WSN021215

NYU’s Daily Student Newspaper

WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS Vol. 43, No. 10

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2015

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FILM

MEMORIALS

Victims of UNC attack honored at vigil

‘Hits’ film might not get its 15 minutes

By SIDNEY BUTLER Staff Writer

Andy Warhol once said, “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.”

It seems that time of ubiquitous celebrity has arrived.

In the comedy “Hits,” David Cross’ directorial debut, fame is hyper-accessible. Anyone can be famous — well, anyone except for Katelyn Stubin of Liberty, New York.

This offbeat comedy tries its best to portray the inherent dark side of fame, creating neurotic characters to small town regulars. Set in upstate New York, “Hits” follows the lives of fame-craving Katelyn, wannabe rapper Cory, eccentric father Dave and hipster activist Donovan. These characters try

HITS continued on PG. 4

By ALEX BAZELEY Deputy News Editor

STAFF PHOTO BY ALEX BAZELEY

A candlelight vigil was held in Washington Square Park following the service in the Kimmel Center for University Life.

Students gathered in the Kimmel Center for University Life for a vigil Wednesday night in honor of the three Muslim college students who were shot and killed near the campus of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Following a handful of speakers, more than a hundred students proceeded to Washington Square Park to light candles in solidarity.

Deah Barakat, 23, Yusor AbuSalha, 21, and Razan Abu-Salha, 19, were killed Tuesday evening.

There has been ongoing debate over whether their deaths were the result of an argument or if the act was a hate crime. Craig Stephen Hicks, the 46-year-old suspect, was charged with three counts of firstdegree murder.

VIGIL continued on PG. 3

SPORTS

Harris finds home on NYU’s court

By BOBBY WAGNER Sports Editor

PHOTO BY JAMES PARK

Jessica Shotwell curated a series of one act plays combining drama therapy with topics of sex and assault.

STORY ON PAGE 5

When SPS junior Hakeem Harris transferred to NYU from Seton Hall last summer, he was prepared to sit out the entire basketball season.

Much to the delight of Harris and the rest of his Violet teammates, however, he found his way onto the court earlier than expected.

“When I transferred from Seton Hall, I got injured,” Harris said. “I had hip surgery this past summer, so I needed to get two waivers: one to take away a residency waiver so I can play right away, and the other was a medical waiver for the injury that I had. I was unsure if I was going to get one or either of those, but I got both of them.”

Harris, a music-lover who majors in social sciences with a concentration in organizational behavior and communication, had an immediate impact on the Violets’ roller coaster season. In the 14 games he has played since becoming eligible, Harris has averaged 15.7 points ­— good for second on the team. He’s also shooting a ridiculous 48 percent from the three point line and averaging a team-best 2.8 threes made per game. Harris has had no trouble adapting to the team quickly.

“It was definitely a process to get meshed in with the guys and get the chemistry going,” Harris said. “But the beauty of the guys is that they’re really, really nice guys and they didn’t make it

difficult. Coming as an outsider, it was kind of easy to be honest.”

After working his way into the starting lineup, it is clear that Harris has big aspirations for himself, but even bigger aspirations for the team. Harris hopes to propel NYU to an NCAA tournament run and hopefully all the way to the national championship.

“We’ve proven that we can beat the best in the country,” Harris said. “We’ve beaten teams that are top four in the country by 30 plus points, which is what a team that can win a national championship can do. So I think that we all have individual goals. I have individual goals to help the team as much as possible. But

HARRIS continued on PG. 8

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WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2015 | NYUNEWS.COM

ON THE SIDE

COMPILED BY THE

WSN STAFF

STREET STYLE

WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS Editor-in-Chief

VALENTINA DUQUE BOJANINI Managing Editor

THOMAS DEVLIN Assistant Managing Editor

JOHN AMBROSIO Digital Director

HANNAH TREASURE

MAJA WEYHE

Creative Director, Special Editions

OLIVIA MARTIN Creative Director

TEERIN JULSAWAD deputy ALEXA WONG Copy Chief

MADELINE PAZZANI deputy RICHARD SHU Multimedia

SHAWN PAIK photo SAM BEARZI video CALVIN FALK deputy photo SANG BAE, MATHILDE VAN TULDER deputy video CHRISTIAN FORTE

SENIOR STAFF

news ALANNA BAYARIN, MARITA VLACHOU features MARINA ZHENG arts ALEXA SPIELER sports BOBBY WAGNER senior editors LARSON BINZER, CHRISTINA

COLEBURN, FELIPE DE LA HOZ, FRANCISCO NAVAS, IFE OLUJOBI

DEPUTY STAFF

news ALEX BAZELEY, SCOTT MULLEN,

CHRISTINE PARK features NINA JANG beauty & style SOPHIE LEWIS dining REBECCA RIDDLE film ISABEL JONES entertainment AUDREY DENG music E.R. PULGAR theater/books CAROLINE CUNFER sports KYLE LUTHER

