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WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS Vol. 43, No. 46

MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2015

nyunews.com RESEARCH

Study: LS students feel stigma By MARITA VLACHOU and ALANNA BAYARIN News Editors

STAFF PHOTO BY CALVIN FALK

Daita Goswamy developed Suppr, an app that matches people based on their dining interests and location so they can enjoy a meal together.

STORY ON PAGE 4

LS continued on PG. 3

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

MCCLEOD continued on PG. 4

VIA THEGAZELLE.ORG

CAS junior Krystal McLeod has been awarded with the highly competitive Truman Scholarship, an honor given to public service leaders across the country. The award recognizes her for co-founding “My” Right to Learn, an education initiative. She will receive $30,000 toward her graduate education, where she hopes to earn a law degree and a Masters in public administration focusing on nonprofit policy. McLeod launched “My” Right to Learn last summer as an eightweek program during which disenfranchised students took

classes to increase literacy and engagement in civics. McLeod’s was inspired set up an education program through her family background, which allowed her to see how public schools could fail their students. “I come from a family of 12,” McLeod said. “Some of my siblings graduated from our local high school functionally illiterate. They didn’t have the tools they needed to succeed in college. My mom really depended on the public school, and it failed her.” McLeod said she always intended to give back to disenfranchised

The Gazelle: NYUAD elections Controversy surrounds the General Assembly special session held recently. STORY on PG. 3

Tennis beats Rochester in UAA sets By KYLE LUTHER Deputy Sports Editor

The NYU men’s and women’s tennis teams finished off the University Athletic Association Championship in Altamonte Springs, Florida on Sunday by defeating the University of Rochester. The wins from both teams came after a tough weekend and season in general. From the start, the men’s season had been plagued with a string of two-or-three game losing streaks, only getting a win to break the streak every now and then. Although the Violets finished the season with a 4-9 record, they consistently played very well at home, earning a 3-1 record. Their achilles’ heel was their record during games on

the road, where they lost all six of their contests. After losing five games straight, the Violets ended the season with a victory against Rochester, beating them 6-3. The Violets had lost 4-5 to Rochester earlier in the season but were able to turn the tables with strong doubles play this time around. After losing in the first doubles matchup, the Violets were able to get wins in the second and third doubles games to take the lead going into singles play. The Violets won four out of the six singles matches, led by junior Sidd Thangirala at number one singles, senior CJ Leong at second singles and sophomore Matt DeMichiel at fifth singles. This was also the last colle-

Track UAA Championships The Violets competed in Emory over the weekend, with strong performances throughout. STORY on PG. 5

giate competition for seniors CJ Leong and Billy Smithline, who were able to secure two singles victories and leave NYU on a high note. The women’s team fared better than the men’s this season, but still finished below .500. Like the men’s team, the women snapped a five game losing streak against Rochester and ended their season with a 3-3 road record. The Violets began their season on a high note, winning four of their first five matches. They looked to be moving up in the rankings, and the addition of junior transfer Carmen Lai at the beginning of the season boosted an already strong

TENNIS continued on PG. 5

Webcam-wary ILLUSTRATION BY JOURDAN ENRIQUEZ

CAS junior wins Truman Scholarship

SPORTS

VIA GONYUATHLETICS.COM

FEATURES

By AMANDA D. MORRIS Staff Writer

LS students feel inferior to other NYU students, according to a study conducted by CAS junior Drew Kogon. The study included 110 participants, all of whom were freshmen. Originally an LS student, Kogon said his time in Liberal Studies served as motivation for the research — he wanted to see if there was empirical data to support the stigma he felt surrounded Liberal Studies. “I became pretty aware of the stereotypes that exist regarding the different colleges,” Kogon said. “I myself was a member of LS so from that and from observing my peers in how they perceived themselves and how some of them really felt they were, to some degree, second-class students added more bulk and more foundation to doing a study.”

