NYU’s Daily Student Newspaper
WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS Vol. 42, No. 26
MONDAY, MARCH 24, 2014
nyunews.com
Students named resolution fellows
INSIDE THIS
ISSUE
By ANN SCHMIDT
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How to clean your apartment Learn some alternative cleaning and organizing tricks in time for spring cleaning. HOW TO on PG. 4
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Spring break athletics review NYU Fencing and Wrestling competed over break, with great results. SPRING on PG. 5
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Dropbox to seek out new talent in New York City The online storage company Dropbox is opening an office in New York, providing an opportunity for NYU students seeking jobs in computer science.
STORY ON PAGE 3
Voter ID opposition not “race-baiting” A conservative news outlet is accusing opponents of voter ID laws of supporting voter fraud. COLEBURN on PG. 7
Trying children as adults in court Despite murder charges, a 14-year-old should not be tried as an adult. HOUSE on PG. 7
CLINTON continued on PG. 3
Haitian filmmaker welcomed to Tisch By JULIANNE MCSHANE
Raoul Peck, award-winning Haitian filmmaker and former minister of culture for the Republic of Haiti, has been named Tisch School of the Arts’ new scholar-in-residence. Associate Dean of Tisch Sheril Antonio said NYU and Peck have a longstanding relationship, “Raoul has been connected to Tisch for quite some time,” Antonio said. “He taught in our graduate film program what feels like many years ago now and Dean Campbell and I have kept in touch over the years of his distinguished career.” Tisch Dean Mary Campbell said Christine Choy, former graduate film chair and one of Peck’s colleagues, nominated Peck for the position. “Given his status not [only] as a filmmaker but [also] as a cultural policy maker, we believed that
Three NYU students were winners in the Social Venture Challenge at the Clinton Global Initiative University conference, which took place at Arizona State University from March 21 to March 23. Stern sophomore Samir Goel, Gallatin sophomore Hannah Dehradunwala and CAS sophomore Mansi Prakash represented NYU and were among 15 teams who were named as the newest resolution fellows. Resolution fellows are a part of the Resolution Project Community and have access to resources including pro bono legal services and career advice. The Resolution Project Community works closely with major organizations like CGI and Net Impact, which are devoted to creating social impact around the world. Goel and Dehradunwala won $5,500 for their start-up called Transfernation. Goel said the start-up is an online program that works to bring the extra food from corporate events to homeless shelters and soup kitchens.
his presence would enrich the experience of our students and faculty,” Campbell said. Campbell described her plans to arrange a series of events in conjunction with fellow Tisch administrators to celebrate Peck’s appointment, including an intimate faculty dinner and a public presentation in conversation with Antonio. She also hopes to arrange opportunities for Peck to participate in conversations with students in public policy and documentary classes, as well as with high school students involved in NYU’s precollege program this summer. Tisch freshman Elizabeth Groth said she is looking forward to having the opportunity to learn from Peck and anticipates that he will be a great addition to the Tisch faculty.
SCHOLAR continued on PG. 4
Steinhardt grants award to prolific band manager By SAM DEL ROWE
The Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development’s Music Business program presented its Visionary Award to Jac Holzman, the founder of Elektra Records and Nonesuch Records, on March 12. Judy Collins, the Doors, the Stooges, Love and Queen are among many bands Holzman has managed during his career. In celebration of the award, Holzman sat down with Phil Gladston, faculty songwriterin-residence and master teacher in songwriting, in front of a group of students and faculty. Gladston’s lecture included discussing the process of launching Elektra records from his dorm room at St. John’s College and the history of artists he signed. Gladston supplemented the discussion with music clips and visuals from Elektra album artwork. A large part of the discussion focused on how Holzman found and
approached his artists — he mentioned attending multiple shows by the Doors to assess their talent and predict their potential. He was especially interested in whether groups had the ability to deliver more than one album and how long they could last in the industry. In founding Elektra, Holzman sought to create a label that would produce the kind of music he wanted to listen to. “I thought if I did it right, the business would happen,” Holzman said. The sentiment sums up his philosophy that music comes first. Holzman said knowing how to align himself with the interests of the artist was crucial to the success of his label. Artists represented by Elektra would receive personal oversight from Holzman, who would be involved in the process of producing their records.