OPINION PAGE opinion editor

TESS WOOSLEY deputy opinion editors

ANNIE COHEN, TOMMY COLLISON, MATTHEW TESSLER

BLOGS

editor EMILY BELL violet vision GABRIELLA BOWER the highlighter MARISSA ELLIOT LITTLE under the arch EMMA SCOBLE global DANA RESZUTEK

(CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT) NAJLA XIMENES AND ANNA CINTIA XIMENES, SU LI, IAGO MONTEIRO AND SARA SEARA, MANZIUK VALERIIA // STAFF PHOTOS BY SANG BAE

ADVERTISING BUSINESS MANAGER

ALISON LIZZIO UNIVERSITY SALES RELATIONS

CLAIRE MAHANY

SNAPSHOT

TODAY ON CAMPUS

SALES MANAGER

EMMA HOWCROFT SALES REPRESENTATIVES

Spring Club Fest If you’re looking for something to do in your free time and want to meet new people, NYU Club Fest is the place to be.

Representatives from NYU clubs will be in the Kimmel Center for University Life from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

AMY LU, BEN SWINEHART SALES ASSOCIATES

MIKE GROTT, LUXI PENG GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

KALEEL MUNROE CIRCULATION MANAGER

JESSICA TIEN

Fiction Reading Authors Jeffery Renard Allen and Marie-Helene Bertino will read passages from their new novels. The event will be held at 7 p.m. in the Lillian Vernon Creative Writers House.

CIRCULATION ASSISTANTS

ALEX HANSON, FIONA GORRY-HINES

ADVISING DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

NANCI HEALY EDITORS-AT-LARGE

HKSA Lunar New Year + Valentine’s Day

An artifact currently displayed at the Brooklyn Museum of Art’s Egyptian exhibit.

STAFF PHOTO BY VALENTINA DUQUE BOJANINI

Celebrate Lunar New Year and Valentine’s Day with the Hong Kong Student Association. The event, which will be in Kimmel 808 at 6 p.m., will feature games, prizes and food.

TODAY’S EVENTS ARE FREE FOR NYU STUDENTS.

GOT SOMETHING TO SHARE? EMAIL US AT TIPS@NYUNEWS.COM OR TWEET US @NYUNEWS.

TATIANA BAEZ, NICOLE BROWN, ALEX GREENBERGER, CLIO MCCONNELL, JORDAN MELENDREZ About WSN: Washington Square News (ISSN 15499389) is the student newspaper of New York University. WSN is published Monday through Thursday during NYU’s academic year, except for university holidays, vacations and exam periods.

Corrections: WSN is committed to accurate reporting. When we make errors, we do our best to correct them as quickly as possible.

If you believe we have erred, contact the managing editors at managing@nyunews. com or at 212.998.4302.

NYUNEWS.COM | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2015 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS

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Former legal adviser talks Gitmo, ISIL

By CHRISTINE WANG Contributing Writer

Harold Koh, former legal adviser to the U.S. Department of State, led a conversation about the United States’ ongoing conflict in the Middle East at NYU Law on Wednesday. Koh began by focusing on Guantanamo Bay detention camp and the recent attacks from the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant.

The discussion centered on the Forever War, a name given to the series of post-9/11 conflicts with various Middle Eastern terror groups, and the Authorization for Use of Military Force resolution.

“What the government tried to do was narrow an open-ended war on terror to a specific fight against a network,” Koh said. “ISIL is a threat, but people can still continue to argue about the causes of the threat.”

Koh addressed President Obama’s commitment to end the war and the proposal he sent to Congress less than 24 hours ago, formally asking to authorize a three-year military campaign against ISIL. Koh added that the proposal

excludes enduring long-lasting ground combat.

“It doesn’t say no ground troops,” Koh said. “It says no enduring offensive ground combat operations.

This means that the president is still hoping for ground forces in limited circumstances, perhaps for rescue operations or the use of special operations forces.”

Koh said he attributed the length of the conflict to the American-backed Iraqi prime minister.

“I think the problem is in trying to strengthen an Iraqi state prime minister, al-Maliki, [who] was not a good leader,” Koh said. “As a result, there became this huge ethnic divide and the goals of setting up a strong enough Iraqi force that could defend itself failed.”

Shifting the topic to Guantanamo Bay, Koh said its opening was a mistake but he sees no hope for a shut-down anytime soon.

“I’m sick of Guantanamo,” Koh said. “I would say ‘close it right away,’ but I know no one’s going to be happy about that. They never should’ve opened Guantanamo.”

Despite the decrease in the number of detainees at Guantanamo, Koh said he doesn’t think

STAFF PHOTO BY SHAWN PAIK

Harold Koh, right, speaks with Ryan Goodman on a number of topics, including the Forever War. they will ever shut the facility down.

“My own guess will be that this process will continue, and they’ll get it down to a certain number, and then it’s all about what happens the two months before the president leaves office,” Koh said.

NYU Law student Catherine Lau said the event was relevant to the material she studies in her classes.

needs to be democratic accountability about these issues is really significant,” Gomm said. “There were some really interesting balancing issues they discussed about who is the enemy and, as things evolve, how the decision to fight should be made.”

Email Christine Wang at news@nyunews.com.

