WSN030413

NYU’s Daily Student Newspaper

WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS Vol. 41, No. 18

MONDAY, MARCH 4, 2013

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Cultivating change: students farm to live

Protesters at Bobst fight for homeless

It is concrete change, literally. For NYU students from the university club Farm to Live, a project of Mahwah Environmental Volunteers Organization, Inc., green space is always preferable to the blacktop parking lot.

A project initiated last April with $1,000 of funding from the NYU Reynolds Changemaker Challenge and some gardening gear, Farm to Live now maintains three farms throughout New Jersey and hopes to increase the number to seven by the summer.

The main idea propelling the group is sustainable agriculture, specifically in suburban areas.

Through growing and maintaining gardens organically, Farm to Live hopes to make healthy food accessible to communities that do not have a large focus on sustainable agriculture.

Farm to Live crews will monitor

Over 40 individuals crowded around Bobst Library on Friday afternoon to protest homelessness and gentrification in the neighborhoods surrounding NYU. Leading the protest was longtime activist and photojournalist John Penley, a vocal East Village resident known for his opposition to real estate development and donating his photographs to the university’s Tamiment Library in 2009. After a former arrest in Charlotte, N.C., for protesting rising homelessness in America, Penley has returned to the Village with a plea. He is urging NYU to donate one of its buildings for the 2031 expansion plan toward lower income and homeless members displaced from the community.

As a first step, Penley suggested that NYU should partner with Gregg Singer, developer and owner of the now vacant

By TATIANA BAEZ

FARM continued on PG. 3

By SOFIA FERRANDIZ

RACHEL CABITT FOR WSN

NYU student takes home gold in Tisch 48 for short film ‘Mail Tale’ “Mail Tale,” directed and produced by Tisch junior Ben Nelson, triumphed at the Tisch 48 Hour Film Festival in multiple categories including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Music. Candidates were given the competition requirements, then had 48 hours to write, shoot and edit a three-minute piece.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: JOB MARKET CREATES UNHAPPY CAREER PATHS: Young professionals face an extremely volatile jobs environment where dream careers pay little and require long hours. Most job-seekers pursuing their desired work will face fierce competition and limiting opportunities in the job market.

CICCONET on PG. 7

STUDENT DEATHS REMAIN UNANNOUNCED TO UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY: Unlike other universities, NYU does not send out school-wide email notifications when students pass away to respect the privacy of the deceased’s family.

RACHEL KAPLAN/WSN

PENLEY continued on PG. 3

Tisch band introduces unique sound, performance to electronic-rock genre

By JONATHAN KESHISHOGLOU

The Roofer’s Union, a new band formed by a group of students at the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, could easily be considered a typical electronic rock band. But what makes the group stand out is the musical aesthetic and atmosphere they create while playing onstage.

The band, which includes Tisch freshmen Travis Tyge (keyboard and vocals), Kevin Walker (drums), Ben Lapidus (bass), Nick Das (sampler) and sophomore Jake Chapman (guitar and backing vocals),

STUDENTS on PG. 3 ROOFER continued on PG. 4

RACHEL KAPLAN/WSN

Travis Tyge contributes to The Roofer’s Union’s distinct vibe.

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WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | MONDAY, MARCH 4, 2013 | NYUNEWS.COM

ON THE SIDE STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS BLACK FAUX LEATHER CIRCLE SKIRT Tough hard leather meets feminine A-line cut. Try using faux leather as an effortlessly chic transitional piece when building a spring wardrobe. When it comes to faux leather, the tip is to choose something low cost for low risk and pressure. Pair your cute yet strong skirt with a knit sweater for a balanced, sweet look.

– Michelle Lim

“I KNEW YOU WERE TROUBLE” REMIXES By now, we’ve all heard Taylor Swift’s ubiquitous, heart-pumping chart topper “I Knew You Were Trouble,” the sordid tale of a volatile relationship gone bad. The Internet did us one better and replaced the song’s climactic, high-pitched, Taylor-made “Ohh!” with about every funny sound that exists. Examples: a goat wailing, an automatic paper towel machine dispensing, Nicholas Cage yelling.

It’s the perfect antidote to midterm blues.

– Helen Holmes

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IN AND OF

THE CITY

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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.

MAYBELLINE COLOR SENSATIONAL VIVIDS LIPSTICK Whether you are looking for something to complete your spring look or some bonus points on a lazy no makeup day, a perfect lipstick is the answer. Matte lips over gloss and stain seem to be the rising accessory for every woman. Try the Fuchsia Flash shade for a punch of personality and youth. Find the perfect creamy color at a nearby drugstore for only $7.49.

