NYU’s Daily Student Newspaper
WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS Vol. 41, No. 12
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2013
nyunews.com
Immigrant students speak out By KEVIN BURNS
RACHEL KAPLAN/WSN
Students spoke out at last night’s panel discussion, spotlighting the struggles of today’s undocumented scholars.
MamaGyro serves homey, healthy fast food By SANJANA KUCHERIA
Union Square is now home to the freshest of Greek fare. MamaGyro’s second New York City location opened on Feb. 6 and now officially caters to those in search of healthy, fast, homemade Greek food with a cultural flair. MamaGyro is run entirely by Stella “Mama” Likitsakos, her husband and their daughter, Vicki. All of the specialties and menu items served, as well as the vibrant cyan and white décor, reflect their Greek heritage and exhibit genuine customer service. The objective is to offer an inviting, caring and family-friendly atmosphere. “The only reason we call it ‘fast food’ is because there is no waiter service,” Vicki said. “There is nothing about our food that is [like typical] ‘fast food,’ in terms of quality.” Every recipe followed at MamaGyro is from the Likitsakos family, passed down from “Mama” to “Mama,” who only occasionally tweak the ingredients. All the dips, pies and desserts are made from scratch, and to deliver authenticity and freshness, new batches of dips and pies are made every two to three hours. An extremely popular choice is the tender rotisserie chicken gyro (one for $4; two for $7.50), which comes in your choice of
white or whole wheat pita, wrapped with tomatoes, red onions and French fries with Mama’s sauce, spicy mayo, tzatziki, honey Dijon, barbecue or hot sauce drizzled inside as well. Another favorite is the veggie burger ($5), which can come on either a toasted potato bun or your choice of pita, with tomatoes, red onions and hummus. “People are generally not too adventurous when they first step into the restaurant and usually get the gyro,” Likitsakos said. “But there are so many other options that have to be tried.” The homemade dips, in particular, stand out. There are the typical hummus and tzatziki dips, but MamaGyro concocts unique blends such as the eggplant (which includes onions, sun-dried tomatoes, sea salt and pepper) spicy pepper feta (also containing jalapeños and oil) and the black olive tzatziki (Greek yogurt, kalamata olives, cucumbers, dill, garlic, sea salt and oil) dips. They come in different sizes and are served with pita triangles. Savory pies are also offered, such as the spinach swirls ($4), a feast of spinach, feta, onions and dill, and the ricotta and feta-filled cheese swirls ($4). Further accompaniments include sides such as sweet potato fries ($4) and char-grilled souvlaki skewers (one for $2.50). The Likitsakos family also recom-
mends Mama’s tasty desserts, including the bite-sized chocolate baklava, which has a smooth, chocolate and honey filling, encased by a crunchy shell. With its convenient location and student-friendly prices, MamaGyro is sure to become a neighborhood hit. “The food we serve really is for all ages,” Likitsakos said. “We have students, families and [those from other businesses] trying our food.” MamaGyro is located at 820 Broadway between 11th and 12th streets. Sanjana Kucheria is a contributing writer. Email her at dining@nyunews.com.
RACHEL CABITT/WSN
MamaGyro offers healthy gyros, sauces and sides with a unique flair.
