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INSIDE THE ISSUE - ALUM IDO FLUK TALKS ‘THE TICKET’ - ‘HIGH-RISE’ FALLS SHORT - DEB SHOVAL AND BREEDA WOOL TALK ‘AWOL’ - DAVID BYRNE-LED ‘CONTEMPORARY COLOR’ DAZZLES
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WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | MONDAY, APRIL 25, 2016 | NYUNEWS.COM
Denim Brings Attention to Sexual Assault on Campuses
By CARLOS MICHAEL RODRIGUEZ Contributing Writer
NYU held its first Denim Day on Friday to raise awareness and change the social narrative around sexual assault. It’s On Us, Straight But Not Narrow, NYU Class Activities Boards and the NYU Silver Undergraduate Student Government Association hosted a panel discussion for Denim Day titled “It’s on Us: Shifting the Culture Around Sexual Assault.” Denim Day is an international campaign in order to raise awareness about sexual assault by illuminating the injustice of an overturned conviction by the Italian Supreme Court in 1998. After a 45-year-old man had been convicted of raping an 18-yearold girl, the Supreme Court decided that the tightness of the girl’s skinny jeans prevented the man from being able to take them off without help, indicating consent from the victim. Denim Day is now a symbol of the misguided ideas regarding sexual assault and is used to raise awareness and educate about sexual assault.
The panelists gave insight into how the media tries to change the conversation around sexual assault. Commentators included actor Josh Hutcherson, screenwriter Michael Weber, MTV host Casey Acierno and Bumble representative Alex Williamson. Williamson discussed how Bumble, the dating app that only allows women to begin a conversation, reverses the typical gender norms and has received positive feedback from its members. “The male response has been surprisingly great,” Williamson said. “We created this ‘anti-creep’ app. If you’re a guy on Bumble, you’re automatically seen as not creepy.” Williamson later commented on the low rate of sexual harassment within the app, which she finds is directly related to the subverting of typical dating norms. “We actually have .002 percent rate of reports of sexual harassment on our app, which is awesome — that’s
CRIME LOG
April 14 to April 21
By GRETA CHEVANCE AND DIAMOND NAGA SIU Deputy News Editors The NYU Department of Public Safety received six reports of larceny, two reports of controlled substance, one report of driving while intoxicated and one report of criminal mischief between April 14 to 21.
Larceny On April 14 at 9:10 p.m., a student reported that she left her laptop in her bag on the counter at Sidestein while shopping and when she returned at 8:27 p.m., the laptop was missing. A police report was filed. On April 15 at 8:41 p.m., a student reported that he left his pants containing his wallet in Founders Residence Hall at 7:00 p.m., and when he returned at 7:30 p.m., found that his wallet was no longer there. Police notification was declined. On April 17 at 12:40 p.m., a student reported that she was missing $200 from her desk in Founders Residence Hall. Police notification was declined. On April 19 at 12:25 p.m., a non-NYU voter at Palladium reported that she left her wallet in a private voting booth at 12:05 p.m. and that it was no longer there when she returned at 12:25 p.m. Police notification was declined. On April 19 at 3:13 p.m., an NYU employee reported that he locked his bike at 7:30 a.m. and found it missing from the bike rack outside of Furman Hall when he returned at
3:10 p.m. Police notification was declined. On April 21 at 7:25 p.m., a student declined notifying the police after his Beats headphones and wallet went missing after leaving them with his cellphone on the Rogers Hall men’s restroom counter to go to his locker. His wallet contained identification cards, credit cards and three dollars.
not normal for a dating app,” Williamson said. Weber told of his own experience regarding dealing with a sexual assault subplot in the script for his film “Spectacular Now,” starring Shailene Woodley. In the book the script was based on, there is a brief moment where Woodley’s character mentions that she had been molested by a relative. Ultimately, after filming the powerful scene, this subplot was completely cut from the movie because Weber felt it was dishonest. The power and difficulty of the subplot presented in “Spectacular Now” was not given the adequate time and space to be fully fleshed out — which, ultimately, felt dishonest to anyone who had been victimized by sexual assault. “When the scene was in there, we didn’t have other scenes where characters talked about that; we didn’t have a scene where Shailene confronted the family,” Weber said. “It felt actually more irresponsible to just drop that scene in there and not
By CAMILLE LARKINS Contributing Writer The Affordability Steering Committee at NYU launched an online platform in March to crowdsource ideas from the NYU community with the goal of increasing affordability at the university. Anyone can submit ideas, which are subsequently voted on by members of the NYU community. WSN dug through the 269 responses and took a look at the most and least popular ideas. BEST IDEAS:
NYPD arrested a student resident in Third Avenue North Residence Hall on April 15 at 10:40 a.m. after recovering an amount of marijuana indicative of a sale. A Public Safety Officer had responded to a report of controlled substance deliveries addressed to the student. A Public Safety Officer in Othmer Residence Hall recovered a small amount of marijuana on April 21 at 4:45 p.m.
Cap Bloated Salaries at the Top — 294 upvotes
Driving While Intoxicated
Criminal Mischief On April 15 at 10 a.m., a staff member in observed a hole in the Rubin Residence Hall Sheetrock near elevator two on the second floor.
Email Greta and Diamond Naga at news@nyunews.com.
the audience at the event, agreed with the actor about the complexity and nuance behind the Hollywood portrayal of sexual assault. “[A movie about sexual assault] needs to be marketed in the right way,” Policastro said. “Which is sad, because I think it is a very important issue that needs to be broadcasted and the message needs to be put out there more.”
Email Carlos Michael Rodriguez at news@nyunews.com.
PHOTO BY SOHYUNG LEW
Denim Day at NYU opened up discussion about sexual assault with panelists that included actor Josh Hutcherson.
Affordability Brainstorm Hits, Misses
Controlled Substance
On April 17 at 6:30 a.m., a Public Safety Officer reported to the NYPD that a male driver hit four parked cars between Waverly and Washington Place on Mercer Street. The police administered a breathalyzer test and arrested the non-NYU affiliated male driver.
have any growth for that character.” Hutcherson elaborated on Weber’s idea, noting the difficulty with portraying sexual assault in film. “It’s important to share those stories [about sexual assault] so people can connect with it,” Hutcherson said. “But it’s something that is also very personal to people, and it could be a trigger for someone who has had a traumatic experience.” College of Nursing freshman Aine Marie Policastro, who was in
This idea is reiterated multiple times on the website. Adjunct professor Laura Noren suggests freezing administrator salaries at their levels in 2016, and reducing their retirement packages to reflect that of a tenured professor. Graduate student Scott Wyman Neagle agrees with the idea and suggests freezing the salaries of overpaid administrators to 10 times that of the median faculty member, including adjunct professors and instructors. “While this action alone may not do too much to lower tuition, it would be a vital step in changing the culture of NYU administration from that of a profit-driven real estate company to a university acting in the public interest,” Neagle said.
a MetroCard. While the university offers shuttles between its Brooklyn and Manhattan campuses, they are not always the most timely option, which forces students to use the subway. Though the MTA provides discounted MetroCards for K-12 students, they do not currently offer the same option for higher education students. CAS senior Alex Olea agrees that discounted transportation would help NYU be more affordable for students. “As an NYC native, I feel that it’s necessary,” Olea said. “I grew up with a student MetroCard all through high school and it helped immensely. The stakes and costs are higher in college, so it would be a tremendous help to a lot of students.”
Stop Expanding — 158 upvotes Multiple ideas were pitched for the same general idea: NYU should stop expanding endlessly. Many students urged the administration to stop running NYU as if it were a real estate investment company. In addition, many feel that expanding further into New York City through the 2031 plan and building more global sites is obtrusive to the surrounding community and expensive for students. WORST IDEAS:
MTA Discount — 289 upvotes
Increase Tuition Costs for Foreign Students to Subsidize Aid — 69 downvotes
Reduced fare subway and bus rides would benefit many NYU students, especially those who commute and spend upwards of $116.50 a month for
NYU’s Washington Square campus attracts students from all over the world, but international students are often burdened by the cost of atten-
dance as they do not qualify for federal financial aid. Despite this fact, one student proposed to increase tuition for foreign students to alleviate costs for the domestic student community in order to increase diversity. Unsurprisingly, an affordability initiative to raise tuition for certain students wasn’t very popular.
Tenure — 35 downvotes NYU hires both tenured and adjunct faculty. While the tenure track can offer professors some career stability, it can make removing unpopular professors difficult. Students currently submit evaluations of their professors and TAs each semester, but Camilla Oliva suggested that student input should be considered when tenuring professors.
Sell the Tandon School of Engineering — 17 downvotes A submission by Kartika Upadhyaya proposed to sell the Tandon School of Engineering, seemingly because the university changed its name after it was given a $100 million donation last October. According to Upadhyaya, NYU doesn’t seem to have a strong attachment to the school as its students are kept in “isolation” and only look good from an admissions standpoint. There will be another brainstorming session available for the NYU community to contribute more ideas for making NYU more affordable. The session will be held on Tuesday, April 26 at 10 a.m. in Kimmel 914.
Email Camille Larkins at news@nyunews.com.
