NYU’s Daily Student Newspaper
WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS Vol. 41, No. 22
MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013
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No confidence vote delibrations begin among CAS faculty By NICOLE BROWN
Today is the first of a five-day no confidence vote among the Faculty of Arts and Science against university president John Sexton. All fulltime tenured and tenure-track CAS faculty members, approximately 650 professors, will be eligible to cast an up-down vote for or against the statement “The Faculty of Arts and Science has no confidence in John Sexton’s leadership.” The NYU chapter of the American Association of University Professors drafted a Bill of Rights, which laid out suggestions of what
the faculty should expect of the university’s leadership. Social and cultural analysis professor and NYU-AAUP President Andrew Ross explained that the document was meant to start a conversation about NYU’s leadership. But according to Ross, the university has failed to react. The document has been circulated widely, to faculty, to student senators, members of the administration, and to trustees,” Ross said. “There has been no response from the administration.” Additionally, associate professor of history Rebecca Karl cited
increases in student debt, a neglect of human rights issues in Abu Dhabi and the growing gap between the salaries of the administration and faculty. “[Sexton] has failed to take substantive measures that indicate that he might actually understand the concerns many faculty have with his policies and direction,” Karl said. But the clash of the university administration and faculty is not new. Chair of the FAS faculty senators Jim Uleman pointed to longstanding conflicts that stemmed from the university’s decision to
expand the campus and increase student admission. “The reasons for voting no-confidence that I hear most are about the NYU 2031 plan, the way the Global Network University is being managed and the general topdown management style of this administration,” he said. At the same time the formation of the 120 large NYU Faculty Alliance to negotiate faculty concerns with the administration, and a new NYU Global Network University faculty committee
COURTESY OF NYU
Around 650 faculty can vote CONFIDENCE continued on PG. 3 on Sexton’s performance.
Spending cuts to affect NYU financial aid By SOFIA FERRANDIZ
NYU is among the higher education institutions in America that will experience cuts in government funding as a result of the sequester that took effect March. 1. President Obama and the parties in Congress have worked to reduce the country’s deficit by more than $2.5 trillion through increased tax rates and spending cuts. Congress passed a law in 2011 agreeing to $1 trillion in automatic cuts if Democrats and Republicans failed to agree on a plan to reduce the deficit by $4 trillion in 2013. “The whole design of these arbitrary cuts was to make them so unattractive and unappealing that Democrats and Republicans would actually work together and find a good compromise of sensible cuts as well as closing tax loopholes and so forth,” Obama said in a public statement. The federal budget cuts, which occurred without action by Congress, will reduce federal
financial aid for students and research funding at public and private universities. According to the White House, California will be hit the hardest with 9,600 students losing federal aid. About 4,520 students in New York will also lose federal assistance, although tuition rates and Pell Grants are said to remain the same. NYU will lose an estimated total of $22.86 million of federal funding for the Washington Square campus, NYU Langone Medical Center and Polytechnic Institute of NYU, according to Philip Lentz, director of public affairs. Cuts will impact student aid at the university, research at both the university and Medical center and Medicare for the Medical Center. Lentz also said financial aid coming in the forms of federal work-study, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants and Teach
SEQUESTER continued on PG. 3
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
COURTESY OF SLATE PR | DEEKSHA MEHTA FOR WSN
Legos serve as building blocks for In Pieces exhibit NYU School of Law alumnus Nathan Sawaya and photographer Dean West combine their skills to create interesting photographs. Their exhbit In Pieces takes a close look at the themes of society, nature and identity.
STORY ON PAGE 4
SEARCHING FOR MANKIND’S NEXT GIANT LEAP: After the giant strides scientists have made in understanding natural laws, current advances can seem rather uninspiring compared to other periods of history. CICCONET on PG. 7
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WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013 | NYUNEWS.COM
ON THE SIDE STAFF PLAYLIST By JOSH JOHNSON The “I’m going solo” claim rarely works out for a musician. Oftentimes, they find the excellence of their previous work came from the chemistry of their former band. However, a few of today’s artists have successfully taken the solo route. While these endeavors may not exceed the work of their main band, they certainly demonstrate a talented musician worth following through every project.