Study reveals FDA reporting issues

VIGIL continued from PG. 1

Students gather to mourn tragedy

The vigil featured both student and administration speakers, including Muslim, Jewish and Christian chaplains of the university. Sitting on the staircase, students of all backgrounds listened to a recitation from the Qur’an in Arabic and English followed by emotional speeches.

NYU Langone student Muddasir Ayaz spoke at the vigil echoing the feelings of heart break the families of victims felt. He said the best way to reconcile with their grief is to unite under the common purpose of doing good.

“Many of us feel heartbroken because they were such promising young people and they were such beautiful souls,” Ayaz said.

“The human capacity for empathy really determines how we move forward, and the recognition that all life has value.”

Saif Chowdhury, president of the NYU Muslim Students Association, said they mobilized the vigil in a matter of a few hours, and he appreciated how many people cared about this tragedy.

“Coming together tonight for the vigil and seeing all those people on the stairs, it

“They were highly informative,” Lau said. “I’m taking a class right now called Legislation and the Regulatory State and the talk applied very well to what I learned in class.”

NYU Law student Michael Gomm said the discussion illuminated the intricacies of conflict overseas.

“I felt that the point that there

By ALANNA BAYARIN and MARITA VLACHOU News Editors

STAFF PHOTO BY SHAWN PAIK

Hundreds pay their respects on the steps of Kimmel. puts my heart and my wellbeing in a place of good,” Chowdhury said. “Just being able to see so many people from different races, ethnicities, religious backgrounds coming together to remember these three individuals, it hits home.”

Khalid Latif, a Muslim chaplain at NYU, called upon the students gathered at the vigil to become more passionate about social issues and to stand up against injustice. He said the key was uniting community through compassion.

“Things are going in a direction that gives me a lot of hope,” Latif said. “But what gives me the most hope is seeing all of you be willing to come together,

and the only prayer that I have today is you learn to come together beyond moments of tragedy, and you come together simply because it’s the right thing to do.”

Chowdhury said it will take a widespread change of mindset to prevent events like this from happening again, but that the vigil is a good start.

“The key thing is for us to stop thinking in terms of others,” Chowdhury said. “I think it’s very important to see everyone across the board as human, and I hope and pray that we can one day get to that point.”

Email Alex Bazeley at abazeley@nyunews.com.

A study released in the Journal of the American Medical Association exposed the Food and Drug Administration’s inconsistent reports on the subject of how clinical sites research human subjects. The report was published

by NYU professor Charles Seife, who worked with NYU graduate journalism students to uncover scientific fraud.

Lydia Anderson, a journalism graduate student who was hired as Seife’s research assistant, was inspired by his interest in identifying misconduct.

“I was interested in the job because he has quite the nose for interesting fraud and I was curious to see what he would find,” Anderson said.

Seife said he and his students read heavily redacted FDA documents detailing clinical research sites. They tried to see which studies the documents were describing, and then checked to see if the problems the FDA found were reflected in peer review literature.

“I was scouring these papers, and of the 78 that I read, only three mentioned there was a problem, and each only used one sentence,” Anderson said. “It seemed impossible that so many papers wouldn’t acknowledge that data was flawed.”

Seife said the FDA omitted im-

portant parts of their studies to make it appear as if there were fewer mistakes in research.

“For the published studies we were able to identify, the vast majority had no mention of the problems, even when they involved fabrication or fraud,” Seife said.

Seife said he has been invested in identifying misconduct in the scientific process for a long time.

“I began the investigation because I have a longstanding interest in how we deceive ourselves and how human frailty affects the scientific process, and I realized that I could structure a class around looking at warning letters,” Seife said.

NYU alumnus Joshua Krisch, who was one of the students who worked with Seife on the investigation, wrote an article published on Vocativ.com about the study. He said the FDA purposefully left out mistakes in medical reports.

“The problem wasn’t finding fraud — it was deciding which heinous act of straight-up medical chicanery to use,” Krisch said in the article. “Blatant dishonesty had tainted thousands of medical studies. I found clinical trials with fake patients, doctors who never bothered obtaining consent, forgeries and cover-ups galore. The FDA database was a veritable ‘who’s who’ of dirty researchers.”

Email them at news@nyunews.com.

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WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2015 | NYUNEWS.COM

ARTS

EDITED BY ALEXA SPIELER ARTS@NYUNEWS.COM

‘Voice’ alumna discusses artistry

HITS continued from PG. 1

Chaotic ‘Hits’ fails to deliver humor

By E.R. PULGAR Music Editor

After a stint on “The Voice,” 19-year-old Melanie Martinez fought to be taken seriously as a musician. She honed her image and separated herself from the show for a year, then recorded the EP “Dollhouse.” The release boasts a subversively creepy doll aesthetic that garnered the attention of “American Horror Story: Freak Show,” which featured her song “Carousel” in one of its trailers. WSN sat down with Martinez to discuss her search for artistry, “Dollhouse” and how she combines childhood motifs with dark themes.

WSN: Where do you get your inspiration for such dark childhood-inspired songs?