VISIONARY continued on PG. 4
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Water Week UNICEF@NYU’s Water Week begins today with an art sculpture display in the Kimmel Center for University Life lobby from noon to 6 p.m.
West Mediterranean Displacement Lecture The fifth annual M.I. Rostovtzett Lecture Series will take place in the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World at 15 E. 84th St. at 6 p.m. Brown University professor Peter van Dommelen will speak about displacement in the West Mediterranean.
Public Health Lecture
Trinidad, Calif.
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The Global Institute of Public Health is continuing its speaker series today with Rumi Chunara, an instructor at Harvard Medical School, at noon in room 405 of Kimmel. Chunara will speak about using crowdsourced data to improve public health surveillance TODAY’S EVENTS ARE FREE FOR NYU STUDENTS.
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HANQING CHEN, JONATHON DORNBUSH, RACHEL KAPLAN, JORDAN MELENDREZ, JONATHAN TAN 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 Michael Domanico at managing@nyunews.com or at 212.998.4302.
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Dropbox to open office in NYC By KAVISH HARJAI
Dropbox, a growing cloudstorage company, is in the process of opening an office in New York City. Currently, employees of Dropbox are working out of a temporary office space near NYU. Stephanie Saffer, director of The Hatch Agency, a company that represents Dropbox, said the move to New York City is to serve the community that uses the company more closely. “We’re building roots in New York to support the more than 200 million users and 4 million businesses who rely upon Dropbox, and are excited to grow the company to support this,” Saffer said. By opening an office in New York City, Dropbox will be closer to local clients, such as Macmillan Publishers, the fashion blog Refinery29 and the digital agency HUGE. Saffer said the new office is hiring to build the engineering and sales team. They will be having a recruiting event on April 2 at 6:30 p.m. at 355 W. 16th St. Ross Piper, vice president of enterprise strategy at Dropbox, told betabeat.com that Dropbox plans to create a team of 25 people but hopes to grow 100 percent each successive year, to match Dropbox’s overall growth rate. Poly professor Justin Cappos said Dropbox’s new office will attract NYU students. “It’s another strong player in the area here and I know that a lot of companies, when they go to do recruit-
ing, they often look to local universities and look at local students, especially for things like internships,” Cappos said. “So it’s a great way for NYU students to get more involved in Dropbox and it’s a great way for Dropbox to be able to get more talent.” Cappos said computer science students have a great opportunity with the increase in technology and data companies and anyone who wants to study computer science should start now. “I’ll say that I don’t think there’s been a better time to study computer science or computer engineering than there is now,” Cappos said. “We have companies knocking on our doors doing everything they can to try and engage our graduates and frankly we can’t produce them quickly enough.” CAS junior Tyler Palsulich, who is studying computer science, said he would be excited to work with a company like Dropbox. “I think it’s great that Dropbox is coming to NYC,” Palsulich said. “I’m sure other computer science students would want to work there, too. As more big name companies move into the city, there are more job and internship opportunities available to NYU students. Especially when it’s with a well known company, like Dropbox.” Additional reporting by Ann Schmidt. Kavish Harjai is a news editor. Email them at news@nyunews.com.
CLINTON continued from PG. 1
Students receive awards from Clinton Global Initiative
“Now that we have the capital, we can start creating real social impact,” Goel said. “Right now we waste 40 percent of the food produced in America and if we could repurpose this we would have more than enough to end hunger in America.” Prakash won $3,500 for her venture called A Brighter Future, which focuses on using compact fluorescent light bulbs to alleviate poverty in developing nations, starting with Behlana Village, India. “Over the course of a year, 100 households within this village will be converted from using incandescent to CFL bulbs,” Prakash said. “These savings will allow low-income households to spend money on other aspects of life such as food, education [and] health care, thus improving quality of life and alleviate poverty.” According to a press release from CGI on March 14, over 1,000 students from over 300 universities and 75 countries attended the conference. “The CGI U 2014 program
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Prakash, Dehradunwala and Goel were named fellows.