“MICKEY MOUSE AND THE GOODBYE MAN” – Grinderman
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COMPILED BY THE
WSN STAFF
IN AND OF
THE CITY
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WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS 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
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
“BLUNDERBUSS” – Jack White
foreign correspondent JULIE DEVITO senior editors GENTRY BROWN, DAN
HINTON, CHARLES MAHONEY, CLIO MCCONNELL, STEFAN MELNYK, LAVYA YALAMANCHI
DEPUTY STAFF
university KEVIN BURNS, NEELA QADIR city/state EMILY BELL, ANDREW
“THE AGE OF THE UNDERSTATEMENT” – The Last Shadow Puppets
“WELL, YOU CAN DO IT WITHOUT ME” – Father John Misty
KARPAN
VIA WIKIPEDIA.ORG
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 “INTERSTELLAR” – Frankie Rose “METHAMPHETAMINE BLUES” – Mark Lanegan “STATE OF THE ART - A.E.I.O.U.” – Jim James “PUPPET TO THE MAN” – Kurt Vile “ROOSEVELT ROOM” – Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band “CALIFORNIA” – EMA “RISE UP WITH FISTS!!” – Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins “THE EL” – Rhett Miller
PHOTO CREDITS: COURTESY OF ANTI/EPITAPH | COURTESY OF THIRD MAN RECORDS | COURTESY OF DOMINO | COURTESY OF SUB POP RECORDS
SNAPSHOT
opinion editor
SAMEER JAYWANT deputy opinion editors
FIRE IN UPPER EAST SIDE INJURES 19 A two-alarm fire on the Upper East Side on Saturday morning injured 19 people after the building’s alarms failed to go off. It took over 100 firefighters more than two hours to put out the blaze. The New York City Fire Department is investigating the cause of the fire. – NBC Local
EDWARD RADZIVILOVSKIY, RAQUEL WOODRUFF
ADVERTISING BUSINESS MANAGER
REBECCA RIBEIRO CIRCULATION MANAGER
CHLOE COFFMAN
UNIVERSITY SALES COORDINATOR
ALEX MORSANUTTO TO REPRESENT NYU ON FILM FESTIVAL CIRCUIT Tisch senior Alex Morsanutto has been selected to represent NYU’s film program with his upcoming 20-minute domestic violence thriller, “Little Lion.” Morsanutto will apply for his film to be shown at film festivals nationwide. – The Hour
KAITLYN O’BRIEN SALES REPRESENTATIVE
ELLEN MCQUEEN SALES ASSOCIATES
ARIANA DIVALENTINO, CHRIS ELWOOD, ALISON LIZZIO, SAM WANDER CIRCULATION ASSISTANT
NEW YORK STATE BUDGET COMPLETED EARLY The usually difficult New York State budget looks set to be approved on March 21, 10 days ahead of its deadline. If the budget passes as expected, it will be the earliest state budget since 1975. – NBC NY
BENJAMIN SWINEHART
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
KALEEL MUNROE
ADVISING DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
CHRISTINE QUINN OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCES MAYORAL BID City Council Speaker Christine Quinn officially announced she was running for mayor in a video posted to Twitter on Sunday morning. In the video Quinn speaks about her record as Council speaker. – CBS Local
Flowers blossom underneath the Los Angeles sky on a warm day in March.
PHOTO BY PAULINE WOO
COUNCILMAN PROPOSES ‘WALL OF SHAME’ TO IDENTIFY CONVICTED SEX OFFENDERS City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. proposed creating a wall of shame composed of pictures of convicted sex offenders. Vallone said the wall could be built near convicts’ homes and in subway stations where attacks occur. Vallone stated that a wall of shame would deter criminals and protect women. – CBS Local
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KEITH LEIGHTY EDITORS-AT-LARGE
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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CONFIDENCE continued from PG. 1
CAS professors proceed in vote of no confidence on president Sexton
have proven to some professors that Sexton wants more faculty input in university decision-making. However, politics professor Christine Harrington says there is an ongoing problem with ad hoc committees and the administration “cherry picking” faculty members. “Purely putting a faculty member on a committee doesn’t constitute representation,” Harrington said. Other NYU colleges have not made plans to hold their own votes of no confidence. Representatives of the School of Medicine, the College of Dentistry and the College of Nursing have written letters to express their support for Sexton. Meanwhile, Sexton retains the full support from the Board of Trustees, a group comprised mostly of NYU alumni whose main responsibilities include fundraising for NYU, determining university policy and electing the university president. “We see a strong, thriving,
advancing university under [Sexton’s] leadership,” Chair of the Board Martin Lipton said in a formal letter to WSN. This past November, the faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of San Diego voted in favor of removing their university president. The same occured at Kean University in New Jersey in 2010. Currently, both continue to serve as president. Regardless of the outcome, neural science professors Tony Movshon says the vote will not have an effect. “The day after the vote, we will still have the same University with the same strengths, the same weaknesses, and we’ll face the same challenges,” he said. The results will be announced on the evening of Friday, March 15. Nicole Brown is investigative editor. Email her at nbrown@nyunews.com.
SEQUESTER continued from PG. 1
University to lose millions of dollars in federal funding
grants will decrease by approximately $563,000 out of $11.05 million total awards. “The federal spending reductions sequestration,if left unchanged by Congress, would not have any impact on FWS and FSEOG students until the fall semester,” he said. Research funding is expected to decrease by approximately $15.9 million out of a total of $312 million, according to a released analysis of how the reductions may affect NYU. Lawrence Mead, professor of American Politics and Public Policy at NYU, commented on the government sequester. “We have to distinguish between cutbacks to government in general in all levels and cuts in Washington,” Mead said. “Cuts in higher education are only one part and not even the biggest part [of the federal
budget cuts] to take place.” “[The cuts in student aid] won’t affect me because I’m an international student,” said Sean Ng, a psychology and economics junior in CAS. “It is expensive to sustain those overseas sites and operations.” Research will also suffer under the sequestration. However, NYU is equipped to handle the cuts mostly because the school’s funding come from other sources. “There is no doubt that sequestration will have an impact on science and innovation now and for years to come, not just at NYU but throughout the country,” said Dr. Dafna Bar-Sagi, senior vice president and vice dean for science, chief scientific officer at NYU Langone Medical Center. Sofia Ferrandiz is a contributing writer. Email her at university@nyunews.com.
VIA VSAFL.ORG
Government spending cuts will affect federal aid to universities.
