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WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2015 | NYUNEWS.COM
De Blasio creates plan for housing to combat homelessness
By TEGAN MOSUGU JOSEPH Contributing Writer
Facing rising homelessness rates in New York City, Mayor Bill De Blasio announced a $2.6 billion plan to combat the problem on Wednesday. The plan is to create 15,000 supporting housing units in New York City where residents would pay one-third of their income toward rent and have on-site access to a network of professionals who assit them in overcoming the challenges that left them homeless. On Wednesday, the mayor addressed a crowd at Times Square to discuss this city’s independent initiative amidst bureaucracy in Albany, New York.
“We are acting decisively,” De Blasio said. “We are not waiting on Albany.” Currently, $620 billion dollars have already been allocated to the “Housing New York” affordable plan. Capital costs alone account for $1 billion and operational costs are an additional $96 million. The plan is expected to have a positive impact on some of the 58,000 individuals in the city’s shelter system. Deborah K. Padgett, professor of social work and global health at NYU, noted that despite recent efforts to combat rising rates of homelessness, it is still a major issue in the city. “While homelessness rates have gone down in many parts of the
U.S. they have risen in New York and a few other cities,” Padgett said. “In these places, the situation is as visible and troubling as it was in the late 1980s. The big difference today is having a means of ‘ending’ instead of ‘managing’ homelessness.” Public health experts like Simona Kwon, assistant professor at the NYU School of Medicine, are aware that a disparity exists between the health outcomes of the homeless population and those who are not homeless. Kwon said efforts to provide fair and equitable housing like De Blasio’s could have a significant impact on the existing health disparities. She added that there is a critical need for working across the pri-
vate and public sectors. “In terms of sustainability, support and developing acceptable, accessible and appropriate housing, the mayor is going to have to build consensus and work in a coalition in partnership with government, health, private, public sectors and advocacy groups to have the impact needed,” Kwon said. Critics of the mayor’s plan believe De Blasio is too close with the real estate developer community and is ill-informed about economics to realize that developers act in their own interest. Scott Baker, community activist and president of Common Ground, criticized the proposed development strategy because it
will drive up the cost of land in the city. “Developers have become addicted to subsidies in the form of tax breaks and high borrowing costs that can only be alleviated by high selling costs,” Baker said. To combat the problem, Baker suggested a higher tax for developers. “The city would get all the revenues it needs, while developers, newly untaxed on their actual buildings, would rush to build or refurbish every square foot of inefficiently used land, providing housing and business opportunities for everyone,” Baker said. Email Tegan Mosugu Joseph at news@nyunews.com.
CRIME Nov. LOG 14 to 18 By JUSTINE MORRIS Deputy News Editor
STAFF PHOTO BY LILY XING
John Sexton gave an opening speech for the University-wide conversation on issues of race and diversity on campus in the Coles Sports and Recreation Center on Nov. 18.
NYU addresses diversity concerns By LEXI FAUNCE and CHRISTINE WANG Deputy News Editors
After President Sexton and other NYU administrators hosted an extensive talk on diversity last week, many students are pleased to see the university is taking the issue seriously, while some fear the administration has not gone far enough to address concerns. The talk followed campaigns launched by NYU students, including Blackout NYU, to show solidarity with other U.S. colleges addressing diversity concerns. Following the event, President Sexton sent an email to the NYU community addressing the talk and his plans for the problems. “We will start by immediately increasing staffing and doubling program funding for the Center for Multicultural Education and Programs to expand and enhance our programming efforts around issues of diversity and inclusion, and by taking concrete steps in the near term to move forward with one of the proposals raised repeatedly yesterday — a serious diversity training program,” Sexton said. In addition, CAS Dean Gabrielle Starr also sent out an email last Friday commending students on their efforts
to build a more diverse and inclusive NYU. CAS senior and president of the Black Student Union Arielle Andrews said she was pleased with the turnout of the event and hoped it allowed the administration to see how important diversity and inclusion are to students. “I think this is the start of real action,” Andrews said. “The administration is under a microscope right now, and they can’t afford to skirt the issue.” However, not all students found Sexton’s response satisfactory. CAS junior and Chair on the Muslim Student Association board Hina Afridi said Sexton’s email made her wonder whether he was afraid his lack of activism might affect his public reputation. “After reading Sexton’s email, I do find myself a bit dubious of how we’ll be moving forward from this,” Afridi said. “To simply add a committee on diversity and inclusion isn’t enough. It does make me question whether this forum was held as a platform for students to express their concerns on the lack of accommodations that are made for them on this campus or just to show that they actually responded to what’s going on.”
Afridi also discussed the importance of acceptance and inclusion for the Muslim community after the recent events in Paris. “Islamophobia is increasing with every attack that happens,” Afridi said. “When tensions like these are arising, dialogue between the students is imperative. And, I think that the president of the university should be addressing Islamophobia in order to facilitate this conversation.” NYU alumnus and former president of the Cuban American Student Association Carlos Estevez said while the university attracts students from almost every state and an impressive range of countries, having one interesting person from an assortment of places doesn’t make a university diverse. “Diversity was not one of the school’s strong suits when I was a student and sadly the statistics have not changed much,” Estevez said. “It would be far more productive for the university to admit that diversity needs to be addressed, as opposed to boasting their global student body and superior statistics when compared to other schools.” Email them at news@nyunews.com.
The NYU Department of Public Safety received eight reports of larceny, three of controlled substance and one each of public lewdness and theft from motor vehicle between Nov. 14 and Nov. 18.
Public Lewdness On Nov. 17, a staff member in Argo Tea reported that on the Nov. 13 an unidentified man exposed his genitals while in the shop. Public Safety notified NYPD.
Theft from Motor Vehicle On Nov. 17, an NYU family member reported that on Nov. 11 he locked and parked his car on Bleecker Street and discovered his GPS, jumper cables and rain coats missing when he returned to his car on Nov. 12. Police were not notified.
Controlled Substance On Nov. 14 at 11:15 p.m., Public Safety responded to a report of a controlled substance and recovered a small amount of marijuana in Broome Street Residence Hall. On Nov. 15 at 1:40 p.m., Public Safety responded to a report of a controlled substance and recovered some marijuana at Founders Residence Hall. On Nov. 15 at 9:22 p.m., Public Safety responded to a report of a controlled substance and recovered a small amount of marijuana at Rubin Residence Hall.
Larceny On Nov. 15 just before 8 p.m., a student reported that she secured her bike outside of Shimkin Hall at 2 p.m. and discovered her bike missing with the lock on the railing when she re-
turned at 7:30 p.m. Police were not notified. On Nov. 16, a student reported that at 6:30 a.m. she left her laptop on top of a study desk in Bobst Library while she slept on a nearby couch. When she returned to the desk at 7:15 a.m., she discovered it missing. A report was filed with the NYPD. On Nov. 16, a student reported at 8 a.m. that he had left his wallet unattended in Bobst Library at 7 a.m. and found it missing when he returned to the desk. NYPD was not notified. On Nov. 16, a student reported at a 6:30 p.m. that he had left his backpack unattended at 5:20 p.m. in Bobst and discovered it missing when he returned half an hour later. NYPD was notified. On Nov. 16, a student reported he left his backpack with his laptop in it unattended in Bobst Library at 11:15 p.m. and discovered his backpack open with his laptop missing when he returned five minutes later. A police report was filed. On Nov. 18 in the Waverly Building, a vending machine employee reported he discovered the cash side door in a vending machine open with an unknown amount of money missing. Police were not notified. On Nov. 18 a patient in the Kriser Dental Center reported that she left her purse in an exam room at 9:15 a.m. while she got X-rays. Upon returning to the room at the end of the exam, her wallet was missing from her purse. A report was filed with police. On Nov. 18 a student in the Dental Center reported that on Nov. 11 at noon he left dental instruments in the 11th floor Bench Lab and discovered them missing when he returned for them the following night. Police were not notified. Email Justine Morris at jmorris@nyunews.com.
White Student Union forms
NYUNEWS.COM | MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2015 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS
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By ALEX BAZELEY News Editor
STAFF PHOTO BY JAKE QUAN
NYU joins 200+ American colleges and universities in support of sustainable actions both local and international.
NYU signs pledge to slow climate change By GRETA CHEVANCE Staff Writer
The White House announced last week that over 200 universities, including NYU, signed the American Campuses Act on Climate Pledge to show their commitment to climate action. The pledge is directed toward world leaders who will attend the Conference of Parties 21 Summit, also referred to as the 2015 Paris Climate Conference, which will be held in Paris from Nov. 30 to Dec. 11. The COP Summit is representative of United Nations climate change negotiations. The summit hopes to formulate a legal agreement on climate maintenance, ideally keeping global warming below 2 degrees Celsius per year. Dianne Anderson, interim director of the NYU Office of Sustainability, said the pledge represents the awareness that NYU has regarding sustainability and climate action. “The White House pledge is an important public recognition of the initiatives universities are pioneering,” Anderson said. “The schools that pledged serve as models for replicable climate action and continuous commitment to combat climate change.” The universities participating in the pledge have also invested in sustainability initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as well as integrating environmental activism into the academic curriculum. Many of the participating schools, including Columbia University and all of the University of California schools, hope to one day be carbon neutral. “NYU was an early adopter of commitment to reduce emissions, but it doesn’t stop there,” Anderson said. “We continue to push to do more and set even more ambitious goals once our targets are reached.” NYU has made changes in energy efficiency through efforts such as the Co-Gen Plant, NYU Sustainable Landscaping and NYU Green Grants, which provides funding for campus sustainability efforts. There are also many student-
run organizations on campus which help to promote environmental awareness including NYU Divest, Earth Matters and Green Arch. Energy and Sustainability Specialist at NYU Langone Medical Center Jenna Agins said while the hospital operates separately from the rest of the university, it has also invested in ecological practices to create a sustainable environment. “We do have a 50 percent carbon reduction goal as part of our participation in the New York City Carbon Challenge for Hospitals,” Agins said. “We also participate in the [American Society for Healthcare Engineering] Energy to Care program as well as the [Environmental Protection Agency] National Building Competition.” CAS Senior and NYU Divest member Lila Carpenter said while NYU has engaged in various energy efficiency efforts, they have yet to recognize the source of climate change, namely, the fossil fuel industry and the use of fossil fuelss instead of alternative energies. “NYU has $139 million dollars invested in coal, oil and gas, and is therefore profiting off of the harmful effects of climate change,” Carpenter said. “NYU Divest sees the signing of this pledge while simultaneously retaining investments in the very things the conference is attempting to fight as highly hypocritical.” Carpenter questioned whether NYU administrators and board members really hope for strong action on climate change among the university. “We need to ask ourselves whether this is just a publicity stunt since NYU itself has yet to take meaningful action on climate change,” Carpenter said. “We need to continue to put pressure on the university and the board of trustees to do what is morally right by divesting from the fossil fuel industry and sending a message to other institutions around the world to do the same.” Email Greta Chevance at news@nyunews.com.
