WSN042215

Vol. 43, No. 44

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 2015

nyunews.com

NYU’s Daily Student Newspaper

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Panel brings discrimination against Asians to forefront

By CHRISTINE WANG Staff Writer

Three panelists spoke at Voices of Young Asians and Asian Americans in the United States on Tuesday about the often-ignored racial discrimination against Asians. The event was hosted by the Silver School of Social Work and the Chinese Student Support group with the goal of addressing unintended racism in the workplace, racial stereotypes and preservation of self-identity.

Minchao Jin, assistant professor at the Silver School of Social Work, said in order to erase stereotypes and labeling, people need to actively push for mutual understanding by finding similarities.

“People are punished by difference and that’s dangerous,” Jin said. “We have diversity even in the same cul-

tural group, but people refuse to see that.”

Teresa Yue, a tax manager at Ernst and Young, said nonverbal communication can help Asian and Asian American students assimilate better into a predominantly white work environment while maintaining a connection to their heritage.

“Some of the things we do on a normal day-to-day basis, such as body language, posture, vocabulary, things you may say or do that you may not realize, build your image as a person,” Yue said. “In Asian culture bowing shows respect, but in America if you don’t show eye contact that shows disrespect.

Self-awareness is key.”

Eri Kim, community programs director of Safe Horizon, the largest victims’ services agency in the United States, spoke about the importance of having discussions

about racial awareness in the work environment.

“I think this was a great opportunity because we talk about racism a lot, but as Asians we’re so hush-hush about it,” Kim said. “We wanted to do something to initiate conversation and do something to be more comfortable talking about race.”

Kim added that Asian women could move up the corporate ladder and escape the submissive stereotype that comes with being both Asian and a woman without overcompensating.

“I was taught if you pretend you know things that’s vulgar and not respectful,” Kim said.

“I was told to always wait for someone to recognize your talent, but now I know you should be secure in what you know. Be factually based instead of responding emotion

Terese Yue (left), Dr. Michao Jin and Professor Eli Kim discuss their experiences living as Asian-Americans to teach the next generation. ally. Prove that ‘I am as smart as you, or maybe smarter.’”

Yue said possessing and expressing a clear personal identity is crucial to defying stereotypes in positive ways.

“Part of what it means to be an Asian-American is being true to my authenticity,” Yue said. “I try not to let them

pigeonhole me. I try to diligently and persistently build my personal brand. Get out of your comfort zone. It’s important to be true to yourself — success comes with happiness and happiness comes with success.”

Email Christine Wang at news@nyunews.com.

NYU Reacts: Speaker speculation

Social media as journalism discussed

By ALEX BAZELEY Deputy News Editor

By JUSTINE MORRIS Staff Writer

Matthew Winkler, editor-inchief at Bloomberg News, explored the link between social media and journalism in an event titled, “Free Expression and Truth in the Age of Twitter” hosted by the NYU Federalist Society on Tuesday in Vanderbilt Hall.

One of the primary focuses of the lecture was the protest chant “Hands up, don’t shoot” and its misattributed origins. Winkler blamed this false narrative on social media.

While the phrase was supposed to have been based on Michael Brown’s actions preceding his death, it later came to light that Brown had not raised his hands above his head before being shot

by Ferguson, Missouri police officer Darren Wilson. Winkler argued social media obscured the truth by repeating a narrative it liked, and it was the more traditional outlets that eventually found the truth.

“As the Washington Post — and others — have since reported, all evidence points to the fact that ‘Hands up, don’t shoot’ never happened,” Winkler said.

“When investigators spoke to several individuals who claimed to have witnessed Brown holding his hands up in surrender, all of them acknowledged they did not actually witness the shooting but rather repeated what was told to them in the immediate aftermath.”

Despite this factual inaccuracy,

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Bloomberg News founder Matthew Winkler discusses the purpose of journalism in the “Free Expression and Truth in the Age of Twitter” panel on Tuesday.

Winkler said it was still a useful narrative because it drove people to action.

“We can acknowledge why ‘Hands up, don’t shoot’ struck a chord with so many people,” Winkler said. “Because it did in fact foster a national dialogue on race relations, and it served as a rallying cry for law enforcement accountability.”

While social media were useful for the national discourse about Brown’s case in Ferguson, Winkler said it is still not a viable form of journalism.

“The news business, if it is to succeed as a business, really depends not on spontaneous expression but on the most carefully considered, relentlessly prepared approach to events every time,” Winkler said.

Steinhardt sophomore Hannah Weverka said while social media and citizen journalism have led to wrongful reporting in some cases, oftentimes social media are more useful than harmful to journalism’s ultimate goal of informing the public on what has happened.

“Social media can bring truths to light that weren’t known before,” Weverka said. “Overall, I think there’s just more information — more false information,

but more true information too.

All of this means that journalists have to be even more careful with fact-checking than they may have in ages past.”

CAS freshman Rob DeSisto said all media, traditional or otherwise, are biased, and therefore it is up to the consumer to discern what is accurate.

“The onus of finding out what media portrays the most accurate account would fall on the individual and not the media outlets to market that,” DeSisto said.

Winkler said he believes social media are not going to disappear anytime soon and will continue to make mistakes, and traditional journalists must be there to catch them.