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Brooklyn artist poster campaign denounces local cat-callers By SU SIE PARK and VERONICA CARCHEDI
The posters hung by Bedford-Stuyvesant artist Tatyana Fazlalizadeh serve as a direct message to cat-callers: “Women do not owe you their time or conversation.” Fazlalizadeh, 27, said she has experienced harassment from men since she was a teenager and continues to experience inappropriate treatment almost every day. She said she has wanted to address this topic with her art for several years, and recently decided to venture into street art as a method. The posters feature black-and-white portraits of women drawn by Fazlalizadeh, and she uses wheat paste to post the images on walls. Fazlalizadeh puts the posters in places where she or her friends have been harassed or places that have high pedestrian traffic. So far she has hung posters in Brooklyn, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. “To me, it made the most sense to create art in the street and in public spaces where this type of harassment is happening,” Fazlalizadeh said. Although she acknowledged that people might disagree with her work, Fazlalizadeh said she hopes her project sparks a dialogue about street harassment by both men and women. “I’m hoping that those people will at least listen to and consider the experiences of women who do support this project, women who feel offended and violated by the treatment they receive on the street, and that a discussion about gender-based street harassment can be had,” she said. Catie Brown, president and co-founder of The Feminist Society at NYU, commended Fazlalizadeh’s project. “Campaigning against street harassment is all about reclaiming women’s right to exist in public places,” she said. “We shouldn’t be faced with catcalls and sexual comments from complete strangers just for daring to walk to class.” The Feminist Society is currently working with Hollaback!, a nonprofit organization dedicated to
RACHEL KAPLAN/WSN
Fazlalizadeh’s work addresses cat-calling. raising awareness about street harassment. Today, The Feminist Society will work with the director of Hollaback!, Emily May, for a workshop on street harassment. In April, the two groups will organize a rally in Washington Square Park. Maria Saldana, director of gender and sexuality studies at NYU, expressed her appreciation for Fazlalizadeh’s poster campaign. “It is a creative way to address a perennial problem that women confront daily in cities,” Saldana said. “These posters visualize what runs through many women’s minds when they are experiencing cat calls.” Fazlalizadeh said she has already received immense support for her project, which led her to consider collaborating with other artists in the future. She plans to take her work to other cities and expand her posters into murals. As a culmination of her work, she will have an art show in April. Su Sie Park is a contributing writer. Veronica Carchedi is city/state editor. Email them at cstate@nyunews.com.
‘Dream Acts’ records for history the undocumented student By CAROLINE LEE SHAPS
A collection of theater artists, educators and activists called the Dream Act Union presented “Dream Acts,” a play portraying the plight of undocumented immigrant students in the United States, at NYU’s Skirball Center for the Performing Arts on Sunday. In their portrayal of common yet often unrecognized struggles faced by paperless students, the Dream Act Union cleverly uses theater as a vehicle for activism. The Union’s goal is to help pass the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, legislation that would offer undocumented students a path to citizenship. Although fictional, “Dream Acts” gives the audience an insight into the lives of those who would be most affected by the Dream Act. One story is about a 15-year-old Nigerian girl escaping an arranged marriage, arriving in the United States only to be sexually abused by her father, while another story focuses on a 16-year-old Ukrainian immigrant who learns her green card is fake. “I explore the elusive nature of the American Dream. How wonderful it can be. How easy it can turn into a nightmare,” said Sa-
viana Stanescu, one of the many playwrights for the piece. The play was written by the six female playwrights who make up the union, and was directed by Gallatin assistant clinical professor of theater Kristen Horton. The playwrights, all immigrants to the United States from a range of backgrounds, decided that their contribution to the Dream Act would be the encouragement of public conversations surrounding the issue. Litwak explained that their goal was simply to write a play that would help pass the Dream Act. “Theater can influence policy,” said playwright Jessica Litwak. The most recent version of the Dream Act would offer undocumented students who entered the country at age 15 or younger conditional permanent resident status. This would mean that if a student maintained good moral character and attended school, they could be granted six years of legal resident status that would be made permanent if such behavior continued. However, for most undocumented students, college can often seem unattainable. Immigration lawyer Dan Berger commented on President
Obama’s program of deferred action, which executes prosecutorial discretion in giving wellbehaved undocumented students low-priority status in terms of detainment and deportation. Berger explained that this is as much as Obama could do without the support of Congress, and that the prrogram has been successful in giving work cards to 300,000 undocumented students. “We haven’t seen any broad immigration laws passed since 9/11,” Berger said, emphasizing the fact that Obama’s reforms were stop-gap solutions. “Education should be universal,” said Alejandra Rincon, author of “Undocumented Immigrants and Higher Education.” She also stressed that the only way to get the Dream Act passed was the mobilization of immigrants themselves. Playwright and panel moderator Stanescu said that the current iteration of “Dream Acts,” is only a starting point for the movement in spreading awareness for the Dream Act. In the future, they hope to expand the performance into a workshop with audience participation. Caroline Lee Shaps is a contributing writer. Email her at university@nyunews.com.
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WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013 | NYUNEWS.COM
FEATURES
Spruce up your phone case By DEEKSHA MEHTA Transform a plain plastic iPhone case into a trendy, decoupage-style newspaper cover with a few craft supplies and dorm room materials. Follow these steps to create a DIY iPhone cover in under an hour without breaking the bank. MATERIALS: – Hard plastic iPhone case (surface should be flat) – Newspaper – Mod Podge or any kind of liquid glue/sealer ($4, Blick Art Materials) – Sponge/Foam brush ($0.80, Blick Art Materials) – Colored tissue paper ($3, Blick Art Materials) – Scissors
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4. When the entire surface has been covered, smooth it with a final layer of clear sealer.
5. Trim any excess paper off the sides of the cover with scissors and secure the edges with sealer. Let the surface dry completely. To quicken the drying process, use a blow-dryer on low heat.
INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Rip or cut strips of newspaper. For an edgy finish, tear the newspaper. For a more polished look, cut the paper in clean lines. 6. To add color, layer sheets of colored tissue paper on top of the case. Depending on style, rip or cut the pieces of tissue paper, arrange them on the cover and begin gluing. Be especially gentle with the glue because tissue paper is delicate and tears easily. 2. Cut a hole out of a newspaper strip to accommodate the case’s camera. Apply a small layer of glue, lay the strip flat in the desired position and gently brush another layer of glue on top of the strip. Get rid of bubbles and folds before the glue dries.
Student blog chronicles feminism on local, international stage By NICOLE DEL MAURO
Nine-year-old Heyley Cuzo was standing in a restaurant parking lot, waiting for her sister and brother-in-law to pick up dinner, when an intoxicated Hispanic man approached her and molested her. Cuzo, now a Gallatin freshman 10 years later, is sharing her story for the first time on her new blog, ForWomenByAWoman, a campaign to raise awareness for women who are victims of rape and sexual assault and who are deprived of basic rights. Cuzo used social media to build a team of NYU students to contribute to the blog as journalists and photographers. “I want [the people on my team] to do something in order for the NYU community to be aware that even though it is the 21st century, women outside of America are still struggling, and women in America are struggling as well,” Cuzo said. ForWomenByAWoman launched on March 1, featuring news stories, profiles, opinion pieces, links to articles and promotions for charity organizations that focus on the prevalence of female oppression and the importance of ending it. A recent post covered the protest on March 8 in Washington Square Park by feminist grassroots organization WORD, Women Organized to Resist and Defend.
3. Continue adding strips of newspaper until the surface is completely covered. Add a thin layer of glue both under and over every strip to begin the decoupage process and ensure each strip is secured to the cover. Deeksha Mehta is a contributing writer. Email her at features@nyunews.com.
DEEKSHA MEHTA FOR WSN
tries, women aren’t allowed to own property ... and property gives you a lot of power,” she said. “I want to help women become entrepreneurs because I want them to become more powerful.” The blog’s message has served as inspiration for CAS freshman Ian Yeaple, a regular reader of the blog. “She’s being a voice for everybody else who has gone through similar experiences and hasn’t been able to find the strength to share it, or do some positive action to show that,” Yeaple said. “Despite what happens to women, or people at all, they can stand up and do something about it and make a positive impact.” Nicole Del Mauro is a contributing writer. Email her at features@nyunews.com.
COURTESY OF HEYLEY CUZO
Cuzo’s blog celebrating female strength launched March 1.
Artists build paintings with Legos in innovative exhibit By DEEKSHA MEHTA
7. Apply a final layer of sealer, trim the excess paper, seal the edges and let the case dry. To add more details, experiment by using magazine cutouts, creating patterns with the tissue paper or by embellishing the cover with rhinestones or sequins.
To expand the blog’s content, Cuzo will cover feminism-themed events throughout the city. She has also enlisted writers to interview businesswomen, female victims of violence, women who work at nonprofit organizations and fellow NYU students creating their own awareness campaigns. “I do believe in her mission of giving women a voice and really just helping them pick themselves up and make lives for themselves without having to actually rely on men,” said LSP freshman Fehbe Meza, a contributing writer for the blog who hopes to write a series of features on female entrepreneurs for ForWomenByAWomen. In the coming months, Cuzo hopes to host events in Washington Square Park and Union Square. Panels will feature speeches from women across the world raising awareness for the hardships that women face in their home countries. “I feel like everyone in America is very into what their career and what their passion is, but I feel like we forget what is going on outside of America,” she said. Cuzo’s long-term goal is to launch a company that will allow women in impoverished countries to gain independence and profit from selling handcrafted items from their home country. “In a lot of impoverished coun-
For contemporary artist Nathan Sawaya, who graduated from the NYU School of Law in 1998, Lego bricks are much more than toys. In his latest exhibit In Pieces, a collaboration with Australian hyperrealist photographer Dean West, Sawaya works to prove that Lego blocks are an expressive artistic tool equal to any other medium. “There are a lot of restrictions that come with using a toy as an art medium,” Sawaya said, “Personally, I think there’s a lot of freedom. I think there’re endless possibilities of what can be done [with] this brick.” The exhibit, which opened on March 1, features seven of West’s photographs. The images show different landscapes such as a countryside train station and an indoor swimming pool. The photographs are presented alongside 11 large-scale sculptures built entirely out of Lego blocks. Trees and clouds populate the gallery, as well as pieces that explore themes of nature, society and identity. “It all started because we thought there’s a lot of synergy behind the way Nathan built the sculptures and
the way a digital photograph is constructed with the pixels,” West said. “We called it In Pieces for two reasons. One, the way it’s constructed layer by layer, brick by brick, and two, a reflection of the characters in the scenes. The whole concept really stems on how we build our identity.” Sawaya and West drew inspiration from each other’s artistic styles and worked together to create digitally composed, stylistic images that incorporate Sawaya’s Lego sculptures with West’s photography. The two artists came up with the preliminary concept for the collection after traveling together across North America. “We were quite nomadic about the process and just let time run its course,” West said. Each photograph is composed of elements from different visually captivating cities. The light, pastel color palette of the scenes calls to mind the perfectly composed American postcard image. A standout photograph depicts a woman wearing a red dress, composed entirely of Lego blocks, standing in front of an old-fashioned movie theater in the snow. “I think each photograph kind of tells its own story,” West said.