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IEC Preps for Hamilton Meeting By GRETA CHEVANCE Deputy News Editor
The Incarceration to Education Coalition gathered in Washington Square Park on Sunday to ref lect on their past work while decorating boxes and to discuss today’s meeting with NYU President Andrew Hamilton. It has been an eventful year for the IEC as it has worked toward banning the box by staging a sit-in at the Welcome Center, holding a teach-in at Bobst Library and occupying the Kimmel Center for 33 hours. These initiatives are centered on the IEC’s efforts to remove questions concerning disciplinary action and criminal history from NYU’s Common Application. Seven members of the IEC will meet with President Hamilton later today, as promised by Senior Vice President of Student Affairs Marc Wais at the conclusion of the Kimmel sit-in. Pliskin said the IEC is not confident in NYU’s ability to maintain “transparency and open governance” given the administration’s refusal to allow the meeting to be public. “I think that Andrew Hamilton probably doesn’t actually have a lot of decision making power around this issue, so a
meeting with only him as a figurehead is probably not going to allude to much by way of the administration as a collective and the directions that they’re moving in,” Pliskin said. Wagner graduate student Sheba Rivera said that while she is bothered by the administration’s unwillingness to make the IEC’s meeting with President Hamilton public, she is optimistic about broader initiatives to ban the box. “I think that we’re going to see more and more action happen on the part of the city to start to break down the institutions that are an extension of the criminal punishment system,” Rivera said. “We’ve seen that the city has decided to ban the box on job applications and there’s a bill in the New York State Senate to ban the box on college applications.” IEC organizer and Gallatin junior Sumathy Kumar said she is impressed by the amount of support that IEC has garnered from the NYU community this semester. “There’s a growing consensus in our community that this Box doesn’t make us safer and we want it off our application,” Kumar said. “We’ve been building for three years and this semester it just so happened that things
came together.” CAS alumna and IEC organizer Emma Pliskin said Sunday’s event helped to refocus the impact of the box on the school-to-prison pipeline. “That’s a narrative that has often gotten lost in our communications about the box and in the administration’s framing of the box as a problem,” Pliskin said. “The box is a two part question: it’s the school disciplinary infractions and it’s the ‘have you ever been convicted of a crime.’ With this action, we’re really trying to continue to center that narrative and put forward the full scope of why the box is horrible.” Rivera said the IEC will continue its efforts and demands next semester despite its limited representation at the meeting tomorrow. “I think that the administration thinks that they are going to slow down the momentum by not allowing all of the voices that were present at the sit-in to actually speak to Andrew Hamilton,” Rivera said. “But we’re not going to be silenced; we’re going to keep the movement going any way that we can.”
Email Greta Chevance at gchevance@nyunews.com.
TEDxNYU Examines Identity and Purpose By GABRIELLA BOWER Beauty and Style Editor
TEDxNYU’s sixth annual conference was held yesterday at the Eisner & Lubin Auditorium, reframed the meaning of identity and purpose through speeches and performances by a range of students to faculty members and established professionals. Called “Lenses,” the conference was broken down into three sections: Identity, Purpose and Reframe. Each session consisted of a few speakers and performers forming a kaleidoscope lens of approaching our diverse world. Tisch sophomore Kate Yeager opened the conference with her original song “Go Go Go.” When asked why she chose to sing instead of giving a traditional TED talk, Yeager said she had natural knack for doing the untraditional. “Because this community is so strong, it made me think of the community I am so lucky to help create every time I step on to a stage,” Yeager said. “Music is another way of creating a community and that’s why I picked this form of conversation with the audience.” Gallatin freshman Maame Boatemaa followed Yeager and spoke about identity. Boatemaa’s talk reflected on her personal journey from Ghana to America and how she struggled to find stability in herself while in unstable environments. “Identity is the fuel that drives a person and regardless of where you find yourself,” Boatemma said.
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“How you identify yourself determines how much confidence you have in yourself.” After identity, the talk veered to purpose. Steinhardt freshman Emily Rabinowitz discussed her two-year study she conducted in high school that focused on the lack of pro-social purpose in youths. Her research culminated in the SOC Theory: Selection, Optimization and Compensation — three tools that everyone can utilize to create a pro-social and successful purpose. Marcus Johnson, an American jazz musician, producer and entrepreneur reflected on his journey for purpose. “Your goal in life is to make sure you invest in you and you make your dream a reality,” Johnson said. Concluding the conference were the talks on reframing. PhD candidate Oles Zhulyn, founder of Honeycombinatorics, presented his original app that restructures the way we color by using our fingers on smartphones. In addition, Chris Dickey, director of global professional studies and entrepreneurship at NYU College of Global Public Health, discussed how the college is changing the way medical students looks at global public health by making them examine health policy through various lenses such as economics and anthropology. Through a new lens, TEDxNYU’s “Lenses” hopes to inspire, educate and innovate.
Email Gabriella Bower at gbower@nyunews.com.
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Shakespeare Shakeup in ‘Taming of the Shrew’
By BLAIR BEST Contributing Writer
Deep in the heart of Alphabet City lies The Wild Project Theatre. The company name is not far from the production style it prefers. The Queens Company, an all-female theater group, takes center stage with a unique twist on William Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew.” Be prepared for a night of laughs, raised eyebrows and romantic battles while this lengthy modern portrayal of a classic tale is turned inside out. While the story remained true to text, director Rebecca Patterson let her artistic liberties take control of the show and gives the audience a night to remember. “Taming of the Shrew” is one of Shakespeare’s morally misogynistic masterpieces. By using an all-female cast, Patter-
son attempts to give the audience a fresh look at the way in which society viewed women during that time period. The actresses were dressed in masculine robes and belts of the time and wore face paint that disguised them as bearded men. It came across as if female influence was hiding under a wardrobe of a male persona. The choice was not fully fleshed out. The actors should have been either entirely exposed as male characters with proper wigs and face makeup or seen plainly as their feminine selves without the not-convincing facial hair. It would have been more powerful for the audience if the choice was made to depict the male characters as women without alterations to their voices and look. Although Elisabeth Preston (who played Petruchio) was one of the
stronger performers and helped to drive the show with her confident presence, she was lowering her voice to a male register and came across as pushing and was not easy to listen to at times. If she were to work with and strengthen her own vocal range, then the audience wouldn’t be distracted by a weak portrayal of the character Petruchio. The female influence definitely brought a new perspective to the play’s notions of dominance and love. It provided the audience with an impression that was not overcome by the sexuality of male characters. The audience was given the chance to listen to the words and see the life behind the text, without the distraction of a male figure dominating the female for purely aesthetic reasons. There was a sexual comfort that was living on the
stage. When the characters kissed, showed affection or danced together, it felt as if the sexual passion wasn’t taking over the story line. While working with this contemporary version of Shakespeare, the director got a little carried away with the influence of musical interludes throughout the play. By infusing modern songs and having the characters lip-sync to them, the direction took away from the point of the story and slowed down the show entirely. Yearning for the actors to return to the text, it felt like a screeching halt whenever the unneeded bursts of karaoke sing-along scenes invaded the play. “Taming of the Shrew” is playing at the Wild Project Theatre until May 1.
Email Blair Best at arts@nyunews.com.
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The Wild Project Theatre is putting on a production of “Taming of the Shrew” with an all-female cast.
A Face for the Producer of ‘Faceless’ By MANDY FREEBAIRN Staff Writer
It’s been a big year for Clive Davis freshman Ben Shirken, better known by his stage name Beshken. Since moving from his home in LA to New York for school, the producer has played several shows in Brooklyn, released an EP and even had a music video for his song “Faceless” premiered by Noisey. WSN sat down with Shirken to discuss the Brooklyn music scene and life as a bicoastal artist. WSN: How has being in college changed your experience as an artist? Ben Shirken: I think it’s thrown a brick at me. If I didn’t come to school, I probably wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing now. Especially just meeting a lot of people in the scene, meeting kids who are similar to me, but have different tastes. One of my really good friends listens to a lot of experimental electronic music — before I came here, I thought I was listening to experimental electronic music, but I wasn’t. I’ve really opened up my mind to what’s good and what’s bad, and it’s become harder for me to define what’s good or bad. Being in the scene in Brooklyn, that’s changed me a lot, just seeing everyone who’s doing it professionally, and having a good time. You can literally play whatever kind of music you want and people will still get down to it here, whereas in LA, people have a specific taste, unless you go to a certain area. And it’s so spread out there, so you can’t always access those
places; Brooklyn’s right here. WSN: So you prefer Brooklyn’s music scene to LA’s? BS: Yeah, part of it is because I’m older now. I can be invested in the scene, and it’s just more accessible. Also, I think [Brooklyn] is better for upcoming artists; I think that’s why artists move to LA after they’ve done stuff, because they can play bigger shows and have a more commercial audience there. For me, Brooklyn’s been helpful. WSN: Playing live shows as a producer involves a different kind of stage presence as playing live instruments. How do you ensure that you make a connection with your audience when you’re playing live shows? BS: That was one of my biggest issues with DJing. I played three shows last semester, but I had to play songs that were already completed. I couldn’t do anything live besides transitions and effects between songs. There is an audience for DJing, but I wanted to expand it, so now I’m doing live instrumentation during my shows. Depending on which show it is, and depending on the vibe, I can do a DJ set or a live set. I did a show at Knitting Factory in February, and I played guitar live. I have Ableton Push, which is an 8x8 pad that controls Ableton. I take apart all of my songs, and then I can take parts out and edit certain effects, so that way I’m live remixing. I can do that while playing the guitar parts, and my friend plays bass. That’s how I’m making it more interactive — I can take breaks between songs,
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Clive Davis freshman Ben Shirken has found his place in the Brooklyn music scene as Beshken. and talk to the audience. That’s what I want to develop as an electronic artist, to not be a DJ but to be more of an acoustic-electronic combination. WSN: What’s one goal you have as a musician that you want to achieve this year? BS: I want to put out another project. This summer, my goal is to put out another EP on a label, like FOF (Friends of Friends) or HW&W (Huh, What & Where), possibly. I also want to build a website — I want to make something interactive that you can mess around with. I have a friend who does coding, and I want to so something that moves around when you enter it. I also want to do more multimedia stuff this year, like delving into stuff that’s not just music but also visual; in shows, having stuff that’s more interactive. Expanding me from just music. See Beshken perform live at Palisades on May 13.