Last night, the Dream Team at NYU hosted a panel discussion on education for undocumented youth in America. Moderated by professor of Latino Studies Luisa Heredia, the panel featured three undocumented students. President of the Dream Team and CAS junior Taylor Digby said the purpose of the event was to raise awareness about the issues faced by today’s undocumented youth. “There are a lot of people at NYU who don’t know about undocumented students,” said Digby. “We wanted to let people talk to them.” Panelists Melissa Garcia Velez, Dominique Hernandez and Ivan Rosales discussed their struggles to secure a higher education while dealing with their undocumented status. Financial aid sparked heated debate
DREAM continued on PG. 3
Student raises charity funds with bike blog By DEBORAH LUBANGA When Stern freshman Lydia Guo received her official bike from Bike & Build, she knew her summer journey had begun. This June, Guo is biking across the United States with Bike & Build, a nonprofit group that coordinates bike trips for young adults who want to raise funds for affordable housing projects. In anticipation of the trip, Guo started a blog, aptly titled “Let’s Guo.” She launched the blog in January to jump start fundraising for her 10-week cycling trip, a journey that will take her from Providence, R.I., to Half Moon Bay, Calif. from June 7 through Aug. 20. Along the way, Guo and her fellow cyclists will help local housing organizations construct affordable homes. “I’ve always wanted to explore the country and meet people that I wouldn’t have ever met otherwise living in Palo Alto, Calif., my hometown, or in New York City,” Guo said. “My main goal is to become more familiar with the common American demographic
BLOG continued on PG. 5
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WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2013 | NYUNEWS.COM
ON THE SIDE STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS WASHINGTON SQUARE PARK BLOG Ever wonder what is going on in the park that NYU’s campus centers around? The Washington Square Park blog is an independent site that keeps the public up-to-date on events and information about Washington Square Park. Photos of the park are posted regularly, highlighting interesting changes or events. The blog also features a history of the redesign plan of the park and its progress. washingtonsquareparkblog.com
THE LO-DOWN The Lo-Down: News from the Lower East Side offers local news for all ages in a variety of categories including food, nightlife, shopping and real estate. Although the advertisements on either side of the page are somewhat distracting, large photos on the home page draw users to the featured articles. The articles often have links to other related stories, making it easy to find out more information about a topic that interests you. www.thelodownny.com
BOWERY BOOGIE Bowery Boogie’s mission statement is to document the past, present and future of the Lower East Side neighborhoods. It covers everything from events and construction projects to street art and film set locations. A cool feature it offers is a list of streets in the Lower East Side where viewers can click to read any articles related to a specific block. www.boweryboogie.com
DNAINFO.COM If you’re curious about a local news story in any of the five boroughs, DNAinfo.com is your go-to source. It allows you to search news by neighborhood and covers local politics, events, dining, health and weather. DNA’s website breaks everything down into categories, so you can find exactly what you’re looking for. www.dnainfo.com/new-york/
EV GRIEVE For stories about the East Village that no one else has heard about, turn to EV Grieve. It was voted “Best Neighborhood Blog” by the Village Voice in 2010. Stories come in different formats: articles, updates from other news sources and interviews from local unsung heroes. Use EV Grieve to stay current with local happenings. evgrieve.com
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COMPILED BY THE
WSN STAFF
IN AND OF
THE CITY
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Editor-in-Chief JONATHON DORNBUSH Managing Editor
AMY ZHANG Web Managing Editor
HANQING CHEN
It’s a big city and a widespread university. Catch up with our daily updates on university and city/state news headlines other publications are covering.
Deputy Managing Editor
JORDAN MELENDREZ Assistant Managing Editor
NICOLA PRING Creative Director
KALEEL MUNROE SENIOR STAFF
CLIVE DAVIS REVEALS BISEXUALITY IN NEW MEMOIR Music mogul Clive Davis, of NYU’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, revealed he is bisexual in his new memoir, “The Soundtrack of My Life.”
–NY Daily News
university TATIANA BAEZ city/state VERONICA CARCHEDI investigative NICOLE BROWN arts JOSH JOHNSON features KRISTINA BOGOS sports MARY JANE DUMANKAYA multimedia RACHEL KAPLAN copy MICHAEL DOMANICO,
WICY WANG foreign correspondent JULIE DEVITO senior editors GENTRY BROWN, DAN
HINTON, CHARLES MAHONEY, CLIO MCCONNELL, STEFAN MELNYK, LAVYA YALAMANCHI
DEPUTY STAFF
VIA WIKIMEDIA.ORG
GREENWICH VILLAGE LITTLE-LEAGUERS MAY HAVE TO FIND NEW TURF Over 100 Greenwich Village little-leaguers’ baseball season may be off to a slow start this spring since JJ Walker Park, where they used to play, shut down last year for renovations. The league is thinking of moving to Randalls Island or Battery Park, although it is difficult for the players to travel that far to play.
–NY CBS Local
university KEVIN BURNS, NEELA QADIR city/state EMILY BELL, ANDREW
KARPAN books/theater OLIVIA GEORGE film JEREMY GROSSMAN entertainment ALEX GREENBERGER music ALEXANDRIA ETHRIDGE the highlighter blog SAM RULLO features HELEN HOLMES beauty & style MICHELLE LIM dining ANGEL CHANG sports FRANCISCO NAVAS multimedia REBECCA CLEMENTI,
JOON LEE
OPINION PAGE
COLUMBIA PROFESSOR STRIPS IN NAME OF SCIENCE A Columbia professor stripped in front of students with Holocaust and 9/11 images flashing on the screen behind him in order to ready his students for learning the ins and outs of quantum physics. “In order to learn quantum mechanics, you have to strip to your raw, erase all the garbage from your brain and start over again,” he said.
opinion editor
SAMEER JAYWANT deputy opinion editors
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REBECCA RIBEIRO CIRCULATION MANAGER
CHLOE COFFMAN
UNIVERSITY SALES COORDINATOR
KAITLYN O’BRIEN
–NY Daily News
SALES REPRESENTATIVE
VIA WIKIMEDIA.ORG
SNAPSHOT
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TAKING THE HIGH LINE OR TRAIN LINE Along an abandoned Long Island Railroad line in Queens, city officials are deciding whether to revamp the old lines and reduce traffic, or if it should be converted into a high line where members of the community can ride their bicycles.