will feature sessions that will examine issues throughout CGI U’s five focus areas: Education, Environment and Climate Change, Peace and Human Rights, Poverty Alleviation and Public Health,” the press release said. “Throughout the meeting, students will engage in various topic- and skill-based sessions, which will empower them to get involved with solving major global challenges while they’re still in school.” In order to participate at CGI U, students had to create an initiative that works to make a specific change across CGI U’s focus areas. Once a commitment is accepted, the teams, made up of one to three members, go through a semi-final and final round of pitching. “The competition is for students around the world who are passionate about creating social impact,” Goel said. “In order to get accepted to CGI U, you have to create a commitment to action. Ours was Transfernation.” As part of the resolution fellowship, the ventures are put into the process of registering to become nonprofit organizations. “In the long term, I hope to continue on with the expansion of this project with guidance from mentors — to continue bringing CFL bulbs to both households in the same village and households in other villages in developing nations to improve quality of life and make a substantial impact,” Prakash said.
Published on TheGazelle.org on March 15, 2014 in its Labor Issue
In an exclusive interview, Vice Chancellor Al Bloom sat down with The Gazelle to talk about labor policies at NYU Abu Dhabi and the development of these policies. Here’s what he had to say.
COURTESY OF THE GAZELLE
Bloom said NYUAD works to ensure labor rights.
The Gazelle: We were reading through the compliance reports, the statement of labor values and some external analyses of the statement of labor values. One of the questions that has been raised is, what does the university do to ensure compliance to the statement of values on a regular basis? Dr. Al Bloom: To ensure that that statement of values has teeth, we together articulated the set of values and agreed with our government partners to share in enforcing them. Enforcement starts from the insistence that any contracts governing workers who work directly for us or in building our campus require adherence to those values. NYUAD hires directly the workers that serve our campus, like those in food services, the bookstore and security. Those who are building the Saadiyat campus are hired under contracts governed by our partners. There is a joint agreement and
one that we believe in strongly, that all contracts that govern the rights and conditions of those workers meet the labor values. So the first step was to make sure that our contracts reflect commitment to those values. The second is to monitor observance of the contracts, to make sure that our workers are accorded the rights and the conditions stipulated in them. For the workers that NYUAD hires, we do our own monitoring. We have staff who undertake this responsibility, who in fact interview all of our workers once a month to make sure they are treated in line with our expectations, that the workers perceive us living up to those values. And if we find that that is not the case, we respond. The system works consistently and well. I know that construction is close to finishing on Saadiyat, and our campus will soon move out to the new campus. Will this move mean
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Germany has announced a goal to supply the majority of the country’s power from renewable sources by the year 2050. The crisis in Ukraine and sanctions in Russia have threatened Germany’s access to natural gas from Russia, adding importance to this goal. — THE NEW YORK TIMES PRAGUE
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An unknown activist in Prague has covered signs on streets whose names have Russian connotations with stickers that read “Russian?” in what is believed to be a response to Russia’s territory expansion into the Crimean Peninsula. — PRAGUE POST TEL AVIV
Ann Schmidt is a news editor. Email her at aschmidt@nyunews.com.
THE GAZELLE: VICE CHANCELLOR OF NYUAD AL BLOOM TALKS ABOUT LABOR AT NYUAD By ALISTAIR BLACKLOCK
BERLIN
that the employees hired to work for the university will be hired directly under NYUAD? Throughout the summer the final touches will be put on the campus. That means there will still be construction workers, but not on the scale we’ve had to date. By August most workers on contracts will be those involved in security, facilities maintenance, food services, the bookstore, as opposed to construction. Our workers will still be divided between ones that we employ directly and ones who are employed through contractual relationships governed by our partners. I know commitment to fairness and humanity in labor practices will remain strong on our part and on that of our partners. For the full interview, visit nyunews.com. Alistair Blacklock is editor-in-chief at The Gazelle. Email him at alistair@thegazelle.org.
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Residents of Tel Aviv have recently complained about excessive noise from incoming flights to Israel’s Ben-Gurion airport. The airport altered its flight paths after the reopening of a second runway, and the new paths have the planes flying 600 meters lower. — HAARETZ WASHINGTON, D.C.
