over a two-day span. With the nation’s top finishes in both the 200-yard and 400-yard individual medley events, the historic feat made Rainey the first national champion in NYU men’s swimming and diving history. As fairytale-esque as the ending may seem, Rainey’s journey to the top of the Division III ranks was far from linear. The SPS senior began his collegiate career at the University of Michigan, where he exercised his first two years of NCAA eligibility at the Division I level. While representing the Wolverines, Rainey found success in the pool with a handful of top 10 finishes and a national championship. Although Rainey said he truly enjoyed his time in Ann Arbor, he decided to transfer out of Michigan because he wouldn’t be able to pursue his passion for real estate. Following his sophomore year, Rainey took a semester off from his studies to find a university that could best integrate his academic and athletic endeavors. After learning about NYU from his brother, who was a first-year at the Stern School of Business at the time, and visiting the campus to meet members of the swimming and diving program, Rainey decided to trade maize and blue for violet and matriculated to NYU in the spring of 2017. “I visited here, I loved the swim team, the coaches were awesome and I could study real estate, which is what I wanted to do,” Rainey said. “So it worked out perfectly, and the balance between academics and athletics was perfect.” In his two seasons as a Violet, Rainey demonstrated athletic excellence by
VIA GONYUATHLETICS.COM
SPS senior Ian Rainey competing for NYU. Rainey recently on two national titles at the NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving National Championships.
setting multiple school records, garnering All-American honors and winning two national championships. Assistant swimming coach Erica Belcher credited Rainey’s success in the pool to his humble character. “Ian is incredibly humble — anyone that knows him or has met him can attest to this,” Belcher said. “Speaking to him, you would never know he has won multiple national titles. This quality has allowed him to never rest on his laurels when it came to his success. Ian won races a lot, but he never settled and always wanted to keep moving forward and keep getting better and this definitely has
driven his success.” Rainey said that the individual acclaim of his national championships pales in comparison to the impact those awards will have on the future of the swimming and diving program. “It’s an amazing opportunity for the team,” Rainey said. “It feels great personally and it was really exciting, but I think it’s even more exciting for the team because it will bring recognition to NYU. I hope other swimmers can see that and know that you don’t have to be in Division I to perform well in swimming or any sport. I think it’s a big opportunity for NYU and the swim program itself.”
When asked about the impact Rainey’s legacy will leave on the program, Head Coach Trevor Miele made it clear that Rainey’s success will set expectations that will elevate the program’s commitment to becoming a top-tier program in the nation. “Ian’s success shows that our swimmers can compete and succeed at the highest level of NCAA competition,” Miele said. “Ian will go down as one of the top athletes in NYU history, and he has set the bar very high for our current and future swimmers.” Teammate and Gallatin sophomore Giorgio DelGrosso said that the under-
classmen are now tasked with stepping up to address Rainey’s departure. “Individuals will either step up to fill in Ian’s absence or an important aspect of depth will fade in competition,” DelGrosso said. “His team records and strong performances at championship meets has only raised our program’s bar of expectations.” In further speaking to the impact of Rainey’s legacy, swim captain and Stern senior Tim Kou added that he believes Rainey’s success will prompt more top transfers and recruits to consider competing at both NYU and at the Division III level at large. “Ian has established a precedent for all swimmers who are hoping to balance a prestigious education with their hopes of athletic success,” Kou said. “I see his success encouraging top-notch transfers and recruits to take a second look at NYU and other top Division III programs for years to come.” Having exercised all four years of his collegiate eligibility, Rainey will step away from competitive swimming for the first time since he began competing at age six after he graduates. His numerous records, championships and athletic honors will be permanently cemented in the history books, and Rainey’s impact on the NYU swimming and diving program will extend far beyond his time as a Violet with current and future generations of swimmers being held to the expectations he set both in and out of the pool as an athlete and teammate. This summer Rainey will work as a property management intern at Related Companies before returning to NYU next school year to complete a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Real Estate and cheer on the Violets from dryland. This article was originally published on April 2, 2018. Email Warner Radliff at wradliff@nyunews.com.
Catching Up With MLB Draftee CJ Picerni By BELA KIRPALANI Deputy Sports Editor
VIA NYU.EDU
C.J. Picerni, the first NYU baseball player selected for the MLB draft in 40 years.
On Sunday, May 8, 2016, the NYU Baseball team lost to Skidmore College 14-12 in their last game of the year. While the team didn’t finish out the season as team captain and now NYU alumus CJ Picerni had hoped, it wasn’t the final strike for Picerni, who would soon be drafted to play for the Washington Nationals. Growing up in Calabasas, California, Picerni started playing baseball at five years old. He attended California Lutheran University for two years before transferring to NYU in 2014, during the first year of NYU’s rebooted baseball program after a 41-year hiatus. Picerni spent the beginning of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft as a sports management intern with the Arizona Diamondbacks. His boss gave him a couple of days off, so Picerni started Saturday, June 11 like any other day until he got the news that every kid who has ever picked up a bat dreams of. “Around one or two o’clock, I was checking Twitter to see if any of my friends got drafted, and all of a sudden, I refresh the page and I see my name pop up with the Nationals,” Picerni said. Picerni was drafted in the 31st round, as the 934th overall pick by the Washington Nationals. “It took me a couple minutes to realize what had happened, and by the time I wrapped my head around it I was getting
phone calls left and right, texts saying congratulations,” Picerni said. Soon after, life started moving quickly for Picerni. “I quit my job with the Diamondbacks and signed my contract with the Nationals on June 20,” Picerni said. Picerni played in the Gulf Coast League his first year, and then on June 12, 2017 he was sent to the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs, a minor league affiliate of the Nationals, where he was the bullpen catcher. On Nov. 6, the Nationals released Picerni from his contract, and just a month later Picerni was hired by the San Francisco Giants, where he is currently bullpen catcher for their Class-A affiliate, San Jose. In his two-year whirlwind, Picerni learned a lot about the ever-changing world of professional baseball. “I just learned to appreciate every single day,” Picerni said. “To remember to count your blessings and realize where you are and how many people would kill to be in the position you’re in. I can gladly say I never took one day for granted. I went about my business and I worked my ass off every single day and to be where I am, and I’m grateful for the Nationals and I’m grateful for the Giants.” As the first NYU baseball player selected in the MLB draft in 40 years, Picerni’s story serves as an inspiration to many. NYU Baseball head coach Doug Kimbler said that Picerni’s journey acts as a motivator for the current team members. “When guys see and read his story,
they believe it is possible,” Coach Kimbler said. “If we keep moving in the right direction and recruit better and better baseball players, I hope a few more of our guys get the opportunity to play professional baseball.” NYU baseball senior Matthew Wells played with Picerni for two years of Wells’ career and said that Picerni always looked to further the group. “CJ was a great baseball player that wanted to improve everyone around him,” Wells said. “He was prepared like no one else and practiced hard. He wasn’t a big guy by any means, and wasn’t a rah-rah leader, but he knew how to get the most out of his own talent, and how to motivate others to do the same.” Wells said that those left from Picerni’s time at NYU still keep in mind the example he set. “Even though most of the guys who played with him are gone, the ones that are left learned so much from him,” Wells said. “He taught us how to practice hard, even the little stuff, and how to prepare for the game, how to make adjustments and move on from each game.” Picerni advised other young athletes to approach every single day with a purpose. “Don’t just go through the motions and assume you’re fine,” Picerni said. “It ends like that. Just keep working hard because you never know what can happen. This article was originally published on March 19, 2018. Email Bela Kirpalani at bkirpalani@nyunews.com.
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