–Newsday
ARIANA DIVALENTINO, CHRIS ELWOOD, ALISON LIZZIO, SAM WANDER CIRCULATION ASSISTANT
OMID GOLMOHAMMADI GRAPHIC DESIGNER
KALEEL MUNROE
ADVISING DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
BABY SEAL RESCUED FROM ROCKAWAY BEACH On Monday, a young seal was rescued from Rockaway Beach in Queens by the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation. According to the foundation, in recent years the number of young seals rescued on the East Coast has increased.
–Huffington Post The surface of Cayuga Lake in Ithaca, N.Y. remains idyllic after a recent storm.
PHOTO BY JORDAN MELENDREZ VIA WIKIMEDIA.ORG
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MAXIMILÍANO DURÓN, JAEWON KANG, FRANCIS POON, MERYLL PREPOSI, AMANDA RANDONE, EMILY YANG 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 managing editor Amy Zhang at managing@nyunews.com or at 212.998.4302.
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NYUNEWS.COM | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2013 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS
New York Times executive editor Jill Abramson visits NYU
DREAM continued from PG. 1
Panel featuring undocumented students called for reform
during the panel because most scholarships require a social security number. Velez, a member of Youth Leadership Council and a student at Lehman University, said she considered moving back to Colombia after high school due to limited financial aid options. She emphasized that undocumented individuals could positively impact the nation once they are given legal status. “I’m trying to contribute to society, but [I’m not able] to contribute what I want because I lack certain digits,” she said. Students also stressed that being undocumented affects all aspects of daily life such being able to drive legally and maintaining personal relationships. The panel also discussed the efforts of the YLC to pass the New York Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act, which would provide equal access to higher education tuition assistance programs to all New Yorkers regardless
By JULIE DEVITO
of immigration status. Although New York instituted deferred action for childhood arrivals – a policy that prevents deportation and authorizes work status for eligible undocumented youth – the panelists said these actions are not enough. “It does not create a path to citizenship or other permanent form of status,” said Alina Das, co-director of the Immigrant Rights Clinic at NYU School of Law and a professor of clinical law at NYU, in reference to the federal Dream Act, which has yet to pass. Spencer Migotsky, a CAS junior who attended the event, said that he has many friends who are attempting to immigrate to the United States. “These are people just like me or you, so why shouldn’t they have the same rights?” Migotsky asked. Kevin Burns is deputy university editor. Email him at kburns@nyunews.com.
Jill Abramson, the first woman to serve as executive editor of The New York Times, spoke last night at the NYU Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute. Abramson opened up about her career path, life as the executive editor and how perusing The New York Times developed her love of reading. “Since Jill Abramson is one of the top journalists in America, I thought her insights would be invaluable for our students,” said Meryl Gordon, director of magazine writing at NYU and the host of the event. Gordon said that Abramson is an editor during a period of great change in the journalism world. The New York Times has been in the spotlight due to recent buyouts and the installation of a paywall for website content. Abramson pointed out the success that the newspaper has had with subscribers since the installation
Bloomberg pushes sodium reduction in final months By HALEY STEINBERG
Sugary drinks, Styrofoam and now salt all mark pivotal points in New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s recent push for a healthier, greener New York City. In the final few months of his term, Bloomberg has been making efforts to push those key pieces of legislation through. Most recently, on Feb. 11 the mayor announced the success of an initiative to reduce sodium in prepackaged and restaurant food. Twenty-one companies — including Heinz, Kraft Foods and Subway — proudly accomplished their goals in reducing their products’ sodium content last week. “We have reduced sodium by 15 percent across the board in our core sandwiches,” confirmed Alison Goldberg, a Subway representative. The National Salt Reduction Initiative began in New York in 2008 to address the risk of high
blood pressure that results from diets with too much sodium. Launched by the city’s Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Linda Gibbs and Health Commissioner Thomas Farley in partnership with 90 health authorities nationwide, the initiative calls on food manufacturers and the restaurant industry to reduce salt in their menus. The move was the first nationwide partnership to reduce sodium content in the country’s food supply. Mayor Bloomberg commends the participating companies. “Prior to our National Salt Reduction Initiative, there was no comprehensive approach to lowering sodium in foods,” Mayor Bloomberg said in a Feb. 11 press release. “[Companies have] demonstrated their commitment to working with public health authorities toward a shared goal [and] helping their customers lead longer, healthier lives,” Bloomberg said in a press release.