“This is not the first time, and I daresay it won’t be the last time where, in an age of spontaneous expression, where we can say anything and it’s delivered immediately, spontaneously and preserved forever, that we are simultaneously taking the risk that what we say is often misleading, and worse, false,” Winkler said. “This is something we continue to witness over and over again.”

Email Justine Morris at news@nyunews.com.

With commencement day just around the corner, students are beginning to wonder who the speaker for the special day will be, but the university has thus far remained silent.

All-University Commencement will be held at Yankee Stadium on May 20. Despite the festivities being less than a month away, the university has yet to give any clues about who the commencement speaker might be, much to the frustration of many students.

Last year’s commencement speaker was Federal Reserve Board Chair Janet Yellen, while other past speakers have included Hillary Clinton and Alec Baldwin.

Members of the NYU community shared their thoughts on the delay and their hopes for whom the speaker might be.

“They absolutely have chosen one and I find it difficult to imagine a reason to delay the announcement. The only thing I can think of is that they’re worried about student protests or calls for a different speaker, and hope to minimize any possible movement by announcing as close to the date as possible. I would be fine with Sexton, but I have zero connection to the man. I’m sure he would give a totally capable speech, but quite frankly I think I’ve heard enough of him over the years and I dislike a lot of what he’s done with the direction of the university, though I think he has overall been a net positive for the school.”

— Cameron Mattis, Tisch senior

“I’ve actually been excited about who our commencement speaker would be since I first got accepted into NYU in 2011 because Bill Clinton was the speaker at that commencement ceremony.

That being said, when I realized that last year’s commencement speaker was announced the second week of March, I expected it to be announced for us by then as well. So when it wasn’t, I thought for sure Hillary Clinton and they were just waiting until after she announced her candidacy. But now that that’s happened and they still haven’t, I have no idea who it could be.”

-— Brinley Stanovsek, Stern senior

“I’m not terribly irked about not having a commencement speaker yet, but I am surprised it hasn’t been announced yet. I personally want it to be someone outside of politics, law, finance and Hollywood.

Give it to one of the numerous other successful people who call New York City home.”

— Scott Cairns, CAS senior

“I know that it’s not Tina Fey or Jon Stewart so I’m already disappointed, but if it’s John Sexton — just nope, it’s not worth the sunburn at Yankee Stadium.”

-—Bailey Theado, Gallatin senior

“I’m wondering if all this waiting is leading to the announcement that John Sexton will be the speaker as most presidents do for their last year.”

—Mallory Corr, Tisch senior Email Alex Bazeley at abazeley@nyunews.com.

NYUNEWS.COM | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 2015 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS

BEAUTY & STYLE

EDITED BY SOPHIE LEWIS BSTYLE@NYUNEWS.COM

Follow style news with fashionable podcasts

NYU club hosts show for new, old talent

By SE WON PARK Contributing Writer

The Asian Cultural Expressions club held the ACE:32 Muse Fashion Show last Friday. This fashion show marked the 32nd anniversary of the fashion organization and showcased 11 collections total, with four musical performances and raffle prizes throughout the event.

This year, ACE partnered with the Museum of Chinese in America to raise awareness for Chinese heritage in the United States today, expanding on Chinese aesthetics as well as their fashion interests.

Many student designers from outside NYU contributed to the show, from Judy Greco’s classical, feminine pieces inspired by Italian landscapes and previous Dolce and Gabbana collections to Dalton Taylor’s edgy, boxy clothes inspired by Ghesquiere’s work for Balenciaga.

CAS senior Lindsey Lee said the show offered a variety of traditional and avant-garde silhouettes.

“The show itself was very diverse,” Lee said. “It was cool to see my classmates walk the runway and see what they have accomplished.”

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By EMILY HARRIS Staff Writer

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Armor-Lux participated in the ACE Fashion Show.

In addition to the innovative student designers, other more well-established designers also took part of the show such as Henri Bendel and Jill Stuart. These collections included brightly-colored spring handbags and clutches, as well as evening gowns. Bendel’s show was particularly interesting because it featured female and male models, with the women choosing which man they wanted to walk with based on the handbags they held.

All of the models were NYU students, many of whom had never modeled before, including CAS sophomore Jacky Wong.

“This was my first time modelling,” Wong said. “I walked in three shows and my favorite was the Henri Bendel show because the guys and girls were able to interact with each other on stage and it gave more chemistry to the show.”

The models clearly had fun on the runway and raved about their experiences after the show.

“This was my first time modeling, and it was like what you see

on TV,” CAS sophomore Daniel Lee said. “Everyone was so busy practicing and changing backstage, it was crazy. But overall, it was a great experience and I want to do it next year as well.”

Steinhardt sophomore Lina Chabria said the models also influenced how the show was produced.

“I loved modeling for the show,” Chabria said. We got to chose our own outfits from the brands that we walked for and I got to make some great friends with the models from this experience.”

Other performances included Steinhardt sophomore Sam Kang, artist MC Jin, Brooklyn artist Sandflower and the NYU Breakdance Club. College of Nursing sophomore Lisa Huang said she particularly enjoyed MC Jin. “I loved how MC Jin was able to engage the audience, he did a great job making the crowd laugh and dance,” Huang said.

Email Se Won Park at bstyle@nyunews.com.

