WSN033015

NYU’s Daily Student Newspaper

WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS Vol. 43, No. 30

MONDAY, MARCH 30, 2015

nyunews.com UNIVERSITY LIFE

Drag race raises awareness, entertains

By LEXI FAUNCE Contributing Writer

STAFF PHOTO BY RACHEL KAPLAN

President John Sexton, right, threw the opening pitch to head baseball coach Doug Kimbler at the Brandeis Judges vs. NYU Violets baseball game at MCU Field in Brooklyn on Sunday.

A large crowd congregated on Friday outside Gallery Sensei in anticipation of “Helloworld,” the first showcase curated by White Rabbit, an art collective founded

by Gallatin sophomores Emily Jampel and Sophie Epstein.

All of the artists showcased are under 25 years old, and include members from within and beyond the NYU community. Billed as “a collection of work that is both reflective and contemporary,” the mediums range from interactive installation pieces to elaborately designed surreal photography.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

“All [the artists] show a strong understanding of composition, of light, and they use color really well,” said Brian Edgington, a mutual friend of Epstein’s. “I would not think this is student art. I’m very impressed.”

Jampel and Epstein has worked with more than thirty artists since February 2014 to develop and curate the show. The duo tasked artists with responding to the theme “The Social Construction of Reality,” which was the title of the first-year seminar where Jampel and Epstein met.

“It first started with good friends we knew from school

WHITE RABBIT continued on PG. 4

VIA FACEBOOK.COM

By ZANE WARMAN Staff Writer

Reactions to no divestment Students respond to NYU’s decision to not divest from fossil fuels.

STORY on PG. 3

Track teams finish races strong

By JONATHAN SCHIFMAN Contributing Writer

The men’s and women’s track and field teams were split between competitions in Raleigh, North Carolina and West Long Branch, New Jersey on Friday and Saturday. In Raleigh, the Violets competed against athletes from all three collegiate divisions in the Raleigh Relays at North Carolina State University. In West Long Branch, NYU participated in the 20th Annual Monmouth Season Opener at Monmouth University.

Men’s Track and Field at the Raleigh Relays During their races at the Raleigh Relays, the men’s squad

broke several personal bests and season highs, led by seniors Johnny Lake and Sebastian Oja on day one. Lake finished in 27th place out 36 competitors in the 3,000 meter steeplechase, clocking in at 9:30.01 to set a personal best. Oja competed in the 10,000 meter race, clocking in at 30:52.97 — only one minute off of the NYU school record from 2008 — and finished 40th out of 63.

On day two, freshman Malcolm Montilus, senior Zac Kish and sophomores Budd Brown and Curtis Mann set a season best of 3:23.78 in the 4x400 relay, placing in 22nd out of 37 schools. Brown emphasized the difficulty of competition due to weather conditions over the weekend.

Stern Art Show The Stern School of Business held its second art show over the weekend.

STORY on PG. 4

“The first day of competition was cold and rainy, while the second day was sunny, but colder and windy,” Brown said.

“Given the tough conditions, we competed well.”

Men’s Track and Field in the Monmouth Season Opener Senior Tom Longabaugh and sophomore Nick Hespe had standout performances in the pole vault, placing in second and third, respectively. Both Violets cleared 4.35 meters, which was a personal best for Hespe in the outdoor pole vault. Sophomore Carter Beardsley also had a successful day, coming in 10th place in the shot put out of 23 compet-

TRACK continued on PG. 5

STAFF PHOTO BY SHAWN PAIK

Exhibit goes down ‘Rabbit’ hole

DRAG continued on PG. 3

SPORTS

PHOTO BY ELIJAH MILLEN

ENTERTAINMENT

Drag queens took the stage at the Kimmel Center for University Life to participate in lip sync battles, comedic acts and dance routines. In an effort to promote LGBTQ awareness, the Beta Xi Chapter of Delta Lambda Phi hosted its sixth annual drag race on Sunday.

Members of sororities and fraternities, as well professional drag queens, participated as contestants in the event. DLP is the National Social Fraternity for gay, bisexual and progressive men, and the drag race was a fundraiser for Health Outreach To Teens, an outreach program designed to offer resources for the health needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning adolescents and young adults.