VIA FLICKR.COM
Salty foods are the target of the sodium reduction plan.
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Participation by the 21 companies is completely voluntary. “We shared Mayor Bloomberg’s goal of lowering sodium intake,” a Kraft Foods representative said. “This is something that we have been working on for years now.” Eighty percent of salt intake comes from prepackaged or restaurant foods, and this initiative is a step towards reducing Americans’ sodium consumption on a large scale. The salt contained in food not prepared personally can create problems for those Americans attempting to monitor or control sodium intake. Such a reduction not only lowers blood pressure, but it also improves overall organ health. “The hidden salt in packaged foods — particularly in items that don’t even taste salty — can be a real challenge,” Deputy Mayor Gibbs said in a press release Feb. 11. In addition to the National Salt Reduction Initiative, Bloomberg has other health-concerned projects, including the controversial soda ban hoping to combat obesity. Though these measures have positive intentions, the initiatives have been met with the same resistance as earlier anti-smoking campaigns. The National Salt Reduction Initiative has a goal to reduce salt in processed foods by 25 percent over the next five years through continued voluntary efforts by corporations. Haley Steinberg is a contributing writer. Email her at cstate@nyunews.com.
despite speculation that it would not succeed. “It’s never been free,” Abramson said. “We think New York Times journalism is on a quality plane that is different and very much worth paying for. They were all saying, ‘no one will ever pay for news because news wants to be free.’ We have proven that wrong.” “There are certain really big news days where gathering information and presenting it is just a vital public service,” Abramson said. When asked about her advice for aspiring journalists, she wanted to avoid the term, “brand.” Instead, she touched on the importance of social media skills and the ability to find a unique angle in a story. Above all though, a journalist’s writing skills are still the most important. “As an aspiring journalist who is also a woman, it’s nice to see such an empowering female figure in such a major position in the journalistic world,” said LSP freshman Nicole Del Muro. “I feel like journal-
RACHEL KAPLAN/WSN
Jill Abramson discusses her journalism career. ists our age are very worried about the future of journalism. It was refreshing to hear someone in the industry say that print journalism isn’t necessarily dead.” Julie DeVito is foreign correspondent editor. Email her at jdevito@nyunews.com.
Children below poverty line on rise in New York City By DANIEL HUANG
NYU organizations are teaming up with private and public institutions to pinpoint the growing problem of poverty among New York City children. According to a recent biannual report by the Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York, one in three New York City children live below the federal poverty line. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the 2013 poverty line is $23,550 for a household of four. This statistic has risen to nearly 30 percent, up from 26.5 percent in 2008. CCCNY cites high unemployment rates, lower incomes and higher rents as possible causes of the current child poverty rate. “Our most recent data shows that the impact of the recession is still very much being felt by low-income families, particularly those with children,” said Courtney Wolf, a senior policy associate at CCCNY. Details of the report revealed a racial disparity among impoverished children. Latino children had a 39.4 percent poverty rate, which is much higher than the 29.8 percent average. Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s most recent budget proposal will cut $217.9 million in essential children’s services, including child care, and runaway and homeless youth services. However, certain organizations, including NYU Langone Medical Center, Bellevue Hospital and New York City’s Administration for Children’s Service, are launching an initiative to use a webbased screening and assessment system aimed at more accurately detecting children at risk and connecting them with the appropriate help. As the director of the Child Study
Center at Langone and the chair of the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Glenn Saxe is proud of the school’s involvement. “A big priority for me is to take our expertise and make it really useful in the world so that we have an impact. I think this is a pivotal role that medical schools and universities can and should play,” Saxe said. The CCCNY report coincided with President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address, which espoused the importance of protecting and developing our nation’s youth by investing in early education. Reports by the CCCNY have successfully initiated action in the past. This year’s efforts by the NYU Langone program may help to prevent the burden of child services from falling entirely in the hands of New York City. Daniel Huang is a contributing writer. Email him at cstate@nyunews.com.