Increased discussion of diversity at NYU has seen various reactions in recent days, but a new development has sparked controversy and anger among the student body — the appearance of an NYU White Student Union page on Facebook. The page, which seems to have been created late Friday night and has 214 likes as of publication, defines itself as a safe space for NYU students of European descent and already has several posts. “European-American students on college campuses face unique and immediate challenges that are ignored or even actively denied in today’s cultural climate,” the page’s description reads. One post, which grabbed the attention of many commenters, questioned whether the term “diversity” in itself might be racist toward white people. Another said the group has received multiple threatening messages since the page’s creation. The creator of the page, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to safety concerns, said it’s hard to differentiate between the serious threats and those who are simply trolling. The creator acknowledged that exposure would jeopardize future employment opportunities, but emphasized the need for a space to facilitate discussion. “For now we need to have
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The creation of the NYU White Student Union Facebook page has sparked debate on whether “a community for NYU students of European descent” should exist. a safe private online space to begin this conversation,” they said. Despite the majority of students denouncing the page, the group has attracted a few who defend it. CAS sophomore Shreesham Mukherjee said he thinks backlash against the group is unjustified and the group has a right to exist so long as it doesn’t infringe upon the rights of others. “I believe the whole notion of a safe space, which is what this argument seems to be spawning from, is hypocritical,” Mukherjee said. “To me it seems fairly obvious that each and every person has the same right, and if students of a particular ethnicity can form a group, they need to understand that students of other ethnicities can as well.” It’s not the first page lof its kind to pop up — White Student Union groups have materialized at universities across the country like UC Berkeley, University of Illinois and University of Missouri. Illinois’ already has more than 2,000 likes, while Berkeley’s has more than 700. Tisch freshman Rae Jordan said she thinks the group stems from white people feeling like
they need a sense of community akin to the ones that people of color have, such as the Black Students Union. “They try to paint a picture of these stereotypically evil minorities, but refuse to speak once these stereotypes are broken,” Jordan said. “I believe that the NYU White Student Union formed as a result of white students feeling taken from the spotlight after people of color have started rising up.” She added that she feels the group needs to be taken seriously, rather than simply being dismissed as satire. CAS junior Budd Johnson said he initially thought the page was a joke, but now thinks it intends to do harm after looking through it more. However, he says he can’t tell if it’s unfortunate or purposeful that the page came about after a week of diversity talks on campus. “The page lets us know that there’s work that needs to be done at NYU in terms of understanding of diversity and inclusion,” Johnson said. Email Alex Bazeley at abazeley@nyunews.com.
Public Safety faces ISIS threats By MOMACHI PABRAI Contributing Writer
After recent threats from the Islamic State, NYU Public Safety, NYU Public Affairs and the New York Police Department are taking extra precautions to keep students and New York City residents safe. After the violent attacks in Paris, Beirut and Baghdad, the security of NYU students and faculty residing in the threatened New York area has become a top priority for the university. In addition to an increased police presence around campus and near Times Square, Public Safety has been tracking NYPD updates from both the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Vice President of Public Safety Randy Stephan said in an email to the student body that even though the depart-
ment has taken numerous steps in the past few days to ensure safety, students should be taking precautions as well. “We encourage everyone in our community to be aware of your surroundings and to alert public safety or law enforcement if you see any suspicious activity,” Stephan said. “Please monitor local news and follow any city or University advisories.” Public Safety has shifted its focus to students residing near Times Square after ISIS released its video threat on Wednesday. NYPD’s presence has increased in Times Square and Herald Square, because these New York City landmarks have been referenced in the released video. At a late-night news conference at Times Square on Wednesday, Mayor Bill de Blasio said that residents should not be alarmed by the threat. “There is no credible and specific threat against New
York City,” De Blasio said. “We understand it is the goal of terrorists to intimidate and disrupt our democratic society. We will not submit to their wishes.” Students studying abroad at NYU Paris expressed concerns for students residing near Times Square, especially in the Affinia Hotel. However, LS freshman Jordan Veitinger added that Public Safety is doing the best they can in staying accountable for those in NYU Paris. He said he feels students should remain calm during this time and not give into the fears that some radical groups are trying to perpetrate. “I can’t help but feel nervous for New York,” Veitinger said. “But the terrifying attacks going on around the world — we have to live our lives, not our fears.” Email Momachi Pabrai at news@nyunews.com.
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WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2015 | NYUNEWS.COM
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Film looks at trans women in the 1920s By NATALIE WHALEN Staff Writer
“The Danish Girl” is not without its flaws, yet it remains important in its discussion of controversial LGBTQ issues. Acclaimed director of “The King’s Speech” and “Les Misérables,” Tom Hooper’s new film, “The Danish Girl,” stars Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander as famed couple Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener. Lili, born as Einar Wegener, discovers her true gender identity after posing as a female figure for Gerda’s painting. Lili begins to navigate her life and marriage as one of the first documented transgender women. One of the film’s triumphs is its use of politically correct dialogue in a time when no discourse on the topic existed. The story is of such great historical significance that it is almost surprising that this story has not been told through film before until one remembers how stigmatized the transgender community has been. 2015 has been a remarkable year in the way of progress for the LGBTQ community with Caitlyn Jenner’s coming out and the legalization of gay marriage; it’s a fitting year for “The Danish Girl”s release. The film is a landmark for a continually growing conversation
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Alicia Vikander and Eddie Redmayne star in “The Danish Girl.” on gender within our increasingly open-minded society. Initially, many advocates for the transgender community called the film problematic in its casting of a cisgender male (Redmayne) as Lili over a transgender actor. After viewing the film, however, Redmayne is a fitting choice for the role. The Oscar-winner is absolutely remarkable in his transformation from Einar to Lili; we see Redmayne slowly develop Lili’s mannerisms and almost magically undergo the physical transformation from Einar to Lili. Eddie’s status as a cis male is also necessary in certain scenes of the film depicting his character’s self-loathing male characteristics. Vikander also stands out as Gerda, a character who is complexly dealing with her husband’s transformation. The film is loosely based on the novelization of Lili and Gerda’s story, which does take away from some of the believability of their relationship in the film. Their relationship is sometimes confusing and unconvincing, which takes away from the audience’s emotional connection. At the beginning, the film establishes Lili and Einar as
an intensely romantic couple hoping for a family. However, as the story unfolds, the passionate love between Gerda and her husband quickly dissolves. While the strain on their relationship is understandable, the quick diffusion of their physical romance is not. Lili tells Gerda how much she still loves her — and this is apparent through their companionship for one another — yet we do not see any physical or romantic connection. Lili and Gerda neglect to have an honest conversation about the state of their relationship throughout the film, making us feel as if something is missing. Despite some flaws in the writing, Tom Hooper’s direction is incredibly visceral and skillful in “The Danish Girl,” allowing for an effortless drift through an emotionally tumultuous plotline, making the film generally consistent, despite some slow parts. “The Danish Girl” opens in New York on Nov. 27 and nationwide in December. Email Natalie Whalen at film@nyunews.com.
Student’s play questions hazing By JOSEPH MYERS Theater/Books Editor NYU Tisch sophomore Jake Rosenberg questions the practice of fraternity hazing, privilege and perception of masculinity in his new play “Brothers.” In light of the startling number of hazing-related deaths, “Brothers” explores the centuries-old practice of hazing and its connotations of masculinity and power. This one-act play is set in a college dorm at the fictitious Faber University, a subtle nod to the cult classic “Animal House.” “Brothers” follows roommates John (Theo Iyer), a student from a wealthy family with a long legacy in Greek life who himself is rushing a fraternity, and Joe (Nathan Simpson), a student who served in the military and was not accepted into a fraternity. The story begins with John asking Joe to let him record a video of Joe being spanked with a paddle as part of an initiation scavenger hunt. Joe refuses, which sparks a critical conversation between them about hazing practices, masculinity, privilege and acceptance. This conversation turns volatile and violent, which
provides a shocking commentary on expected masculinity imposed by society and what that means for both men. The topic of masculinity is everpresent in the play and is analyzed in great detail, alluding to the fact that John and Joe feel the need to participate in a fraternity or a similar group to feel truly masculine. Because of the masculinity associated with fraternities, heteronormativity, overt pride and a fear of showing emotion is instilled in the minds of young men. The impeccable acting, stage direction (Sophia Cannata-Bowman), combat choreography (Mary St. Angelo) and beautifully blunt writing all work flawlessly together to create a truly chilling show. It is uncomfortable, frightening and disturbing for all the right reasons. The horrifyingly wellchoreographed fight sequences are physically uncomfortable to watch and the ever-present hiding of true emotions speak a shocking truth about institutionalized masculinity and the dangers of hazing. In addition to its debut at the Manhattan Repertory Theatre in New York, “Brothers” simultaneously premiered at Tulane Univer-
sity, which has a large Greek life population. Rosenberg hopes to see his play performed over many more college campuses to both spark a discussion about hazing and force people to be more conscious of these cultural practices. “It is supposed to be shocking, disturbing,” Rosenberg said. “Not because it is violent or because of the swearing but because it presents the truth — emotional truth.” Rosenberg’s shockingly honest, but very conversational style of writing, combined with the play’s authentic direction made it clear that frat hazing isn’t a highly dramatized or unique occurrence, but a very common, ongoing practice in universities across the United States. “[‘Brothers’] doesn’t tip-toe around the issue,” Rosenberg said. “I want to be upfront about it. It isn’t about calling people out, it’s no grand conspiracy — but there is too much evidence to ignore.” “Brothers” just finished its run at the Manhattan Repertory Theatre, but it is just the beginning for this play. Email Joseph Myers at jmyers@nyunews.com.