Email Mandy Freebairn at music@nyunews.com.
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‘Art for Every Home’ Has Rich Past By CARTER GLACE Staff Writer
The Grey Art Gallery’s latest exhibition is both art exhibit and history lesson. “Art for Every Home” tells the story of the Associated American Artists formed in 1934 by Reeves Lewenthal to bring together a group of artists to create a market for affordable prints. The collection covers the group’s origins during The Great Depression, their commissioned works for various companies, their contribution to the war effort and their post-war expansion into economic prosperity. In most galleries, the financial side of art is lost within the wealth of culture. It is incredibly novel and fresh to see a gallery that emphasizes artists as business people, and views art as a middle class consumer good. The detailed introductions to each section and the pieces in gallery provide context and information about the circumstances that brought those commissions to life. It is a treat to witness just a small glimpse of what went into creating these pieces.
The gallery also covers a very impressive range of history. Starting with some of the earliest works of the AAA, there is a series of prints that were distributed to great success due to a lack of competition. The vast number of artists contributing provides a fascinatingly diverse collection of styles. This is evident in the black and white prints, where the minimalism allows the artist’s style to shine through. It’s impressive to see the subtle Midwestern influences in the various references to Missouri folk tales and other Midwestern subjects. The idea that there are several versions of these prints doesn’t diminish their value, but makes them more impressive in their mass production. One of my favorites is “Men of Steel,” a gorgeous visualization of skyscraper builders above the skyline. It’s incredibly fascinating to see the various commissioned pieces for corporations and contributions to the war effort. Many of the patron corporations were tobacco companies, providing a brilliantly anachronistic look at “Golden Age of Cigarette Marketing,” with
gorgeous prints glamorizing the life of tobacco farmers. Their willingness to contribute to the American World War II effort resulted in some stunning works as well. Some propaganda pieces depict a horrifying vision of the Axis conquering the world, including a stunning vision of the Axis leaders in the place of the Romans executing Jesus. Life post-atomic bomb witnessed a booming economy and rapid expansions in commercial goods like ceramics, fabrics and books. As previously mentioned, it’s easy to dismiss the artist as an entrepreneur, many ignoring the financial burden imposed on the creators, insisting that the reward of enjoying their craft is payment enough. “Art for Every Home” is an important and fascinating reminder that artists are humans using their individual skillsets to make a living while creating something beautiful. “Art for Every Home” is on display at the Grey Art Gallery until July 9.
Email Carter Glace at entertainment@nyunews.com.
‘Dough:’ Baked in Two Ways By BRADLEY ALSOP Staff Writer
Since religious practices and familial rituals usually occur in the same sphere, blurring the distinction between the two entities becomes a matter of course. When a diametrically opposed viewpoint is introduced, those lines become distinguishable, establishing boundaries once more. This nuanced dynamic is the center of John Goldschmidt’s “Dough,” a quietly charming but tonally inconsistent film. The film documents the life and times of Nat (Jonathan Pryce, the High Sparrow on “Game of Thrones”), a Jewish man in charge of his family’s London bakery that has been passed down from generation to generation. The business is in dire straits, as Nat tells one of his few remaining regular customers that his former frequent patrons are either moving out of London or dying. Nat takes a chance on hiring his cleaning lady’s son, Ayyash (Jerome Holder). Ayyash, though depicted as an irresponsible young man in pursuit of a steady wage, has a dark past and a foreboding present. A refugee from Darfur abandoned by his father, he has resorted to a life of drug dealing, requiring a cover job to continue working for his brutish overseer Victor (Ian
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Hart). These paths cross when Ayyash begins infusing his marijuana into the goods at the bakery, completely reinvigorating Nat’s business. While intriguing, there are far too many elemental inconsistencies that prevent “Dough” from being a holistic success. Goldschmidt, as well as writers Jez Freedman and Jonathan Benson, attempt to tackle numerous systemic issues without the intersectional execution to do so. The themes of familial tradition, religious differences and the attempted reconciliation of such ideological grievances, are presented superficially without ever reaching any point of closure or satisfaction. The film’s most poignant scenes involve constructed parallels. Consider a scene between Nat and Ayyash: Goldschmidt presents a simultaneous shot of the two men praying before opening the bakery. Nat, donning Jewish garb and holding a necklace close to his face, mutters incantatory words directed towards God. Ayyash lays a prayer mat on the ground, praying to Allah. Both men are summoning the same feelings and outcomes assigned to opposed doctrines, and yet that mutuality of faith does not present itself as an opening for empathy between the two. Nat warms up to Ayyash
eventually, but begins in this instance by telling him to pray somewhere else where nobody can see him. Powerful contentions like these get lost in the disorganization of the second half of the film. Due to this disarray, “Dough” eventually falls flat. Overall, the film is conceptually successful at raising thoughtful arguments about faith and tradition. Unfortunately, proposing such topics for discourse is all the film manages to do, failing to tie these thematic elements together to deliver any semblance of a clear, resounding message. “Dough” will be released in area theaters on April 29.
Email Bradley Alsop at film@nyunews.com.
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“Dough” follows the life of Nat as his bakery and drug dealing cross paths.
Avengers Star Manages the Night in Miniseries By TONY SCHWAB Staff Writer
British television’s tendency is to be more conservative than American TV, meaning craftsmanship, good writing and acting trump originality. AMC’s new miniseries “The Night Manager” is a classic British mystery that excels at all of these components, making it a compelling mystery show. The story, adapted from a novel by John le Carre, begins with the Egyptian revolutions of 2011. As these go on, the titular night manager of a hotel in Cairo, Jonathan Pine (Tom Hiddleston), dutifully tends to the needs of guests. In comes Sophie, the girlfriend of a wealthy and corrupt Egyptian businessman who is threatened by the political unrest. She gives Jonathan documents which reveal a wide ranging conspiracy involving a famous British philanthropist, Richard Roper (Hugh Laurie). Back in London, SIS agent Angela Burr (Olivia Colman) is informed of the plot, but is told to keep quiet by her boss, who wants the affair to be kept quiet for complex political reasons. Those familiar with other le Carre adaptations will recognize many common elements. Shady rich people, jilted lovers, vast government conspiracies and lone, incorruptible heroes made his works like “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” and “Smiley’s Children” so intriguing, both as novels and as visual media. “The Night Manager” works because it plays off of widespread suspicions about government, especially its foreign relationships. By portraying a recent conflict
in the Middle East instead of the Soviet Union, the show feels current even as it is structured like a throwback. The show’s many settings, from Cairo to Zurich to London, are all captured authentically by director Suzanne Biers. The revolution in Cairo is recreated realistically, and makes a contrast to the classic, regal hotel that Jonathan works at. The cast is excellent. Hiddleston plays Jonathan with a sense of conservative decency that is reminiscent of Ralph Fiennes in “The Grand Budapest Hotel.” Hugh Laurie may appear to be an odd villain, but his performance here is along the vein of character with which he started his acting career: the pompous rich gentleman. On “Jeeves and Wooster” and “Blackadder” he played these characters humorously, but here he takes the type to its insidious end. His wealth makes him arrogant, and he turns to a life of crime believing he is above the law. Olivia Colman plays Burr as a frustrated idealist, refusing to become jaded even as all around her are. The show, called a miniseries in the U.S. but is a typical six-episode British season, is free from the constrictions of a film as well as the prolongations of an American television season. It is a reminder of how 13 or even 10-episode seasons can feel stretched out. By contrast, “The Night Manager” stays captivating during its limited run. “The Night Manager” airs Tuesdays at 10 pm on AMC.
Email Tony Schwab at entertainment@nyunews.com.
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How Affluence Affects What Stores Carry Organics By SHIVA DARSHAN Staff Writer
Each of the hundreds of grocery stores around Manhattan specializes in something unique with its food. But what makes stores like Whole Foods lined with shelves of organic products, while some local grocery stores seem to carry mostly processed food? A study published in the March edition Journal of Food Products Marketing by Steinhardt professor Carolyn Dimitri analyzed the factors that determine whether or not a store carries organic food. Dimitri is unique in her writing, as most previous studies only focused on who buys organic foods. She cited that education is the most significant factor on whether or not a person buys organic food.
Though education is strongly linked with affluence, previous articles on this topic have found that the correlation between education and purchasing organic food held true even when controlling for affluence. These same studies showed that minorities, including Latinos and African-Americans, are less likely to buy organic food, according to Dimitri. However, the earlier literature did not explain why there were disparities in consumption of organic groceries. Dimitri wondered if purchasing organic groceries was because of these factors, or due to the lack of accessibility to this organic option in stores. “Manhattan’s density makes its retailing landscape odd in comparison to other places,” Dimitri said.
“The stores are small and shelf space comes at a premium price. As a result, much more careful thought is put into deciding what to carry. As each store weighs the cost of carrying organic produce, the two factors that appeared to drive their choice were store size and the neighborhood in which the store located.” Grocery store chains, such as Whole Foods, that carry organic food are known to pick neighborhoods to build stores in base of the neighborhood’s education level, according to the study. Areas such as the Upper West Side have plenty of high-end store vying to build in the area. Dakota Deddy, a sophomore in Tisch, finds that shopping for organic food is seamless. “I live on the Upper West Side and
finding organic food is extremely easy,” Deddy said. “I have a Westside Market, a Fairway and Trader Joe’s all within four blocks of me.” Dimitri’s findings show a resulting heavy concentration of grocery stores carrying organics within affluent areas, particularly in the Upper West and Upper East Sides. Larger stores, such as the Whole Foods by Union Square, were far more likely to carry organic produce. These larger stores do not face space shortages to the severity of their smaller counterparts, according to the study. Thus they were able to carry both organic and conventional food. However, the size of the store did not always overwhelm the effect of the store’s location. Central Harlem has large super-
markets such as Key Food, Fine Fare and Dollar Tree but finding organic groceries nearby is still difficult and expensive. Large stores common to less affluent area such as C-town, Associated and Key Foods were not found to carry organic foods. In general, a variety of factors contribute to determining whether or not a store carries organic food and how much it offers. The size of the store and the neighborhood in which it is located almost always directly correlates to whether or not it will carry organic food. So if you’re aiming to shop at stores that carries a majority of organic food, aim to go to a large store in one the city’s affluent neighborhoods.