Former Beta Xi member Ryan Rockmore, who was the first

Criminal responsibility New York City should change the age of criminal responsibility to 18.

STORY on PG. 7

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WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | MONDAY, MARCH 30, 2015 | NYUNEWS.COM

ON THE SIDE

COMPILED BY THE

WSN STAFF

The sun is out and spring is around the corner, meaning more and more New Yorkers are taking the time to enjoy the weather and listen to music outside. I went to Union Square yesterday to ask people what was on their playlists.

BY SHAWN PAIK

CLOCKWISE – Chaz Surles listens to “Remember Me”

by Chris Brown. // Julian Henry listens to “G.O.M.D.” by J Cole. // Sharena Chindavong listens to “The Business of Emotion” by Big Data. // James Davis, A.K.A. Getem Grimez, practices some of his own rhymes.

WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS Editor-in-Chief

VALENTINA DUQUE BOJANINI Managing Editor

THOMAS DEVLIN Assistant Managing Editor

JOHN AMBROSIO Digital Director

HANNAH TREASURE Creative Director, Special Editions

OLIVIA MARTIN Creative Director

TEERIN JULSAWAD deputy ALEXA WONG Copy Chief

MADELINE PAZZANI deputy RICHARD SHU Multimedia

SHAWN PAIK photo SAM BEARZI video CALVIN FALK deputy photo SANG BAE, MATHILDE VAN TULDER deputy video CHRISTIAN FORTE

SENIOR STAFF

news ALANNA BAYARIN, MARITA VLACHOU features MARINA ZHENG arts ALEXA SPIELER sports BOBBY WAGNER senior editors LARSON BINZER, CHRISTINA

COLEBURN, FELIPE DE LA HOZ, FRANCISCO NAVAS, IFE OLUJOBI

DEPUTY STAFF

news ALEX BAZELEY features NINA JANG beauty & style SOPHIE LEWIS dining REBECCA RIDDLE film ISABEL JONES entertainment AUDREY DENG music E.R. PULGAR theater/books CAROLINE CUNFER sports KYLE LUTHER

OPINION PAGE opinion editor

TESS WOOSLEY deputy opinion editors

ANNIE COHEN, TOMMY COLLISON, MATTHEW TESSLER

BLOGS

editor EMILY BELL exposure HANNAH LUU violet vision GABRIELLA BOWER the highlighter MARISSA ELLIOT LITTLE under the arch EMMA SCOBLE global DANA RESZUTEK

Exposure

Exposure

Exposure

ADVERTISING BUSINESS MANAGER

ALISON LIZZIO UNIVERSITY SALES RELATIONS

CLAIRE MAHANY

SNAPSHOT

TODAY ON CAMPUS

SALES MANAGER

EMMA HOWCROFT SALES REPRESENTATIVES

AMY LU, BEN SWINEHART

On Climate Science and Coverage Climate scientist Michael Oppenheimer and climate journalist Andrew Revkin will meet to talk and answer questions about climate change. The event is being held at Pace University in Lecture Hall North of their downtown campus at 5 p.m.

Islamic Food Fest Islamic Awareness Week is kicking off with a food fest, sharing cuisines from different parts of the Isalmic world. The event is in the Silleck Lounge at 6 p.m.

SALES ASSOCIATES

MIKE GROTT, LUXI PENG GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

KALEEL MUNROE CIRCULATION MANAGER

JESSICA TIEN CIRCULATION ASSISTANTS

ALEX HANSON, FIONA GORRY-HINES

ADVISING DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

NANCI HEALY EDITORIAL ADVISER

Queering Atheism, Humanism & Agnosticism An audience member drinks from a brown paper bag efore a house show at the Pigeon Pad in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

SNAPSHOT BY JOHN AMBROSIO

Queering Faith will be meeting at the Great Hall of the Global Center for Academic and Spiritual Life for a dialogue about the intersections of faith, non-faith, spirituality, gender and sexuality at 7 p.m.

TODAY’S EVENTS ARE FREE FOR NYU STUDENTS.