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All episodes of Marvel’s new Netflix original, “Jessica Jones” became available on Friday,.
Marvel’s ‘Jessica Jones’ is new superhero kind By CECE CHARENDOFF Staff Writer
Netflix released the second installment in their series of Marvel shows on Friday with “Jessica Jones.” This show, following the success of last year’s “Daredevil,” was heavily anticipated by longtime Marvel fans, and is part of a larger arc of Marvel content on Netflix. The show, based on the comic books of the same name, tells the story of a Posttraumatic Stress Disorder-ridden former superhero who now uses her super strength as a private investigator rather than as a public servant. Krysten Ritter plays the titular character without the usual bravado of a superhero. Jessica is sarcastic, angry, and above all, broken. Jessica is recovering from abuse and attempting to work through her PTSD, shown brilliantly through stylized flashbacks. It is clear from the beginning that cookie cutter superhero missions aren’t what the show is going for; Jessica is more anti-hero than anything else. For instance, she makes her living primarily investigating people suspected of having affairs and she’s a borderline alcoholic. It’s at the heavier end of the spectrum for a superhero show, and it could very easily have turned too dramatic and ambitious. However, Ritter carries the show with ease. Her worries, pain and obsessions come off as natural and nuanced rather than forced. The show’s biggest strength as a show is that it is truly a detective noir specifically for adults. The show goes dark and deep, covering rape, emotional abuse and violence, topics that Marvel previously shied away from in their blockbusters “The Avengers” and “Spiderman.” However,
the “Jessica Jones” comic books, which ran from 20012004, are just as dark as the Netflix series. For example, Jessica commits cold-blooded murder, which is shown in its entirety onscreen and in the comics. Villain Kilgrave (David Tennant) has the power to control the actions of others and uses it for truly disturbing ends. It doesn’t take long for the show to display the span of Kilgrave’s powers and how truly terrifying they can be. The show doesn’t stop itself from pushing into darkness, and because of that it is able to explore consequences of superpowers and the harm they could do if put in evil — and creative — hands. The direction is clever, especially in prolonging the suspenseful moments of the show. The use of extended flashbacks expand by episode and are used to show how Jessica’s story intertwines with Kilgrave. This story-telling structure is one of the show’s biggest strenghts. It shows the audience the nature of the event without giving away the entire backstory, and maintains suspense while still providing reasonable motivation for the characters. “Jessica Jones” is a smart, well-done detective noir that also happens to be a superhero narrative. It’s the superhero show for people who don’t like superheroes, or at least who can’t stomach the cheesy tone of an “Avengers” movie. In “Jessica Jones,” it’s not so much about saving the day, but saving others from the world of pain and trauma Jessica finds herself in. And because of that, the show can afford to look deeper, be darker and go to places that need 13 episodes to explore. Email Cece Charendoff at entertainment@nyunews.com.
NYUNEWS.COM | MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2015 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS
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‘25’ proves Adele is here to stay By JAKE VISWANATH Contributing Writer
Adele’s comforting, soulful voice and heartwrenching ballads captured the world’s attention and tears in 2011 when her sophomore album “21” became one of the best-selling albums of all time, spawning three massive numberone singles and winning seven Grammy awards. Following the massive success of “21,” Adele took an extended hiatus, during which she became a mother and largely isolated herself from the public, causing huge speculation about her next move. This October, she dropped another bomb in the form of “Hello,” the perfectly titled comeback single that inspired endless viral jokes without losing any of the emotional gravitas of her previous work. It debuted at the top of the charts, building further anticipation for her new album “25,” which was released on Friday. With the release of “25,” Adele shows more musical progression than ever, taking cues from con-
temporary artists and genres. The sprawling “I Miss You” is reminiscent of Beyoncé’s “Haunted,” with its affecting piano and pounding military drums. The Max Martinproduced “Send My Love (To Your New Lover)” evokes flashbacks of Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble,” sans the faux dubstep drops. The soft disco synths and subtle grooves of “Water Under the Bridge” signals a further change of sound for Adele in the future. Of course, this is Adele we are talking about, so she does not veer far from her signature bombastic ballads, which, while mostly successful, sometimes fall flat. The atmospheric “River Lea” adds a hypnotizing element to her classic style, while the Ryan Tedderproduced “Remedy” sounds like an uninspired retread of her previous material. Adele provides more of her unifying lyrics about heartbreak and despair through the entire album, rarely deviating from her perpetual state of reflection. “All I Ask,” co-written by Bruno Mars, plays as the spiritual successor to
“Someone Like You,” but deals with the heartache of losing someone rather than the recovery, containing devastating lyrics like “It matters how this ends, cause what if I never love again?” She only changes the tone of the album for its closer, “Sweetest Devotion,” which is a sweet and faithful ode to her son, Angelo. A theme that seems to recur in “25” is yearning for her past, something that “Hello” hints at. “Let me photograph you in this light in case it is the last time / That we might be exactly like we were,” Adele sings on “When We Were Young,” a soaring choir-assisted ballad that looks primed to be her next worldconquering single. The sparsely arranged acoustics on “Million Years Ago” allows her voice and lyrics to take center stage as she belts, “Life was a party to be thrown, but that was a million years ago.” Adele, much like P!nk, rarely changes her sound, but betters her craft with each album. The more sonically interesting soundscapes paired with her soothing emotive vocals and dramatic flair make “25” her best work yet, easily
Whitney exhibit lacks quality
Four years after the release of her critically acclaimed album “21,” Adele’s highly anticipated album, “25,” released on Friday. outshining the Motown-inspired soul jams of her previous albums. Whether or not Adele is brave enough to make a radical reinvention, the album shows enough pro-
gression to anticipate the further growth of her sound.” Email Jake Viswanath at music@nyunews.com.
Film screening sparks discussion of sexism By ANUBHUTI KUMAR Staff Writer
By TONY SCHWAB Staff Writer
The Whitney Museum of American Art debuted “Collected by Thea Westreich Wagner and Ethan Wagner,” an enormous gallery of over 800 works since the 1950s, on Friday. Despite a handful of standouts, they overshadowed by the overwhelming amount of work that does not have enough craft or insight to justify inclusion in any serious museum’s collection. The exhibit is most striking when walked through, without pause for observation. The pure expansiveness of the exhibit’s diversity is impressive, with each room seemingly full of strikingly different work. The problems with the gallery become apparent only when each work is observed individually. Abstract paintings suffer most from individual observation. Aside from a few Christopher Wool paintings that experiment with texture in an interesting way and a large Laura Owens painting that makes good use of an Easter color palette, there are very few pieces that leave a lasting impression. One room is devoted to what the museum calls European Industrial Art and is filled with displays that look more like wallpaper than con-
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“The Dealers” is a collection of 20 portraits of wellknown gallerists. ventional paintings. Much of the work in the gallery aims to comment on modern media and popular culture. One work by Jeff Koons recreates a rum advertisement, and several works by Richard Prince take aim at the Marlboro man. There are two basic flaws with this setup. One is that the paintings, as a collection, are not very clever as satire, with a tendency toward obvious jokes. Another is the satire comes off as hypocritical because of how it glamorizes the commercial culture that it claims to object to. This reflects the gallery’s ability to function only from cursory glances, due to the difficulty in balancing a coherent theme throughout the 800 works. Some pieces stand out for their shock value. Photographs by Phillip Lorca-Dicorcia show male prostitutes staring vaguely into the distance. One by Larry Clarke, most well known for his film “Kids,” shows a man receiving oral sex. In this and much of the rest of the photography a need to appear dar-
ing covers up a lack of compositional talent. There are a handful of worthwhile things on display. The best is a small photograph by Diane Arbus, “Puerto Rican Woman With Beauty Mark.” Arbus captures the fierceness and the strength of the woman with a straight-forwardness that is very rare in the exhibit. Some photographs of life in the west by Robert Adams are very enjoyable. Philippe Parreno and Rikrit Tiravanija have a collection of dolls made to resemble themselves and some of their friends that is very striking and funny. The overall impression of the exhibit is that of a bloated spectacle. The exhibit is an example of the Whitney’s bend to pressure of drawing in large crowds with large exhibits, rather than curating thoughtful ones. The curation by Thea Westreich Wagner and Ethan Wagner runs until March 6, 2016. Email Tony Schwab at entertainment@nyunews.com.