VIA FLICKR.COM
City children’s poverty rate is at a decade high of 30 percent.
NYUNEWS.COM | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2013 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS
EDITED BY KRISTINA BOGOS FEATURES@NYUNEWS.COM
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FEATURES
BLOG continued from PG. 1
Stern freshman creates cycling blog to raise funds for charitable journey
and give back to communities in a scale that I’ve never done before.” To date, Guo has raised $3,600 by reaching out to friends and family members as well as by going door-to-door in her hometown. As the semester continues, she will update her blog with fundraising landmarks and Bike & Build happenings. Once Guo embarks on her journey, she will document her travels and the people she meets, though she hopes to leave a lasting presence in the blogging sphere even after her trip ends. “I purposely chose the name ‘Let’s Guo’ rather than something more specific to Bike & Build with the intention of being able to blog more about my life in the future after Bike & Build [ends],” Guo said. Guo was inspired to get involved with Bike & Build after hearing about the biking trip that her RA, Steinhardt junior Kate Weigel, made in 2011 with the organization. “I’ve been on the adventure she’s about to embark on, so I know that it will truly change her life,” Weigel said. “Lydia is exactly the type of person who is perfect for Bike & Build. She is resourceful, spirited and has a truly good heart.” Rutgers University 2010 graduate Ezra Rufino, who has a biking blog of his own, was moved by a recent post in which Guo wrote about how excited she was when she received and assembled her official bike. “She writes in a very personal way that I really enjoy,” Rufino said. “I had never heard of Bike
& Build, and now I am even thinking of giving it a try.” Follow Guo’s fundraising efforts and her travels at http://letsguo.wordpress.com/about/. Deborah Lubanga is a contributing writer. Email her at features@nyunews.com.
COURTESY OF LYDIA GUO
Lydia Guo will embark on her bike trip in June.
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For answers, call 1-900-285-5656, $1.49 a minute; or, with a credit card, 1-800-814-5554. Annual subscriptions are available for the best of Sunday crosswords from the last 50 years: 1-888-7-ACROSS. AT&T users: Text NYTX to 386 to download puzzles, or visit nytimes.com/mobilexword for more information. Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 2,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year). Share tips: nytimes.com/wordplay. Crosswords for young solvers: nytimes.com/learning/xwords.
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OPINION
EDITED BY SAMEER JAYWANT OPINION@NYUNEWS.COM
LABOR
NYU should end contract with Adidas By ROBERT ASCHERMAN
Two weeks ago, NYU’s Student Labor Action Movement walked the runway at New York Fashion Week to deliver a message to Selena Gomez: as a spokesperson for Adidas, she is also a spokesperson for sweatshops. Today, students, professors and community members will deliver a letter to NYU demanding that the university end its licensing agreement with Adidas because of the company’s abuse of workers around the world. Adidas currently owes $1.8 million to 2,800 people in Indonesia who sewed collegiate apparel for the company. The workers, who on average earned 60 cents an hour before the factories closed, have struggled to make ends meet, and many have had to withdraw their children from school. Adidas refuses to pay them legally owed severance. Workers from Indonesia, Honduras and Haiti who make Adidas apparel have hit the road in the United States this month, visiting schools like
NYU, Eastern Michigan University and the University of Notre Dame to tell their stories about working under inhumane conditions in Adidas factories. This tour is taking place on the heels of the announcement that workers in Adidas factories in Central America and Southeast Asia have launched the International Union League for Brand Responsibility, an unprecedented effort aimed at pressuring companies like Adidas to take responsibility for the conditions in their subcontracted factories. As the League’s first declaration states, the brands determine the wages and conditions in factories by setting the price and pace of orders. Labels like Adidas can be part of the solution to poor sweatshop conditions by guaranteeing living wages and funding safety improvements. Students are also taking a stand against illegal sweatshop practices. SLAM has taken on the international Badidas Campaign, a movement coordinated by United Students Against Sweatshops. Six
schools have already terminated their Adidas contracts, and I hope NYU will be the next school to do so. Students have the right and responsibility to monitor our university’s business relationships and take action when human rights are not being respected. In 2009, NYU was the 19th school to cut its contract with Russell Athletic because of similar concerns over workers’ rights. After over 100 schools cut ties with Russell, the company was forced to pay millions in back pay and reopen a factory in Honduras with the workers’ union intact. As we have seen time after time, when students and workers come together, we can force companies to raise industry standards and compete on brand quality rather than worker exploitation. NYU has an important role to play in the fight for workers’ rights, and the next step is to cut ties with Adidas. Robert Ascherman is a contributing columnist. Email him at opinion@nyunews.com.