– Michelle Lim

WSN STAFF

WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS Editor-in-Chief JONATHON DORNBUSH Managing Editor

AMY ZHANG Web Managing Editor

HANQING CHEN Deputy Managing Editor

JORDAN MELENDREZ Assistant Managing Editor

NICOLA PRING Creative Director

KALEEL MUNROE SENIOR STAFF

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

LENA DUNHAM AUDITIONS FOR “ZERO DARK THIRTY” In a world clogged with mostly irritating Saturday Night Live impressions and even worse sketches, smart parody can be scarce. In a fake video, Lena Dunham puts her unique spin on interrogating a terrorist. The video is less a breath of fresh air and more a refreshingly stiff breeze. Her lilting, distinctive voice, her blatant selfishness, and her desire for baked goods are all on display.

– Helen Holmes CHEEKY SANDWICHES | 35 ORCHARD ST. We don’t always have to turn to Subway or Blimpie’s for a sandwich run. Even though delicatessens serve the freshest of meats and greens for their loaves, Cheeky, a New Orleans-inspired snack shack, offers the most genius variations. Try the fried chicken sandwich with red cabbage slaw on a buttermilk biscuit, or the freshly fried oyster po’boy, dressed with lettuce, tomato, mayo, hot sauce and pickles.

– Angel Chang

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university KEVIN BURNS, NEELA QADIR city/state EMILY BELL, ANDREW

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CITY EXPERIENCES INCREASE IN PREGNANCIES AFTER SANDY Maternity stores and doctors say they have seen an increase in pregnancies originating from around the time of Superstorm Sandy. The city tends to see an increase in pregnancies after natural disasters, and the blackout during Sandy seems to have brought people closer together.

— NBC NY

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 opinion editor

SAMEER JAYWANT deputy opinion editors

EDWARD RADZIVILOVSKIY, RAQUEL WOODRUFF

ADVERTISING BUSINESS MANAGER

CITY PAYS OVER HALF A BILLION DOLLARS IN LAWSUITS New York City taxpayers contributed $506 million in the 2012 fiscal year to lawsuits against city employees that range from slips and falls to car accidents. This number is down from $565.2 million in the 2011 fiscal year.

— New York Post

REBECCA RIBEIRO CIRCULATION MANAGER

CHLOE COFFMAN

UNIVERSITY SALES COORDINATOR

KAITLYN O’BRIEN SALES REPRESENTATIVE

ELLEN MCQUEEN

SNAPSHOT

MTA TESTS BIRTH CONTROL BAIT The Metropolitan Transit Authority is testing a method of birth control that makes rats infertile in an effort to maintain the rat population. Urban rats have a trickier palate than rural rats, so the agency will test different flavors and scents of the birth control bait in subway trash rooms around the city. The bait will not affect humans or other animals.

— NY1 MAYOR BOOED AT ROCKAWAYS PARADE Mayor Michael Bloomberg was booed as he walked in the annual St. Patrick’s Parade in the Rockaways. Residents held up signs that read, “Mr. Mayor, we need jetties” and “Listen to the Rockaways.”

— New York Post

A visitor to Washington Square Park makes an acquaintance with a new friend.

PHOTO BY HANNAH COHEN

THINK COFFEE IN CHELSEA TROUBLED BY HOMELESS The manager at Think Coffee on 14th Street and Eighth Avenue said the Chelsea location has been plagued by crowds of violent homeless people. There have been incidents in which tables and chairs have been tossed in fights. Police did not respond to the manager’s 911 calls.

— CBS

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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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PENLEY continued from PG. 1

East Village activist urges NYU to help homeless New Yorkers

CHARAS/El Bohio community center at 605 E. Ninth St., in converting the property into a space for the less fortunate.

“It could become some place where students get real life experience working with the inhabitants,” Penley said. “NYU could be a model for what universities around the world can do.”

A past member of the Navy himself, Penley noted that one out of every four veterans is homeless, a statistic from the Veterans Affairs Department.

“The general public should care [about housing] because they might be on the next list of people that get gentrified out of the West and East sides,” Penley said. “I’ve seen hundreds of people that get gentrified out of the neighborhood because they can’t afford to live there.”

In response to the rally, NYU spokesman Philip Lentz provided a statement addressing the school’s current involvement in efforts to assist the less fortunate.

“NYU’s students, faculty and staff provide thousands of hours of community service to those in need in New York City, but we leave it to those whose expertise lies in the area of serving the homeless to tend to those urban needs,” Lentz said.

“The NYU Community Fund, which is funded by donations

from NYU employees, annually supports numerous organizations that assist the homeless, including, to name a few, the Bowery Residents Committee, the Bowery Mission and University Community Social Services,” he added.