Time and time again, people of all races, genders and minorities have fought to exercise control over their futures. “Suffragette,” a 2015 film directed by Sarah Gavron, tells the story of one such battle. Starring Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter and Meryl Streep, the movie details the fight of British women in the early 20th century to secure the right to vote. It was a long road that took decades of self sacrifice and was not won until 1928. NYU’s Fusion Film Festival, which celebrates women in filmmaking, held a screening of this film on Thursday in the Cantor Film Center. The screening was followed by a panel moderated by Tisch assistant professor Janet Grillo. The panel included leading feminists in the industry including Shelby Knox, Adetoro Makind, Lydia Dean Pilcher and Rachel Watanabe-Batton. While discussing the lack of female perspectives in Hollywood, they also commended the changing landscape, citing movies such Amy Schumer’s summer blockbuster “Trainwreck.” “As a producer, the thing that I come up against all the time is certain narratives about women’s movies, and I have heard over and over again that the audience is too small or that women don’t go the movies,” Pilcher said. To battle these invalid stereotypes, Pilcher’s organization, the Women’s Impact Network in the Producers
Guild of America, put together a toolkit that uses big data to prove that it is not only right, but also profitable to market to women and present their real, authentic stories and dreams. Shelby Knox presented another eye opening perspective on the women’s rights movement in the modern day. “The biggest danger to my generation is that we have been fed the lie that the revolution has already been won and that we are already pretty much equal and that we can do anything,” Knox said. “That makes us fearful, that makes us think that we are crazy and we are alone when we hit a barrier. That scares me for our generation.” The women’s rights movement has had many different dimensions, focusing not only on gender equality, but on equality across minorities and sexual orientation as well. “Every other group but white men, everyone else is other,” said Batton. “Part of that framing of the world, that is problematic to begin with.” Although the suffragettes won their specific fight almost a century ago, it was a step toward empowerment over their lives that is still relevant today. Women still fight for equality today, and as these professionals pointed out, these rights cannot take a back seat. “Suffragette” is currently showing in the Sunshine Cinema and other nearby theaters. Email Anubhuti Kumar at film@nyunews.com.
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WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2015 | NYUNEWS.COM
FEATURES
EDITED BY NINA JANG FEATURES@NYUNEWS.COM
Student takes on Fox News with videos
Judy Blume talks NYU in the ’50s, latest novel
By PATRICK PAULEY Staff Writer
By AICHA FALL Contributing Writer
NYU is known for its alumni, but not many know that famed author Judy Blume is a graduate of the Steinhardt class of 1961. WSN spoke to Blume about her fondest moments at NYU and the difference between being a writer then and now.
WSN: What were some of your favorite places on campus? JB: I ate the same thing every single night at The Cookery on Eighth Street, which was chopped steak, potatoes, vegetables, a salad and a huge slice of chocolate cake and a tall glass of milk for under two dollars. We’re talking about the ’50s. I remember sitting in the Washington Square Park fountain. We dressed in black turtlenecks and green corduroy pants, and sang folk songs and hung out with the Bohemian people. We little NYU college girls loved to pretend that we were really boho.
WSN: Is there anything you wish you did before you graduated that you didn’t get to do? JB: I would get more of a liberal arts education. I think that’s really important. If you don’t do it then, when do you do it? I would read great books. I know that teacher training is completely different now, and getting an education for
COURTESY OF JUDY BLUME
Judy Blume speaks about her success as a writer following her time as a Steinhardt student at NYU. the teacher is just as important as teaching you to teach. The better the education is of the person who is going to teach in the classroom, the better off the kids are.
WSN: What would you say is your biggest accomplishment to date? JB: It’s being a writer. It has brought me an audience that tells me that my books have touched their lives and changed their lives and there can’t be anything sweeter than that.
WSN: How did you enjoy the tour for your latest book, “In The Unlikely Event”? JB: Thank god I’m done with the tour — 32 cities. My husband went with me and I am so burned out and I am so done. It was a wonderful experience, but I’m never going out on the road like that again, and I don’t think I’ll ever write another novel that takes five years to write.
WSN: What advice do you have to offer to the authors of this generation? JB: Again, everything is different today. A lot of people get a Master of Science in administration and then teach while they’re writing — I had never heard of such a thing back then. Today you pretty much have to have an agent to go out into the marketplace. When I was starting out, you could just send your stuff in and it would go into the slush pile. I don’t know that editors have the time to do that today, the time to nurture the way my editor nurtured my writing and me, but it’s different. You write because you have to, because it’s inside you and it has to come out. It’s there or it’s not there. And if it’s not there, it’s not going to ever be there. But today, it being there isn’t enough and you have to find a way to get it out there into the world if that’s what you want. Email Aicha Fall at features@nyunews.com.
After a YouTube video titled “Leggings ain’t pants PSA” went viral at the end of October, Fox News Channel’s talk show “Fox & Friends” voiced its own opinion on the subject of women wearing leggings. In response, Gallatin sophomore Addie Weyrich launched a satirical video series on Oct. 28 to undermine the segment. Weyrich first came across the Fox & Friends segment on Facebook, which then led her to watch the Jamie Higdon Randolph’s original video. In response to Randolph’s video, a Fox & Friends segment with a panel of three men evaluated three women wearing leggings on how appropriate they believed the outfits to be. The panelists were three fathers who shared if they would would be comfortable with their daughters wearing the outfits that were modeled. “Every single person in this world has an opinion, but the men validated Randolph’s,” Weyrich said. “By giving it airtime, they validated her opinion, and they used it almost in the sense of ‘here’s a woman telling women what they can’t wear so we also get to slide in here and tell women what they can’t wear.’” Passionate about comedy, Weyrich has been performing improv for years and contin-
ues to train with Upright Citizens Brigade. At NYU, Weyrich is studying comedy in TV and film and how comedy can be used as a tool to promote social change for promoting social change and positive well-being. Her background, as well as suggestions by others, encouraged Weyrich to create the videos. In each video, Weyrich portrays the satirical character of a woman who is worried about her outfit. She asks Fox & Friends if her outfit is appropriate. Through these videos, Weyrich is not telling people what to do but is instead calling attention to the question posed by Fox & Friends. “Leggings are not pants, they are leggings,” Weyrich said. “If they were, they would be called pants. Skirts are not pants. If they were pants, they would be called pants. Can I wear pants whenever? Yes. Can I wear skirts whenever? Yes. Can I wear leggings whenever? Yes.” Although Weyrich has garnered attention with her videos, she has yet to receive a response from Fox. Until then, Weyrich will continue to post daily videos. “Each video itself is not very special,” said Weyrich. “It has the same joke, I play the same character, but the video itself is not that special. It’s the persistence of it.” Email Patrick Pauley at features@nyunews.com.
Three sunglass styles to keep you stylish this winter By ADRYAN SON Staff Writer
Glasses are arguably one of the most essential wardrobe items. Regardless of your facial shape, there is always a pair that fits just right. There are styles that pair well with casual looks, and for more formal events, there are simple and clean designs that can add a sophisticated finishing touch. The most ideal way to stay stylish is to invest in both a trendy pair and a timeless design that will never go out of style.
Round Frames Inspired by John Lennon’s iconic circular glasses, this style has made a comeback this season. A plethora of celebrities like Emily Ratajkowski, Robert Downey Jr. and Kendall Jenner have been spotted wearing the geometric lenses. Céline, Cha-
nel and Moscot adopted the style and redefined it in their own unique ways this season as well. Depending on how you wear them, these round frames can make a sophisticated and polished look more casual and relaxed. You can find round sunglasses at ASOS for $22 and FREYRS for $39.95.
The Classic Ray Ban’s Wayfarer glasses are a timeless piece. Dating all the way back to the ‘50s, Wayfarers have been worn by countless celebrities, from James Dean to Tom Cruise and Pharrell Williams. Even today, fashionistas still enjoy wearing them. These are also the easiest glasses to pair with your outfits. Depending on which color you choose, Wayfarers can be worn with a casual bomber jacket or jeans in different washes or colors of denim or with a suit and tie
to work and formal events. Ray Ban still sells the original Wayfarers for $150. ASOS also offers their own versions in multiple shapes and colors at various prices, including the 0RB4165 for $107 and the Wayfarer Fleck for $88. A pair of glasses not only can be the perfect accessory, but it can also protect your eyes in the winter. Your eyes can easily be damaged by the polluted, dusty city air or dried out by the cold wind. Even if you have perfect vision, don’t hesitate to wear non-prescription glasses.
or for a cheaper alternative, try ASOS’s reclaimed vintage model for $36. There is a pair for every face shape and personal preference. Visit Warby Parker’s virtual booth online
for models like the Coley and the Chamberlain in crystal ($95) as well. Email Adryan Son at bstyle@nyunews.com.
The Clear Lens The most common style features a bold, geometric frame today. These frames come in all shapes, including round and square shapes, with a variety of thicknesses. Various designer pairs can be found at Eyegoodies and Retrosuperfuture,
VIA WIKIMEDIA.ORG
Ray Ban’s Wayfarer is a classic shape that pairs well with both casual and formal looks.
NYUNEWS.COM | MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2015 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS
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DINING
EDITED BY KENDALL LEVISON DINING@NYUNEWS.COM
5 Thanksgiving snacks near campus By TAYLOR NICOLE ROGERS Staff Writer
New York Burger Company’s Thanksgiving Turkey Burger
Thanksgiving — and NYU’s Thanksgiving Recess — are just days away. Those who cannot bear to wait might not be able to get out class any sooner, but you can enjoy the tastes of the holiday now at these local restaurants.
New York Burger Company’s Thanksgiving burger is ideal for those looking for a taste of home with a twist. Only $9.79, this year’s version of the restaurant’s annual treat features a freshly ground turkey patty topped with maple sweet potato mash and cranberry orange chutney. The Thanksgiving turkey burger will only be available until Dec. 3.
Momofuku Milk Bar’s Thanksgiving Croissant The bakery well loved by NYU students and New York City residents alike has brought its popular Thanksgiving croissant back once again. The innovative treat consists of a homemade, stuffing-flavored croissant filled with turkey, gravy and cranberry sauce. The croissant costs $7, but the option to upgrade for $3 to a meal with a side and drink is the perfect way to squeeze some holiday spirit into even the busiest of schedules. The Thanksgiving croissant will be available until the end of November.
White Castle’s Thanksgiving Sliders At only $1.69 each, White Castle’s Thanksgiving sliders are a fantastic way to experience Thanksgiving on a budget. The miniature sandwich chain has unveiled three Thanksgiving combinations this season: the Bistro Turkey Slider, a turkey burger accented with tangy bistro sauce; the Turkey Dinner Slider, a turkey burger topped with sweet potato waffle fries and cranberry
sauce; and the Cranberry Turkey Slider, a turkey burger with cranberry sauce. Although it has not been announced exactly how long the sliders will be on the menu — they are advertised as “for a limited time only” — you should hurry in now to get one before they are gone.