Email Shiva Darshan at dining@nyunews.com.
Show Some Skin This Spring
By MALLORI ALBRIGHT Staff Writer
While warmer weather immediately directs wardrobes to shorts and other leg-baring attire, our shirts and jackets are often left stuffy. As we saw the fall fashion, one of the biggest spring/summer trends is to bare your shoulders. Here is a list of styles that are accessible and affordable for college students and their budgets.
Brigitte Bardot Also known as the off-the-shoulder top, the Bardot top, popularized by Brigitte Bardot during her illustrious film career, has moved from being a trend to a spring and summer wardrobe essential. This top is one of the most versatile pieces to keep in your closet for the summer months as it compliments pants, skirts, shorts and can also be found on dresses. Off-the-shoulder tops are also easy to find in stores online and near campus. Check out ASOS, ModCloth, Missguided and NastyGal (mostly sales) for online options.
Cold Shoulder If you want to show some skin,
but prefer turtleneck styles, try the cold shoulder top. Tops with the cold shoulder have high necklines and cutouts right at the shoulder that allow you to show a nice amount of skin. The nice thing about these tops is that they go with almost every bottom you can think of. Cold shoulder tops are a new take on the cutout trend that we all know and love, but instead of putting focus on the waist or sides, it is now on the top.
One Shoulder
Take your spring/summer look back in time with the one-shoulder trend. While this trend is not as popular as the cold shoulder or the off-the-shoulder, it is still doable and stylish. The current one-shoulder trend is more focused on the clean lines so look for a one-shoulder piece that has straight lines to accentuate your figure. Just like cold shoulder and off-the-shoulder pieces, the one-shoulder can be found in a variety of different styles, such as dresses, tops and even jumpsuits. And don’t forget to make a trip to your local H&M, American Apparel, Zara, and Forever 21 for more items.
Email Mallori Albright at bstyle@nyunews.com.
STAFF PHOTO BY ANNA LETSON
The Staten Island Ferry is free and will let you take in the Manhattan skyline one more time.
Quick, Do This Before Graduating! By CAMILLE LARKINS Staff Writer
If you’re a graduating senior or an underclassman heading abroad next semester, your days left on campus are winding down. To help you get the most out you last month, WSN has put together an “NYU Bucket List” of things everyone needs to do before they leave school for good.
Swim in the fountain in WSP When the weather is warm and the fountain is on, obviously. Clothing optional.
Go to free museums
STAFF PHOTO BY TATIANA PEREZ
Bardot tops are a trendy and versatile piece to add to your spring and summer wardrobe.
As NYU students, we have access to some of the best museums in the country for little to no cost. Before you surrender these privileges, make sure you wave your NYU ID proudly at places like the MoMA, the Museum of the City of New York, Museum of the Moving Image, New Museum and the Whitney. While you’re at it, make sure to use Ticket Central for tons of different events, like Yankees games and Broadway shows, while you still can.
Stay out until sunrise Take advantage of being in the city that never sleeps. Get a group of friends together and sing karaoke, grab latenight pierogies at Veselka or just see what you stumble upon in the streets. Finish your adventure by taking in the sunrise at Battery Park or on the Brooklyn Bridge.
Eat pastrami from Katz’s Deli Whether it’s the best in the city is contestable, but what we do know is that it’s iconic and right in our backyard. Do yourself a favor and just eat a lot before leaving New York for an indefinite amount of time: dim sum in Chinatown, Mamoun’s Falafel, Veniero’s Pastry and whatever else your little heart desires.
Hit up all five boroughs At this point, there’s no excuse for not having visited all five boroughs. Brooklyn has more than just hipsters, the Bronx is historic, Queens is beautiful and the Staten Island ferry is free.
Attend a taping of Saturday Night Live Or another live show, like The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The View or whatever floats your boat. New York is unique in its opportunities to get behind the scenes of studio TV. Not only is being part of a live studio audience completely awesome, it will also give you bragging rights for a few months at least.
Participate in a protest Some group on campus is always hosting a boycott, sit-in or demonstration, so it should be easy to find a cause that you can throw your support behind. And if you end up getting harassed by a Public Safety Officer or the NYPD, you’ll just have a better story to tell your grandkids one day.
Thank someone Take some time to thank someone — a professor, an old roommate, a public safety officer, your mom. Chances are you did not make it through college without help. A little appreciation goes a long way.
Email Camille Larkins at features@nyunews.com.
NYUNEWS.COM | MONDAY, APRIL 25, 2016 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS
7
FEATURES
EDITED BY KENDALL LEVISON FEATURES@NYUNEWS.COM
Gender in Fashion and Politics By SOPHIE FAY SHAW Staff Writer
Politics and fashion have a close relationship that has had its ups and downs throughout history. In the 18th century, Marie Antoinette’s extravagant wardrobe and lifestyle added to France’s debts and became a symbol for everything distasteful about the French monarchy at the time. In the 1960s, first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis restored the White House to its original splendor and created a place for herself as a style icon. Whether their impact was positive or negative, these women, and others who have held similar positions, are not only remembered for what they did, but also for what they wore. The same can’t be said for their male counterparts. In all of the 44 U.S. presidencies, I can’t pick out a remarkable or defining style from a president, except for Abraham Lincoln and his top hat. But the first ladies? There’s Mamie Eisenhower whose love for the color pink started a nationwide trend. Nancy Reagan was was scrutinized for accepting expensive designer clothes. And now, Michelle Obama who is known for wearing sleeveless shift dresses and her overall accessible style. Historically, there’s always been more attention paid to what
A Campus Is What You Make It By TAYLOR NICOLE ROGERS Staff Writer
NYU is known for being a college that lacks a campus — and in a literal sense, that might be true. However, many students strongly believe they know exactly what NYU’s campus is and appreciate its quirks. Considered to be at the heart of NYU’s urban campus are Bobst Library, Kimmel Center and Silver Center, all surrounding Washington Square Park. Since moving to its home in Greenwich Village from the current site of Bronx Community College in 1973, the university has acquired nearly every building surrounding the park. LS freshman Juhi Dalal believes that having a campus that is not walled off from the public adds to the university’s goal of exposing students to the world around them. “People outside the university always complain that NYU doesn’t have a campus, but I feel like it basically does because most of the buildings that students interact with are centered around Washing-
women in powerful positions wear than what their husbands or partners wear. Is it because men’s fashion in the political sphere just doesn’t have the same room for originality and creativity, and is therefore less notable? Or is it because people hold women to higher expectations when it comes to appearances? Either way, the effect seems to be that women’s policies and initiatives take second place to their wardrobes. Obama will be remembered for advocating for service members and their families, international adolescent girls’ education, higher education and, most notably, healthy and active families. But she will also be remembered for the political statements she made through fashion. Obama is known for supporting young American fashion designers, but she has also opted for non-American designers at high-profile events, which caused the Council of Fashion Designers of America and industry-legends like Diane von Furstenburg to criticize her. Kate Betts explained the First Lady’s choice best in a 2011 New York Times op-ed. “Yes, she is sometimes an ambassador for American designers, but more important, she is an ambassador for the self-possession that defines American style,” Betts said.
This self-possession is something that all first ladies, and perhaps all fashion-conscious women, hold. During her first presidential campaign in 2008, Hillary Clinton became synonymous with the rainbow array of power suits she sported and people couldn’t help but focus on her bright separates. Initially, Clinton spoke about the skewed gender-focus on fashion. For her 2016 campaign, however, Clinton realized that she could utilize the people’s obsession with fashion as a campaign strategy. She included everyone in her wardrobe choices with her first Instagram post, which displayed three suits — one red, one white and one blue — with the caption “Hard choices.” As the campaign progressed, Clinton’s style became gradually quieter with a more subdued wardrobe, while her debates and policies became louder. She found a way to get people to stop talking about her suits, and therefore, be on the same sartorial level as her male opponents. Clinton certainly put the fashion problem at bay, but if she becomes president she’ll have the resources and position to show that fashion isn’t a hindrance for women, but an advantage.
Email Sophie Fay Shaw at bstyle@nyunews.com.
STAFF PHOTO BY ANNA LETSON
Sundaes and Cones is an ice cream go-to near campus with classic and adventurous flavors.
You’re Never Too Old For an Ice Cream Cone By CAMILLE LARKINS Staff Writer
There are dozens of delicious ice cream shops surrounding the NYU campus, and with the weather finally clearing up, students can finally take advantage of them all. Whether you like your cone with a variety of toppings or prefer a popsicle to a single scoop, these locations around campus serve every sweet tooth.
Sundaes and Cones 10th St. between 3rd and 4th Ave. For classic, inexpensive ice cream in the East Village, Sundaes and Cones is the place to go. They have a wide range of flavors including popular favorites like mint chocolate chip and green tea, and some less common ones like lavender, black sesame and wasabi. There is not much seating inside the store, so go on a warm evening and take a walk with your cone.