Lentz mentioned that last summer NYU signed a lease in perpetuity to provide affordable housing on its property at 505 LaGuardia Place. He also said the university devotes significant resources to provide housing for its students and faculty, which aids in stabilizing housing costs in New York City.

“I can agree with [Penley] that New York City should be doing something, but I don’t think that NYU should be taking care of [housing the homeless],” said Shay Horse, a 19-year-old prospective student at NYU who was at the protest.

In an effort to raise awareness among students, Penley intends to camp out in front of Bobst Library for a month.

“In the past I have been very derogatory about students in NYU, but in this case I’m reaching out,” Penley said. “I really want to convince the students to become concerned.”

Sofia Ferrandiz is a contributing writer. Email her at cstate@nyunews.com.

University cites privacy concern in notifications of deaths

By MOUMITA BASUROYCHOWDHUR

When a student passes away, colleges and universities make a decision about whether to notify the student body.

After a senior at Syracuse University passed away on Feb. 23, the school sent out a mass email to its students, staff and faculty members, and began to plan an internal ceremony.

Stony Brook University and Boston University also sent out a mass email to the entire school when students passed away on Feb. 18 and this past weekend respectively.

But when an NYU student Kyle Larson passed away last semester after being hit by a truck while riding his skateboard, no email was sent out to the NYU student body. NYU spokesman Philip Lentz explained that in many cases family members request to keep the cicumstances confidential to maintain the family’s privacy.

“In the aftermath of a tragic loss of a student or any member of the NYU community, the university respects the wishes of the family and works with loved ones to act in accordance with their preferences,” he said.

When Professor José Vásquez passed away in early February, students in the Liberal Studies Program were notified. However,

Hip-hop project uses music and travel to teach New York City youth

By BOJOSI MORULE

New York City youth may have a chance to study hip-hop in Barcelona, Spain this year through a growing East Village-based travel non-profit.

The Hip Hop Re:Education Project has been sending youth to Berlin, Germany and New Orleans, La. since 2005. Through an initiative called Travel Agency of Change, the program hopes to raise $12,000 to fund a trip to Barcelona this year.

The program is using a website called Indiegogo for its fundraiser, which will end on March 20. At the time of publication, the project has reached a quarter of its goal, with 17 days left to raise funds.

The opportunities are open to those between 18 and 24 years old from all five boroughs. Fabian “Farbeon” Saucedo, the founder of the Hip Hop Re:Education Project, explained many of these of these potential students are unemployed and are not attending school.

“They are marginalized and, for whatever reason, traditional institutions aren’t reaching them,” he said.

Saucedo said hip-hop has the potential to become a binding force for disadvantaged children.

“Hip-hop has been given a bad

rep because it has been co-opted by media and record labels to sell products,” he said. “We want to get back to the roots of hip-hop as a community-building force. It was originally used to fight drugs and violence, not to promote them.”

CultureHub is a partner of Travel Agency of Change, and specializes in artistic collaboration. Although European countries are not often associated with hip-hop, Suceado said the burgeoning hip-hop culture in these European cities would be especially interesting for students to explore.

“People used to say other countries are copying what America was doing by adopting hip-hop culture, and maybe in the ’80s that was true,” said Billy Clark, CultureHub’s international program director.

“But currently, young German rappers are listening to German pioneers. Now we’re being inspired by German and Spanish rap.”

Another initiative by Travel Agency of Change involves developing curricula in public schools and creating dynamic, yet simple learning methods such as working with a middle school in the Bronx where seventh graders write rap songs about their science curriculum.

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NYU Steinhardt music education sophomore Nsangi Kariamu said the Hip Hop Re:Education Project’s trips would be an exciting opportunity for students.

“We all think of hip-hop as just an American music genre, so it would be interesting to see if European hip-hop is any different,” Kariamu said. “It would be fascinating to get a different perspective on hip-hop music.”

Bojosi Morule is a contributing writer. Email her at cstate@nyunews.com.

COURTESY OF TRAVEL AGENCY OF CHANGE

The Hip Hop Re:Education Project helps disadvantaged youth.

many students, including CAS junior Manjiri Nadkarni, believe the student body should be informed when a member passes away, especially at a widespread school like NYU. “This is a big school in a big city, but we still need community,” she said. “If a student passes away, we lose a member of our community, and it would be a respectful thing for the administration to do.”

For others, even a brief notificaiton is not enough. At times, safety should come before privacy. Boston University freshman Sarah Fisher was surprised when all students were notified about the death of a student, but the email failed to mention the cause.