MM: I think I cling to it; I’m generally a happy person, but I have very strong emotional waves. I definitely put my emotions into my music. When I’m having really sad days I write and it’s therapy, and I think it’s why the songs come out so sad. When I’m happy, I actually have writer’s block, so I’ll put myself through hell to write good music.

WSN: How would you describe your sound?

MM: It’s inspired by toy

movie manages to work as an entertaining feature-length film. “Shadows” is a unique effort that demonstrates Waititi and Clement as talented upand-coming filmmakers.

to get the attention they think they deserve from their respective peers and outlets.

Talentless Katelyn dedicates her time to giving faux “Ellen Show” interviews in the confines of her car. Meanwhile, her father Dave seems threatening at community council meetings with his overbearing requests for change, which eventually provide him with all of the attention in the world. News reporters and activists flock to Liberty to support Dave’s causes. Donovan and his gang of Brooklynite friends are the first to take interest in Dave’s concerns. Shouting names like “HuffPo,” “Reddit,” and “Tumblr,” Donovan is clearly the satirized epitome of the average millennial. Meanwhile, Cory strives to obtain Katelyn’s naive attention at any opportunity presented to him. On a much lower scale, all of these characters want to be noticed.

As angst-inducing music pulses throughout most of the film, it is clear that something ominous is bubbling under the surface of these lighthearted interactions.

Cross’s satirical commentary is witty and comical to a degree, but lacks the compelling quality of most successful comedies. The tone is very scattered — as there are sporadic instances of humor — but never fully delivers hearty laughs.

The bare-minimum plot is punctuated with dry one-liners delivered by underdeveloped characters, making “Hits” more of a star-studded messy ensemble rather than a coherent narrative.

The desire for fame eventually ruins the small town of Liberty. Each of these characters, in their desire for attention, ends up embarrassing themselves.

In “Hits,” everyone seeks attention, and this eventually leads to a convoluted and chaotic mess. Toward the end of the film, Katelyn shouts “This is insanity” to a room of news reporters, ironically expressing the nature of the comedy. “Hits” eventually goes off the rails, but if any lesson is to be taken away from this idiosyncratic satire, it is that eventually everyone gets their 15 minutes.

Email Zack Grullon at film@nyunews.com.

Email Sidney Butler at film@nyunews.com.

COURTESY OF LOLA IZOLA

Melanie Martinez, a former contestant on “The Voice,” performing at the Bowery Ballroom. The performer recently released her EP “Dollhouse.” sounds, hip-hop influenced beats with childish sounds and creepy production. I think my songs are individual stories.

Each song is its own thing, but it’s still able to fit into this giant pack of storybooks.

WSN: Do you think any of your opportunities have come from “The Voice”?

MM: When I was on “The Voice,” being labeled as a contestant meant I had to work hard to get to a place where people looked at me as an artist. That’s where people first saw me, so I’m okay with it, but I think all the opportunities I’ve been getting have come from the music and people genuinely being into it. I spent a year developing my sound and

working with different writers and producers, and I got to this point where I had a clear vision of what I wanted to do.

When the “Dollhouse” video came out, I met with [Atlantic Records], and they were very supportive of my vision. I’ve heard horror stories about record labels where people have to change, and I haven’t had to compromise.

WSN: Speaking of horror stories, what was it like to have your song featured on the trailer for “Freak Show”?

MM: I was freaking out.

WSN: Are you a fan of the show?

MM: Jessica Lange is my baby.

Everyone is a great actor in every season. I love the carnival aes-

thetic; it’s old and creepy, and I feel like it fits my phase right now. I found out about it being used in the trailer two days before they aired it and I was just so happy.

WSN: What are your plans for the spring?

MM: I’m releasing a 13 track album. It’s basically a bigger version of the EP, more dedicated to the childhood themes.

The tracks are childhood things paired with mature subjects; one of the songs, “Ms. Potato Head,” is about plastic surgery and it gets very dark and blunt in regards of what I’m talking about.

Email E.R. Pulgar at epulgar@nyunews.com.

‘Shadows’ sheds light on vampires

By ZACK GRULLON Staff Writer Unlike Hollywood, independent cinema has managed to stretch its creativity within the vampire genre with films such as “A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night,” “Let the Right One In” and its American counterpart “Let Me In.” However, it is hard not to address some of the absurdity behind vampire folklore, which is what makes “What We Do in the Shadows” entertaining. The film’s lo-fi presentation is used to great effect, and writer-directors Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi manage to stretch the film’s potentially one-note joke into a satisfying mockumentary, with enough smart wit and visual gags to keep the audience engaged for its brief running time.

A group of crucifix-bearing filmmakers document a few months in the life of a quartet of vampires, who live in a flat

in New Zealand. Taika Waititi plays a hopeless romantic pining for a past loved one.

Valdislav, played by Clement, is an infamous European torturer — nicknamed “Vlad the Poker” — whose power has declined since his battle against an entity called “The Beast.”

Jonathan Brugh plays Deacon, an angsty rebel and the youngest among the quartet at the age of 183. Petyr, played by Ben Fransham, is a Nosferatu-type who lives inside a coffin and communicates through hissing.