Walking to class can be boring when you are listening to the same playlists with the same songs. Podcasts have recently gained popularity, replacing music during many people’s daily commute. With this growth, major fashion companies have recognized this niche market and created their own style-related podcasts. Here are some of the best ones to listen to on the walk to class.

Unbuttoned “Unbuttoned,” hosted by Yahoo’s style editors and Joe Zee is a favorite among podcasters.

Zee provides rather candid opinions on everything surrounding the fashion industry. In the first episode, Zee covers red carpet politics, talking with Ilaria Urbinati about the process of stars sporting designers on the red carpet. Zee always keeps it relevant, light and informational.

Weird Adults Hailing from Los Angeles, Little Esther is a comedian and host of “Weird Adults.” Make sure to check out her episodes featuring fashion blogger Rumi Neely along with Lauren Alexander, founder of LNA clothing.

This podcast dives deep into the

world of fashion’s elite, but also assures you that even the people you idolize are just weird adults.

What I Wore When...

If you are constantly on-thego and do not have that much time to commit to listening to podcasts, Glamour Magazine’s podcast is perfect. Because each episode is under 10 minutes, the mini series “What I Wore When…” will become a must in your routine. Glamour editors and designers share their stories, all in relation to what they were wearing during special occasions in their lives from childbirth to marriage. It is hilariously addictive.

Stuff Mom Never Told You Howstuffworks.com has a podcast titled “Stuff Mom Never Told You.” The podcast covers everything from science-fiction to social media and how they impact the world. It blends fashion and style with other social topics, with one episode featuring a connection between haute couture and feminism. There is another episode that touches on modest dressing, which is very relevant to current controversies in fashion news.

Email Emily Harris at bstyle@nyunews.com.

Eco-friendly brands for Earth Day

By GRACE HALIO Staff Writer

On Earth Day, we are reminded of the impact we have on the planet, and our clothes are certainly a part of it. In recent years, the question of fast fashion and its environmental impact has been called to the attention of consumers and designers alike. Fast fashion is the term that is used to describe designs that rapidly move off the runway and are reproduced for sale in big box stores. This activity is a volume business, which can promote the overconsumption of pricey and harmful natural resources. Fortunately, more brands are focusing their efforts on combating these issues, and many are affordable for college students.

One of the first brands to tackle the issue of sustainability was H&M in 2013 with their Conscious Collection. The collection included a recycled clothing campaign, eco-friendly fabrics and production processes and of course, an advertising campaign addressing their new goals.

H&M has continued this campaign, giving donors shopping vouchers in exchange for their old clothes.

Smaller brands such as Madewell

have piggybacked on these ideas.

The company is known for their denim, and promotes a denim donation program where consumers can bring in jeans of any brand and receive a discount on a pair of Madewell jeans. Habitat for Humanity uses the donated pairs to make housing insulation instead of sitting in landfills.

Another well-known eco-conscious brand is Brooklyn Industries. With numerous locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn, they offer garments that are made of 100 percent organic fabrics or recycled and repurposed materials. In addition, many of their items are made in domestic settings close to Brooklyn, which cuts down on outsourcing and reduces the company’s carbon footprint.

Through the Reclaim to Wear campaign, Topshop started to up-cycle clothing. Their goal is to expand this philosophy throughout the industry so that sustainable fashion becomes a staple among brands.

In addition to this, Topshop has worked to develop sourcing options in the United Kingdom to cut down on waste while also improving production turnaround time.

When it comes to makeup, many brands are making the same kinds of changes to promote sustainability. Tarte features all natural ingredients in their products.

Many of their formulas are water based, benefitting both the planet and the consumer. Most notably, their products do not feature harsh chemicals like paragons, petrochemicals or sulfates.

Aveda, another natural beauty brand, is known for their ethical practices. Ninety percent of their ingredients are certified organic and the packaging they use is made of post-consumer materials. From manufacturing in eco-friendly plants to bottling their products appropriately, they offer a line that is completely guilt free.

Another option for sustainable makeup is Burt’s Bees. They use energy-efficient means in their facilities and partner with communities to safeguard the environment.

With all of the options out there, there is no better time than now to make the switch to an eco-friendly wardrobe and makeup regimen.

Email Grace Halio at bstyle@nyunews.com.

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H&M makes eco-friendly clothes in an effort to make the industry more conscious of its effects on the Earth.

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WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 2015 | NYUNEWS.COM

TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL

Senior talks location scouting

By STEPHANIE YAN CHENG Contributing Writer

Tisch senior Evan Ari Kelman’s short film and senior thesis “Bandito” recently premiered at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival.

Kelman was incredibly excited to find out that “Bandito,” which involved immensely strong NYU collaborations and meticulous location scouting, would premiere at the festival.

“I’ll never forget that moment when I got the call inviting the film to premiere at the festival,” Kelman said. “For several months, every time I’d get a call from an unknown number, my heart would skip a beat. Several telemarketers were undoubtedly confused why their call was being answered so cheerfully. And when that phone call did arrive, I was more elated than I think I’ve ever been. I feel blessed, lucky,

and most of all, grateful.”

Strong behind-the-scenes NYU collaborations helped make the short film possible. Tisch alumnus Sebastian Savino and current Tisch senior Parker Hill both helped put “Bandito” together, with the former as a co-producer and the latter as a co-producer and an editor.