GOT SOMETHING TO SHARE? EMAIL US AT TIPS@NYUNEWS.COM OR TWEET US @NYUNEWS.

RACHEL HOLLIDAY SMITH EDITORS-AT-LARGE

TATIANA BAEZ, NICOLE BROWN, ALEX GREENBERGER, CLIO MCCONNELL, JORDAN MELENDREZ 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 the managing editors at managing@nyunews.com or at 212.998.4302.

NYUNEWS.COM | MONDAY, MARCH 30, 2015 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS

NYU Reacts: University declines to divest

By ALEX BAZELEY Deputy News Editor

Despite much lobbying by NYU Divest, the Senate Financial Affairs Committee Divestment Working Group announced it does not recommend divestment from fossil fuel related companies in a report at a University Senate meeting Thursday.

The working group’s report said divestment from fossil fuels would not be a financially prudent action for the university. The group argued, because the majority of the fossil fuel holdings are in commingled funds, divestment would require firing 39 external managers and divesting 38 percent of the endowment.

NYU Divest, however, felt the university’s explanation of the structuring of the funds was less than satisfactory.

A widely circulated letter recommending divestment signed by 130 faculty members was delivered to NYU President John Sexton in anticipation of the University Senate meeting. Although the university had previously divested from companies that supported the apartheid and genocide in Darfur, the group determined that climate change was not a comparable humanitarian issue.

An official vote on whether or not to divest will be held at the next University Senate meeting on April 30.

Members of the NYU community shared their thoughts on the prospect of divestment.

“The NYU College Democrats are disappointed with the recommendation of the Senate subcommittee that NYU should not divest from fossil fuels. However, we are excited by the increasing numbers of faculty urging the administration to act on this issue. NYU must lead by example, and taking advantage of a powerful tool like its endowment to confront climate change would be a wise and laudable decision.”

-Michael DeLuca, CAS sophomore and Secretary of the NYU College Democrats

VIA FACEBOOK.COM

Members of NYU Divest demonstrate during the University Senate meeting on Thursday.

Prehealth Studies Program student

“If it’s good for the environment and it’s going to be using less fossil fuels, then it’s a good thing, especially because NYU is such a large institution that would make an actual impact. It’s probably more complicated than we’re making it seem, but I do think that they should make some effort to reduce their carbon footprint and not be so set on not changing their ways. But I’m not surprised by it at all.”

-Katerina Svigos, Postbaccalaureate

“I’ve been talking to professors I have classes with, and it’s been interesting to get some pushback, especially from law professors who follow these issues. My own ideas are developing that way too, so I like that we’re in a dialogue with them.”

-Malcolm Kim, third-year law student and member of NYU Divest

“Getting that legitimacy from ten-

ure track faculty — a lot of whom are experts in finance, the social implications of climate change — shows not only are we on the right side of history, but we’re also on the right side of knowledge. We’re fighting something that has a lot of social science backing it. They’re a really big part of our community who deserve a voice in these issues as well and have a responsibility to voice their concerns for these issues, such as climate change.”

-Priya Mulgaonkar, CAS senior and member of NYU Divest

DRAG continued from PG. 1

cance of the drag race was to raise money for the LGBTQ community through the cooperation of the sororities and fraternities on campus.”

Current President of Beta Xi Li Lu said the event was a place where the NYU LGBTQ community could feel comfortable. He added that the fraternity wanted the drag race to be seen as way for LGBTQ youth to gain support through laughter and friendship.

“This event is dear to my heart because going through the coming out process is hard, and having a safe and comfortable environment is key to making the transition easier,” Lu said.

Steinhardt senior Paige Brot, who has attended the event for the past four years, said she enjoyed the energy of the contestants on stage.

“I was inspired by the bravery and charisma each of the contestants had when they performed on stage,” Brot said.

“They represented the LGBTQ community through their entertaining acts and supported a great charity.”

Email Lexi Faunce at news@nyunews.com.

“We want to show the administration that there is widespread campus support for this, and on the other hand we want the senators to have the facts. We want everyone to go into this meeting with a good idea of what the facts actually are about divestment and not just this lopsided report that came out.”