“I like to refer to the images as open-ended dramas.” The idea of using Lego blocks as a medium for realistic sculpture originated from Sawaya’s experiences with them as a child. Unlike using other more traditional media, like clay or metal, sculpting with Lego blocks presents certain challenges, but also makes for a unique aesthetic. “The time that goes into it is really dependent on scale and size and the complexity,” Sawaya said. “Something like the tree came together actually fairly well because there’re no real rules. Something like the clouds took more time because there was a lot of trial and error.” Steinhardt freshman Jennifer Lu was amazed by the complexity of the Lego sculptures. “I thought the exhibit was really innovative,” Lu said. “I never thought you could do so much with Legos.” In Pieces will be on display until March 17 at the Openhouse Gallery, 201 Mulberry St. Deeksha Mehta is a contributing writer. Email her at features@nyunews.com.
NYUNEWS.COM | MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS
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EDITED BY KRISTINA BOGOS FEATURES@NYUNEWS.COM
GlobalFest films showcase global yet intimate perspectives By UTPALA MENON
International films by student filmmakers were a highlight of NYU’s recent GlobalFest, an annual event that celebrates the traditions of NYU’s global sites. The student audience was treated to films set in NYU study away and satellite campuses around the world. Three films, one shot in Prague, another in Shanghai and a third in Abu Dhabi, stood out for their execution and approach as they focused on imposing visuals and intimate tales. “ZLODEJ” by Blake R. Brewer A short film by Tisch senior Blake Brewer tours the antiquated streets of Prague through the eyes of a homeless boy on the run. Shot during the summer of 2011 after Brewer studied abroad in Prague, the film opens with the boy’s eyes glued on a passerby’s briefcase. After being distracted by a violin player’s symphony, the boy is compelled to snatch the musician’s violin case and day’s earnings. Then, a chase begins. “I knew I wanted to show as much of the city in my film as
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possible because not showing the beauty of the city would have been a crime,” Brewer said. “I figured that a good way to show a lot of the city would be to have a chase take place, transporting us to different parts of Prague.” The film ends on a note of friendship after the boy leaves the money with a fellow homeless man. “The message I want to get across is that just because a person is homeless doesn’t make them less of a human being,” Brewer said. “They are still people with feelings who experience joy and happiness.”
“50 STUDENTS ON TOP OF A MOUNTAIN” by Lily van Leeuwen An LSP writing class in Shanghai, China, in the 2011-2012 academic year was inspiration for Tisch sophomore Lily van Leeuwen’s documentary. “Professors wanted to focus on a non-academic atmosphere and see whether a beautiful environment influences writing,” said van Leeuwen, who chose to document her writing class and fellow students in the film. “The movie is about our
[class] trip to a mountaintop ... to kind of focus on writing in a non-academic atmosphere.”
“LULLABY” by Besiki Turazashvili NYU Abu Dhabi junior Besiki Turazashvili’s short film “Lullaby” explores the complex relationship between his love for dance and his struggle to gain support from his family. “The short is about me growing up in a Georgian family and realizing my interests and developing them,” Turazashvili said. During “Lullaby,” the camera remains fixed on a dancer while a narrator speaks in the background. The film is a product of the Sound, Image, and Story class Turazashvili took at NYU Abu Dhabi. “This film is extremely personal to me since I think it is the most difficult task to film something about yourself,” Turazashvili said. “You have to be honest and still keep the viewer interested.” Utpala Menon is a contributing writer. Email her at features@nyunews.com.
“50 STUDENTS ON TOP OF A MOUNTAIN” by Lily van Leeuwen
“LULLABY” by Besiki Turazashvili
To watch these films, go to nyunews.com
Activities to create perfect, adventurous spring break By DEBORAH LUBANGA Don’t spend spring break in the city hibernating in your dorm room. Instead, experience an adrenaline rush and channel your inner thrill-seeker by trying some adventurous activities just outside the city limits.
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“ZLODEJ” by Blake R. Brewer
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COURTESY OF FIELD HOUSE AT CHELSEA PIERS | VIA FACEBOOK.COM | COURTESY OF SKYDIVE NEW JERSEY
FIELD HOUSE AT CHELSEA PIERS Pier 62, 23rd Street and Hudson River Park While you won’t find any rock formations to scale in the city, you can still experience a realistic climb at the Field House. The 23-foot indoor rock-climbing wall is open to people of all experience levels for two-hour scaling sessions. All necessary equipment is included in the $25 fee. Don’t forget to wear comfortable clothing and shoes. KENSINGTON STABLES 51 Caton Place, Brooklyn No riding experience is necessary to explore Prospect Park via horseback. The three and a half mile trail starts at the Park Circle entrance and continues alongside the lake to the Nethermead Arches. Throughout the journey, a Kensington guide will point out historical trivia and features of the scenic landscape. The ride is $37 per person and advanced reservations are advised. BOUNCE! 612 Corporate Way, Valley Cottage, NY Your inner child will be bouncing off the walls at this 25,000 square foot facility made up of three trampoline courts and two trampoline-to-foam pits. The open bounce times vary
daily, but only cost $12 for the first hour and $10 for each additional hour. Take the time to practice your back-flips, play a round of trampoline dodgeball or even slam-dunk basketball. For a more structured workout, register for a 45-minute aerobics class for $14. Travel time is about two hours. Take the Metro-North Railroad to Croton Harmon. BIG BEAR ZIPLINES 817 Violet Ave., Hyde Park Feel like Tarzan as you soar up to 30 miles per hour at heights up to 80 feet above ground on this $99 zipline adventure. During the threehour canopy tour of Hyde Park, a zip pilot will lead you through eight courses until you reach the final Big Bear line. Big Bear Ziplines has made travel easy by offering a free round trip shuttle from the Poughkeepsie Train Station for groups of eight people or less. SKYDIVE JERSEY SHORE Monmouth Executive Airport in Farmingdale, N.J. Appease your inner thrill-seeker by going tandem skydiving on the Jersey Shore. As you soar two miles above the ground, make sure to take in the breathtaking view of the New York skyline. The $205 fee, $215 on the weekends, includes equipment and a 30-minute training session. Purchase a DVD of your skydiving experience for $99. Take a two-hour New Jersey Transit Bus from the Port Authority Terminal. Deborah Lubanga is a contributing writer. Email her at features@nyunews.com.