With the prevalence of webcam-hacking, it is important to protect from peeping toms. STORY on PG. 7

WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2015 | NYUNEWS.COM

ON THE SIDE

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Exposure

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

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

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

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

OPINION PAGE opinion editor

TESS WOOSLEY deputy opinion editors

ANNIE COHEN, TOMMY COLLISON, MATTHEW TESSLER

It has been 70 years since the United States dropped nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but the struggles surrounding nuclear weapons continue today. Over 8 million people have signed a petition to the United Nations demanding a world free of nuclear weapons, and on Sunday, the day before world powers will meet to review total disarmament, demonstrators rallied in the streets of New York City. Parades of people began their march at Union Square and walked past 29th Street near Murray Hill. Protesters sang chants in Japanese and carried signs crying for peace. They wore elaborate costumes and coordinated performances to spread their message. People on the sidewalks gave out paper cranes and little cards in translated hiragana. The crowd went past Grand Central Terminal into Times Square and beyond. Let’s hope those voices are heard for future peace.

BY SANG BAE

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

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French Literature in the Making French author Sylvie Germain comes to La Maison Française at 7 p.m. today to discuss her work with Olivier Barrot, also a French author.

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JESSICA TIEN

The Center for Ballet and the Arts Open House In celebration of their new location at 16 Cooper Square, the Center for Ballet and the Arts is hosting an open house, featuring a reception and a talk about the origins of ballet. The doors open at 6 p.m.

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HIV Testing The Student Health Center is giving free, confidential HIV testing for all NYU students on the fourth floor of 726 Broadway from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Looking down a stairwell in an apartment building at 2nd Ave and 10th Street.

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TATIANA BAEZ, NICOLE BROWN, ALEX GREENBERGER, CLIO MCCONNELL, JORDAN MELENDREZ About WSN: Washington Square News (ISSN 15499389) is the student newspaper of New York University. WSN is published Monday through Thursday during NYU’s academic year, except for university holidays, vacations and exam periods. Corrections: WSN is committed to accurate reporting. When we make errors, we do our best to correct them as quickly as possible. If you believe we have erred, contact the managing editors at managing@nyunews.com or at 212.998.4302.

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LS continued from PG. 1

Kogon received grant to study LS

Kogon said most LS students apply to CAS but the university places them in LS. Kogon added that this contributes to the feeling of perceived inferiority. “A lot of it has to do with the fact that people perceive someone to be less intelligent because NYU is making the decision of where they want them to go to school as opposed to the individual,” Kogon said. Initially, Kogon thought he would find a difference between those who were referred to Liberal Studies by the university and those who applied to it directly. “I thought I’d find a significant difference in how they felt about themselves and their school and what I found was there was

no difference,” Kogon said. “It seems that even if you get rid of the reference program, there is a stigma behind Liberal Studies. It sinks deeper than why you ended up there.” From start to finish, the research took about a year and a half. Kogon constructed a questionnaire of 65 questions and went to freshman residence halls searching for participants. Participants also included CAS students to collect data from students in other schools about the perception Liberal Studies. Kogon received the CAS Dean’s Undergraduate Research Fund to pursue the study. LS freshman Tori Porada said she found the results of the study in line with her own experience, as

she has sometimes felt as though students in other colleges did not respect students in the LS program as much. “While LS is a great program, and I’m happy to be a part of it, I think some students think it is a joke because it is two years,” Porada said. “I’ve had friends insinuate that my classes aren’t ‘real’ because they are general courses and aren’t necessarily specific to a certain major.” Not everyone agreed with the results, however, as LS freshman Christina Marini said Liberal Studies has offered her a valuable college experience due to the small number of students. “I do not resonate with that claim because I have a pas-

THE GAZELLE: FURTHER CONTROVERSY SURROUNDING SPECIAL GA OUTCOME Published on TheGazelle.org, NYU Abu Dhabi’s weekly student publication, on April 25, 2015 By ZOEY HU Editor-in-Chief While resolving one debate, this week’s special session of the General Assembly has given rise to several others — framed, for the most part, inside the pale blue rectangles of Facebook threads. Strung amid advertisements for pillow fights and leftover Ethiopian food, angry posts on university pages have voiced concerns about the GA’s outcome and the tense unfurling of the semester’s Student Government elections. The special session had been called in order to decide whether students on leaves of absence could be permitted to run in student elections. Though the 33-27 vote tally had, at first, gestured towards a clear outcome against the motion, some students raised concerns about the constitutionality of the session and the vote itself, which had been wedged into a 45-second time frame and included one unprecedented procedure. Initially, the GA had been disputed before it even began; some students asked that the special session not be held, saying it was technically unconstitutional given that the session had been announced only 24 hours in advance. This dilemma can be traced back to the two official documents that structure Student Government: the Constitution and the Rules and Procedures. The Constitution stipulates that GAs be announced at least 48 hours in advance, while the Rules and Procedures, passed in October 2014, allow for a notification window of only 24 hours. “We have been announcing GAs within a 24-hour window, or at least 24 hours before, since October 2014, and that’s what we announced this GA for,” said Officer of Communications Olivia Bergen.