“I think it’s important for the students to know what’s going on,” she said. “I know it sparked some conversation on drinking safely and Greek life itself.”

Syracuse University Senior Vice President for Public Affairs Kevin Quinn explained that the college notifies the student’s family first, but always sends a campus-wide email about the death.

“To my knowledge, we have never had an instance in which the family asked us not to send out a message, and oftentimes they find it comforting knowing their child [or] loved one is being remembered by our campus,” Quinn said.

Rather than sending out a

RACHEL KAPLAN/WSN

NYU refrains from emailing students when peers pass. mass email, Lentz says the NYU Health Center focuses on the students and faculty that are most affected by the tragic event.

“NYU’s Wellness Exchange routinely conducts in-person outreach to the students and faculty most likely shaken by the loss of a peer, friend or protégé — those in the student’s current classes, teaching assistants, professors and roommates,” he said.

Moumita Basuroychowdhur is a contributing writer. Email her at investigative@nyunews.com.

FARM continued from PG. 1

Farm to Live brings sustainable gardening to suburbs

the farms and teach different groups of people about sustainable farming over the summer. But for Eric FuchsStengel, executive director and founder of MEVO, NYU was a crucial factor in his decision to invest his time in Farm To Live. “[Being] surrounded by a vibrant community of environmentalists, foodies and activists at NYU really educated me on the detrimental impact the conventional food system has on our earth,” said Fuchs.

Other than growing additional farms this year, Farm to Live will also improve upon their existing farms.

At Pony Power Therapies, an organization on their current farm that uses horse riding as therapy, Farm to Live is set to add bees, chickens, an orchard, a rain water catchment system, worm composting and solar panels on the property.

But more than concrete change, Farm to Live also focuses on education. Last year, the group used the gardens for a summer camp that pro-

vided a farming curriculum for children in hospice care, veterans and children of veterans, among others. After the success of last year’s camp, the Farm to Live staff was invited back this summer and asked to start several new farms. Farm to Live also tries to involve more students. “[Students] are idealists. We see the world not for what it is, but for what it could be.

Adults are far more realistic, and it limits their ability to put their entire hearts into what they do,” said Emma Spett, a MEVO and Farm to Live Volunteer Coordinator.

Christopher Schlottmann, a professor in the Environmental Studies Program at CAS, believes that using this service in New York City could also be beneficial.

“NYC needs more green space for quality space and for environmental services and food security,” Schlottmann said.

Tatiana Baez is university editor. Email her at tbaez@nyunews.com.

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FEATURES ROOFER continued from PG. 1

Student band The Roofer’s Union to release debut single, album in coming months plans to release its first doublesided single in late April, and will record its debut album this summer. With their unique songwriting and performance, they have reinvented the way musicians perform on stage. Tyge often pitch-bends and echoes his voice, adding unintuitive drumbeats and guitar riffs which add texture to their music.

“Something I like is the element of surprise,” Tyge said.

“When I’m surprised, I’m really satisfied. The thing about pop music is that it’s all predictable. I like suspense.”

The rest of the band finds Tyge’s spontaneity to be his best asset as a musician.

“Sometimes, Travis will literally just start rapping,” Walker added. “There’s definitely nothing that sounds like it.”

Chapman also likes to experiment with novel sounds on stage.

“I make as many weird sounds on the guitar as I can,” Chapman said.

By using a sampler, an instrument that plays previously loaded recordings, The Roofer’s Union adds to their unique stage performances.

The band members share the opinion that there is often a gap between what a band records and what is played live. With Das on the sampler, The Roofer’s Union aims to keep consistency

between what is produced and what is conveyed on stage.

“I like making shows a big experience,” Tyge said. “I like to walk away from a show with the feeling that I saw something more. We strive to give people that.”

Tyge had recorded songs before coming to NYU. When he arrived on campus last fall, he found a group of fellow musicians who held the same interest in making the type of music he wanted to create.

“Since I was in Clive Davis, where I’m surrounded by musicians, I found the best [members] and we became a band as opposed to a solo format ... we [are]

a super tight group,” Tyge said.

Julia Rich, Tisch freshman and band manager of The Roofer’s Union, enjoys working with the group because each member is on the same creative wavelength.

“I’ve never been able to work with a band where everyone is on the same page,” Rich said, referring to the creativity and dedication of each member. “Another favorite part is that it’s difficult to classify [the band], which is a really good thing. It makes it difficult to book shows, but [their concerts are] unlike anything.”

Rich and the band work together to bounce ideas off each other easily.

“We go where we’re told to go, we do what we’re told to do,” Walker said of the band’s relationship with Rich. “Travis has the big picture artistically, but Julia has the big picture logistically,” he said.