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A Georgetown University student has been charged with possession of a biological toxin after ricin was discovered in his dorm. The student, who is 19 years old, told investigators that he manufactured the ricin using materials he purchased at a Home Depot. — NBC WASHINGTON
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FEATURES SCHOLAR continued from PG. 1
Peck joins Tisch staff, begins Baldwin film research
“Considering the caliber of artists instructing us at Tisch, I think Raoul Peck will be a very helpful instructor,” Groth said. “All of the professors at Tisch are very impressive and established in their field and Peck will undoubtedly fit right in.” Peck, who hails from Port-auPrince, was raised in the modern-day Democratic Republic of the Congo and was educated in France, the United States and Germany. He studied industrial engineering at the Humboldt University of Berlin. He was the first Haitian filmmaker to have his work released in American theatres with “The Man By the Shore,” which competed in the 1993 Cannes Film Festival. His work often focuses on human rights issues, such as the struggle for independence in the Belgian Congo, seen in “Lumumba,” and the Rwandan genocide, which was depicted in his film, “Sometimes in April.” He is a recipient of the Irene Diamond Award, presented by
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Peck’s work deals largely with human rights issues.
the Human Rights Watch, for his work and has served as chairman of the board of La Fémis, the French film school, since 2010. During his stay in New York, Peck plans to conduct research for an upcoming documentary on novelist, essayist and playwright James Baldwin. Peck will serve as Tisch’s scholar-in-residence until July, but he has offered to remain in New York City for additional discussions and seminars with students and faculty beyond his scheduled end date. Peck said he is excited about his return to NYU, and has many plans for his six-month residency. “I am very happy to have accepted the invitation and am really looking forward to see some of my former colleagues and former students who have become, very successful filmmakers,” Peck said. “In addition to several presentations and meetings with students and faculty, there are several ideas we are working on with Vice Provost Uli Baehr, among others a presentation on James Baldwin’s work in association with the Bill T Jones and New York Live Arts.” Peck added he is looking forward to collaborate with Tisch students in his work. “We are planning to select and hire NYU students to participate in some of the planned research and other activities related with the documentary on James Baldwin,” Peck said.
EDITED BY BRYNA SHUMAN FEATURES@NYUNEWS.COM
Put your apartment in W O H O order for springtime T
steam will loosen and soften any food that remains stuck.
By ILONA TUOMINEN With the weather warming up, midterms ending and spring officially beginning, now is the best time for spring cleaning. Follow these simple tips and tricks for a fresh start to the second half of the semester.
Freshen the air Does your room or suite have an unnatural smell? It could be because your trash is left open, without any sort of lid, and old garbage has been stinking up your kitchen. In addition to remembering to regularly take out the trash, invest in a cover for your bin. Drop half a lemon into the kitchen garbage disposal to act as a deodorant and make sure to wipe down your trash cans after taking them out to erase any residue.
Clean the microwave After cooking everything you could indoors so you would not have to brave the cold weather, your microwave has probably had more than its fair share of use. Microwave a half-full glass of water for two minutes — the
Disinfect the sink Your sink can have tons of bacteria on its surface even if you can not see it. To disinfect, spray some vinegar mist. Let it sit for a minute, then wash it off with soap and water. Afterwards, spray some hydrogen peroxide mist and leave it. Do not mix the two together.
Clean out the refrigerator It is easy to forget to clean the place food is stored. Throw away all expired items and keep the close-to-expiring products closer to the front so you will not forget to eat them first. To clean out any stains, try using shaving cream. Alternatively, you can use a spoonful of baking soda as a mild abrasive to scrub entrenched stains.
Organize your closet Try to keep only the necessary items. Which clothes do you actually wear, and which items have you not touched the entire season? Utilize the storage under your bed or above your closet, where you can fold away your big winter coat, hats, scarves and ugly Christmas sweaters that you will
not need anymore. You can even make a little extra cash by taking clothes you do not want anymore to stores that will buy your gently used items, like Beacon’s Closet or Buffalo Exchange. Leave the clothes that are appropriate for spring in the hangers to expedite your morning routine.
Unclutter your papers Reorganize those papers and files lying around your desk and under your bed. Since you are halfway through the semester, do not leave study materials unorganized until the dreaded finals week. Keep track of your papers by creating binders or folders, so you do not lose something you will need in the upcoming weeks.