Kelman funded “Bandito” by using money he saved up and organizing a Kickstarter.

The project eventually raised $9,000, which was $1,000 over his original goal. Because Kelman, Hill, and Savino spent several weeks location scouting, pre-production for “Bandito” took several weeks. Ultimately, the three settled on Lake Ariel in Pennsylvania.

“It was close and gave us that middle-of-nowhere feel that felt cinematic to us,” Savino said.

One of the main sites the crew

had to secure was a road for a robbery to take place.

“The entire movie kind of hinged on this climax scene, and there was no other way of doing it other than securing the road,” Savino said.

By using Google Street View, Kelman was able to find a road near their set location.

“I wanted a road that had no sides to it — I wanted it to seem very desolate and like the characters had no other options,” Kelman said.

Because it was a state road, however, the crew had to contact the local government, police and fire department to convince them to let the crew use it for the film. In the end, Kelman was able to secure the road under one condition: they had to let a milk truck pass by every night at 3:00 a.m.

REVIEW

Tisch senior Evan Kelman directed “Bandito,” which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival this year.

“Part of the contract to the permit that we got was that since there was a local farm on one side of the road and we were shutting down the traffic, we promised that during the three nights we were shooting, we would allow the milk truck to come through, fill up for milk

and leave,” Hill said. “So, that was when we broke for lunch in the middle of the night.”

“Bandito” will continue screening at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 23 and April 25.

Email Stephanie Yan Cheng at film@nyunews.com.

REVIEW

‘Being 14’ not as innocent as it seems

Fanning fails to impress in ‘Franny’

By ISABEL JONES Film Editor

By SIDNEY BUTLER Staff Writer

The 1995 trailer for Larry Clark’s “Kids” begins with the quote, “Do you know where your children are?,” igniting a widespread realization that no one really knows or understands what teens are doing behind their parents’ backs. Premiering at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, “Being 14” is the feature debut from French director Hélène Zimmer that portrays a similarly realistic perspective of youth. From underage drinking to foul language, “Being 14” portrays a real and slightly horrifying picture of being young and confused.

Told from a female perspective, “Being 14” offers a tinge of nostalgia for a time in life when even the smallest things seem to matter: the gossip, the parties, the rude boys and the petty fights. The film, shot in a style similar to a documentary, follows Jade (Galatéa Bellugi), Sarah (Athalia Routier) and Louise (Najaa Bensaid) during their last year of middle school before making the quasi-leap into high school and embarking on adulthood.

What is beautiful and surprising about this unsettling portrayal of being a young woman is how far writer and director Zimmer goes without going too

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Najaa Bensaid, Athalia Routier and Galatéa Bellugi, left to right, star in “Being 14.” far. There is no nudity, yet the foul language alone earned it a much-deserved NC-17 rating. These girls do not hold back, with friends, family or even strangers. They are fiery and fierce in a strangely empowering way.

“Being 14” is an intensely fueled ride down memory lane.

Though set in modern day France, the behavior of these girls is strikingly familiar, between skipping school, hanging out under the bleachers, and yelling at their absent yet loving parents. However, the film becomes disturbing in how truthfully it is told.

At the beginning of the film, Sarah excludes Jade, one of the youngest and most innocent of the girls. From then on, she and Sarah do not get along and call each other names at school.

However, toward the end of the film, Jade puts aside their dif-

ferences and lets Sarah into a high school party. Though the film drags in parts, it paints a naturalistic picture of growing up and trying to fit in, while tackling themes of development and adversity.

The performances in “Being 14” are sincere and enjoyable.

Routier, Bellugi and Bensaid portray modern teens in an enlightening and genuine way. By highlighting familial difficulties involving step-parents and absent mothers, Zimmer does not limit the perspective to just teens versus teens but rather adolescence in the scope of the society around them. “Being 14” succeeds in capturing all of the subtleties of being a young woman during an ephemeral time, even though its truthful nature may be difficult to watch.

Email Sidney Butler at film@nyunews.com.

“Franny” is the type of starstudded attempt at filmmaking that seems more worthy of direct-to-DVD than a premier film festival.

Richard Gere stars as the title character Franny, a flamboyant, aging philanthropist desperate for human contact.

After five years of separation, Franny reconnects with Olivia (Dakota Fanning), the orphaned 20-something daughter of his two best friends. Olivia, attempting to rebuild the family she lost five years prior, arrived to the scene already married and several months pregnant.

Reliving the wonder and ties of friendship Franny once shared with her parents (Dylan Baker and Cheryl Hines), he bounds back into Olivia’s new life with full force — and full financial support.

It is comical that Hines of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” appears in the film, for the same cringeworthy moments of human ineptitude exhibited by Larry David’s “Curb” character are mirrored by Gere’s Franny. He pushes the limits, unable to draw the line between generosity and vulgarity. Franny pours money into every relationship and bump along the road, mistaking nouveau-riche condescension for philanthropy. Like Larry, Franny is both wealthy and socially unaware, but unlike Larry, Franny’s hijinks are not funny. Franny is a desperate, lonely addict — but not the kind that an audience

can eagerly support.

Franny’s utter loathsomeness is not a product of Gere’s performance. Gere endows his character with a pathetic, damaged quality that one would not expect from Mr. “American Gigolo.” In fact, it seems as though Gere is finally acting his age.