Bergen said that, given the urgency of the issue and the discussion it was generating, the Executive Board decided to move ahead with the session. On that day, students packed the GA room, spilling into the hallway outside, and witnessed the taut orchestration of short, volunteered arguments articulated within the breathless timeframes allotted by GA procedure. Along with others who were absent but following a livestream and casting their votes online, the GA voted for the motion to fail. Afterwards, however, Bergen had been approached by students who were concerned about some votes that had been cast online. In order for a vote to be counted, it must come from an active participant of the GA, whether that be someone who is following the session, and therefore the debate, in the room, or someone who is watching it unfold via livestream on Google Hangouts. While seven separate people had been voting via Google Hangouts during the GA, there were 15 virtual votes in total. This surplus of votes, all sent via email and all voting against the motion, was brought to Bergen’s attention after the GA concluded and the outcome announced. She believed, at first, that the eight extra votes would have to be disqualified and the outcome upended. “We were confused. It didn’t appear like those votes could count,” said Bergen. For this reason, Bergen said that she and Global Vice President Ben Jance decided to draft an official report. “We shared it with the Executive Board, said, guys look this over. What do you think about this?” added Bergen. “And it was brought to our attention by one of the Executive Board members that they

knew that the eight people … had been in the Marketplace watching on Google Hangout via [a student’s] laptop.” Until that session, there had been no precedent of students sharing a Google Hangout account to vote. Bergen and Jance approached the owner of the laptop, senior Suhaib Mohaidat, at around 2 p.m., an hour and a half after the GA ended. He confirmed that the eight voters had been with him watching the live-stream at the time. “[Mohaidat], who knows all these people — they were friends and had been watching together — went to go collect the signatures from each of the eight people and then submitted it to us,” said Bergen. The signature document attested to the presence of the entire group and was later included in the public report, which revealed the names of all those who voted and the direction of their vote. The report was met with doubts from students about whether or not those on the shared account could be considered active participants. Given that there had been no on-screen verification of the voters’ presence, some students wondered if their votes should count. “For me, the concern was only based on a hypothetical scenario,” said junior Maddie Moore who, along with junior Cian Dinan, submitted votes via email that were not counted because they fell outside of the 45-second time frame. “It never crossed my mind that this specific group of votes had been submitted disingenuously. I just realized it was possible. I also submitted two votes via email and nobody in this world had any way of knowing whether Cian was actually present.” For the rest of the story, go online to thegazelle.org.

VIA FACEBOOK.COM

Kogon conducted a study which showed that LS students feel inferior to other NYU students. sion for the Liberal Studies program,” Marini said. “I think it is a great way to begin college because — due to the small class sizes — students are able to truly

form relationships with each other and with their professors.” Email Marita Vlachou and Alanna Bayarin at news@nyunews.com.

CRIME LOG

april 17 to 22

By LEXI FAUNCE Staff Writer The Department of Public Safety received reports of 11 incidents of larceny and one incident of burglary between April 17 and 22.

Larceny At 12:10 p.m. on April 17, a student notified Public Safety that his Razor scooter was stolen from a classroom in Warren Weaver Hall on April 10. A police report was not filed. At 4:30 p.m. on April 17, Public Safety received a report from a Bobst Library staff member that an NYUowned keyboard and mouse that were locked in a closed cupboard went missing. At 8:15 p.m. on April 17, Public Safety received a report from an NYU faculty member who found his bike and lock were missing after having locked it earlier to a bike rack outside Coles Sports Center. A police report was not filed. At 12:30 a.m. on April 18, Public Safety received a report from an NYU affiliate that her bike had been stolen after having been locked to the bike rack behind the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts on April 17. At 3:20 p.m. on April 18, a person not affiliated with NYU notified Public Safety that she had chained her bike to the rack at 721 Broadway and Waverly Place but found it missing once she returned to retrieve it later that afternoon. At 4:20 p.m. on April 19, a student notified Public Safety that her backpack holding a checkbook, iPhone and lap-