PHOTO BY GRACE MOON
Because of the surrounding buildings, Washington Square Park feels like the center of NYU’s campus. ton Square Park,” Dalal said. “Even though the park’s not NYU’s land, it feels like it is because it’s our center.” While Washington Square Park is almost always teeming with NYU students, some, like LS freshman Regina Wright, say its openness prevents it from completely taking the place of a more traditional university quad. “Because of our campus, fraternity housing isn’t a thing like it is at a lot of schools so we don’t have that space to have a good time together,” Wright said. Tisch freshman Taylor Friel believes that NYU’s lack of private space for students to gather has a definite impact on NYU’s social life. “Maintaining a social circle is much harder than it would be on an enclosed campus where you see students every day,” Friel said. “Here there are students, but you also see parents out there and young adults and old people who live here. Social life is just as big here, but you do have to find it yourself.”
Dalal added that once you do find your friends, however, the unconventional features of the campus make student life more exciting. “I really like that we can walk a couple of blocks and be in other parts of the city,” Dalal said. “Other college campuses don’t have that added aspect of other fun things to do nearby. It’s really nice to be able to meet other people and not be stuck with other students all the time.” Although students cannot seem to agree on the exact borders of campus — some claim it extends as far north as 37th Street while others say it ends at Union Square — they agree that it feels like home. “This campus makes you think of yourself more as a citizen of the city than a student,” Friel said. “When there are less tourists around, I feel more like I’m walking through my park, my city and my campus.”
Email Taylor Nicole Rogers at features@nyunews.com.
OddFellows 4th St. between Cooper Square and 2nd Ave. This Greenwich Village spot is known best for its ice cream sandwiches. Their most unique menu item is the “OddPocket,” a customizable sandwich consisting of a brioche bun stuffed with ice cream and warmed on a panini press. OddFellows makes small, fresh batches, which means that their ice cream flavors rotate often, sometimes multiple times a day. Some flavors, like the Raspberry Pink Peppercorn Sorbet and Extra Virgin Olive Oil, taste wild in the best way.
Il Laboratorio del Gelato Ludlow St. between Houston & Stanton St. The best thing about this gelateria is its aesthetic — it looks like a laboratory. Visitors can see the process of gelato being made, and the scoops are served in laboratory-like, rectangular containers. Il Laboratorio del Gelato has some of
the most unexpected flavors in the city, serving flavors like carrot, licorice, orange hibiscus and pumpkin. It’s a great place for unique sorbet and gelato.
Popbar Carmine St. between 6th Ave and Minetta Lane Popbar doesn’t serve ice cream, but rather fruit sorbet and gelato-flavored popsicles which are dipped and sprinkled with many different toppings. With plenty of refreshing, cute and crunchy topping options, this spot is a must-go for nut lovers.
ChikaLicious 10th St. between 1st and 2nd Ave. This self-proclaimed dessert club is well-known for its crepe cakes, but their attention to detail is what makes ChikaLicious’ ice cream cones so delectable. While they do not have a very wide selection of ice cream flavors, you can order any of them in a churro cone. I repeat: a churro cone. Their flavors change almost every day, and popular flavors include roasted banana ice cream and strawberry sorbet. Also, if you are a fan of matcha, this spot is for you — they have matcha cake, lattes, soft serve and shaved ice.
I CE NY Macdougal St. between 3rd and Bleecker St. If you are looking for the most Instagrammable ice cream in New York, this Greenwich Village shop fits the bill. Their speciality is Thai rolled ice cream, which is assembled in front of the customer. They have many toppings, sauces and flavor choices, which make it a highly personalizable and presentable dessert. Be prepared to wait in line for up to 20-30 minutes at peak times or on nice days, as this spot is tiny and popular.
Email Camille Larkins at dining@nyunews.com.
ALUM IDO FLUK TALKS ‘THE TICKET’ ETHAN SAPIENZA Film Editor NYU alum Ido Fluk’s second feature, “The Ticket,” debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival last weekend. Depicting the story of a blind man (Dan Stevens) who regains his vision, only to then lose sight of his morals, the movie is remarkably well crafted, featuring a fascinating, challengingly contemplative story. WSN sat down with Fluk to discuss how he achieved the film’s visual style and what premiering at Tribeca means to him.
WSN: Recovering from blindness is typically a happy narrative, and you made it very real and sinister, almost like a fable. What made you want to write a story like that? Ido Fluk: Here’s the thing: I don’t think this is a movie about blindness as much as it is a movie about getting a second chance. You see it all the time with people who win the lottery or people who become famous overnight, and they spend the first few months parading their wealth. Then a giant percentage of these people crash and burn. It’s a movie about a person that gets a gift, but the implications of getting a gift are sometimes unknown, and they can be sometimes sinister. They can also take a turn for a worse. Me and Sharon Mashihi, who’s also an NYU grad, we were really interested in exploring that, this idea of getting a gift or a miracle, and how that affects not just our character but all of the people around him.
WSN: The POV blindness is really striking. How did you get those sequences? IF: We started developing this language of visuals based on what visually impaired people said they were seeing. A lot of them see spots of color, a lot of them see a general ambiance of the room, moving light and shape, there are always some things that do get through. We tried to emulate that. What we also tried really hard to do was refrain from a lot of CGI and use a lot of in camera effects, using different tricks with the camera to simulate that.
WSN: The film’s entire style is very heightened and impactful. What were you hoping to achieve with the look and sound? IF: We really wanted to show the different levels of appreciation our character has for sound at that moment in the film versus sight. The camera has three acts. The first feels blurrier, a little overexposed, a little more handheld. It’s kind of warm, with a lot of warmer colors. As he goes on with his journey and he becomes more corrupt, there are more tracking shots on the dolly, a cooler palette, hard-set, locked-down frames. Within the last act we wanted it to feel like there was a tripod set up and someone had kicked it so it’s a little skew. It feels like something’s not right within the third act.
PHOTO BY POLINA BUCHAK
WSN: What does it mean to have your film premiere at Tribeca? IF: It’s a great honor. Really we couldn’t have been happier to premiere here, not just because Tribeca an incredible festival and a great opportunity for the film, but because we shot the film in upstate New York. A lot of us live here. What was great too was we could bring a lot of the people who helped make it happen to the screenings. I’m so grateful to Tribeca for hosting us.
Email Ethan Sapienza at esapienza@nyunews.com.
T R I B E C A TONY SCHWAB Staff Writer
DAVID BYR COLOR’ David Byrne, former frontman of the Talking Heads, makes for an unusually dignified rock elder statesman as the force behind Bill and Turner Ross’ new concert film “Contemporary Color.” Looking healthy and active at 63, his commitment to the documentary, which depicts a color guard performance he put on at the Barclays Center last year, comes across not as an attempt to get back in the spotlight but the result of a genuine, likable enthusiasm for a neglected art. The film premiered last week at the Tribeca Film Festival, with Byrne, cast members and the Ross Brothers in attendance afterwards for a Q&A. “Color” is, more than anything, about the art of color guard. For those who are unaware, color guards are groups of high school and college students performing
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‘HIGHFALLS
It’d be easy to compare Ben W ley’s “High-Rise” to Bong Joo charismatic, beautiful thoug low 2013 anti-capitalist t “Snowpiercer.” It’d be easy, b also be fair, given the jaw-dro drool-inducing awe both film spire when viewing them, go in on visual construction in no one notices neither has m say. Wheatley’s take on clas fare, which is playing at this Tribeca Film Festival, has less ity than Bong’s work, instead ing up on atmospheric experi Based on J.G. Ballard’s 1975 of the same name, the film see of the action occur within th rior of a lavish apartment co on the brink of an unnamed city, the building being one of like it. Floors are arranged ba class hierarchy, with the rich top with plenty of air and spa the poor at the bottom with c nothing. When the power st get faulty, all hell breaks loose ing to some devolution. The c isn’t a particularly refreshin where it may have been in th ’70s, though it has potential t commentary on current day ica, given the many disenfran voices that have arisen durin presidential race. The high rise ought to be fl upside down though, given characters act like the bloo fully rushed to their heads. nately, Tom Hiddleston ancho film, providing a proper, w presence that prevents an from floating too far away. H trays lonely Dr. Robert Laing moves to the complex without
RNE-LED ‘CONTEMPORARY DAZZLES AT PREMIERE
y resembling both ballet eerleading. The movie es the performances of rent color guards from out the country at Byoduction from last year. e is accompanied by mua bevy of artists, with St. Ad-Rock, Nelly Furtado ne himself among them. ult is an emphatically al spectacle. he premiere, one color member, Mary, spoke he intensity of work inn the sport. It is normal e involved to devote 20 week to practices, with ending additional time g at home, made all the mpressive given that the curs during the school ile some know the sport something performed at during football games,
Mary hoped for much more. “In the color guard world we have come along way, and one day we hope to see the sport in the Olympics,” she said. Another performer, Ryan, spoke about the pleasure of performing non-competitively at the Barclays. Like all sports it can be agonizing, with so much emphasis put on winning a competition. But this performance was more relaxed, with the emphasis put on celebrating the sport itself. “My favorite part was getting to be friends with the other groups without getting nervous or feeling like I was being fake,” Ryan said. This sense of kinship is brought home in the gigantic final scene, in which all of the teams perform together. Visually, the movie is packed, with something happening on
every inch of the screen. In between performances we are given short clips of the different schools and performers in the vein of “American Idol.” The directors spoke about their very interesting influences. “We started to think about stuff from our childhood that was on stage like ‘The Muppets’ and ‘Wrestlemania’ and then we spent lots of time with everyone involved to get a sense of the various communities,” said Bill Ross. This time spent with the communities involved shows in the film. There are many charming shots of coaches, family members and friends looking on nervously but proudly as they watch the performers. This heartfelt documentary brings to life performances on screen and is a wonderful highlight into a world not often acknowledged.
Email Tony Schwab at film@nyunews.com.