Carve’s Thanksgiving on a Roll Sandwich With free delivery until 4 a.m., Carve offers a casual Thanksgiving experience from the comfort of your own dorm room. Their Thanksgiving on a Roll Sandwich is a classic combination of holiday favorites. The $9 sandwich has rotisserie turkey, apple stuffing and Carve’s special cranberry mayonnaise on a ciabatta roll. The sandwich is available year round.
Starbucks’ Holiday Turkey & Stuffing Panini Starbucks’ Thanksgiving themed sandwich would make a festive
STAFF PHOTO BY DANIKA LAM
Grab a Starbucks holiday Turkey & Stuffing panini for some Thanksgiving comfort food on the go. complement to your next drink from the chain’s holiday menu. The panini features sliced turkey breast topped with cranberry herb stuffing and gravy all toasted on foccacia bread. Although the chain has not released an official
date for when the panini will leave stores, it is assumed that it will disappear along with the red cups in the new year. Email Taylor Nicole Rogers at dining@nyu.edu.
‘Eight Glass of Water’ rule is challenged By ANKITA BHANOT Staff Writer
“Drink eight glasses of water a day” has become the common rule of thumb for a healthy lifestyle, but this notion has recently been challenged. While some stand by this age-old rule as the key to proper nutrition, others argue that it depends on factors like daily exercise and weight. This rule seems to be widely believed, but there isn’t any clear science behind it. One possible origin of the myth is the 1945 Food and Nutrition Board recommendation that people need to drink two and a half liters of water per day, which translates to about eight glasses. LS freshman Erica Loh said while she sees the benefits of drinking a regular amount of water each day, she is not sure the rule of eight glasses applies to everyone “I like to think that my skin is clearer because I drink a lot of water,” Loh said. “I don’t think drinking eight glasses of water daily is a myth but I think some people need more or less depending on how much physical activity they do in a day.” Some experts like Joseph Mosher, Athletic Trainer and Head Strength and Conditioning Coach in the NYU Athletics Department, argue you could drink eight glasses of water and still not be drinking enough.
“Your body needs water to survive,” Mosher said. “It needs a lot of cellular function, temperature regulation and waste removal,” Mosher said. “Not drinking enough leads to a lot of problems on a lot of levels. I think that most people are chronically dehydrated so they should all be pushing water throughout the day.” Mosher recommends that students drink the same number of ounces of water every day as their body weight. So if you’re 140 pounds, you’d drink 140 ounces — about seven refills of an average water bottle. Andrea Deierlein, an Assistant Professor for public health nutrition in the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development, thinks the eight glasses myth persists because it’s an easy number to remember. Instead of counting glasses, Deierlein encourages students to trust their own judgement. “Our bodies are constantly losing water through respiration, sweating and urine; therefore, it needs to be replenished,” Deierlein said. “Drinking an appropriate amount of water everyday, in accordance with our thirst, keeps the body adequately hydrated and optimally functioning. A good rule of thumb is let your thirst guide you.” Email Ankita Bhanot at dining@nyunews.com.
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WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2015 | NYUNEWS.COM
ABOUT: N Y U STUDENT BODY 50,000 students The UCSL includes the elected presidents from all the schools, Class Activities Boards and other communities. It also includes the student committees, which are made up of both elected representatives and other students. The four committees dedicated to student life at the global sites are grouped under the GCSL. SSC members include the elected senators from each school and the senators-at-large, who are appointed by the senators. The Executive Committee of the SSC has four positions: chair of the SSC (who also chairs the UCSL), SSC vice-chair, USCL vice-chair and global vicechair. Each are elected by the senators. The SSC is the only body that sits on the University Senate.
SSC
UNIVERSITY COMMITTEE ON STUDENT LIFE 29 presidents 14 committees GLOBAL COMMITTEE ON STUDENT LIFE 4 committees
STUDENT SENATORS COUNCIL 23 senators 12 senators-at-large
How much influence do students have? By NICOLE BROWN
Student leaders at NYU are confident in their ability to influence changes on campus. Representing nearly 50,000 voices, the Student Senators Council sits on the university senate as 35 senators and senators-at-large. Other members of the Senate include 18 deans, 37 tenured or tenure-track faculty, 27 non-tenure or contract faculty, six administrators and five officers of the university, which includes the president. SSC Chair and Gallatin senior Michael Hengerer, who is on the executive committee of the University Senate, said faculty and administrators recognize the importance of students’ voices. Even on committees where there are only two to three students among 20 or more members, Hengerer said it’s not difficult to be heard. “I don’t feel that the student voice is ever silenced,” Hengerer said. Mariam Ehrari, 2013-2014 SSC chair and 2014 graduate, agreed. She said when she was on the University Space Priorities Working Group, a committee designed to give the university advice about the 2031 expansion plan, her initial concerns about being one of two students on the committee of 27 were proven unnecessary. “While there were only two students in the room, we definitely did not feel marginalized.” she said. “We set a rule — if any one of the two students disagreed on something that was being proposed, we had to go back to the drawing board.” Hengerer explained that student leaders advocate for change in both informal and formal ways. The formal method involves writing and bringing legislation to the University Senate floor to be voted on. While a senator must be the person to bring legislation forward, any student is able to help with development. “Students are completely empowered,” Hengerer said. “We’ve seen this a lot with Divest, with the Incarceration to Education Coalition, to create resolutions, to author them themselves and have a senator bring that to the Senate floor to be discussed.” Both NYU Divest and the NYU Incarceration to Education Coalition are examples of student groups that have worked with student leaders to advocate for changes. NYU Divest’s proposal to divest from fossil fuels was passed by the University Senate and presented to the Board of Trustees, who will make the final decision. The Incarceration to Education Coalition is working to convince NYU to remove the box on NYU applications that requires everyone to indicate if they have previously been arrested. Gallatin senior Sophie Lasoff, who founded NYU Divest, said she saw first-hand how the students could influence decisions when they advocated for divestment, but she added that the leadership of the SSC affects how quickly things get done. She explained that NYU Divest had been in communication with
the SSC for almost two years before the resolution passed and despite unavoidable bureaucracy, it could have been a shorter process. “Whoever is in a position of leadership at the Student Senators Council really does have an influence on what priorities are set,” Lasoff said. “The really strong leadership that we saw last spring on this issue specifically is a testament to that.” Informally, students can make changes through the committees within the University Committee on Student Life or the Global Committee on Student Life, which are overseen by the SSC. The 18 committees meet regularly and set individual agendas. While some of the committees are made up of elected presidents or senators, there are opportunities for other students to sit on committees and participate in meetings. Class of 2016 Activities Board President and Steinhardt senior Carolynn Choi said one of the changes that came out of a committee was increased printing availability in each residence hall. “After hearing many students’ requests, we have advocated for the addition of printing stations in each residential hall,” Choi said. “As of this year, every hall should have a printing station for students to use.” Other examples of committee initiatives include the Student Services Committee’s work to add university bus routes or Safe Ride access to large subway stops, the Global Policy committee’s efforts to add course options at the campuses abroad and the All-Square Student Budget Allocation Committee’s changes on the distribution of club funds. Gallatin President and senior Vincent Vance, who joined student government this semester, said students should recognize the influence these committees can have. “UCSL has a lot of power when it comes to resources for our student body,” Vance said. “I wish more students took advantage of the platform for their voice to be heard if not at SSC and UCSL meetings then through their school eboard.” Lasoff, who has also advocated for more financial aid at NYU, added that sometimes it is not always clear that the student voice is being heard on big issues, like tuition or who sits on the Board of Trustees. “The larger trajectory of the university is not necessarily taking the student body into account all the time,” she said. But if it’s the case that students on the SSC are just not aligned with the views of the greater student body, then that falls on other students to act. “That means we need to be more active as students who don’t agree in working with the senators to either change their opinions or to elect different leadership into office,” Lasoff said. Additional reporting by Christine Wang.
NYUNEWS.COM | MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2015 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS
By LEXI FAUNCE
Transparency of student government still not entirely clear
While attempting to be more transparent this semester, the Students Senators Council has fallen short on some promises. In September, the SSC launched Project 49 in an effort to develop avenues for communication that will promote transparency between the students at all of NYU’s campuses and their representatives. In an email announcing Project 49, the SSC had promised to keep the student body updated with monthly newsletters and a strong social media presence. The SSC also announced open office hours for students to give feedback and to increase the accountability of the student government process. However, monthly newsletters have not been sent, the group’s Tumblr page has not been updated since Sept. 28 and while four press releases have been issued, the website has not been updated consistently. Two of the press releases were from this month, while the others appeared in September. One of those press releases announced that the SSC made its budget public for the first time in history, which is part of their effort to be more transparent. SSC Chair and Gallatin senior Michael Hengerer said the council has implemented most of Project 49, but there are still areas to improve. “Although we’ve had technical and logistical issues with the newsletter and our blog, we continually engage the student body by working with student-led
Affordability, sustainability, gender at center of SSC agenda By BRYNA SHUMAN
organizations on campus, through our open student government meetings, during our office hours, and at our town halls,” Hengerer said in a statement to WSN. While University Committee on Student Life meetings have an open door policy, SSC meetings are closed to the public due to bylaw regulations and minutes are not released to the student body. Class of 2018 Activities Board President and SPS sophomore Rene Rismondo, who meets with senators once a month, said she believes the SSC is continuing to resolve its lack of transparency. Rismondo said while Project 49 is a great objective, other initiatives have delayed the execution of the campaign. “I am not sure whether the current challenges [the SSC] is facing, such as addressing diversity concerns on campus or the controversial SAB proposal, has caused them to lose focus on the project,” Rismondo said, referring to the debate about funding for student clubs. “But ultimately I do believe that alone is a reflection of their transparency.” In addition, the plan called for an internal review of the SSC to ensure its members are continuously updated on current campaigns. Rismondo said the SSC is also trying to appeal to the student body by becoming more recognizable, but their efforts are not catching on as of yet.