top case was taken from her truck parked in front of 19 University Place. At 12:40 p.m. on April 20, a student notified Public Safety that he found his bicycle was missing after having locked it to a railing in Schwartz Plaza on April 16. At 2:55 p.m. on April 20, a student notified Public Safety that his backpack, including a laptop and a notebook, was taken from a table in Warren Weaver Hall. A police report was not filed. At 9 p.m. on April 20, Public Safety received a report from a student whose bicycle had gone missing after he had locked it in front of Think Coffee on 248 Mercer Street an hour earlier. The student left before the police arrived. At 2:39 p.m. on April 21, Public Safety received a report that a student’s laptop and backpack were taken from the Courant Institute Library in Warren Weaver Hall. The student filed a police report. At 11:05 a.m. on April 21, a member of Public Safety reported that a power adapter on Second Avenue that had been in place on April 19 was discovered missing at 10:35 a.m. on April 21.

Burglary At 2:30 p.m. on April 22, Public Safety received a report from an NYU employee that some of his belongings were stolen from his desk at Shimkin Hall. Although the employee was able to retrieve his things, no suspect has been identified. Email Lexi Faunce at news@nyunews.com.

WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2015 | NYUNEWS.COM

FEATURES

EDITED BY MARINA ZHENG FEATURES@NYUNEWS.COM

Junior creates app for dating, eating

MCLEOD continued from PG. 1

McLeod hopes to expand her initiative

By ZOE THOMPSON Staff Writer

Gallatin junior Daita Goswamy is approaching the launch date of her new mobile app, Suppr. Hoping to unite strangers through the act of sharing a meal, Goswamy channeled the basic principles behind the dating app Tinder into her zeroexpectations social platform. “I heard a lot of people complaining about how in New York, like any big city, it’s hard to make friends,” Goswamy said. “I thought, I would want an app that would help me bond with people with no sexual expectation. [With Suppr] you can have lunch with a grandma.” Goswami, who considers herself to be a foodie, finds dining out to be the most authentic way to bond with others. With a personal investor and $20,000 worth of startup money, Goswami partnered with a team at Messapps to create her vision. “Messapps helped me through the whole thing,” Goswamy said. “It was very hands-on. All the designs we gave to the graphic designer came from my sketches.” When using the app, a number of restaurants in the user’s local area will appear. After clicking on an eatery of interest and reading its review, the user can add it to their “Wants” list. Once matched with another user who is interested in the same restaurant, a chat room will open that enables the pair to finalize their plans. In this way, Suppr follows

STAFF PHOTO BY CALVIN FALK

Suppr combines aspects from Tinder and Yelp to match people for meals. the basic format of dating apps like Tinder. “Tinder really paved the way for me,” Goswami said. “People are really open to meeting people off of apps — there’s no stigma to it any more.” Although the app has yet to launch, many are already showing interest in it. CAS freshman Austin Schwed said Suppr shares the positive characteristics of Tinder. “It’s brilliant,” Schwed said. “It’s Tinder with food — what else could students want? It’s like dating, without the hard part.” As with any dating app, many users have a fear of the unknown. Tisch freshman Emma Hart admits that although the app is a step up from the hyper-sexual approach of Tinder, she is a bit apprehensive about its concept. “I think Suppr sounds interesting, but I would be a little scared to go out with someone I didn’t know,” Hart said. “But, it does sound like a significant improvement from Tinder.” Goswami attributes her abilities to create an app to both her social and academic experience at NYU. “NYU helped because everyone is so driven,” Goswami said. “It gives you the feeling that there

are no limits to what you can do. But … I came here and realized how hard it is to meet people. I realized most people just want to grab a coffee with someone.” Goswami hopes others will follow in her path and seize the creative opportunity of app-innovation. “I’m interested in disruptive technology, like Uber, that can actually change things,” Goswami said. “It bypasses tradition. It eliminates the red tape, the middleman and the bureaucracy.” With plans to release the app worldwide, Suppr’s marketing push will be focused on New York City. Goswami then plans to expand to Singapore, Los Angeles and London. “I’m just taking it one day at a time,” Goswami said. But for now, with its website up and running and promotion codes recently released, students should keep their eyes pealed for Suppr’s impending appearance in the App Store. “At NYU, a lot of people are too concerned about following traditional paths,” Goswami said. “More people need to jump in the deep end and make stuff.” Email Zoe Thompson at features@nyunews.com.