FOREIGN POLICY
North Korea displays inconsistent politics By MARCELO CICCONET
Last December, North Korea impressed the world by successfully launching a satellite into space. Meanwhile, the country caused concerns about its intentions in developing ballistic missiles. Last week, concerns were raised again as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea performed its third nuclear test. All these events considered, the intentions and future of the East Asian country are rather unclear. But instead of trying to figure them out, perhaps what we should be asking is whether the North Korean leader even knows what he wants. Besides the fact that North Korea’s extensive list of socioeconomic and diplomatic challenges by itself would impose doubts on anyone in charge of leading the country, when we consider that North Korea’s leader is only in his late 20s, we can understand why his behavior is inconsistent. Young leadership is not uncom-
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mon in non-democratic political systems. Kim Jong-un is currently the world’s youngest leader, coming before the king of Bhutan at age 32. Leaders were even younger in the past — Alexander the Great became king of Macedonia at age 20, Queen Victoria inherited the throne when she was 18 and Puyi, the last emperor of China, took the throne at just two years and 10 months. In democratic countries, leaders tend to be much older. Consider America, for example — the median age of all U.S. presidents is 55, and the youngest president, Theodore Roosevelt, assumed his role at age 42. It can be argued that being over 30 does not guarantee leadership skills, as proven by Mitt Romney’s behavior during the last presidential campaign. But such cases are outliers. In general, it’s not a good idea to assign positions of such broad influence and responsibility to citizens that are barely old enough to be sure about personal affairs, such as career and marriage. Complicated issues related
with country leadership demand professional and personal experience that require much more time to accumulate. Of course, neither the people of North Korea nor Kim Jong-un have much choice due to scandals involving Kim Jong-un’s eldest half-brother, the previous favorite to succeed Kim Jong-il. Still, there’s hope that the situation might end up being beneficial for the North Korean people. The country’s economy will stagnate if the international community strengthens its approach to Pyongyang’s exhibitionist displays of military power, increasing economic sanctions and pressing for internet access. And, with an informed population, Kim Jong-un will have no alternative but to conduct beneficial reforms similar to those Mikhail Gorbachev implemented in the Soviet Union. Marcelo Cicconet is a staff columnist. Email him at opinion@nyunews.com.
STAFF EDITORIAL
Warren Hill case re-engages debate over practicality and morality of death penalty
The debate over the death penalty in the United States has long been part of the national dialogue. However, media attention over the controversial aspects of Georgia inmate Warren Lee Hill’s case has recently intensified the debate. At 7 p.m. on Monday, Warren Lee Hill, a twice-convicted killer, was set to be executed by lethal injection. Just one hour before the execution was to take place, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted a stay of execution. This move came just as prominent public figures, such as former President Jimmy Carter, voiced their support for Hill’s case. The announcement from the U.S. Circuit Court comes as a surprise given that the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles, the Georgia Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court have already denied Hill’s appeal for clemency. Hill was first convicted in 1986 for his girlfriend’s murder, and he was sentenced to life in prison. In 1990 Hill was placed on death row after beating his fellow inmate to death. It took 23 years of appeals and legal battles to reach the point where the state almost executed Hill. This struggle reminds us that the death penalty does not offer a quick solution to punishment but instead involves a drawn-out process that is both expensive for taxpayers and psychologically draining for those involved. The nature of this case is particularly interesting. Hill has been proven to have intellectual disabilities, and the Supreme Court considers execution of the mentally challenged unconstitutional, as decided in Atkins v. Virginia in 2002. However, the Court left the precise definition of what qualifies mental retardation up to the states. Georgia has the strictest standard of any state on this issue, requiring proof of retardation beyond a reasonable doubt. Whether the death penalty is morally justified is another question. In Europe, there is little debate over the death penalty, as its abolition is a basic requirement for European Union membership. Beyond Europe, most developed countries — with the notable exception of Japan — have done away with the death penalty. Perhaps the American position presents a fundamental cultural difference or an archaic tradition in regard to mental illness in these cases and the death penalty in general. Someday, that will have to change.
Email the WSN Editorial Board at editboard@nyunews.com. EDITORIAL BOARD: Sameer Jaywant (Chair), Raquel Woodruff (Co-chair), Edward Radzivilovskiy (Co-chair)
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