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WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013 | NYUNEWS.COM
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The New York Times Syndication Sales Corporation THE NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD & DAILY SUDOKU 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018 For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550 For Release Monday, March 11, 2013
Crossword Across
1 Response to an affront 5 Advanced math class, for short 9 Happen again 14 Peru’s capital 15 Prime draft status 16 One of only two presidents with two Ivy League degrees 17 Flows back 18 Linguist Chomsky 19 Gem weight unit 20 Overhead security devices 23 2, 3 or 4, usually, in miniature golf 24 A Stooge 25 Republican politico ___ Paul 26 Scott Pelley’s network 29 Winter follower: Abbr. 30 Brontë heroine who was a governess
32 Number of
63 Like the north
Stooges
sides of some trees 64 Battle of Normandy city 65 Sneaker brand
35 ___ Valley,
Calif.
36 Cheese at a
cocktail party
37 Lack of contact
with reality
40 Tolstoy’s
“___ Karenina” 41 Algerian port 42 Commencement 43 Tobago’s island neighbor 45 Salary 46 Topic in a confessional 47 New York baseballer 48 “Krazy ___” 49 Hit with a ray gun 52 Sign of haughtiness 55 Babbling stream 58 Overabundance 59 Broad 60 Crucial artery 61 That ___ say 62 Metals from lodes
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE P V T S
L I E U
A S H B Y
S T E A M
R E A V P A C
A Y T E X C T O R Y N D R I L E T E E C O S M S A I O P S S N I E C I T S H O C A A N L E V E G G A E I A T O R T I E N T A N N E S
N O R T H P O L E
D O L A A R A P W I M O F E L G I R L O C O R E T C E I R S M E B E H E A D A R L U N A W N I N E T E D D
P A W L
S H O E H A S
C H I N G
T E S L A
A S H O T
N A V I
T R E E
H E H S
Down
1 Hamlet’s word before “perchance to dream” 2 Tripoli’s country 3 Fossilized tree resin 4 Get any grade above an F 5 Sarah ___, “The Terminator” heroine 6 Make ___ of (jot down) 7 Sister of Rachel, in the Bible 8 Film set workers 9 See 48-Down 10 Self-described “World’s Online Marketplace” 11 It’s parked in a garage 12 Actress Thurman 13 Singer who doesn’t want a hit? 21 Louvre Pyramid architect 22 ___ boom 26 Miley of “Hannah Montana” 27 Groom’s partner 28 “What thou ___, write in a book”: Revelation 29 Family 11-Down 30 Islamic holy war
Edited by Will Shortz 1
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46
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13
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No. 0204
53
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58
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61
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puzzle by randall j. hartman
31 Black piano key 45 General played
material 32 “___ all she wrote!” 33 Painter Matisse 34 Took to the station house 35 The “S” in SALT 38 Junctures 39 Reluctant (to) 44 “No harm, no foul”
by George C. Scott 48 With 9-Down, Notre Dame coaching legend 49 Congo, once 50 Helped 51 Iron, as clothes 52 Have-___ (poor people)
53 “Casablanca”
character Lund
54 Furry “Star
Wars” creature
55 “Kapow!” 56 Little friend of
Winnie-thePooh
57 Surgery sites,
for short
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.
NYUNEWS.COM | MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS
OPINION
EDITED BY SAMEER JAYWANT OPINION@NYUNEWS.COM
LETTER
Message to NYU President John Sexton
Dear PRESIDENT SEXTON, Thank you for your response to our letter [that requests] NYU [to] end its business relationships with JPMorgan Chase until the bank halts foreclosures in New York. Since your last letter, thousands of homes in New York State have entered foreclosure, including over 2,000 in December alone. Banks such as Chase have the ability, and in fact the responsibility, to put an end to this crisis by reducing the amount homeowners owe them, as organizations such as New York Communities for Change have demanded. Our concern about the housing crisis is not a distant one. Many of us have already entered the housing market as renters, and almost all of us will be
looking for housing that we can afford soon. At the same time, we’re taking on more debt to remain at NYU. Chase continues to make the housing system more unstable, unequal and wasteful. NYU, as the city’s fourth largest landholder and an employer of one of the largest workforces in the city, constantly makes financial and operational decisions with deep political repercussions. NYU directly and concretely influences the world. In the face of environmental degradation, the university created a sustainability task force. In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, members of the NYU community coordinated recovery efforts. After the brutal assassination of Colombian union leaders, we decided to cut our ties with Coca-Cola. And in 2009 we cut ties with Russell Athletics due to its violation of workers’ rights. Our community has frequently decided that, although there may be dissent and debate, the need and consensus was great enough for action. Rather than claiming to be apolitical, we must become a transparent community that values the input of all of its members. While Chase executive Steven Miller sits on the Board of
Trustees, the final decision-making body at NYU, students are only represented through the University Senate, which merely plays an advisory role to the president. This clear imbalance of power must be shifted. As you suggested, we intend to bring our concerns to the University Senate. In the name of strengthening democracy on campus, we ask you to make the Senate open to public attendance and comment. In the meantime we will continue to develop a discourse on campus through public events, petitioning drives and daily conversations with members of our community. While thousands of distressed homeowners, many of whom were the victims of predatory banking practices, teeter closer to homelessness, we cannot stop at mere dialogue. We have an opportunity to push banks that wish to do business with NYU to be accountable to the people of this city. We ask you to take immediate action by notifying Chase that we will no longer give them our money until they halt the foreclosures. This letter was submitted by the Students for Economic Justice.