However, the same cannot be said for Fanning. Now 21 years old and known for her childhood roles in “I Am Sam” and “Man on Fire,” accepting Fanning as a pregnant wife is difficult to do. Childstar syndrome is partially to blame — Fanning’s vast oeuvre of pre-pubescent performances is difficult to wipe from collective memory — but her performance is not without fault.

Olivia waifs through the film with a blank expression and few lines of necessary dialogue.

The little screen time that she has is unmemorable, her delivery and reactions hollow. She seems not like an orphaned daughter eager to pave her own way, but an overly medicated washcloth with intentions of pure self-betterment.

When the film finally reaches its climactic peak, it feels forced. The fixed smiles worn

by Olivia and her husband turn into unceremonious frowns, as if they are saying “Let’s finish shooting this film.” The conclusion of “Franny” follows with a similar magical haste. Fanning’s unbelievable performance finally fits within the film — viewers cannot take either seriously.

Email Isabel Jones at ijones@nyunews.com.

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Alumna adapts memoir for film

By ZACH MARTIN Staff Writer

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Romanowsky directed “The Adderall Diaries,” a memoir by Stephen Elliott.

Adapting any book to screen is difficult, but adapting one as erratic and tangential as Stephen Elliott’s “The Adderall Diaries” is another level.

Director and NYU alumna Pamela Romanowsky spoke with WSN to discuss her firsttime feature adaptation of the memoir at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival.

“The hardest part was to figure out what the heart of the story was and which were the best threads to get at that with,” Romanowsky said.

It is a solemn and heady film dealing skillfully with concepts of abuse, addiction and the uncertainty of memory.

However, Romanowsky credits the narrative filmmaking graduate program in Tisch for helping her.

“I learned everything I know about filmmaking there,” she said. “You’re not really there for the diploma, you’re there to meet some of your most important collaborators.”

During her time at NYU, Romanowsky met her future primary collaborators: Bruce Cheung and James Franco. The three of them worked together

on her thesis film, a contribution to the omnibus feature “The Color of Time,” a collection of short films by different directors based on CK Williams poems. They have continued their partnership in “The Adderall Diaries” — Cheung is the director of photography and Franco is a producer. Franco is also the film’s star, acting alongside Amber Heard, Ed Harris and Christian Slater.

“It’s a really tight crew and that’s a wonderful thing to have when you’re working with 100 strangers,” Romanowsky said.

The plot revolves around Stephen (Franco), a writer who is acclaimed for his stories about his destructive childhood and abusive father. When his father, who is presumed dead, resurfaces and challenges the accuracy of the claims, Stephen struggles with the possibility of unreliable memory and how storytelling changes self-perception.

“It talks about the way the stories we tell define who we are and how we see ourselves in the world, but it gets at those concepts in a really human and emotional way,” Romanowsky said.

The film exhibits a jarring vi-

sual style of frantic, quick cuts mixed with fluid slow motion shots during scenes of recollected memories, which Romanowsky said is an imitation of the way memory feels.

“That’s always been a cinematic interest of mine,” Romanowsky said. “It’s really hard to know what memory feels like for anyone else, but to me it comes in a rush that’s not necessarily planned and it comes in snippets and sometimes those feel like you relive something very slowly and sometimes it’s just a flash.”

For her next feature, Romanowsky will again work with Franco on an adaptation of a distinctive literary voice, Chuck Palahniuk’s sardonic and nihilistic “Rant,” which she said is her dream project.

Romanowsky offered advice to current Tisch students, saying that they should be finding collaborators and challenging themselves.

“If you feel like you don’t know what you’re doing, do it anyway,” she said. “Part of the joy of the job is that it’s so unpredictable and every film is a new challenge.”

Email Zach Martin at film@nyunews.com.

Alumnus talks Tribeca, dropping out

By ALEXA SPIELER Arts Editor

After spending a year as a Tisch student, filmmaker Andrew Jenks decided to pursue his creative endeavors outside of college. Following leaving NYU, Jenks has achieved success by way of his show “World of Jenks,” founding the All-American High School Film Festival and creating two current Tribeca Film Festival films — “dream/killer” and “All-American Family.” During this year’s film festival, Jenks spoke with WSN to reflect on his time at NYU and Tribeca.

WSN: How do you think New York helped foster your creative development?

AJ: Well, I grew up actually an hour north, then lived in Belgium and Nepal, and then went to school briefly at NYU. I think I was just very fortunate to go to NYU for a year, and I was fortunate to get to know the city. One of the great benefits of going to school in the city is that you’re able to be a part of a culture where there’s a lot of artists — whether they’re filmmakers or comedians. I learned early on the value of the hustle and of diligence. I remember I was at Hayden [Residence Hall]

and I would go every night to the Comedy Cellar and just try to get to know how the professionals would do it.

WSN: You’re a born-and-raised New Yorker, so what does the Tribeca Film Festival mean to you?

AJ: It’s awesome, it’s the best.

I couldn’t be more lucky and grateful. When you’re a kid, you can only imagine a film of yours playing here. I had a film play at the festival when I was 21 or something, and then to have two films at Tribeca is even more special. I’ve been able to make two films that I’m really proud of, and then to be able to have friends and family all here is even greater.

WSN: You previously said film school wasn’t necessarily the right thing for you, but what valuable lessons did you take away from it?

AJ: I think NYU is an amazing school that really provides endless opportunities. I think that if you were to ask 10 different filmmakers how they got into film, they would all say very different things. I was trying to manage my depression and was very much lost in life, to say the least. So college, at that moment, wasn’t for me, but

it’s certainly something that I did miss out on, in that I’m always to catch up on educating myself. In film and TV, every day I realize how stupid and uneducated I am, so I’m always trying to learn more.

WSN: What do you want the Tribeca audiences to take away from both of your films?

AJ: From a filmmaking standpoint, the value of an editor.

We had this editor, Sam Lee, for “dream/killer,” who really made it and crafted it, and deserves so much credit, and then an amazing cinematographer who I’ve worked with for a while now, Mike Edmonds.

It’s really that team around you that makes a world of a difference. In terms of “dream/ killer,” I hope that people realize that the judicial system is corrupt, but also broken at its core. Prosecutors have absolute immunity and that needs to change. With “All-American Family,” I just hope that the next time a person sees a deaf person signing or the next time you see someone that is deaf, you are able to feel like you are not necessarily consumed by how they might be different.

Email Alexa Spieler at aspieler@nyunews.com.

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Andrew Jenks has two films at the Tribeca Film Festival despite dropping out of NYU after one year.

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OPINION PAGE opinion editor

TESS WOOSLEY deputy opinion editors

ANNIE COHEN, TOMMY COLLISON, MATTHEW TESSLER

THE NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD & DAILY SUDOKU The New York Times Syndication Sales Corporation 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018 For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550 For Release Wednesday, April 22, 2015

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

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for Indiana Jones 8 The Trojans of the Pac-12 11 Covert ___ 14 Sitcom installment 15 “No secrets!”

17 The “3” in “6 ÷ 3” 18 Relative of a snowboard 19 1984 #1 Billy Ocean hit 21 Suffix with elephant 22 Insurance co. that received a $182 billion bailout 23 Research center: Abbr.

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quarters in, as a meter 2 “Ben-Hur,” for one 3 Persnickety performer 4 Hades : Greeks :: ___ : Egyptians 5 Grip enhancer 6 Brick house 7 Tennis’s Ana Ivanovic, for one 8 Inscription on a classic letter box 9 Friend of Squidward on Nickelodeon 10 Deux + trois 11 Twin Mary-Kate or Ashley 12 ___ Peak 13 Be economical 16 Comic who said “The meal is not over when I’m full. The meal is over when I hate myself” 20 Sit back and enjoy it 24 Versatile, electrically 25 “That’s super crazy!”

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MIKE GROTT, LUXI PENG GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

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CIRCULATION ASSISTANTS

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Rival mascot of the Phillie Phanatic Canadian bozo A long, long time Applies gingerly N.B.A. coach Spoelstra With the exception of Response from a rubber stamp

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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 | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 2015 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS

OPINION

EDITED BY TESS WOOSLEY OPINION@NYUNEWS.COM

EDUCATION

Alternatives to academia needed for Ph.D.s

By ZAHRA HAQUE Staff Writer

The number of full-time tenured professors serving on university faculties has been dwindling for the past several years — 76.4 percent of college professors today are adjunct professors. This is bad news for current doctoral students intent on academic careers, who may find that the tenured faculty positions they aspire to are increasingly harder to attain.

More doctorate holders are venturing beyond the ivory tower and pursuing careers outside of academia, but, unfortunately, many universities have yet to embrace the changing goals of graduate students.

Many doctoral programs cultivate an atmosphere in which students who decide to forgo the professorship route are made to feel like failures or sellouts. As a result, many graduate students feel compelled to hide their interests in careers outside academia for fear that their advisers will take them less seriously or that they will be treated as second-class in their program. University faculties often disregard the fact that merit alone is not enough to achieve success in the world

Comments from our readers “Powdered alcohol receives unfair treatment”

By Adnan Zarif April 16 “Over 3.3 Million People already die from Alcohol globally every year.

The World Health Organization wants to reduce that number by 10% in the next 10 years. Palcohol is more easily concealed, can be compressed into tablets, mixed into food products like frosting… kids will have a blast with it — and many more WILL die because of it. Over half a trillion is spent incarcerating addicts. Do we need more of this? Palcohol will only make things worse.”

— Peter Faulk

“Catholic colleges should accept federal aid”

By Zahra Haque April 15 “College is an opportunity for those

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of academia. Nowadays, securing a job as a professor necessitates a remarkable degree of luck as well. Instead of setting starry-eyed graduate students up for failure, universities need to be more attuned to the realities of the academic job market and create awareness of alternative career paths.

Internships can be a vehicle for graduate students to explore job opportunities outside in the real world and sharpen their resumes. Many universities, including NYU, offer extensive services dedicated to helping undergraduate students find internships.

Doctoral students should have similar services at their disposal. Expanding internship programs, particularly in the humanities and social sciences where academic jobs are especially scarce, would go a long way in preparing graduate students in those fields for the cutthroat job market. The Was-

who have the ability to study at that particular level, and that opportunity comes with a cost. There are a lot of other Catholic colleges and universities around the country that do offer federal grants and loans and students can go to those, if they so choose. But those other Catholic schools are paying the price for that government entanglement right now as they’re being told to comply with a law that violates their Church’s teaching. Telling WCC to “put aside its institutional agenda” means that it will lose its identity and become just another college.”

– Thomas A. Szyszkiewicz

“Letter to the Editor: NYU SJP on divestment from Israel, April 15” “This is a long due action for NYU, as one of the leading Universities in the country, to speak up and take a clear stance against the illegal occupation of Palestinian territories, the continued violence in Palestine and the recent racist and discriminatory remarks by Israel prime minister Netanyahu. Taking a stance against illegal activities perpetrated by the state of Israel has nothing to do with Judaism, with religion of any kind, or anti-semitism. I hope NYU continues to pursue justice, above all propaganda, because a higher education institution is about critical thinking and standing for peace and

serman Center for Career Development already hosts seminars to help doctoral students tailor their resumes for industry jobs, but it can go further.

Creating networking opportunities for doctoral students is essential. Universities can host career fairs specifically for doctoral students, allowing them to talk to professionals in their industries of interest and make business contacts. Many graduate students may have little exposure to work outside of a classroom — workshops can teach them how to apply their academic skills to non-academic jobs.

Doctoral programs must abandon the notion that non-academic careers are less prestigious than academic ones. This sort of elitist thinking is insensitive and destructive to students’ professional futures. Universities must accept certain economic truths and be cogniscent of the changing landscape of academic careers. By fostering an environment in which students are encouraged to embrace all their career interests, universities can demonstrate that they are in touch with the times and with their students’ needs.

Email Zahra Haque at opinion@nyunews.com.

justice is an important sign of that.”

— Aniung “As a Saudi Arabian naval commander wrote two years ago, the Palestinians need to stop blaming everything on Israel and start building a society. He stated that Israel was the least of the Arab world’s worries.

Look where Israel is technologically and agriculturally since 1948. Had the Palestinians accepted Israel in 1948 instead of vowing their destruction, they might be in the same place as Israel today.”

– William Devillis

“The True Cost of Social Work Education”

By Liz O’Connell and Hannah Sheldon April 8 “Thank you for writing this article.

I have tried to discuss this in multiple classes and often find myself silenced and dismissed by my professors who tell me that my 21 hours of work each week is just “educational experience” and that my work amounts to the value of the supervision I receive. Furthermore by being abuse to use interns as free labor, we are making it harder for us to get jobs out of school. My supervisor last year, a LMSW, was laid off and replaced by two MSW interns.”

– Bryan Miesel

STAFF EDITORIAL

New York City libraries deserve funding

New York City’s libraries need a bailout. The New York, Bronx and Queens Public Libraries are asking for an extra $1.4 billion from the city over the next 10 years in order to make necessary renovations. Many branches are housed in dilapidated, overcrowded buildings — some even face shortened operating hours because of subpar facilities. Library officials warned last month of the “staggering infrastructure crisis in our branches.”

Incremental repairs, inconsistent funding and cuts under the Bloomberg administration have delayed updates for years.

While Mayor Bill de Blasio increased library funding in his first year of office, a more significant investment from the administration can bring city libraries into the modern age. Library use must be reconsidered to efficiently update this public good.

Some have questioned the efficacy of spending money to expand buildings to house books in an era that is increasingly dominated by tablets and e-readers. Technological advances, however, have not diminished the value of libraries, or print books. Even as e-readers become more popular, they are not financially accessible for every household and a library checkout system serving millions of people is unfeasible. In addition, studies have shown that the tactile experience of navigating print books contributes to higher reading comprehension rates, and staring at screens is far more mentally strenuous.

While entirely replacing print books with e-readers might be a more efficient use of space, the drawbacks outweigh the potential convenience.

Funding public libraries may seem less important in the digital age, but as technology advances, these learning spaces become an even more important equalizing tool. Public libraries house career and education centers and offer free classes for both adults and children on a range of subjects, including languages, citizenship, coding and web design. The Hunts Point Library in the Bronx, a medium-size branch, serves over 11,500 people annually through these programs. James Parrott, the chief economist for the Fiscal Policy Institute, expects the de Blasio administration to commit to funding all branches “since [libraries] play a critical role in furthering many of the mayor’s top priorities,” such as early child education and afterschool programming, on the path to citizenship and employment. These institutions play a critical role in creating a cohesive community, and the programs they offer have the potential to stimulate the economy through education of residents and local outreach.

Other major cities such as San Francisco and Seattle have launched campaigns to update the infrastructure of public libraries. New York City should follow their lead and invest in the improvements necessary to sustain these institutions. If public libraries are to remain a center of educational and technological growth, it is crucial they receive the funding they need for a major upgrade.

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.

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 | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 2015 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS

SPORTS

EDITED BY BOBBY WAGNER SPORTS@NYUNEWS.COM

Baseball shows progress on season

Freshman golfer goes from Honolulu to NYU

By JONATHAN SCHIFMAN Staff Writer

By ALEX BAZELEY Deputy News Editor

It has been a tale of two seasons for the NYU baseball team this year, which looks like a much improved ball club lately.

The Violets kicked off their inaugural season with a 6-12 record, including a few mercy-rule losses at the UAA tournament in Florida.

Since the poor start, however, the team has bounced back to the tune of a 9-7 record.

The team strung together five straight wins before a late comeback by Bard College on Saturday snapped the season-high streak.

NYU has been fueled by some solid pitching performances, including a complete game shutout by freshman pitcher Michael Vokulich last Wednesday against Cairn University.

While the numbers do not quite show it — they have a 5.79 team ERA for the season — the Violets have been improving on mound. During their recent 12 game homestand, Violet pitchers posted a 3.71 ERA, despite only putting up a rate of 4.82 strikeouts per nine innings.

The low strikeout rate means they have probably gotten lucky with their results, but it also means they found other ways of getting outs.

“Our problems early on came from a lot of free passes, walks and hit by pitches,” Vokulich said.

“Now pitchers are going right after guys and demanding contact.

It may not result in a lot of strikeouts but it creates a better tempo and keeps our defense locked in.”

The Violets have also been hit-

STAFF FILE PHOTO BY RACHEL KAPLAN

Pitcher Chase Denison during a game against the Bard Raptors at MCU Park in Brooklyn, New York on April 18. ting the ball consistently well throughout the year, which freshman pitcher Cameron Serapilio-Frank says makes all the difference when he takes the mound.

“Along with our defense, keeping our hitting consistent is a point of emphasis,” SerapilioFrank said. “Anytime you can throw with the comfort of a lead, it definitely makes our jobs as pitchers much easier.”

The Violets have only slugged .361 as a team with three homers, two of which came from sophomore catcher CJ Picerni.

But they have found other ways to win, and they currently sit at four games under .500 with eight games left to play.

Much of the Violets’ offensive success comes from patience the hitters have displayed at the plate, as the team has walked at a 10 percent rate all year, leading to a fantastic .378 OBP. Picerni says part of this is due to the approach that head coach Doug Kimbler works on with the players.

“We have definitely emphasized on not striking out,” Picerni said.

“Coach Kimbler is really big on the two-strike approach and we work on it day in and out and it has been showing in our games.

We have cut down in strikeouts

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and in turn our on base percentage has gone up.”

Despite the recent success, Serapilio-Frank said that there are still things the team needs to work on as the season comes to a close.

“We need to get better at making adjustments and responding to adversity,” Serapilio-Frank said.

“We have always had the talent, but we need to start translating that into big game wins.”

It is true that the team has not seen the type of competition that they saw at the UAA tournament — their opponents on this 9-7 stretch have a winning percentage of .263. However, they are beating the teams they are supposed to beat, and the success is giving the team confidence.

“Good things will happen when the ball is put in play and I think we have seen that a lot this year and guys are starting to understand it now,” Picerni said. “Guys are just stepping up and doing their jobs now.

There’s nowhere to go but up now and that’s really exciting for our future.”

The Violets begin a five game home stand starting today against Maritime College at 7:00 p.m.

Email Alex Bazeley at abazeley@nyunews.com.

With the Liberty League Championships coming up this weekend, the NYU women’s golf team is looking to get another standout performance from freshman Alyssa Poentis, who has emerged as one of the squad’s best golfers. But with her first season at NYU nearly complete, Poentis, a pre-med neural science major, has learned more about life than about athletics.

“My first season has taught me to be a better person,” Poentis said. “Golf teaches so many valuable characteristics needed in golf and in life: humility, responsibility, time management — the list goes on, and I think this year has further helped me reinforce these values upon myself.”

Transitioning to NYU was not easy for Poentis. After growing up in Honolulu, golfing and living in New York City has been a completely novel experience.

“I don’t think I ever played in the cold, so it was a very new experience for me,” Poentis said.

“The transition was huge. Everything is so different: the weather, people, overall atmosphere. I like New York City but it took me a while to get used to things.

I don’t think it really affected my game, but it did make me a better player.”

Poentis’ performances have been an integral part in NYU’s success this season — she set a school record for the lowest 36hole tournament score at the Vassar College Invitational two weekends ago, shooting a 150 and finishing in second place out of 67 competitors. Participating in eight out of the Violets’ nine tournaments thus far, Poentis has finished in the top 11 seven times, averaging a team-best score of 77.6 per round.

“I think my best performance was at St. Lawrence, and it has nothing to do with how I placed,” Poentis said. “Even though it wasn’t my best tournament score, I felt like I played the best there.”

Poentis tied for first place at the St. Lawrence University Invitational last semester, shooting slightly above her score at Vassar with a 153. At the time, it was the fifth-lowest 36-hole tournament score in NYU history, tied with former Violet Theresa Apoznanski.

Poentis followed up with two more 153 stroke performances at the NYU Fall Invitational, and more recently at the UAA Women’s Golf Championship in March, finishing in fourth and third place, respectively.

The Liberty League acknowledged her accomplishments with three performer of the week accolades for her performances at St. Lawrence, Vassar and the UAA Championship.

Poentis was sidelined from furthering her success at the Jack Leeman Invitational last weekend due to a back injury.

“I’ve had back pain for years but the pain when I play comes and goes,” Poentis said. “I had to withdraw because the pain was too much for me to handle.”

But with the Liberty League Championships looming, Poentis is spending her time trying to get back to full strength.

“For this week, I’m trying to rest and recover to be at my best this coming weekend,” Poentis said. “The coaches are really depending on all of us to perform at our best.”

The championships will take place in Clifton Springs, New York.

Email Jonathan Schifman at sports@nyunews.com.