Change your sheets Buy fresh, new sheets for your bed, or wash your current ones. They actually get dirty pretty quickly, so it does not hurt to set a reminder every now and then. While your laundry is in the machine, do the rest of your cleaning while you wait so, by the time the laundry is done, you are free to relax. Ilona Tuominen is a staff writer. Email her at features@nyunews.com.
Julianne McShane is a contributing writer. Email her at features@nyunews.com.
VISIONARY continued from PG. 1
Legendary record producer, band manager honored
Holzman is personally concerned with the interests of the artists and how he could be involved with them. When artists were offered contracts by other record companies, Holzman said he would meet with them to convince them of the benefits of staying with Elektra. The kind of personal oversight and interest Holzman offered was essential to Elektra’s success, and it was the key point of his lecture. Steinhardt junior Nick Kohler, a music business major, said Holzman displays an important side of the industry. “It was great to hear from an executive who cared more about the artist and less about the business,” Kohler said. Holzman also discussed the importance of recommendations by colleagues in finding bands. Holzman used the Stooges as an example of a band of which he did not
immediately see the appeal but signed on a recommendation. He said it took years for him to finally appreciate their sound, emphasizing the importance of variety on a label for those interested in working in the music industry. Holzman was humble in receiving his award, yet the crowd provided multiple standing ovations. His work is appreciated by all generations in the music industry. Perhaps his advice on the importance of multiple tastes and personal involvement is even more crucial now, with the innumerable digital channels for new music. Holzman’s discussion was a reminder not to forget the impact made from personalized investment, even in this digital age. Sam Del Rowe is a staff writer. Email him at features@nyunews.com.
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Simple tricks can make spring cleaning easy in any dorm room.
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MLB begins regular season in Sydney By CHRIS MARCOTRIGIANO
Major League Baseball opened up regular season play with a twogame series between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Los Angeles Dodgers in Sydney, Australia this past weekend. The groundbreaking event was held at the Sydney Cricket Ground, which was outfitted to function as a baseball field. The Dodgers took both games by scores of 3-1 and 7-5. In years past, the MLB has held opening series in Japan in an attempt to expand the game’s influence abroad. Such series are usually held a few days before the actual season as to not interrupt the flow of spring training. However, this season, the games were scheduled close to a week before opening day in the United States. Essentially, the Diamondbacks and Dodgers had to uproot their preseason program in order to act as ambassadors for the game. Whether or not this is a good change or not depends on a couple of factors. First and foremost, has baseball made a name for itself in the Australian market by playing these games? Early returns would say yes. Each game drew about 40,000 fans. Even foul balls, which are traditionally a boring part of the game, were applauded by the local fans, as they
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Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers kicked off MLB season.
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could be kept as keepsakes. The players and coaches who made the trip also had a great time. “Just getting to leave the country and see how other people across the world live is pretty cool, and the fact that we get to sightsee and play baseball at the same time, check out some good restaurants, all in all it makes it a great trip,” Diamondbacks third baseman Eric Chavez told MLB.com. “It’s been worth it,” Dodgers manager Don Mattingly told the website. “At the end of the day, it’s something you won’t forget.” Major League Baseball definitely thinks that this system of global outreach can work. But at what cost? Regardless of the financial merits of the project, the commissioner’s office has to determine the effects of such a schedule on the players. Now that both teams are returning to the United States in advance of opening day, officials have to monitor how both of these teams perform throughout the season. The point of spring training is to put players in shape so they can avoid injury and perform at a high level from day one. If either of these teams experiences a rash of injuries, look for the lack of preparation to get a lion-share of the blame. The chance of this was definitely part of the concern for Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke when talking to ESPN Los Angeles in February. “I would say that there is absolutely zero excitement for it,” he said, referring to the trip. “I can’t think of one reason to be excited for it.” While Greinke may have been a bit hyperbolic, his point still stands. He’s worried about the big picture, as are many players and coaches. Although the games in Australia are good for the expansion of the game on a global scale, the safety of the players has to be taken into consideration. After all, this is their livelihood. One misstep and it could all be taken away. Chris Marcotrigiano is deputy sports editor. Email him at cmarcotrigiano@nyunews.com.