Tisch freshman Alex Lubars is drawn to the group’s stage presence and enjoys their performances.

“Hanging at the show is like an electro buzz,” Lubars said.

The Roofer’s Union will be playing at The Bitter End (147 Bleecker St.) on March 13.

Jonathan Keshishoglou is a staff writer. Email him at features@nyunews.com.

Gallatin tennis star engineers sun protection supplement

By ALENA HALL

From the moment Gallatin junior James Scarmozzino picked up a tennis racket in his hometown of Woodbury, N.Y., at the age of 10, he knew he wanted to play professionally. However, after spending years in the sweltering sun, he began to develop a small, brown mole on his right hand. Once the precancerous skin cells were removed, Scarmozzino, who goes by James Dean professionally, realized the prevalence of skin cancer and started to find a way to help others battling similar problems.

“I thought, skin cancer affects over two million people a year,” Scarmozzino said. “If I’m only 15 and getting something that could be close to it, this is a serious issue that needs to be addressed in other ways.”

On Monday, Feb. 18, Scarmozzino officially debuted his new natural supplement product, “Sunergetic,” designed to protect skin and maintain energy levels in a new way. Made from natural ingredients, Sunergetic provides the body with antioxidants that fight free radicals, and herbs and extracts that help absorb ultraviolet rays that reach the skin. Other ingredients, such as green tea extract, help those who take it to maintain energy levels without making them feel jittery.

“Science is saying that what you put inside your body is sometimes as effective as what you are putting on it,” Scarmozzino said. “You can apply all the sunscreen you want, but you are not going to be 100 percent protected.”

Scarmozzino developed his ingredient list after reviewing scientific research on sun exposure, skin health and energy. Nutritionists and doctors approved of his ingredient list, and a chemist helped him

assign the milligram dosage of each ingredient for the supplement. Sunergetic’s patent is pending.

Dermatologist and Skin Cancer Foundation vice president Elizabeth Hale, M.D., is unfamiliar with Sunergetic’s specific ingredients but acknowledges the sound science behind the product.

“I do agree with the role of antioxidants in combating free radical damage to the skin. We know free radicals can cause DNA mutations that lead to both skin cancers and premature aging of the skin,” Hale said. “I would definitely like to see the specific ingredients and some clinical data before making any major conclusions about this specific product.”

Fordham University junior John Litke tried Sunergetic after seeing a Facebook post from Scarmozzino about the new product.

“Recently I was on a golf course in Florida and did not get burned,” Litke said. “Towards the

end of my round, I still had plenty of energy, and usually by that point I am pretty exhausted.”

CAS junior and soccer player Serra Tumay opposed taking a supplement like Sunergetic because of her background in nutrition and knowledge of potential side effects from supplements.

“I believe [a well-balanced diet] is the best way to supply your body with energy,” Tumay said.

“Although UV rays are harmful, there are beneficial factors of sun exposure, like using it as a source of vitamin D. With the proper real foods and by using sun protection, the same goal will be obtained.”

Sunergetic is available on the product website and at select doctors’ offices. The supplement costs $39.95 for a 30-day supply of 60 capsules.

Alena Hall is a contributing writer. Email her at features@nyunews.com.

COURTESY OF JAMES DEAN SCARMOZZINO

James Scarmozzino invented a cancer-preventing supplement.

NYUNEWS.COM | MONDAY, MARCH 4, 2013 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS

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EDITED BY KRISTINA BOGOS FEATURES@NYUNEWS.COM

Student comedian shares her bag of laughs

By MADELEINE OVERTURF

Charlotte Martin is, in her own words, a funny woman. The Tisch junior runs a sketch comedy group, avidly attends stand-up shows and is always on the lookout for material. Based on the content of her bag, her biting wit and her dream of writing a half-hour sitcom for NBC’s Thursday night line-up, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler should watch out. Their successor has arrived.

“BOSSYPANTS” BY TINA FEY Tina Fey is one of Martin’s idols. She keeps a copy of the comedian’s tell-all book in her bag for daily inspiration.

“I not only admire her career, but she has a philosophy I relate to: working hard, being polite, being honest as much as possible and not taking yourself so seriously,” Martin said.

“There are a lot of people in comedy who can cross the line into being racy for the sake of being racy, but she is just genuinely funny.”

was a secret, so [we] started calling ourselves 007 because we were like secret agents.”

In addition to writing in two comedic notebooks, Martin carries a personal journal to organize her thoughts as a comedian and a writer.

“You know how sometimes you always feel crazy,” Martin said. “And you’re like, oh I wish I had a really good friend who I could tell all my problems and thoughts and ideas to. But you don’t have any friends, so you just use your book and write it all down? That’s me.”