Any fan of the series “Flight of the Conchords,” which brought Clement into the spotlight for American audiences, cannot help but notice the similarities in the dead-pan, awkward humor. In several instances, the human characters seem less believable than the vampire characters. This comes mostly in the form of the character Stu, who shows up midway in the film as the

only human friend that this quartet of vampires has.

The majority of the film’s humor is creative and surprising.

The jokes and characters keep the film’s threadbare storyline moving, since there are not many inspired turns in the plot.

The characters do not have much depth, but their oddity and inability to interact with humans makes their storylines amusing. Another surprising element is the film’s innovative visual effects. The lo-fi mockumentary style makes the visual effects stand out; whether it is a fight in mid-air or killing their prey, viewers are immersed into these effects.

Ultimately, “Shadows” works because Waititi and Clement realize jokes about vampires can become old quickly, even if they are more clever than most. Wisely stripped down to a brief 86-minute running time, what could have been a short film or a television

VIA WIKIPEDIA.ORG

“Shadows” will be released in the United States on Friday.

NYUNEWS.COM | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2015 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS

FEATURES

EDITED BY MARINA ZHENG FEATURES@NYUNEWS.COM

By DHRITI TANDON Staff Writer

PHOTO BY JAMES PARK

The three plays that make up “Sex as Performance” confront tough topics like sexual assault.

Performance becomes therapy

By DHRITI TANDON Staff Writer

The sensitive topics of sex and assault were openly discussed through a collection of three one-act plays in “Sex as Performance,” showcasing the work of Drama Therapy master candidates.

Curated by drama therapy professional Jessica Shotwell with showings from Feb. 5 to 8 at Black Box Theater, the event encouraged dialogue of the various implications of such themes.

The three plays — “Transference”, “Blurred Lines” and “Tips to Avoid Rape for the Average American Girl” — were inspired by the directors’ and playwrights’ own experiences and observations regarding the subjects of rape and sex.

“How sex is performed was the question that was offered to the drama therapist students,” Shotwell said. “They then went ahead and with that prompt, came up with these proposals from which I chose.”

Shotwell said the event was a form of therapeutic theater, as there is therapy in the perfor-

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mance for the directors, playwrights and the audience.

“I would say drama therapy is a respectable clinical therapy approach that uses embodiment story and anything we can get our hands on to get our client to make a personal change,” Shotwell said.

“There is no one entity that it serves, and it sets out to be service in all respects.”

The play “Transference” explored a young man’s feelings as he grew to love his deceased partner’s therapist. Director Jon DeAngelis based the play on his personal experience and said he believed channeling his feelings into the story had a therapeutic effect.

In the next play, Kat Lee and Cameron Wade’s “Blurred Lines” replaced spoken dialogue with a series of artistic expressions, exaggerated dance moves and intriguing music to convey the plot. The two directors chose an untraditional method of presenting the act because they felt the experience was difficult to verbalize. A sub-act of their production, ”Street Harassment as Performance” was a

glimpse of street harassment. The play also explored the cyclical nature of the perpetrator and victim relationship.

The last play, “Tips to Avoid Rape for the Average American Girl,” portrayed director Darci Burch’s wish to open up dialogue of the layered perceptions of rape in American society. The play combined a humorous approach with a discussion of how one could avoid a potential assault. Burch hoped that through the play, the audience would form its own opinion on the subject of rape.

“My intentions were to make you wonder about my intentions and have answers for them,” Burch said.

CAS senior Ruiqi Xie enjoyed the event, and said it was important that the social topics were acknowledged and discussed.

“I think the event had a very compact and delicate climax,” Xie said.

“I liked the way these plays discuss the various ironies in the ideas of rape and should be shown at all campuses in the U.S.” Email Dhriti Tandon at features@nyunews.com.

Whether you’re single or taken, New York City is the perfect place to spend Valentine’s weekend with your friends or your significant other. From impressive ice sculptures to a doggie beauty pageant show, there is more than enough to do and see this weekend.

Ice Festival in Central Park With snow covered lawns and auras of city lights, Central Park may be the ideal romantic spot for lovers, especially the Ice Festival on Valentine’s Day at the park. Artists from Okamoto Studio will carve a sparkling statue of Romeo and Juliet from 3,000 pounds of ice. You can witness this carving live on Saturday from 3 to 5 p.m. and stick around from 5 to 7 p.m. for the vibrant ’80s themed, silent disco party at the park.

Concerts and Live Music Performances Valentine’s weekend would be incomplete without some classical romantic music. Concerts and live performances playing Valentine’sthemed music throughout the city will be sure to get you into the spirit.

Check out Dianne Reeves performing smooth jazz songs at Lincoln Center on Feb. 13 and 14 at 8 p.m.

Tickets start at $35. If not, opt for Latin music performances — Los Cintron will be covering the music of the Gipsy Kings at Cafe Wha? on

Feb. 14 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased online. You can also enjoy Greek music performed by the Bond Street Euterpean Singing Society at the Merchant’s House Museum at 7:30 p.m..