This semester, the Student Senators Council created three new task forces for the 2015-2016 year to oversee topics students identified as the most important. Through student feedback from all schools, the SSC chose to focus on affordability, gender understanding, inclusivity and sustainability. The feedback was based on discussions at each school’s general assembly meeting at the beginning of the year. The affordability task force was created with the intention of finding ways to make NYU more affordable for students. CAS junior and SSC Senator-at-Large Caterina Dacey Ariani said a lot of the group’s work is designed to make life more affordable to students on a daily basis. “There are always big things we’re looking at like lowering tuition and tuition fees, but larger steps like this are very difficult to get to happen,” Ariani said. “Right now we’re working on smaller steps, little things that can help students when they come to such an expensive city.” Some of these smaller steps include getting Campus Cash to work as laundry payment in leased residence halls and giving students free laundry credit, similar to the printing credit they receive every semester. The SSC is also working to make meal plans more affordable, to spread information on financial opportunities, to create online modules on financial responsibility and to make for-credit internships more affordable by providing academic credit at a much lower cost than normal class credit. The task force is also working to gather and analyze financial data with the long-term goal of increasing financial transparency at NYU. “Right now, we’re getting data from Admissions and Financial Aid so we can understand better where tuition goes,” Ariani said. “If students are able to look at the data and it’s transparent, students can say where they want it to go and help allocate.” The sustainability task force is made up of both student government members and environmental student leaders on campus working to create more sustainable actions on campus. Chair of the task force and Gallatin senior Emma Spett said the group hopes to integrate sustainability into various
“They are currently in the process of re-branding themselves more as ‘Student Government’ rather than the SSC because so many more schools around the country use that term and it is also what students are more familiar with,” Rismondo said. “I see their efforts and I appreciate them, but I still think that more needs to be done.” When it comes to direct communication between the SSC and the student body, SSC Chief of Staff and CAS junior Ryan Thomas said although Project 49 still has a few kinks to work out, it is a long-term plan that will enhance the SSC’s efficiency. “We are working on going the extra mile to promote student engagement,” Thomas said. “Project 49 is really geared toward bettering the student population at NYU and we want to make sure we bring different perspectives to all of our campaigns.” In addition, Thomas said the SSC is working on issuing a campus climate survey to solicit feedback from students and gauge which issues the NYU community would like to see addressed. “Because our student body is so large, it is extremely important that we focus on issues the majority of students can relate to,” Thomas said. “We want the SSC to drive the conversation to address issues that impact NYU at large and are not just school or campus specific.” While WSN reached out to ten members of student government, only two responded to inquiries.
aspects of campus life. “The goals of the sustainability task force are to address concerns and interests of the environmental community in a way that will ultimately benefit the entire university,” Spett said. Currently, the sustainability task force has a Take Back the Tap campaign to reduce plastic bottle consumption on campus by increasing reusable water bottle availability and water stations. The task force is also taking a role in the design of new buildings and renovations being done on campus to make sure the plans are as sustainable as possible. Spett said the group is also discussing the creation of a Center for Student Sustainability, where environmental groups on campus could meet and collaborate. The gender understanding and inclusivity task force was designed to explore gender issues on campus and take action in order to make the student experience better for everyone at NYU. Stern junior and SSC Alternate Senator-at-Large Shawn Thibault said many senators recognized diversity as an issue that needed to be tackled at the beginning of the year. “We realized quickly that diversity as a whole was too broad of a topic,” Thibault explained. “So we focused in on a particular area of diversity and inclusion that we thought was important: trans issues.” Right now, the task force is in the planning stages for the advocacy initiatives and policy changes it wants to implement on campus. The task force hopes to increase gender-neutral bathrooms on campus, update the housing portal to better accommodate gender-neutral students and create a genderunderstanding campaign for next semester. Thibault said one of the most important goals of the task force is to collaborate with the transgender and gender nonconforming community at NYU and is intent on gathering feedback from them. “[This] cannot be decided by a few senators,” Thibault said. “Rather, it needs to be a collaboration of student government and the community that it will affect.” All three task forces have goals to collaborate with students outside of the student government and get their input on the objectives.
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WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2015 | NYUNEWS.COM
OPINION
EDITED BY TOMMY COLLISON OPINION@NYUNEWS.COM
SUSTAINABILITY
Divestment is ineffective, sets poor precedent By ANAND BALAJI Staff Writer One of the most contentious debates taking place on college campuses around the country revolves around the call for universities to divest their endowments from companies in the fossil fuel industry. NYU Divest recently called on potential benefactors to stop donating to NYU until the university divests from “the top 200 coal, oil and gas companies.” With over 2000 individuals and 400 institutions pledging to pull their assets from the fossil fuel industry, this is a cause that is clearly gaining significant traction, but the significance of this movement is not at all apparent. In fact, divestment
will likely have no significant financial effect on the fossil fuel industry and distracts the public from more concrete reforms that can be made to combat climate change. Divestment websites commonly refer to the divest campaigns against the South African Apartheid regime as an example of successful reform spurred by college divestment. However, the academic literature on the subject is far from conclusive. In fact a report published in the University of Chicago Journal of Business found that “valuations of targeted companies or even the South African financial markets were not easily visibly affected.” The South African case is also distinct in that the end goal of the movement was much more clear: to halt
investment until Apartheid policies collapsed. There is no comparable solution to the fossil fuel campaign; fossil fuels still make up 82 percent of U.S. energy consumption and it’s unclear how divestment will alter that paradigm. To their credit, many divestment activists acknowledge the limited economic impact that their campaign will have on the fossil fuel
industry — NYU Divest concedes as much on their website. Instead, they say their movement is a symbolic protest to raise awareness. This perspective unfortunately ignores the real effect shareholders can have in creating positive change in companies they own a stake in. Following the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, pensioners who owned $1 billion of company stock successfully pressured Exxon to accept an environmentalist on its board and increase spending on environmental research. By giving up its stake in the fossil fuel industry, NYU sells away its voice and ability to shape industry practices to investors that are less environmentally conscious. Perhaps the most significant harm that the divestment move-
ment poses is that it deceives the public into thinking that pulling investment from an industry is an important step towards creating reform. Already we see a proliferation of divest campaigns that target private prisons, Israeli defense and poor labor practices, but do little in terms of pushing for tangible change. Promoting government investment in clean energy, phasing out fossil fuels from our own institutions and calling for legislation that curbs carbon emissions are all much more direct ways of tackling climate change. If we want to create substantial reform in our society, we have to move away from symbolic dissent and fight for the changes we truly need.
TECHNOLOGY
On-demand services are reducing human interaction By JONAH INSERRA Contributing Writer Service apps like Uber, Postmates and Seamless fill a void in the consumer market, and are undoubtedly effective in helping us keep up with the ever-increasing speed of our lives. Most people subscribe to the idea that faster is better and efficiency is its own justification, both of which are truisms in any capitalist society. In fact, looking for ways to get more by doing less seems to have been the mission statement of Western society over the past two centuries. With the advent of the Internet we seem to be doubling down on
these maxims, turning to technology and new innovations to streamline our daily lives. By cutting time spent on chores and menial tasks and piling that time into leisure and productivity, we’ve finally seemed to bend the length of the day around our busy schedules. But as these conveniences purport to simplify our lives, we need to be wary of their unadvertised cost: while this may spell deliverance for the socially anxious or habitually lazy, it’s also another nail in the coffin of a once social, interpersonal society. Not only do real interactions afford us the chance to meet people and have real, idiosyncratic conversations,
however short or irrelevant, they also remind us that the faceless masses surging around us are indeed made up of individuals. In response to a collective desire to minimize the daily grind, an entire industry of doit-for-you services has cropped up with New York as its center. It’s hard to ride the subway or pass a bus stop without see-
ing an app or service advertisement promising to shoulder the burden of yet another chore. Seamless will bring you breakfast, lunch and dinner at a premium, while FlyCleaners offers pickup and delivery drycleaning at the push of a button, 12 hours a day, seven days a week. Postmates plays courier for anything from groceries to office supplies or a 7-Eleven slurpee with the tap of a button. And sure, your average interaction with the deli guy in pursuit of that late-night BLT will likely bear very little resemblance to a Socratic dialogue, but there is nonetheless something to be said for small
personal interactions we have each day. And while knowing the name of my bodega guy isn’t life-changing, transforming a nameless face into a unique human being is an important, if intangible victory. There is no shortage of credible studies suggesting the link between small social interactions and human happiness, and with each door slammed in the face of some nameless Seamless courier, we sever another small thread that is part of the wide web of interconnectivity that supports our whole society. Email Jonah Inserra at opinion@nyunews.com.