SCIENCE
World needs meaningful scientific discovery
By MARCELO CICCONET There should be a rule against clichés in photography. I say this because the standard picture of a scientist with a pretentious attitude writing equations on a glass surface in front of a camera is far too common. That was exactly how Dr. Peter Ware Higgs appeared in a recent New York Times article wrapping up the story of an elementary particle named after the 83-year-old theoretical physicist. The observation might be a little harsh. After all, last year two independent teams of researchers, looking at experiments performed at the Large Hadron Collider in Europe made a major discovery — they found something that looks very much like the particle Higgs
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had hypothesized the existence of in 1964. Scientists have stated that the confirmation of the particle’s existence would provide a groundbreaking explanation for why certain elementary particles have mass, and others do not. Still, my thoughts about the picture reflect what I think about the entire story: the media, and the world in general, are longing for a meaningful development in physics because the last real breakthrough was the discovery of quantum mechanics almost a hundred years ago. We are anxious to deepen our understanding of the ultimate nature of reality. But during the last century, essentially all we have done is solve minor details, develop applications and craft unverifiable mathematical speculations. We are, in fact, in need of a new Einstein, Heisenberg or Schrödinger — someone who can look at the world from a radically different perspective and set the pace for a new revolution in physics. Nevertheless, from a historical perspective, it’s reasonable to expect that no amount of genius will solve reality’s puzzle.
Indeed, looking at all developments since Newton and Galileo, clear trend develops — the scale of the visible world has consistently become both larger and smaller. On the subatomic level, tinier and tinier particles have been discovered, and it’s argued that the size would shrink further should we have more powerful particle colliders available. On the astronomic level, the universe became larger and larger. Our galaxy was once all we could see, but now the visible universe is estimated to have hundreds of billions of them. One wonders how long it will take to verify that there are actually hundreds of billions of universes as well. It seems reality is shaped like a fractal, flirting with infinity — if you are able to look for it, you’ll find entities of scales as big or small as you can possibly imagine. Thus, Higgs’ discoveries do bring us closer to the ultimate answer about reality, but just as much as 100,000,000,000 is closer to infinity than 42. Marcelo Cicconet is a staff columnist. Email him at opinion@nyunews.com.
STAFF EDITORIAL
Filibuster has no place in modern politics
John Brennan, the former counter-terrorism advisor to President Obama, was finally sworn in last week as the director of the CIA. But the path from nomination to confirmation wasn’t without strong opposition. Early in February, anti-drone protesters interrupted his Senate hearing and last week, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) broke a tacit agreement in the Senate to avoid filibusters — a parliamentary procedure where a member of the chamber deliberately talks for hours to delay voting — when he took to the floor for 13 hours to postpone the vote on Brennan’s nomination. Paul objected to a letter from the Obama administration that said in extreme circumstances, the president has the right to kill an American citizen on American soil using drone technology. Brennan has been a top official at the CIA for decades and is widely considered the architect of the drone program. Paul’s outrage was justifiable: the president’s assertion opens up frightening possibilities for a future in which the government could murder American citizens without trial and use technology that is known to cause civilian casualties, even though its proponents pretend otherwise. Eventually, the Obama administration conceded and assured Paul that the president could not kill Americans in their own country using drones. The type of filibuster Paul used is almost an anachronism — it evoked a time when senators would actually speak about why they were preventing a bill. The filibuster, which is not mentioned in the Constitution and was used sparingly until Sen. Huey Long began using it in the 1930s, is designed as a check on pure majority rule. However, it is too often used by the minority party, most notably the Republicans of the last three Congresses, to simply prevent action of any kind. Rule changes like the addition of the silent filibuster, which allows senators to prevent a vote without actually doing anything other than threatening to filibuster, have only made obstructive politics easier. Although Paul’s filibuster was, arguably, used appropriately in this case, the filibuster is too often abused and discourages progress — something we cannot continue to endure in the most powerful democracy in the world.