Madeleine Overturf is a contributing writer. Email her at features@nyunews.com.

TICKET STUBS Martin works as a talent scout for Avalon Management Group. She attends shows three nights a week and reports on the audience, the venue and individual acts. The ticket stubs she keeps in her bag are reminders of a week’s work.

“It’s really fun because I get to see comedy shows all over New York,” Martin said. “Well, mostly downtown. I don’t know if they have comedy uptown. I think they have money, not comedy.”

AN ARRAY OF NOTEBOOKS While most writers only have one notebook, Martin carries four in her bag every day. As she watches comedy shows, she writes routines in a journal devoted to stand-up comedy. A second notebook is dedicated to Martin’s sketch comedy troupe. Even though the group is on hiatus, Martin still collects ideas for future sketches when members return from studying abroad.

“There were seven of us from our sketch class who wanted to continue doing this after the class was over,” Martin said. “At the time it

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MADELEINE OVERTURF FOR WSN

Comedy-related paraphernalia consume this Tisch junior’s bag, as well as her life.

MoMA exhibit portrays importance of design

By ARIANA DIVALENTINO

Technology in design has been a source of amazement from both an artistic and scientific standpoint, and now a new medium is gaining respect and admiration in the arts: video games.

Applied Design, the current rotating exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art, features selected pieces from the museum’s permanent collection that serve as an example of advances in modern technology for their merits in creativity, design and intelligence. The exhibit, which opened March 2, contains pieces that span a wide array of disciplines, from an earthquake-proof table by artists Ido Bruno and Arthur Brutter to an assortment of video games.

“We’ve been trying to emphasize other forms of design besides graphics and besides products in our collection,” said Kate Carmody, the curatorial assistant of the department of architecture and design. “Interaction design was one of these categories that we wanted to emphasize and games seemed a very good way to do that.”

The game pieces on display are popular titles but revolutionary within the field of video games, entertainment and technology. Among the recent acquisitions are older games like “Pac-Man” and “Tetris,” and modern favorites like “Katamari Damacy” and “The Sims.” Some of the games are presented as video demos only, while others, including “Portal” and “Passage,” are playable.

“The games we chose were based on certain criteria that was focused on interaction design,” Carmody said. “The oldest thing in the show

is from the 1990s, so it’s really design over the last 20 years and looking at computer-aided design, rapid prototyping, slow prototyping.”

In addition to the 14 video games on display, the installation also features examples of advances in engineering. Other featured pieces include Mine Kafon, a dandelion-shaped mine detector by Massoud Hassani, and a solar-sintered bowl made by Markus Kayser using only the natural resources of sand and sunlight to simulate the process of 3-D printing.

“The idea is that it’s a group of concepts,” Kayser said of his solar-sintered bowl. “A question, really, of how can we produce in the future. In the desert you have energy in abundance and material in abundance. [Printing] would work continually without needing anything else installed.”

Kevin McCoy, a Steinhardt associate professor of art and art education, would like to see an expansion in the range of forms displayed.

“As a survey of the complex landscape of contemporary design, the show’s themes are right on,” McCoy said. “But since the ideas enumerated in the show are so thoroughly a part of everyday life, I’d encourage MoMA to bring them to the painting and sculpture galleries as well, not just the design and media spaces.”

MoMA is looking to acquire additional video games for display like “Space Invaders,” “Minecraft” and “Tempest.”

Applied Design is on display in the Philip Johnson Architecture and Design Galleries of the Museum of Modern Art, 11 W. 53 St., from March 2, 2013 to Jan. 31, 2014.

Ariana DiValentino is a staff writer.

Email her at features@nyunews.com.

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Crossword Across

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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 | MONDAY, MARCH 4, 2013 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS

OPINION

EDITED BY SAMEER JAYWANT OPINION@NYUNEWS.COM

GUN CONTROL STAFF EDITORIAL

Gun insurance fails to address real issue

By JESS LITTMAN As the debate over gun control rages on in the wake of last year’s horrific mass shootings, New York lawmakers have proposed what they see as a compromise.

A new bill in the State Assembly would make a $1 million insurance policy mandatory for gun owners. Many other states are considering similar legislation.

The logic here is that having to pay so much for insurance will make guns too expensive, and fewer people will buy them. The policy would also insure damages for victims of gun violence — although in most cases it wouldn’t cover intentional

shootings, only negligence.

The prohibitive cost of the insurance will cause a slight decline in gun ownership, which is good. But the idea that having an insurance policy to support victims is the answer to America’s gun problem is chilling. While this money will protect victims, it will also give gun owners a safety net if they are negligent and perhaps even if they intentionally harm someone.