POLITICS
Claims of sexism against Sanders unfounded By MAX SCHACHERE Staff Writer Calling Bernie Sanders sexist is like calling Barack Obama racist. Not only does it make absolutely no sense, but it is also simply not grounded in reality. This seems to not have deterred Hillary Clinton’s campaign from making such remarks, however, in the weeks following the first Democratic Party presidential debate. Clinton first implicitly accused the Vermont senator of sexism when she stated “I’ve been told to, and I quote, ‘stop shouting’ about gun violence. First of all I’m not shouting. It’s just sometimes when women talk people think we’re shouting.” This
followed Sanders’ retort to Clinton on the question of gun violence: “All the shouting in the world is not going to do what all of us want and that is keep guns out of the hands of people who should not have those guns.” If actions speak louder than words, then people should look at Sanders voting history before any misconstrued soundbites. According to the National Right to Life Committee, the only time Sanders has ever voted pro-life was to support the ban on human cloning. This is why NARAL Pro-Choice America, a 501(c)(4) dedicated to making abortion services more available, has repeatedly given Sanders a 100% rating. In fact,
Sanders has co-sponsored several groundbreaking women’s rights bills in the senate, including the Paycheck Fairness Act of 2014. Furthermore, despite Clinton’s indignation, Sanders’s call for decency in politics is by no means a reproach of womankind. In a CNN interview in August, Sanders stated that, “coming from a rural state which has almost no gun control,
[he] think[s] [he] can get beyond the noise and all of these arguments and people shouting at each other.” The only crime Sanders is culpable of is perhaps his tendency to reuse campaign phrases. Being accused of the very same discrimination Sanders is trying to end is nothing new to the senator. In August, a Black Lives Matter protest interrupted one of his rallies, despite the 100% rating the NAACP has bestowed upon him several times. Clinton’s actions are reprehensible and ultimately delegitimize the feminist movement. The accusation of sexism should be taken seriously. Using it to gain political favor off the most inconsequential sentences taken out of context triv-
ializes the term. In fact, Clinton has arguably said more sexist things in her political career. In 1992, during an interview, she said, “I suppose I could have stayed home and baked cookies and had teas, but what I decided to do was fulfill my profession which I entered before my husband was in public life.” In a sentence more condescending than any Sanders has uttered, she effectively invalidated the lifestyle of any stay-at-home mother. Clinton’s modern pandering is a sorry attempt to manipulate women voters across the country and must be stop immediately. Email Max Schachere at opinion@nyunews.com.
NYUNEWS.COM | MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2015 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS
OPINION
EDITED BY TOMMY COLLISON OPINION@NYUNEWS.COM
STUDENT SERVICES COMMITTEE
STUDENT SENATORS COUNCIL
Diversity talks not going far enough
Fair pay for NYU student workers
By DEBORA L. APONTE MARTINEZ Student Services Committee Member
By RYAN THOMAS Student Senator
Recent events at the University of Missouri and Yale University have reignited national debate on campus diversity and cultural sensitivity. NYU has taken positive steps in order to address diversity issues on campus such as the newly-formed Student Diversity Advisory Board, with both student representatives and members from the administration. Unfortunately, this is not enough. The Student Services Committee, a board which considers non-academic matters relating to the general well-being and comfort of students at NYU, has taken steps to raise awareness and address issues of diversity and cultural sensitivity that directly impact student services on campus, such as health services and dining halls. As an international student, this is an issue that affects me on a daily basis. The fact that I cannot receive mental health and other counseling services in my native language at NYU is something that negatively impacts many aspects of my life, including my academic performance. Research shows that cultural competency and sensitivity is a major part of treatment success. Many universities across the nation have taken action in order to implement these practices on their campuses. Another major issue regarding diversity involves NYU’s dining halls. The Student Services Committee has been evaluating the diversity and nutritional quality of dining hall food. We have considered whether the food in the dining halls is inclusive enough to students of various cultures and nationalities, and have concluded that the food options could be broader. NYU recently hosted a university-wide discussion on diversity and inclusion which
The issue of college affordability has become particularly salient as presidential candidates vie for our votes. But as students across the country continue the fight for affordable education, our own university needs to tackle the issue head-on. Despite changes made to our financial aid system in recent years to more equitably distribute need-based aid, many prospective students still find an education at NYU unaffordable and unattainable. But, as many of us have experienced, issues of affordability persist well after students matriculate, as students enrolled at NYU continue to face an increasingly high cost of attendance and the unpredictable costs associated with attending an urban university. As NYU transitions from the leadership of President Sexton to President-designate Andrew Hamilton, administrators must not only revise the system for awarding financial aid, but also find tangible ways to make our university more affordable. One way the university administration can address the issue: increasing wages for student workers. For many students, current policies prevent workers from earning sufficient wages. Although the university reports that student workers earn between $9 and $15 an hour at NYU — wages slightly above the current citywide minimum wage — policies restricting the hours students can work and payroll issues prevent many students from earning enough. The administration has taken preliminary steps to address concerns raised by the Student Senators Council and other student-led organizations, but it should bolster its sup-
was livestreamed online and had a comment form that university community members could fill out and submit. These spaces are critical and conversations like this should be held more often. They serve as a reminder of NYU’s reactionary rhetoric and not taking action to ensure diversity and inclusion at our university. Concrete steps need to be taken in order to ensure diversity, inclusion and cultural sensitivity within our campus. A great first step could include mandatory training for students, faculty and administrators on current issues revolving around diverse identities, including race, ethnicity, national origin and socioeconomic status. Talking about diversity and inclusion is not enough. NYU needs to take its commitment to these topics more seriously and act toward expanding them across the board, starting with basic services provided to its diverse student body. We would like more members of our university community to join in this conversation and speak out about these issues. The Student Services Committee holds open weekly meetings every Thursday at 8:30 p.m. in room 708 of the Kimmel Center for University Life. Email Debora L. Aponie Martinez at opinion@nyunews.com.
port for student workers by incrementally increasing the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2018, continuing to streamline inefficiencies in its payroll system and, most importantly, including students in discussions about NYU’s affordability and policies that affect student workers. While establishing a higher minimum wage will not be without challenges, the university should join pioneering institutions such as the University of California in raising student wages. Although opponents’ concerns that such an increase will reduce the number of on-campus jobs are valid, the timetables set by other universities show that the policy is feasible and fiscally achievable. Proactively addressing students’ concerns about the affordability of education at NYU will further demonstrate the incoming administration’s commitment to improving the university and ensuring fair compensation, especially when student workers are exempt from statewide increases to the minimum wage. Increasing wages for student workers is one tangible way the administration can reaffirm its focus on meeting students’ needs. Email Ryan Thomas at opinion@nyunews.com.
STAFF EDITORIAL
NYU must denounce White Student Union How does political discourse become so corrupt as to produce a white students’ union? That is the question many are asking when, just days after NYU held a diversity forum, an NYU White Students’ Union Facebook page surfaced. The page appeared around the same time as white student union pages at University of California Berkeley and the University of Illinois, among many others. The NYU group claims to foster a community for “European-American students [who] face unique and immediate challenges that are ignored or even actively denied.” At a time when race relations continue to dominate conversations on campuses nationwide, the page is completely out of line
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and has no place at NYU. Given that President John Sexton has pledged to continue the conversation on race and inclusion, the administration should denounce the Facebook page and continue to address the underlying racial tensions which cause these racist beliefs to fester. The protests at the University of Missouri have resulted in a muchneeded conversation about the limits of free speech on college campuses. Media outlets and students alike have put safe spaces for minority students on blast for being impediments to free speech. And yet, when an exclusionary space for white students crops up, whose very existence is predicated on maintaining the racial exclusivity that has plagued
the United States for centuries, administrations and pundits swoop down to protect their right to exist. One post on the page questions, “Is the word ‘diversity’ itself a discriminatory term against whites?” Many of the posters who are rallying to defend the page are not even NYU students, but are leaping to defend the page’s right to spout racist rhetoric. The fact that we’re still stuck on these inane, nonsensical talking points shows just how much work for racial justice still has to be done, and how unproductive white student unions are at advancing that discussion. At the time of writing, the group has more than 200 members and several posts linking to
articles critical of the Black Lives Matter movement. The most recent post from the administrator of the Facebook page cites “security concerns” that arose from “several threatening and racially charged messages” as the reason they will not be holding their weekly meeting. This does not change the fact that white people simply do not experience racism, and the exclusion and threats they now experience are only a small taste of what students of color experience on a daily basis. This page does not represent the values of our university and its students and should be barred from affiliating itself with NYU. The university must come out against white supremacy and moronic white pride.
Email the WSN Editorial Board at editboard@nyunews.com. EDITORIAL BOARD: Tommy Collison (Chair), Richard Shu, Elizabeth Moore (Co-chairs) STAFF PHOTO BY SAM BEARZI
Send mail to: 838 Broadway, Fifth Floor 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.
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WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2015 | NYUNEWS.COM
SPORTS
EDITED BY BOBBY WAGNER SPORTS@NYUNEWS.COM
Hockey penalties avert perfect weekend By RACHEL RUECKER Staff Writer
Following a weekend sweep of victories on the road, the NYU hockey team was back at home Friday to take on Northeastern University to prove that they could once again find the consistency they showed early on in the season. NYU junior forward David Shaby started off the scoring at 4:47. What ensued after was a scrummy case of back-to-backto-back penalties — a common narrative for the Violets this season. Just when it seemed as though NYU would finally have its moment on the man advantage, freshman forward Hamilton Whyte got a slashing call to end the first 4-on-4. Shots favored NYU 15-5 at the period’s end. Early in the second, NYU was forced to kill a 5-on-3 penalty, and sophomore forward Michael Conslato went on to find the back of the net with help from freshmen defensemen Gabe Regan and Connor Finocchio. The penalties kept piling up and Northeastern got yet another 5-on-3 chance at 12:09, which they again used to tie the game. At two apiece, the game was even strength at last, but Northeastern got one 5-on-5 to end up on top. The brief moment of even
strength was short-lived when Regan was served a 2-minute roughing call and a 10-minute misconduct call late in the second. The gap widened when the Huskies went up two at 5:15 of the third. NYU got a couple powerplay opportunities, and though the first was neatly killed by Northeastern, the second time around they weren’t so lucky as Conslato got his second goal of the game to bring the game within one. A third Northeastern penalty presented the perfect opportunity for NYU to tie things up late, but they couldn’t capitalize and ended up dropping the penalty-laden game 4-3. Sunday the Violets headed to the Loucks Ice Center in Lawrenceville, New Jersey to face off against Rider University in hopes of splitting the weekend’s efforts. The game got off to a rocky start after a hit on Ripley ignored by the refs and an early goal put the Violets down by one. NYU then went on the powerplay late, but ended the period still down one, despite outshooting Rider 15-8. Though NYU could not capitalize on a Rider interference call in the second, they got one in 5-on-5 when freshman forward John Kowalewski tied things up at one. Partway through the third,
STAFF PHOTO BY HANNAH SHULMAN
Though the Violets lost the game to Northeastern 4-3 on Saturday, they won their match 5-4 against Rider University on Sunday. Rider got the go-ahead goal at even strength. Less than two minutes later, Ripley tied it up to keep up the frenetic pace Violets fans have become accustomed to. Then, at long last, freshman forward Max Devorris put the Violets in the lead. But it didn’t last long as they conceded a shorthanded goal after a Rider timeout. After several scrums, penal-
Corsaro represents NYU at NCAAs
Rider pulled their goalie for the extra attacker, but NYU held off their late charge and took the game 5-4. After Thanksgiving break, the squad will be back against Providence College on Dec. 4 at 7 p.m., at the Schneider Arena in Providence, Rhode Island. Email Rachel Ruecker at rruecker@nyunews.com.