communities as soon as she got the chance. That chance was given to her when she was awarded a Gallatin Global Fellowship and a Dalai Lama Fellowship from NYU to fund her initiative. Lisa Kail, the assistant director of the Office of Civic Engagement and NYU campus adviser for the Dalai Lama Fellows Program, said McLeod deserves the scholarship. “She works so hard at everything she does and embraces every opportunity with a unique blend of joy and humility,” Kail said. “Time spent with Krystal is time spent with a constant smile on your face. Her can-do attitude make you believe anything is possible.” Richard Jung, a CAS student counselor for the Opportunity Programs at NYU, mentored Krystal throughout the process and cited McLeod’s own merits as the reason for her success. “I’m incredibly proud of what she’s accomplished,” Jung said. “It took a tremendous amount of time and energy to get the program running, and she managed to do it all while juggling a full course load and handling multiple responsibilities.” McLeod spent a year and a half developing the program before its launch last summer. “My” Right to Learn will run throughout the spring but will pause during the summer so McLeod can reconsider its finances. “To do the program takes a lot; I want to make it sustainable,” McLeod said. “We want to sit down to analyze the situation this summer because we want to figure out what the program will look

COURTESY OF KRYSTAL MCLEOD

Gallatin junior Krystal McLeod was named a 2015 Truman Scholar. like and we have to look for sustained funding.” McLeod gained experience teaching during her time volunteering at Generation Citizen, a national nonprofit education program. NYU students teach classes and perform administrative tasks for the organization, and McLeod hopes to bring even more students on board. Steinhardt sophomore Lauren Fleming, who worked at “My” Right to Learn and served on the chair of communication and public relations, said the overall experience was rewarding. “From being a ‘My’ Right to Learn team member, I learned just how important mentorship is,” Fleming said. “I hope that ‘My’ Right to Learn grows into a national program. The values that Krystal built the program on and the lessons that are taught should be accessible to all students.” Email Amanda Morris at features@nyunews.com.

INFORMING YOU FIRST

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SPORTS

EDITED BY BOBBY WAGNER SPORTS@NYUNEWS.COM

Track posts varied championship results By BOBBY WAGNER Sports Editor

The UAA Championships in Emory, Georgia were a representation of the Violets’ season in general. After finishing in second on the first day, the men only managed to place six out of seven teams. The women were not much better, placing just one place higher. On Saturday, everything was going right for the Violets. They performed well enough in heats to qualify for the final races of the day, during which the team excelled. On the men’s team, senior Johnny Lake and sophomore Carter Beardsley earned second place finishes in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and the shot put, respectively. Sophomore Budd Brown performed well enough on the weekend to be ranked in the top 10 nationally for Division III middle distance runners. Beardsley continued his dominant streak this season. He was awarded with the NYU Athlete of the Week honor last week and proved his worth by following the award with a solid weekend. As for Lake, he nears the end of his NYU career looking to go out with a bang. The rest of the team, however, was banged up on the second day. Junior Matthew Powers and freshman Malcolm Montilus were both out with tight hamstrings — a possible side effect of changing to balmy Georgia weather after facing the chill in New York City. On the women’s side, junior Kristina Harris posted a 12.27 second 100 meter on Sunday,

which was strong enough for second place. She shaved 0.17 seconds off her preliminary time, but was still not fast enough to get first, which went to Daisy Ogede from Washington University in St. Louis, the only runner who posted a time below 12 seconds. “Personally, I think the team did really well,” Harris said. “We had a few last minute injuries from key players which hurt our relays and open events. Everyone came into the meet prepared to run their best and I think that our training and hard work was demonstrated. I think we have room for improvement, and our season is not over.” Unlike most other spring sports, however, the track and field team are not quite at the end of their season. They will have a quick turnaround next weekend when they travel to Princeton, New Jersey to compete in the Princeton University Invitational. That will be the first of two meets before the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships, and then the subsequent NCAA Outdoor Championships, which will be the final meet of their season on May 22 and 23. Email Bobby Wagner at bwagner@nyunews.com.

VIA GONYUATHLETICS.COM

Kim leads the individual competition after round one.