Valentine’s Weekend at Blood Manor If you are not the romantic type, consider attending the “Bloody Valentine’s Weekend” special at the Blood Manor on Feb. 13 and 14 from 7:30 p.m. to midnight. The all-time favorite haunted house of the city will be decorated with Valentine’s themed details: dead flowers and blood-ridden hearts, to name a few.

Using the promo code Cupid will get you discounted tickets on the official Blood Manor website. You can buy tickets online for $30 or at-the-door for $35.

The Doggies and Tiaras Pageant If you are looking forward to something sassy this weekend, you could attend The NYC Doggies and Tiaras Pageant. The event takes place on Friday at the Toyota of Manhattan, located at 645 11th Ave. from 6 to 10 p.m. 20 dogs will be competing for the Mr. and Miss Doggies and Tiaras in different categories including talent, activewear and glamour. Tickets are $30. Complimentary food and drinks will also be served. The money raised from this event will go to the Yorkie 911 Rescue.

Email Dhriti Tandon at features@nyunews.com.

Movie-inspired dates for Valentine’s Day

By SARAH KIM Contributing Writer

Train Many people exchange special eye contact and smiles with strangers on the train. In “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” for instance, Joel (Jim Carrey) and Clementine (Kate Winslet) show instant attraction toward each other on the Long Island Railroad. It is also one of the best date spots if you’re up to take a spontaneous adventure with your date. With or without a destination, the train creates a tranquil atmosphere to simply talk and enjoy each other’s company.

Diner An old fashioned diner may not seem the ideal place for a romantic night out, but Pat (Bradley Cooper) and Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence)

prove otherwise in “Silver Linings Playbook.” Comfortable and relaxing, an old diner like Waverly on Sixth Avenue creates the perfect environment to get to know more about your date. One of the perks of this date spot is that it is affordable and far from intimidating.

Play or Musical Go to a nearby school play or musical. It is the perfect chance to discover your date’s artistic tastes or initiate conversations about hobbies and interests. And who knows, you might end up being the next David (Hugh Grant) and Natalie (Martine McCutcheon), caught kissing on stage in “Love, Actually.”

Rooftop If you’re feeling drained by constant phone calls and text messages interrupting the conversa-

STAFF PHOTO BY SANG BAE

Subway dates on the MTA might be a little different from the train scene in “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.” tions with your other half, perhaps the rooftop of a skyscraper can help the two of you reconnect as Dylan (Justin Timberlake) and Jamie (Mila Kunis) did in “Friends with Benefits.” It is also a great place to think things through and clear your mind of negativities.

Park Consider taking full advantage of the countless parks found all over the city — relaxing, romantic, secluded and a refreshing change of scenery. Pack a delicious picnic and enjoy the view

with your other — perhaps you’ll even fall in love like Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Summer (Zooey Deschanel) in “500 Days of Summer.”

Email Sarah Kim at features@nyunews.com.

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Crossword ACROSS

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novelist ___ Kertész 5 “The Wind in the Willows” squire 11 3-Down sound 14 Take off 15 Engagement party?

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PUZZLE BY JACOB STULBERG

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For answers, call 1-900-285-5656, $1.49 a minute; or, with a credit card, 1-800-814-5554.

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NYUNEWS.COM | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2015 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS

OPINION

EDITED BY TESS WOOSLEY OPINION@NYUNEWS.COM

HEALTH

McNot lovin’ it: from pink slime to worker abuse

By DANA BROWN Staff Writer

During the Super Bowl, McDonald’s debuted a heartwarming ad campaign: “Pay with Lovin’,” which allows customers to earn their meals by doing things like calling their mother, taking a selfie, doing a dance or hugging someone. McDonald’s clearly wishes to promote itself as a company that values love and caring. Unfortunately, the truth is that they care more about money than anything else.

McDonald’s is no stranger to bad publicity. In Japan, McDonald’s customers have reported finding bits of plastic and even a tooth in their food, and certain locations in China have come under fire for using expired and contaminated meat. While most Americans might assume nothing like that could ever occur in the United States, McDonald’s has been up to some questionable practices here for some time. McDonald’s pulled ammonia-treated beef from their recipes in 2011, but they might still use the same meat slurry — nicknamed pink slime — without the treatment. This is not an improvement. The reason why the ammonia treatment was used

is even more worrying. The trimmings used to make “finely textured beef” often come from carcass’ outer surfaces, and due to factory-farming conditions, they are far more likely to be exposed to E. coli and other bacteria. These practices are what necessitate the use of ammonia as disinfectant.

The burgers alone are enough to repulse most people, but the rest of the menu is not much better. In 2011, McDonald’s drew criticism for offering heavily processed oatmeal that had more sugar than a Snickers bar. The company has also been sued for including beef flavoring in its french fries without indicating that they made potatoes and salt non-vegetarian. This, of course, was a major issue for those who avoid meat for religious or ethical reasons. Though McDonald’s ended up paying $10 million, their fry recipe is still not vegetarian, a

fact that the company fails to publish clearly in its stores.