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By TONY SCHWAB Contributing Writer
Senior captain Lily Corsaro was the only representative for the cross country team this Saturday at the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III Championships in Winneconne, Wisconsin, clocking 22:55.6, which was just fast enough to crack the top 200 at 194th place. Sarah Masterson of Cornell College placed first with a time of 21:23.1. “I was honestly just happy to get the chance to race at NCAAs my final cross country season,” Corsaro said. “With wind chill, the temperature felt about 15 degrees during the race, which was pretty unfortunate.” Corsaro’s performance marked the end of a distinguished outdoor career. In her freshman year she was a big part of an NYU team that finished the season ranked 22nd. As a sophomore, she was an All-American
ties and kills — and some marvelous handiwork from sophomore goaltender Jack Nebe — Rider got a powerplay goal to lead late. But all was not lost as Conslato, the weekend’s standout, tied the game with 4:24 remaining. And just when it appeared as though overtime was inevitable, sophomore forward Steven Esposito knocked one in, nudging NYU ahead.
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Lily Corsaro placed 194th, and was the only member of the cross country team on Saturday to attend the NCAA Division III Championships. and finished 34th in the NCAA championships. NYU finished the season ranked sixth. Corsaro was injured in her junior season and narrowly missed another chance at the NCAA championships. She has been the best runner this year on a strong NYU team that has come in the top half of all but two of its meets. She will try to close out her NYU career in style when the indoor season begins in January.
“I am very happy that I got a chance to compete at NYU,” Corsaro said. “I got to meet amazing people, had awesome teammates and was lucky enough to travel to some places that I otherwise would have probably never have gone. I am very much looking forward to track season.” Email Tony Schwab at sports@nyunews.com.
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13
SPORTS
EDITED BY BOBBY WAGNER SPORTS@NYUNEWS.COM
Wrestling struggles at Ithaca College By BOBBY WAGNER Sports Editor
The NYU wrestling team wavered for the first time this season on Sunday when they travelled to Ithaca, New York, for the New York State Intercollegiate Championships. The Grapplers, who came into the match with three head-to-head wins and a fourth of 12 finish on the season in the Ithaca College Invitational, only managed to place one wrestler in the top eight of his respective weight class. Senior Kyzen Smith, competing in the 184-pound weight class, turned an opening-round loss into an eighth-place finish. After being knocked into the losers’ bracket in the first round, Smith bounced back to win several matches and avoid elimination. Several of his teammates made it out of the first round, but went on to lose in the second and then lose again in the losers’ bracket of the double elimination tournament. Sophomore Raymond Jazikoff
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Kyzen Smith finished in eighth place in the 184-pound A Division Bracket at the New York State Intercollegiate Championships in Ithaca, New York. STAFF PHOTO BY MICHELLE SANDERS
advanced to the third round of the tournament before losing two straight matches to see his day come to a halt. Senior Dylan Lojac and juniors Nathan Pike and Wayne Yuan — typical top finishers for the Grapplers — struggled from the beginning of the tournament, each losing in the second round of their respective weight classes and failing to put together the runs they needed to place. After the contest, Pike admitted that the competition was tough, but that they’ll use this as motivation to remind them not to take anyone for granted on the mat. “We had a rough tournament today,” Pike said. “We’re
looking to use this as fuel in our match against Stevens next week.” Pike was previously a perfect 8-0 on the season, winning the 133-pound weight class the last time the team visited Ithaca College. He’ll have a chance to get back on track next week, when the squad can focus on a single opponent in Stevens Institute of Technology, instead of the multitude of opponents they had to worry about at this joint meet. They’ll take to the mats again next Sunday after a quick rest during the Thanksgiving holiday. Email Bobby Wagner at bwagner@nyunews.com.
Violets’ streak stays afloat By KYLE RYAN Contributing Writer
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Both women’s and men’s swimming and diving teams were victorious over host Vassar College on Saturday, Nov. 21, in Poughkeepsie, New York. The women won 173122, while the men’s team shared a similar result, winning 180-98. The women won nearly every event this weekend, especially showing true team strength and domination in the 200-yard medley relay. The team — composed of freshmen Mary Li and Noel Leung, sophomore Serena Yan and junior Elise Gibbs — won with a time of 1:48.67, a whole seven seconds faster than the team that placed behind them. The men’s relay team, which comprised sophomores Tim Kou and Martin Brekke and juniors Daniel Tay and Harry Clewell, were also successful with a time of 1:39.30, finishing two seconds in front of the team that placed after them. In a sport of milliseconds, both relay teams effectively ran away with their contests. Aside from team victories, the Violets also did incredibly well on
Tim Kou came in 1st place in the 50-yard freestyle against Vassar on Nov. 21 in Poughkeepsie, New York. an individual level. Leung achieved first place in the 100-yard freestyle (54.09) and the 200-yard freestyle (1:57.77). Sophomore Hannah Berge was right behind her in these races, finishing second in both with the respective times of 56.78 and 1:59.29. The men’s team did equally well in the 100-yard freestyle and 200-yard freestyle. Sophomore Chad Moody came in first in the 200-yard freestyle (1:46.23), and in the 200-yard individual medley (1:59.31), sophomore Wentao Zou placed first in the 50-yard freestyle (50.18) and fellow sophomore Sean Haechler took second (50.58). Both men and women were also successful in the 200-yard backstroke, and NYU swimmers swept each event. Freshman Nicholas Ruan touched first at 2:03.14, followed by sophomore Christian Alonte (2:07.11) and freshman Shane Hulse (2:07.88). The women
were paced by freshman Shannon Roberts, who swam a 2:14.31, followed by sophomore Rachel Munger (2:15.55) and sophomore Isabelle Corgel (2:17.34). Filling first through third place spots in both women’s and men’s divisions, NYU proved that it is a team to be reckoned with. The positive results excited freshman Joseph Baron, who is looking to use this week’s upcoming break to rest before the bulk of the season comes along. “This was our last meet before we start taper, so we were all just trying to do our best and win,” Baron said. “The team in general wants to keep our winning streak going and put up more best times.” The Violets will return to action Dec. 4-6 for the MIT Invitational in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Email Kyle Ryan at sports@nyunews.com.
NYU men’s basketball team plays Arcadia University in the championship game on Sunday.
Read, Udine lead basketball to 4-0 weekend By MICHAEL THOMPSON Deputy Sports Editor
Determined to remain undefeated, NYU’s men’s and women’s basketball teams defended their home court at the NYU Tip-Off Classic this weekend. The top-ten women’s team beat the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in a nail-biter before soundly defeating Springfield College the next day. The men also swept the weekend competition, blowing out Moravian College and sliding by Arcadia University. The action began with a thrilling battle between the NYU women’s team and MIT. The nationally-ranked Violets led throughout, but MIT kept the game close, narrowing the Violets’ lead to two with 1:27 left in the fourth quarter. However, junior guard Amy Harioka made two clutch free throws and sophomore guard Drew Cabral’s steal helped seal the victory for the Violets. Junior guard Kaitlyn Read, who was named a preseason All-American, was impressed with her team’s resiliency after the game. “Somehow, we just were a little more aggressive and a little more efficient in our possessions which helped us hold our small lead,” Read said. Senior forward Megan Dawe, honored before the game for reaching the 1,000-point mark, tied her career-high record in scoring with 28 points on an efficient 9-13 shooting. Read continued her strong start to the season, putting up a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. The women’s team followed up their win on Saturday with a much easier victory against Springfield College. The Violets led by four after the first half before they ratcheted up the intensity in the second half, holding Springfield to 17 points in 20 minutes on 19 percent shooting.
Read was the offensive star, posting 22 points and four rebounds. “We really focused the second half on playing great defense, knowing that that would allow our offense to improve as well,” Dawe said. Moravian College was no match for the men’s team Saturday, as the Violets dominated in a never-ending scoring barrage. Senior forward Evan Kupferberg led the charge with one of the best performances of his AllAmerican career. He scored 26 points in 31 minutes, shooting a hyper-efficient 13-15. The Violets shot 65 percent — a sizzling 72.4 percent in the second half — and catapulted their 9-point lead after the first half into one as high as 32 points in the second half. The men’s team closed out the weekend with a narrow victory over Arcadia University. Carried by Ross Udine’s 33-point outing, the Violets led for a majority of the game. Arcadia stormed back in the second half from a 13-point hole, taking an 81-80 lead with under four minutes to go in the game. After falling behind by three, the Violets quickly responded. Udine tied the game with a three-pointer and senior center Costis Gontikas gave the Violets an 85-83 lead with a layup. The game stayed close until the final seconds. Down one point, Arcadia’s John Landro was off with the potential go-ahead bucket, effectively sealing the Violets’ victory. Gontikas and Kupferberg were both excellent, posting doubledoubles and combining for 45 points and 24 rebounds. The women have one more game before Thanksgiving against Baruch College on Nov. 25. The men are back in action next Sunday against the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts for Alumni Day. Email Michael Thompson at mthompson@nyunews.com.
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