The point of buying insurance — on your car, your home, your life or your gun — is that you don’t have to worry as much about the future. If something bad happens to you or your property, you won’t have to pay through the nose to solve your problem. Applying this attitude to guns means that gun owners can worry far less about potentially harming others.

Of course, a gun owner’s insurance rates will rise if his or her weapon causes harm, and this will be a disincentive if the legislation is enacted. I don’t deny that the law may be somewhat effective in

this sense. It is the attitude behind the law that is problematic, the notion that we can throw money at the issue of gun violence, and that gun owners can insure themselves in case they harm someone. This law acknowledges that guns cause violence, injury and loss of life — and then it offers protection to gun owners so they don’t have to worry as much about it.

“Solutions” like these tackle the problem just enough to distract us from coming up with a real way to stop or at least limit gun violence.

Focusing on the insurance question only takes time and energy away from constructive debate about how to actually stop people from buying and using guns. It will be harder for the public to accept an actual solution, as it will involve forcing many people to give up their guns. But we can’t afford to waste time on a nominal solution when the stakes are so high.

Jess Littman is a staff columnist. Email her at opinion@nyunews.com.

JOB MARKET

Dream careers come at cost for job-seekers

By MARCELO CICCONET Two little girls are playing on the ground. One of them presents her piggy bank to the other. She says, “I’m saving for when I get a lowpaying job doing what I love.”

This scene from a comic by The New Yorker’s cartoonist Amy Hwang, tells a lot about the reality of today’s professional world. For previous generations income and stability were the main guidelines in choosing a career. Today, we are encouraged to find a job that brings us pleasure. Money, it’s argued, will come later. “You’ve got to find what you love,” advised Apple founder Steve Jobs, one of the most successful businessmen in history, during a commencement address for Stanford University graduates in 2005.

SUBMITTING TO

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Hwang’s cartoon accentuates the fact that there is almost always a trade-off when you do what you love. That trade-off is obvious when considering the jobs people do for no pay at all (ask any 20-something about his or her experiences with internships) and the legion of 9-to-5 workers who spend their free time investing in their music careers in the vain hope of becoming rock stars.

The problem is that there are simply too many people looking for work. As a solution, some economists from the New Economics Foundation have proposed a drastic reduction in the number of working hours per week, to around 20.

It sounds appealing at first, but try telling that to an early-career professional who is struggling to show his passion for what he does. If the unfulfilling outcome of the Occupy Wall Street movement is any indication, there’s little doubt about the unrealistically utopian nature of the proposal.

That there aren’t enough jobs being created to keep up with population growth is just part of the sad story. Consider, as an example, a

college student who is equally interested in computer science and graphic design. Even if, in theory, there is a job where he can apply both technical and artistic skills, occupations tend to focus on one area or the other. These days, he would have to choose one career path and rely on the hope that he made the right decision.

Devoting your entire professional life to one, and only one, occupation is limiting. In the ideal case, part-time jobs would be more readily available and people could do many of them — not because they have to, but because multiple jobs would provide a more fulfilling life experience.

But until most members of society are educated enough to realize that no economy will support overpopulation, we will continue to see many more generations of young professionals having their 20s ruined by underpaying jobs and severe competition with colleagues who also just love what they do.

Marcelo Cicconet is a staff columnist. Email him at opinion@nyunews.com.

‘Harlem Shake’ signifies cultural change

If you’ve ever seen a “Harlem Shake” video, the first thing you probably noticed was that no one is doing the actual Harlem Shake — or at least somebody has pointed this out to you. The original Harlem Shake of the 1980s is a provocative dance performed by shaking the shoulders and arms, but the dance done in the recent viral videos is just hip-thrusting.

While many find these videos absurdly humorous, some object outright, claiming a lack of honesty to the original Harlem Shake. On Feb. 18, a response video was published on YouTube, titled “Harlem reacts to ‘Harlem Shake’ Videos.”

The video has garnered over eight million views thus far. A group of filmmakers conducted street interviews with Harlem residents to record their views on the video trend. The interviewees affirmed the idea that the dance has been completely reworked and has lost any real meaning. Consequently, people in Harlem are worried about the corporatization of the dance and perversion of their historic community’s image.

While many in the United States view the Harlem Shake as a silly Internet meme, the dance has surprisingly become the center of multiple political protests in the Middle East.

Activists in Egypt and Tunisia have begun using the Harlem Shake to protest the Muslim Brotherhood. Last week in Egypt, about 400 young men did the dance while demanding that Islamist Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi step down.