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 11, 2013 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS
SPORTS
EDITED BY MARY JANE DUMANKAYA SPORTS@NYUNEWS.COM
Teamwork, dedication as successful as star players in NBA By CHARLES SURETTE
The NBA has enjoyed spectacular success capitalizing on sports fans’ thirst for excitement. Commissioner David Stern and his minions at the league’s Midtown headquarters have created a global brand leveraging superstars and individual basketball prowess. From flashy dunks and buzzer-beaters to no-look passes and fear-instilling blocks, these stars can be neatly packaged into SportsCenter highlights and slapped with the NBA’s slogan “where amazing happens.” This all makes for fantastic television. Fans around the world are dazzled by players like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. Bryant’s Lakers are easily the most popular team in the NBA, while James’ Heat also have millions of fans. In years past, Michael Jordan’s Bulls and Dominique Wilkins’ Hawks supplied viewers with primetime drama. But is “where amazing happens” also where championships happen? Does the presence of such
prominent figures translate into better basketball? Despite what ESPN would lead you to believe, boring is often just as amazing. The most prolific adherents to the ethos of boring basketball are the Boston Celtics. The 17 banners hanging from the rafters of Boston’s TD Garden were not won with maximum-level contracts and high-profile free agents. The Celtics are a franchise rooted in a strong work ethic and shared success: Celtic Pride. It’s about the name on the front of the jersey, not the back. Toughness and individual sacrifice have brought the Celtics championships, which lead to successful, if less marketable basketball. Boston isn’t alone in refusing to pander to Madison Avenue. For 15 straight seasons, the San Antonio Spurs have posted a winning record and appeared in the playoffs. Their NBA championships during that time transformed them into a premier franchise in the league. Has San Antonio won with gunslinging, desperado basketball? No. Like Boston, they preach
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Kobe Bryant recieves plenty of limelight despite his work ethic.
THE ARTS ISSUE
the gospel of team effort. Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginóbili have reaped the rewards of old-fashioned, workingman’s basketball, sacrificing individual statistics for the team’s benefit, much to Stern’s chagrin. Teams like the defense-oriented Indiana Pacers and the shoestringbudget Memphis Grizzlies epitomize “boring is better.” These franchises pose formidable challenges to powerhouses like Miami and Oklahoma City, flying in the face of the league’s proclamation that bombastic superstars in big cities hold the key to victory. Sure, superstars can win championships — the Los Angeles Lakers have won 16 thanks to the fabled heroics of Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal and Bryant. James and the star-stacked Miami Heat lifted the O’Brien Trophy last June. And, of course, Jordan himself has six. But even “Showtime,” the swagger of South Beach, and “His Airness” respect teamwork and toughness. In stark contrast, the 2013 Lakers are floundering despite the massive talents of Bryant, Dwight Howard and Steve Nash. The New York Knicks, captained by highlight reel regular Carmelo Anthony, are stumbling in the Eastern Conference thanks to Anthony’s me-first, hero-shot mentality. What wins championships is neither offense nor defense, but chemistry. Basketball is ultimately a team sport, one that must be played by five players on the court at the same time. No matter how skilled a single player may be, it amounts to nothing if the game is to be played on an individual level. Even if amazing keeps the money flowing into the NBA, boring will always be a force to be reckoned with, despite Stern’s efforts to convince viewers otherwise. Charles Surette is a contributing writer. Email him at sports@nyunews.com.
Big East hopes to continue dominance By SAM BARDER
Tomorrow marks the beginning of the last Big East tournament before the so-called Catholic 7 — Marquette, Providence, Seton Hall, DePaul, Georgetown, St. Johns and Villanova — depart after this season. The Big East has been at the apex of college basketball for the last 15 years and its conference tournament, with 15 or 16 teams in Madison Square Garden for five grueling days of basketball, is nearly as exciting as the NCAA tournament itself. Over the past decade, the Big East has been known as the best conference in college basketball, producing three NCAA championships in the past 10 years and as numerous NBA stars such as Carmelo Anthony, Patrick Ewing and Dwyane Wade and some of the top coaches in the game today, including Rick Pitino, Jim Boeheim and John Thompson III. The consistency provided by this conference has been remarkable. It has refused to be top-heavy throughout the past decade, earning eight NCAA tournament bids in 2006 and again in 2008 and 11 bids in 2011. The Big East enters Monday with six ranked teams and a three-way tie for first place. If all goes well, at least eight teams will make the NCAA field this season, and a numberone seed may be awarded to the tournament winner. This year at the Garden, at least five teams have a reasonable chance of taking home the trophy on Saturday afternoon. In the end, it boils down to three squads: the struggling Syracuse Orange, the streaking Georgetown Hoyas and returning champion the Louisville Cardinals. Syracuse may be the most intriguing team in the field. The Orange have lost four of their
past five games, and have yet to beat a ranked team since Feb. 4, when they drubbed Notre Dame at home. But this team has talent — they won against Louisville in January. Many thought that when forward James Southerland returned from academic ineligibility they would finally see this team at full strength. Syracuse is 4-5 since his return. The Hoyas have won 12 of their past 13 games, are 5-1 against ranked opponents and are coming off a 22-point victory against Syracuse on Saturday. Other than a three-point loss at South Florida, this team has only lost to tournament bound-teams. They are ranked number five in the country for a reason, and their star Otto Porter Jr. could be the number-one pick in the NBA draft this summer. Louisville has won its last seven games, taking advantage of one of the weaker portions of their schedule. The team is led by Payton Siva and Gorgui Dieng, who had a double-double on Saturday against Notre Dame. This squad has only lost once outside of the Big East, and it was to then number-five ranked Duke. Like Georgetown, all of their losses came against tournament-caliber teams. Although the Orange have the most to prove this weekend, Georgetown and Louisville have the momentum, and it will come down to which team’s stars will shine. Otto Porter Jr. has been playing at an impressive level as of late, and that should continue as Georgetown cuts down the nets this weekend. The Big East hopes to end where it has been all along — on top. Sam Barder is a contributing writer. Email him at sports@nyunews.com.
GO ON A JOURNEY
MARCH 14