McDonald’s not only does harm to its consumers, but also is notable for its poor treatment of workers. In 2012, McDonald’s pushed stores to stay open on Christmas while refusing to pay holiday overtime at company-owned locations. In addition, McDonald’s has made efforts to prevent both minimum-wage increases and unionization. Through budgeting websites and tip lines recommending employees get second jobs or apply for food stamps, McDonald’s has effectively admitted that its workers cannot survive on the wages it pays. Meanwhile, McDonald’s executives are among the highest paid CEOs in the United States.

The fast food giant’s “lovin’” marketing obscures the truth: it has no interest in the wellbeing of its customers or employees. While the company’s top priority is to naturally generate profit rather than to care for its workers or consumers, McDonald’s deceptive and harmful practices cross the line into unethical and dangerous.

Email Dana Brown at opinion@nyunews.com.

BUSINESS

‘Cash only’ outdated, frustrating

By GABRIELLE GUSSIN Contributing Writer

NYU students are fortunate to live in an age when we can Seamless our dinners, Uber our car rides, and Venmo our friends payment. All of these services are at our fingertips with no need for cold hard cash. While this technology increasingly makes things more convenient, it also robs us of our patience. That is why it is so annoying when it comes time to pay the bill at a restaurant or cafe and you’re told, “Sorry, we’re cash only.” If I can use Venmo to instantly put $20 in the pocket of my friend across the country, it seems especially frustrating that a successful business can refuse to take a debit card.

Though the additional fees required to offer debit and credit transactions can be a burdensome expense for small businesses, many consumers, myself included, would be willing to pay a small service charge in order to pay with a debit/credit card when lacking cash. Companies have emerged to address this precise issue. “It’s

SUBMITTING TO

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Simple to Accept Credit Cards” is the motto of Square, Inc., a mobile payments service founded in 2009.

Square allows merchants to accept debit and credit cards using a small card reader that connects to the audio jack of a smartphone or tablet. Now many brick-and-mortar stores are forgoing the traditional cash register for the Square Stand, an iPad-based point of sale system that allows customers to pay for their purchase. Square Stand does charge 2.75 percent per swipe, but these costs could be passed on only to the consumers who choose to use their cards.

I don’t anticipate all New York businesses will abandon their cashonly policies, even with the rise of services like Square. Cash transactions still have their place when they add to a business’s nostalgic

atmosphere. For instance, Katz’s Delicatessen still operates on a ticket and cash payment system, which hasn’t changed since 1888 when the deli was first established. This element adds to the old school, authentic New York City deli experience that one has while dining at Katz’s. While part of Katz’s appeal is its historic charm, the use of cash at thriving modern businesses feels like a step backwards.

For the vast majority of burgeoning New York City businesses, where a cash-only policy does not serve nostalgic purposes, the decision to accept debit and credit cards should be simple. For every new business that may not be able to afford the equipment or charges just yet, there is a well-off establishment, such as Tompkins Square Bagels, that has failed to make the electronic switch. By not offering this service, many businesses are losing customers who would be happy to pay, if only they were allowed to swipe.

Email Gabrielle Gussin at opinion@nyunews.com.

STAFF EDITORIAL

Hate crimes require harsher punishment

A shooting on Tuesday killed three students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, leaving the small university town shaken. The victims were newlywed couple Deah Shaddy Barakat and Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, and her sister Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha. They were all of Arab descent. According to a statement from Chapel Hill police, the attack may have stemmed from a dispute over parking, but is also being investigated as a possible hate crime. The shooter, Craig Stephen Hicks, referred to himself on his Facebook account as an “antitheist” and posted statements critical of all religions. This incident is particularly tragic given that it occurred in a university town, which are typically diverse and inclusive communities.

The Abu Salha’s father strongly believes these murders are a hate crime. The shooter’s wife disagrees. But her husband, gun in belt, harassed the victims in the weeks before their murder. One of the victims told her father the week before her murder, “He hates us for for what we are and how we look,” words countless Muslims can identify with.

It is unsurprising social media users have jumped to the conclusion that, given Hick’s anti-religious background, the crime was motivated by the victims’ faith.

Today, the number of anti-Muslim hate crimes in the United States is five times higher than before 9/11. Conservatives jumped for joy when Bill Maher and Sam Harris called Islam the “motherload of bad ideas.” Fox News anchor Jeanine Pirro called for the genocide of Islamists on television with little to no consequence. To ignore the hateful motivations behind the murder of these three Muslims is to dismiss the fears of Muslims in an increasingly Islamophobic United States.

If hate crimes are not met with robust punishments, a rise in domestic instances like those after 9/11 may be in our future.

President Barack Obama has recently proposed a three-year war plan to fight threats posed by ISIS, but it is not clearly defined. This ambiguity may create an opportunity for Obama or his successor to wage another phase of unbridled anti-terrorist operations, which may have profiling implications for Muslims in the U.S. Republican leaders are also pushing for a war against ISIS with few restrictions. Religious profiling must be prevented in this likely war so that the Islamic population in the United States can feel safe.

Whether or not the Chapel Hill Shooting was ultimately motivated by religion, hate crimes are on the rise, especially since the emergence of ISIS. The United States is at the threshold of starting another expansive war in a politically volatile region.