SPRING BREAK WRAP-UP By FRANCISCO NAVAS While many NYU students were enjoying their spring recess, NYU athletes were hard at work. Last night, 10 members of the men’s fencing team competed at the NCAA DIII Tournament at Ohio University in Columbus, Ohio to close out their 2013-2014 season. With two fencers ranking in the top 25 overall, the tournament was a glimmer of light at the end of a dark tunnel. Captain and CAS senior Christian Vastola was NYU’s star. He earned a 22nd place finish overall after winning seven of his foil bouts. LS sophomore Andrew Kelly, who came into the tournament with a 35-12 record, earned 24th place overall with five total wins, competing exclusively in sabre.
Uptown New York rivals St. John’s University had two of their fencers on top, in foil and sabre. The men finished the season with a .350 winning percentage, 7–13 overall, only receiving two team wins consecutively this season in early February. Men’s wrestling had an excellent showing at the NCAA championship thanks to captain and CAS junior Brandon Jones, who placed third in the 141-pound weight class. He defeated opponents from Mount St. Joseph, Wisconsin Eau Clair and Johnson & Wales before losing to University of Chicago’s Charlie Banaszak, who Jones had defeated a day earlier at the UAA championship. Jones’ finish puts him in the books with two historic NYU greats, Mat McLenahan
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Brandon Jones and Nathaniel Behnke face off on the mat.
and Stephen Hult. McLenahan and Hult finished third in their NCAA efforts in 1992 and 2008, respectively. This result also earned Jones his second All-American honor after being awarded UAA Athlete of the Week after his performance at the tournament on March 17. Jones had an outstanding season, ranking second in his weight class by the National Wrestling Coaches Association earlier this month. This award is only one of many honors he has earned this season. On March 20, NYU Athletics was ranked 25th of 444 DIII schools in the Learfield Sports Director’s Cup winter standings. Of the Violet’s 220 points in the competition, 42.5 were gained by Jones with his strong showing at the NCAA Championship. Men’s and women’s swimming and diving, as well as women’s basketball, can still earn points for NYU in some upcoming fixtures before April 3, when the final rankings are released. Williams College, of the NESCAC conference, was ranked first. Of NYU’s UAA rivals, only Emory University, University of Chicago and University of Washington, St. Louis are ranked higher: 16, 8 and 6, respectively. Francisco Navas is sports editor. Email him at fnavas@nyunews.com
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THE NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD & DAILY SUDOKU Crossword ACROSS 1 Lose one’s footing 5 Bruins’ sch. 9 Sewing machine inventor Howe 14 Dialogue unit 15 Bridge 16 Lone Ranger’s sidekick 17 1989 John Hughes movie starring John Candy 19 Concluding notations 20 Took to the slopes 21 Accepts punishment unflinchingly 23 Contains 24 “There, there … stop crying” 28 Vain person’s problem 29 Letters before an alias 30 35, as a minimum to be U.S. president
31 “___ on your life!” 32 Belgrade resident 34 Volcanic debris 36 Many a dreadlocks wearer, informally 38 Paul McCartney/ Michael Jackson hit … or a hint to the starts of 17-, 24-. 57and 65-Across 42 Like one’s voice when one has a cold, maybe 45 Letter after ess 46 Biblical garden 50 “Incidentally,” in a text 51 The “L” in 5-Across 54 Spinks foe 56 Gobbled up 57 Snack that leaves the fingers orange 60 Puppy’s cry 61 1996 Mario Puzo novel, with “The” 62 Door fastener 64 Vice ___
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65 “This is just ridiculous!” 68 Animal cavorting by a stream 69 “Mona ___” 70 Once again 71 Boxer Spinks and others 72 Tater 73 “Darn it all!” DOWN 1 Fruit-flavored ice drinks 2 Connection 3 Front tooth 4 One-named soccer star 5 ___ port (computer feature) 6 Heart of a computer, for short 7 Milk: Prefix 8 Turkey’s capital 9 And so on 10 Tight’s opposite 11 Mumbai residents 12 With some speed 13 Emergency call 18 Poet ___ St. Vincent Millay 22 Frat party fixture 25 “Fine by me” 26 The “m” in E = mc2 27 Train stop: Abbr. 33 Troop grp. 35 It may be tipped as a sign of respect 37 Captain’s affirmative 39 Best of the best, sportswise
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PUZZLE BY DAVID GRAY
40 Calendar’s scope 41 Buy’s opposite
48 Printout taken to the airport, maybe
55 “La ___ Bonita” (1987 Madonna hit)
44 Solemnly affirm
58 Ruhr Valley city 49 Huey, Dewey and Louie, to Donald 59 Not cool 63 Slightly open 52 Ref. with about 64 Remote button 22,000 pages abbr.
