NYU’s Daily Student Newspaper
WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS Vol. 42, No. 1
MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2014
nyunews.com
University finalizes merger with Poly
TODAY ON CAMPUS French professor Eugene Nicole discusses French literature with journalist Olivier Barrot at La Maison Francaise at 7 p.m. FOLLOW US ON TWITTER
@NYUNEWS
By GRAHAM RAPIER
INSIDE THIS ISSUE Find out which movies and actors are poised to win big at this year’s Academy Awards. Our film team breaks down what you need to know before March 2. VIA WIKIPEDIA.ORG
WSN OPEN HOUSE WHEN: Saturday, Feb. 1 (1 to 4 p.m.) and Saturday, Feb. 8 (1 to 4 p.m.) WHERE: 838 Broadway, fifth floor Stop by to learn more about writing, blogging, copy editing, designing, taking photos and filming for WSN. Regular pitch meetings will resume on Sunday, Feb. 2, for all desks. All are welcome!
KAREN REYES FOR WSN
Five freshmen participate in the nationwide Up to Us campaign. The students have been utilizing social media to increase their presence around the university. The Up to Us campaign features several groups from over 20 universities across the nation.
STORY ON PAGE 6
Fashion app makes thrifting easier, quicker By KATE MARIN
A new app known as Modabound allows students around New York City to sell and exchange clothes with ease. Modabound reinvents the virtual fashion marketplace by localizing its users within the city as well as creating an exclusive environment for college students. “It’s much more than a platform where you buy and sell clothes with strangers, it’s a community where girls come together to refresh their look and develop real friendships with their peers who have a common interest,” said Gallatin sophomore Francesca Conlin, NYU’s Modabound representative.
Modabound’s process of making a sale is very simple. An item can be listed for viewers to browse in less than a minute and all exchanges are made in person, thus eliminating shipping and complicated methods of online payment. The process is personal and simple and puts the seller in charge of the entire transaction. “What’s great about Modabound is that you get notified whenever someone adds an item to their cart, that way you know who is interested in purchasing it and can message them to complete the sale,” Conlin said. Modabound raises the bar in
MODABOUND continued on PG. 6
After five years in the making, the Polytechnic Institute of NYU has officially completed a merger with NYU as of Jan. 1. The school will now be called the Polytechnic School of Engineering. In 2008, the two schools formally agreed on a five-year plan to join the schools. In October 2012, the Board of Trustees of each institution voted to take the final steps in the merger. Iraj Kalkhoran, the associate dean of Undergraduate Academics at NYU-Poly, said students will have the ability to conduct cross-school coursework. “For students who discover a passion for engineering and technology, numerous cross-school minor opportunities are currently available,” Kalkhoran said. One of the ways that students will be able to pursue their interests is through the 3+2 Program, which is a five-year program for students seeking a dual degree. “The 3+2 Program provides CAS students the opportunity to pursue a double major in science and engineer-
ENGINEERING continued on PG. 3
Theater lineup features diverse shows By DYLAN JARRETT
The spring season is often the most thrilling time of year for the Broadway community. A huge number of shows open in the year’s early months, creating serious buzz among theatergoers. But only a few blocks downtown, NYU’s spring theater season is just as exciting, offering performances that range from university theater groups to West End productions. At the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, NYU will be hosting two National Theatre Live screenings this spring. National Theatre Live, which screened “Othello” and “Frankenstein” at Skirball last semester to great success, is a program that makes top-notch London productions available in
cinemas throughout the world. This semester, Skirball will be showing Shakespeare’s tragedy “Coriolanus,” starring “Avengers” star Tom Hiddleston and “Sherlock’s” Mark Gatiss, on Feb. 5. On March 2, Skirball will screen “War Horse,” Steven Spielberg’s big-screen adaptation from 2011 of the the Tony Award-winning play about a young boy and his horse during World War I. On Feb. 28, Skirball will host “Past/Forward, 2014: Women at Work.” This dance show features the work of female choreographers who have graduated from the Tisch dance program. The choreographers span several generations and range from those just starting out to those who are already established in the dance community.
Within NYU’s theater programs, several groups will have productions running this spring. The Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development will present the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic musical “Carousel.” The story of carnival barker Billy Bigelow, this tragic romance will run Feb. 6 through 9. Additionally, Steinhardt’s Educational Theater Program will be performing the late-18th century play “The School for Scandal” Feb. 28 through March 9. The Tisch School of the Arts’ graduate acting program is presenting two plays, Shakespeare’s best-known history “Richard III” and the Tony Award-nominated “In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play).” “Richard III” will
SPRING continued on PG. 7