TENNIS continued from PG. 1

Tennis closes mixed season with wins

team. However, the Violets struggled for the rest of the season, losing five games straight before ending their season yesterday with a win. NYU was boosted as usual by the first doubles team of Lai and sophomore Laila El Dessouki, who won their match 8-5. Although Rochester ended up winning two of the three matches, the Violets dominated singles play and won four out of the six matches. After her doubles win, El Dessouki went on to clinch the Violets victory with a win at number three singles 6-2, 5-7 and 6-2.

“I am very proud of my team,” Lai said. “Everyone played with great courage and determination. Although we were down 2-4 against Rochester, we showed an incredible amount of toughness that we defeated them 5-4 to win the match. It was incredible. The overall season went pretty well this year. Everyone’s contribution was very important. I hope next year we will continue to train hard and achieve better results.” Email Kyle Luther at kluther@nyunews.com.

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34 Frequently, to a poet 37 1977 hardrock hit by Ted Nugent 41 “Beg pardon?”

64 Boat with a double-bladed paddle 65 Pigpen 66 Deuce toppers 67 Long, hard look

Edited by Will Shortz 1

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No. 0323

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OPINION

EDITED BY TESS WOOSLEY OPINION@NYUNEWS.COM

PRIVACY

Users must be wary of webcam snooping By TOMMY COLLISON Deputy Opinion Editor

With improving technology comes many benefits, but also more ways to do harm. One evening this semester, I was in a cafe when the woman at the next table asked if I would watch her belongings while she went to the bathroom. I agreed and glanced over, noticing that her MacBook’s green webcam light was on. When she came back, I asked if she was on Skype. “No, it’s been on all the time for the last few weeks. I’m sure it’s nothing, but I hope nobody’s watching,” she said with a nervous laugh. In reality, it is almost certain that someone was watching that woman through her webcam, and chances are, it was the last person to service her laptop. It might sound paranoid, but there is definitely a precedent — a California-based computer technician was arrested in 2011 for installing peeping-tom software on the laptops women asked him to repair. According to the Huffington Post, one of the bogus error messages that would reportedly show on-screen encouraged users to “fix their internal sensor” by “putting

your laptop near hot steam for several minutes,” prompting some female users to bring their open laptop into the bathroom with them when they showered. It is incredibly easy to remotely activate someone’s webcam. The fear that someone is watching you through your laptop camera is sometimes dismissed as paranoia, but stories of remote spying are becoming more common each year. While paranoia is by definition irrational, healthy concern is not, and taking small steps to thwart a jealous ex or creepy IT guy is something everyone should do. A cheap, low-tech solution is to cover the webcam with a small sticker when not in use, which can be temporarily removed for video chatting. Wired Magazine reported that the FBI had opened an investigation

into Lower Merion School District in Philadelphia, which had remotely activated the webcams on schoolissued laptops, snapping pictures of students as they slept or were, according to a civil action, “partially undressed.” That the software could track students’ web habits and emails is worrying enough — the idea that these laptops were AV surveillance devices is doubly chilling. The laptops came with software allowing them to be remotely controlled, ostensibly to help in the recovery effort if they were stolen. Depending on the exact nature of the data collection and the pictures in question, the school district could have run afoul of child pornography laws. The case ended with a $610,000 settlement, but the capabilities of stalkers and other hackers to surreptitiously access other computers have only improved since then. It is a low-tech solution, but given that this problem has occurred at least a half-dozen times in the last few years, covering your computer’s webcam is a simple precaution to take. Email Tommy Collison at tcollison@nyunews.com.

INTERNET

Lack of Internet connection in city concerning By KENNY KYUNGHOON LEE Contributing Writer

Given that high-speed Internet provides access to enormous amounts of information, it is now essential that the United States secures it for everyone in order to be globally competitive and innovative. Despite this, a recent report revealed that 18 percent of New Yorkers still do not have the access to broadband. Broadband refers to the wide bandwidth transmission that enables high-speed, simultaneous exchange of data. In today’s increasingly connected society, broadband is necessary to efficiently navigate through a high volume of information. Under the definition set by Federal Communications Commission five years ago, four megabits per second is a minimum download speed to be defined as broadband. Netflix, for example, recommends that users have download speed of at least 5 Mbps to enjoy high definition streaming. Under this definition, about one out of five New Yorkers still do not have Internet that is fast enough to stream their favorite TV shows without waiting. But beyond streaming video, In-