-Olivia Rich, LS freshman and member of NYU Divest Email Alex Bazeley at abazeley@nyunews.com.

CRIME LOG

Students perform drag with purpose

member of the Beta Xi Chapter to put on a drag show six years ago, said the program aims to reach members of the LGBTQ community that may not have access to helpful resources.

“We were trying to reach out to portions of our community that wouldn’t normally come into contact with medical or mental health resources, and this organization was able to help,” Rockmore said.

Rockmore added that the absence of a drag race at NYU was outrageous.

“I felt it was a big disservice of the NYU community not to have a drag show already in place,” Rockmore said. “It was fitting to have a drag show put on by the fraternity for gay, bisexual and progressive men.”

Beta Xi Chapter founding father Matt Maggiacomo said he created the Beta Xi chapter over eight years ago to support the NYU LGBTQ community and help them cope with their struggles.

“I created the Beta Xi Chapter in 2007 to give these guys a chance to come together as one entity to help each other and give back to their community,” Maggiacomo said. “The signifi-

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march 20 to 23

By ZOE THOMPSON Contributing Writer NYU’s Department of Public Safety received reports of larceny, controlled substance possession and criminal mischief between March 20 and 23.

Larceny At 1:15 p.m. on March 20, Public Safety received a report that a student found her coat missing at 1:10 p.m. after having left it on a hook in the Dental Center’s locker room at 9:30 a.m. The NYPD was not notified.

Criminal Mischief At 3:50 p.m. on March 23, Public Safety noticed graffiti outside a private apartment located in Washington Square Mews.

At 10:55 p.m. on March 23, Public Safety received a report of graffiti on the bulletin board of the 15th floor of Founders Hall.

Controlled Substance

STAFF PHOTO BY FELIPE DE LA HOZ

Top: Missed the Point performed standup. Bottom: Gaia Softcore incorporated dance into her routine.

At 5 p.m. on March 23, Public Safety confiscated a small amount of marijuana from a dormitory room in Third North Residence Hall.

Email Zoe Thompson at news@nyunews.com.

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FEATURES

EDITED BY MARINA ZHENG FEATURES@NYUNEWS.COM

Gallatin troupe stages student’s play

By AMANDA MORRIS Staff Writer

After seeing “Life on the Moon,” it would be impossible to guess that it was Gallatin senior Anna Tatelman’s first attempt at script writing, a process that took her six months of drafting and revising. The play, which the Gallatin Theatre Troupe chose as its spring production, came to life on stage last weekend.

The story centers around a family with an autistic child and a son who is on leave from the U.S. Army, reflecting Tatelman’s attempt to combine two disparate ideas that she equally wanted to explore.

“I had these two disjointed ideas in my head and didn’t realize they could be conjoined,” she said. “I wanted to make a story where one of the characters had a disability, but the disability didn’t make up the entire plot.”

Tatelman drew inspirations for the play from her 20-yearold autistic brother. This personal connection to a character

has allowed her to write in a honest manner.

Tatelman said the documentary “Invisible War,” which explores the military justice system, was an inspiration for the military-based plot.

“It made me very angry watching this documentary, and usually when I’m very angry about something, I write about it,” Tatelman said.

Much of Tatelman’s writing has a social justice theme, a subject she has always been passionate about. Emily Cutler, a University of Pennsylvania senior who met Tatelman at a writing workshop when they were both in the 10th grade, feels that Tatelman’s ability to address important isuses is what makes her works stand out.

“These issues [in the play] have affected Anna personally, and she is passionate about them, and that is clear in her writing,” Cutler said. “As an activist myself, I really admire Anna for tackling these difficult issues.”

Although Tatelman has been

writing fiction since she was in elementary school, she did not attempt to write novels or more serious prose until she was 13 years old.

“Writing was a cathartic way to process my own experiences growing up,” Tatelman said.

Tatelman said the process of writing “Life On the Moon” was difficult at times, and required the senior to revise the play over winter break. Nevertheless, Tatelman’s friend Emily Brown, a CAS senior, vouched for her persistence in spite of challenges.

“Anna’s willingness to go above and beyond in the editing process is what puts her ahead of the crowd as far as writing goes,” Brown said. “It’s easy to stop at step one, but it takes guts to go back, tackle your work, and really make an effort to elevate your writing from the first draft — something that Anna certainly achieved with impressive amounts of grace and perseverance.”

Email Amanda Morris at features@nyunews.com.

WHITE RABBIT continued from PG. 1

‘White Rabbit’ questions reality

that were interested in these concepts and did work we really admired,” Jampel said. “As more agreed to work on it, they would mention it to people when we would meet artists at different gallery shows, and the web grew out of that.”

As the project grew in size and commitment, the two found themselves having to make difficult decisions. Epstein interned under Ryan McGinley, renowned in the art world for being one of the youngest artists to have a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Epstein eventually quit her internship to dedicate more time to the project, and ultimately elected to take the semester off and focus her time on the collective.

During that time, Epstein received a $8,000 grant from Gallatin to pursue White Rabbit. Jampel and Epstein immediately got to work, crowd-sourcing more than $10,000 to produce a 150plus page book featuring written work and 3-D renderings of the exhibit’s artwork.

The gallery’s theme featured familiar responses to Internet-age

STAFF PHOTO BY SHAWN PAIK

Emily Jampel, left, and Sophie Epstein hosted HELLOWORLD, a gallery showcasing the work of artists under 25. anxieties. With the diverse array of artworks, Epstein said bringing together the diverse piece through a cohesive thematic idea was especially difficult.

“We didn’t want [patrons] to notice that they were walking from piece to piece, we wanted it to feel natural,” Epstein said.

“Having people be able to see the pieces a thousand times and still walk in a new visitor every time, that’s the hardest part for me.”

Another obstacle was how to visually display the artwork.

In the days leading up to the opening, Jampel and Epstein spent up to 16 hours working at the gallery and perfecting the presentation.

“You don’t even think about curating when you go to a gallery; you just think, ‘Oh, this art is really awesome,’ but I had

no idea curating was this difficult,” Jampel said. “Even up to the minute before the exhibition started, we were still doing last-minute things.”

While many attendees were impressed by the talent of the young artists, Jampel maintained that the collective’s ultimate goal is to generate discussion on “philosophical concepts at work.” “[White Rabbit] is our generation’s artistic commentary on the infinite constraints of our constructed environment,” Jampel said. “It is our attempt to create a space that enables us to reclaim our identity and form of liberation within it.”

“Helloworld” will be on display at Gallery Sensei until April 2.

Email Zane Warman at features@nyunews.com.

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The Second Annual Stern Art Gallery will run through the month of April.

Show highlights other side of Stern

By NATALIA BARR Contributing Writer

Stern School of Business is often entirely characterized by career-driven, suit-wearing students. But at the Second Annual Stern Art Gallery, these students prove that they can be artists too.

This year’s gallery is co-sponsored

by Trip of a Lifetime, an organization created by NYU Stern alumnus Stan Rosenberg that grants underprivileged students summer travel experiences. The gallery will be on display in Kimmel Galleries from April1 to April 30.

Stern senior Tolga Goff, who has previously used only Instagram to display his photography, will showcase his artwork in a physical space for the first time at Stern Art Gallery. Although he has only been actively photographing for about a year, Goff has gained over 1,300 followers on the app, becoming serious about his pursuit of photography in the process.

“It’s great when I get it out there and get a good reaction,” Goff said. “I love it.”

The finance and marketing student submitted three photos entitled “Ride Safely,” “Cherry on Top” and “Took a Bite Out of Summer.” All three brightly colored photos show objects held in front of quintessentially New York City backgrounds.

Though Stern sophomore Stay Chen majors in finance and marketing, she originally planned on applying to art school. Her passion for art is now reflected in her studio art minor. For the gallery, Chen submitted a piece called “Food Chain,” which consists of five paper panels that each focus on a specific level in the food chain.

“The heavy contrast between the Decomposer panel

and the rest of the panels represents the uniqueness and importance of the destructive aspect of the food chain,” Chen said. “The gallery gives us the chance to revisit not only our art pieces, but also ourselves as artists.”

Stern sophomore Elijah Millen has taken photos and videos since high school but it was not until last fall, when he studied abroad in Prague and traveled through Europe, that he realized he had a passion for art.

“During the trip, I discovered that my camera is my best friend,” Milen said.

Millen’s photos, which he treats as still frames from movies, will make their public debut at Stern Art Gallery.

His first submission, entitled “Barceloneta,” is of a topless woman smoking on the beach in Barcelona.

His second submission, “Königsee,” shows a boat on the Königsee lake in Germany set against the Berchtesgaden Alps.

“Since all of my other trips have been to major cities, this last one was quite liberating,” Millen said.

Stern Art Gallery will present the NYU community with a unique opportunity to appreciate the creativity of their usually business-like classmates.

“A lot of the students at Stern are super talented at things other than finance, and for whatever reason people like to downplay this,” Millen said. “Talent is talent. Stern and Tisch are just labels to play up or down on people’s egos.”

Email Natalia Barr at features@nyunews.com.

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SPORTS

EDITED BY BOBBY WAGNER SPORTS@NYUNEWS.COM

Sports Recap: March 27-29

TRACK continued from PG. 1

By MICHAEL THOMPSON Contributing Writer

Montilus anchored for NYU in the 4x100m and 4x400m.

Track teams post strong numbers

itors and taking 14th out of 25 in the hammer throw.

Women’s Track and Field at the Raleigh Relays

NYUNEWS.COM

Out of 125 participants in the 1,500-meter race, junior Becky Turlip took 74th place. Senior Caroline Spring and junior Lydia Guo raced against 119 competitors in the 400-meter race, placing in 85th and 97th, respectively.

On day two, sophomore Wendy He, junior Sarah Sisk, Guo and Spring took 26th out of 30 in the 4x400 relay with a time of 4:07.37. Turlip, Sisk, Binczyk and freshman Ireland Gibson participated in the 4x800 relay, but were disqualified for switching their registered order at one of the changeovers.

Despite their mistake costing them a chance at a victory, Turlip enjoyed competing at the meet with her fellow Violets.

“The meet was a lot of fun, and it was exciting to watch the other races,” Turlip said. “It’s a fun, upbeat meet to kick the season off.

All who competed this weekend

will only get better and better.”

Women’s Track and Field in the Monmouth Season Opener The Violets also had some strong performances at the Monmouth Season Opener over the weekend.

Freshman Alexa Goldman set a personal best in the 400-meter dash with a time of 1:06.69, coming in 24th place out of 42 competitors.

Junior Rebecca Shimonov placed in 11th in both the long jump and the 100 meter hurdles.

Three Violets competed in the 1,500-meter run against 81 other participants. Sophomore Justine Morris had the strongest finish, placing in 28th. Freshmen Morel Malcolm and Hannah Haley followed with 42nd and 47th place finishes.

The team will compete again next weekend at The College of William and Mary in the Colonial Relays.

They will look to build on their personal best times by coupling them with some higher finishes.

Email Jonathan Schifman at sports@nyunews.com

INFORMING YOU FIRST

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Andrew Quirk had 18 digs in the win against MIT. over Massachusetts Institute of Technology to improve their record to 14-8. Seniors Andrew Quirk and Arya Amirhekmet were honored before the match against MIT. The Violets won the first set against Nazareth before losing the next three, but were able to fight back from a one set deficit to defeat MIT. Both Violet tennis teams experienced tough defeats Saturday against the University of Rochester.

Before the men’s matches, seniors CJ Leong and Billy Smithline were honored. How-

ever, the extra motivation and a furious comeback were not enough, as the Violets lost by a score of 5-4, with the deciding point being the final singles match of the day.

The women’s team also lost in a tight 5-4 contest against Rochester. The Violets won matches in both doubles and singles play, including a massive 8-1 victory by the doubles team consisting of junior Carmen Lai and sophomore Laila El Dessouki.

Email Michael Thompson at sports@nyunews.com

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It was a busy weekend for NYU athletics, as the Violets’ baseball, tennis, volleyball and track and field teams were all in action.

Both the men’s and women’s track and field teams struggled as they took part in two separate competitions: the Raleigh Relays and the Monmouth Season Opener. The competitions were individually scored, and, for the most part, the Violets had a hard time cracking the top 10. Their best finishes came from senior Tom Longabaugh, who came in second in pole vault, and sophomore Nick Hespe, who followed him in third.

It was a tough weekend on the diamond for the NYU baseball team. The Violets were swept in a three-game series against Brandeis University by scores of 4-2, 11-8 and 3-1. The three consecutive losses bring their record to 5-12 for the season. Regardless of this weekend’s outcomes, the series was historic, as it was the first set of home games for the first Violets team since 1973. NYU President John Sexton threw out the first pitch at MCU Park during Saturday’s first game against Brandeis. Sexton sported a customized jersey with his name and the number 15 on its back, signifying 2015 as the year of the Violets’ return to baseball.

The softball game was cancelled due to bad weather.

In the last home game, a celebratory day for seniors, the NYU men’s volleyball team, ranked ninth by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, split a pair of matches on Saturday, losing to seventhranked Nazareth College, but then rebounding with a victory

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OPINION

EDITED BY TESS WOOSLEY OPINION@NYUNEWS.COM

DIVERSITY STAFF EDITORIAL

With liberty and justice for all

By ZAHRA HAQUE Staff Writer

In honor of National Foreign Language Week, Pine Bush High School in New York state arranged to have the Pledge of Allegiance recited in a different language every day of the week. On the morning of March 18, after the pledge was recited in Arabic, many students, parents and town residents were outraged. They decried the pledge being recited in a language other than English. The widespread contempt toward the recital reveals a xenophobic sentiment that is still deeply entrenched in American society.

In a CNN poll, two-thirds of white Americans expressed a belief that immigrants should sacrifice major aspects of their cultures in order to “blend in.” Immigration rhetoric that prioritizes assimilation over the integration of cultural differences diminishes the value of diversity.

This rhetoric manifests itself in expressions of intolerance, like what occurred in Pine Bush High School.

Following the controversial morning announcements at the school, many

people commented that English is the United States’ only language, despite the fact that there is no official language, and more than 300 languages are spoken in the United States. Approximately 13 percent of Americans speak Spanish at home, and Arabic is the fastest-growing language in the country. Multiculturalism is increasingly becoming a defining trait of the United States, and those who cannot come to terms with it are stuck in a regressive bubble.

As a result of the outrage, the school issued a public apology to those who found the pledge “disrespectful.” In addition, the recitals planned for the rest of the week — Japanese, Italian, French and Spanish — were canceled.

That the school saw a need to revoke an admirable display of cultural tolerance reflects the disappointing state of conversation surrounding this

topic today. It is problematic to call reading the pledge in a foreign language unpatriotic. For immigrants, it signifies a dichotomy between their American identity and their ethnic heritage — a dichotomy that should not have to exist. Being American and also being French, Japanese or any other nationality is not mutually exclusive.

Following the incident, New York State Department of Education spokesperson Dennis Tompkins affirmed that there is no restriction on the language in which the pledge is recited. This message, while heading in the right direction, resonates weakly in the public sphere. The department, as well as other New York politicians, could have taken a much stronger stance and used this moment to teach a valuable lesson on the importance of multiculturalism. It is a shame that the events of Pine Bush were met with silence, especially from the higher-ups from a state as diverse as New York. Citizens and politicians alike should embrace, rather than resent, the fact that the United States is a diverse entity.

Email Zahra Haque at opinion@nyunews.com.

JUSTICE

NY must raise age of criminal responsibility

By ANNIE COHEN Deputy Opinion Editor

Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently introduced a new campaign aimed at reforming how the New York state justice system treats juvenile offenders. The campaign, aptly titled Raise the Age, aims to increase the age of criminal responsibility to 18.

New York City is currently one of only two states that automatically prosecutes teenagers ages 16 and up as adults. The current practice is unacceptable as it results in teenagers being placed in adult prisons, where they are more likely to suffer abuse at the hands of older inmates and prison staff than those over 18.

When it comes to the treatment of juvenile offenders, this is hardly the first time New York State prisons have generated controversy.

Just last year the federal government released a report that detailed “a deep-seated culture of violence” perpetrated by prison staff against young inmates at Rikers Island. In addition, until January of this year inmates under the age of 21 were often subjected to “excessive and inappropriate” solitary confine-

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ment. While banning this practice is a positive change, it does not lessen the fact that putting youth in adult prisons can be incredibly harmful to their development.

In terms of cognitive development, 16- and 17-year-olds still have a way to go. It has been proven that brains are not fully formed until age 25. Many teenagers lack both the full ability to exercise impulse control and the foresight to completely comprehend the consequences of their actions. Furthermore, children at this stage are particularly vulnerable to peer pressure, resulting in poor decision making. It is illogical and ineffective to punish someone who has not yet fully matured in the same way an older criminal is punished.

When serving in adult prisons, youth are five times more likely

to be sexually assaulted, two times as likely to be hurt by prison staff and eight times more likely to commit suicide than youth housed in juvenile facilities. These young offenders would be far better served by improved rehabilitation programs and more community-based services, especially considering 86 percent of all youth offenders in New York are accused and convicted of non-violent crimes. Such programs would also benefit the general public in terms of reducing future crime — youths prosecuted as adults have a 26 percent higher chance of recidivism than those processed as juveniles.

New York spends $100 million annually to house youth in detention and placement, money that would be better spent exploring alternate options. A child of 16 or 17 is still quite receptive to education and positive change, in a way that adults often are not. It is time for New York to Raise the Age, and to begin more fairly penalizing young teenagers.

Email Annie Cohen at acohen@nyunews.com.

NYU divestment should move forward

In an email sent to the NYU student body on Thursday, a Senate Financial Affairs Committee Subcommittee declined to recommend divestment from fossil-fuel-related companies. The decision came after over 130 NYU faculty members publicly called on the school to stop funding publicly traded oil, natural gas and coal companies. The Fossil Fuel Divestment Working Group, which first met in October 2014, cited reasons for their decision including financial prudence and the greater impact of “direct actions to reduce carbon emissions.” These direct actions are critically important, but funding fossil fuels is an inappropriate use of NYU’s endowment.

While the financial realities of divestment may be complicated, NYU must begin to move away from these investments in addition to becoming more green itself.

The $139 million invested in undesirable “companies on the Carbon Underground 200” is structured in a way that means NYU would have to sever ties to 39 funds and disinvest $1.3 billion — over one third of the endowment. The Working Group determined this unfeasible, though a minority noted $700,000 of this money is held in NYU’s name and could be divested more easily. An effort should be made to replace all the funds that are associated with fossil fuel investments over time, but even this smaller divestment would be a positive, immediate step forward.

NYU has a moral imperative to divest from fossil fuels as New York City will be heavily affected by climate change in the coming years. JFK and La Guardia airports are particularly at risk of flooding if sea levels rise. The devastation this city endured during Hurricane Sandy gives just a small glimpse as to what is to come.

As an activism tool, student pressure on university administrations to divest has previously been effective across several political movements. In addition, over 26 major universities from around the world have managed to pull funding for fossilfuel related companies. The New School approved a motion to divest $220 million from dirty energy companies in January of and committed to investing a significant part of their endowment in renewable energy. Other large universities, including Stanford and the University of Glasgow, have demonstrated that a dramatic change in investments is possible.

Divestment from fossil fuels is an investment in the future.

Even though NYU’s current investment structure does make it unfeasible to immediately divest from all fossil-fuel related funds, a long-term plan to reduce these investment should be established. A vote on the current divestment proposal is expected at the next University Senate meeting on April 30 — it is imperative that the Senate makes the right decision, despite the Working Group’s recommendation. Students who wish to get involved are encouraged to sign NYU Divest’s online petition, and to email nyudivest@gmail.com for information on weekly meetings.

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

EDITORIAL BOARD: Tess Woosley (Chair), Annie Cohen (Co-chair), Tommy Collison (Co-chair), Matthew Tessler (Co-chair) ILLUSTRATION BY JOURDAN ENRIQUEZ

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.

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