NYU’s Daily Student Newspaper
WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS Vol. 42, No. 33
THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2014
nyunews.com
Bill protects interns from workplace harrassment
Research aims to find cure for PTSD
By CASSANDRA CASSILLAS
INSIDE THIS
ISSUE
Fans take in iconic “Game of Thrones” memorabilia. The HBO show had a special pre-screening of season four at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, which premieres on April 6.
STORY ON PAGE 4
During the Canadian Depression Research and Intervention Network Conference on March 26 and 27, NYU psychiatry professor Alexander Neumeister announced the start of a research project aimed at finding a cure for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. “The research was inspired by the fact that there is no evidence-based treatment developed specifically for PTSD patients,” Neumeister said. Neumeister said the cause of PTSD is the lower level of cannabinoids, or neuro-chemicals that are found in the body as well as in marijuana. Neumeister said there is a high incidence of people suffering from PTSD and using marijuana. He concluded through a study done on animals that it might be more than the patients using marijuana in a recreational sense, but that they may be using it to replace the cannabinoids they are lacking. “People with PTSD use marijuana at a very high rate,” Neumeister said. “It became very
PTSD continued on PG. 3
‘Winter Soldier’ doubles as chilling political thriller By JONATHON DORNBUSH and CLIO MCCONNELL
Superhero movies necessarily straddle the line between extravagance and realism. When that particular superhero is Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, who fought as a medically enhanced super soldier in World War II and was frozen solid for 70 years before waking up in the present day, it would be easy to fall onto the unrealistic side. Thankfully, “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” is a skillful exercise in balance. During this installment — directed by brothers Anthony and Joe Russo — a major shift takes place in the ever-expanding
Marvel Cinematic Universe. Unlike “The Avengers,” in which the first half is plot development and the second half is a long series of stunning fight scenes, “Winter Soldier” deftly alternates action with storyline. In many ways, “Winter Soldier” feels like a political thriller, despite the superhuman elements. The political organization in question is S.H.I.E.L.D., the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division, whose mission is to protect civilians from otherworldly threats, such as the titular Winter Soldier. The film taps into the realworld issue of governmen-
tal invasion of privacy, using technology to spy on citizens as a way to keep the peace. As Cap states early on in the film, “This isn’t freedom, this is fear.” The action follows suit in this attempt to keep the film more grounded in reality than previous MCU films. With less CGI fighting between gods and aliens, the action focuses on impressively choreographed handto-hand combat. Though Captain America has super abilities, he is not invincible, and the stakes feel legitimately high from the first action sequences. Essential to “Winter Soldier’s” success is the caliber of the actors’ performances.
COURTESY OF WALT DISNEY MOTION PICTURES
Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson star in the film. While Rogers is still a relatively one-note do-gooder, Chris Evans begins to shade in more
CAPTAIN continued on PG. 5
Student poet publishes book
Childish Gambino takes stage
Miss. abortion ban unjust
CAS sophomore Moumita Basuroychowdhury won first prize in a poetry competition.
Donald Glover’s moniker performed at the Hammerstein Ballroom on Saturday.
Legislators in Mississippi passed a ban on abortions after 20 weeks on April 1.
POET on PG. 4
VIA FLICKR.COM
HARASSMENT continued on PG. 3
WARD PETTIBONE FOR WSN
COURTESY OF MOUMITA BASUROYCHOWDHURY
New York City Council voted unanimously to amend the New York City Human Rights Law to extend protection from sexual harassment to unpaid interns. The legislation, voted into law on March 26, is in response to a widely publicized case in 2013 when a Syracuse student and former Phoenix Satellite Television intern, Lihuan Wang, was unable to file a sexual harassment suit because she was unpaid. New York Sen. Liz Krueger first introduced the legislative amendment in October of last year. “With the growing prevalence of unpaid internships and the extreme pressure on young people to build up resumes and references in a tough economy, the law needs to change to protect this extremely vulnerable class of workers,” Krueger said in a press release. James Vacca, city councilman and one of the prime sponsors of the bill, said he hopes the bill will benefit the New York City community. “Interns are a vital part of the workforce, and they deserve to receive the same protections as all other employees,” Vacca said. “Every worker — paid and unpaid — should have the right to do their job in a harassment-free environment. I am proud to sponsor this legislation, which will give a voice to all interns who are subjected to discrimination.” Steinhardt sophomore Fabian Luna said she does not understand why there had to be a court ruling before interns were protected. “The new amendment is great, but I feel like as people, there shouldn’t have been any excuse for being treated poorly,” Luna said. “It makes me mad that courts sided with companies over interns because of loopholes.” Tisch senior Christina Isnardi
By CAREN DOUEIRY
GAMBINO on PG. 5
HOUSE on PG. 7