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ternet has dramatically reshaped not only the way we consume creative content but also the way we acquire knowledge and find career opportunities. More people are now dependent on open-access learning tools such as MIT OpenCourseWare and Khan Academy. Those in the job market are also increasingly dependent on online platforms such as LinkedIn and Glassdoor. Without broadband that is fast enough to handle this volume of data, however, it is very difficult to even access them. For low-income families especially, a lack of home broadband is a major obstacle to their efforts to escape poverty. Those who do not have broadband at home typically cite high cost as a reason, and research shows that American customers tend to pay more than their counterparts in Asia or Europe for compa-

rable broadband services. The lack of affordable broadband services, therefore, serves to widen the gap in access to information between the rich and poor. In an effort to address the disparity in Internet access, the New York Public Library will expand its free broadband program that lends wireless devices to low-income families. By the end of this year, the city’s three library systems will lend 10,000 devices to residents who do not have home broadband. The recipients of this expanded program will finally be able to take advantage of the technology that has long been considered as necessity. However, more aggressive measures must be adopted to improve the broadband connectivity across the nation. Currently, only 73 percent of Americans has access to broadband. In comparison, 94 percent of South Koreans and 93 percent of Bulgarians enjoy the benefits of broadband connectivity. Access to broadband is now a necessity, and the United States needs to catch up. Email Kenny Kyunghoon Lee at opinion@nyunews.com.

STAFF EDITORIAL

Conversation over police brutality needs nuance

Felix David, a 22-year-old suspected of robbery, was shot and killed by police officers during a struggle on Saturday afternoon. The officers sustained non-life threatening head and shoulder injuries during the five minute fight in which the suspect broke one of the officer’s radios over his head. While David’s death comes at a time of criticism of the use of lethal force by the police, this situation must not automatically be seen as uncalledfor police brutality. Lethal force is certainly never the optimal response, but David was acting in a manner that significantly threatened the safety of the officers. This type of nuance is often lacking in the recent debates on police brutality, which sometimes brand all officers as murderers. These conversations are unproductive at best and actively lethal at worst. The United States is in the middle of a much-needed national conversation about police brutality, and irrespective of whether the threshold of necessary lethal force was met, David’s death is a tragedy that adds to the troublingly large pool of individuals killed at the hands of the police. However, this killing is an example of a split-second decision that turned out to be wrong, as opposed to evidence of the systematic racism that exists in many U.S. police forces. Despite historically low crime levels, the last 18 months have been marked by strained relations between New Yorkers and the New York Police Department. It remains to be seen whether the news that minor offenses may be reclassified as civil rather than criminal offenses will reverse the NYPD’s broken window policy. It bears repeating that on-the-beat policing is not an exact science, and the vast majority of New York City’s 34,000 officers are capable service-members who do their job admirably. There is a fine line between the justified use of lethal force and its misuse, one that officers must skirt often in their line of work. Decisions made on the spur of the moment have consequences for the lives of both the officers and suspects. The decision to use lethal force affects the lives of friends, families and communities of those shot. The stun gun is certainly a better option in the majority of altercations — it is better that people be subdued than killed. The issue of police brutality and how to determine if and when lethal force is necessary must continue to be discussed. It certainly stands to reason that in situations where police feel that their safety is threatened, use of non-lethal force such as stun guns are far preferable to the alternative. Instead of continuing with two dissonant, competing monologues, the NYPD and its critics should engage in a dialogue to bring these two groups closer.

Email the WSN Editorial Board at editboard@nyunews.com. EDITORIAL BOARD: Tess Woosley (Chair), Annie Cohen (Co-chair), Tommy Collison (Co-chair), Matthew Tessler (Co-chair) ILLUSTRATION BY JOURDAN ENRIQUEZ

Send mail to: 838 Broadway, Fifth Floor New York, N.Y. 10003 or email: opinion@nyunews.com WSN welcomes letters to the editor, opinion pieces and articles relevant to the NYU community, or in response to articles. Letters should be less than 450 words. All submissions must be typed or emailed and must include the author’s name, address and phone number. Members of the NYU community must include a year and school or job title.

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NYUNEWS.COM | MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2015 | WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS