NYU’s Daily Student Newspaper
WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS Vol. 41, No. 17
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2013
nyunews.com
Made in NY promotes local tech startups By LESLEY GREENBERG
Last week, Mayor Michael Bloomberg launched a new Made in NY initiative to help support growing tech startups in the city. Bloomberg’s Made in NY brand had already been used to promote the city’s entertainment industry, and now helps bolster the city’s technology industry. Now, digital companies that base at least 75 percent of development in New York City, have at least one employee working in the city and a user base of 10,000 are eligible to advertise with the Made in NY logo. Currently, the project hosts 900 city startups. The Made In NY initiative will provide resources that list tech job opportunities and provide links for free and low-cost digital education training. The initiative also includes an extensive citywide ad campaign featuring the Made in NY companies. “Growing our local tech industry is an important part of our economic development strategy to bring new businesses to our city and more job
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Collaborative, multi-genre theater company delights at the Mercury Lounge
CAROLINE LE VIET FOR WSN
PigPen, a versatile performance group with experience in film, theater and writing, played its first concert to a full crowd on Tuesday night.
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Studio art students call for renovation By KOMAL PATEL and NICOLE BROWN
Artists expect their studios to be havens for creativity. But for students in Steinhardt School for Culture, Education and Human Development’s Studio Art Program, the Barney building has become a contentious topic instead. First acquired by the univer-
sity in 1939, the Barney Building is located on Stuyvesant Street between Ninth and 10th Streets. The building houses the majority of Steinhardt’s studio art classrooms. In recent years, multiple students have complained of heavy toxic fumes due to a lack of proper ventilation, fallen plaster embedded in the carpet, and lack of space for students to
‘Oldboy’ director breaks new ground with first English film By BOB TEOH
In his first English-language feature film, director Park Chan-Wook, the mastermind behind the internationally acclaimed “Oldboy” and The “Vengeance” Trilogy, channels Alfred Hitchcock in the gorgeously realized psychological thriller “Stoker.” The film follows India Stoker (Mia Wasikowska) and her enigmatic uncle, Charlie (Mathew Goode), who moves in after India’s father dies in an accident. Though initially suspicious of her uncle, India and her emotionally unstable mother (Nicole Kidman) find themselves drawn to him, and the Stoker family’s mysteries begin to unravel. Though the story displays clear influences from its predecessors, such as Hitchcock’s “Shadow of a Doubt,” Park’s brilliant storytelling makes the thriller uniquely enthralling. Widely known for his immaculate framing and unconventional cinematographic techniques, the director builds a steady pace early on and continues to pile on the suspense with each twist and turn. The use of shots, for example, highlights India’s
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create and display their work. Over the past two years, the university has tried to address these concerns through patchwork renovations, but students are still voicing the same concerns. “The building overall is old and completely uncared for and obviously neglected by the university,” junior Renel Sun said. There are approximately 220
undergraduate students in the Studio Art Program. Additionally, there are about 20 graduate students and 200 students pursuing an art minor — all of whom use the Barney Building. Junior studio art student Rebekah Birkan also expressed concern for students’ health because of exposure to fumes
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Freshmen trio reinvents NYU Greek life with co-ed sorority By DEBORAH LUBANGA
CAS freshman Logan Foreit and Gallatin freshmen Dottie Gill and Jackie Lebovits consider themselves a far cry from stereotypical sorority girls. They never imagined themselves joining a sorority, let alone creating one. A desire to experience the sense of community within Greek life — on their own terms — led the trio to form Pi Pi Pi, an unofficial, co-ed sorority, in early February. The group is seeking to become NYU’s first all-square, co-ed Greek organization. “Tri Pi [is] a co-ed social sorority focused on celebrating individuality,” Lebovits said. “Pi Pi Pi promotes seizing life opportunities and enriching members’ perspectives through new experiences, with a group of supportive, open-minded individuals.”
According to Allison Harris, assistant director of fraternity and sorority life at the Center for Student Activities, Leadership and Service, Tri Pi cannot become an official Greek organization because no national chapter of Tri Pi exists. In August, Tri Pi can apply to become an all-square club. Although Tri Pi was created with the intention of being co-ed, the founding sisters purposefully chose to give it a sorority name rather than a fraternity name. “We would like to update what we feel is an outdated tradition, emphasizing male dominance in a co-ed culture, and [instead] create a truly 21st century Greek community that blurs gender confines,” Gill said. Tri Pi has yet to host any formal events, but the group has garnered a following
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