47 Nascar race locale
53 Looks of displeasure
42 Jimmy Fallon’s network 43 Olympian, e.g.
66 Sun Devils’ sch. 67 Smidgen
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NYUNEWS.COM | MONDAY, MARCH 24, 2014 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS
OPINION
EDITED BY PETER KEFFER OPINION@NYUNEWS.COM
HARRY’S TAKE
Fukushima still in need after three years By HARRY BROWN
In an office building adjacent to the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant in Japan, newspapers from March 11, 2011 are stacked high, with the front page headline of the day reading “Magnitude 8.8, largest in country.” Since the day of printing, the papers have remained untouched, eerily documenting the beginning of the Fukushima nuclear crisis that unfolded soon after the earthquake. Over three years have passed since that headline was first printed. The Fukushima crisis wreaked unprecedented levels of damage politically and socially on the Japanese population and ecologically on the surrounding marine environment. Last week, evidence surfaced that the extent of the harm caused by relentless leakages had been suppressed by government officials and Tokyo Electric Power Company, the operator of the plant, in the weeks after the crisis began. This malfeasant attempt to conceal the magnitude of the devastation may have caused irrevocable damage by not providing the relevant authorities accurate information to contain the leakages.
Fukushima leaks 400 tons of what TEPCO deems “light water,” water laced with radioactive particles, every day. The ecological catastrophe from this water is on a scale unprecedented since the Chernobyl disaster of 1986. Marine biologists have already noticed unusually high levels of radiation in orcas and other marine wildlife, affecting migration and feeding patterns. Of even more concern are the 100 tons of highly radioactive water that leaked from storage tanks last month. Compared to the light water, the recent leak is far more dangerous. Stepping in a puddle of radioactive water can have life-threatening consequences. Each liter of the water contains 115 million particles of Strontium-90, which, if absorbed by the human body, can cause bone
cancer and leukemia. The Japanese government and TEPCO have flagrantly overestimated their own capabilities at managing the containment operation by downplaying the severity of the leakage in a wave of hubris. TEPCO has left the cleanup operation to a woefully-inexperienced and poorly-equipped group of laborers. Yukiteru Naka, founder of Tohoku Enterprise and a contractor and former plant engineer at General Electric, told The New York Times, “We are forced to do more with less, like firemen being told to use less water even though the fire’s still burning.” National pride should not come at the expense of endangering lives. It is long overdue for the Japanese authorities to request international assistance to address the unceasing leakages. Without an honest reassessment of the containment operation, the legacy of Fukushima will be one of tragedy and mismanagement. Harry Brown is a staff columnist. Harry’s Take is published every Monday. Email him at opinion@nyunews.com.