The charged news coverage, nationalism and partisan politics associated with these similar wars creates a sensitive social climate at home. Therefore any sort of hate crime must be strongly opposed on all fronts.

Email the WSN Editorial Board at editboard@nyunews.com.

EDITORIAL BOARD: Tess Woosley (Chair), Annie Cohen (Co-chair), Tommy Collison (Co-chair), Matthew Tessler (Co-chair) ILLUSTRATION BY JOURDAN ENRIQUEZ

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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NYUNEWS.COM | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2015 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS

SPORTS

EDITED BY BOBBY WAGNER SPORTS@NYUNEWS.COM

Fencing foils Sacred Heart

By JONATHAN SCHIFMAN Contributing Writer

The men’s and women’s fencing teams concluded their regular season with mixed results on Tuesday at Coles Sports Center.

The Violets faced some of their toughest competition of the season, hosting Division I schools Columbia University and Sacred Heart University and DIII Vassar College. Despite the challenge, the men’s team finished the day with a successful 2-1 overall record, while the women’s team ended with a 1-2 record.

Continuing their success from the Eric Sollee Invitational last week, the men’s squad got off to a quick start, beating Vassar by a close score of 15-12.

The Violets then faced Sacred Heart, defeating the DI school by a very large 20-7 margin. But NYU could not score a victory against DI powerhouse Columbia, falling by a score of 19-8.

Though they struggled against the Lions, men’s foil captain David Popkin was hopeful that they will best them next time.

“We had very decisive wins against Sacred Heart and Vassar, but had a tough time against Columbia,” Popkin said. “I’m really proud of my

VIA GONYUATHLETICS.COM

Senior foil captain Audra Fox had five wins on Tuesday night during the Quad Meet.

foil squad — they kept their focus up and fought hard. It’s a shame we didn’t beat Columbia, but I think we’ll be able to take them next time we fence them. We definitely weren’t outclassed.”

NYU had strong performances across the board, earning wins from all three weapons squads.

Freshman Hans Engel and sophomores John Cramerus and Malcolm Lewis combined for a 14-10 record for the épée team, while sophomore Quinten Burgunder led the saber team with three wins.

The foil team, led by freshmen Phil Shin, Daniel Sconzo and Yash Srivastav, had the best showing. Shin and Sconzo finished 7-2 and 6-2, respectively, and Srivastav won all

four of his bouts.

Freshman Jesse Gutierrez touched on the emotion of their last meet in Coles before its renovation.

“Yesterday’s meet was pretty emotional,” Gutierrez said. “It was not only the last meet of the season, but the last meet at Coles Gym. The senior awards at the reception was also a highlight. We got to thank our captains for not only being mentors, but friends. It’s hard to believe they won’t be fencing with us next year, but we’re grateful for everything they’ve done for us.”

After starting the season off poorly, the Violets displayed tremendous improvement over the course of the season. NYU went 7-2 over its last nine dual meets, and ended the year with

a winning 11-10 record.

The women’s team did not end the season with as much success, but they had some strong performances from key fencers.

The Violets won their first match against Vassar 1611, ending a five-bout losing streak. NYU then lost to both Sacred Heart and Columbia by identical 19-8 margins.

Freshman épée fencer Marissa Posner led NYU with a 5-2 record.

Senior foil captain Audra Fox and sophomore saber fencer Cydney Williams followed, going 5-4 and 4-4, respectively.

The loss ends the Violets’ season with a 3-20 record.

Posner, however, believes that the team will grow in coming years.

“I think that today’s opponents were much harder than the Eric Sollee Invitational, mainly because of the Columbia fencers,” Posner said. “I feel the team recognized how far we have come and has been practicing extra hard to keep our success flowing.”

Now that their regular season is over, the fencing squad will look for some success in the postseason. They compete next over this weekend when they travel to the U.S. Junior National Olympics in Richmond, Virginia.

They will then look to make some noise in NCAA regional and national championships.

Email Jonathan Schifman at sports@nyunews.com.

HARRIS continued from PG. 1

NYU transfer student heats up the court I think as a team, we really feel like we can be a national championship team.”

The Violets have stumbled a few times to teams ranked lower than them, but is has not broken their concentration. Their season has featured two wireto-wire wins against their rival Emory, and two blowout wins over Washington University in St. Louis and the University of Chicago.

Harris, however, thinks that the Violets have refocused and are now poised to make their run.

“I think that the biggest thing now is that we have a sense of urgency,” Harris said. “We really see the light at the end of the tunnel, we really believe in how good we can be. We were

on SportsCenter top 10 plays the other day. For a Division III school, that’s pretty nuts. I think that more and more confidence is what you feel in the locker room.”

However, Harris is just happy to be on the court ­ and more specifically, a court in New York City.

“I’m a native of New York City,” Harris said. “I just love being back home, that’s kind of the biggest reason I chose to come back to NYU.” Harris will take the court again on Friday when the Violets take on Case Western Reserve University in another Violet Nation Giveaway Day. STAFF PHOTO BY SHAWN PAIK

Email Bobby Wagner at bwagner@nyunews.com.

Hakeem Harris has been confident about his season so far with the Violets.