-RISE’ S SHORT
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“AWOL” is the story of Joey (Lola Kirke), a Pennsylvania teen faced with the dilemma of joining the Army or running away with the love of her life, Raina (Breeda Wool). The film premieres this week at the Tribeca Film Festival. WSN sat down with director Deb Shoval and actress Breeda Wool to discuss how “AWOL” transformed from a Sundance-winning short to a feature film and what message each woman individually took away from the film.
PHOTO BY POLINA BUCHAK
WSN: How did the idea for the film come to you? Deb Shoval: I was fascinated by this young woman Skylar James who joined the Army very impetuously and left very impetuously and she soon became the poster child for Americans who were seeking asylum in Canada for leaving the Army. Even though I wanted it to be this very militaristic type of thing, I found it was very personal for her of why she left, and she began to inform the character of Joey.
WSN: How did the film go from being just a short film to the feature it is today? DS: After the short film premiered at Sundance and had a lot of buzz around it, it became clear to me what we had was this condensed Act Two and Act Three. It wasn’t clear in the short film how Joey and Raina met, or why Joey joined the Army, if she and Raina were in love, so I wanted to expand the story and answer those questions and also just expand Joey’s world. So her mom and sister became developed characters. That was the beginning of the feature.
ETHAN SAPIENZA Film Editor
backstory, other than his sister having recently departed. His fellow constituents include Charlotte Melville (Sienna Miller), a particularly salacious, well-connected resident, Richard and Helen Wilder (Luke Evans and Elisabeth Moss, respectively), a married couple that’s half carnal, rebellious machismo and half flighty innocence, and Anthony Royal (Jeremy Irons), the obligatory though comically eccentric architect for the building. “High-Rise” boasts a roll call of talented actors, making for moments of delicious chemistry once things fall apart in the story. The entire design is awfully joyous to look at as well, from the building appearing like some alien monolith, to the ‘70s futurism of the clothing and interiors, to Royal’s mirrored elevator, creating an alluring, reflecting environment that goes on to oblivion. Much of the film, though, is held back by Wheatley’s over ambition. What feels like nearly a third of the movie is done in montage, as if intercutting between three parallel
DEB SHOVAL AND BREEDA WOOLA TALK ‘AWOL’ SIDNEY BUTLER Staff Writer
scenes will provide a greater picture. Instead, it paints half a canvas, which causes for discombobulating, fickle filmmaking. The camera can never rest to let one character honestly speak, an especially devastating fact when few of the residents came off as sane or real. In a film hoping to provide an analogue for capitalism’s issues, providing a disorienting though immersive cinematic experience doesn’t accomplish much. Inarguably, the very fact that there is no explanation for the power failures, other than “building issues” undermines any attempts at honest political commentary, especially when the final sequence reeks of didacticism. In a film striving for the political, it is unacceptable to walk away having accomplished nothing in the way of anything intellectual, particularly when a near-two-hour runtime feels double that. In the end, “High-Rise” is just overloaded, but only half-baked.
Email Ethan Sapienza at esapienza@nyunews.com.
WSN: Where did the character of Raina come from? How did you end up casting Breeda Wool to play the part? DS: Breeda and I really created that character together. I had two people in mind that I kept drawing from but she also had someone from her childhood that she kept drawing from, so we really created the character together. Breeda was in the short and then again in the feature. I knew her about six to eight months before the short film. A friend of mine took me to this very experimental dance show at Performance Space 122 because she was so into this performer, who was Breeda. It was totally one of those things where I could not keep my eyes off of her. She was so in her body.
WSN: Breeda, did you have a lot of autonomy when discovering your character Raina? Breeda Wool: As an actor I always have a lot to say. I do feel like part of the game is having a lot to say within these words that the writer sets in front of me.
WSN: How was the dynamic between you and Lola Kirke? BW: I think Lola and I just looked at each other and we knew. I think she’s an incredible talent and extraordinarily intelligent.
WSN: For the role of Raina did you pull from anyone particular in your life or were there aspects of you that came out through her? BW: Well as a human being, there are things where I’m like, “Oh I understand that and that,” but I don’t usually replace things in my own life. Also my personal background is very different from Raina’s so I didn’t personalize it but her story was very personal to me. I can relate to being a woman and therefore, you are only valued for your sexuality. I think any woman can relate to that, where you’re only as good as long as you are desired. Email Sidney Butler at film@nyunews.com.
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WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | MONDAY, APRIL 25, 2016 | NYUNEWS.COM
OPINION
EDITED BY RICHARD SHU OPINION@NYUNEWS.COM
CAMPUS
Council Elections Deserve Student Attention By PARIS MARTINEAU Staff Writer Even as the primary season inches towards a close, elections remain close to NYU students’ minds — and their Facebook pages. The primary race has transformed the average student’s complaints into a somewhat well-formatted political argument. Yet, amidst all of this hooplah, one rather important election date has come and passed without so much of an impassioned rant on the NYU Class of 20-whatever Facebook page: Student Council elections. First of all, yes, we have a student council. In fact, there are actually student councils — plural — that
act as different organizations to represent the various colleges and schools of NYU. The student councils act as the intermediary between the general student body of the schools and NYU’s administrative and executive branches. Despite the importance of the work that they do, the recently held student council elections may have come as a surprise to the majority of NYU students — they were publicized almost as poorly as our beloved President Hamilton’s affordability parties. Voting in the CAS Student Council election, held earlier this April, was announced with a singular email — just one — from the same board that has sent five emails regarding the
CAS Symposium event within the last month alone. The email in question did not even provide the voting dates, the names of those who were running or a link to a page that would possibly answer these questions. The only other information I could find regarding the voting process — after 30 minutes of searching the depths of the internet — was a smattering of Facebook posts
made by the candidates themselves, and the world’s saddest and most barebones webpage that honestly left me more frustrated and confused than I care to admit. This is obviously an issue. NYU students are incapable of being content with the way our school is run — our self-loathing is a beloved pastime. Yet student-run organizations, one of the few accessible executive bodies with some semblance of power, continue to exist under the radar. This singular example isn’t just a random fluke; the entirety of the NYU political process is riddled with issues like these. Class Activities Boards, Student Associations, General Class Boards all exist under the shadow
of a shoddily-made bureaucracy — and this design has ramifications. An uninformed student body is not fit to foster a culture of activism and enact change. Nor will one meager informational email attract the type of leaders that our school so desperately needs. The school must radically alter its platform for distributing election details. If NYU can put together a professionally-made Snapchat filter for every annoying alumni event, it can at least try to find a way to properly inform its students about those who will be representing them for at least the duration of their time here at NYU.
Email Paris Martineau at opinion@nyunews.com.
CITY
New York Bail Policies Stifle Justice By MATTHEW PERRY Staff Writer For poor black residents of New York, the defining trait of the criminal justice system is not justice — it’s punishment. From arrest to sentencing, racial biases pockmark the administration of due process and yield excessively unjust outcomes. However, there is one process housed in the criminal justice system which quietly delivers especially egregious and far-reaching decisions: the bail system. In New York City, defendants often must post cash bail to stay out of jail in the interim period before their trial commences. Show up to your trial, and your bail money is returned to you. But if you can’t
afford to post bail, you are faced with two options. You can continue to fight the charge and stay in jail until your trial concludes, which might get you fired from your job and kicked out of your housing. Or you can plead guilty, and go through life bearing an indelible mark of criminality. Thus, the cash bail system forces poor defendants to choose between the lesser of two unjust evils. Overwhelmingly, defendants in this situation plead guilty — 94 percent of state convictions are the result of guilty pleas. Even more troubling, the sums of money which coerce defendants into accepting a plea bargain are astonishingly low. Bail set as low as $500 can prove unaffordable for many defendants. At Riker’s
Island, 10,000 people a year spend their time pre-trial behind bars because they can’t afford a bail of $2,000 or less. For most NYU students, $500 might be an annoyance. But for a critical mass of people entrapped by the criminal punishment system, it is a heavy enough burden to permanently alter the trajectory of their lives. And the impact of bail isn’t limited to potential pretrial detainment — it also significantly affects the out-
come of the case. For defendants who are detained for the duration of their trial, the conviction rate is around 92 percent. But for defendants who are able to post bail, return home and fight the charge without fear of losing employment or housing, the conviction rate is only around 50 percent. Cash bail incentivizes poor defendants to plead guilty in exchange for time served and needlessly inflates the number of citizens who bear the mark of a criminal record. What are the alternatives? New York City has seen the implementation of a few useful stopgap measures, such as the creation of nonprofit bail funds in Brooklyn and the Bronx. These organizations post bail for defendants when bail is set at $2,000 or be-
low, which gives the defendants a proper chance to affirm their innocence in a court of law. Of the Bronx Freedom Fund’s clients, not a single one went to jail for their charges. Looking further into the future, however, the possibilities for reform are murky. Supervised release programs unnecessarily restrict a defendant’s freedom of movement, and allowing digital payment of bail wouldn’t eliminate the issue of unaffordability. This much, at least, is clear: the current system is profoundly broken and prevents the justice system from actually carrying out justice.
Email Matthew Perry at opinion@nyunews.com.