CHRISTINA’S CASE
Townhall misleads on voter identification By CHRISTINA COLEBURN
Two editors at Townhall, a conservative news outlet, recently touted a local NBC report that found rare instances of voter fraud in Florida. Using the report, its staff made a misguided case against individuals who oppose voter identification laws. In a March 19 article, Senior Political Editor Guy Benson wrote that the left faithfully believes that “voter fraud does not exist beyond the imaginations of racist right-wingers,” and he reduced objections to voter ID laws as “race-baiting nonsense.” Benson then tweeted that opponents of such laws “effectively support voter fraud,” inciting an online debate with Michael Czin, national press secretary for the Democratic National Committee. Townhall News Editor Katie Pavlich chronicled the exchange, insinuating that Czin’s “[failure] to condemn non-citizens voting” was somehow related to DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz’s position as a Florida congresswoman. Townhall columnist Kurt Schlichter echoed Pavlich’s sentiment, tweeting that opposition to voter ID was an election “strategy” for Democrats. The argument Benson, Pavlich and
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Schlichter make is dishonest. While sources indeed demonstrate that voter ID laws disproportionately disadvantage groups that are more likely to vote for Democrats — including minorities, women and youth — there are many rationales against the ID mandates that are rooted in economics and constitutionality rather than race and political party. North Carolina officials estimated that between voter education efforts and providing free photos to residents without driver’s licenses, implementing a photo ID law would cost the state about $3.6 million. When striking down Pennsylvania’s proposed law in January, a Commonwealth Court judge ruled that voter ID lacked a compelling governmental interest, unreasonably burdened the right to vote and failed to further fair and free elections. Furthermore, Republican representatives have explicitly stated
that the GOP stands to benefit from voter ID implementation, invalidating Benson, Pavlich and Schlichter’s sentiment that the politics of the laws are exclusive to Democrats. Without question, any instance of voter fraud is serious, undemocratic and should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. However, occurrences of the fraud Benson noted are exceedingly rare, and the few existing cases do not warrant a policy that could potentially prevent millions of citizens from voting. According to a George Mason University study, only 58.2 percent of eligible voters cast ballots in the 2012 election, one of the lowest turnouts among comparator nations. Legislatures should encourage — not deter — citizens to exercise this constitutional right, which Americans have valiantly marched, fought and died to protect. Benson, Pavlich and Schlichter should have considered the extensive range of voter ID opposition before they callously reduced resistance to race-baiting and petty politics. Christina Coleburn is a deputy opinion editor. Christina’s Case is published every Monday. Email her at ccoleburn@nyunews.com.
STAFF EDITORIAL
Brooklyn shooter should be tried as juvenile
On the B15 bus near Lafayette Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Kathon Anderson — a 14-year-old boy — allegedly shot and killed an innocent bystander in what is thought to be gang-related violence. The victim’s name was Angel Rojas, a 39-year-old father from East Flatbush. The Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office charged the teen with second-degree murder and ordered that he stand trial as an adult. An adult court is an inappropriate venue for Anderson’s trial, and it will fail to provide him with the safeguards and care to which he is entitled under international law. If found guilty, he will also be commingled with adult offenders in a high security prison where little to no attention will be put on rehabilitation. No child should be the subject of adult criminal proceedings, no matter the crime. This opinion is not to be delivered lightly, as an innocent man’s death stands at the center of this crime. Rojas was taken from his wife and children far too young. The 14-year-old allegedly made tremendously poor choices, which Rojas — by virtue of happenstance on the B15 bus — was unjustly forced to pay for with his life. Anderson should undoubtedly stand trial for the charges of second-degree murder, criminal use of a firearm and criminal possession of a weapon, and he deserves to be punished for these crimes. If he is indeed guilty, the gravity of Anderson’s transgressions are unmistakable, and Rojas and his family deserve justice for this senseless violence. Despite these reservations, research and statistics demonstrate that Anderson should be given a juvenile trial. Juvenile detention centers were first introduced to the U.S. criminal justice system in the early 19th century and gained widespread use following research showing the benefits of focusing on rehabilitation rather than punishment for young convicted criminals. Studies continue to show that juvenile offenders who are tried as adults and subsequently sentenced to time in adult prisons are exposed to significantly more violence. One report revealed that the percentage of attacks with a weapon against juveniles in prison increased by 8.4 percent and another established that sexual assault was five times more common in adult prisons. The consequences of a judicial system based on punishment rather than rehabilitation are tangible. Minors transferred to adult prisons are 32 percent more likely to commit felonies after release than those who remained in juvenile detention facilities. Anderson should stand trial for his alleged actions, but the resources of our criminal justice system would be more effective if they focused on reforming juveniles in specialized facilities rather than subjecting them to an environment which would likely cause them to reoffend.
Email the WSN Editorial Board at editboard@nyunews.com. EDITORIAL BOARD: Peter Keffer (Chair), Christina Coleburn (Co-chair), Omar Etman (Co-chair), Nina Golshan (Co-chair)
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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