Now, Egyptian activists are preparing for violence after they announced they will hold a “protest shake” in front of the Muslim Brotherhood’s headquarters in Mokattam on Thursday, March 7. They are creating a group titled Satiric Revolutionary Struggle, which will boldly try to reach the Muslim leaders through satire — a move unheard of in the Arab world.

Thus, the Harlem Shake represents a paradox in that it does not actually mean anything, yet has manifested as a global phenomenon for various reasons with a new message each time. In 1981, it would have been unthinkable for a cultural neighborhood dance to be watched, performed and remade around the globe — let alone used as a tool for protest in the Middle East. But the often inane replicas of the shake represent an interesting trend — namely that the pace of cultural evolution seems only to have intensified in the digital age, and this evolution is now bridging a geopolitical divide that, in the past, seemed to break the globe into pieces.

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

EDITORIAL BOARD: Sameer Jaywant (Chair), Raquel Woodruff (Co–Chair), Edward Radzivilovskiy (Co–Chair), Nickhil Sethi, Matt Luo, Nina Golshan, Ian Mark, Jess Littman, Marcelo Cicconet

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.

WSN does not print unsigned letters or editorials. WSN reserves the right to reject any submission and edit accepted submissions in any and all ways. With the exception of the staff editorial, opinions expressed on the editorial pages are not necessarily those of WSN, and our publication of opinions is not an endorsement of them.

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NYUNEWS.COM | MONDAY, MARCH 4, 2013 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS

ARTS

EDITED BY JOSH JOHNSON ARTS@NYUNEWS.COM

Tisch alumnus begins second season of uplifting ‘World of Jenks’

By VALERIE NELSON

In the first season of MTV’s reality show, “World of Jenks” host and NYU Tisch alumnus Andrew Jenks devoted each hour-long episode to one of 12 interesting individuals.

For the show’s second season, Jenks instead opts for a longer narrative arc to better cover its fascinating subjects. Over the course of a year, the host will follow three unique young adults, giving an in-depth look into each of their complicated, profound and uplifting lives.

The diverse group includes Chad, an autistic man from season one; Kaylin, an aspiring fashion designer who has overcome cancer twice at only 23 years old; and D-Real, a young father from Oakland, Calif., who is striving to curb the violence in his city through the influence of dance.

When Jenks returns to document Chad’s journey, the reunion is very inspiring. The two fall into an easy rapport — he teases Chad for his fear of heights, and it’s clear that he never treats Chad as disabled. Still, Jenks takes on the role of mentor, hoping to help ease Chad into adulthood.

Kaylin, who moves to New York from San Francisco in the first epi-

sode, is a trendy, wonderfully resilient and positive cancer survivor and designer. Her blog, Cancer is Hilarious, which originally drew Jenks’ attention, is replete with an array of witty, upbeat cancer-related puns (she calls her shaved hairstyle a “chemo-hawk”) and poetic insights (“The ground I cling to is far more fragile then myself”).

D-Real is a former gang member and drug dealer. He now has an infant son and runs a successful dance program for adolescents. Covered in intimidating tattoos, he seems to have become desensitized to the violence surrounding him. He says that nearly every day, he or someone he knows has a funeral to attend.

These three young adults are facing extraordinary circumstances, but Jenks manages to make them relatable to even the most privileged viewers. He never talks as if he’s looking from the outside in — his style of storytelling allows the audience to feel like they are experiencing the subjects’ lives.

Before you dismiss “World of Jenks” as a typical MTV reality show, it’s important to take note of Jenks’ unique method of embedded journalism. Unlike the subjects of MTV’s “True Life,” these individu-

als are telling their stories through the host. While the show does indulge in a pop rock soundtrack that indicates when something truly inspirational has happened, the emotions and vulnerabilities are nonetheless unfiltered.

Jenks and his subjects share a symbiotic relationship — his role as documentarian becomes interactive above all else. When he helps Chad compose a graduation speech, he reflects on his own experiences with public speaking. He talks about girls with Chad, takes Kaylin to a bar after she arrives in New York City for the first time and offers D-Real a shoulder to cry on when they visit a memorial of Oakland murder victims.

Unlike “Jersey Shore” or “Buckwild,” “World of Jenks” is an audience-inclusive show. Everything is portrayed in such a raw manner that it’s impossible to not become personally attached at some point. When Kaylin breaks down over her fear of getting cancer again and cries onscreen for the first time, the anxiety translates, and we all feel it.

Valerie Nelson is a contributing writer. Email her at entertainment@nyunews.com.

VIA FACEBOOK.COM

Andrew Jenks profiles three individuals on his MTV show.