POLITICS
Virginia Felon Voting Highlights Democratic Inconsistencies By CONNOR BORDEN Staff Writer The United States has always prided itself on its constitutional virtues: the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Citizens believe these rights to be inalienable, yet the government has used measures, such as solitary confinement, the death penalty and torture, that rob humans of their rights. Ultimately, the inalienability of these civil liberties only lasts as long as people stay within the bounds of the law. We accept that rights are really only privileges given and taken by the state. Elections in the United States are a perfect example of the nation’s
issues with human rights. Women have only been able to vote for a century, black people for only 50 years. In 10 states, local constitutions bar ex-felons from voting. Virginia was among them until Governor Terry McAuliffe issued an executive order to restore voting liberty to ex-felons who have served their parole and probation time. This comes at a crucial time in the election process: of the 200,000 people getting their voting rights back, most are black and most are expected to vote for the Democratic Party. Coincidentally, McAuliffe is a Democrat himself. Although this issuance may have an ulterior motive, the underlying effect — restoring the
basic, democratic right to vote to 200,000 human beings — is indisputably positive. It is important to note that laws such as these overwhelmingly disenfranchise people of color. With systemic issues such as the schoolto-prison pipeline — the policy and practices that push certain demographics of students from schools into prisons — black men,
especially in the United States, end up in prison more often for longer periods of time than white convicts for similar crimes. This creates a disadvantage for the black voter population in the U.S. If more black people are serving sentences for longer periods of time, there are consistently less black voters by percentage in each election cycle. This injustice persists simply because black interests are not being represented in the larger scheme of American politics, and the disparity directly translates into the policies that get passed. In recent U.S. history, it seems the largest social justice movements are aimed at returning
human rights to citizens. One of the largest movements of this era is Black Lives Matter, which at its center argues that black people have a fundamental right to life, even in the face of abusive police. It’s sad that even now that these goals are still thought of as ideations, instead of being the common sense fact that every life has the same weight and every person has the same rights. The day each citizen enjoys full access to their inalienable civil liberties is the day the U.S. will know equity, and from there progress can march forward.
Email Connor Borden at opinion@nyunews.com.
NYUNEWS.COM | MONDAY, APRIL 25, 2016 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS
OPINION
EDITED BY RICHARD SHU OPINION@NYUNEWS.COM
POLITICS
STAFF EDITORIAL
Sanders Revolution Misguided from the Start By TOMMY COLLISON Staff Writer When I moved to the U.S. three years ago, I got the impression that political apathy was the pastime of American college students. Fresh from the disappointments of Obama’s presidency — failing to close Guantanamo Bay and rein in the worst abuses of the NSA domestic surveillance program — it seemed to me that a finely-honed nihilism toward all things political was standard operating procedure for students who entered university on the tail of the worst financial crisis in a generation. That all changed with Bernie Sanders, the unapologetic democratic socialist whose campaign homepage plainly asks, “ready to start a political revolution?” Here was a presidential run that launched a thousand think-pieces about how millennials weren’t so politically disengaged after all. He was the first candidate in living memory who galvanized youth voters, as Sanders’ rallies were packed to the rafters. Yet his success is unsustainable, and his efforts inevitably won’t create tangible change.
Sanders’ grassroots movement, despite some unlikely wins in Michigan and Wisconsin, seems unable to beat the Clintonian juggernaut. One should never say never, but it appears that Clinton’s New York primary win is the death knell of the Sanders campaign. As the country gears up for an unlikely showdown between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, it’s worth looking back at Sanders’ rhetoric and asking if his campaign to boot out the billionaire class was ever likely to succeed. If Sanders was truly married to the idea of political revolution, I believe he would have started at the bottom and worked his way up. I am unsure how many Sanders supporters at NYU can name their senators, let alone their state representatives. I’m by no means an expert in electoral politics, but it seems to
me that a presidential campaign is the last place to mount a political revolution. Leaving aside Sanders’ missteps regarding the implementation of his own policy in an editorial meeting — he was unable to back up his talking points with concrete policy plans — it is utterly unclear to me how any political revolution can hope to begin at the top and work its way down with a Democratic president who does not enjoy Democratic majorities in either the House or the Senate. Local politicians, state senators and mayors are much closer to the average voter, and have much more political sway in the lives of everyday Americans. Much of the criticism levied at Sanders is unfair, but this does not mean that Sanders’ campaign is faultless or even on the right track. If Sanders’ supporters want to change the face of U.S. politics, they must abandon presidential aspirations and channel their considerable energies toward local politics. Take back the House; start small. That is how you build a movement.
Email Tommy Collison at opinion@nyunews.com.
GOVERNMENT
Rape Kit Processing Still Disappoints Survivors By ANNIE COHEN Staff Writer A new study from the Government Accountability Office has exposed an alarming deficiency in the investigation and treatment of sexual assault. The report, which examined six states across the country, discovered a major shortage of medical examiners conducting forensic exams on sexual assault victims, commonly known as rape kits. Reasons for this shortage ranged from a lack of training to low pay for examiners, all of which force victims — particularly in rural areas — to drive hours in order to get proper treatment and testing. The insufficient availability of rape kits is yet another disappointing reality in America’s poor record of dealing with sexual assault and victims. Rape kit procedure involves collecting and analyzing DNA from bodily fluids, examining any injuries, as well as providing emergency contraception and testing for sexually transmitted infections. For obvious reasons, timeliness is a key element of rape kits — the longer it takes to access one, the more likely that the evidence could
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be compromised. If this procedure is performed and evaluated accurately, it can be an invaluable tool in potential criminal proceedings. The lack of availability and consistency of medical examiners has the converse effect of making prosecution for sexual crimes far more difficult and less likely. Of course, even when rape kits are collected accurately, there is a massive obstacle when it comes to the their actual testing. There is a national backlog of untested rape kits that have been sitting in storage for years, a number estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands. Testing a rape kit costs approximately $1,000, and has only just become a priority to the government, with advancements in DNA technology and the growth of national awareness and education of sexual assault. That being said, further growth
is only possible through increased funding for medical examiners and DNA analysts. These efforts have proven successful; in 1999, New York City began testing its backlog of 17,000 rape kits, and in four years eliminated it, resulting in 2,000 DNA matches and 200 cold case prosecutions. New York continues to be an exemplary model, with a strict protocol of testing kits within a day or two of their arrival at a crime lab and maintaining a 60-day turnaround for results. But this success is by no means capable of being universally recreated. As with most governmental problems, the issue here is rooted in both a lack of funding and resources, as well as a lack of awareness. As the nation works to prevent and combat sexual assault, we must also work to better provide for the victims of these crimes. Increased accessibility to everything from accurate rape kits to emotional support can bolster a dialogue and spur the healing process for victims and their advocates.
Email Annie Cohen at opinion@nyunews.com.
NYPD Quota Culture Threatens Equality
This Friday, the Daily News and ProPublica published an investigative report detailing the NYPD’s questionable stings against owners of liquor stores, delis and laundromats in low-income neighborhoods. Undercover officers would enter small businesses and attempt to engage patrons in illegal activities like buying stolen electronics or participating in underage drinking. The patron would be arrested and the shop owner hit with a judge’s order to close the business until the trial.The report highlights that officers overwhelmingly targeted minorities during these stings. This practice reflects the misaligned priorities of the NYPD, who seem to wrongly believe that arresting everyone in sight is the same thing as keeping criminals in check. These lawsuits are made possible by the nuisance abatement law, which was originally put in place in the 1970s as a measure to stop the growth of prostitution and other illicit activities in Times Square. Today, it has been appropriated and twisted to force store owners, who are often immigrants, to pay a swath of fines. They are also forced to navigate a labyrinth of legal procedures if they want to defend their businesses. All of these actions seem to point towards an attitude of callous disregard for the rights and the wellbeing of New York’s minority communities, who already often find themselves in the crosshairs of the NYPD for other reasons. As an unnamed judge in ProPublica’s investigation puts it: “You never see the white bar owner from the Meatpacking District in here; it’s always some bodega owner from Uptown.” These unwarranted civil actions stem from a de facto quota system that allegedly instructs officers to make a certain number of arrests and summons each month, or risk negative evaluations. While the NYPD has steadfastly denied the existence of any such quota, the 12 minority officers currently suing the department tell a different story. These officers maintain that quotas are applied disproportionately to minority neighborhoods and communities. They further allege that they have been punished for condemning what they perceive as a racist policy, having endured suspension, promotion denials and even harassment within their department for speaking out. These pointless sting operations are a repulsive symptom of an overarching NYPD belief that more arrests equate to safer communities. This couldn’t be farther from the truth; harassing and shutting down businesses in minority communities can only result in more poverty, more community instability, more distrust in police and more crime. In a world of nuisance abatement, there are no more friendly neighborhood policemen in the eyes of the community — only bureaucrats with their eyes fixed on the numbers. If anything, these lawsuits are evidence that reforming NYPD culture is an instrumental step toward alleviating racial inequality. Disincentivize pointless arrests, and minority businesses will be allowed to survive and prosper unharassed.
Email the WSN Editorial Board at opinion@nyunews.com. EDITORIAL BOARD: Richard Shu (Chair), Emily Fong (Co-chair), Abraham Gross (Co-chair) STAFF PHOTO BY SAM BEARZI
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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WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | MONDAY, APRIL 25, 2016 | NYUNEWS.COM
SPORTS
EDITED BY MICHAEL THOMPSON SPORTS@NYUNEWS.COM
Rugby Club Celebrates 20th Year By RACHEL RUECKER Deputy Sports Editor
The NYU Stern Rugby Club celebrated its 20th year with an alumni game, where Violets’ rugby players past and present took to the pitch for a fun afternoon of rugby, rejoicing and reunion. For all who participated, the game was sheer jubilation and fun. “Either way NYU wins,” one player joked during the festivities. The all-encompassing power of sport was once again on display in full force. As ghosts of rugby’s past arrived to the Randall’s Island Field 75, there were exchanges of handshakes and hugs, showing the impact this team has had on the players that have come and gone over the 20 years it has been in existence. Schack Master’s student Nylz Reyes cited this as his reason for joining when he made the move to New York from Philly. “Coming to New York I wanted to get into a group of people and in a big city I knew that was
very, very important,” Reyes said. “Being a former college football player, I wanted to be active as well. It’s a good way to bond with people, meet with people from all different schools at NYU.” And though they might not quite be Division I caliber, they’ve still got a certain athletic prowess, according to visiting business student Dos Remedios from Hong Kong University of Science and Tech. “Honestly the NYU team is not that bad,” he joked. He then went on to say that they’re one of the best teams he’s ever been a part of. Though the young guns lost to their more aged counterparts, team co-president, and fifth-year Ph.D. student at NYU Langone Anthony Bainor joked that’s the point of the club, which has grown close to his heart over his time with it. Bainor was an undergraduate at the University of Michigan where athletics are central, and so when he met fellow co-president and Ph.D. stu-
dent Remi Coux, it was a match made in heaven. “I’d like to think we saved the club from certain demise,” Bainor said. “But honestly though, about two years ago we could barely field 10 guys and now we have 15, 16, 17, almost 20 guys showing up for matches every week. I really think the club is moving in a positive direction.” And the alumni turnout is just a testament to that positive direction. “Rugby is the most awesome game in terms of camaraderie,” Bainor added. “We literally beat the crap out of each other for 80 minutes and then we go get drunk together.” The guys on the team clearly have passion — so much so that the all sought out the team themselves and decided to join. “The longer we play together, the better we’ll get, so I’m very optimistic for the future,” Bainor said. At the end of the day, this — like any school club — is a group
PHOTO BY RACHEL RUECKER
Celebrating its 20th year, the Stern Rugby Club brought together alumni and current students to face off. of networkers, collaborators, like-minded thinkers and, most of all, friends. This weekend marked a celebration of 20 years
of that for the rugby club.
Email Rachel Ruecker at rruecker@nyunews.com.
Track on Course Near End of Season By RACHEL RUECKER Deputy Sports Editor
VIA GONYUATHLETICS.COM
Junior Eric Tarakjian was one of the low scorers over the weekend.
Golf on the Back 9 of Their Season By MICHAEL THOMPSON Sports Editor
One season came to an end, while one has just a bit more gas left in the tank. NYU’s golf teams resumed Liberty League Championship action this weekend, completing the final two rounds of the cross-season tournament. The women’s team raced to the finish line and finished first in Massachusetts for their second straight league championship, while the men finished in a tie for fifth. The ladies were stellar, finishing with a cumulative score of 644, 15 shots better than second-place St. Lawrence University. The Violets were bunched at the top of the leaderboard, with no player from the team finishing lower than a tie for 10th. Freshman Jennifer Bluetling established herself as a force as she led the Violets’ charge with a first place two-day total of 155, one stroke better than her closest competitor. Her Saturday +3 75 set the tone, and though she scored higher on Sunday, it was good enough for the weekend’s lowest
score. Meanwhile, freshman Catherina Li recovered from an 86 on Saturday to shoot a 77 on Sunday, good enough for a 163 and a tie for fifth place. Sophomores Kristin Lee and Alyssa Poentis joined Li in the tie. Both ladies played similarly with first day scores of 80 and 81 and Sunday scores of 83 and 82, respectively. Li was exhilarated to see her teammate win the overall tournament. “We’re all so proud because it’s the first individual win anyone’s had this season and it couldn’t have came at a better time,” Li said. With the win, the Violets qualified for the NCAA Division III Championships in Houston, Texas. The action begins on Tuesday, May 10. Li was exhilarated to see her teammate win the overall tournament. “We’re all extremely honored to be able to go to Texas and will enter with our heads held high and our textbooks loaded up,” Li said. A tie for fifth for the men effectively ended their season, but it was a memorable weekend for junior Eric Tarakjian. He had one of the
finest rounds of his young career on Saturday, shooting a 74 to lead all players that day. He had a bit of a tough time on Sunday with an 84, but he still led all Violets in cumulative score over the course of the four rounds, finishing tied for 19th. After starting strong in the fall in Potsdam, New York, freshman Qizhi Wong had a tougher time in Baldwinsville, shooting a 93 on Saturday before bouncing back the next day with an 82 — good enough for 22nd place. Freshman Lucas Oberholtzer finished two strokes behind Wong in 23rd, the third member of the Violets team to have played all four rounds. Only one Violet will now move on with the season coming to an end. Senior Julius Oppenheimer has finished up his time as a Violet. Meanwhile, Derrek Drozdyk, Wong and Oberholtzer are slated to enter their second seasons as Violets next year, while Love and Tarakjian compete in their senior years.
Email Michael Thompson at mthompson@nyunews.com.
The NYU track teams were back in action this past weekend at the UAA Championships hosted by Washington University in St. Louis. Both teams ran well, with the men’s team impressing with a third-place finish and the women’s team coming in sixth. The Violets had a number of top finishes, included the men’s 4x400-meter relay team which came in first with a time of 3:16.52. The men’s squad also competed hard in the 4x800-meter race where they finished in third with a time of 7:46.25. Meanwhile. the women’s relay teams also performed well, placing fifth in the 4x800-meter and third in the 4x400-meter. Junior Budd Brown also came out on top, winning the 200-meter dash in a blistering 21.66. Senior Matt Powers, sophomore Malcolm Montilus and junior Caleb Su came in third, fifth and eighth respectively. In the hurdles, junior Nick Torsitano came in fifth, while sophomore Daniel Sovich crossed the line in eighth. Senior Max Avila also had a notable finish, coming third in 800-meter race with a time of 1:52.08. He was extremely pleased with the team’s competition level this weekend. “Our boys came through for us this weekend,” said Avila.
“Great performance from the sprinters, many of them bringing home more than a couple gold medals. The distance and middle distance carried their weight in individual and relay events bringing some points home for NYU as well.” A number of Violets were present in the men’s 10000-meter race as well, with junior Jorge Maldonado coming out on top of a competitive field with a time of 13:17.37. He also participated in the 5000-meter where he came in fifth, sophomore Karn Setya came in a sharp second. To highlight more of the women’s action, senior Rebecca Turlip came in fifth in the 1500-meter, finishing the kilometer and a half in 4:46.17. In the pole vault, NYU came in sixth and seventh with senior Ilana Brown and junior Dana Placentra both vaulting to a height of 3.21-meters. Junior long jumper Simone Cooper came in sixth in her contest, jumping a distance of 5.08-meters. Cooper also came out strong in the triple jump where she came in second, ahead of many fellow Violets who also battled hard. NYU’s runners will be back again next weekend competing in the Princeton University Invitational in Princeton, New Jersey on Friday.
Email Rachel Ruecker at rruecker@nyunews.com.
NYUNEWS.COM | MONDAY, APRIL 25, 2016 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS
13
SPORTS
EDITED BY MICHAEL THOMPSON SPORTS@NYUNEWS.COM
Baseball Has Up and Down Weekend While Softball Dominates By ASHLEY ARNOLD Staff Writer
A seemingly endless slate of games for NYU’s baseball and softball teams yielded mixed results. The baseball team felt the dual sensations of sweeping and getting swept, while the softball team experienced solid results.
Baseball The Violets were swept in a doubleheader against SUNY New Paltz on Friday. They dropped the first game 6-1. New Paltz put three runs on the scoreboard within in the top of the fourth. In response, freshman first baseman Colman Hendershot managed to get a run in with an RBI groundout that plated freshman outfielder Jack Walter, resulting in a 3-1 score. No more runs were scored by the Violets. In game two the Violets did not manage a single run. Freshman pitcher Chad Johnstone struck out three of New Paltz’s batters in five innings. The Violets crushed the College of Staten Island on Sunday with a sweep. Sophomore infielder Jonathan Iaione scored due to an error made by the College of Staten Island in the fourth inning of the
first game. Sophomore fielder Christian Bloom kicked off the bottom of the fifth with a single. After a proceeding Walter walk, junior outfielder Adrian Spitz cleared the bases with a double to make it 3-0. Spitz was singled in by Smith leading to the Violets to make it 4-0, a score that would stand. In the second game, freshman pitcher Jack Kurtenbach made his collegiate debut and went for 3 2/3 innings with only one earned run and four strikeouts. The Violets scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning thanks to RBI singles by Iaione and sophomore outfielder Michael Vokulich, as well as a sacrifice fly by freshman infielder Jack Elias. CSI scored in the second inning, but the Violets scored three more runs in the third. The Violets got in their last three runs with the help of Bloom and Vokulich, finishing CSI 11-4. The Violets will be back on the field Wednesday, April 27, for a game against College of Mount St. Vincent in Coney Island.
Softball The softball team also played
College of Staten Island this weekend in a doubleheader on Friday. After dropping the first game, NYU came back strong and took the second one. The Violets’ bats were silenced in the first game, and CSI’s two runs were all that was needed. Freshman pitcher Cassi Parulis tossed 4 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on six hits. The Violets regrouped and plated two runs in the first inning of the second game. They also scored two runs in the second inning, one in the third and two in the fourth. Freshman pitcher Diana King pitched a complete game one-hit shutout while striking out six in a 7-0 Violet victory. The Violets kept it rolling on Saturday with a doubleheader against SUNY Old Westbury, taking both games. Junior pitcher Jacqueline Tremblay pitched five shutout innings, while junior third baseman Molly Webber started the domino effect with a bases-clearing triple in the fifth inning, putting NYU in a large 5-0 lead. SUNY Old Westbury was blanked 8-0. The beat went on in the second game. Freshman pitcher Karissa Zubalake only al-
lowed two runs, while also managing to pitch a complete game. To wrap up the weekend, the women played against Manhattanville College on Sunday in a doubleheader. They split, winning game one with a score of 9-4 and losing game two in a
tight battle, losing 6-5. The Violets are back in action against Drew University on Wednesday, April 27 at the Bahoshy Softball Complex.
Email Ashley Arnold at sports@nyunews.com.
VIA GONYUATHLETICS.COM
Sophomore Chase Denison pitched a complete game shutout, the first in NYU DIII history.
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